What is Going on With Our World?
I remember often pondering, back in the twenty-tens: “What is going on with our world?” Something very odd for sure. Something sinister even. There was way too much that simply made no sense. So much that cannot be explained rationally. Here are some of the weird phenomena that I could not figure out then…
- What is going on in “the greatest nation” of the earth, as some would like to call her? Think of all that has been happening there before and after the 2016 presidential election? The anger, the anarchy, the threats to reject an election result… and then the monstrous effort to blame the outcome on foreign powers, while failing to produce any evidence. Is the world’s principal democracy becoming a banana-republic?
- What has happened to liberals the world over? They used to be zealous for facts and evidence; campaigners for virtue, and above all for peace. But that’s no longer the case… Most liberals today are on a crusade for war, and to eradicate every last trace of Christianity. Liberals, once known to come up for justice and the oppressed, are now willing to turn a blind eye to crimes and human rights abuses. As we shall yet see, they are even cozy with bloodthirsty jihadists.
- How can it be that while the Russian Federation is seeking to be an ally of the West ever since 1991, looking for friendship, and even membership of the EU, that we hate her more than we ever hated the Soviet Union? It makes no sense. The new Russia is open about sharing the same Christian values that once made us great, after emerging out of 70 years of brutal Communism. How is it that most of our media and politicians only love to demonize Russia then, far more than we ever demonized the Soviet Union? Never during the Cold War have our Western leaders levelled such arrogant language against their Soviet counterparts, like they are levelling today against the Russian leader. Not since the days that I took an interest in geo-politics in the late 70s have I seen anything like this.
- Why has the West—which is so much indebted to Christianity for her rise and success—being willing to turn a blind eye to the extermination of Christianity in the Middle East and in other places? So much so that even Prince Charles, and a Jewish scholar in Israel, are finding it strange. What’s more, it has come to light that our secret agencies have been arming and supporting Sunni terror movements, who are driving Christians from their homes and villages, burning their churches.
- Why is it considered a virtue today to let illegal immigrants flood our countries, but seeking to guard our cities against criminals and gangs, or our culture from extinction, is considered racist and unjust?
- Yes, why is there such a rage against supposed racism, but so much tolerance for widespread bigotry, anger and prejudice, especially against the hardworking conservative middle-class and their family-values?
- And what about the church? Why are so many Christians only concerned for themselves and their own salvation, living with their heads in the sand? They seem to care awfully little for the way our world is going. For instance, here in North America Christians are far more concerned about defending Israel, than coming up for their fellow believers facing extinction in the Middle East and Africa. They might be concerned about abortion, but care very little about wars far away involving our own governments. They are skeptical about the corporate media’s position on matters of faith, ethics, and maybe local politics, but blindly trust the same media when it comes to geo-politics. Then suddenly those who can’t be trusted at home, are considered to be the good guys fighting the bad guys, and no questions are asked.
- Here is one concrete example. Why should a democrat congress-woman of Hawaii – Tulsi Gabbard – face a hostile US congress, when proposing legislation to stop the funding of Sunni terrorist movements in the Middle East?
All of this makes no sense. And we can go on and on… for the list is very long.
What’s going on here? Why the double standards, the obvious contradictions, the glaring omissions and inconsistencies? Is there a grand hidden narrative behind it all that we all oblivious to? Is there something much bigger going on here?
How do we make sense of it all?
A Danish journalist provides some answers
Someone whom I believe has deep insight into what is going on, is the brave Christian journalist from Denmark, Iben Thranholm. She is a clear and bold voice in our deeply troubled world.
She spoke to Canadian podcaster Stefan Molyneux just prior to the 2016 American presidential election. As you listen to her, pay attention also to Molyneux’s questions… for he is an atheist and no Christian.
Stefan: I have these weird flashbacks… I grew up in the cold war. It seems that the old is new again. Coming mostly from the left. It is strange, when Russia was less free, less Christian and less open, the left was less concerned. But now that it has become more Christian, nationalistic and less socialistic, the left seems to be turning on it? Why? What’s going on here?
