Brunson's Legacy: Ankara's Hostility to Foreign Protestants and Evangelicals

https://www.persecution.org/2020/06/21/turkey-resumes-discrimination-protestants/

After Andrew Brunson was released in the fall of 2018 and repeatedly sat on the public stage with Trump and vocally supported his Anti-Erdogan geopolitical posturing – is anyone surprised that Erdogan looks askance at foreign evangelical leaders at work in his country?

Poland's Militarisation and Serbia's Pivot

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/06/22/Poland-calls-for-more-US-troops-aircraft-as-Trump-Duda-set-to-meet/4281592847135/

Poland is actively seeking to militarise their country, fully embracing the role as a NATO front-line state. The right-wing PiS government has requested America troops and armaments and you can be sure they'll get them. They have a lot of support from the American Right and growing support from the Christian Right as not a few intellectuals see their Christian Democracy as something to be admired.

Geopolitical Chess: The Libyan Civil War and the Mediterranean Powder Keg

https://www.euractiv.com/section/defence-and-security/news/nato-opens-probe-into-france-turkey-naval-incident-in-mediterranean/

France has long been the voice of opposition to the inclusion of Turkey within the European community. Under Erdogan, the Ankara government has effectively given up the proposition of EU membership and the relationship with France has only continued to grow worse.

Great Power Pawns and the Media Gamepiece

In 2013 I mused whether Putin might be willing to trade Edward Snowden for Victor Bout, the Russian arms dealer arrested in 2008. At this point Bout has done hard time and even a loyalist might be tempted to 'flip' as he still faces another fourteen years in prison.

Kosovo, Serbia and the Balkan Game in the Age of Trump

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/20/kosovan-acting-pm-accuses-trump-envoy-of-meddling

Kosovo sometimes referred to as the Fifty-First state of the United States was from the beginning an American creation. It was part of Washington's project to consolidate the power of NATO in the aftermath of the Cold War.

How Should We Then Live Part 9: The Age of Personal Peace and Affluence (II)

Switching gears somewhat Schaeffer turns to the question of 'arbitrary law' and the relativism born of it.

How Should We Then Live Part 9: The Age of Personal Peace and Affluence (I)

As with previous episodes not every observation Schaeffer makes is incorrect and at certain points his insight is appreciated – all the more when considers the narratives at work some forty years later in our own day. By comparison at times he can seem (relatively speaking) refreshing.

Trump Administration Threatens ICC

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53012783

On the one hand the US championed the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which was finally activated in 2002 but Washington never had any intention of joining it or being accountable to it. This would violate the American claim to Exceptionalism and the reality that it places itself above the other nations of the world.

And so in this capacity the ICC could function as a tool, yet another instrument in the Atlanticist arsenal – used to bolster the largely phoney but often convenient narrative of democratisation and liberalism.

Polish Militarism on the Rise

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53034930

Was it a mistake or was it a case of flirting with irrendentism? Silesia, the industrial heartland mostly associated with Poland has faced its share of historical traumas. Wrested from the Habsburgs by Prussian ruler Frederick the Great in the 18^th century, the region was contested up through the world wars and saw the death marches flowing out of nearby Auschwitz in 1945.

Most of the region was restored to Poland after 1945 but there remained a small section within Czechoslovakia or today's Czech Republic.

Rome and Croatia: The Ustaše Legacy

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/bosnian-protests-mass-croatias-pro-nazi-wwii-regime-134906646.html

Much of Croatia and in particular the Roman Catholic Church of the region has failed to reckon with its fascist past.

Evangelicals in Uzbekistan: Hope and a Warning

https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/6240/something-is-changing-in-uzbekistan

Things are looking up for Christians in Uzbekistan. After the Cold War and the break-up of the USSR, the United States attempted to move into Central Asia, pursuing influence and control of the critical region and its resources.

Evangelicals in El Salvador and Right-Wing Politics

https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/6406/evangelicals-are-a-majority-in-el-salvador-for-the-first-time

A watershed moment to be sure. Evangelical populations in Latin America have exploded in recent decades even as membership in the Roman Catholic Church has declined. The Pentecostal Movement played no small role in this transformation as it is the main driver of the Evangelical Movement and also has played a significant role in modifying the region's Catholicism.

