Podcast appearances and mentions of loyal opposition

Scott and Alissa read letters to Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, after an uproar over a censured member of Parliament. Plus an overview of the latest candidates disqualified unjustly by Office of the Loyal Opposition. Oh, and something something hockey. All that and more on this episode of The Stinking Albatross Podcast!   Support this podcast! Donate at https://www.itstartsrightnow.ca/donate   For more episodes of this podcast, visit https://thestinkingalbatross.ca/ Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-stinking-albatross/id1628713289 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3RG6Gw4bZ3GzmuqY9KP94z?si=FT0D8SWXSvO9hln__nfjPQ&nd=1 Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/RightNowHQ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFV7-3cgs3vYKDgUMGz8EwScott and Alissa read letters to Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, after an uproar over a censured member of Parliament. Plus an overview of the latest candidates disqualified unjustly by Office of the Loyal Opposition. Oh, and something something hockey. All that and more on this episode of The Stinking Albatross Podcast!   Support this podcast! Donate at https://www.itstartsrightnow.ca/donate   For more episodes of this podcast, visit https://thestinkingalbatross.ca/ Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-stinking-albatross/id1628713289 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3RG6Gw4bZ3GzmuqY9KP94z?si=FT0D8SWXSvO9hln__nfjPQ&nd=1 Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/RightNowHQ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFV7-3cgs3vYKDgUMGz8Ew

Is there anything worth dying for in the Evangelical Church? The Evangelical Church is more loyal to the synagogue of Satan and the devil's children than to the words of Jesus Christ. Fritz Berggren, PHD www.bloodandfaith.com

— The Loyal Opposition. — Preached by Bro. James Knox. — Preached on August 1 2012 — Preached at the Old Paths Bible Baptist Church of Holley, New York. — Acts 20:17-32 —Thanks For Listening, I hope you were helped by this! —I know the audio is not great on a lot of these, but it is the best that I can find. Many of these messages were recorded in the early to mid 1900's, and the audio recording equipment was not great then. But! The messages are worth the extra focus that it takes to get it.

On December 14, 2023, historian John Ragosta gave a lecture on Patrick Henry's final political battles. In a democracy, how do you disagree with government policy? What is a loyal opposition? In the 1790s, hyper-partisan political battles threatened to tear the new nation apart. Under the Sedition Act, a person criticizing the government could be jailed; opposition newspaper editors were targeted. In response, the Kentucky Resolutions, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, declared that Kentucky could proclaim federal laws unconstitutional and “nullify” them—secession, state versus state, and against the federal government, loomed. Newspapers warned of “Civil War!” George Washington begged Patrick Henry to come out of retirement, oppose these dangerous policies, and save the union. Though Henry had been the leading antifederalist, arguing against ratification of the Constitution, in 1799, he rebuked Jefferson and insisted that since “we the people” adopted the Constitution—even though Henry had opposed it—anyone contesting federal policy must seek reform “in a constitutional way.” Henry helped to define a loyal opposition. Unfortunately, that story was suppressed by Jeffersonians throughout the 19th century. John Ragosta discussed this story—recounted in For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry's Final Political Battle—a story of how a democracy must work if it is to survive. John A. Ragosta is a historian at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. He is the author of Religious Freedom: Jefferson's Legacy, America's Creed and For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry's Final Political Battle. This program, part of the VMHC's multi-year initiative to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the U.S., is presented by the John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Nathaniel Pawlowski, Son of Pastor Artur “Art” Pawlowski requests support at anEU (European Union) Presentation. During his powerful plea, on behalf of hisfather, to the EU for support against tyrannical leadership in Canada, NathanielPawlowski succinctly states, “Canada has fallen”. Guests:Pastor Art Pawlowski, Calgary, CANADA – Known as Canada's FreedomPastor. He preaches on the streets and feeds over a thousand peopleregularly in Calgary. Pastor Art was arrested and charged for feeding thosein need, preaching solidarity to the Canadian Truckers Convoy and givingout bibles. For more information and to make a donation, visit Street Church Bernard “Berney” Flowers, Lt Col, U.S. Air Force (Ret), served our countryin various capacities including 20 years in the Air Force and another 14years in public service as a senior civilian officer working with military andgovernment. He also hosts a podcast called The Loyal Opposition. Berney Flowers, Lt Col, U.S. Air Force (Ret), was assigned to the US Air Force's “Air Staff” as the Pentagon was attacked on Sept 11, 2001. He retired from the US Air Force after nearly 21 years of active duty, having deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and “visiting” twenty-two countries and forty-three states in the performance of hisduties. After his Air Force retirement, Berney worked as a project manager in the banking industry. In 2009, he returned to DoD as a civil servant, where he was part of USCYBERCOM'S initial staff. He later served as NORAD & USNORTHCOM Senior Technical Advisor at Fort Meade. Before retiring from DoD, he participated in refugee resettlement efforts for Afghans, Haitians, and undocumented migrants in defense of the US Southwest Border. In 2021, Maryland's Governor appointed him to the District 9 Judicial Nominating Commission, Howard County Maryland. Berney ran for US Congress in Maryland's 2nd Congressional District in 2022 and recently authored the book, Black Values Matter, which can be found on Amazon and Audible or go to www.BerneyFlowers.com for more information. Follow on Facebook: BerneyFlowers and Twitter: BerneyFlowers Thank you to our sponsor US Flag Service where you will find top quality, longer lasting flags that are made in the USA.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not much of the loyal opposition showed up in the 2022 election. Trump blames conservative pro-lifers for not bending on rape and incest exceptions, but at the same time, the former president points the finger at pro-lifers for not being active enough post-Roe reversal. The more basic challenges are still education, pop-culture, the churches, and the lack of Christian-based news media. Why the contradiction in Kentucky? Abortion is down in numbers, but the people vote pro-abortion in the 2022 election. The heart of the nation is severely compromised.

