Tag: Church

The Twilight of Modernism

A reader writes… Most Catholics and most others are pro life. It doesn’t mean they want to recriminalize abortion, contraception, return to the days before divorce was easily available or further stigmatize homosexuality, neither do they embrace the culture of pseudo celibate, closeted Gay, clergy. They aren’t misogynists, homophobes, child sodomizers or heretic burners. Most… Continue reading The Twilight of Modernism

Do Catholic Sinners and Heretics Disprove the Church?

I. A Perfect CircleFirst of all, I hope you’ll indulge me another art analogies, given this recent one. Giorgio Vasari, in his Lives of the Artists (the book which first named the “Renaissance”), recounts a possibly-legendary story about the famous artist Giotto di Bondone, on pg. 22: Pope Benedict IX, who had planned to have… Continue reading Do Catholic Sinners and Heretics Disprove the Church?

Can a Catholic Be Pro-Life?

That question hopefully seems absurd. A Catholic cannot not be pro-life. But an anonymous blogger named “Steve” has further polluted the Internet with a post over at the hateful-Reformed blog Triablogue about Frank Beckwith. If you’re not familiar, Beckwith was head of the Evangelical Theology Society (ETS), but after reading up on the Early Church… Continue reading Can a Catholic Be Pro-Life?

The Elephant-Horse and Catholicism

Michael Novak, on page 43 of No One Sees God: The Dark Night of Atheists and Believers, uses a wonderful analogy: In an inn in the little village of Bressanone (Brixen) in northern Italy, there is a fresco painted many centuries ago, whose main subject is an elephant, by a painter who had obviously never… Continue reading The Elephant-Horse and Catholicism

Ecumenism and the Holy Name of Jesus

Yesterday was an absolute feast on the subject of ecumenism and the Holy Name of Jesus at Mass. I. Acts 23:6-11, the Wages of Disunity The first reading was Acts 23:6-11 (with a prologue from Acts 22:30, setting the scene): Wishing to determine the truth about why Paul was being accused by the Jews, the… Continue reading Ecumenism and the Holy Name of Jesus

Cardinal Pell: Mandatory Ad Orientem

This is old news (March 2009), but given that Cardinal Pell looks like a serious contender for the top spot at Congregation for Bishops, I thought I’d mention that in an interview last year, Pell was asked if he favored making ad orientem posture mandatory. He replied: “Yes. Now there’s nothing like a consensus in… Continue reading Cardinal Pell: Mandatory Ad Orientem

Gamaliel’s Challenge

On Friday, the First Reading was from Acts 5:34-42, which describes the trial of the Apostles before the Sanhedrin: A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,and said to the Sanhedrin, “Fellow children of Israel,be… Continue reading Gamaliel’s Challenge

The Terrible Case of Paul Shanley

Paul Shanley was mentioned in this morning’s post, so I thought I’d provide some background. If you’re not familiar, he’s one of the worst, and most notorious of the predator priests, and was active in Boston under Cardinal Law. He was (and it is “was,” he’s been defrocked) a heretical priest who preferred jeans to… Continue reading The Terrible Case of Paul Shanley

Book Review: Your Church is Too Small, by John Armstrong

I’m a delinquent part of the Zondervan Blog Tour for John Armstrong’s new book Your Church is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church. I signed up for an advanced copy in exchange for which I was supposed to review the book last week. Unfortunately, I hadn’t… Continue reading Book Review: Your Church is Too Small, by John Armstrong