Evangelical leaders continue to produce theology which
ratifies the cultural status quo. From divorce and psychology, to work,
finances, lawsuits, politics and how we order our time, the Evangelical
leadership does not disappoint in this regard. If there's a way to baptise the
cultural norms, you can count on them. Motivated primarily by a fear of losing
numbers, money and ultimately cultural influence they seem to spend an
inordinate amount of time teaching about the culture... but in reality they
endlessly explore ways to push the church to the edge of the cultural cliff and
then hope that they won't fall off.
05 December 2019
03 December 2019
Multi-Generational Nightmare Weapons
Though largely discredited in my eyes, I still glance at The
Intercept from time to time. There are still some good reporters attempting to
produce decent journalism and while the original goals of the outlet have
clearly been subverted, the mechanisms of control are not absolute.
01 December 2019
Georgian Orthodoxy and Cold War II
Georgia's
Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II has skeletons in his closet which his enemies are
attempting to exploit. Formerly a leader within the World Council of Churches
(WCC) Ilia is being accused of being a pro-Moscow puppet. Sadly (for him) his
former WCC affiliations will (for some) give credence to that charge. It's well
known the functionally apostate WCC was infiltrated by the Soviets during the
Cold War.
30 November 2019
ISIS Scatters to the Four Winds... And to Central Asia
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Seventeen-die-in-Islamic-State-attack-on-border-checkpoint-48474.html
This has long been the fear, that in the aftermath of its
Syrian defeat and the death of its leader, the surviving elements of ISIS would
return to their home countries and bring their violent forms of Salafism with
them. Al Qaeda it would seem is on the wane and the more extreme, apocalyptic
and (despite its attempted caliphate) even de-centralised forms of Salafi violence
represented by ISIS are growing in popularity. The same frustrations that are
driving people on to the streets across much of the world are in the Islamic
context driving some youth into radicalism.
Labels:
Afghanistan,
Central Asia,
China,
Cold War II,
Diplomacy,
Geopolitics,
Islam,
Mercenaries,
Natural Resources,
Paramilitary Actions,
Political Scandal,
Proxy Wars,
Russia,
Syria,
Terrorism,
United States
28 November 2019
A Moment of Cultural Examination in Italy
The ANSA news service seems to be lamenting the fact that
only 57% of Italian mothers work outside the home. If there's something to
lament it's that 57% of Italian mothers work outside the home. Ideally the
number would be zero.
26 November 2019
Frontline's In the Age of AI
I recently watched the PBS Frontline documentary on AI or
Artificial Intelligence. I recommend it but with qualification. It was both
interesting and disturbing but it was also misleading. There were some
interesting discussions to be sure. From the future of jobs to some rather
questionable uses in medicine to social media and surveillance, the documentary
raises numerous salient questions.
24 November 2019
Logic on Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
I had been waiting with some anticipation for a few years to
view the Lloyd-Jones film Logic on Fire
and after viewing it I must say I was quite disappointed.
21 November 2019
Macron, Aachen and the Ghost of de Gaulle
Already there are cracks appearing in the 2019 Aachen Treaty
which was signed by France and Germany in the former Carolingian capital.
19 November 2019
Buying Czech Loyalty: Rewarding the V4
It is with veritable glee that the American and European
publics mark the thirty year anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. And
yet military contractors perhaps find a greater reason to rejoice in marking
the nearly 29 years since the Warsaw Pact collapsed. After almost three decades
it can be safely said that most former Eastern Bloc hardware is becoming
obsolete.
17 November 2019
Hungary, the UK and the Politics of Huawei
https://www.euractiv.com/section/5g/news/hungarys-emergency-infrastructure-hardware-built-by-huawei/
Washington is not pleased that Budapest is collaborating with
Beijing when it comes to its 5G infrastructure. This is part of a larger
struggle with China over technology and global 'tech' infrastructure. Despite
US machinations and even threats, China continues to make inroads into Europe.
11 November 2019
AFR: Blind Guides of the American Evangelical Movement
A couple of weeks ago I was driving about an hour south of
where I live and picked up American Family Radio (AFR). As bad as the Family
Life Network is, I must say AFR is perhaps worse, or at least more overtly political.
Every time I've tuned in, its airwaves propagate Scriptural error and bad
politics rooted in the network's bad theology.
07 November 2019
Pompeo's Sacrilege
05 November 2019
Mayer's Credibility on the Line
Mayer became a familiar face to me when she appeared on
Frontline's series about the Iraq War near the end of the Bush presidency.