Not much of the loyal opposition showed up in the 2022 election. Trump blames conservative pro-lifers for not bending on rape and incest exceptions, but at the same time, the former president points the finger at pro-lifers for not being active enough post-Roe reversal. The more basic challenges are still - education, pop-culture, the churches, and the lack of Christian-based news media. Why the contradiction in Kentucky- Abortion is down in numbers, but the people vote pro-abortion in the 2022 election. The heart of the nation is severely compromised.--This program includes---1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus -McCarthy becomes House Speaker on tight leash, CVS - Walgreens will dispense abortion pill, Crocs promotes drag queen shows for kids---2. Generations with Kevin Swanson

Not much of the loyal opposition showed up in the 2022 election. Trump blames conservative pro-lifers for not bending on rape and incest exceptions, but at the same time, the former president points the finger at pro-lifers for not being active enough post-Roe reversal. The more basic challenges are still education, pop-culture, the churches, and the lack of Christian-based news media. Why the contradiction in Kentucky-- Abortion is down in numbers, but the people vote pro-abortion in the 2022 election. The heart of the nation is severely compromised.

A new MP3 sermon from Generations Radio is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Kind-of Loyal Opposition - Who's to Blame for 2022 Election Debacle Speaker: Kevin Swanson Broadcaster: Generations Radio Event: Radio Broadcast Date: 1/9/2023 Length: 28 min.

The Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition is an underrated role in our parliamentary system. Whoever is in it normally tries to use it as an audition for the top job — but their function is a vital one in our democracy that is often overlooked.Until today.With the political season still a little quiet, the CBC's Aaron Wherry has joined me to play a little game: Opposition Leader Draft!We'll dig through the history books to draft our fantasy opposition front bench — and chat a little about the importance of the opposition leader's job.As always, in addition to listening to the episode in your inbox, at TheWrit.ca or on podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, you can also watch this episode on YouTube. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thewrit.ca/subscribe

My guest this week is the Honourable Preston Manning, political veteran and former Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Manning has just launched a National Citizens Inquiry that will investigate the protective measures implemented by the Government in response to COVID: Were they effective and appropriate? Did they cause harm to the citizens of Canada? What could have or should have been done differently? The National Citizens Inquiry is seeking citizen recommendations for commissioners and endorsements of this important work. There are also opportunities to donate as this project is not taxpayer-funded.Learn more about the National Citizens Inquiry at:https://nationalcitizensinquiry.ca

Would you like to share your thoughts with Ralph?  Please email your comments to ralph@idahospeaks.com or post your comments on @IdahoSpeaks on Facebook.Idaho Speaks is a listener supported production.  Please visit idahospeaks.com/support to learn more.Do you have something so say?  Interested in learning more about publishing on the Idaho Speaks Network?  Our nation was built on ideas and your idea could be the next political advancement for Idaho.  Call Ed at (208) 209-7170 or email hello@idahospeaks.com to start the conversation.

Would you like to share your thoughts with Ralph?  Please email your comments to ralph@idahospeaks.com or post your comments on @IdahoSpeaks on Facebook.Conservatives' Guide is a listener supported production.  Please visit conservativesguide.com/support to learn more.Do you have something so say?  Interested in learning more about publishing on the Idaho Speaks Network?  Our nation was built on ideas and your idea could be the next political advancement for Idaho.  Call Ed at (208) 209-7170 or email hello@idahospeaks.com to start the conversation.

Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about Pierre Poilievre's overwhelming victory in the Conservative Party of Canada leadership and what effect the new King will have on our body politic. Should the Liberals be concerned about Poilievre? Is now a time to reconsider our relationship with the crown? And is The Strategists' soundboard the only thing less reliable than the Green Party of Canada? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Get Thursday episodes and bonus content on Patreon Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here is my presentation at the awesome recent Sunstone UK conference in Birmingham.  - Find out the current state of play at the Battle's Front!- 25 brilliant ideas in Mormonism that are worth fighting to defend and restore!- How exactly we could make the reconstruction happen in time before defeat becomes inevitable?It was a great event with lots of fun and games with the Britvengers and inspiring presentations and talks by everyone from lovely English emeritus Community of Christ Apostle Andrew Bolton, recently excommunicated LDS sex and relationships counsellor Natasha Helfer, Community of Christ First Presidency member Stassi Cramm and my always thoughtful and wise emeritus Maidstone Stake President David Eton.  Sunstone is a great opportunity to meet and learn from people all over the Mormon family and spectrum from orthodox Latter-day Saints to wild rebels. It was wonderful to finally spend time in person with my podcasting Britvenger collaborators Nemo the Mormon, Alana Wilson Bryce and Jane Christie the Scottish '21st Century Saints' and the hilarious new kid once-bishop Priesthood Dispatches, who had us in stitches.  Thankyou Julian and Laura Heath for running Sunstone UK now and doing a fantastic job of it. The desire to have LDS Mormonism globally and in he UK deal with its dysfunctions and be much more healthy is becoming an organised movement.  It is really encouraging to see so many others stepping up to hold our leaders accountable and contributing their unique perspectives and talents to the cause.  Please consider joining it in whatever way works for you if you care about Mormonism's health and survival in our country as time to turn it around is quickly running out. My amazing wife Lynn took a big step at our ward conference on Sunday and bossed it like Boudicca standing up twice to calmly but firmly vote opposed to the current First Presidency and the 12 Apostles who are not holding them accountable for their ongoing lying, control freakery, leader-worship and stealing (the Ensign Peak slush fund has grown rapidly to $140 BILLION now and still not a penny of it has been spent on helping a single person or saving the shrinking Church.  At current rates of growth it will be $1 Trillion in 30 years).  Freedom Fairy is spreading her wings and the world had better watch out!  

