From the Brussels Journal:
Whilst the attention of the USA and the UK is distracted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our most likely enemy for the mid to long-term, Communist China, is beavering away at ramping up her military power. The objective becomes plainer by the day: to elevate herself to Super Power status with an Afro-Asian Empire to sustain her need for commodities.
Those naysayers who would stick their heads in the sand need look no further than all the signs: the ruthless exploitation of Darfur for its oil; the rapidly burgeoning presence of China in the business of minerals, oil and gems in Africa; its diversion of huge sums of money (though as yet not the sort of money the USA spends) to its defence budget; its hardline nationalist attitudes towards its neighbours such as Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
Today the Daily Telegraph reports yet another sign of its development of a blue water navy with a global strategic reach capable of threatening American and British cities: a huge underground naval base on the well-placed island of Hainan ...more
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Racism in the pews
From WorldNetDaily
In my recent column "Pulpit Racism Leads Blacks To Destruction," I dealt with the racism coming from many black preachers.
The hate-filled anti-American sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. and other wolves in sheep's clothing have been exposed. Yet, there still remains an unspoken disease infecting the black church – the racism in the pews.
So, why do so many black "Christians" follow false, racist preachers?
The black church used to be the backbone of the black community. Faith in God helped black Americans endure slavery and Jim Crow.
But over the last 40 years, the black church has undergone a metamorphosis. Government social programs introduced in the '60s by liberal Democratic politicians seduced black men into relying on "programs" over God. (more)
In my recent column "Pulpit Racism Leads Blacks To Destruction," I dealt with the racism coming from many black preachers.
The hate-filled anti-American sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. and other wolves in sheep's clothing have been exposed. Yet, there still remains an unspoken disease infecting the black church – the racism in the pews.
So, why do so many black "Christians" follow false, racist preachers?
The black church used to be the backbone of the black community. Faith in God helped black Americans endure slavery and Jim Crow.
But over the last 40 years, the black church has undergone a metamorphosis. Government social programs introduced in the '60s by liberal Democratic politicians seduced black men into relying on "programs" over God. (more)
Wisconsin Bishops' Pastor Letter Promotes Ethical Stem Cell Research
MADISON, WI, May 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Bishops of Wisconsin released a pastoral letter Tuesday as part of a diocesan campaign to educate citizens regarding stem cell research and promote ethical medical research.In "Serving All and Sacrificing None," Bishops Peter Christensen, Timothy Dolan, Jerome Listecki, and Robert Morlino emphasize the scientifically-demonstrated humanity of the embryo as the basis for opposing embryonic stem cell research. (more here)
Saving Methodism
From the National Review
The struggle within reflects the struggles without.By Mark Hemingway
The United Methodist Church is holding its general conference in Fort Worth, Texas, this week. Every four years, a representative delegation of the largest Methodist denomination in the United States meets to hash out theological issues and resolve political debates. The General Conference is a source of much tension, because the United Methodists have for some time been on the verge of a split. Bible-oriented traditionalists find themselves opposing a leadership that is dragging the church in a direction defined by liberal political activism. The same schism is developing in a lot of Protestant church bodies. (more)
The struggle within reflects the struggles without.By Mark Hemingway
The United Methodist Church is holding its general conference in Fort Worth, Texas, this week. Every four years, a representative delegation of the largest Methodist denomination in the United States meets to hash out theological issues and resolve political debates. The General Conference is a source of much tension, because the United Methodists have for some time been on the verge of a split. Bible-oriented traditionalists find themselves opposing a leadership that is dragging the church in a direction defined by liberal political activism. The same schism is developing in a lot of Protestant church bodies. (more)
For the 4th year in a row, Touchstone has been awarded Best in Class for the Journal category by the Associated Church Press in their annual Best of the Christian Press awards. Touchstone won 6 other awards in the competition as well. Here are the results with some of the judge's comments. Award of Excellence is "first place," Merit is "second," and Honorable Mention is "third." All articles were published in 2007.
It's an excellent magazine, excellent devotional. You can go here and explore
It's an excellent magazine, excellent devotional. You can go here and explore
Ex-Guantanamo inmate in Iraq suicide bombing: TV
From Doctor Bulldog and Ronin a story from Reuters:
A Kuwaiti man released from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay in 2005 has carried out a suicide bombing in Iraq, his cousin told Al Arabiya television on Thursday.
