As many readers will already know Paivi Rasanen is the
Finnish MP who has been brought up on charges regarding her anti-homosexual stand
and public statements she has made to that end. Her trial is complete and if
found guilty she faces jail time. It signals a real warning to Christians in
the West that the Sodomite factions that have come to dominate large sections
of Western capitalist society intend to prosecute dissidents.
It's evident to all in the West that Russian media twists and distorts the Ukraine War narrative. The state obfuscates the extent of the war, downplays its intensity, ignores and spins civilian deaths and in general misleads its public as to the nature, cause, and goals of its policies.
In addition to this and to the outrage of many, Vladimir
Putin the Russian president quotes Scripture and draws parallels, even
blasphemous comparisons between the 'sacrifices' made by Russian soldiers and
the death of Christ. He presents a picture in which the Russian public is led
to believe that God is with them and their cause. He stands by their troops and
their cause is just and righteous.
Indeed it is sickening and could even be described as evil.
https://www.breakpoint.org/is-it-biblical-to-honor-our-nation/
Evoking the memory of the apostate Richard John Neuhaus, BreakPoint commentator and Colson protégé John Stonestreet attempts to address the dangers of idolatry regarding nationalism, and yet in keeping with patterns often seen in his commentaries he misses the central point and falls into error.
Rather than seriously seek to limit or warn concerning the
dangers of nationalism, he in fact encourages it and blurs the lines that
already cloud contemporary Evangelical thought.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been placed into a difficult position by recent events and yet he hardly deserves sympathy. As he has specifically sought to exploit Turkey's Eurasian identity and potential role as a kind mediating power – then he should have expected this, being in a situation where he has the power to deal but few friends. His recent diplomatic attempt to bring the forces of the Ukraine War together has been interesting. It was also noteworthy that his recent summit attempt had little support from the United States which clearly (and despite its official rhetoric) doesn't want the war to end.
Energy Independence. The words are inescapable if you turn the news on. It has become a battle-cry for the Right in 2022. Representing the interests of the petroleum industry they have used the present crisis as a means to bolster the interests of that economic sector and yet at a most basic level it's misleading.
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.
https://biblebased.wordpress.com/2022/03/07/should-reformed-christians-be-supporting-putin/
In this essay Andrew Webb continually begs the question. He
falsely assumes that Christians should be 'supporting' either side. Christians
certainly should not support Vladimir Putin. Some have been captivated by a
very misguided narrative that he somehow supports a re-establishment of
Christendom or that he stands for anti-liberalism (itself a confused term and
concept). Rather than muddy the waters as to whether or not Russia is a
'Christian' country, the concept itself needs to be exposed as intrinsically
false. The entire framework for the discussion needs to be re-tooled.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/03/09/lockheed-military-manufacturing-saudi/
Biden and others in the American
Establishment have sought to cast the new Cold War in terms of the Liberal
Democracies versus the Authoritarian States. This claim is as farcical as the
Capitalist Free World versus the Communist Bloc of the first Cold War. The
truth is always far more complicated.
In something of a cultural watershed the US government is openly allowing for and promoting crowd-funding for the Ukrainian army. Viewed as a just cause, once again it's clear Washington has no desire for this conflict to end in the near term.
For Christians there should be no doubt about books like
Harry Potter and the Twilight series. They're rubbish and they're not the type
of books I would encourage my children to read.
That said, burning the books is little more than a political
stunt. It would be one thing if there was a genuine Spirit-wrought outpouring
and people did this as a form of repentance and renunciation (as seen in
Ephesus) but that's not what's happening here.
I wish to extend a 'thank you' to Terry Mattingly for
publishing this. I don't always agree with him but I appreciate his
thoughtfulness and in this case he's one of the few voices that's pleading for
a bit of reflection – perhaps before some very terrible lines are crossed.
Putin fell for a geopolitical trap in the invasion of Ukraine, and US president Joe Biden has fallen for a series of traps set by his domestic political opposition.
The US wanted to send fighter aircraft to Ukraine but finally someone realised that Ukrainian pilots are trained on Soviet and Russian models – Sukhoi's and MiG's. And so sending them F-16's and the like will do little good. I'm sure they could fly them but they won't be proficient without training.