Dr. Eric Hankins chops it up with Eric and Drew for their 2nd interview. This time they discuss the state of the soteriological controversies in the SBC, how Dr. Hankin's prescriptions from "Loyal Opposition" are going, and how we can make a difference going forward. Hankins talks briefly about his own theological journey, how he started receiving pushback as a self-professed "3-point Calvinist", and how this led to the formulation of what is known as the Traditional Statement of Southern Baptist understanding of God's plan of salvation. Hankins wanted to articulate clearly and cogently what he as a Southern Baptist believed soteriologically which resulted in the TS' affirmations and denials (linked below). Hankins talks about the Founders Ministry's self-stated desire to return the SBC to the foundation of Reformed Theology and how the Abstract of Principles, a 4-point Calvinist document, is affirmed by two Southern Baptist seminaries (SEBTS & SBTS). The guys talk about the role the Abstract of Principles plays in Southern Baptist academia and how, even though we're not supposed to talk about it, for some reason, most seminary graduates are Reformed when they come out. Eric and Drew lament the apathetic state of many Christians towards soteriology and Hankins highlights the strength of a "whosoever will" theology in evangelism and missions. Drew gives testimony about his evangelism experiences and where Calvinism entered in. Hankins talks about the challenge of obtaining theological clarity in light of the BFM2000's "incoherence" and how this can sometimes lead to division. Hankins talks about the choice that he faced of choosing or not choosing to "be online" and lead up the Traditionalist movement or to continue pastoring. Hankins responds to a question about what drives robust missions and evangelism. Drew and Eric express their desire to see more online resources that people can access from a Provisionist theological perspective. Hankins then responds to how important it is to emphasize a personal response of faith in our soteriology as opposed to running away from it.✍More from Hankins:

This isn't just a love story between an American and a Canadian ... it's a love story between two atheists. Listen in as they discuss their spiritual journeys to where they are today. What are you waiting for? Press play you heathen! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

- MY INVITATION TO AN APOSTASY TRIAL  - THE WOMEN AT IT AS WELL- THE SHAME GAME       - MRS B TRIES TO BE A PHARISEE - REASONED PROGRAMMING      - THE C WORD- PETER THE PERSECUTED CULTIST       - MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER AND HOW IT WAS MEANT TO BE FROM HUGH B My part on the Mormon Civil War is heating up as I have been invited to a trial for Apostasy, but this provides a great opportunity to carry on exploring the wonderful Christian version of Mormonism I am fighting for.  It's time to hear about my journey from LDS apologist to Loyal Opposition, and focus on the women on each side of the war.  Meet the family as my Great Grandmother Jeannie joins a religion that used to terrify her and discovers a wonderful potential global faith that fearlessly adores education, debate, and freedom to think for yourself in which true science is true religion, as powerfully taught by First Presidency member Hugh B Brown, and superstar British Apostle James Talmage who clinched her conversion.  And meet Mrs Bleakley who tried hard for many years to make the Pharisee Mormon religion work as a single mother... and is still trying to recover from that brutal experience.  It's a bumper edition, so remember you can crank up the playback speed if you you need to get a wiggle on! 

Using the writings of Fintan O'Toole, Michelle Alexander and Heather Cox Richardson, Robert A.F. Thurman gives a teaching on the roots of the political, economic and environmental crises being faced by Americans and those in the developed modern world. Opening with a discussion of Fintan O'Toole's "To Hell with Unity" New York Review essay on the political dead lock being faced by President Biden, Professor Thurman explores the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the economic underpinnings of the American Civil War, the legacy of the failed Reconstruction efforts afterwards in Jim Crow laws, mass incarceration and systemic racism. Podcast Includes: An overview of Buddhist history and introduction to Buddhism's inner sciences, a discussion of the need for Loyal Opposition in modern Democracies, an exploration of Constitutional originalism and textualism used by Conservative and Right-Wing politicians, and a recommendation of Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow" and on-going work of Heather Cox Richardson. This episode includes a call to action for all individuals to develop their own innate wisdom and fierce compassion to stand up to division, inequality, erroneous statements, false claims and "fake news" when ever they are encountered. 

This webinar was co-organised with the Society for Algerian Studies. Sino-Algerian relations date back to the Afro-Asian Bandung conference in 1955. China’s status as first non-Arab country to recognise Algeria’s pre-independence provisional government in 1958, coupled with Algiers’ support in helping China restore its security council seat at the UN in 1971, represent key moments that consolidated the historic bilateral relationship. Despite this early political and diplomatic alliance, economic relations did not take off until the early 2000s, propelled by Algeria’s accumulation of hydrocarbon revenues. Chinese companies obtained major billion dollar contracts in construction and infrastructure works. Despite many challenges, Algeria found in China a reliable partner supporting its development. The two countries continue to cooperate not only bilaterally, their preferred framework for economic and commercial exchange, but also through multilateral fora such as FOCAC and CASCF. In 2014, China elevated the relationship to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, the highest level of diplomatic-cum-economic relations which Beijing extends to key partners. Algeria is also a signatory to Beijing’s flagship Belt and Road initiative. For Beijing, the North African state has a geostrategic location with proximity to Europe and to the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa. The scope and strength of relations in the post-pandemic era will likely continue to strengthen. This webinar explored the historical background and the evolution of the political and economic relations between the two countries, highlighting opportunities and challenges going forward. Francesco Saverio Leopardi is Research Fellow at the Marco Polo Centre for Global Europe-Asia Connections, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and teaches Global Asian Studies at Ca’ Foscari International College. His research interests currently focus on the Sino-Algerian economic relations and the history of economic transformation in Algeria. He also has a long-time interest in the history of the Palestinian national movement and in 2020 he published with Palgrave Macmillan his first monograph The Palestinian Left and its Decline. Loyal Opposition. Chuchu Zhang is Associate Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, China. She received her PhD in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge, UK. Her research focuses on Middle Eastern Politics, China-Middle Eastern relations and China’s foreign policy. She is author of Islamist Party Mobilization: Tunisia’s Ennahda and Algeria’s HMS Compared, 1989-2014 (Palgrave, 2020). She has published in a number of peer reviewed journals including Middle East Policy, Environment and Planning: Economy and Space, Globalizations, Pacific Focus, and Chinese Political Science Review, Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Yahia H. Zoubir is Professor of International Relations and International Management, and Director of Research in Geopolitics at KEDGE Business School, France. He taught at multiple universities in the United States and was a visiting faculty member at various universities in China, Europe, the United States, India, Indonesia, South Korea, and the Middle East and North Africa. His recent book is Algerian Politics: Domestic Issues & International Relations (Routledge, 2020). He has published in academic journals, such as Journal of Contemporary China, Foreign Affairs, Third World Quarterly, Mediterranean Politics, International Affairs, Africa Spectrum, Journal of North African Studies, Democratization, Middle East Journal, Arab Studies Quarterly, Africa Today, Middle East Policy, etc. He has also contributed many book chapters and written various articles in encyclopedias. In 2020, he was Visiting Fellow at Brookings Doha Center.

