This article needs to be read, especially by many of the people
I know who believe that racism is effectively a dead issue. In their middle
class suburban-shaped minds, the claims of racism made by today's Left are akin
to showboating, a case of dog whistle and identity politics that play to a
base.
https://news.yahoo.com/cruz-offers-swap-nord-stream-181728222.html
No one can seriously accuse the Democrats of being soft on
Russia. If anything they've led the militaristic charge against Moscow since
the late Obama administration. In 2014, the US backed a coup in Ukraine leading
to the Russian annexation of the Crimea and Putin's open support for
separatists in the Donbass – the already rocky relationship quickly soured. And
when Russia intervened in the US proxy war in Syria, and thwarted plans to oust
Assad, relations grew hostile.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/12/06/patf-d06.html
https://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-white-supremacists-march-lincoln-182827649.html
Large sections of the media chose to ignore this story regarding
an early December fascist militia marching on the National Mall, and others
reported it but downplayed it. While the police are identified in some pieces
as 'monitoring' the fascist marchers, the video evidence along with
testimonials suggest that law enforcement were providing a buffer – a kind of
safe-zone for the group to march and to avoid coming into contact or conflict
with onlookers, many of whom are clearly appalled.
https://www.newgenevaacademy.com/master-of-divinity-in-worship-and-liturgy.html
German parliamentarian and MEP David McAllister speaks for a
large section of the European ruling class. There is both an air of opportunism
and necessity underlying his commentary – his plea for Europe to expand its
interests into the Asia-Pacific region.
Pearce's article and reporting in general is obviously
hostile to the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The point here is
neither to vindicate the ruling Abiy government or to defend or demonise the
Tigray leadership. What's salient is the fact that the leaked Zoom video
demonstrates a point that I and others have been trying to make – that despite
official proclamations of support for Abiy in the past, or neutrality in the
present conflict, the West and the US specifically support Tigray goals and
their restoration to power in Addis Ababa.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/12/01/russia-asean-naval-drills/
The move by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
to hold joint naval drills with Russia is a slap in the face to China but on a
far greater level to the United States which has earnestly sought to court these
nations since the Obama era. It sends a clear signal that the ASEAN members are
not willing to simply bow to the US, nor are they willing to trust Washington
to any quantifiable degree. They're going to hedge their bets and keep all
options open – which for the US represents a diplomatic defeat.
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/china-bags-another-lucrative-port-deal-in-sri-lanka
Sri Lanka has been the focus of a struggle between China and
Washington for many years. India is also a player more or less serving or
echoing the interests of the United States. India has an interest due to the
large island's proximity and the fact that the Hindu Tamil people (a minority
in Sri Lanka) have a significant population in India itself. For China and the
United States, the interests are economic and strategic.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is known to be pro-China and
this was one of the reasons he was forced out as president in 2015. After
several years of ineffective rule, Rajapaksa returned to power in 2019 as prime
minister under his brother's presidency. Sri Lanka's already suffering economy
has taken a beating during the Covid era and 2021 has seen the nation slip into
crisis mode.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/11/16/turkey-baykar-drones-ukraine/
Once again it must be emphasized that the Turco-Russian
alliance rests on a very flimsy foundation. Historically the Turks and Russians
have been enemies and one of the areas of confrontation (among many) centres on
the arc stretching from Southern Ukraine, across the Crimea, to the North Caucasus.
The Muslim populations (such as the Circassians) and in particular the Tatar
ethnic groups have long found affiliation and identity with the powerful
Ottoman state to the South.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/580418-real-conservatives-must-make-a-choice
At present there are few voices willing to call out Trumpism
for its lack of conservative credentials. Abandoning any coherent ideology, the
GOP has slipped into a kind of crude self-affirming tribalism centered on the
person of Trump himself.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/12/3/lira-crash-slams-turkeys-factories-farmers-and-retailers
The value of the Turkish Lira has plunged and given the country's debt burden, Turkey is facing rapid inflation. President Erdogan has attempted radical measures but some economists believe the sweeping moves have been reckless and have only exacerbated the problem.
