Mary de Rachewiltz, Ezra Pound, and the Battle for Western Civilization

Mary de Rachewiltz (1925-2026) has died at the age of 101. She wasn't exactly a household name but as the daughter of Ezra Pound and Olga Rudge, she was somewhat famous in European and American artistic circles. But her reputation was tarnished at least in part by her father Ezra and his associations with Fascism and Mussolini and the fact that she devoted most of her adult life to curating his work and memory.

Honest to God, Bonhoeffer, and Metaxas

https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1011-76012018000100013

I think I first encountered JAT Robinson (1919-1983) and discussions of his 1963 work 'Honest to God' in the writings of Francis Schaeffer and authors such as Iain Murray of the Banner of Truth. This would have been back in the mid-1990's.

For those unfamiliar with the discussion, Robinson was the Bishop of Woolwich and while in that office he published 'Honest to God' in which he revealed his doubts about conventional theism. It shocked the Christian world at the time (1963) - a bishop who was effectively (at least according to traditional definitions) an agnostic, if not an outright atheist.

The False Exegesis and Idolatry of House Speaker Mike Johnson

https://reformedpolitics.substack.com/p/a-christian-case-for-borders

Apparently PCA pastor David Hall was so moved by Speaker Mike Johnson's apologia for border defense that he chose to re-post it on his website.

Ghosts of Weimar: A Lament for Lutherans Struck Blind

I found myself frustrated listening to a couple of Missouri-Synod pastors discussing what they called The American Interim - an attempt to draw a parallel with the Augsburg and Leipzig Interims (1548-1555). German Lutherans were forced to make concessions in the wake of their 1547 defeat in the First Schmalkaldic War. Eventually the Protestant princes rose and in the Second war of that name they achieved victory marked by the 1555 Peace of Augsburg.

Christian Nationalism, the Wilson Ethos, and the Venture Capital Backing American Reformer

Christian Nationalism is nothing new but it has been re-cast and reinvigorated in recent years. Preferential Pluralism once dominated the Evangelical scene. The absolute nature and universal claims of Reconstructionism were considered fringe and even revolutionary and yet now are mainstream. Basically, Reconstructionism lives on in a slightly modified form. It lives on under the aegis of the more recently named Christian Nationalism.

Charlie Kirk is not a Christian Martyr

It's hardly surprising to watch the Right turn Kirk into a martyr. It's also obvious the White House is hoping to gain traction from this death. It's turning the conversation away from the Epstein scandal and Trump's sordid connections to that evil. Hegseth is using Kirk's death to clamp down on dissent in the military. Federal workers that have been justifiably outraged over Trump's order to lower flags and said so in social media posts have led to their firings. The Right-wing media machine is in full swing - the legend is already being created and history is being re-written. The already violent political campaign and ongoing cultural purge is set to increase. A weaponized justice system is ready. In good Orwellian fashion, the destruction of Cancel Culture will be pursued by its own Right-wing version of the same.

Bircher Evangelicals Praise Trump and Worship America - Even While They Spurn Zion and Spit on Christ

 An email newsletter arrived in my inbox from VCY-Crosstalk, which should rightly be called Bircher Radio. They are mouthpieces for that organisation (JBS) and its disinformation campaigns. They echo its views and frequently give a platform to its spokesmen. Some of the statements in the newsletter are eye opening and I thought it warranted some commentary and response. The text of the email newsletter is in italics while my comments are in standard font.

20 July 1944, Franklin Graham, and the Manipulation of Providence

Eighty years ago today a bomb exploded at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia killing four men. The intended target, Adolf Hitler survived by a hair's breadth - as by a miracle. Operation Valkyrie, the plot to assassinate the Führer and overthrow his regime had failed.

A Snap-shot of Dominionism in Rural Pennsylvania

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/christian-movement-new-apostolic-reformation-politics-trump/674320/

This story received some press in rural Pennsylvania. It certainly caught my eye as I'm very familiar with the area, located near the Venango County airport and the small community of Franklin. And as expected the reporting is somewhat sketchy on the exact theology of these people. But in truth Christo-Trumpism, the growing hybrid religion (of Right-wing Trumpite extremism with elements of Christianity) is able to both defy and transcend traditional labels and categories. Whether Catholic or Charismatic, Confessional, Evangelical or something else, it doesn't matter all that much. The religion is (in the end) a form of hyper-nationalism with a mythology and messiah to accompany it. We've seen this sort of thing before - these monsters are born of collapsing societies.