Hillsdale Dialogues 11-20-20 The Loyal Opposition— Churchill after the 1945 ElectionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hillsdale Dialogues 11-20-20 The Loyal Opposition— Churchill after the 1945 Election

Senator Scott Wilk of the 21st Senate District of California discusses the inner workings of CA politics, what it's like to be a Republican in a state heavily dominated by Democrats, how he works productively with folks across the aisle yet maintains his own principles and effectively represents his constituents. This was recorded prior to the attack on the Capitol, but it's interesting to hear some prescience in some of what we discuss such as the divisiveness and heated rhetoric around politics in the country. Fortunately, Scott is not one of those exacerbating these problems but is part of the solution in the way his staff represents the diversity of his district and his record reflects his friendship and collaboration with Republicans and Democrats alike.

Leading through self-differentiation will result in a loyal opposition. This is a good thing and will help you be your best. Show Notes: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni Episode 35: Sabotage and Empathy (What Works and What Doesn't) Read the Full Transcript on The Non-Anxious Leader website. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/jack-shitama/message

Senator Scott Wilk of the 21st Senate District of California discusses the inner workings of CA politics, what it's like to be a Republican in a state heavily dominated by Democrats, how he works productively with folks across the aisle yet maintains his own principles and effectively represents his constituents. This was recorded prior to the attack on the Capitol, but it's interesting to hear some prescience in some of what we discuss such as the divisiveness and heated rhetoric around politics in the country. Fortunately, Scott is not one of those exacerbating these problems but is part of the solution in the way his staff represents the diversity of his district and his record reflects his friendship and collaboration with Republicans and Democrats alike.

Note: This special episode is of lower audio quality than usual. It is a live recording of an event. Those spending the holidays with their families may be apprehensive about conversations that veer into controversy—especially after such a fraught year. For such a time as this, TBM podcast presents a special episode. This is a panel discussion recorded at The King's College on Friday, November 20th, entitled, "A Loyal Opposition: Civility During an Election Season." Dr. David Tubbs moderated the panel, with thoughts from Dr. Dru Johnson, Professor Alissa Wilkinson, and Dr. Anthony Bradley. They discuss what it means to practice civility in our current political climate, especially for Christians, and especially toward those with whom we disagree. In a time of political polarization, stoked by partisan news outlets and social media bubbles, Americans need more than ever to learn to charitably discuss our ideas and perspectives with those around us. Pursuing civility requires more than just politeness; it also requires a variety of intellectual habits, including humility, respect, and curiosity. But more than anything, it requires sharing life with people of different viewpoints by welcoming them into our neighborhoods, our shared meals, and our churches. Hopefully, Christians can lead the effort to restore civil discourse. Show notes: 0:00 Introduction to the panel 2:25 Defining civility 6:30 Historical movements that exhibit civility 11:25 Politics as a model for discourse in college 17:21 "A Loyal Opposition" in the British Parliament 19:55 Sharing meals, sharing life, and arguing well 24:18 Obstacles to civil discussion 30:35 Dealing with incivility 35:16 The connections between emotion and reason 43:29 The problem with politics as a system of meaning 46:26 Learning good civil discourse 50:49 Interacting with news media 52:50 Befriending people you disagree with Show notes by Micah Long.

Before Amanda imposes on her guest Cherie Call to sing for everyone, they finish up on the topic of why Utah's Attorney General Sean Reyes chose to join the Texas lawsuit challenging the way four other states conducted their election this year. From that topic they go to the question of - how have we lost the ability to be the loyal opposition? If we lose an election, we become the loyal opposition, serving our nation and our state, but serving until the next election. KSL Newsradio's Amanda Dickson is joined this week by Cherie Call, singer, songwriter and teacher, Francine Giani, former Executive Director of the Department of Commerce, and Barb Smith, Director of Communications for Utah Valley University. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We live in a world of clocks and calendars that seem to shout all the time, "Faster. Faster. More. More." We may not be able to escape our culture but we can resist it.

