The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most moving parables told by Jesus. It tells the story of a man beaten and left for dead on the side of the road by a group of robbers. After being ignored by religious leaders from his own country, the man is eventually assisted by a despised Samaritan, who binds his wounds and carries him to an inn where he is able to recover. This is all done at great... Read more

Some of you may be aware that I have long held the title as the Internet’s foremost coffee theologian. I created the Coffee Gospel as well as the Liturgy of Espresso and have been known to pontificate upon how the best expression of the trinity can be seen in a cappuccino. However my title has recently been challenged by Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick who published this brilliant piece on Coffeedoxy and Heterodoxy. I am not quite willing to give up... Read more

The year 2014 is upon us and we are hopeful. This is the time of year when optimism is kindled. A new year means new beginnings and presents the opportunity to break from destructive habits and turn down new roads pregnant with possibilities. Within this fertile soil of hope many of us take time to reflect on our lives. In reflecting upon our health, our time, our families and our goals we are often spurred to make greater efforts to maintain balance in our lives and to foster a greater love... Read more

This week I read through Good Tidings and Great Joy the new Christmas book by Sarah Palin. I had recently gone after Palin in an article  for her critique of Pope Francis and had received some critique for basing my understanding of Palin off of media outlets and not her own words. When the opportunity to read her new book  arose I took it up. I was hoping to get a better picture of the women’s faith and tried to approach... Read more

Icons have been in the news this week. First there was the article by Megan Hill about, Why Jesus Doesn’t Belong in Christmas Dećor. This was well responded to by Bishop Kenneth Myers. Than there was Aisha Harris‘ article on race and Santa which inspired Megyn Kelly to argue that not only was Santa white but so was Jesus. *Face palm* This has reignited the question of Jesus’ race and Icons have come up again, and I ran into this defense of Jesus’ whiteness which... Read more

An open letter to Radio Stations in December, Enough is enough. As you are aware the Christian Church is currently preparing for the celebration of our annual commemoration of the Incarnation of God, in the person of Jesus Christ. This feast is commonly known as Christmas. As part of our preparation we are encouraged to join in a penitential guard of expectation known as Advent. In Advent we anamnetically join with the people of God who awaited the advent of... Read more

Today’s question: I’ve been in seminary for a semester now and I was thinking about buying some Bible software to help me get deeper into the text. Which program would you recommend? They have Bible Works at school, but I have a Mac and I heard you can’t run Bible Works on Macs.  This is a bit of a difficult question to answer. If you’re used to Bible Works, it’s a great program, but you’re right it’s not Mac friendly.... Read more

So as you all may have heard Pope Francis has been named person of the year by Time Magazine. It’s no surprise to me, I can’t think of another person who has come close to bringing the kind of hope and new life to the world this year. It’s no secret that I love Pope Francis. He was the cardinal I was rooting for after Benedict XVI resigned this year, and he has exceeded all my expectations in the months... Read more

One hour ago Pope Francis launched a global prayer wave, and a year long campaign to end hunger. Each one of us has been called to lift up our voices. Christians all over the world will gathering together at noon tomorrow in prayer giving voice to the millions who still suffer from lack of proper nutrition. In his presentation the Pope called the hunger situation in the world today an “emergency” and exhorted all people to lift up their voice as... Read more