Discerning Trueman's Confusion

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2023/12/has-hitler-won-on-the-left

Carl Trueman of Grove City College laments the moral decline in society and the kind of confusion that would lead to people celebrating the 7 October Hamas attack on Southern Israel.

Historical Cycles: The Post-Napoleonic Context of Adolphe Monod, Reveil, and Some Contemporary Analogies (IV)

The story of Monod is in some ways inspiring – in other respects he is something of a disappointment. The men of Reveil are closer to our times and thus they lack the mystique that some further back in history are able to generate. That said, Monod's story is worth considering and reflecting on. But his context has to be understood and it always strikes me how there are both parallels and huge differences with the American and British context. Indeed in many ways it's a key moment where the three cultural and ecclesiastical sections sharply diverge – America and the Continent being the most extreme in terms of difference with Britain moving along its own track that today has brought it to the same place as the Continent. For Americans this should serve as a stark warning – perhaps a harbinger of what is to come.

The Meloni Problem (II)

Whether Meloni is able to implement her policies or not is yet to be seen. Her coalition may very well implode as she is contending with some powerful personalities and egos that will certainly challenge and undermine her leadership at points. If they can actually work together they will be very powerful and given what's happening in France and Germany, (the only EU members more powerful and influential in Italy) – the prospects for the future are a cause for concern.

The Meloni Problem (I)

God, Family, and Country – what's wrong with that? This is the response of the Christian Right to the electoral victory of Giorgia Meloni and her choice slogan. In fact it sounds a lot like what one hears with the Trumpite movement. Meloni who is all but set to be the next prime minister of Italy has certainly been making the rounds and has garnered considerable support in American Right-wing circles. Fluent in English she has been able to blend in nicely at the National Prayer Breakfast and CPAC.

Biden's Independence Hall Speech and the Evangelical Response

Did Biden err in making this now infamous speech – in calling out MAGA Republicans and the Trumpite movement, and in identifying them as a threat to the country?

The Christian-Right and the Rittenhouse Acquittal

Kyle Rittenhouse is the product of a generation brought up in the midst of social turmoil, economic decline, and endless war. It's evident that to Rittenhouse life is cheap and he speaks casually (in almost video game terms) of shooting people. They're not human beings, they're objects. He's the classic 'angry young man' and while he's a murderer, he does deserve a degree of sympathy.

Macron and the New Edict of Fontainebleau

In October 2020, French president Emmanuel Macron proposed new education legislation that was meant to counter the influence of subcultures within France – particularly those of a religious nature.

Christo-Trumpism and January 6th

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgBOsGFc5h4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWJVMoe7OY0

I don't doubt this testimony for one moment and one need not be a fan or supporter of Global News (Canada) or the New York Times to benefit from this reporting. The testimonies and images all but speak for themselves.

Metaxas, Bonhoeffer, and Trumpism

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/02/eric-metaxas-2020-election-trump/617999/

Metaxas has simply applied the logical outworkings of his position. Christianity and the Kingdom of Christ are equal to Western Civilisation and in order to maintain supremacy over that vast complex and its institutions one must embrace the ethics of mammonism – power, wealth, and even violence in order to maintain it. It is the ethic that is literally antithetical to what Christ laid out in the Sermon on the Mount – the same discourse in which he stated unequivocally you cannot serve God and Mammon. In other words they are different belief systems, different religions with different gospels.

The Trumpite Schism and the Storming of the US Capitol (Part 2)

Trumpites and Conservatives are desperate to pin the insurrection (in reality a failed coup) on groups like BLM and Antifa but despite their aggressive propaganda campaign, the argument continues to fall flat. What motives would Antifa have to stop the electoral vote? Would they want four more years of Donald Trump?

The Trumpite Schism and the Storming of the US Capitol (Part 1)

I've been struck by the number of Trumpites and Republicans that seem genuinely shocked at the 6 January storming of the Capitol. 'That's not us' they insist. 'Those people don't represent us.' It only shows that these same folks not only do not understand what has happened in American society, they don't understand their own movement, the people they've allied themselves with and what Donald Trump's presidency means.