There was a Man Named Job Job 1 by William Klock I want to switch gears this morning.  For the last month, since we’ve been feeling the hardships of our government’s response to a pandemic and many are living with fear either for their health or for the future fallout of the measures taken to stem the virus’s tide, I’ve set aside our study of the book of Exodus.  In his providence and through the lectionary, the Lord has given us some timely passages of scripture for these days, but as our situation continues, I think it’s better to let God’s word speak to us more systematically through the exposition of a book rather than trying to find ways to apply the lectionary readings.  Of course, the book of Job comes immediately to mind.  Job knew suffering the likes of which none of us has ever known.  And so for the next few months I’d like for us to look at this beautiful, difficult, and humbling book from the Old Testament’s library of wisdom literature. As I said, it’s a difficult book.  In the mid-17th Century, Joseph Caryl, a Congregationalist minister in London, preached two-hundred-and-forty-something sermons on the book of Job over a period of twenty-four years.  That’s a lot of study in the book of Job.  And even he, in his last sermon, apologised to his congregation, saying, “I have not attained so clear an understanding of some passages.”  “What am I to do?” I thought.  The good news is that the emphasis of my master’s degree was on Old Testament wisdom literature and that I studied under Bruce Waltke, one of the best.  The bad news is that I spent most of my time studying Sirach (or you might know it as Ecclesiasticus) in the Apocrypha and that that was twenty-five years ago.  I’ve jumped into a crash-course refresher the last couple of weeks and I pray that the Holy Spirit will speak as we dig into this book he’s given us. So Job.  Who, what, why, where, when?  I think the best place to start is with the first verse: There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.   We don’t know exactly where the “land of Uz” was other than that it was somewhere east of the Jordan River—to the east of Israel.  It could have been anywhere from Syria, east of the Sea of Galilee in the north, to the Arabian desert in the south.  The east was known for its wisdom, which according to the book of Kings, rivalled the wisdom of Solomon.  It was from the “east” that the wise men came to worship Jesus.  And so it’s appropriate that this wise man named Job comes from the east as well.  We should note that he is not an Israelite.  The book of Job does not address it’s questions from the standpoint of God’s covenant with Israel.  It’s application is wider and more general—and more individually focused. The text says “there was a man”.  Was there a real Job?  Or is Job a literary construct?  Was he a folk hero renowned for his wisdom around which our story was later written?  We don’t know.  Those words “there was a man” are sometime used in the Bible to introduce parables and other times real history.  The book itself, many scholars think, may be one of the oldest in the Bible.  The Hebrew in which it is written is unusual and different from the rest of the Old Testament.  In fact, it’s different enough that translating the book is difficult and the meaning of roughly three per cent of it is uncertain—although that doesn’t mean we can’t understand the meaning of the book itself.  The book has a prose introduction that sets the scene and a prose epilogue that closes out the story, but the heart of the book is forty chapters of some of the most eloquent, sophisticated, and sublime poetry in scripture.  The scenes in heaven, given in the first two chapters, would have never been known by any human—let alone Job and his friends—and despite the knowledge and wit of the players, no one would have discoursed the way they do in the grand poetry used in the heart of the book.  I’m inclined towards the conclusion that the book of Job is—like a lot of other ancient wisdom literature—fiction.  It’s an exploration into the justice and wisdom of the Lord through a hypothetical dialogue between five wise men debating the subject amongst themselves with a prologue which gives, us the readers, the setting needed to understand the story’s big picture.  It may be that there was a real Job, known for both his righteousness and for experiencing great suffering, who was put at the centre of this thought experiment.  At the end of the day we don’t know.  But we don’t need to.  All we need to know is that the Spirit has inspired and given us this book to help the Lord’s people in every age find their way through difficult times and to trust in the Lord’s wise governance of the world. The key thing about Job is that he was blameless and upright and he feared God.  Now, that doesn’t mean he was perfect.  These are words that the book of Proverbs uses to describe men and women who are favoured by God.  The sense is that Job was a godly man and that he was characterised by integrity.  Not only that, but he’s wise.  The heart of biblical wisdom is the fear of the Lord.  Now, except in his initial response to tragedy given in the prose prologue, Job as a non-Israelite never names God by his covenant name, but he nevertheless fears the Lord.  And he certainly knew God’s blessing.  He had seven sons and three daughters, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 donkeys, and many servants.  He was, says verse 3, “the greatest of all the people of the east”.  All of these numbers point to idealisations, to perfection.  Not only is job a man known for his righteousness and integrity, but he’s also the man who has everything.  As is noted later, he’s known in the city gate—he’s got civic status as well.  Everyone knows Job, which will make his fall all the more humbling. Now, in verses 4 and 5 we’re told that Job’s sons “each on his day” would hold a feast in his home and that all the siblings would gather.  The general consensus seems to be that these were probably birthday parties of some kind.  Whatever the case, we’re told that when these …days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all.  For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.   We have no sense that Job’s children were hellions running wild or anything like that.  There’s no reason to think they were any less pious than Job.  What this seems, I think, to be getting at is that for all his wisdom and integrity, Job’s understanding of God may be flawed.  The gods of the Ancient Near East were often petty, arbitrary, and easily offended and their worshippers often went out of their way in attempts to appease them lest they fall out of favour.  Is that what Job’s doing here?  Is he approaching the Lord the way the pagans approached their gods?  We see him making sacrifices on behalf of his children in case they’ve done something wrong—making sacrifices on their behalf lest they fall out of God’s favour.  Job expresses this fear about God later in his speeches and I think that explains his actions here.  And this is the weak spot in Job’s faith, in his piety, in his wisdom.  And the Adversary will exploit it.  Is Job righteous because he values righteousness, is he serving God because he loves God, or is he—at least some of the time—going through the motions and treating God like a vending machine, being righteous merely to ensure God’s continued blessing.  