Pope Francis set up a commission Tuesday to study the role of female deacons in the Catholic Church.
CHR Comment: The topic came up in May. This announcement makes the study official.
Author: edengelbrecht6
Art Restoration Gone Wrong
The children thought the etching of a skier had become faded, so they scratched over it to make it easier to see.
CHR Comment: The article refers and links to the 2012 story of an attempt to restore a fresco, which resulted in the destruction of the fresco. Although churches benefit from owning valuable art, they also face the daunting challenge of maintaining it and protecting it.
Cold War Churchman, Cardinal Franciszek Macharski Dies
Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, a popular Polish prelate who served for many years as archbishop of Krakow, inheriting a position opened by the election of Pope John Paul II, died on Tuesday. He was 89.
The Moral Case for Trump? Further Critique of Grudem’s Arguments
In recent weeks, as the reality of Donald Trump’s nomination has continued to settle, op-eds have begun to circulate on social media claiming to make a “moral” case for his candidacy. These are addressed to an evangelical readership, and built to appeal to traditional evangelical beliefs.
CHR Comment: Grudem’s argument that a vote for Donald Trump is morally correct continues to receive criticism, this time from Eric C. Miller of Religion Dispatches. Miller’s critique is very direct, citing examples of Trump’s behavior and noting that they do not match up well with the moral behavior expected of Evangelicals. He also criticizes what he describes as the Republican-Evangelical alliance, holding that this political arrangement is harmful to Evangelicalism since its leaders must prop up a candidate that does not fit with their doctrine and practice. The Republican-Evangelical alliance dates to the Reagan years and involved the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition. Recently, James Dobson of Focus on the Family was cited as saying that Trump was a convert to Evangelical Christianity.
Grudem’s arguments for supporting Trump have intensified the political debate for American Christians as persons from both parties argue that their candidate fits best with Christianity while many Christians are dissatisfied with the character of both Trump and Clinton.
Boston Mob Boss Resurfaces in Memphis as Pastor
Robert “Bobby” Luisi Jr. realizes some people will dismiss his conversion as a fraud.
CHR Comment: Luisi now goes by the name Alonso Esposito, has a ministry under that name, and a charismatic preacher. He moved to Memphis through the witness protection program. He is releasing a book about his experience, which is perhaps why the article was written.
Why Voting for Donald Trump Is a Morally Good Choice – Wayne Grudem and His Critics
Some of my Christian friends tell me they can’t in good conscience vote for Donald Trump because, when faced with a choice between the lesser of two evils, the morally right thing is to choose neither one. They recommend voting for a third-party or write-in candidate.
CHR Comment: Grudem is a well known Evangelical theologian. His opinion piece on townhall.com is criticized by Jonathan Merritt in Religion News Service and by Michael Stark in the Huffington Post. I am posting links to all three opinion pieces below so readers can explore them. I will add a few observations:
Merritt attacks Grudem for publishing a book on politics, which he does not like/disagrees with. His argument is that Grudem is not an expert on the topics in his book on politics so he should not dare to publish on them. I suppose that since so many of us are not experts on political or policy issues, by Merritt’s reasoning, we are excluded from expressing opinions about the issues. He seems to advocate a world run by experts when we live in a republic that requires the involvement (voting) of persons who are not experts. Merritt’s reasoning is odd and really just a personal attack on Grudem.
Stark’s article seems better written but, not surprisingly, differs with Grudem in its arguments and conclusions. One line in Stark is very telling and potentially confusing to readers. He writes:
“If it is a duty to vote, as Grudem says, then we ought to vote for the candidate that is least objectionable and will promote freedom to the greatest amount of people.”
Stark is not describing Grudem’s view but his own view when he refers to promoting freedom to the greatest amount of people. Stark is presenting an argument for consequentialist ethics, with greatest freedom as the highest value in politics. In connection with this, he emphasizes the love of Jesus as a means of Christianizing the argument.
In contrast, Grudem is arguing something quite different. He asks:
“Which vote is most likely to bring the best results for the nation?”
As a more traditional Christian ethicist, Grudem is thinking in terms of divine-command ethics rather than consequentialist ethics. He is not concerned about calculating what most people regard as the most valuable but what God has said is most important or “best” as he puts it. So Grudem and Stark are working with very different systems of ethics. They are interpreting and applying the Bible in very different ways.
Source: Why Voting for Donald Trump Is a Morally Good Choice – Wayne Grudem
http://religionnews.com/2016/07/30/wayne-grudem-donald-trump-politics/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-stark/voting-for-trump-is-not-a_b_11290252.html
Saints’ Blood and Bones Inspire Catholic Pilgrims in Poland
Relics of saints aren’t rare in Krakow, especially these days.
CHR Comment: The article describes the relics of three persons: St. John Paul II, Mary Magdalene, and Polish nun and mystic, Faustina Kowalska. This illustrations the strength of traditional Roman Catholic devotion in Poland. Additionally, Pope Francis is showing special devotion to Mary Magdalene, whom he sees as an important example for current Catholics.
Source: Saints’ blood and bones inspire Catholic pilgrims in Poland – The Washington Post
Supreme Court May Be Converting on Religion
Protections for religious liberty could give way to discrimination claims
CHR Comment: The article opens with a case about a family-owned pharmacy being forced to stock and sell contraceptives against their religious views (most likely Roman Catholic). Justice Alito sees a trend away from religious liberty toward emphasis on equality in the justice system. The fundamental conflict at work is two different ethical systems: consequential ethics vs. divine command ethics. Christianity, at its root is committed to divine command ethics, though modernist Christians are increasingly attempting to wed the two ethical systems.
Muslim Blasts Extremists at Friday Prayer with Christians
Muslims and Catholics joined in Friday prayers at the mosque in the Normandy town where an elderly priest was slain this week, with one imam chastising the extremists as non-Muslims who are “not part of civilization.”
CHR Comment: The article explains that the Catholics had sold the plot of land to the Muslims so that they could build a mosque. Moderate Muslims want to rebuild peaceful relations.
Source: Muslim blasts extremists at Friday prayer with Christians
How the Vatican Can Shed Light on the Holocaust
The Vatican has refused to open all of its World War II archives. Pope Francis’ visit to Auschwitz on Friday is the perfect moment to change policy.
CHR Comment: The Vatican Archives are a historic treasure and likely hold a mountain of information about the greatest global conflict in history: World War II. They recently released information about the World War I sinking of the Lusitania and the Armenian Genocide. If these releases are an indication of their policy, the archive will not likely release documents until the 2030s or 2040s.
Source: How the Vatican Can Shed Light on the Holocaust – The New York Times
church history review 