Since then she's appeared in other Frontline documentaries and I've heard her
interviewed on NPR. Though I haven't personally read her pieces in The New
Yorker I did read 'Dark Money', her 2017 expose which proved very informative.
Overall I've found her to be a pretty solid journalist... pretty much within
the Establishment consensus but intelligent and probing.
03 November 2019
Training the Satraps
Few realise just how common this sort of this is and what an
important role it plays for the US empire.
Hidden behind euphemisms of partnership, friendship and
alliance the reality is these nations are beholden to the United States.
Self-Affirmation Confused With the Will of God
But she's not plugged in to God's plan. This is a case of
self-affirmation being confused with the will of God or God's Plan.
We may speak of God's decretive will or Providence in which
His will is indeed accomplished regardless of the outcome or means. And yet we
live by His Revealed Will which we can point to as a sure guide.
01 November 2019
European Drama: Aachen versus Brussels?
France has halted the process to enlarge the EU even as
Balkan states form what amount to a 'Mini-Schengen' zone of custom free
borders.
Labels:
Atlanticism,
Balkans,
Diplomacy,
EU,
Europe,
France,
Geopolitics,
Germany,
NATO,
Russia
30 October 2019
IOR Obstruction
As mentioned in the January 2019 piece (linked below) there
will be continued resistance to reforming the IOR/Vatican Bank.
The question is... just who are these five officials? I'm not
referring to their names, rather what faction do they represent? Are these
people resisting reform with other connections to the hierarchy? Are these
people acting in the interest of outside parties? Are their suspensions a
protective measure, a tactical move on the part of one faction or the other?
27 October 2019
The Lausanne Legacy: Danish Evangelicals Seek Political Influence
This is yet another example of the Lausanne mindset on
display. Somehow getting legislators into church on Sunday morning is deemed a
great victory or accomplishment.
26 October 2019
Poland's PiS Rewarded
As Poland continues to stand with the United States, this is
their reward... and yet the people of Poland should beware.
For some they will see the US establishment of a divisional
headquarters as a surety, a guarantee of security against the threat of Moscow.
Additionally it is all but a guarantee of further economic growth through the
military apparatus. The Americans build bases and they spend lots of money and
the infrastructure, logistics and maintenance will generate jobs and stimulate
the local economy. Poland's defense sector will certainly benefit.
Labels:
Cold War,
Diplomacy,
Economics,
EU,
Militarism,
Military Bases,
NATO,
Poland,
Russia
23 October 2019
Trump +1006: Developments in Northeast Syria
The timing of Trump's Syria withdrawal is interesting in
light of the impeachment probe. Again I wonder if he truly blundered into this
or if he isn't being set up? One can hardly pity him but the policy is even turning
many Republicans against him.
22 October 2019
CNN: Not Left-wing but Establishment Safe
https://thegrayzone.com/2019/09/06/embassy-insider-exposes-cnn-lies-about-julian-assange/#more-14399
The fact that CNN is once again exposed as a propaganda
outlet for the US Establishment should come as a surprise to no one. I suppose
when the outlet first appeared in the 1980's, around-the-clock news and the
level of international reporting was novel and thus we were all fascinated.
That said, even the mainstream outlets had extensive international bureaus at
that time and while the coverage was certainly slanted, nothing compares to
what's happening today.
20 October 2019
The Syria Blacklist
This article provides a good summary for the case that Syria
coverage has been manipulated and often fabricated. Given the longevity and complexity
of the conflict the number of articles dealing with these questions is
voluminous, even daunting for someone who hasn't been following things closely.
And thus this article plays a helpful role in providing the 'big
picture' in terms of this question.
19 October 2019
Rolling Back the Pink Tide: A Scandal in Colombia, the Anti-Venezuela Media Campaign and the IMF Motivated Protests in Ecuador
Duque working in concert with American Imperialism and its
regime change operation in Venezuela has been called out and exposed. The
report appears in The Guardian, a publication largely in alliance with the
Atlantic Establishment. And yet when it comes to Latin America their editors
are clearly comfortable pursuing stories that American media are less likely to
emphasise.
17 October 2019
Medicaid and Christian Ethics
This reality is already known to many and yet I am often
startled by how many people do not seem to understand how the world of medical
coverage functions. I suppose if you've had a long-term steady job that
provided health coverage then you would have little reason to look into the
realities that many people face.
16 October 2019
Washington, the PiS and EU Climate Targets
Leaving aside all the silliness surrounding the deranged
Swedish teenage activist and her 'glaring' at Trump, the real story in this
article pertains to French president Macron's condemnation of Poland's PiS
government for inhibiting the EU's climate goals.