This is the flaw in Job’s righteousness that causes the Adversary to question the Lord’s policies. Now let’s look at that.  We’ve met Job and now the narrator of the story shifts scenes to the Lord’s council chamber.  In verse 6 we see the Lord holding court and his council members or cabinet ministers—what the text calls the “sons of God”—are summoned.  And amongst them is one called the Adversary or the Challenger.  In Hebrew it’s the satan.  It’s not a proper name.  Hebrew doesn’t use the definite article with proper names.  It’s a title given to one of these heavenly councillors or ministers.  There’s not enough information given here, or for that matter in the Old Testament as whole, to develop a dogmatic explanation of this character.  The Hebrew word satan can be both a verb or a noun—referring to some kind of opposition or to a character involved in some kind of adversarial work—but always either at God’s direction or subject to his sovereignty.  I’m inclined to see this character’s role as something like that of the opposition in Parliament.  They’re there to push back, to challenge, to question, and to act as a check on the government.  That’s their job.  In fact, how do we refer to them?  As “Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition”.  They’re not there to challenge the sovereignty of the Queen, but to help ensure the Queen’s government is on the right track.  And that seems to be something of the role of the Adversary or Challenger here in the Lord’s court and it will get at the core theme and purpose of the book. There doesn’t seem to be anything here to indicate this character is diabolical or has evil intentions.  To come to that conclusion, we have to import it from outside the text. The Lord calls on the Adversary and asks him, “Where have you been?  What have you been up to?”  And the Adversary responds, “I’ve been ‘going to and fro on the earth, and…walking up and down on it’” (v. 7).  “Ah!” says the Lord, “then you must have run across Job, my most devoted servant!”: “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”  (Job 1:8) Yes, the Adversary does know about Job.  And he knows, that Job is indeed upright and blameless and that he really does fear God.  There’s no question about that.  But!  But what if it’s not what Job does that’s the problem?  What if Job’s motivations are wrong.  The Adversary responds to the Lord: “Does Job fear God for no reason?  Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?  You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.  But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”  (Job 1:9b-11) Here’s what the book of Job is about.  Ultimately, it’s not Job who is on trial, but the Lord’s policy, the way he chooses to govern his Creation.  You see, the book of Job is aimed at a problem that Israel struggled with.  And it’s not just Israel.  Each generation of the Lord’s people seems to struggle with this issue in one way or another.  It’s something that theologians and biblical scholars call the Retribution Principle.  The basic affirmation is that God blesses righteousness and punishes wickedness.  Now, the Retribution Principle obviously isn’t wrong.  God does bless righteousness and he does punish wickedness.  But if we leave it at that, the formula becomes overly simplistic.  And in this overly-simplistic form, the Retribution Principle leaeves in question the motives of the people God blesses.  As the Adversary asks of Job: What if Job is only being righteous for his own benefit?  What if Job is only serving the Lord because the Lord has blessed him?  Is Job really devoted to the Lord in his heart, or is he just in it for himself?  If he’s in it for the stuff he gets from God, well, isn’t his righteousness actually unrighteousness?  And if his righteousness is really unrighteousness, is the Lord just in continuing to bless him?”  The Adversary is perfectly aware that the Lord rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness and he challenges that policy.  “What if it gives people the wrong motive for serving the Lord?” he asks. And, of course, as we’ll see when Job’s friends arrive and the great dialogue begins, if we know it’s true that God blesses the righteous and punishes the wicked, is it then also true that a blessed person is righteous and a suffering person unrighteous?  Think of the disciples in John 9.  This is the principle they were working from when they asked Jesus about the man born blind.  “Who sinned,” they asked, “this man or his parents.”  The assumption was that because the man was blind, someone must have sinned and the blindness was the punishment.  And Jesus didn’t answer their question directly, because it wasn’t the right question in the first place.  He said to them, “It’s not because he sinned, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”  There’s more to it than a simple formula about righteousness being blessed and wickedness being punished.  Yes, as a general principle, God blesses the righteous and punishes the wicked and in a perfect world this might be all we need to understand.  But the world isn’t perfect.  We’ve broken it.  God will set it to rights one day, but in the meantime that means that there are complicating and mitigating factors in God’s governance of his creation as he brings things to that ultimate goal. This is how the dialogue between Job and his friends unfolds.  They all assume that the Lord’s actions can be explained with this simplistic model.  They all also all begin with the assumption that God is just.  And so Job’s three friends argue that if the Retribution Principle explains God’s actions and that if God is truly just, which he must be, then Job’s righteousness is called into question.  And so they hector Job: “We know that to all outward appearances, you’re a beacon of righteousness.  But, Job, you’ve got to be hiding some secret sin.  Confess it, repent of it, and all will be well with you again.”  Job, for his part, is just as sure that the Retribution Principle is just.  But Job also knows that he is indeed righteous.  He has no secret sins to confess.  And so the only thing left to him is to question whether God is truly just after all.  Elihu, the fourth disputant, arrives in the second half of the book and, in his wisdom, gets a little closer to resolution.  He changes the terms of the debate a bit.  What if God is afflicting Job not for something he’s done in the past, but for what he’s doing right now.  What if this affliction is mean not to punish, but to correct or something like that. It’s not until the four have finished their disputation that the Lord enters in a whirlwind and we find that justice isn’t the aspect of the Lord’s character in question here.  They’ve been asking the wrong question all along.  The problem is that human beings, with our limited scope, have inadequate knowledge and wisdom to evaluate the justice of the Lord’s actions.  To do so is to repeat the sin of Adam and Eve when they tried to take God’s role on themselves.  No, the real issue is the wisdom of God, which informs his justice.  We can’t hold God to our standard of justice, because our standard of justice is limited and imperfect—we lack his wisdom.  Rather, we have to understand that justice flows from God himself according to his perfect and infinite wisdom.  And so the book of Job becomes a call to faith in the midst of suffering and tragedy.  