A friend of Abdullah Saleh al-Ajmi in Iraq informed his family that Abdullah carried out the attack in Mosul, his cousin Salem told the Dubai-based television channel.
A Kuwaiti man released from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay in 2005 has carried out a suicide bombing in Iraq, his cousin told Al Arabiya television on Thursday.
A friend of Abdullah Saleh al-Ajmi in Iraq informed his family that Abdullah carried out the attack in Mosul, his cousin Salem told the Dubai-based television channel.
Detroit Bishop to Offer a Funeral Mass for Eighteen Aborted Babies
From Life Site News
DETROIT, May 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A funeral Mass burial for eighteen unborn babies will be offered this Saturday, May 3, by Bishop John Quinn of Detroit. The remains of their bodies were discovered in dumpsters at the Woman Care abortion clinic on Southfield Road in Lathrup Village, Michigan which is operated by abortionist Alberto Hodari (more)
DETROIT, May 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A funeral Mass burial for eighteen unborn babies will be offered this Saturday, May 3, by Bishop John Quinn of Detroit. The remains of their bodies were discovered in dumpsters at the Woman Care abortion clinic on Southfield Road in Lathrup Village, Michigan which is operated by abortionist Alberto Hodari (more)
A New Pentecost
A good editorial from the Catholic World Report:
Speaking to the US bishops on April 16, Pope Benedict XVI made the arresting comment that an “almost complete eclipse of an eschatological sense” marks “many of our traditionally Christian societies.” America, he didn’t need to add, is one of them, but the very warmth of the welcome the Holy Father received in the US and the intensity of attention during his visit suggested a growing exhaustion with the eclipse of religion under secularism and a hunger for God’s revelation of man’s ultimate purpose.
Burdened by the yoke of an ideology that treats God as irrelevant to the ordering of society—an ideology which has at once destabilized public life, eroded the foundations of culture, and corrupted US Catholicism—Americans were ready for the Holy Father’s theme of “Christ Our Hope,” open to his arguments about the harmony of reason and revelation, and moved by his humility and piety. (more)
Speaking to the US bishops on April 16, Pope Benedict XVI made the arresting comment that an “almost complete eclipse of an eschatological sense” marks “many of our traditionally Christian societies.” America, he didn’t need to add, is one of them, but the very warmth of the welcome the Holy Father received in the US and the intensity of attention during his visit suggested a growing exhaustion with the eclipse of religion under secularism and a hunger for God’s revelation of man’s ultimate purpose.
Burdened by the yoke of an ideology that treats God as irrelevant to the ordering of society—an ideology which has at once destabilized public life, eroded the foundations of culture, and corrupted US Catholicism—Americans were ready for the Holy Father’s theme of “Christ Our Hope,” open to his arguments about the harmony of reason and revelation, and moved by his humility and piety. (more)
Madam Speaker? That's not in the Bible
From OneNewsNow:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has recently come under fire for quoting a fictional Bible passage.
According to a CNSNews.com article, in her Earth Day news release, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) attributed this quote to the Old Testament: "To minister to the needs of God's creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us." However, many biblical scholars cite a problem with that quotation: it doesn't exist in the Bible. (more)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has recently come under fire for quoting a fictional Bible passage.
