This week's podcast is Let Your Face Wear a Smile, from the group Kairosingers' album Of One Accord. This group of Texas Catholics from Port Arthur, Texas (the home of Janis Joplin) brings to mind many things about Texas Catholicism during the 1970's, and the kinds of lessons we might learn today. The album cover …
The Example of Ambrose
Travis Johnson's proposal concerning the election of state Administrative Bishops in the Church of God is an interesting one. From its start the Church of God has appointed its state and regional (diocesan, for you Anglicans and Roman Catholics) prelates centrally at the biennial General Assembly. It's easy to draw from this (and current Roman …
Training the Trainers: The Key to Successful Missions
Abu Daoud, in his reflections on Pope Paul VI's encyclical Evangelii Nuntiandi, makes the following observations: The name of this strategy that I have heard is "training the trainer," though though are other names. The traditional model in missions was to send out a pastor-missioner or a group of missionaries who would start a church …
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Choose Life
This week's podcast takes us to inner city Chicago, where Peter Scholtes put together one of the most interesting (if not the most polished) productions of early post-Vatican II Catholic Music. The song featured is Choose Life, with a decidedly "African" sound. It comes from the album They'll Know We are Christians By Our Love, …
Was Benedict’s Baptism of a Muslim Convert a Good Idea?
Pope Benedict XVI's rather spectacular baptism of a Muslim convert has generated a good deal of discussion amongst Christians and Muslims alike. Rather than adding unnecessary heat to the subject, I commend the dialogue between Abu Daoud and Sister Sherry--Anglican and Roman Catholic respectively working in the Middle East--on this subject. On this, I am …
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Book Review: Velvet Elvis
There seems to be a growing dissatisfaction in the way American Evangelical churches are going these days, and there is emerging a group of spokesmen for this feeling. I've taken a look at the likes of Leonard Sweet and Brian McLaren, but another one of those who is looking for a new way of doing …
When Hebrew Blessing Meets Irish Blessing
Readers of the Scriptures are familiar with the many blessings that appear in the Bible, especially those in the Old Testament. Many Celts and the fans thereof are familiar with the blessings that the Irish come up with. But what if the two could be combined? Jim Cowan and Emmanuel do just that in the …
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Think Before You Review
The fact that Catholic bishops ordered a favourable Golden Compass review off of their web site shows that someone in the US RCC is definitely "asleep at the switch" concerning this whole business. Having been covering this since early November (the original review, the follow-up and a comment on the whole business of the "magisterium,") …
Why Dads Matter
Academics Shawn Christianson and Jeffrey Stueve wrote about the importance of a father's love for their children. The majority of social science research, they maintained, does not recognize sufficiently the bond parents form with children in their loving and caring of them. Not only is there little mention of love in family theory, but many …
Book Review: The Gospel According to Starbucks
Next August, the ministry I work for has invited Dr. Leonard Sweet to speak at our luncheon during our church's General Assembly. In looking forward to this, it occurred to me that it would be nice if I brush up on his work. The most recent manifestation of that work in book form is The …
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Positive Infinity 