After several years of tensions, France and Italy have
stunned some within the political and diplomatic communities with the announcement
of the Quirinale Treaty.
https://aleteia.org/2021/05/26/chinese-authorities-arrest-bishop-priests-seminarians/#
Arrested in May 2021, Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu has not been seen or heard from
in six months. Hoping to find some kind of workable arrangement with Beijing,
Pope Francis signed the 2018 accord which afforded Beijing a voice (and
presumably a veto) in Vatican selections for Chinese episcopal sees.
Some readers will have seen the 'viral' video that appeared
in October of a fight that broke out in a Lakewood, Washington Roman Catholic
Church.
As the Washington Post reports, Pomfret's new book reveals
that Polish collaboration with Washington began in earnest only months after
the fall of the Berlin Wall. It's hardly a surprise as the people who came into
power had been working clandestinely with the United States for more than a
decade.
https://www.breakpoint.org/parents_find_support/
As usual Stonestreet
presents a dishonest assessment of the issues. In this case he's referring to
questions of education, parental rights, and so-called sphere sovereignty, the
doctrine usually associated with Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920).
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/10/28/india-tests-ballistic-missile/
As China intensifies its missile programmes, India is keen to
do the same. While Beijing's primary focus is on the US Navy and in particular
its fleet of aircraft carriers, an East Asian War would almost certainly
involve India. Beijing and New Delhi have been on edge for decades and thus
India is pursuing this technology and as with all tests – sending a signal.
https://theintercept.com/2021/10/30/fbi-libya-erik-prince-weapons-trafficking/
Erik Prince is once more in the news. His star has faded
somewhat, especially when compared to his days of fame and notoriety during the
Bush and Trump administrations. And yet he hasn't gone away.
Many Evangelicals have celebrated the win of Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia gubernatorial race. There have been various discussions regarding whether or not he's actually an Evangelical, his place in the GOP vis-à-vis Trump, and what his win means in terms of the pending 2022 mid-term elections.
https://journal-neo.org/2021/10/14/erdogan-rushes-to-form-a-broad-coalition-of-pro-turkish-forces/
Turkey is still attempting to put its stamp on Central Asia.
As expected with Erdogan, his programme is focused on Pan-Turkism with a veneer
of Islam.
https://today.in-24.com/News/499825.html
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/10/22/spai-o22.html
In the Madrid Forum are
found the seeds for Operation Condor 2.0, a reiteration or reincarnation of the
Right-wing campaign launched during the Cold War to dominate the politics of
the Latin world (or Iberosphere), and to crush (by means of political maneuvering
and violence), the forces of the Left.
And as before, the new
iteration of the project finds its essential ally in the American Right.
https://www.vcyamerica.org/crosstalk/2021/10/20/pushback-enough-is-enough/
To Jim Schneider of VCY's Crosstalk, you're right – enough is
enough.
It really is time for some 'pushback' as they say.
This is a case of the United States rewarding faithful
countries like Romania, which is fully on board with US foreign policy in
Eastern Europe. Romania's inner turmoil and problematic bureaucracy have kept
Washington somewhat aloof in terms of visas, but apparently they've found a way
to make it work and it will open the door for easy Romanian business and travel
in the United States. Washington wants to continue building strong ties with
the nation that sits in a pivotal spot on the European map.
https://in.reuters.com/article/germany-georgia-chechnya-idINKBN1Y81J3
Zelimkhan
Khangoshvili was
murdered on the streets of Berlin in August 2019 and for a time the story was
'big news'. The trial of the killer has dragged on and still appears
occasionally in the media. The verdict was due in July 2021 and yet the trial
has once more been extended. The verdict should come through before the end of
the year and it's going to be a big story in the West – part of the ongoing
anti-Russia campaign.
Sudan faces more turmoil with the October 2021 military coup.