According to a CNSNews.com article, in her Earth Day news release, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) attributed this quote to the Old Testament: "To minister to the needs of God's creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us." However, many biblical scholars cite a problem with that quotation: it doesn't exist in the Bible. (more)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The week ahead
From the Economist
THE extent of America's economic woes will become clearer with the release of first quarter GDP figures on Wednesday April 30th. They are likely to show that the economy contracted in the first three months of 2008, perhaps by around 0.5% compared with a year ago. The Federal Reserve concludes a two-day meeting on Wednesday and is widely expected to announce a cut in interest rates of at least a quarter of a percentage point and perhaps half a point. Further economic stimulus will come in the shape of tax-rebate cheques that will be posted out by America’s Internal Revenue Service on May 2nd. more
THE extent of America's economic woes will become clearer with the release of first quarter GDP figures on Wednesday April 30th. They are likely to show that the economy contracted in the first three months of 2008, perhaps by around 0.5% compared with a year ago. The Federal Reserve concludes a two-day meeting on Wednesday and is widely expected to announce a cut in interest rates of at least a quarter of a percentage point and perhaps half a point. Further economic stimulus will come in the shape of tax-rebate cheques that will be posted out by America’s Internal Revenue Service on May 2nd. more
Bill's Wife Eye
From the American Spectator
Citing President Bush's recent cameo appearance on NBC's "Deal or No Deal," former President Bill Clinton today suggested that his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, might want to appear on a network show, too, "like, I dunno, maybe 'Wife Swap' or something, you know, just to mix it up."Speaking to a crowd in Evansville, Ind., before the Indiana primary, Clinton said he saw the reaction President Bush got when his face popped up on the video screen on "Deal or No Deal," and he thought his wife might generate a similarly positive reaction were she to switch places with Sen. Osama's "very attractive" wife, Michelle, for a week. (more)
Citing President Bush's recent cameo appearance on NBC's "Deal or No Deal," former President Bill Clinton today suggested that his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, might want to appear on a network show, too, "like, I dunno, maybe 'Wife Swap' or something, you know, just to mix it up."Speaking to a crowd in Evansville, Ind., before the Indiana primary, Clinton said he saw the reaction President Bush got when his face popped up on the video screen on "Deal or No Deal," and he thought his wife might generate a similarly positive reaction were she to switch places with Sen. Osama's "very attractive" wife, Michelle, for a week. (more)
"Are the Gospels Myth?"
Good article from Ignatius
...Merkley observed that those skeptics who either scoff at the historical reliability of the Gospels or reject them outright as "myth" do so without much, if any, regard for the nature of history in general and the contents of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in particular.
The Distinctive Sign
So, are the four Gospels "myth"? Can they be trusted as historical records? If Christianity is about "having faith," do such questions really matter? The latter question is, I hope, easy to answer: Yes, it obviously matters very much if the narratives and discourses recorded by the four evangelists are about real people and historical events.... more
...Merkley observed that those skeptics who either scoff at the historical reliability of the Gospels or reject them outright as "myth" do so without much, if any, regard for the nature of history in general and the contents of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in particular.
The Distinctive Sign
So, are the four Gospels "myth"? Can they be trusted as historical records? If Christianity is about "having faith," do such questions really matter? The latter question is, I hope, easy to answer: Yes, it obviously matters very much if the narratives and discourses recorded by the four evangelists are about real people and historical events.... more
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Some Notes on Diction
Over at Touchstone a discussion on the difference between enormous and enormity and what "begging the question" really means and why it might matter, summed up nicely like this:
But people who suspect the Spirit of the Age encourages loose thinking in one area to put his subjects in practice for the same in another are, I think, on to something. Those who are concerned with getting their grammar right are not necessarily obsessives or antiquarians. They may intuit that the mind in love with virtue, so willing to name sin and error, is in some way related to that which is uncomfortable with barbarism. To equate the two is a mistake--but not to relate them. The trick is in understanding the nature of the relation. (go to the blog here for the rest)
But people who suspect the Spirit of the Age encourages loose thinking in one area to put his subjects in practice for the same in another are, I think, on to something. Those who are concerned with getting their grammar right are not necessarily obsessives or antiquarians. They may intuit that the mind in love with virtue, so willing to name sin and error, is in some way related to that which is uncomfortable with barbarism. To equate the two is a mistake--but not to relate them. The trick is in understanding the nature of the relation. (go to the blog here for the rest)
McLaren Advocates "Rethinking" Second Coming
From STR:
"When a Christian understands that he does not fight for his own honor, but that justice will be done by God, either through union with Christ and His cross or at the judgment itself, the Christian is freed then to trust God, not his sword or his gun or his fists or his tongue," he said. "It is McLaren's vision of a life that consists only of the justice achieved in this era that leads to violence and Darwinian struggle to see that a pound of flesh is exacted." (More)
"When a Christian understands that he does not fight for his own honor, but that justice will be done by God, either through union with Christ and His cross or at the judgment itself, the Christian is freed then to trust God, not his sword or his gun or his fists or his tongue," he said. "It is McLaren's vision of a life that consists only of the justice achieved in this era that leads to violence and Darwinian struggle to see that a pound of flesh is exacted." (More)
Poland Pressured on Abortion and Sexual Orientation by UN Human Rights Committee
Let's pray that the moral clarity of Poland spreads like wildfire to the rest of the world badly in need...
