Pope Benedict XVI will have a meeting with interfaith leaders during his US trip, but the Secret Service has said Sikhs will not be permitted to attend. It looks like the pope and the US Bishops Conference are going along with the Secret Service. The World Sikh Council has expressed its disappointment. “We have to…
Rod Dreher posts some thoughts from a Greek writer on the decline of civilization in his homeland.
The Vatican has said that only baptisms done “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” are valid. That means that anyone baptized using another formula, such as the politically correct “Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier” (a modalistic assemblage), must be rebaptized. A dozen years ago or so Cardinal…
It’s Go Texan Day in Houston, the day we celebrate the opening of Rodeo. The barbecue contest started last night; trail rides are converging today on Memorial Park from throughout the region; the parade is tomorrow; gates open Monday. I went to the barbecue contest once, invited by one particular organization to their tent; we…
The Vatican has accepted the credentials of the new US ambassador, Mary Ann Glendon (a conflict of interest, in my eyes, since she has represented the Vatican and been the head of a Vatican commission). Pope Benedict’s comments to her upon the presentation of her credentials affirm the common mission of the US and the…
We watched “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” the other night. No, I wouldn’t call it “anti-Catholic,” as some of my Catholic friends have, for the simple reason that they would suggest that it is therefore “pro-Protestant.” It isn’t. As the commentaries on the DVD by director Shekhar Kapur make clear, he’s trying to make a morality…
Mark Shea on America then and now.
Howard Dean went to Georgetown to speak about Black History month. He said the Republican slate of candidates for the presidency “looks like the 1950s and talks like the 1850s.” He intended it as an insult. He seems to have forgotten that in the 1850s the Republican party was advocating abolition of slavery–it was founded…
So. My son got his letter of acceptance yesterday from SWAU. His high school graduation is May 30, and two days later he turns 19.
Muslim scholars’ letter to the “Jewish Community.“
“What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? What between heretics and Christians? Our instruction comes from ‘the porch of Solomon.’…. Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition!….With our faith, we desire no further belief.” Tertullian, De…
Gerd Luedemann, who recently took Pope Benedict XVI to task for taking Scripture seriously, responds to April DeConick’s call for posts about Athens and Jerusalem by acknowledging he has completely surrendered to Athens. His contribution is a repost of a piece he wrote a couple of years ago, “Why I’m a Secularist.” However it may…
April DeConick of Rice University has some thoughts about Athens and Jerusalem, and has invited others to blog on the subject. I may post later, once I catch up with other things. Here’s the fuller stating of the question: “What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and…
Catholic World Report on the best and worst dioceses in recruiting seminarians. Galveston-Houston remains near the bottom despite having had two bishops in a row (ten years in my personal memory) who insisted this was a major priority. It would be even worse off if not for foreign seminarians. So what’s the reason? Is it…
Did you hear about the recommendations of what to do if a compact fluorescent bulb breaks? How much mercury can actually be in one of these things? Surely not as much as was in a thermometer–and who hasn’t broken one of those? Some friends and I were talking the other day, before this report, and…
Rod Dreher notes that in some places Christianity is having to be defined with reference to Islam–Lent as the “Christian Ramadan,” Gabriel as the angel who would later appear to Mohammad. Is this because of a pandering to Muslims? Is it because of an increase of Muslims? Or is it because so many (including journalists)…
It’s been a long day. I had a day long meeting in Alvarado today, and since I teach on Monday nights, I had to fly up and back to Dallas Love Field and rent a car. I’m sitting in the airport now checking my mail and the blogs waiting for my flight. It’s a short…
New Pew study of religion in the US. More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion – or no religion at all. If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, 44% of adults have either switched religious…
Longtime readers of this blog will recall that soon after I started this blog in 2002 a matter arose to which I gave much attention. Catholic apologist Robert Sungenis had begun to write disturbing things about Jews; I saw that he quoted an “Adolf Schmalix” on FDR’s ancestry. This had an unpleasant odor about it,…
April DeConick on how she teaches about Gnosticism at Rice. She references a post by “Tony” on the subject, but doesn’t link to him. I found his post.
If someone asks you to take something, what do you do? Do you reach out, or do you wait for them to put it in your hand, or even on your tongue? Jesus said, “Take, eat” (Labete phagete in Matthew’s Greek). Some hope that fewer Catholics will do that, and will instead opt to open…
Rod Dreher has the latest fallout from Boston, linking to the Union-Leader and other sources. Fr. Thomas Coover is suing the diocese of Manchester and Bishop John McCormack (formerly an auxiliary bishop to Bernard Law of Boston); the diocese, on its part, “asked the court to dismiss the suit in August, claiming First Amendment infringements…
Chelsea Clinton was out for Catholic voters in Houston yesterday, with visits to two Catholic churches, Immaculate Heart of Mary (Hispanic) and Christ the Incarnate Word (Vietnamese).
From Rod Dreher: Homeschooling German families are fleeing their fatherland because a Nazi-era law still on the books gives the state ownership of children whose parents wish to educate them at home. Link to article in the Guardian: Home-schooling has been illegal in Germany since it was outlawed in 1938. Hitler wanted the Nazi state…
I didn’t watch. Had better things to do. But the one movie I watched (on DVD) that had some nominations actually won some awards: La Vie en Rose.
Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terebithia and other children’s books, is in Houston for a talk and book-signing this afternoon. We’ll be going. Her husband, John, was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Barre, Vermont, for many years. We were part of the same clergy association when I was pastor of Shepherd of…
An indication this world is going nuts. Check out eBay to see the number of copycats, t-shirts, coffee cups, etc., piggy backing on this crazy thing. One self-proclaimed replica is currently going for $20,000.
Last weekend I was in Dallas for the SDA North American Division Summit on Youth and Young Adult Ministry. The keynote speaker was George Barna, presenting some of the themes from his book, Revolution. I blogged about it here.
I posted this last May, but I’m reposting now because of the discussion regarding “Jesus Loves Jeans.” It’s one example of a youth who had an encounter with God, and whose life has been different since.
Pax et bonum 
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