Manila Throws in with AUKUS Against Beijing

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/historic-speech-from-philippines-president-makes-veiled-swipe-at-china/news-story/3b5593d7b992f340701d23510d061883

At the end of February 2024, Ferdinand 'BongBong' Marcos spoke before the Australian Parliament. It was an important speech, especially for the East Asian theatre and though described as 'historic' it was hardly covered in the West.

Paris,Yerevan, and Baku

https://eurasianet.org/armenia-azerbaijan-macron-stirring-things-up-in-the-caucasus

Baku is in a fairly cozy relationship with Washington and thus if the Americans don't want to see Macron make this move, you can be sure the Azeri government will speak out and condemn French overtures.

Tooley Keeps Spinning the GMC

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/mainline-methodist-left/

Mark Tooley continues to mislead regarding the 'conservative' Global Methodist Church (GMC). Conservative by what standard? In terms of historic Protestant orthodoxy, the new denomination is not conservative but theologically liberal. When compared to the New Testament, the GMC represents a serious departure with its attitudes regarding everything from feminism to the embrace of higher criticism and much more.

New Information Regarding the 2004 Coup in Haiti

https://thegrayzone.com/2024/03/01/secret-cable-cia-haiti-coup/

See also: https://proto-protestantism.blogspot.com/2021/11/a-dominionist-evangelical-distortion-of.html

This piece from The Grayzone is timely as we see the US is poised to insert itself once again into the politics of Haiti. This time the US is attempting to utilize a proxy and has put a great deal of pressure on Kenya to take the lead in peacekeeping. Why? Because the US public does not want to see American soldiers on the ground in Haiti - at least not in significant numbers.

Evangelical Misunderstandings of Modi's Relationship with the US

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/indias-pm-modi-wages-war-against-christians-with-impunity.html

Pardon my cynicism but if Trump were president I don't think this criticism would be levied with quite as much zeal and earnest as we see in this piece from the so-called Christian Post. In some respects the article was refreshing but in others ridiculous.

Shame on the UMC and on these Congregations Trying to Leave It

https://www.christianpost.com/news/court-rules-against-42-churches-trying-to-leave-the-umc.html

Ostensibly these congregations wish to leave the apostate United Methodist Church. But then in the process of making their moral stand they violate Scripture and drag the Church into the secular courts.

Sacralism versus Satanism in Iowa

https://www.christianpost.com/news/man-who-toppled-iowa-satanic-display-responds-to-critics.html

Reading the Christian Post is wearisome but often revealing. This story keeps gaining traction and yet no one seems to understand just what is happening here.

The Truth Americans Don't Want to Hear About the 2024 US Presidential Election

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/12/31/i-dont-care-who-wins-the-us-presidential-election

Mitrovica's editorials often catch my eye and he's usually interesting though I often disagree with him. I found this piece to be germane and its cynicism morally justified – even refreshing.

Appropriating Tolkien by Means of Anachronism

https://www.politico.eu/article/inside-giorgia-meloni-hobbit-fantasy-world-lord-of-the-rings-fratelli-italia-brothers-italy-politics/

As one who has been reading Tolkien since elementary school, and even now enjoys discussing his works with my adult children, I am beset by many emotions when I read something like this. I feel as if someone has hijacked something from my childhood or like a memory has been violated.

A Ridiculous Essay About Anti-Trump Evangelicals

https://www.aaronrenn.com/p/the-resistance-will-be-organized

I think I've just about had my fill of Aaron Renn and for that matter the on-line rag known as The American Reformer. After reading several of his pieces, I think I've more or less grasped where he's coming from and I don't see that he has a lot to offer.

This piece was pretty characteristic of what I keep encountering – more Right-wing boilerplate material.

There's a great sinister plot at work – all kinds of dark money funding the anti-Trump Evangelical movement.

Mike Johnson, the Evangelical Speaker of the House

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/15/1211536399/speaker-johnson-christian-nationalism-evangelical

With so much happening in the news, stories like this have almost slipped under the radar. Four months into his tenure as Speaker, some refer to Johnson as a moderate and when compared with some of the Trumpites in Congress he seems rather tame, and yet this misleading.

The Age of Lithium, India, and Argentina

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/eye-on-china-india-inks-first-overseas-lithium-mining-deal-for-five-blocks-in-argentina/articleshow/106874549.cms?from=mdr

Milei is eager to please the Western and international banking establishment and he needs to generate revenue for the coffers of the Argentinean state.