13 October 2019
Falwell and the Politico Whistleblowers
By now many are familiar with the Politico article about the
whistleblowers at Liberty University who have sought to expose Jerry Falwell
Jr. as a hypocrite and something of a tyrant.
10 October 2019
Another HSLDA Travesty: Trump's UN Speech
The twists and turns of history. Public education is largely
a result of the sacral state and in the United States its genesis was championed
by dyed in the wool Protestants that wanted to bring about social conformity
and cultural unity especially in the face of massive immigration.
08 October 2019
Elizabeth Warren's Wall Street Socialism
The Right continues to taut the 'Socialism' of millionaires
like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. These politicians advocate a form of
social democracy which actually falls within Centrist orbits in the rest of the
world. They are advocates of the market and finance capital. What they're
arguing for is that the state as an organising principle should pool some of
society's excess profits and redistribute them to the poorest elements of
society.
06 October 2019
Ritter on Smolenkov and Some Thoughts on Christian Discernment
Ritter will be remembered by some as the patriotic American
ex- UN weapons inspector who refused to accept the Bush administration's line
on Iraq. He exposed the administration as dishonest and challenged the WMD
narrative.
04 October 2019
South Tyrol: A Chink in the EU's Armour
The region of South Tyrol doesn't normally make it into the
news. An alpine wonderland, for most it's just part of northern Italy and yet
its story is far more complicated. It's actually one of the dozens of potential
'trouble spots' within Europe that retain the possibility of future political
turmoil and unrest. South Tyrol isn't a 'hot spot' like Kosovo or even as
contentious as Transylvania, Ulster or Catalonia but it still has the potential
to generate trouble. The EU was supposed to eliminate these tensions, to bring
these cycles of history to an end and yet history just won't go away. And as
Brussels weakens, history is rearing its head.
02 October 2019
Patriotic Idolatry in China
Of course this is done voluntarily on the part of many
American Churches. These idolatrous celebrations are more or less repeated in the
United States. Of course they're not mandated but represent willing offerings
on the part of American Christians to the deified holy state.
Were an American president of the right political stripe to
suggest and encourage such ceremonies I am confident American Christians would
comply. These sorts of idolatrous displays have become almost routine since
9/11.
29 September 2019
Indian Christians Betrayed
The American Evangelical hero-president stands on stage with
the persecutor of India's Christians. Modi's Hindutva regime has subjected
Christians to mob violence and terror. And yet he's welcomed in the United
States, the nation that purports to stand for human rights and religious
freedoms.
Labels:
American Empire,
China,
Christian Persecution,
Cold War II,
Evangelicalism,
Fascism,
India,
Paramilitary Actions,
Pentagon,
Political Violence,
Trade,
Trump,
Wall Street,
Worldliness
28 September 2019
Kosovo: To the Victors Go the Spoils
This is a link to a 2012 article. It made it into the New
York Times which grants it a level of significance and yet the story should
have been bigger. It should have made headlines and if people really understood
its significance they would be angry. The warmongers cashed in. This is how
loot and pillage works in the 21st century.
26 September 2019
The West's Attempt to Win Over Trans-Caucasia
This is part of an ongoing project by the members of the
Atlantic Establishment. Washington and the EU are making a joint effort to
secure the region of Transcaucasia and establish it as a beachhead against
Moscow.
Labels:
Atlanticism,
Caucasus,
Cold War II,
Diplomacy,
EU,
Geopolitics,
Iran,
Israel,
NATO,
Oil,
Proxy Wars,
Russia,
Turkey,
United States
24 September 2019
Vigano in Hiding
Archbishop Vigano is in hiding. A cleric on the run is an
intriguing if familiar chapter from Roman Catholic history. The fact that a
high-ranking figure has gone underground in 2019 is particularly interesting.
Scandal and intrigue swirl around the Vatican. This is hardly new but the
Francis papacy has stirred the pot. Old scandals live on and while Francis has
upset some of the traditionalists, the Vigano accusations in many respects
reveal Francis to be (at least in part) a defender of the status quo.