The book of Job is a call to give up our persistent attempts to take God’s role on ourselves, our persistent attempts to judge him from our limited perspective, and to put our trust in his perfect goodness and wisdom. So Job isn’t the one on trial.  The Adversary has called into question the Lord’s policy.  That’s what’s on trial.  And so the Lord, in verse 12, hands Job over to the Adversary, “All that he has is in your hand.  Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” In the verses that follow a string of messengers comes running to Job with news of tragedy.  First it’s a hoard of Sabean raiders who have stolen Job’s cattle and killed his servants.  Then it’s word that “the fire of God from heaven”—probably a lightning storm—has fallen on the sheep and the servants tending them, killing them all.  Third, Chaldeans have raided Job’s camels, stealing them all and killing their keepers.  Just like that the incredible wealth of Job is wiped out.  And last and worst of all, a messenger brings word that a great wind—perhaps a tornado—hit the house where his seven sons and three daughters were feasting, knocking it flat and killing everyone inside. Everything that Job had, his material wealth and his beloved children, are taken away just like that.  He has nothing left.  In verse 20 we’re told that: Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.   Tearing one’s robe was a universal act of anguish and mourning.  So was shaving the head in many cultures—although this again tells us that Job is not an Israelite as shaving the head was forbidden to Israelite men.  Job is in anguish.  The ESV says that he worshipped, but the Hebrew literally says he prostrated himself.  If we look at how this word is used this way in the Old Testament, it’s not so much as act of worship as it is an act of acknowledgement and acceptance of what God has done.  Job humbles himself before the Lord.  And he speaks.  Look at verse 21: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.  The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”   Despite what has happened, Job maintains his faith in the justice and goodness of God.  It’s interesting and says something of Job’s belief in the sovereignty of God that he doesn’t curse the desert raiders who stole his livestock and killed his servants.  He doesn’t curse the king’s men who should have been protecting the borders of the land from lawless men.  He doesn’t curse the lightning or the tornado.  He acknowledges that God holds all these things in his hands, just as it was the Lord who prospered his business and his family.  The Lord gave.  The Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.  The Lord’s policy is vindicated in this first test.  Job has lost the material blessings the Lord had given and still he maintains his righteousness, still he holds onto his faith, still he trusts in the Lord.  The narrator closes the chapter with the words: In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. (Job 1:22) The Adversary had challenged the Lord saying that Job would curse him if his blessings were reversed.  There’s a clever word play at work in the Hebrew.  The Adversary uses the word “bless” either ironically or euphemistically to mean the opposite.  And so as Job blessed the Lord, he does exactly what the Adversary said he would do while simultaneously vindicating the Lord’s actions.  In the midst of incredible tragedy, Job acknowledges the Lord at work and blesses him.  Now, that’s not to say that Job did this easily.  It might look that way if this is where the story ended, but there’s more to come.  Job knows that it’s a lot harder to bless the Lord when he takes than when he gives.  And because Job has affirmed the sovereignty of God, he will find himself wrestling deeply with doubt about the justice and equity of God.  Nevertheless, he maintains his integrity and the Lord is—so far—vindicated. Brothers and Sisters, this is the point of the book of Job.  The book wrestles with the issue of faith.  In the end, the book isn’t really about Job.  It’s about the Lord and his just, good, and wise rule.  And in that it’s a call to faith.  This opening scene is important.  These are events Job will never know of, but we’re given this glimpse into the Lord’s council chamber so that we understand: Despite the role of the Adversary, it was the Lord who initiated all this when he brought Job to the Adversary’s attention and it’s the Lord who approved of all that will happen to poor Job.  There’s no easy out here.  We can’t just blame suffering on some evil power outside of the Lord’s control.  To conclude that Job is about a man who suffered because of a bet between God and the devil is to miss the point entirely.  The book of Job is a call to think well of the Lord even in the face of tragedy and suffering, not so much because Job’s faith serves as an example to us, but because, as we’ll see, the Lord is wise.  Job calls us to look beyond the issue of justice—again, a category we are too limited and finite to judge—and to trust in the wisdom of our good and loving Creator even when that wisdom is beyond our understanding. This was, I am sure, a difficult thing for Job to grasp.  It took the Lord coming to him in a whirlwind and revealing his majesty.  Brothers and Sisters, it’s still to this day a difficult thing for us to grasp, but we have a great advantage over Job.  The Lord came to Job in a whirlwind, declaring his power and might and sovereignty over Creation.  But to us he has come in the person of Jesus, his own Son, who has humbled himself and taken on our flesh.  He has come to us in Jesus, who knew no sin, yet was humbled again as he died on a cross.  Job’s loss points us to Jesus and the cross.  Like Mary weeping at the foot of the cross, like the disciples grieving the empty tomb, thinking that Jesus’ body had been stolen.  We so often meet suffering with fear and with anger—sometimes even anger at the God whom we know is sovereign in this world.  The death of Jesus was, to his friends, a horrible mystery.  Why would God allow such a thing?  And then came Easter and they met the risen Lord.  Jesus walked them through the scriptures, through the promises of God, and suddenly it all made sense.  Suddenly the very worst day they had ever known became the greatest day in all of history, the day on which the righteousness of God was not only vindicated, but the righteousness of his people too.  New creation had burst forth into the world that day, the source of life and hope for a world set to rights, a world where no one has to ask these questions anymore.  Friends, it is no easy thing to trust the Lord—let alone bless him—in the midst of suffering, but the cross reveals his goodness, his wisdom, and his righteousness and so it is to the cross we must turn in the midst of our suffering.  It is there we see the faithfulness of God and it is there that we find our faith renewed. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, give us insight as we study the story of Job and teach us, we pray, to trust you in the midst of our suffering.  Teach us to focus our eyes on the cross of Jesus that we might see everything—the world, our lives, the events and people that surround us—in light of your goodness, faithfulness, and wisdom revealed in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Amen.