Western media tends to report on the nation's 'progress' which is measured in
terms of how much the nation is under the thumb of Western investment and
political policy. For the Sudanese the metrics are often quite different.
The ousting of Omar al-Bashir in 2019 marked a major victory
for US-led Western interests. Washington had sponsored the creation of South
Sudan in 2011 which left the north in a potential crisis as the southern region
contained the nation's oil resources. The creation of South Sudan represented a
defeat for China which had close ties with Khartoum and was invested in the
infrastructure of their oil industry. Civil war was the result in the South, and
a decade later the situation remains fragile.
Is Moscow using natural gas as a weapon, as a means of putting
diplomatic pressure on Moldova? Is this punishment for Moldova electing Maia
Sandu a pro-European president?
Probably. The articles keep focusing on the significant back
payment that Moldova owes to Gazprom, the St. Petersburg based energy company that's
majority-owned by the Russian state. And yet I think the salient issue is the
contract deadline in December.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qUnnSu1Dno
I had heard of this woman (Lauren Boebert) awhile ago, but I
never imagined she professed to be a Christian. She's best known for her open
carry lifestyle – she's almost always armed (this talk being a rare exception) and
has made a big deal about her gun-friendly restaurant in Colorado. Riding the
wave of fame, she then used her 'charms' to get herself elected to congress.
https://www.politico.eu/article/alexei-navalny-sakharov-prize-freedom-thought-eu-russia/
The campaign to promote Alexei Navalny continues. He is but a
component of the expansive Western campaign against the regime of Vladimir
Putin in Moscow. You literally cannot interact with Western news media anymore
without some kind of daily (and at times hourly) attack on Russia even if it's
just a quick thirty second 'dig' – It must be remembered that in most American
news venues a proper 'Two-Minute Hate' would exceed the attention span of their
audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDq3wTYb4QU
https://crooksandliars.com/2021/09/lindell-jesus-christ-trump
Lindell who is closely connected to Trump and was involved in
the post-election coup plotting (that culminated in the failed January 6 putsch)
has been a rising star in Christian Right circles. At the same time he has
alienated sponsors and been forced out of some media circles. It's been
remarkable (if disconcerting) to watch how the Evangelical community has
rallied around him.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58647485
Conscientious Objection is an ancient practice in the Church.
With few exceptions the testimony of the Early Church is near universal –
Christians were opposed to warfare and participation in the military and other
forms of government violence.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/fox-news-hosts-launches-series-to-show-proof-of-heaven.html
This is not really a noteworthy story but it provides an
occasion to reflect upon a few things. Because like it or not this is what
people are buying into and as long as we're attending mainstream institutional
'conservative' churches, we're going to encounter the folks who are influenced
by these people – and even look up to them.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/6/the-situation-is-dangerous
https://news.yahoo.com/retired-diplomat-hill-bidens-choice-205145262.html
Is Serbia likely to launch an invasion of Kosovo, or attack
one of its other former Yugoslav neighbours? This is unlikely but the recent
military buildup does indicate that the Serbian Establishment is reading the
European situation in a manner similar to figures like Orban of Hungary,
elements within the Polish PiS Establishment, and other Right-wing forces
throughout central and southern Europe. Serbia is not part of the EU but is an
island within it and its currents affect its politics and standing.
It didn't take long for the Right-wing spin machine to kick in. A man in Norway attempted a massacre by means of bow and arrow. This is clear evidence that guns don't kill people – people do.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Moscow-uses-gas-to-blackmail-Europe-54243.html
This qualifies as sensationalism but given the source it's
not terribly surprising. This Catholic-affiliated website has a long record of
promoting the narratives of the Western Establishment when it comes to foreign
policy and investment.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Beijing's-failed-'trade-war'-against-Canberra-54240.html
There's another way to frame Beijing's turn with regard to
Australia and issues of trade. It can be viewed as a failed boycott and in a
sense it was. On the other hand, Beijing is watching Canberra cozy up to the
United States as exemplified by the recent AUKUS agreement. It's easier for
Australia to enter into an anti-Beijing alliance when China is not deeply
entangled with its markets. And China's demand for Australian coal is no light
thing.
