The British Monarch as Defender of the Faith

https://firstthings.com/no-faith-worth-defending/

Trueman continues to baffle me. I once appreciated this man and considered him to be rather insightful - even when I disagreed with him. But something has changed and now he's teamed up with the Colson people and Grove City College, and has become seriously engaged in the Culture War.

The man who in 2010 wrote Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative, seems to no longer exist.

Erasing the Eastern Front and the Soviet Defeat of Nazi Germany

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/06/10/sove-j10.html

This WSWS article expresses something my household has noted for some time - the end of World War II in Europe is being subjected to revisionism.

Violence, Pacifism, and Straw Men

https://theaquilareport.com/a-consideration-of-certain-of-the-pope-of-romes-remarks-on-palm-sunday/

I both agree and disagree with Hervey regarding the pope's statement - 'God, who always rejects violence'.

Prevost/Leo made what could be described as a sloppy statement. It needs clarification.

The Fallacy of Veteran Veneration by Evangelicals

https://www.evangelical-times.org/are-nonconformists-hypocrites-on-remembrance-sunday/

*You may not be able to read the entire article without a subscription. The Evangelical Times has restricted a lot of its content in recent years.

In the linked article, Mike Judge of Manchester writes:

"Remembrance Sunday is not about endorsing every decision of government, nor about glorifying war. It is about acknowledging sacrifice — the high price paid by those who laid down their lives in the service of others. That principle, of self-giving love, resonates deeply with the gospel we proclaim. “Greater love hath no man than this,” said our Lord, “that a man lay down his life for his friends."

A Twisted Understanding of Traditional Roles

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/sep/21/fascism-women-homemaker-trad-wife

I won't deny there are Neo-Nazis within the ranks of Trumpism and there are ugly currents at work within some Christian circles that are able to tap into various cultural traditions and gain traction.

American Christendom and Apostasy

https://theaquilareport.com/is-america-part-of-christendom/

There seems to be virtually an endless stream of articles like this - trying to tweak definitions or steer the conversation, but always missing the point.

A Few Lessons From Norway

https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/norway/Jehovahs-Witnesses-to-Appeal-Unconstitutional-Ruling-in-Norway/

This unfortunate if instructive article from the Watchtower Society's website reveals that even the Jehovah's Witnesses still struggle with the nature of antithesis. Obviously the group cannot be reckoned Christian due to their glaring unorthodoxy regarding the Person of Christ. That said, they are in many respects more obedient to simple New Testament imperatives than the bulk of the Confessional and Evangelical world. In many respects the Witnesses put them to shame. For this reason, I will from time to time 'check up' on them and read of not just their struggles but how they deal with them.

Lamenting the Decline of Sacral Marriage

https://issuesetc.org/2024/01/03/0032-the-demise-of-the-augustinian-view-of-marriage-dr-allan-carlson-1-3-24/

Listening to this latest installment of Allan Carlson being interviewed on Issues Etc., I kept thinking about the elephant in the room – the one that was never addressed.

The Growing Impossibility of Social Life

At various times throughout history Christians have struggled to function within society. The reasons for this vary as do the contexts. In some cases there's the threat of outright persecution from the state, a false religion, or even a dominant apostate ecclesiastical body. At other times the struggle is more subtle. Instead of acute danger there is a kind of wearisome grind that takes place – a slow breaking of the will that can (from another angle) be viewed as a kind of seduction. This would most accurately describe the situation in today's United States.

Christian Kids in State Colleges: Postscript

This is a postscript to the Christian Kids in State Colleges piece even though these comments are largely restricted to primary and high school settings.

http://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2023/06/inbox-christian-kids-in-state-colleges-i.html

The Threat of Persecution in Ukraine

https://www.mnnonline.org/news/russian-invasion-brings-threat-of-persecution-to-ukraine/

The warning that a Russian occupation of Ukraine will potentially invite forms of persecution is true enough but at the same time it must be noted that Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), Mission Network News (MNN), and many other missions and Evangelical organisations like Door of Hope International (DOHI) are not to be fully trusted. Some radio programs spread more false information than anything else especially when it comes to politics and certainly international relations.

