I. A Surprise Conversion or TwoFrank Beckwith, head of the Evangelical Theological Society, reverted* to Catholicism in 2007, a wonderful gift from God. This sent shocks throughout Evangelical circles. After all, there’s a negative stereotype that Evangelicals have faith detached from reason, and they’re often portrayed as backwoodsy bumpkins, or at the least, anti-intellectual; that… Continue reading Welcome Home, Joshua Betancourt!
Tag: church structure
Learning from the Irish Sex Scandal
The Irish, if you’re not aware, are going through a sex abuse scandal similar to what we faced in the US, only compounded by the fact that these abuses often occurred at boarding schools with plenty of other problems (including physical abuse). All of this was sort of dumped on a relatively unsuspecting Irish public… Continue reading Learning from the Irish Sex Scandal
The Catholic Church’s Lord Haw-Haw
Among other causes Quinn espoused: racial equality, reproductive choice, equal rights, lesbian and gay rights, and different faith traditions. As a woman and an avowed feminist she naturally recognized and challenged the inferior position assigned to women by the Roman Catholic Church. Setting aside the things that the Catholic Church stands for – equal rights,… Continue reading The Catholic Church’s Lord Haw-Haw
Great New York Times Article on the Glories of the Old Mass
The New York Times has taken an interesting direction in the last year or so. Before you could count on the Times to offer what they felt was the whole spectrum: commentators who were anti-Catholic specifically, commentators who were anti-religion of all sorts, and commentators who didn’t care about religion or find it relevant. If… Continue reading Great New York Times Article on the Glories of the Old Mass
The Two Views of Church
I. The Two Ways of Viewing the ChurchThere are two ways of looking at the Church. I don’t mean here “visible v. invisible,” but rather the fundamental way that orthodox and heterodox Christians differ in their conception of the Church. They are, broadly: As a divinely-ordained body created by Christ, entrusted with a sacred and… Continue reading The Two Views of Church
Dr. Hunt, “Catholic,” Against the Welcoming Home of Anglicans
I. Introducing Dr. HuntI try and avoid calling into question anyone’s claim to be Catholic. I might say that they’re a dissident, theologically liberal, or even heterodox Catholic, but I don’t like saying “Catholic” with quotation marks. God knows their heart, and if we start parsing through everything they’ve said to compare it with Church… Continue reading Dr. Hunt, “Catholic,” Against the Welcoming Home of Anglicans
The Vatican’s Shaking Things Up!
Dr. Jeff Mirus over at Catholic culture puts the pieces together, arguing that the Church is “on the prowl.” Rather than sitting back and waiting until the next scandal hits, or focusing on maintaining the Status Quo, we see the Vatican reaching out actively in a number of areas: Vatican diplomats at the UN have… Continue reading The Vatican’s Shaking Things Up!
Prescience
Whatever his flaws (and I’ve mentioned those previously), Fr. Richard McBrien seems to be on the right side of the “Episcopalian Question,” that is, that the Episcopal Church (TEC) in the US and Canada has pursued a hyper-liberal agenda (like allowing women and active homosexuals to become priests/priestesses, and in the case of Gene Robinson,… Continue reading Prescience
How a Priest Becomes a Bishop
The US Catholic Conference of Bishops offers an inside look into how US bishops are named here. Paraphrasing, here are the basic steps. Step 1 begins when a diocese becomes vacant, and it often takes 6-8 months: Step 1: Bishops’ Recommendations. Individual bishops recommend priests who would make good bishops to the archbishop of the… Continue reading How a Priest Becomes a Bishop
Protestant Answer to Ignatius on the Eucharist
One of the things I find bizarre in Catholic/Protestant relations is the things which seem to be huge issues to Protestants (Catholics views on justification and our alleged over-devotion to Mary) compared to the things which are shrugged off (Catholics worshipping the Eucharist). I don’t see how someone can simultaneously think it’s so gravely sinful… Continue reading Protestant Answer to Ignatius on the Eucharist