The Dispensationalist teacher Jimmy DeYoung died in August of Covid-19. I had listened to him on and off for years. His programme appeared on the local Evangelical radio station and it seemed like many times we were in the car when it aired. I took great exception to his teachings. Misunderstanding the Bible on a massive scale, the outworkings of his aberrant theology took a particularly bad turn when it came to political Zionism and support for the often violent Settler movement in the West Bank, and Likud policy in general.
Whether the US is playing a role in this rift or not – it
fits a script that could have been written in Washington. And as the Cold War
demonstrated, the US and other governments are actually very interested in such
religious questions. And among these sacral bodies and especially among
so-called ethnic Christian communities, politics and religion are closely
united.
Due to post-Cold War geopolitics it was natural that Iran would find common cause with Moscow and even (as of the 2010's) Beijing. There's always been a hesitancy though on the part of Beijing to fully embrace Iran as it seemed like a potential conflict loomed with the United States – one Beijing didn't want to get dragged into. There are elements within the American political system that have been pushing for war with Iran since the 1979 revolution, a point Beijing knows all too well.
From time to time I have commented on news outlets and one I've often referenced is that of Al Jazeera English. When the network launched during the George W Bush years it was a breath of fresh air. I started watching in 2008 via Livestream and I found the network to be edifying. It covered a wide range of topics and in fairly balanced form. Its coverage was not Western-biased but it did not discount or ignore Western positions either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oF4OG4f4xU
I found this
Evangelical coverage to be far more disturbing than the actual decline of
Catholicism within Ireland – a reality no New Testament Christian would lament.
To my readers:
I apologise for the diminished output and lack of site activity as of late. I experienced a computer catastrophe and lost several articles I was working on.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/08/05/india-indigenous-aircraft-carrier/
Indian tanks have been seen on maneuvers less than thirty
miles from the Chinese border in Ladakh. While the Ladakh-Tibet border does not
represent an existential threat to Beijing, the area has been contentious since
the two modern nations were formed in the 1940's. China doesn't want to see any
kind of turmoil or trouble on the Tibet border – but you can be sure Washington
is doing all it can to encourage India to make that trouble.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/7/31/george-w-bush-should-shut-up-and-go-away
The author of the editorial is correct in exposing a rather startling truth - men like George Bush have no conscience. A man who should be in sackcloth and ashes is instead living the good life and has been largely rehabilitated in the eyes of the American public.
What did you expect? The media seems to present this as the targeting of civilians. Is it?
https://www.evangelical-times.org/articles/evangelicalism-in-germany-a-stocktaking/
This represents a flawed analysis and sadly it also reveals some of the flawed thinking at the helm of German Evangelicalism. The entire assessment is in terms of Christendom. One would think that the lessons of that flawed paradigm would have been learned by now, but apparently not.
The Fresh Air interview contained some helpful information but it was overshadowed by an air of absurdity. There were numerous elephants in the room that were being ignored leading one to question the sincerity of the participants.
Evangelicalism is in a sad state of affairs when the likes of Candace Cameron are held up as leaders - and editors such as Richard Land continue to give them press.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/documents-point-to-us-hand-in-cuba-protests/277987/
Once again we find the hand of USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) at work, doing what they do best - labouring to subvert democracy and overthrow governments. As soon as the protests erupted and voices within the US started escalating the rhetoric, it wasn't hard to guess what was happening. And though things have seemingly calmed down, it's not over yet.
Though this story has already faded away from the news cycle it will return and there are some elements concerning it that deserve reflection.
It is noteworthy that as of 2020 the al Qaeda affiliated East
Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is no longer on the US terror list and its
political and intellectual leadership is based in the United States.