Orban's Flirtations with Hungarian Dictatorship

https://unherd.com/2020/05/how-viktor-orban-plays-his-enemies/

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/27/862925730/hungary-says-it-will-end-state-of-emergency-giving-orban-power-to-rule-by-decree

Everyone has an angle on Covid-19. For some it provides opportunities to push the envelope of power and Hungary's Viktor Orban has done just that. In light of Orban's attempt to seize emergency powers, cries of dictatorship prevailed and the EU started to take further action against the wayward government in Budapest.

Christian Spin Doctors

https://pulpitandpen.org/2020/05/27/racism-didnt-kill-george-floyd-leftists-did/

It's a Chinese Communist virus but it's fake. The police are heroes and Christians support a heavy regime of law and order but when there's public outcry – it's the Leftists.

This kind of spin and obfuscation is common enough in Right-wing circles but when it's promoted by professing Christians it's especially offensive.

Pandemic Fallout and the State of the Church

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Family-prayer-forcibly-interrupted-49864.html

In some places there's no doubt the quarantine is being used to suppress Christians – in many cases these same Christians were already facing social resistance.

Would Evangelical leaders in the USA support this kind of suppression at the hands of the state if it were American Christians gathered to pray in violation of Covid-19 guidelines?

If it meant losing or keeping their tax exempt status and all their perks – I daresay they would.

The Incessant Politicking of Saakashvili

https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-president-names-saakashvili-to-head-reform-council/30599789.html

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has at the very least thrown a bone to the militarists in Washington by keeping former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in play. Charged with hiding evidence in connection with a murder, Saakashvili is wanted by the government in Tbilisi and cannot return home.

Blind Leading the Blind: Frank Wright's Criticism of Evangelicals

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/biblical-infidelity-in-top-evangelical-institutions-leaders.html

I repeatedly tried to comment on this article but the so-called Christian Post seems to have blocked me. Anyway I post the response here and then will add some further comments below:

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).

Obscuring Western Support for Haftar

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/western-mercenaries-arrived-libya-support-haftar-report-200516160022383.html

This report has obvious connections to the Wagner-Blackwater story run by The Intercept. It only furthers the point I've been making that there are significant sectors within the US that are keen to support Haftar.

These splits between official arms of the US government like the State Department and parallel policies run out of Langley or the Pentagon are not without precedent.

Why Michael Flynn had to be Removed

https://theintercept.com/2020/05/14/new-documents-from-the-sham-prosecution-of-gen-michael-flynn-also-reveal-broad-corruption-in-the-russiagate-investigations/

Greenwald despite his personal views remains committed to the principles of investigative journalism and is therefore to be commended. As he admits, General Michael Flynn's views are in sharp contrast to his own but as a journalist he is unwilling to embrace lies for the sake of seeming political victories. Greenwald has remained a stalwart voice in the face of the DNC's Russiagate conspiracy theory.

The Diplomatic Dance in Belarus

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-sends-oil-to-belarus-seeking-to-diversify-from-russia/ar-BB148Gua

This headline made me chuckle as the AP wasn't even trying to hide the motive – one that anyone could have guessed. The US would most certainly like to insert itself between Minsk and Moscow.

How Should We Then Live Part 8: The Age of Fragmentation (II)

I think it safe to say that Europeans developed a deeper concept of life and thus art – and they felt a deeper and more reflective pain regarding the changes that had overtaken the West.

An Anglo-American wrote about The Wasteland but I think the Europeans felt it more poignantly. Likewise Romanticism came to America but (in my estimation) it never took hold as it did in Europe. Primitivism, the frontier, individualistic anti-Puritanism and the grand spectrum of nature played a part in American Romanticism but it was not deeply retrospective and if anything progressive and therefore of a very different (though at times still pleasing) character.