22 September 2019
Samantha Power: A Right-wing Democrat
The review provides some interesting insight into one such as
Power. During her tenure she was viewed by the Right as a Leftist, part of a
Far-Left administration. As I and others continue to insist, today's DNC is not
really a Left-wing political entity. There's a Left-wing within its ranks, one
that duplicitous figures like Sanders and Warren are labouring to keep within
its larger sphere. And yet there are also Centrists and then there are those
that could be called Democratic Right. And they're not a small faction. In fact
they dominate the party.*
21 September 2019
T4G: Together For the Gold
The numbers are pretty staggering in every respect. To attend Together for the
Gospel's 2020 conference in Louisville Kentucky will cost over $200 just to get
in. The total costs of attendance, travel, lodging and meals mean that it's out
of reach for a lot of people. I would struggle to even be able to come up with
the ticket money. I can't afford their gospel. The conference gives away a
pretty hefty stack of books but when you look at the thousands of attendees and
start to do the math you realise these conferences bring in some serious
money... millions of dollars.
19 September 2019
Tungsten, the A-10 and Vietnam
On one level this exemplifies how the military-industrial
complex works. The military ends up stuck with programmes they don't want and
wish to cancel. Congress argues they want to keep the A-10 because of its
tactical importance. For those in the know it is the supreme tank-killer and
has a stellar reputation as a tough almost indestructible killing machine. A
strange plane, it's relatively slow and quiet and yet its sound is unique, its
engines sound like nothing else. During my days of shame when I wore the
uniform of the legions and participated in its murderous policies, I was around
them on a daily basis. I knew it by sound as much as by sight.
12 September 2019
Trump Disappoints the PiS
Time and again Trump proves that he is no faithful ally.
Poland's Law and Justice Party (PiS) along with its V4 allies has become a near
pariah state in the EU. Warsaw has thrown in with Washington and has opened up
its borders to NATO expansion and now NATO staging. Under the PiS, Poland has
become a frontline state in Washington's new Cold War with Moscow.
08 September 2019
Chimeras: Contra Naturam
Science is on the cusp of great change. There are social forces
holding it back but given they have no ethical foundations or anchors, the
flood that is coming will prove overwhelming. All it will take is for someone
to poke a hole in the dyke and it will quickly collapse. This was proven true
with regard to the ethics of sexuality. Science isn't any different.
06 September 2019
Cinque Stella (M5S) is Exposed as a Party That's Less Than Stellar
In a political twist, the populist anti-establishment Five
Star Movement (M5S/Cinque Stella) has moved to form a coalition government with
Italy's Democratic Party (PD).
This is particularly ironic given that the PD was an object
of so much of Five Star's scorn and ire. Why have they done this? For one
reason... to counter Matteo Salvini and his parliamentary maneuvers. Salvini
has attempted to force elections and take over as Italian prime minister with
his League Party in power... and M5S forced into opposition.
04 September 2019
Terror and Intelligence Agencies: Keystone Cops or Coordinators?
It reminds one of a broken record. Time and again we learn
that the terrorists were known to the authorities and in many cases contained
elements directly working with the intelligence agencies.
02 September 2019
The Endless Battle for the Balkans
The Atlanticist project to consolidate Europe in the wake of
1989 has hit a brick wall in the Balkans. While nations like Albania, Romania
and Bulgaria were quick to join the NATO/EU axis, the break-up of Yugoslavia
proved more difficult.
27 August 2019
Suspicious Suicides
Was Epstein murdered or perhaps allowed to commit suicide?
There's a great deal of circumstantial evidence to suggest either of these
scenarios. The media has waged a very aggressive campaign to shut down any such
notion and interestingly the many popular conspiracy sites seem to have taken
the discussion into a rather bizarre direction suggesting that Epstein is in
fact still alive. The waters are muddied and one is left wondering if some of
them don't exist for that very purpose.
Labels:
Conspiracy,
Cover-Ups,
Deep State,
Drug Trade,
Establishment Media,
Fornication,
Hypocrisy,
Intelligence Agencies,
Journalism,
Judiciary,
Murder,
Political Scandal,
Praetorians,
Prison Economy
24 August 2019
Wal-Mart and Facial Recognition
Recently while out with family members I found myself once
again in the great temple of consumption also known as Wal-Mart. As indicated
in previous writings I find a particular fascination with what's happening up
at the check-out area and while standing there and observing, I noticed large
CCTV monitors taking in the transaction area as well as the areas in which people
queue up or stand in line.
17 August 2019
Facial Recognition and the March Toward Dystopia
Law enforcement is just helping itself to our personal data.
And they're not collecting it and sifting it because they suspected you did
something. They're just running your data through their filters and
algorithms... because they can.
11 August 2019
American Style Evangelicalism in France
Expressing the spirit of the modern, these congregations are
hip, entertaining and impressive. Putting on high budget productions and
appealing to contemporary values and norms, the American Church Growth model is
flourishing in Europe.