Evangelical Narratives about Trump and Haley

A couple of weeks ago while listening to the BBC, an American Evangelical leader attempted to explain his faction's overwhelming allegiance to Trump. He suggested that all things considered, Trump is the best prospect. All the emphasis was on beating Biden.

South Africa and the American Empire

https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/us-politicians-call-for-review-of-relations-with-sa-for-supposedly-undermining-national-security-20240210

South Africa is the weakest of the BRICS nations and has over the past several years angered Washington. Not only has it joined BRICS, it has tacitly supported Russia, and now has generated a great deal of anger by leading the charge against Israel in the ICJ. It was only a matter of time before the US acted – the goal is to punish South Africa and generate upheaval within its society and political system. The campaign is under way.

Some Perspective on Navalny's Death

Listening to the near breathless and morally outraged coverage of Alexei Navalny's death, several things come to mind.

Theologians of the Beast and Ivory Tower Takes on Empire

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empires-foreign-and-domestic/id1677193347?i=100063749953

Since the American Reformer keeps popping up on Reformed websites like The Aquila Report, I have (out of curiosity) been listening to some of the podcasts. They have proven as disappointing as the writings.

Spawn of the CIA and a Son of Suharto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx35KRYbf1g

Prabowo is actually the former son-in-law of Suharto, the Indonesian dictator who came to power in the 1960's by means of a genocide – one encouraged and backed by the United States. Not a few in Washington wished Vietnam could have gone the way of Indonesia. The US lost Vietnam though millions would also die in Indochina.

The Lingering Strength of the American Empire

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/30/americas-undying-empire-why-the-decline-of-us-power-has-been-greatly-exaggerated

This piece raised several significant points concerning the resilience and remaining fortitude of the American Empire. Everyone would agree US prestige has dropped in recent years – though no one can agree as to when this process began or even exactly why. It all makes for an interesting discussion and the entire question is (to a degree) in flux due to the pending 2024 electoral contest. Its result will move the needle – more than some will acknowledge and yet less than others fear.

Croatia, the UK, and the Curse of Militarism

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/01/23/croatia-military-conscription/

https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/48472-john-humphrys-time-for-conscription-to-make-a-comeback

In both Croatia and the UK there is a renewed call for conscription. The statements made by General Sanders of the UK are very troubling as he speaks in terms of mass mobilisation, citizen armies, and preparation for war.

The Seven Churches of Revelation - A Key to Church History?

https://taylormarshall.com/2024/01/1053-6th-age-antichrist-according-17th-century-mystic-holzhauser-podcast.html

Trumpite (and thus non-Traditionalist) Roman Catholic Taylor Marshall published this little promo video the other day. Though others have pointed this out, few Dispensationalists realize that the Seven Epochs of Church History schema (based on the Seven Churches of Asia Minor) finds its origin in Counter-Reformation Roman Catholicism. The same is actually true of the larger Dispensational scheme.

Lausanne Movement Antics in Austria

https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/25053/austrian-evangelicals-invite-politicians-to-church-our-faith-is-not-an-import

The fact that these Evangelicals in Austria are reaching out to politicians did not particularly surprise me – but it does concern me.

Preying on Fear: The Crime-wave Hype

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/fbi-report-crime-down-republican-election-fear-rcna121384

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/2022-fox-news-created-crime-crisis-failed-attempt-sway-midterms

The American Right seems keen to promote the notion of a serious crime wave and it's now taken for granted by those within the movement and among those who regularly digest its media. But is it true?

Random Thoughts on the Dead Americans in Jordan

When the story broke over the weekend I immediately thought of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and how happy he must be at this news. He wants to widen the war and there are plenty within the US Congress, Pentagon, and even White House that want the same. The Iran Hawks are already squawking – demanding some kind of massive bombing campaign – even if it leads to a massive war. As one commentator pointed out the Middle East is in the cusp of the biggest regional war since 1973. These people couldn't care less. Men like Lindsey Graham are literally just vampires – they live for blood.

DiLorenzo's Latest Attempt at Red Baiting

https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/new-york-state-assemblyman-tony-simone-wants-to-bring-back-forced-labor/

This post caught my eye and typifies all that is wrong with the revisionist Bircherite academics associated with the extreme end of the Libertarian Austrian School – and the Neo-Confederate Thomas DiLorenzo (President of the Ludwig von Mises Institute) is among the worst.

