Tag Archives: legitimacy

Memory Of The Fallen

It is somewhat irritating to me when people who already have a notable day in honor of their actions try to take over the days of other people and blur exactly what it is that we are celebrating on that … Continue reading

Posted in American Civil War, American History, History, Military History | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Book Review: The Virgin Queen’s Daughter

The Virgin Queen’s Daughter, A Novel, by Ella March Chase It is a testament to the well-deserved bad reputation among the Tudors among historians and novelists that just about anything that portrays the Tudors as power-hungry schemers is plausible and … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, History, Love & Marriage | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Night Falls On Ayutthaya

After more than an hour and a half of one of the most disturbing and uncomfortable ceremonies I have ever witnessed (on television), I could bear to stand it no longer. An elderly and frail king in a wheelchair sitting … Continue reading

Posted in History, Military History, Musings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Doctrinal Castles Made Of Sand

How does one differentiate between heresy and honest reasoning and speculation? How does one differentiate between someone whose quirky unorthodoxy is acceptable and even refreshing and someone who is a dangerous heretic threatening to divide a congregation? How do we … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

The Three Defenestrations Of Prague

[Note: This essay was originally written a few years ago [1], but thanks to some conversation today I have decided to expand on it a little and provide some additional explanations about my favorite form of social protest.] Introduction As … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, History, Military History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

This Is How Republics Die

Some republics die with a bang, some with a whimper. Most of them die because of being corrupted from within, where people lose their republican virtue in the pursuit of political power. Sometimes it is done when people willingly give … Continue reading

Posted in History, Musings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 21:15-17: If A Man Has Two Wives

As a single young man whose relationship history has been spotty, I’m not someone who is greatly interested in polygamy for its own sake. And yet in debating this subject over the course of this past weekend with others, I … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church of God, Love & Marriage | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Emperor Has No Clothes

Human beings are intensely symbolic organisms. Symbols, such as flags and currencies and mascots and other images draw a great deal of meaning from what they represent. When someone burns a flag, it is an assault on the dignity of … Continue reading

Posted in International Relations, Musings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What Would Dietrich Bonhoeffer Do?

The last time I asked this question in a blog entry the subject of conversation was the unification of Germany under the direction of Otto von Bismarck and its implications for European unity by iron and blood rather than peaceful … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Church of God, History | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Doom Of Choice

Any time an insurgent political movement captures political power at some level, even a partial victory, it faces a critical and weighty choice. Does the movement stay true to its grass-roots supporters who demand genuine and often substantial change in … Continue reading

Posted in Church of God, History, Musings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment