The Covid-19 Protests (III) – Why Christians Need to Pay Attention

While all of this is certainly concerning I was far more troubled when I watched the protest videos closely and spent some time examining the signage. A lot of it has a 'Christian' theme to it.

The Covid-19 Protests (II) – Trumpism and Trump Country

These protests express militancy and an insurrectionist character. Not everyone is carrying a gun to be sure but there are large numbers of armed men dressed in military fashion and many are organised, part of paramilitary organisations. While some people are scared of the state power grab in shutting down and heavily regulating the economy, others are expressing fears of a growing fascist movement and the potential for paramilitary violence. They see a parallel state developing, centered around the leadership and personality of Trump.

The Covid-19 Protests (I) – The Dangers to Society

Over the past week or so there has been a rash of protests, groups of people congregating outside government buildings and in violation of the current rules regarding 'distancing' and 'mass gatherings'. They gather to publicly resist US and state policy with regard to the economic shutdown and the various guidelines surrounding 'stay at home' policies and the like.

Inbox: An Elaboration of Biblicism (III)

A third consideration which while hinted at above, requires further elaboration, this is the relationship between Authoritative Sufficiency and Biblicism:

Worldviewism is a philosophical construct rooted in Sacralist assumption and inference and as such posits the Sufficiency of Scripture in terms of a holistic vision for the transformation and sanctification of culture. This is in fact a de-covenantalised abuse of the doctrine of Sufficiency.

Inbox: An Elaboration of Biblicism (II)

Second, we must also wrestle with some basic questions surrounding the relationship between Biblicism and hermeneutics:

There will be considerable overlap in the discussion as these issues are not easily sundered.

Inbox: An Elaboration of Biblicism (I)

What is meant by Biblicism? Like so many terms this can be confusing because people mean different things by it and define it in different ways. I am constantly arguing that Sola Scriptura is largely meaningless when it's restricted to just questions of soteriology, or when it's divorced from the doctrine of Sufficiency or even when it's separated from a concept such as the Providential Preservation of the Holy Text.

Mohlerian Hermeneutics and Coronavirus Theology (Part 2)

The analogies provided by Mohler fail on so many levels. Even the Leviticus example refers to individuals contracting diseases. There's no suggestion of mass quarantine. I read the article to my kids at the dinner table and did not reveal its author. Even my teenage daughter started picking it apart and was able to identify its basic problems.

Mohlerian Hermeneutics and Coronavirus Theology (Part 1)

https://albertmohler.com/2020/03/26/obedience-to-god-and-love-of-neighbor-in-the-face-of-a-coronavirus-a-christians-mandate

Albert Mohler offers what he calls the biblical approach to the responsibility laid upon us with regard to governing authorities. These are questions of hermeneutics and theology, the interpretation of the Scriptures and how these ideas are woven together and integrated into a larger system of ideas and practices. In other words the theology he presents (as is the case with all theology) will bear fruit in the realm of ethics.

Hungary: Orban and the Habsburgs Together

(updated August 2024) 

https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/hungarys-secret-weapon-catholic-nobility

It's a seemingly innocuous article and interview and yet I found it fascinating. It was an opportunity to revisit chapters of the past that I know well and to connect a few dots and explore a few avenues that I hadn't previously considered in depth.

Coronavirus: Ecclesiastical Developments

I can say without qualification that I have been grieved by the mainstream Church's response to this outbreak. As I've talked about in other pieces, I believe the Church (broadly speaking) has been too quick to bow to the state and its dictates, its declaration that the assembly of the Church is something less than an 'essential service'.

I am grieved because Church leaders have handed over the authority of definition to the state but again this in some respects isn't all that surprising. It's the culmination of a long trajectory of compromise and capitulation.

The Lessons of Herbert Hoover and the Failed System of Capitalism

There has been resistance in some quarters to the proposed stimulus plan which will send out checks to the American public. In many ways it's rightly viewed as somewhat crazy – borrow or effectively print money to give to people. Take the government even deeper into debt so that citizens will have money to spend. What kind of economics is that?