Ethiopia's Foray into Somaliland

Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed has generated a great deal of frustration within Washington. He waged war on Tigray and the ethno-political faction long supported by Washington. He has by some estimations moved Ethiopia closer to China. And as of 1 January 2024, Addis Ababa has now moved into the sphere of BRICS.

Mohler's Vanguard Nation

It's been some time since I listened to Albert Mohler. Those who know my writings know that I'm not in any sense a fan of the seminary president. The other day I caught him speaking about the anniversary of Lenin's birth and that got him talking about Lenin's modifications to the Marxist schema.

Humanitarian Border Patrols and Buffers for Fortress Europe

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/22/eu-to-start-releasing-money-to-tunisia-under-migration-pact

This is but one in a series of incidents regarding deals with European authorities and African states. Couched in humanitarian terms, the real goal is to curb immigration. The Europeans and Americans both have realized that it's cheaper and better (in terms of optics) to prevent the migrants from actually arriving on European shores. If they can create and pay for a buffer that will block these streams of human beings fleeing war, poverty, overpopulation, and in some cases a collapsing climate, they can feel good about what they're doing – because they don't have to look at it or get their hands dirty as it were.

The Revival of Franco and Francoism

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/15/us-far-right-francisco-franco-spanish-civil-war

This caught my eye because I've heard recent attempts by figures on the Right to argue that Francoism was not fascism. Usually the argument relies on limiting fascism to the Third Reich and anti-Semitic Hitlerism – and maybe taking into account something of Mussolini. Franco is treated as something outside this spectrum and usually much is made of the fact that his regime did not pursue anti-Semitic policies.

Lamenting the Decline of Sacral Marriage

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

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

The Missing Element in the Packaging of Vocation

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/is-work-good

Reading this piece from Ligonier, it felt like a sale pitch, like I was being sold a package. And what is the product? It's the Protestant Work Ethic, so critical to the Magisterial Reformation's sacral programme. All of life in this world is made into holy Kingdom work and is an act of transformation.

On the contrary, the so-called 'Dominion Mandate' is no longer fulfilled by us – but by Christ in the New Heavens and New Earth. The work in the garden was Kingdom work – but once the Fall took place and they were exiled to the East of Eden, Adam and Eve no longer dwelt in the Kingdom. Rather, they awaited the seed, the One who was to come, the One who would defeat death – for there is no death in God's Kingdom.

Italy and the BRI

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67634959

There is an evident reciprocity taking place between Italy's Right-wing coalition government and Brussels. On the one hand, Brussels is moving in the direction of Meloni when it comes to her government's posture toward immigration. Under the guise of the humanitarian concern and anti-smuggling measures, the EU is doing all it can to curb immigration – even to the point of arming and paying North African regimes. We're seeing the same thing in North America with US attempts to curtail immigration in Central America, long before the migrants actually reach the border region.

Evangelical Support for Israel

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67422238

This is but one of many articles making the rounds over the past couple of months since the latest outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinians. The story is always essentially the same and yet new actors arise and the rhetoric sometimes changes – as do some of the political dynamics.

Evangelical Feminism in Europe

https://evangelicalfocus.com/=life-tech/24403/spanish-baptist-faculty-of-theology-includes-feminism-in-its-curriculum

Building bridges to society is basically another way of saying – find as much common ground as you can and try to redeem what you can. It sounds noble and well-intentioned but history demonstrates it's a formula for compromise and eventually capitulation.

Welcome to Age of BRICS+

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66525474

The world is changing, a new order is forming. This has been in the air for sometime but a milestone was passed on 1 January 2024 with the expansion of BRICS.

Costa Redefines the Kingdom

https://www.ironsharpensironradio.com/podcast/december-22-2023-show-with-dr-tony-costa-on-no-king-but-christ/

There were many good points made in this interview. As I'm not a Baptist, I found myself often disagreeing with Tony Costa (and of course the host Chris Arnzen), but despite some tangents and doctrines presented out of focus – it was overall a decent exercise.

Celebrating Milei: Regurgitating American Evangelicalism in Argentina

https://evangelicalfocus.com/features/24413/reflection-on-the-election-of-milei

Hugo Marquez demonstrates in sometimes painful terms how the American Church has affected and shaped the thinking of Christians around the globe. His categories are not Biblical but rather imported from the agents of Evangelical Enlightenment Protestantism, their politics, and their mammonist worldview.

