2013-01-30T16:31:46-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:31 pm   By

Ask Southern Baptists to name their “religion” and most of them will simply say, “I’m a Baptist.” Ask Roman Catholics the same question and most will say, “I’m Catholic.” Odds are good that most Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians and occupants of other name-brand pews will take the same approach. However, some of these believers may choose to define “religion” more broadly and say, “I’m a Christian.” A researcher would certainly hear that response in scores of independent evangelical and charismatic churches... Read more

2013-01-30T16:31:57-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:31 pm   By

It’s becoming more and more dangerous for preachers to use the words “sex” and “sin” in the same sentence. Consider this question: Is sex outside of marriage a sin? Say “yes” and millions of believers who are sitting in pews will say “amen.” But that same affirmation of centuries of doctrine will offend just as many believers and nonbelievers, giving them an easy excuse to avoid congregations they believe are old fashioned and intolerant. “We have to recognize that our... Read more

2013-01-30T16:32:08-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:32 pm   By

Steve Strang knew the ground rules for the recent meeting between Sen. Barack Obama and a flock of evangelical, Catholic and liberal Protestant leaders. The invitation to the Chicago gathering stated: “This is an off-the-record (no media) time for questioning and listening, with no expectation of endorsement.” But it’s one thing to keep Obama’s answers off the record. As soon as the two-hour meeting was over, some participants began talking and writing about the questions they had asked. “I was... Read more

2013-01-30T16:32:25-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:32 pm   By

The alleged crime took place at the corner of Alum Rock and Ellesmere roads in Birmingham, England, where an officer spotted two missionaries distributing “God’s Bridge to Eternal Life” tracts. The controversial pamphlets contained comments such as, “Throughout history individuals have tried many ways to gain or earn eternal life, but every attempt has been unsuccessful.” There were Bible verses, such as, “Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. Titus... Read more

2013-01-30T16:32:37-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:32 pm   By

No doubt about it, Tony Blair’s press secretary delivered a memorable sound bite when a pushy journalist kept asking about faith, politics and the prime minister. “We don’t do God,” said Alastair Campbell. The nosey British press knew better. They knew Blair’s staff was discreetly finding him a Catholic pew on Sundays, no matter where his duties took him. Reporters heard insider reports about Blair reading his Bible every night at bedtime, even as he followed a culturally liberal drummer... Read more

2013-01-30T16:33:03-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:33 pm   By

One tough challenge that Catholic shepherds face, Pope Benedict XVI said this past Lent, is that their flocks live in an age “in which the loss of the sense of sin is unfortunately becoming increasingly more widespread.” The pope has consistently described the forces at work as “pluralism,” “relativism” and “secularism.” “Where God is excluded from the public forum the sense of offence against God — the true sense of sin — dissipates, just as when the absolute value of... Read more

2013-01-30T16:33:13-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:33 pm   By

The producers and writers behind “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” say the same thing when describing the challenge they faced bringing the novel to the screen. The problem, all agree, is that the second book in the classic seven-book fantasy series by C.S. Lewis is not structured like a movie. The book’s plot looks like this: The royal children from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” are whisked back to the magical land of Narnia, where they meet... Read more

2013-01-30T16:33:25-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:33 pm   By

While there are no cars in Narnia, screenwriter Stephen McFeely rolled out an automotive image to express the message at the heart of the second film drawn from the seven-book fantasy series by C.S. Lewis. At its heart, he said, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” describes what happens “when people lose faith, when you don’t keep Aslan in your windshield and he’s in your rear-view mirror.” But if the most important thing to do during a life-shaking crisis is... Read more

2013-01-30T16:33:33-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:33 pm   By

For millions of users, the World Wide Web has turned into a Devil’s den packed with urban legends, pop-up porn, Nigerian get-rich schemes and tidal waves of spam pushing medical products that make sailors blush. That isn’t how the Internet Evangelism Day team sees things. It notes that “over 1 billion people use the Web,” the “Internet is changing the world” and “God is using the Web to transform lives.” “The Internet has become a 21st century Roman road, marketplace,... Read more

2013-01-30T16:33:41-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:33 pm   By

If there’s one thing other Christians know about the ancient churches of the East it is that Orthodox believers usually get to buy their Easter candy at closeout prices. This year, the gap between the two Easter dates was so large — five weeks — that the leftover chocolate eggs had been cleaned out by April 27 and the great Orthodox feast called Pascha (Greek for “Passover”). “It’s true that when the Easters are not together, we don’t have to... Read more

Follow Us!
Browse Our Archives
TRENDING AT PATHEOS Public Square
What Is Catholic Integralism?
Electing A Virtuous President Would Make Immunity Irrelevant
Why The Olympic Games Are A ‘Civil Religious’...
Farewell For Now
Q: Why do Southern Baptists and like-minded Protestants...
Is Gambling Evil?
view all Public Square blogs