From LifeSite:
Canada pushes Poland to advance homosexual rights.
WASHINGTON, DC, April 24, 2008 (C-FAM.org)- The government of Poland was pressed on the issue of abortion and sexual orientation by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week. The grilling came during something called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process mandated by the UN General Assembly.
At the meeting on April 14th, the Polish delegation was questioned by various members of the committee about Poland's human rights record. Norway said that Poland should "facilitate access to abortion for women who qualify for this under Polish law." Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Sweden pushed for sexual orientation to be one of the grounds for non-discrimination in the new equality law being debated in the Polish parliament. Slovenia recommended that Poland stop legislation "punishing anyone who promotes homosexuality…in education…". Canada said that "those who campaign for equality and against discrimination based on perceived sexual orientation, (should be) allowed to carry out their work in a secure environment..." (more)
From LifeSite:
Canada pushes Poland to advance homosexual rights.
WASHINGTON, DC, April 24, 2008 (C-FAM.org)- The government of Poland was pressed on the issue of abortion and sexual orientation by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week. The grilling came during something called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process mandated by the UN General Assembly.
At the meeting on April 14th, the Polish delegation was questioned by various members of the committee about Poland's human rights record. Norway said that Poland should "facilitate access to abortion for women who qualify for this under Polish law." Slovenia, the United Kingdom and Sweden pushed for sexual orientation to be one of the grounds for non-discrimination in the new equality law being debated in the Polish parliament. Slovenia recommended that Poland stop legislation "punishing anyone who promotes homosexuality…in education…". Canada said that "those who campaign for equality and against discrimination based on perceived sexual orientation, (should be) allowed to carry out their work in a secure environment..." (more)
Rev. Wright: I'm the Target of Hatred
You must be kidding. If you're gonna say such things at least be man enough take the heat from those who find it out of line.
From Newsmax:
NEW YORK -- The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, former pastor to Barack Obama, said that publicizing sound bites of sermons in which he condemned U.S. policies was "unfair" and "devious," and done by people who know nothing about his church, according to excerpts of a PBS interview released Thursday.
Wright said that, as an activist, he is accustomed to being "at odds with the establishment," but the response to the sermons has been "very, very unsettling." (more)
From Newsmax:
NEW YORK -- The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, former pastor to Barack Obama, said that publicizing sound bites of sermons in which he condemned U.S. policies was "unfair" and "devious," and done by people who know nothing about his church, according to excerpts of a PBS interview released Thursday.
Wright said that, as an activist, he is accustomed to being "at odds with the establishment," but the response to the sermons has been "very, very unsettling." (more)
Is Media Missing Another Unsavory Obama Associate? Official Blogger a Communist?
Newsbusters:
The list of Barack Obama associates that hold views that clash with mainstream America is getting longer every day and now we can add another notch in the "anti-American" column of Obama campaign workers and supporters. This time we find that the Obama campaign's official blogger, Sam Graham-Felsen, has spent time in France participating in labor riots, has written for a socialist magazine, hung a communist flag in his home, and was a fan of Marx while at Harvard. (more)
The list of Barack Obama associates that hold views that clash with mainstream America is getting longer every day and now we can add another notch in the "anti-American" column of Obama campaign workers and supporters. This time we find that the Obama campaign's official blogger, Sam Graham-Felsen, has spent time in France participating in labor riots, has written for a socialist magazine, hung a communist flag in his home, and was a fan of Marx while at Harvard. (more)
A curious case of nuclear intrigue
From the Economist:
WHAT did Israel bomb in Syria last year? What did the Israelis know, and how did they know it? And why did American administration officials present Israel’s intelligence to members of Congress in a closed-door briefing on Thursday April 24th? As many questions swirl around the politics of the moment as around the facts of the Israeli attack.