Reflecting on Sproul

https://kuyperian.com/episode-101-r-c-sproul-and-his-legacy/

I recently stumbled across this podcast. Brito is known to me through his CREC connections and I noticed Federal Vision sat like an ignored elephant in the room during his interview with Pickowicz.

Inbox: Isn't the embrace of Christian Nonviolence a case of over-realized eschatology?

It can be among those who argue for it in universal terms, who insist on it for the nations this side of glory. Or to put it differently, they too are Transformationalists of a kind who believe the Kingdom is expressed in terms of worldly power, politics, and culture.

The Anabaptist Straw Man

https://adfontesjournal.com/andrew-koperski/christians-in-the-employ-of-the-pagan-empire/

In many ways the linked article simply repeats and rehashes many of the same old arguments used against those who argue for Kingdom ethics in the Early Church – and the narrative of their subsequent corruption. The line of reasoning followed by Koperski is in keeping with the arguments and the muddying of the waters tactics used by the likes of Peter Leithart.

Pentecostal Problems in Belarus

https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/22551/belarus-authorities-demolish-worship-place-of-vibran-evangelical-church

There's a small bit in this article that's pertinent. The pastor of the church in question was interviewed by Evangelical Focus in 2021 and in that exchange he was critical of Minsk and the Lukashenko government.

The Naked McCarthyites on John Birch Radio (aka VCY's CrossTalk)

https://www.vcy.org/crosstalk/2023/12/05/what-meaneth-these-stones/

The linked episode represents another case of par for the course when it comes to CrossTalk, or more rightly John Birch Radio. Ironically in this episode they were unmasked by their own call-in audience who recognized the 'Communist Goals' being referred to by the host. Listeners picked up on the talking points and rhetoric associated with Cleon Skousen's The Naked Communist – a seminal JBS work.

Rehabilitating Vlad the Impaler: The Extreme End of Revisionist Church History

https://www.christianpost.com/news/historical-dracula-was-actually-a-committed-christian.html

I've written on more than one occasion about the growth of Right-wing revisionism surrounding the Crusades. When I was growing up the Crusades were universally condemned within Evangelical and Fundamentalist circles. It was but another of the abominable episodes connected to the false Church of Rome.

The Revival of the Bin Laden Letter

I've enjoyed following some of the recent furor surrounding the so-called Bin Laden Letter which first emerged (I believe) in 2002.

Covering Up the Far Right in Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B41Ux-2xP8

Generally speaking Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! is so hostile to Russia that she has been more than a little susceptible to the official narrative provided by the American government with regard to not just the invasion and the nature of the fighting – but its context as well.

Chevron, Wall Street, and Venezuela Sanctions

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Chevron-Getting-Ready-For-New-Oil-Drilling-In-Venezuela.html

https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-23/us-offers-life-support-to-venezuelas-economy.html

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-shipping-fuels-venezuelas-pdvsa-expansion-oil-swap-2023-11-16/

One is left wondering if the decision by the White House to slack up a little on Venezuela sanctions is about foreign policy strategy or simply to help out Chevron – and thus the markets. It's probably a bit of both.

Romney's Revelations

 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4202800-mcconnell-didnt-reply-to-romneys-text-warning-about-jan-6-book/

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1207962313

Last month, Romney: A Reckoning was published, a biography by McKay Coppins of The Atlantic. In connection with this, there were reports concerning the fact that Romney was warned beforehand about January 6 and tried to reach out to Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell – who refused to speak to him.

The Rotten Fruit of Cultural Christianity

https://truthscript.com/church/the-surprising-fruit-of-cultural-christianity/

Harris is arguing that cultural Christianity is a gospel means – because in the Bible Belt, people go to church. This in turn led certain Right-wing folks that had left New York for Tennessee to also attend church and ultimately become Christians. It's almost a kind of soft peer pressure that he thinks is valid and helpful.

Inbox: Operation Xmas Child

I've been asked about this before and it has actually been on my mind as of late. Having visited several churches lately, I keep encountering Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, a 'ministry' run by Samaritan's Purse – one of Franklin Graham's cash cows. Between Samaritan's Purse, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and his other endeavours, Mr. Graham pulls in well over a million dollars a year.

Bulgaria's New Cyber-Hub

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/09/22/bulgaria-us-funded-cyber-hub/

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/russian-oil-imports-to-eu-via-bulgaria-surge/

America maneuvers and manipulates the politics in other countries and then if need be it will even finance the build-up of their militaries. The US has many tools in its banking toolbox and a lot of them flow through the State Department and Pentagon. 