For this episode, Parker and Donald welcome Cosmonaut editor and writer Medway Baker on to Canadasplain the Westminster system. Join us as we put on our inner socdem wonk to discover what went wrong for the Labour Party in the recent UK election.  

Thanks for listening! Discord: discord.gg/vwtXJFa Patreon: patreon.com/wideloadpod Twitter: @wideloadpod On this episode: @post_hog, @juchecostco, and @law_violator, @HotthiccG Outro song: Me Little Armalite (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8wgrZ6t5BA)

Assemblyman Ed Ra isn't naive enough to think that even his best floor debate can stymie legislation being advanced by his Democratic colleagues, who enjoy an overwhelming majority in the chamber. But the Long Island Republican, who serves as the assistant floor leader for the GOP, does believe he plays an important part in the legislative process by raising concerns, asking questions and (in some cases) prompting bills to be amended. Ra joined the podcast to talk about life on the floor in the Assembly, including the preparation involved in a debate, his goals as a member of the minority, and his preferred candy for a sugar rush.

March 17, 2019: “POST- BARGAINING CONVENTION”, Types of Strikes, Best thing members can do during contract time, Loyal Opposition, and Trumps Lordstown Tweet. Please join Co-Host Jeff Brown, with Moderator Leroy McKnight, tonight at 7:00pm est, and by podcast any time thereafter; where these “Progressives For Change Offer Opinions That Matter”.   Workin 4 A Livin is about the meaning of work for men and women from all backgrounds - in the union and non-union jobs - who are working for a living every day at their job. For them to get the latest union news, to discuss and learn about the meaning of work within labor unions. We invite you to find us, our podcasts are on I-Tunes, Stitcher, Player. FM and Blog Talk Radio; and can be found on the top right of our website “workin4alivin .com”.   Member – Michigan Association of Broadcasters   Season 4 Episode 08 Our email address: Workin4ALivin@Workin4ALivin.com Follow Us On Twitter: @4_workin

On this edition of Parallax Views returning guest Doug Lain, author of the sci-fi novel Bash Bash Revolution and publisher at Zero Books, discusses Zero Books severed ties with author Nicolas Hausdorf after finding out that he had began writing for the "post-political" (reactionary) magazine Jacobite. You can hear Doug discuss this issues with the author in question on Zero Squared #171: Pssst... Socialist Oppose Reaction.During the course of the conversation we discuss a number of topics ranging from how leftists activists end up going down the reactionary rabbit hole, free speech, the anti-SJW industry, Neoreaction (NRx) and its idea of The Cathedral, Doug's memories of the occult-flavored synchromystic subsculture of the 00's and how it may tie into these matters, whether "politics is downstream from culture", Moishe Postone's essay "History and Hopelessness: Mass Mobilization and Contemporary Forms of Anticapitalism" and unrefined manifestations of anti-imperialism on the Left, Adorno and the Frankfurt School's views on culture, alienation in political activists and the youth, Angela Nagle's critique of transgressive or "edgelord" culture, psychedelic and New Age reactionarism, socialism as "The Loyal Opposition", Jordan Peterson and the IDW vs. the reactionaries of the alt right and NRx, and more.And yes, Doug does speak about the recent kerfuffle around the recent Angela Nagle vs. Sargon of Akkad debate in this conversation.

TIm takes up the topics of the ballpark shooting outside Washington DC, the Virginia primaries and threats against your liberty. Guests: Geoffrey Skelley and Scott Cosenza

The Conservative Party of Canada

Ben Krasnow (@BenKrasnow) spoke with us about prototyping, Patreon, and staying current. And a whole bunch of stuff. January 28th Hats and Hacks Party RSVP Ben’s YouTube channel is Applied Science. His recent videos have been shot with the high speed Chronos camera (whose creator David Kronstein was on The Amp Hour #325). Ben has a Patreon page which funds randomness. (Embedded also has a Patreon page, for randomness and mics.) Ben was previously on the show: 119: Do Your Neighbors Have Any Idea? For BLE prototyping, Ben mentioned the OSH Chip by Philip Freidin (146: The Loyal Opposition) and using Processing for Android to make quick-n-dirty test applications. We mentioned the Wazer desktop waterjet. Chris brought up this video describing impedance with a mechanical model. One of Ben’s favorite videos that he did was the first one with an electron microscope, way back in 2011: DIY Scanning Electron Microscope - Overview. Ben gets a lot of his news from Hacker News: https://news.ycombinator.com/ Ben’s Twitter criteria was that they didn’t post updates often too often for his one-a-day check and that they focus on tech: @bunniestudios @vk2zay @elonmusk  (for updates on my car's firmware) @LongHairNasaGuy @szczys @samykamkar @PaulStoffregen @mikelectricstuf @johndmcmaster @michaelossmann @macegr @Chris_Gammell @EMSL @mightyohm And some of his favorite YouTube channels (Ben said it was very difficult to distill as there are many great choices): mikeselectricstuff tesla500 Matthias Wandel NightHawkInLight The Signal Path Techmoan Cody's Lab This Old Tony Clickspring Nick Moore Gross Science Haas Automation Hackaday Reactions I Build It Alex Dainis bigclivedotcom We also mentioned architect Frank Howarth of the urbanTrash channel.

Today we talk about the quote from Conference from Elder Oaks Some of this opposition even comes from Church members. Some who use personal reasoning or wisdom to resist prophetic direction give themselves a label borrowed from elected bodies—“the loyal opposition.” However appropriate for a democracy, there is no warrant for this concept in the […] The post 206: Loyal Opposition appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Philip Freidin (@PhilipFreidin) spoke with us about his BLE platform OSHChip, debuggers, and consulting. Planet Labs is sponsoring a contest! Hit the contact link to enter. Also check out their careers page and apply to embeddedfm@planet.com. Both the OSHChip and the CMSIS-DAP SWD programming module are on Philip's Tindie store. While Keil is the suggested compiler for now,  you can also use mbed (tutorial). The system is wholly open source, you can find everything at github.com/oshchip. (Philip gave anHDDG talk about OSHChip; we didn't talk about it but I thought it was interesting.) Philip's company is Fliptronics. Under Tips and Tricks, that site has his advice on consulting.

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 15, 2015). Not only is loving criticism of Israel kosher, it’s commanded.  

Preston Manning is a former Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and the founder and current President of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy based in Calgary. In his lecture ‘Legitimating the expression of faith in the public square' Mr Manning argues that preservation of Canada's centuries-old cultural heritage entails a healthy respect for the [...]