This week's podcast is Open the Door by the group Emmanuel, which lead worship for many years at the youth and leaders conferences put on by the Franciscan (and Charismatic) University of Steubenville. It's a nice "invitational" kind of song if you want something different from the ones that always get used. This post also …
The Church: Going Back to What?
Jonathan Stone explores the issue of "Primal Church:" When I speak of primal church I am not speaking of some sort of neanderthal church, but rather those primitive elements that still serve as the basic building blocks of the church. For example, geometrically speaking, we can think of the primitive shapes such as cones, spheres, …
Protestant or Catholic: Choose Ye This Day, Anglicans
The Vatican is trying to force Anglicans' hand on the subject of which way they need to go: The Vatican has said that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy. Speaking on the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury met Benedict XVI …
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A Kairos Moment for Texas Catholics
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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Positive Infinity 