China is certainly very concerned about the ETIM setting up
shop in Afghanistan, and Beijing is trying to reach out to the Taliban for this
reason among others. One can be certain that China will wish to extend its Belt
and Road Initiative (OBOR) into Afghanistan but there's also the fear that
Afghanistan will become a base or harbour for militants.
But there's another concern and it's one that I've been
talking about for some time – and one I'm starting to become more convinced of.
https://www.centralasianews.net/news/270504470/in-india-blinken-meets-representative-of-dalai-lama
The article is most correct. Beijing will respond to this
meeting with great hostility. The Dalai Lama and all things Tibet are touchy.
Tibet is one of the three 'T' issues – Tibet, Tiananmen, and Taiwan – issues
not to be spoken of and that can land one in hot water with the authorities.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/07/30/philippines-us-military-deal/
During the course of his tenure, Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte
has lashed out at Washington. Angry at the long years of US domination of his
country and the hypocritical condemnation by Washington of his administration
for its brutal policies – he may at last be shifting gears. While he officially
is maintaining his 'independent' foreign policy, his days of cozying up to
China may be at an end. Time will tell but signals suggest Manila may be
pivoting back into the American camp.
To my mind, it's the elephant in the room that no side wants to acknowledge. There's been a lot of recent press surrounding the Covid-Delta outbreak in Provincetown, Massachusetts. This was a 'breakthrough' case of a group of 469 Covid-positive people. Of this group about 75% of them were vaccinated and yet nevertheless became infected by the virus. No one died and barely anyone was seriously affected which by some estimations actually testifies to the vaccine's potency. Given what the Delta variant is doing across the rest of the country the fact that only five people (of the 469) were hospitalised is noteworthy.
*As of today the outbreak has grown to almost one-thousand
people.
This deals with a series of questions regarding where to read about some of the Christian interaction with The Enlightenment especially in terms of political and social ideology and ethics. Additionally there is the question of the Westminster Confession's view of Romans 13 and why I believe it to be in error – and are there any pre-Reformation instances that would support my view?
Finally, what of civil disobedience? Is it ever appropriate?
Fundamentalism's voice of protest continues to weaken. Evangelicals
and Catholics are allies now. The seeds planted by Francis Schaeffer and watered
by Chuck Colson – and the architects of Vatican II have come to fruition. For
good or ill we've come a long way from Chick tracts and Hislop's The Two Babylons. The last bastions of
anti-Catholicism are today found in connection with Ulster and the (equally
dubious) heritage of Ian Paisley.
More than a few commentators have attempted to make this
point. This one dates from the dawn of the Trump administration. Over four
years later things have definitely changed. There's a strange energy in the
air, people are energised to be sure. Some might think the notion that the
Christian Right is in decline is ridiculous. They can certainly make their case
that the movement is thriving.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/museum-of-the-bible-unveils-magna-carta-exhibit.html
The Evangelical community was excited when in 2017 the Green
family (of Hobby Lobby fame) opened the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC.
For many it communicated a powerful message regarding the Bible and its place
in American society and culture. While they would have preferred it to be
located on the National Mall itself, the fact that it sits nearby (with a top
floor view) is pregnant with symbolism.
The move by Francis was surprising but it also makes sense.
The anti- Vatican II Traditionalist movement is growing within Catholicism –
particularly in the West and it has allied itself with Right-wing political
forces that seek to counter Francis on almost every front.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/07/14/poland-abrams-tanks/
Poland's ruling PiS continues to pick up a lot of negative
press coverage in Europe but you'd hardly know it in the United States as
Warsaw continues to forge close ties with Washington. Unlike the other powers
within Europe and even some of Poland's fellow members in the V4 bloc, Poland
is fully on board with Washington's agenda vis-à-vis Russia.
Biden isn't being aggressive enough toward Cuba, or so it is being argued. Even though it's likely the US is playing a part in the current unrest, there are calls for a more direct intervention. The Right is portraying Biden as weak, indecisive and perhaps guilty of moral and ideological equivocation.