About all that is certain is that on September 6th Israeli jets destroyed a target near the town of Deir ez-Zor in Syria. The Syrians protested, but initially said that the bombs had fallen on farmland or on unimportant military buildings. Israel and America, at first, maintained a smug silence but it gradually emerged that the Israelis believed they had destroyed a partially built nuclear reactor and, moreover, one that North Korea was helping to construct. The Syrians have since acted guiltily, building over the site and preventing international inspectors from visiting. (full story)
WHAT did Israel bomb in Syria last year? What did the Israelis know, and how did they know it? And why did American administration officials present Israel’s intelligence to members of Congress in a closed-door briefing on Thursday April 24th? As many questions swirl around the politics of the moment as around the facts of the Israeli attack.
About all that is certain is that on September 6th Israeli jets destroyed a target near the town of Deir ez-Zor in Syria. The Syrians protested, but initially said that the bombs had fallen on farmland or on unimportant military buildings. Israel and America, at first, maintained a smug silence but it gradually emerged that the Israelis believed they had destroyed a partially built nuclear reactor and, moreover, one that North Korea was helping to construct. The Syrians have since acted guiltily, building over the site and preventing international inspectors from visiting. (full story)
Taliban commander calls for ceasefire in Pakistan border area
Of course that is the way of Islam- a cease fire is only a time to re-group and only if not in a position of strength. Let's hope I'm wrong.
From the UK Guardian:A senior Taliban commander in Pakistan's tribal areas has declared a ceasefire as part of secret peace talks with the new civilian-led government.
Baitullah Mehsud has boasted of training legions of suicide bombers and has been accused of orchestrating the assassination of Benazir Bhutto last December.
Now he has posted leaflets across his mountain redoubt in the lawless South Waziristan tribal area, ordering fighters to halt attacks on Pakistani security forces or face severe punishment.
The pause is a triumph for Yusuf Raza Gilani's new government, which has promised to tackle militancy through dialogue, in contrast with President Pervez Musharraf's iron-fisted approach, which failed to stem a wave of violence that has killed hundreds in the past year. But analysts and American officials reacted coolly to the news, fearing the militants would use the ceasefire as an excuse to re-arm and intensify attacks into Afghanistan. "We have been concerned about these types of approaches because we don't think they work," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. (full story)
Obama aide says he didn't mean to blaspheme Jesus
Either his advisors are out of touch or have incredibly bad judgement. Either way it raises more questions about the candidate.
An Obama adviser denies he had blasphemous intent by including in his lectures a video of a 'gay' Jesus Christ sashaying nearly naked down a city street to the tune of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," only to get run over by a bus.
"I decided to stop using the video when one Christian whom I knew told me he thought it was unhelpful to the purpose for which I was using it," said Stanford University law professor Larry Lessig on his website. "That seemed right, so I dropped it." full story
An Obama adviser denies he had blasphemous intent by including in his lectures a video of a 'gay' Jesus Christ sashaying nearly naked down a city street to the tune of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," only to get run over by a bus.
"I decided to stop using the video when one Christian whom I knew told me he thought it was unhelpful to the purpose for which I was using it," said Stanford University law professor Larry Lessig on his website. "That seemed right, so I dropped it." full story
The Democrats' Barack dilemma
The proverbial "between a rock and a hard space" from World Net Dailey:
Loyal Democrats should be grateful to Hillary Clinton, the Energizer Bunny of presidential politics, for her perseverance. Had she not stayed in the race against enormous pressure to bow out in favor of the media's anointed one, Democrats would have ended up nominating that "seriously flawed" candidate.
But wait. They're almost destined to anyway. They have little choice. How can they avoid nominating Barack Obama – no matter how compromised he has become?
Just consider the magnitude of the Democrats' dilemma. They desperately want to regain the White House. They believed, as did political oddsmakers, the stars were lining up to make 2008 their banner year for both the presidential and congressional elections. Barack Obama had emerged as seemingly the most impressive candidate in years. (full story)
Loyal Democrats should be grateful to Hillary Clinton, the Energizer Bunny of presidential politics, for her perseverance. Had she not stayed in the race against enormous pressure to bow out in favor of the media's anointed one, Democrats would have ended up nominating that "seriously flawed" candidate.
But wait. They're almost destined to anyway. They have little choice. How can they avoid nominating Barack Obama – no matter how compromised he has become?
Just consider the magnitude of the Democrats' dilemma. They desperately want to regain the White House. They believed, as did political oddsmakers, the stars were lining up to make 2008 their banner year for both the presidential and congressional elections. Barack Obama had emerged as seemingly the most impressive candidate in years. (full story)
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