2016-09-30T16:00:06-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

The eleventh century was a difficult time for Christians in Europe. Muslims had conquered the Levant—a far-reaching geographic region which encompasses modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and parts of Cyprus, Turkey and Iraq. The Holy Land, that part of the world where Jesus had walked and worked His miracles, was closed to Christians. Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Komnenos appealed to Pope Urban II, asking for western volunteers to help repel the invading Seljuk Turks. So it was... Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:06-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

Uh-oh. Got an email from the boss (that would be Elizabeth Scalia, who keeps this place runnin’ real smooth….) Tomorrow morning, the entire Patheos website is undergoing a Very Big Change. They assure me we’ll love it in the end—but like the Israelites en route to the Promised Land, we’re quite likely going to have some struggles along the way. It won’t take 40 years, though– I hope we’ll be back in business by Saturday afternoon. That’s good, because I’m... Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:06-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

On April 11, 1945, American troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald. The horror that the American soldiers found there was beyond comprehension: The camp held prisoners from all over Europe and Russia, including Jews and non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes, religious and political prisoners, Jehovah’s Witnesses, criminals, homosexuals, and prisoners of war. In addition to the hated Jews, Buchenwald held captive politicians, poets, concert pianists, architects and writers. Among the Buchenwald survivors were Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel;... Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:06-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

It’s one of those days when I’m scratching my head, wondering Just How Preposterous Can People Be.  It serves me right for reading the news, but please—let me explain:  “JESUS WAS MUSLIM, NOT CHRISTIAN” Reverend Louis Farrakhan, whose anti-Semitism and hatred for America have made headlines in the past, took the microphone Tuesday at Texas A&M University to offer these keen insights: Jesus was not Christian.  Benny Johnson, reporting in The Blaze, quotes Farrakhan:  “Because Jesus said, ‘Not My Will,... Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:06-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

In a series of talks last year, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the efficacy of intercessory prayer. He used the biblical patriarch Abraham as an example—reminding us of how Abraham prayed to God for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Not so!” cry about a half dozen people I know.  They buttress their argument by quoting 1 Timothy 2:5, “There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”  These devout and well-meaning friends believe, wrongly I think,... Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:06-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

Jeff Foxworthy, host of the popular game show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader,” has signed a contract with GSN (the Game Show Network) to emcee a Scripture challenge. The new show will be called “The American Bible Challenge.” According to a statement by GSN, questions will be designed to acknowledge and celebrate the Bible’s continuing importance in contemporary life and culture. Contestants on the show will share their personal faith stories before a live studio audience. Competing teams... Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:07-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

Hello, old friend! Gosh, it was so great to see you this morning! It seems there was snow on the ground the last time we happened to meet, squeezed together in a pew then, too, just as today. Last time, we sang Christmas hymns together; today, we sang of the Lord’s victory over the Cross. I know, things are a little confusing. The words have changed—not a lot, just a little bit, but it was sometimes hard for you to... Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:07-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

A glorious rendition of Keith Green’s joy-filled “Easter Song”–as performed by the Second Chapter of Acts. Happy Easter, everyone! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB53Sx7oK94&feature=player_embedded Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:07-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

What gives? Twice this week, I write about Father Michael Pfleger? The Chicago priest, unconventional as he may be, does not deserve this: According to the Chicago Tribune, he was awakened Wednesday morning at 2:15 by a knock on the rectory door at St. Sabina. The police were there, notifying him that someone had started a fire at the front doors of the church’s gymnasium, using a shirt that had been tied to the door handles. Father Pfleger isn’t surprised.... Read more

2016-09-30T16:00:07-05:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm   By

“Faith is a never-ending pool of clarity, reaching far beyond the margins of consciousness. We all know more than we know we know. ” –Thornton Wilder, The Eighth Day “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” –John 18:10-11 Thornton Wilder, great American playwright and novelist, wrote often about faith. In 1928 he published a book of “playlets” (what Wilder described as “three-minute... Read more

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