The NPR story – but one of an endless stream – attacks Russia
for its alleged use of cluster bombs. The weapon has long been condemned
because of the high percentage of 'bomblets' that don't actually explode and left
exposed on the ground, they lead to future injuries in the months and years
following the conclusion of the war. People are maimed and killed long after
the fighting has stopped.
Listening to the chants on the radio of 'USA Help Ukraine', I wondered if it ever occurred to any of these people that it was America's 'help', its meddling in Eastern Europe and Ukraine in particular that led to the current crisis? Had the United States remained in its own hemisphere, and had Washington avoided sponsoring a militaristic eastern expansion on the part of NATO, then perhaps the world wouldn't face this crisis. Are they aware of America's 'help' for Ukraine in the 2004 and 2014?
After several vicious rounds of advance and retreat, it would
seem the Tigray War may be stabilising. At present there is a cease fire and we
can hope that it holds. Everyone is tired of fighting and both sides have
suffered considerably – not to mention the vast number of civilians who have
been brutalised.
While there's a ceasefire, the situation is by no means
resolved. The Tigray region is basically (at this point) autonomous and they've
proven that they can hold their own against the Abiy government in Addis Ababa
– which is now a government in crisis.
As the military campaign rages, the lies continue to multiply on all sides as do the dangers. It is evident that Ukraine presented no security threat to Moscow in itself. That's not why Russia invaded. This conflict is over Ukraine's use as a staging point and its symbolism in the larger NATO-Moscow struggle. For the unfortunate people of Ukraine, their land is once again a battlefield – it's been a recurring motif for the peoples of Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, and Western and Southern Russia throughout their histories – a region Timothy Snyder referred to as the Bloodlands.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/opinion/evangelicalism-division-renewal.html
David Brooks is not a Christian and I know of Right-wing folk
who laugh at the notion that he's a conservative. This represents part of the
divide that I've been highlighting for years – the difference between elements
of the now almost defunct American Conservatism and the Right-wing Libertarian movement
that has largely supplanted it. There's overlap to be sure and people don't fit
into neat boxes but there's an ethos about the New Right and now Trumpism that's
remarkably different from what American Conservatism was a generation ago.
I often disagree with Brooks and sometimes strongly so, but I
will at least listen to what he has to say. Disagreement does not mean that his
commentary is utterly lacking any value.
An old friend (from my shameful Air Force days) shared a link with me:
https://unherd.com/2022/02/putins-spiritual-destiny/
It's a problematic
article on many levels and in terms of theology it's highly dubious. But it
touches on a lot of things I've been writing about on these sites for the past
twelve years.
I wrote to my friend
the following (slightly edited) as a response:
Without a doubt the US Energy sector (as a component of Wall
Street) is one of the driving factors in the US attempt to pull Russia into a
war with Ukraine. The US has been sabre rattling for months though this has
been ignored by Western media. It's clear the US wanted to break Nordstream 2,
and at this point it would seem they've been successful.
Recently I've had the opportunity at work to listen to the radio during the noon hour, something that has largely eluded me for the past year. The Family Life Network (FLN) based in Bath NY continues to expand its listening area and unfortunately this includes the region of Pennsylvania where I live. A typically Evangelical organisation, its theology is light and is mostly geared toward therapy and entertainment-based 'ministries' complimented with copious amounts of trite and terrible Christian pop music.
Usually the only thing I bother with is their news show. And yet having listened very little over the past year (I only occasionally listen to their teaching programmes and I cannot stomach the music), I was struck by how much the organisation has shifted to the Right.
Both sides of the political aisle attempt to manipulate crime statistics. When the Democrats are in power and making noise about gun violence, the Right will downplay it. And yet more typically the Right will scream about law and order and the Democrat's inability to rein in the chaos.
https://www.newsweek.com/call-duty-modern-warfare-highway-death-russia-gulf-war-1468207
I quit reading Newsweek years ago and as a consequence missed
this 2019 story. The video game industry is already replete with pro-military
propaganda and yet in this case it's worse than insidious, a blatant attempt to
lie and manipulate history.