Iben: That’s a very important question. Many do not understand what is really going on. We also grew up during the Cold War in Denmark. I remember how afraid we were of a Soviet invasion. If anyone told me thirty years ago that I would stand in Red Square and feel more free as a Christian than in Denmark, I would have thought they were crazy.
But that’s what happened in my lifetime. It is a miracle.
It is strange that Obama and Hilary Clinton, who are socialists, would be so angry with Russia. It is not because it’s a return to the Cold War, but because Russia is becoming more Christian (and powerful).
We have to see the bigger picture here. This is not so much a political battle, but a spiritual battle. Because we are so secular, people have a hard time understanding what’s going on behind the political battle.
The politicians are merely tools.
There are two spiritual forces colliding. The world has been turned upside down. The West is now becoming more like the USSR, and Russia looks more like the free West of the past.
Russia is no more a godless atheistic society, but a very Christian one.
I visited a very famous monastery next to the old KGB prison, and spoke to some Russian Orthodox clergy there… They told me they are very concerned as to what is going on in the West right now.
The way believers are being treated; marginalized and mocked… this is exactly what happened in Russia prior to the 1917 Bolshevist revolution, they say. You see communism is a spirit, and did not die. It just escaped to the West. It is initially promoted as freedom of speech, human rights etc. but it very quickly turns into totalitarianism.
It is very irrational that the West should be so angry with Russia, they should be cooperating with her against terror. But instead, they propagate war with a nuclear power. It’s a sign that something spiritual is going on. Such pure hatred cannot be explained rationally.
Stefan: Communism was international, and it took roots in pre-industrialized countries… We in the West took pride in our own culture, the West was Christian, proudly nationalistic, against a godless internationalism that wants to open up all borders.
It seems positions have reversed now? Hilary [Clinton] was just recently advocating the opening of all borders, speaking in Brazil.
In the EU, being proud of your own values, national identity, and Christian heritage is highly suspect. It seems you are right; the evil spirit has escaped into the West?
Iben: Keep in mind that communism is not a Russian but a Western idea. Communism is a deeply antichristian movement that seeks to deconstruct the created order, especially the traditional family, to make the socialist state all-important.
Spirituality is very important for any society. We must believe that there are powers higher than us… You need to refer to and be inspired by something or someone greater than yourself and all of us together, otherwise a society will not be able to sustain itself.
The problem with most nationalistic movements in Europe today is that they define themselves only in negative terms, i.e., what they are against, “we don’t like this, or we don’t want that…” They are not able to come up with a positive message, saying this is what we want to build on for the future. If we do not come back to our roots, we have no chance of surviving. We need to build on something that is solid.
If we say that we don’t need God, we will have to face the consequences, for there is a titanic battle raging right now between good and evil.
Stefan. It’s bizarre… this thinking that all that is good will sustain itself of its own accord and that no sacrifices are needed. The great argument to the younger generation after the Second World War was: “Everything will be fine. No sacrifice will ever be needed.” It’s like giving your son a car, making him believe it can drive forever without proper maintenance. But it won’t.
If our culture is left undefended it will become the prize of others. To maintain a culture will require vigilance, and sacrifice, and that we must be passionately in love with something much larger than our own mere existence… but all of that is now fading from the West.
We are a bunch of narcissistic, hedonistic naval gazers that can’t even see the dark shadows approaching.
Iben: As I move among bloggers and journalists who are mostly agnostic, more and more of them are telling me: “There is no other solution but that we come back to our roots. All other solutions have failed us and will fail us. We need to build on something different than mere politics, otherwise we won’t survive.”
We are criticized for having big families. But they (Muslims coming to Europe) have many kids. So, while we have democracy… they have demography. If we don’t stop mass immigration, and start to have children, and base our lives on real values, we are not going to make it.
Stefan: The strange thing is that Hilary claims to be a Christian, while she is known to be in favour of arming ISIS and propagating war against a Christian country like Russia. This is shocking. How do Russia view the West and the European Union?
Iben: There is no sign of any aggression. They only want to protect themselves. They don’t understand why we are so angry with them. It is irrational. They have lost any hope that dialogue is possible.