Current Ministry Downgrades

Like so many other ministries, Come Over and Help is experiencing what I can only call a downgrade. There are many little things I've noticed over recent years but a couple of glaring examples has driven me to go public in my condemnation and I can no longer recommend them as a ministry to support.

Indian Christians and ADF: Sacral Lands and Christian Persecution

https://www.persecution.org/2020/05/14/christian-families-central-india-beaten-refusing-renounce-faith/

Sacralism often includes the land itself. The culture and state are sanctified but for many religions there is a tie between the gods and the land. Biblically speaking there's a basis for this in terms of the gods, the now deposed elohim rulers of the nations. These thrones and principalities have been spoiled by Christ and Satan is bound – no longer able to deceive the nations (Matt 12.28-29, 28.18-20, Col 2.15, Rev 20.2-3).

Reflections on the Hallmark Channel Controversy

https://www.kpbs.org/news/2019/dec/15/hallmark-channel-embroiled-in-controversy-after/

In the end, it's all about the money. If Hallmark refuses to air the 'gay' television ads, then the advertisers who run their commercials on Hallmark will catch flak and so to avoid it, they'll start pulling their adverts from the channel.

The Raw Power of the Military-Industrial Complex on Display

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-saudi-thaad/lockheed-gets-1-billion-down-payment-for-saudi-thaad-missile-system-idUKKCN1QL28R

This is why the murder of Jamal Khashoggi doesn't matter. The Saudis are not only in an informal alliance with the United States and Israel, they are pursuing US interests in Yemen and vis-à-vis Iran.

This is not to say that there aren't Saudi and American interests upset with the recent turn in Saudi politics under bin Salman. Nevertheless the pressure is great to 'let it ride'.

When billions of dollars are at stake, there's a lot of pressure and influence that come to bear and since there are 101 ways to bribe and payoff people and with plenty of money to spare.... the people who sit atop the Wall Street-Defense industry-political-military nexus... the Military Industrial Complex have a lot of power. They get their way and get rich at the same time.

The Vocational Fog

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/not-all-vocational-pursuits-are-equal/

Though I disagree with the foundational premise of the article I am appreciative of the fact that the author is at least willing to admit that all jobs are not equal and that some occupations in fact contribute little to the Kingdom of Christ... even to the Dominionist view of the Kingdom advocated by The Gospel Coalition.

Sacralism and Secularism in Morocco

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-morocco-religion/christians-want-marriages-recognised-in-morocco-idUKKCN1J427Q

This article demonstrates the true evil of sacralist culture, Christian, Muslim or otherwise. It's evil because it's Bestial, seeking to control and delineate every aspect of life and demands all citizens and residents conform to the state's form of worship.

A Jesuit Commentary on the Chinese Investiture Controversy

https://religionnews.com/2018/02/20/the-vatican-and-china-making-the-best-of-a-bad-situation/

This article provides some interesting and updated commentary on the negotiations between the Vatican and Beijing over the status of Catholic bishops. As the article points out China has a viable fear of mass religious movements. One need only look at the Taiping Rebellion to understand why.

Comey and Conservative Theological Liberalism

It is not my intention here to comment on the Comey-Trump scandal and all that goes with it. I hope to write something about these early days of Trump in the near future.

I found this article interesting because awhile ago I picked up on the Comey connection to religious education and the fact that he had been a Sunday School teacher in a United Methodist Church.

Suddenly this Niebuhr-related article tied it all together. His place in the grand order of things suddenly made sense.

The Only Solution: Lie, Steal, Torture and Murder to the Glory of God

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/cia-dir-pompeo-jesus-christ-our-savior-truly-only-solution-our-world

Pompeo, the professed Evangelical Christian who now heads the CIA stands up and dares to speak as a Christian and proclaim that Jesus is the only solution to the world's problems.

The 'only' solution he insists.

Would that he believed it.