While a formal bloc has not yet been created, a unified
agenda is coming together. This represents an early phase, a kind of proto-fascist
bloc beginning to form within the EU.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/president-mattarella-reluctant-hero-in-italys-crisis/
Akin to similar developments in other Western democracies,
the polarity within Italian politics has reached an extreme – to the point that
change itself is feared. Elected to his second term as president, Sergio
Matarella is 80 years old and he is the stabilizing factor, the shepherd of an
inherently unstable situation – that of Italy's National Unity government which
was formed last year.
Maybe you caught it, maybe you didn't. In some circles it was barely a headline and in other contexts the weight of this news was softened or outright spun. Days after the fact it would seem that the mainstream media has simply chosen to ignore it.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/mark-levin-american-marxism/
The Nation is a well-established liberal magazine with deep
roots in the American political order.
As connected as it is with the power centres of the Democratic Party,
the publisher (Katrina vanden Heuvel) is (ironically) widow to the recently
deceased Stephen Cohen – the renowned but controversial Russian studies scholar
who rejected and decried the Anti-Russia campaign being led by the US
Establishment and particularly the DNC. I'm sure there were some interesting
conversations that took place in their home.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5502785
Abortion is murder and sin. This needs to be stated in unqualified
terms. The point of this inquiry is not to argue otherwise or muddy the waters
on the core ethical points surrounding the practice.
However when abortion is considered in its political and
social context, then the truth demands a wider discussion and necessarily a
more complicated one. Again, this is not to give credence or standing to those
who promote and defend abortion. Rather it is necessary as Christians to be
honest with regard to how the issue has been framed and utilised, and to
consider the narratives attached to it.
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2022/01/court-upholds-ruling-against-two-ex-managers-of-vatican-bank
A Vatican appellate court has upheld the conviction of two
clerics in a corruption and money laundering scandal that dates back almost a
decade.
Does this represent a slap on the wrist or a sign of real reform
in the notoriously corrupt and scandal-ridden institution?
This experiment is noteworthy because if successful it could
be transformative and mark the beginning of a new energy economy. Utilising
coal, Australia has produced hydrogen which is then liquefied. It is now being
brought to Japan by tanker where it can be used in a variety of industries and
applications.
In times past you wouldn't have found a Western-connected
Evangelical group sympathizing with the plight and positions of the Orthodox
world and indeed were Djokovic a Russian, the response would have likely been
different.
In the grand scheme of things the death of rock singer Meat Loaf (Marvin Aday) is hardly important. The news brought back some memories of school years and learning he was an anti-vax proponent I immediately thought of the joke that is certain to circulate – that he would do anything for love but he wouldn't do that (get a vaccine).
On a more serious note, a couple of quick reflections...
https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/canada/Remembering-a-Legacy-of-Faith-From-Canadian-Labor-Camps/
https://www.e-know.ca/regions/east-kootenay/kootenay-park-conscientious-objector-camps/
Juxtaposing these two articles on Canadian Jehovah's
Witnesses during WWII reveals something of how this group perceives itself and
how it is perceived and misunderstood by those outside it.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/12/23/indonesia-sukhoi-us-french-planes/
These types of stories appear on a regular basis. One can't
read too much into them or overplay their meaning but they reveal something of
the behind the scenes struggle between the powers.
https://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-geopolitics-of-dead-georgian-in.html
Accused Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov has been found guilty
of the 2019 murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili – Chechen militant living in
Germany. The verdict is no surprise and it has led to tit-for-tat diplomatic
expulsions.
From the moment he was elected in 2017, the US has not been
happy with South Korean president Moon Jae-in. A member of the Korean Left and
insufficiently militant, he represents the political heritage in South Korea
that has been resistant to US domination – the same faction which began to
openly rebel from US control in the late 1980's. In South Korea and the rest of
the world, this period marks South Korea's embrace of democracy and the setting
aside of US-sponsored authoritarian rule.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Comprehensive_Economic_Partnership
With the turn of the calendar the Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RCEP) went into effect on 1 January 2022. Initially meant
to counter the US attempt to re-shape Asian diplomacy and trade by means of the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the RCEP represents a geopolitical and
diplomatic victory for Beijing – another sore blow to US hegemony in the
Asia-Pacific.
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.
