Tag Archives: apologetics

Some Good News

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Scandals abound, heterodoxy is rampant, and secularism looms menacingly, but there
is hope left in the Church. There are scores of people converting every year and
they’re not deterred by the bad press the Church often gets. Let’s pray the “immigration”
never stops.

New Catholics
not detracted by abuse crisis, say their faith is holding strong

“The Church has problems that it needs to address, but that didn’t detract me at all from joining…It was a sin committed on the part of a few priests, so we should blame the sinners but not the Church. The Church is a gift to keep us together. We need to look past this and see this as Jesus’ Church.”

[…]

“The Church isn’t the priest or the nuns, the Church is the people…It’s time to get rid of the evil and take control. It’s the people who make the Church, and there is no Church with out them.”

[…]

“Abandoning the Church is like abandoning Jesus, and He would never abandon us as much as we might sin.”

[…]

“Certainly it’s a serious issue and one that need be addressed, but you can get hung up on one issue…For me, the bigger picture is our faith and the Church itself.”

The Papacy, Chapter 1

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A friend of mine is (slowly) working on a book about the papacy. Here’s a sneak peak at the first chapter. The copyrights to this abstract and rough draft belong to Jordan Joseph Wales.

Abstract:

When considering the nature of the charism of the Bishop of Rome within the Church, it is imperative to give proper attention to the role he historically played and the way this role was interpreted by the fathers of the Church. Fundamental to the matter is the question of his authority: does or does not the Bishop of Rome have a special jurisdictional authority over other Churches? This chapter details the first of a series of historical illustrations of the universal "care for the churches" exercised by the occupant of the See of Peter. This particular illustration, that of St Clement of Rome in A.D. 96, is especially important in any discussion of the papacy because it is so often put forth by proponents of almost any view of the Roman bishop’s role in the universal church. Herein, we attempt an ordered and clear exposition of the events with special attention given to the role of Pope St Clement’s letter as it was understood by the early church fathers. Their views must take precedence over those of any later theologians and apologists, for the fathers wrote from within the tradition received from the apostles.

St Clement I

Bad PR, Bad Homiletics

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I wonder what theomorph would think about this piece. Thanks to the evangelical outpost for finding this gem.

How we sound to those who don’t believe
Posted by Michael Spencer on June 16, 2004 07:31 PM

Today I listened to the preacher in chapel. Really, really closely for a change.

It probably wasn’t a good idea. See, God is giving me a gift. I’m starting to hear sermons like non-Christians hear them. I’m starting to feel what they feel, and it’s disconcerting.

It’s scarey. Some of my Christian friends won’t like this, but that may be a good sign.

Catholic Radio in Pittsburgh

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My buddy Russ wanted people to know about this.

I’ve talked to some of you about this and know others are regular listeners to Catholic
Answers, the radio show on from 6-7pm on WPIT 730 and WZUM 1590. Just want to give
a heads up that Catholic Answers, after next month, may no longer be able to continue
its broadcasting on WPIT. WPIT is the stronger of the two signals, extending far
beyond Pittsburgh and not as subject to weather conditions as is WZUM. It is also
on a Protestant station, which is why I think it is a great asset to Pittsburgh.
Many non-Catholics come across the program and have the opportunity to learn about
the Faith. My family in Maryland and other friends around the country don’t have
the good fortune of having any Catholic broadcasts on the radio.

Unfortunately, Catholic Answers has to pay for that time slot and will not be able
to support it without more help from Pittsburgh listeners. I know what a wonderful
help the program has been to me in understanding the apologetic arguments for the
Faith and for the uplifting support that it gives to those of us wanting to really
live it fully. The good news is they only need 100 people or so to become Radio
Club members, which involves a monthly donation, to continue broadcasting. If you
happen to be in a situation where you can make a sacrificial offering or know folks
that are, please check out the Radio Club at http://www.catholic.com/radio/benefits.asp
(Please mention WPIT as your station). And please pray for that ministry, it’s kicked
off a lot of new Catholic stations and programs around the country. It’d be great
to someday have a Catholic station for every Protestant station on the dial. Also,
if you haven’t seen the Forums at www.catholic.com they are pretty interesting,
lots of good discussions going on.

Interesting Atheist

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My first brush with this atheist blogger has been a pleasant one. It’ll be interesting
to discover how I feel as I read more posts.

“Thought-Provoking
Criticism”

Woke up this morning and discovered that I have been linked by a Christian blog.
Of course, I am honored. It’s all part of my insidious plan, you know–get Christians
reading my blog as an attempt to enhance the dialogue between the religious and
the irreligious, and maybe everybody will finally admit that we have much more to
gain from embracing our shared humanity than from playing metaphysical war games
with each other.