Like many of you I awoke this morning to the news that the Pope’s announcement that he will be “retiring” or resigning… I’m not sure what you would call it since it has only happened a handful of times. Here is what he said. Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations  but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience... Read more

This week  the other doctoral students on the Crossed Purposes podcast and I talk about the Bible and what makes it “inspired.” If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download it here Read more

This week  the other doctoral students on the Crossed Purposes podcast and I talk about the role of tradition in the life of the church, and sing a lot of the fiddler on the roof. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download it here Read more

A classic Peter Rollins moment. Let me know what you think! I Deny the Resurrection from Peter Rollins on Vimeo. Read more

This week  the other doctoral students on the Crossed Purposes podcast and I talk about the ancient history of adoptionism which is alive and well in the world today. If you don’t know anything about it, or want to know why you should care give it a listen! There is also a lot of talk about Tom Bombadill, so there’s that too. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download it here Read more

This week  the other doctoral students on the Crossed Purposes podcast and I talk about the liturgy. I give my top 7 reasons for why you should use liturgy in church and Josh asks the question what makes Rocky Horror Picture Show different then church. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download it here Read more

If you haven’t read  Dorothy Sayers you are missing out on some incredible insights on God and life. One of the best works of her’s that I have encountered is Letters to a Diminished Church. In which you find the following gem on the incarnation: He [Jesus of Nazareth] was not a kind of demon pretending to be human; he was in every respect a genuine living man. He was not merely a man so good as to be “like God”—he was God.  Now,... Read more

The Latino/Latina population is quickly becoming a dominant aspect of North American Catholicism, and christian spirituality in general. Because of this shift, it has become increasingly important to understand the spirituality of Latino people. Like it or not Latino spirituality will become a part of local parish life more and more in the years to come. This reality has had mixed responses. There are already many people who have made comprehensive condemnations of Latino/Latina spirituality when they encounter the differences... Read more

In 1988 the Congregation for Divine worship approved a set of adaptations to the mass to be used in the Diocese of Zaire that might rightly be considered the most dramatic adaptations to the Latin Mass of the Catholic Church to date. The Roman Missal for the Dioceses of Zaire is a unique attempt at liturgical inculturation, but it is not one that has developed without controversy. The issues that surround its inception and implementation highlight many of the concerns... Read more

MY OWN ENCOUNTERS WITH THE EUCHARIST IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCHFor the last five years I have gone to a Catholic mass every week, sat in a pew and observed Catholics take part in communion. This Eucharistic celebration of the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine is what the Catholic Church calls the source and summit of the life and mission of the church. The celebration of the Lord’s Supper truly constitutes the primary reason Catholics gather... Read more