Tag Archives: Pittsburgh

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I forgot to mention something yesterday. Marty Minto‘s been on a bit of an anti-Catholic tirade for the last week. One of his listeners wrote in to ask if anyone who truly loved Jesus could go to Hell, even Catholics. I sent the following as part of an email to him during his broadcast.

“I was saved when Christ died for man’s sins.

I am being saved as I attempt carry my cross daily.

I hope to be saved when I face final judgment.

I love Jesus. He is my Lord and Savior. I know you feel the same way. We should work with each other, not against each other.”

He responded by saying he doesn’t think I’m saved! He said that those who are truly born again in the Spirit have assurance of salvation and to think otherwise suggests a lack of rebirth. I sent the following as a rebuttal, but he didn’t respond to all of it on-air.

Paul spoke of running a race (1 Cor 9:24), working out salvation with fear trembling (Phil 2:12), and completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Col 1:24). Obviously, endurance is called for.

When I say that I was saved, I mean that Christ’s sacrificial act redeemed mankind. Through baptism by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are buried with Christ and are entitled to rise with Him. Salvation is a gift. In order to be saved, however, we must actively accept that gift. Furthermore, that gift is not irrevocable. If we accept Christ one day and reject Him the next, we cannot possibly expect to be saved.

When I say that I am being saved, I mean that every day is a struggle and I know I can be led astray, lose hope, and lose faith.

When I say that I hope to be saved at the last judgment, I mean that I hope to persevere in Christ until the day I die. I pray that I will be counted among the sheep, rather than the goats. Not all who say “Lord, Lord” shall be allowed into the wedding banquet of Heaven.” I pray to be one who is.

Do I have any Evangelical Protestant readers who’d like to comment on this exchange? Anybody of any denomination want to chime in? What part of what I said is incompatible with “mere” Christianity (c.f. C.S. Lewis)?

Scrollin’, Scrollin’, Scrollin’

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Marty Minto‘s really
been plugging this exhibit. It seemed interesting, but I hesitated to blog it due
to some implicit Evangelical Protestant bias. However, Pittsburgh Catholic seems
to think it’s a good thing, so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Dead Sea
Scrolls ‘fragments’ on exhibit
Tour includes other ancient biblical texts drawn from private collections

A remarkable array of ancient and antique biblical texts, including four fragments
of the Dead Sea Scrolls, will be on exhibit at the Monroeville ExpoMart from Friday
through June 20.

Fragments
of Dead Sea Scrolls on view at ExpoMart

Documents written 5,000 years ago sit a mere arms-length away. Peruse a copy of
temple-era biblical scrolls or skim through a page of the Guttenburg Bible.

Dead
Sea Scrolls exhibit emphasizes Bible history

Early colonial printers in Philadelphia played a key role in Bible history in this
country when they produced the first Bible in English in America in 1782, followed
eight years later by the first Catholic Bible. The city�s printers also produced
the first Hebrew Bible.

On a related note:

Local
museum boasts rare finds

Buried in the basement of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Highland Park is a
small archaeological treasure: The James L. Kelso Bible Lands Museum.

Weak as Water

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Well, this is certainly a disappointment to me. Bishop Donald Wuerl, otherwise an upstanding, orthodox guy, has taken the politically correct way of the communion denial issue. Another bishop (I forget who at the moment) at least had the guts to say that no Catholic would take communion unworthily. In other words, to do so would make one un- or non-Catholic. Wuerl’s statement seems to laugh in the face of Canon 915.

Wuerl doesn’t back disciplining abortion rights politicians
Says bishops’ role is to educate them
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Pittsburgh’s Catholic bishop said today that Catholic politicians should not support legalized abortion but he does not advocate denying them Holy Communion."

Wuerl: Catholic legislators should make own decision on communion
Bishop says politicians like Kerry who favor abortion rights should stop receiving Holy Communion of their own accord
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
By Ervin Dyer and Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Pittsburgh’s Catholic bishop said yesterday that Catholic politicians should not support legalized abortion but that he does not advocate denying them Holy Communion."

Don’t deny sacrament, Wuerl says
By Robert Baird
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, May 26, 2004

"Catholic politicians who support abortion violate church teachings, but Pittsburgh’s Roman Catholic bishop said Tuesday he does not favor denying them the sacrament of Holy Communion."

On a related note:

Catholics Should Vote Pro-Life First, Despite Dissident Opinions
by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor
May 6, 2004

"Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A leading Catholic bishop has sparked controversy by suggesting that abortion is just one of many issues Catholic voters should consider when making a decision for whom to vote. Those comments stand in opposition to the overwhelming number of Catholic leaders who say other issues are important but that the pro-life perspective is paramount."

Jihad

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Agape Press Commentary & News Briefs
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Compiled by Jody Brown

"…A Washington-based Muslim advocacy group is condemning the beheading of American businessman Nick Berg in Iraq as a cold-blooded murder. Rabiah Ahmed of the Council for American-Islamic Relations says Muslims are especially horrified that Berg's killers shouted 'God is great!' and claimed to be acting in the name of Islam. The killers are shown on the Internet declaring that 'the dignity of the Muslim men and women' abused by U.S. troops in an Iraqi prison cannot be ';redeemed except by blood and souls.' Ahmed says Berg's beheading was 'in opposition with what Islam stands for.' She adds that American Muslims wish to extend their prayers, condolences and support to Berg's family. On Capitol Hill, Senator Lindsey Graham said the killing shows that America is fighting an enemy that 'behaves like animals in the name of God.' Senator Rick Santorum, from Berg's home state, made the following statement from the Senate floor on Wednesday: 'If anybody wants to know what we're fighting, and why we're fighting this war on terror, this is a very good example of it.' Pennsylvania's other U.S. senator, Arlen Specter, described Berg's death as 'unfathomable brutality' and 'a barbaric atrocity of the highest magnitude.' [AP/Jody Brown]"

I'm ashamed to say Santorum is one of my state's senators. It seems the irony of his statement regarding the recent beheading didn't occur to him. He says, "If anybody wants to know what we're fighting, and why we're fighting this war on terror, this is a very good example of it." It seems to me there must be a great number of Arabs, particularly in Iraq, saying, "Look at the way these barbarians treat prisoners of war! It's an outrage! They do such evil things and then continue to wonder why we hate them!"

Billy Boy

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Catholic priest preaches first sermon at splinter church
JUDY LIN, Associated Press

&quotSEWICKLEY, Pa. – Celebrating Mass for the first time at his unsanctioned splinter church, the Rev. Bill Hausen on Sunday urged some 300 people to stop procrastinating before they ‘;die without really having lived.’"

Breakaway priest is excommunicated
Diocese issues warning to parishioners
Friday, May 07, 2004
By Steve Twedt, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"The Rev. William Hausen ‘has incurred an automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church’ for forming an independent church and conducting a religious service last weekend, officials for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said yesterday."

Notification Concerning Father C. William Hausen
Contact: Rev. Ronald P. Lengwin, 412.456.3021 (office) 412.261.2113 (home)
FOR RELEASE: May 6, 2004

" PITTSBURGH – According to an official Notification published in the May 7, 2004 Pittsburgh Catholic, Father C. William Hausen ‘has incurred an automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church.’"

Text of Notification
May 6, 2004

The Vicar for Canonical Services, the Very Reverend Lawrence A. DiNardo, VE, JCL, has issued the following Notification regarding the canonical status of the Reverend C. William Hausen and the Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church.