How Should We Then Live Part 8: The Age of Fragmentation (I)

Watching this episode I was reminded of something I have referenced before – spending time in Europe with American Fundamentalists. In general I found that American Fundamentalists (often from the Mid-West or South) did not always appreciate the richness of Europe and its culture. Their palette struggled with the foods, the ubiquitous alcohol put them off, the arts and culture struck them as high-brow and their own patriotism (and frankly provincialism) caused them to constantly look down on other nations and cultures – and in many cases things they didn't understand. They didn't enjoy their time and I certainly did not enjoy my time with them.

GOP Exploits Covid-19 in Attempt to Smash State Pension Systems: A Christian Response (Part 2)

Just recently I was talking with one of the wealthier ladies in the area. She was a little baffled over the panic regarding lost wages and the shut-down. After all one of the neighbouring county executives said on television – everyone should have three months of wages set aside for emergencies and that way they can weather such storms. I pointed out that the woman who said this – someone whose family is known to be quite wealthy – is rich and thus doesn't understand how most people live. The latest statistics are startling as apparently about half the country can barely come up with $500 or $1000 in the case of an emergency. Why are things this way? It's complicated. People overextend themselves in many cases. But in many more cases the cost of housing is so high that people work like dogs just to keep a roof over their heads. People are foolish in many cases – trying to keep up with the Joneses – but in many more there are people who have given up on the American dream but still can't seem to get ahead or even break even and as such just barely survive – one disaster from collapse and the threat of homelessness. And in the process their families are destroyed. It's a wicked cycle and a wicked system that breeds evil both at home and abroad.

GOP Exploits Covid-19 in Attempt to Smash State Pension Systems: A Christian Response (Part 1)

McConnell and Trump are suddenly pretending to be fiscal hawks and rejecting calls for a bailout of the states. While the national debt has exploded since 9/11 and has reached new heights under Trump, suddenly there's a reticence to use the fiscal tools of the Federal Reserve and the banking system to help the states weather the trials of the pandemic.

And yet why? Is it really out of a concern for fiscal policy? More likely this is a tactical move the likes of Paul Ryan would applaud. They want the states to declare bankruptcy. Why?

Actual Numbers versus Statistical Projections: Another Look at Flu and Covid-19 Death Counts

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/comparing-covid-19-deaths-to-flu-deaths-is-like-comparing-apples-to-oranges/

In some respects I'm surprised this article (and this larger argument) hasn't gained more traction, because it reveals some critical information regarding the nature and quantity of Covid-19 deaths especially when compared to oft-quoted flu statistics. Additionally if the arguments made here are sound, it completely belies the naysayer's claims that this manifestation of Coronavirus is little more than a robust version of the flu.

Personally, I think there's a great irony here in the fact that flu deaths have been grossly inflated. And why?

Palin as the New Sharpton of the Right

For years those on the Right have expressed nothing less than hatred and disdain for the likes of Al Sharpton. An opportunist, a grand-stander, the civil rights activist and largely self-styled 'reverend' seems to appear on the scene any time there's a controversy or some social issue related to race. If there's a shooting, he's there. A lawsuit to be filed? Sharpton is usually standing next to the family. He's respected among his community and by some outside of it – and yet to many, even those who support minority civil rights – Sharpton seems like an opportunist, even an exhibitionist. He's made his celebrity and his seeming ubiquity into a lucrative career.

Blackwater and Wagner

https://theintercept.com/2020/04/13/erik-prince-russia-mercenary-wagner-libya-mozambique/

Prince, a hero to many American Evangelicals is an evil figure to some and certainly a living scandal to Christians who root their faith in the New Testament. Regardless of what one thinks of him, he remains an important if controversial figure.

Beijing Continues to Persecute the Underground Church

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Hunan,-Protestant-pastor-arrested-for-'subversion-against-the-state'-49932.html

At one time we could safely say that charges of subversion were categorically false but sadly due to the activities, efforts and machinations of the likes of Bob Fu, Wang Yi and Joshua Wong – it's an argument that becomes harder to make.

Fauci: Duty and Integrity

Why does the now famous Dr. Fauci endure the Trump White House? Why does he allow his name to be associated with the dishonesty and even dangerous buffoonery of Trump?

