Tuesday 18 December 2012

The Quigley Formula

I recently resumed reading Carroll Quigley's book Tragedy and Hope (available in pdf online). I began it a couple of years ago, but got sidetracked, sigh. So about three weeks ago I've been having that book crop up in my thinking a few times, gentle nudges....ok, yes, I do need to read it. So about a week ago I began at the beginning, reading a few pages here and there, now and then....and today I stumbled onto this video:



The lecture is based around the following quote from his book Tragedy & Hope, pp. 1247-1248:

"The National parties and their presidential candidates, with the Eastern Establishment assiduously fostering the process behind the scenes, moved closer together and nearly met in the center with almost identical candidates and platforms, although the process was concealed as much as possible, by the revival of obsolescent or meaningless war cries and slogans (often going back to the Civil War)....The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to the doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can "throw the rascals out" at any election without leading to any profound or extreme shifts in policy. ... Either party in office becomes in time corrupt, tired, unenterprising, and vigorless. Then it should be possible to replace it, every four years if necessary, by the other party, which will be none of these things but will still pursue, with new vigor, approximately the same basic policies."

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G. Edward Griffin also goes into the CFR, roundtable groups, and names many names (I was surprised, and then not so, that Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Cokie Roberts and  Barbara Walters all belong to the CFR. He also names corporations, former presidents, etc, etc, many, many tentacles. But he is also careful to explain that many of these people do not know the origins of the CFR, they have been groomed by this system, and do not realize much of how it works, just as I working for the company that I work for do not know everything they are involved in, and if they are involved in nefarious schemes, I do not know about them, although my working for the company assists them in their diabolical endeavors. So it is with these people. They have been chosen by these groups because they hold to ideals that work well with the goals of the group. He also talks a little about the Federal Reserve. It's a little over an hour long, and very interesting.

The Seen and the Unseen



I've somewhat been avoiding reading or listening to the reports of the recent events that occurred in Connecticut. I just didn't want to hear about it and give my little bit of added fuel to that fire...however yesterday, I did look around to see what some of  my favorite blogger friends had to say about it, and of course also picked a Phil Johnson sermon to listen to. What Lyn had to say about this topic put it back into the greater context for me, and the Phil Johnson sermon reminded me that this is a spiritual war. Lyn mentions that Obama's little "reaction" is deserving of some kind of Golden Globe (interesting typology) award. I did see a clip of Obama's little comment on the Connecticut incident. The little swipe of the finger of his left hand at an imaginary tear was quite touching (not!). But again, all these things are things I can see on the outside, which cover a much much bigger and uglier problem on the inside...the unseen blackness of what God sees throughout all of this creation.

I've still been having problems at my workplace, and my DH also has been going through some ugly things in his work environment. I often only focus on the seen, the people that become the focus of my irritation. I often forget about the larger context, the deeper, unseen element that is causing the little bit that we see of it, the scattered incidents here and there.

I once saw a movie on television of an adaptation of H.G. Wells "The Time Machine". In this story, a  scientist invents a machine that can carry him forward and backward in time. He travels to a future time where there are gentle "Eloi" and terrifying "Morlocks". The Eloi are beautiful and live peacefully, eating fruit, above the ground. The Morlocks are monstrously ugly, and live underground. Once in a while one comes out from underground and snatches an Eloi, whom he drags back underground, and has Eloi supper that evening. I think this movie is almost a parable of the hidden evil that is always there, just under the surface, and once in a while comes out in terrifying ways. We can live with the evil, as long as it "behaves in certain ways" and makes itself unseen, or serves the purposes we want from it. That fact in itself shows the hidden evil is there within us all.

Every time an ugly thought rises up in me, that is a Morlock rising up from the hidden depths, out to the light of day, and there is no way to beautify that ugly thing... it is ugly. All I can say is "God have mercy on me, a sinner".... And He does. :)

Friday 7 December 2012

Ecummenicalism




I've been listening to Phil Johnson online lately, and LOVE him. ( I still LOVE Kent Clark too, don't get me wrong, will be visiting his congregation this weekend, Lord willing). In the audio that I'm listening to this morning, Pastor Johnson speaks on what is wrong with the modern trend of evangelicals wanting to merge and embrace the Roman Catholic Church. He concisely lays out what is happening right now, and the reasons the supporters give for why they believe Jesus wants us all to embrace each other, in Jesus. After he gives their reasons, point by point using the scriptures that they stress, he then explains exactly what is wrong with this "unholy union". Great topic, great speaker, and I hope time is made to listen, pray, and pay attention to what is happening all around us. This one is on SermonAudio.  It is 1hr 15min in duration.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=926101731329

Yes we are to get along with all people as much as possible, but our doctrine IS important, and to remain doctrinally pure requires that we do NOT link arm in arm with the world and it's religions. We are "in the world but not of the world". The differences between the true life found in Christ, and what is found in today's churches, particularly the ecumenical ones, is vast. We can reach out with the truth of the gospel, however, walking in lockstep with them and smiling and nodding when others "make shipwreck of the faith" is not loving. Yes, we need to love them, but love does not always agree (and I hate the term "agree to disagree" because usually both end up smugly thinking they are so holy in doing so). We need to stand strong for the truth. That doesn't mean we need to argue something to death either. I won't "agree" to disagree, or agree on ANYTHING with error. I will put forth prayerfully what is true, and pray that the Lord will bring them (and He will if they are truly His) to the full knowledge and acceptance of truth. Not "my" truth, but something much higher and better and holier than that. It needs to be "THE Truth" not "yours" vs. "mine". Doctrinal distinctives are being blurred and brushed aside. Doctrine does matter. Seducing spirits will tell you and I that it is not important.

Let us be loving and patient and kind....AND let us remain vigilant, I pray. It is from Jesus that this strength (and thereby perseverance) must and can only come from.