The August 2023 Druze Anti-Assad Protests

With all eyes on Gaza and Southern Lebanon, there are other questions to consider. The US is still seething over its failure to oust Assad in Syria and it would seem US policy is to make the Syrian economy scream – once the policy of the US toward Allende's Chile.

Sixty Years After: The Disenchantment of the Magic Bullet Theory and the Threat it Represents

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/09/us/politics/jfk-assassination-witness-paul-landis.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66792977

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/jfk-assassination-parkland-hospital-doctors-entrance-wound-two-gunmen-1234876218/

On the sixty year anniversary of Kennedy's assassination, the debate goes on and while many in the Establishment think the case is closed – as Gerald Posner would have it, the truth is most of the public doesn't buy it, and for good reason. While there are many misunderstandings and unfortunate sidetracks, as time marches on, more and more evidence and testimony emerges which casts the Warren Commission into doubt.

Biden and the Rules of War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmBOMK_-zcU

Responding to the 7 October attack on Israel, US president Joe Biden condemned Hamas and rightly so. But then he proceeded to make some rather astonishing remarks – remarks that should offend anyone who has followed events for the past several decades, anyone in possession of a conscience.

The Christian Supreme Court of the United States

The story has already faded from the news cycle but it struck me how vigorously the Right was going after the obviously corrupt New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez.

And yet how is Menendez any different from Clarence Thomas? Or for that matter someone like Donald Trump?

CasaPound, Golden Dawn, Salvini, and Meloni

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2023/11/01/21-casapound-members-arrested-at-athens-airport_918250b4-252e-4cae-9867-08877b694779.html

Golden Dawn, Greece's Neo-Nazi Party has suffered significant setbacks but it hasn't gone away. The Greek Right (as is the case in several countries) is in a process of re-organizing, but Italy in particular has become a rallying point with the current Right-wing coalition in power. Meloni's Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia) represent Neo-fascism and with Lega's Salvini, FDI also has informal ties to political movements like CasaPound and Forza Nuova – the same folks that consider Golden Dawn to be compatriots and comrades in arms.

The Schemes of the Chinese Christo-Americans: Politics and Penalties not Persecution

https://www.christianpost.com/news/mayflower-church-pastor-urges-us-to-put-pressure-on-china.html

This is a topic I have revisited on multiple occasions but it needs to be understood.

We can condemn the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its bestial and draconian policies that seek to subjugate all religions under the aegis of the Chinese state. But it is also important to state that the reasons for condemning China are not on the basis of a 'rights' regime. New Testament Christianity knows nothing of Enlightenment 'rights' and it is a mistake to fall into that framework of thinking and argument.

A Timely and Encouraging but Awful Sermon

Recently I heard a sermon which I continue to think about. Based on a section of Psalm 119, the visiting speaker did a decent job moving through the passage verse by verse and exhorted the congregation to focus on Scripture, make it central to your life, meditate on it, and so forth. So far so good.

John Birch Radio Continues to Spread Confusion

VCY's Crosstalk might as well be called John Birch Radio as figures associated with the far right-wing society regularly appear on the programme and in general terms what is passed off as Biblical Christianity and commentary is in reality little more than thinly veiled Bircher ideology.

And alongside this is just a lot incoherent rubbish. This message recently sent out by VCY typifies this – the muddled thinking at the heart of today's Evangelical movement and (in this case) what's left of Fundamentalism. Consider the following:

Georgian Orthodoxy and East-West Intrigues

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Conflicts-and-alleged-poisonings:-the-internal-war-in-Georgian-Church-58834.html

The sources cited here are not above scrutiny, but given the history of the Orthodox world, and the present tensions within Georgia and the Caucasus in general, the intrigues and attempted assassinations are not altogether surprising. In fact the Georgian Orthodox Church had a similar incident in 2017.

Pastor in Blackface Ignored by Evangelical Media

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/19/1200477030/southern-baptists-expel-church-as-pastor-defends-blackface-and-native-caricature

I shouldn't have to read about this on NPR.

Spinning and Ignoring the Georgia Plea Deals

As October 2023 winds down, there have been significant developments in the case against Trump et al. in the state of Georgia. After Sidney Powell flipped and took a plea deal, the Trumpian edifice began to crumble.