Some are sycophants desperate to hold on to power and to bask in the fame of the moment. Others like Fauci (I would guess) and Jim 'Mad Dog' Mattis before him stay on board out of a sense of duty, a sense of service to the country. They believe they can make a difference and perhaps rein in the ever wayward and erratic president.

And yet in some cases (assuming the validity of their position) shouldn't duty and service call them to take another position?

How Should We Then Live Part 7: The Age of Non-Reason (II)

Schaeffer rightly critiques men like Sartre for their utter inconsistency, especially in terms of applying their philosophy to life and ethics. Moral rebels suddenly become moral on certain questions and yet they cannot account for these things – let alone the terms and concepts they use.

How Should We Then Live Part 7: The Age of Non-Reason (I)

I've often thought about the opening segment of this video, Schaeffer standing on the beach and drawing circles in the sand. Each represents a unified theory, comprehensive system or worldview. Because (Schaeffer argues) these circles or systems are rooted in man they fail and another philosopher comes along, crosses out the circle(s) of his predecessors and develops his own – and so on.

Questions Surrounding Coverage of the Saudi Nuclear Programme

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_energy_in_Saudi_Arabia

https://www.eurasiareview.com/19042020-saudi-arabias-nuclear-reactor-nears-completion-bringing-prospect-of-saudi-wmd-oped/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/27/us-approved-secret-nuclear-power-work-for-saudi-arabia-reuters.html

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/719590408/as-saudi-arabia-builds-a-nuclear-reactor-some-worry-about-its-motives?t=1586993595561

After receiving some press a few years ago, the first phase of the Saudi nuclear project is (as of April 2020) nearing completion and yet many are expressing the warranted fear that the kingdom is going to pursue a weapons programme. While they have signed on to the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, the treaty increasingly has no teeth. Undermined decades ago by Israel, India, Pakistan, South Africa and in recent years by Libya, Iran and North Korea, the international community's commitment to Non-Proliferation is becoming a quaint but largely meaningless commitment.

Hungary, Italy and Christian Democracy

http://abouthungary.hu/blog/pm-orban-in-rome-liberalism-is-over-its-time-for-christian-democracy/

Christian Democracy means different things to different people. For some the movement is (as it is democratic) grounded within the liberal tradition. For others it represents a hybrid between traditionalist societal models and modern liberalism – a compromise of sorts.

The Context of Mohler's Embrace of Trumpism

https://religionnews.com/2020/04/17/mohlers-turn-to-trump-is-the-crowning-flip-flop-of-his-career/

There aren't many voices today that are willing to acknowledge the profound shift that took place within the Christian Right over the past generation. The emphasis of their movement used to focus on character and integrity in political leadership. This was a major focus in their criticism of Bill Clinton. He was an immoral man and unfit for office. The draft-dodging, pot-smoking, ex-hippie philanderer with a feminist wife had marred the dignity of the office.

How Should We Then Live Part 6: The Scientific Age (II)

This brings us back to the beginning of the episode and the questions surrounding Galileo, Copernicus and others. Schaeffer is adamant that the divide is not between science and religion but between Biblical science and Aristotelianism which had been embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.

How Should We Then Live Part 6: The Scientific Age (I)

This was a complicated episode with fairly weighty ideas being thrown out at a fast clip. I struggled to take notes without pausing. As such this episode and probably the next will also require two parts in order for me to review and respond to the material. Additionally in this episode I wish to interact on a slightly more involved level with some of the arguments assumptions made by Schaeffer. These are really important issues, especially today and these touch on some very basic and fundamental questions about the nature of knowledge that I think are critical when considering the nature of Biblical authority. I think Schaeffer and his followers have missed the mark on this latter albeit critical point.

Covid-19: Economic Downturn and its Potential Geopolitical Consequences

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/coronavirus-jordan-economy-year-over-for-us

I tagged this article at the end of March when it came out and just a couple of weeks later it almost seems like non-news. Why? Because it's the news everywhere. Virtually every economy has been affected by Covid-19 shutdowns and quarantines and is ailing as a result. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is not unique.

