Recess Appointments and Originalism

If facing resistance from the Senate, the incoming Trump administration has indicated it would like to utilise 'recess appointments' for incoming cabinet members - a provision granted in the Constitution. The new Senate majority leader John Thune has signalled he may be willing to facilitate this by taking the body into recess for no reason other than allowing Trump to push his cabinet nominees through.

A Ukraine Miscellany (XX): The End of the Biden Regime

 I more or less dispensed with these 'miscellany' posts in the summer of 2023 due to the ongoing stalemate. There wasn't much to say.

The big events or developments since then are the August 2024 Kursk Offensive in which Ukraine tried to flip the narrative and invade Russian territory. After some initial and yet modest gains the situation turned into another stalemate and now as 2024 comes to a close, they are rapidly losing this captured territory to Moscow.

More Thanksgiving Drivel

https://americanreformer.org/2024/11/the-death-of-thanksgiving/

Dunson is upset because of the commercialisation of Christmas and the fact that the 'season' starts in conjunction with Halloween. Thanksgiving is skipped over.

The answer to this is obvious. We live in a capitalist society and with a retail economy, Christmas is critical. Thanksgiving is only a boon for the grocery industry. The Utilitarian ethics of capitalism make it so and make it right. If he has a problem with this, critique the system and the values its spawns - but don't hold your breath. He is writing after all for the American Reformer.

Riemenschneider, the AfD, and Anti-Semitism

https://ironsharpensironradio.com/2024/09/16/september-13-2024-show-with-tobias-riemenschneider-on-the-rise-of-anti-semitism-admiration-of-adolf-hitler-in-the-21st-century/

It has been disconcerting to listen to Chris Arnzen interview German Theonomist pastor Tobias Riemenschneider on various subjects, but in particular in connection to German history and politics.

Presbyterian Fantasies and Delusions

https://theaquilareport.com/presbyterians-mia-missing-in-actions/

I must say it again - Larry Ball never disappoints. He is consistent in his production of doctrinal error, ethical filth, and the celebration of worldliness.

This article can best be described as glorying in one's shame. He would celebrate Presbyterianism's supposedly august role in shaping the American Empire but like all afflicted with the soul-destroying disease of idolatry (in this case nationalism) he is utterly blind to the evils he in fact celebrates.

The Subtle Deception of Idolatry and History Repeating Itself

https://danhult.com/2024/09/19/as-for-me-and-my-house-americas-household-idols/

A great deal could be said about the arguments put forward by Hult. Not a few would take issue with his prioritisation of family over Church but for me the most glaring problems are found elsewhere.

And it should be noted that he's right regarding the fact that idolatry is often equated with adultery and/or fornication. This is why I think it unfortunate that many of the newer translations choose terms like 'sexual immorality' in the book of Revelation as opposed to the more flexible term of 'fornication'. I think often what's being condemned is idolatry as opposed to specific sexual activities. This does not make light of the latter but rather many openly engaged in idolatry/adultery/fornication can render these passages as non-applicable because they see them as only referring to forbidden sexual activity.

This brings us to Hult's rendering of household gods which represents a departure from Scriptural thinking or rather a sleight-of-hand exchange - moving from Bible to Right-wing politics without missing a beat.

The Christian Right's Fantasy Realm of Reagan-Land

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/reagan-moviea-great-reminder-of-what-a-president-should-be.html

The myths and legends were emerging even before his death in 2004. Now twenty years later they've blossomed into full-blown fantasy. This latest film (praised by Richard Land) is undoubtedly an exercise in both hagiography and revisionism.

Heresy in Oklahoma

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/09/oklahoma-amends-request-for-bibles-that-initially-appeared-to-match-only-version-backed-by-trump-00182997

The original request made by Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters was for Bibles that included the Pledge of Allegiance, Constitution, and Declaration of Independence. The scandal in the media played up the fact that this seemed to be an order for Trump Bibles.

Smoke and Mirrors: Al Jazeera and Euroscepticism in the Balkans

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/8/31/the-danger-of-pro-eu-euroscepticism-in-the-western-balkans

Parties and politicians formerly aligned with Eurosceptic elements have accumulated a great deal of power and now stand near the pinnacle of the EU hierarchy. They're not there yet and they remain divided but were these Right-wing nationalist groups to come together - Brussels could be theirs.

Censorship and AI: Colson and Anderson

Even though this story is but a theological and ethical commentary on a well established story that ran in mainstream newspapers and is further supported by testimony under oath, Google's Anti-Intelligence (AI) software has chosen to flag it - undoubtedly due to the fact that it perceives some kind of controversy or conspiratorial angle, suggesting I might be misleading the public or promoting some kind of dangerous idea. Or perhaps Google is simply concerned about the reputation of Chuck Colson - but I doubt it. Welcome to the future people - the age of of AI is upon us and already it's wreaking havoc in the world of banking, insurance, and many other spheres. We can only hope its failures and inadequacies will become self-evident and the project (mostly driven by greed) will be abandoned. Here's the story that was censored:

The Church and Election Subversion

 https://www.cpr.org/2024/10/03/tina-peters-former-mesa-county-clerk-prison/

I don't believe in the American system. I've made this very clear but it continues to baffle me how these Evangelicals (and others within the orbit of the Christian Right wave their flags and step over each other to display their patriotism) have (in the Trump era) turned to actions that fundamentally undermine the system they profess to love and believe in. Everything they do testifies to the fact that if it means they lose - they don't believe in it either.

Sacralist Jurisprudence and Evangelical Syncretism

https://reformedforum.org/podcasts/ctc877/

I've been listening to Christ the Center since about 2009. An interesting podcast most of the time, this episode was an exception. After realizing the guest was a law professor at Liberty University, I almost turned it off. I struggle to take anyone associated with Liberty seriously, but I decided to give it a listen.

Washington and the Banderites

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/09/13/czgh-s13.html

It had been a few years since I picked up Russ Bellant's Old Nazis, the New Right, and the Republican Party, the 3rd edition published in 1991. The scandals he reports surrounding World War II-era fascists and the Nixon, Reagan, and GHW Bush administrations have been all but forgotten. And yet it was the Ukrainian angle that drove me to revisit the work - and it revealed some interesting bits of information.

The Wilson-Moscow Mood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=1ckd_Jx_obk

https://clearlyreformed.org/on-culture-war-doug-wilson-and-the-moscow-mood/

It's been a year since Doug Wilson released his 2023 No Quarter November/Thanksgiving video. I saw it at the time and followed some of the responses to it. I thought DeYoung's comments were fairly astute but missing one important element regarding the 'mood' - Donald Trump.