Scripture gives some ray of hope but how long can I rely on scraps of paper written 2,000 and more years ago? "My soul magnifies the Lord," says the expectant Mary on learning that she will be the theotokos, the God-bearer. Where was her safety net, her retirement account, her Medicare supplement? I may have all of these and more, but a lot of good they're doing me in the depths of despair.
Read moreThe problem is that the Cairo Covenant uses the language of sola scriptura without sufficient qualification. The term sola scriptura suggests that the Bible by itself can ensure orthodoxy without the guidance of the historic Church.
Read moreVatican News is the Vatican's official Internet news portal which umbrellas Vatican Radio, L'Osservatore Romano -- daily newspaper -- and Vatican Media -- television station -- all under the oversight of the Dicastery for Communication.
The Catholic Church has just fallen down the same rabbit hole that the Church of England has by turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to sin in the name of pastoral accommodations.
Read moreThe problem is that this new philosophy and solipsistic religion is not Christianity. The old and well-worn jokey reply "Is the pope a Catholic?" has developed a dark shadow to it.
The Vatican has taken great care to cover its theological back by distancing the same-sex-blessing project from marriage. It intends to provide for itself a defence against the accusation that it is undermining marriage.
Read moreWe appreciate Kyai Haji Yahya Cholil Staquf General Chairman, Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board Founder & Chairman, G20 Religion Forum (R20) Jakarta, Indonesia Center for Shared Civilization Values, H.E Joko Widodo President Republic of Indonesia for the initiative to create a conducive environment for Interfaith Discourse and strengthening the relationship based on value and trust. We thank Dr. Timothy Shah and Holland Taylor of the Center for Shared Civilization Values.
Read moreTrivia # 2: There developed in England surrounding the Feast of Santa Claus a silly practice of "Boy Bishop" in which a boy in the village was selected to become bishop-for-a-day. Henry VIII abolished this practice in 1542 as superstitious and dumb. Obviously, the practice of Boy Bishop never died (see below) and was picked up by those who like to dress up, prance around an altar, and practice a religion of self-congratulatory spirituality.
Read moreLet's take three situations where issues of religious freedom have been ignored in news reports.
Read moreAre American evangelical Christians persecuted?
Johnson's explanation of his claim was that, in his view, American Christians, and I strongly suspect he meant conservative Christians, mostly evangelicals, are not being heard or taken seriously by the movers and shakers of American culture. That is, what he seemed to mean, they are not given a fair hearing or treated fairly by the media (for example).
Read moreThere are Christians in Israel -- I have been to Christ Church Jerusalem the vicar David Pileggi is a valued friend. They are working to provide war relief to those affected by the crisis. The Churches Mission to the Jews have also opened up its guesthouses to provide food and lodging for families who cannot return to their homes or want to get out of conflict areas.
Read moreYet despite their self-serving delusions of persecution, both Aziz and Beydoun are high-profile scholars who command the respect of their peers, which is in itself a damning indictment of the state of current Middle East studies.
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