Russia looks at the West as the aggressor. It is so strange…
Why do the West protect Islam and seek ways to destroy Christianity?
We are actually seeing a clear shift in the Islamic terrorist movement.
At 9/11 they were against anything secular. Now they aim directly at Christianity. In a recent ISIS magazine, they stated openly that they want to “break the cross.”
The Russians do not understand this unholy alliance that the West has made with militant Islam. In Syria the Wets is collaborating with them.
Stefan: If there is a battle between the US and Russia, it will be Christian against Christian. There are not a lot of atheists in the military. The left has always hated Christianity, because they view it as bulwark against unlimited totalitarianism. Christianity is a formidable opponent against an overly powerful state. So, if you hate Christianity… that’s what you want, Christian killing Christian…
Iben: I am not so sure how many Christian fighters you have left…
Stefan: This is our biggest crisis ever. What is your message for us?
Iben: Try to be humble. Pride is our cardinal sin. Ask yourself what you can do for others. Turn to God… There is going to be some kind of war. If you don’t know God, ask Him to reveal himself to you… Ask Him for guidance. Ask Him for protection. We are at war with very evil powers.
Patriarch Kirill said about us (the West): “We know where you are. We have been there. We see you are struggling. We want to help you.”
Oh my, doesn’t this send the chills down your spine?
It sure gives us a totally different take on the world, doesn’t it?
So that’s what I wrote in 2018. Now fast forward to 2024. What has all happened! To name but a few things. We have since endured Covid, the BLM riots in the US, a brutal war in Ukraine, and another one in Gaza. Socially speaking, the West has gone crazy. Children suffering from so-called “gender dysphoria,” are being mutilated by greedy health professionals. Male soldiers have to put up with female sanitary products in their locker rooms. And under the guise of the “freedom of religion,” Satanic abortion rituals are being offered in some US states to women who want an abortion, but can’t have it. From France I have just heard how young Muslims enter Christian churches during worship, praying the adhan out loud, “Allahu Akbar!” claiming those buildings for Allah.
From Iben Thranholm to Naomi Wolf
Last year yet another smart woman, feminist journalist and author, and no Christian, wrestled with our crazy times. Her name is Naomi Wolf. What is stunning, is how she happened to arrive at the exact same conclusion as Iben Thranholm did, five years earlier. She published her thoughts on Substack under the title, “The Ancient Gods Have Returned to Earth.”
Naomi wrote that, as she looked at what has been happening in the U.S. over the last few years, none of her classical education, or her knowledge of history or politics, could explain what was going on. “Indeed, I could not explain [what was happening] in ordinary political and historical terms at all. This is not how human history ordinarily operates. I could not explain the way how the Western world simply switched, from being based at least overtly, on values of human rights and decency, to values of death, exclusion and hatred overnight, en masse—without resorting to some metaphysical evil that goes above and beyond fallible, blundering human agency.”
She ends up saying that only one explanation made sense to her. She stumbled upon a sermon of a Messianic Jewish pastor, Jonathan Cahn. Cahn spoke on Matthew 12:43-45, where Jesus explained how the return of seven evil spirits—worse than the one driven from a house possessed—return to occupy that same house, which was left empty. Jesus continued, “And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Jesus was referring to the gross ingratitude of those who heard his teaching and saw his miracles, but who were still demanding a sign, i.e., additional proof that he was really the Messiah, ere they would consider to repent.
What is amazing about Naomi Wolf’s discovery, is that she was no Christian when she stumbled across it. Yet she arrived at the same conclusion as Iben Thranholm five years before.
What does it all say to us as Christians? Does it drive us to our knees? Are we deeply aware that we are caught up in spiritual war unlike any other in many generations? And above all: Are we prepared to pull our heads out of the sand and speak up? Like Tulsi Gabbard, Iben Thranholm and Naomi Wolf, of whom only one is a Christian? Or must others line up in battle, while we hide in the shadows? Thank God the outcome of this noble fight is not in doubt. But let us then “watch and pray” and also take our stand. Let us be men… like these brave women!