State

Britain Delivers Another Surprising Vote, which shouldn’t really Surprise Anyone

When a UK general election comes around, you can normally expect me to be blogging about it. British politics is, in certain ways, far more compelling than its American counterpart. …

State

Meanwhile in Romania…

While most people in the United States are fixated on the war of words between the executive and judicial branches of our federal government, there is another such battle taking …

State

France’s Crazy Presidential Election (or, The French Disconnection)

While the UK is undergoing a protracted exit from the European Union and the US is attempting to come to terms with the ascension of Donald Trump to the presidency, …

Church

The Origins of the Protestant Reformation

Can you recall the first time you learned about the Protestant Reformation? In all likelihood, you were told a story somewhat like this. On October 31, 1517, a German monk …

State

The Ukraine Crisis Explained in a Series of Maps

Ukraine has been in the news quite a bit lately. What began as a series of protests against President Viktor Yanukovych following his decision not to sign a trade deal with the …

State

Why is Vladimir Putin so Popular?

If you have been paying much attention to American commentators lately, you would be tempted to think that the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi has less to do with the …

State

Let’s Give Neville Chamberlain a Break

In the year of our Lord 1938, A man named Neville caught a bad break. He sought to bring us peace for our time, But as it turned out, he …

State

Angela Merkel: Mädchen in Flammen

Germany’s Chancellor looks set for another victory in this month’s parliamentary elections.  What, if anything, can we learn from her success? On September 22, Germans will head to the polls …

State

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to War

Today, President Obama announced that he will seek authorization from Congress for a military strike in response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, an act apparently committed by …

Church / Society

The Inevitability of Religion

Author’s Note: The following is a brief essay written back in 2011 which is only now being made public.  It is one of a series of such essays that I …