Right wing Parties Will Use Coronavirus to Attack Roma

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/slovakia-closes-off-five-roma-settlements-due-to-coronavirus/

Slovakia is currently under a moderate (mostly centrist) government and so apart from longstanding hostility to the Roma community, there's little fear (at the moment) of the far-right coming to power.

How Should We Then Live Part 5: The Revolutionary Age (II)

We then turn to the questions surrounding the French Revolution. Schaeffer argues that the legal basis of the Glorious Revolution and the events of 1776 were rooted in the Reformation while the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man was rooted in humanism. That's a very interesting claim which can be contested on both ends. I've already addressed the Anglo-American side of the question but in terms of the French document, given that Jefferson was consulted and Lafayette was one of its authors, one is compelled to question Schaeffer's claims. The fact that Lafayette who played such an important role in the US rebellion, was friends with Washington and other founders and was one of the chief architects of the French Revolution presents (at even this very basic prima facie level) a serious challenge to Schaeffer's narrative.

How Should We Then Live Part 5: The Revolutionary Age (I)

The episode on the Reformation was fairly basic in its concepts and presentation. On the contrary this episode is flush with ideas, concepts and historical reference. There's a lot to consider and interact with and it's no small task to attempt to do so in a concise manner. These are topics I've touched on elsewhere and have extensively developed in other essays. In many respects this episode represents a summation of much that I've critiqued and interacted with over the past 15-20 years.

How Should We Then Live Part 4: The Reformation

In some respects this was a simpler episode keeping to more basic but recurring and even redundant themes. Schaeffer assumes that his audience is already familiar with the basics of the Reformation narrative and spends hardly any time laying out its chronology. I was surprised however to hear how he postured his narrative. He argued the Reformation was the breaking away of the Reformers from the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally the movement represented a turning away from the humanistic elements of medieval Catholicism.

A Coronavirus Miscellany: Statistics, Science and the Libertarian Sceptics

We're now in the midst of a week that was predicted to be Pearl Harbor and 9/11 all rolled into one. Deaths hit nearly 2,000 as of yesterday (7 April) but thus far the claims haven't quite matched reality. The media continues to argue that combined deaths in New York and New Jersey have now passed 9/11, a sobering statistic which is true but the cataclysm that was forecast, just hasn't quite panned out.

This is not to make light of the deaths that have occurred nor do I mean to give any credence to those dismissing Covid-19 as an overblown hoax.

Lessons from the USS Theodore Roosevelt Incident

This is not a topic that is of particular interest to me but there are some noteworthy aspects to the story. I am referring of course to the virus outbreak on the American aircraft carrier, the leaking of the captain's communiqués, his being relieved and now the fallout.

Covid-19 and Project Venezuela

https://original.antiwar.com/Dave_DeCamp/2020/03/29/william-barr-greenlit-bushs-invasion-of-panama-is-venezuela-next/

The US seems to have shifted its posture with regard to Venezuela's Juan Guaido. Though touted by Trump and given a profile boost by his invitation to the State of the Union in February of 2020, the truth is he has failed to oust Nicolas Maduro and his campaign has effectively lost its momentum.

How Should We Then Live Part 3: The Renaissance

Continuing his themes regarding humanism as expressed through art and culture, Schaeffer is clearly torn. For him the 15^th-16^th century Renaissance was a veritable glory. Clearly he loves the period and yet is torn apart by it because in many respects its values are in opposition to the Reformation culture he champions.

Lebanon Bows to the Empire

https://www.mintpressnews.com/butcher-khiam-trump-notorious-war-criminal-amer-fakhoury/265942/

A strange story in some respects, it's surprising that Beirut allowed Fakhoury to be released given Hezbollah's influential role in the government. Fakhoury was certainly a villain, a member of the Israeli-proxy SLA and a participant in the atrocities committed by the IDF in the wake of its 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Satan's Curriculum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRCBKjOEhQ

The Christendom Curriculum. Its very name already reveals a very flawed if popular theology. The curriculum which purports to educate on a Biblical basis has from its very outset established a flawed foundation by embracing a glaring and serious error regarding the Kingdom.

How Should We Then Live Part 2: The Middle Ages

This episode struck me as in some respects the most confused of the series. Schaeffer vacillates between praise and condemnation of The Middle Ages and in several places entangles himself in a series of non sequitirs and incongruencies.

How Should We Then Live Part 1: The Roman Age

Many if not most readers will already be familiar with Francis Schaeffer and his famous series which first appeared in the late 1970's. The Fundamentalist circles I was in during the 1980's would not have bothered too much with someone like Schaeffer and would have viewed him as strange and too worldly.

Out-of-Towners and Coronavirus

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/21/cornwall-fears-influx-of-out-of-towners-coronavirus-will-overwhelm-nhs-services

It's interesting that this happens in many places including where I live. Our otherwise quiet and rural area often suffers a significant influx of weekenders or what we call 'campers' during the summer months.

Netanyahu and Likud's Bid for Power

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SybFAkZLI

If you know anything about the rise of Likud you'll know it was rooted in quasi-fascist paramilitary movements dating back to the days before independence in 1948. Benjamin Netanyahu represents the second generation of this party... a party long associated with violence.

Coronavirus and the Militarists: A Reality and a Warning

Recently there was yet another rocket attack on American positions in Iraq, an attack believed to be carried out by Iranian-backed or connected militias. This is part of the ongoing struggle that led up to the Soleimani drone assassination and the events after it.

Will Coronavirus Break the EU?

There's a growing bitterness developing in Italy, Spain and the other hard hit 'southern' regions of the EU. The bloc is hardly unified in its response to the virus pandemic. The lack of coordinated effort smacks of a 'every nation for itself' mentality as Pat Buchanan recently expressed.

The Intercept's Mockery of Evangelicals: Deceitful but Deserved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC7Efb_lWiw

This video both angered and saddened me. The Intercept, a once respectable adversarial journalistic outlet has become a mouthpiece for the Left-wing of the Democratic Party and has embraced the rot of Identity Politics. Instead of opposing the system as a whole the outlet has aligned itself with a faction and now promotes its variety of decadent faux-Leftism.

Napolitano Wrong on Government Powers

http://www.judgenap.com/post/can-the-government-restrict-travel-to-protect-public-health

Not a few Constitutional scholars would question if not reject his opening salvo as something rendered moot by both the president's role as Commander-in-Chief as well as the 14^th Amendment and its empowerment of the Federal Government to provide equal protection.

A Pilgrim Watching the Fallout from Coronavirus

In terms of the grander scale, I have very little fear of Coronavirus. Besides as a Christian I know that if my number is up (so to speak), then I trust in Providence and am at peace knowing that my death or suffering was in God's time and glorifies Him.

Palin: Apostasy on Display

I believe it was last fall I was working up in New York State and when I'm up that way I will sometimes listen to an Evangelical radio station out of Buffalo. I get a kick out of listening to 'Through the Bible' with J Vernon McGee. He reminds me of my late grandparents who were devoted listeners for many decades.

North Macedonia Poised to Join NATO

https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2020/02/14/north-macedonia-is-being-used-by-nato-to-target-serbia-and-russia/

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-north-macedonia-election/north-macedonia-parliament-dissolves-sets-poll-date-after-eu-shuns-talks-idUKKBN20A0OH

After resolving the years-long dispute over the naming status of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the newly named North Macedonia is poised to join NATO. This has been a long-time goal of both Brussels and Washington, a step toward the post-Cold War consolidation project that began in the 1990's, an agenda that lost steam in the early 2000's.

Orthodox Activism and Western Journalism

https://www.politico.eu/article/russian-orthodox-christians-lose-faith-in-vladimir-putin/

I have no desire to defend the tenets of Classical Liberalism but this Politico article in assuming them, spawns an unnecessary confusion. The Russian Orthodox Church does not embrace the epistemological or social model of Western Liberalism and Putin has apparently all but abandoned it as well. This is why in the contemporary context they are viewed as heretics by the adherents of Atlanticism, the Western Establishment and many Western Christians as well.