LPR's Issues Etc. Ignores Indictment and Calls to Remove Trumpite LCMS Pastor

https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/thousands-urge-removal-of-lutheran-pastor-indicted-with-donald-trump

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/pastor-indicted-alongside-trump-returns-to-pulpit/ar-AA1fX3di

https://www2.cbn.com/news/politics/freedom-caucus-leader-rep-mark-meadows-god-gets-credit

I find it rather interesting that LPR's Issues Etc. has not bothered to cover this story – at least not yet.

One would think that a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) talk radio show would sit up and take interest when one of their own faces indictment alongside Donald Trump for attempting to manipulate and overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. There are other Evangelicals involved such as Jenna Ellis who now has a show on American Family Radio (AFR) and the Dominionist Mark Meadows who as Trump's Chief of Staff played an important role in the plot.

Where's the coverage?

Anti-Semitic Israeli Generals?

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-former-general-compares-palestinian-treatment-nazi-germany

One would think this story would get a little more press than it has received.

Was this some left-wing firebrand that dared to compare Israel's treatment of the Palestinians to the Nazi regime or its West Bank policies to apartheid South Africa?

Further Reformed Fragmentation

https://julieroys.com/calvinist-activist-warns-white-nationalism-invading-reformed-churches/

I was encouraged to discover there are some who are concerned over what is happening within the Church – and in this case the Reformed sphere. And it's not just White Nationalism but a growing militancy that should be sending up red flags. Gun culture is incompatible with New Testament Christianity but what's been developing in recent years is far beyond the pale.

Russell Moore Interviewed on NPR and the Growing Evangelical Rejection of Scripture

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/05/1192374014/russell-moore-on-altar-call-for-evangelical-america

I've written repeatedly about Russell Moore over the years and while he's considered in some quarters to be a quasi-'woke' liberal today, at one time he was as right-wing as anyone. I can't say that I've ever been a fan though I do appreciate his stand against Trump – though perhaps for different reasons than his. I will say he appeared the Christian when contrasted with the likes of Franklin Graham, the master and inheritor of a corrupt legacy and 'ministry' machine.

The Now Less than Great Game: Extending Western Influence into Central Asia

https://www.euractiv.com/section/central-asia/news/kazakh-expert-central-asia-needs-a-transnational-electricity-grid/

Investment is always viewed through the lens of economic legitimacy – both as a means and an end. But it also needs to be understood that a flood of money invariably generates corruption.

Trump's Threat to NATO

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/04/john-bolton-trump-nato-2024

Some in the name of anti-globalisation would be more than happy to see the US withdraw from NATO. Others make a similar isolationist argument by appealing to Washington's 1796 farewell warning concerning 'foreign entanglements'. For whatever the reason there is a growing voice within Right-wing circles that is exhibiting no small degree of scepticism regarding NATO. For some it's simply a nationalist impulse and an unwillingness to contemplate spending American treasure and lives to defend some European country that most Americans know nothing about. Regardless, this sentiment represents a sharp break within the American conservatism that emerged after World War II.

Para-Feminism on the Defense

https://julieroys.com/john-pipers-position-women-should-not-lead-parachurch-organizations-sparks-controversy/

I think it safe to say that I'm not a fan of John Piper but on occasion I can appreciate something he says. In this case, it's not really about anything remarkable coming from Piper's pen. Rather, what piques my interest is that such a statement has generated controversy.

The Georgia Indictment, RICO, and Rudy Giuliani

I have not been watching all of the news coverage but I would hope that someone would point out the irony present in this situation. Giuliani has been swept up in the Georgia indictment on the basis of RICO – the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Pakistan's Internal Affairs

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested again and has now been sentenced to prison. Ousted from office in April 2022, he has repeatedly insisted the US played a role in what many view as a bureaucratic coup.

A Ukraine Miscellany XIX: Stalemate

When this subject was last addressed at the beginning of June, the spring offensive was just getting under way. Two months later it has fizzled and even Western media seems incapable of spinning the story.

The Context of the Niger Coup

Coups in Africa are by some estimates far from unusual. There have been many in recent years and while often mentioned, the news coverage in the West is minimal. Africa does not generate a great deal of interest to Western audiences and for many it's impossibly complicated and they are unable to follow the stories or contextualize them.

Inbox: Christian Movie Reviews

I have been asked from time to time about recommendations for Christian movies, what review sites to trust and the like. The answer is very simple – none of them are to be trusted and I can't recommend any that I know of.

A Pastor in Venezuela

https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/22997/pastor-sentenced-by-the-venezuelan-authorities

I wouldn't for a moment wish to defend the Maduro-led government of Venezuela. I would not want to justify, support, or defend anything that government says or does – especially when it comes to its relations with the Church.

That said, there are some questions that need to be asked.

The Orlandi Documentary

Emanuela Orlandi disappeared from near the Vatican in 1983 and while the popes and curia wish the story would go away, it lingers on. It is captivating to say the least and every so often it pops up again in the news. Netflix recently released a documentary which more or less summarizes the story to this point and attempts to advance it a step or two. And much to the chagrin of the Vatican, this documentary has effectively put a spotlight on the story and has introduced it (and the scandals connected to it) to a new generation.