04 August 2019
Dallas (DTS) Continues its Fall into Worldliness
Founded during the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy,
Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) was once a school associated with
Fundamentalism, however it abandoned that course long ago. Retaining something
of its Dispensational theology, the school now represents mainstream Evangelicalism
and the Dominionist Theology that undergirds it.
30 July 2019
Wal-Mart and the Self-Checkout Swindle
Recently I have found myself in Wal-Mart on a couple of
occasions. We quit shopping there in 2011 but every once in awhile I go in and
walk around and observe.
28 July 2019
The Chemical and Radioactive Legacy of the US War Machine
It's right that the United States is pledging more aid but of
course this must be understood in light of Vietnam's position vis-à-vis China.
Washington has a new ally in Hanoi, one it could have had back in the days
following World War II but that wasn't meant to be.
25 July 2019
Capitalism, Privacy and Medical Records
I agree with Ron Paul that a universal medical ID is a bad
idea and potentially spells trouble. And yet the question of medical records has
been an ongoing problem and all acknowledge the current system slows down the
health care process and increases costs.
21 July 2019
The Ukraine Conflict: Orthodoxy, Militias and Arms Smuggling
All acknowledged that the recent creation of an autocephalous
Ukrainian Orthodox Church would heighten tensions between Kiev and Moscow and
amplify the growing rift between the Moscow Patriarchate and that of
Constantinople.
These conflicts are playing out on multiple fronts. The
AsiaNews link explores some of the difficulties in Ukraine as its symbols,
shrines, relics and properties remain divided. Small seemingly innocuous moves
can mean a lot.
Additionally, a story broke this week about a weapons cache
found among some Neo-Nazis in Italy. The weapons were reported as bound for the
Pro-Russian and Moscow supported separatists in Eastern Ukraine's Donbass. Much
has been made of this story.
20 July 2019
Sloppy Religious Reporting From The Intercept
The Intercept has at times produced praiseworthy work but
overall the news magazine continues to exhibit would I would consider a
downward slide. What was once insightful and somewhat adversarial journalism
has (with a few exceptions) slipped into the mainstream of the American Left
and at times all but echoes the narratives of the less-than-left wing Democratic
Party.
16 July 2019
The Guaido Collapse and Perceptions of American Power
Juan Guaido's attempted overthrow of the Maduro government is
rapidly losing steam. His May 2019 overreach has taken the wind out of his
sails and left him looking weak and vulnerable. There's little doubt that the
forces in Washington that backed him and both disappointed and even angry.
14 July 2019
Terrorist Timing in Turkey and Sri Lanka
After weeks of tension the Erdogan government is going ahead
and taking delivery of the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system. NATO
and in particular the United States don't want to see this happen.
This will begin to detach Turkey from the NATO command
structure and throw up barriers in terms of its larger strategies and even
battlefield tactics.
13 July 2019
VOM and Colombian Half-Truths
The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) can at times be excellent and their
reports moving. They are to be commended for their understanding of suffering
and persecution as not being incidental or occasional aspects of the Christian
life, but rather essential components of our calling.
There are times when I listen to their podcast, watch videos
or read their materials and I want to empty my bank account in order to help
them.
And then there are the other times when their predilection
for Charismatic theology comes to the fore and I reconsider. It's really a
continuation of my first encounter with Richard Wurmbrand's work Tortured for Christ which I first read
in the 1990's. On the one hand it was deeply moving but on the other hand the
theology was such a disastrous mess it was hard to know what to think.
11 July 2019
Confronting War Mythology
Reading this also reminded me of Keith Lowe's Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of
World War II. It can be safely said that war foments and breeds evil. It is
a case of Providential restraint being withdrawn and depravity is put on
display, even unleashed.
09 July 2019
Haftar and Libyan Ports
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-economy-port-idUSKCN1U02CH
This development represents further US subversion of the UN
recognised regime in Tripoli.
In addition to further support for Khalifa Haftar... who
interestingly has threatened Turkish interests... the move ensures that China
won't be able to move in and connect Libya to its larger OBOR project.
08 July 2019
Christian Media Schizophrenia on Display
On the one hand LifeSite, an Evangelical-style Catholic news
outlet has done us a service in revealing the repugnant horrors of homosexual
recruitment at work in connection with libraries and other public institutions.
It truly was disturbing to read just how debauched and depraved these people
are and how blatantly they are attempting to recruit the young into their evil
sphere.
07 July 2019
Guatemala: Evangelicals and Smugglers Together
This was a sad and unfortunate read. And what's even more
disheartening is that the report should have been broken by Christian reporters
but instead it takes a pro-Sodomite Anti-Christian publication like The
Guardian to get the story out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)