Category: modern church

Polish Vote Marks Resurgence of Conservative Catholic Values

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Church attendance may be falling in Poland as elsewhere across Europe, but the victory of conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party in Sunday’s election will likely advance the role of Roman Catholic values in public life and government.

CHR Comment: The comparisons are made with the high point in church attendance and Catholic piety in the 1980s. The changes are compelled by reactions to life issues such as in vetro fertilization, immigration, and materialism. A number of politically vocal priests are named.

Source: Polish vote marks resurgence of conservative Catholic values

Christian Churches Growing in Indonesia Despite Muslim Threats

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When a mob of Muslims swooped on a little church deep in rural Aceh in Indonesia this month, the local police were nowhere to be seen, although they had received warnings of a possible attack.

CHR Comment: The article points out that the Christian population of Aceh Singkil province has grown from 6% to 11% since 2000. That is a substantial change, which perhaps explains why Muslims, such as the Islamic Defenders Front, are growing more violent. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, has a Christian governor. Christians and Muslims intermarry and convert to one another’s religions.

Source: In Indonesia, minorities under threat from Muslim hardliners

The Divide in Catholicism

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The topic of Ross Douthat’s Erasmus Lecture for First Things magazine this week was “The Crisis of Conservative Catholicism,” a timely one given the recent public tussles over the Synod of the Family in Rome. On the same evening, a group of prominent Catholic theologians released an . . .

CHR Comment: Kaya Oakes looks at the divide in Roman Catholicism, which the writer characterizes as liberal Catholics v. conservative Catholics. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat is the conservative, whose recent article drew criticism. Toward the end of the article Oakes characterizes conservative Roman Catholics by certain liturgical practices rather than by specific doctrinal views or moral views.

Source: “Own Your Heresy”: The Argument Over Who Gets to Do Public Theology Takes a Sharp Turn | Religion Dispatches

Ben Carson Advisor, Retired U.S. Army Major General Robert Dees

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He’s a plainspoken outsider and a former neurosurgeon. Ben Carson has lurched to the front of the pack in the race to be the GOP’s presidential nominee. But his foreign policy ideas are raising questions.

CHR Comment: Although the article is supposed to be about Carson’s worldview, it turns to focus on Maj. Gen. Dees whom Carson met at church. The writer describes Dees’s views on Christian outreach and comments about Islam.

Source: The world according to Dr. Carson | Public Radio International

Defrocked Gay Vatican Priest Pins Hopes on Pope Francis

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The Polish priest announced on Oct. 3 that he was gay, on the eve of the Vatican’s synod on the family.

CHR Comment: The interview expresses significant disappointment in the synod on the family, the Vatican, and the Catholic Church in general. Charamsa does not think the church will change its doctrine. Yet the disaffected priest still expresses hope that Pope Francis will foster greater openness to homosexual Roman Catholics. One wonders how Charamsa’s public and defiant actions affected future discussions of the issues.

Source: Defrocked gay Vatican priest says he has no regrets

Christians Facing “Indonesian Jihad”

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If you look to the left as your plane approaches the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport near Jakarta, one can easily see the 153-foot Christ Blessing statue in off in the distance in Manado City.

CHR Comment: Christians in the Aceh region face opposition from the Muslim majority. The region is governed by Sharia law. In October a group of Muslim’s carrying axes and machetes attacked a church in Suka Makmur. 8,000 Christians were “displaced”; one person, thought to be a Muslim attacker, died from a gun shot. Tensions are increasing in the capital, Jakarta, as Christians from outlying areas move into the city to find work. Attempts to start churches are being violently opposed or stopped through prejudicial regulations.

Source: Christians facing ‘Indonesian jihad’ as churches burned on imams’ orders: report | Fox News#.Vkc4Ujgm4rg.email

Ben Carson Requests Prayer for Donald Trump

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U.S. presidential candidate Ben Carson recommended praying for rival Donald Trump after the real-estate mogul and television personality, in a 95-minute rant in Iowa, likened him to a child molester, Carson’s business manager said on Friday.

CHR Comment: Carson’s demeanor is helpful and positive in this stormy political season. The question is whether this approach is what voters are looking for.

Source: Carson’s comeback to Trump’s insults: ‘Pray for him’ | Reuters#ZBQpkGF8FbQ6xkuc.97

Christians among Troops that Retake Hol, Syria

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Kurdish Peshmerga forces pushed into the strategic town of Sinjar in northern Iraq, and a coalition of Arab, Christian, and Kurdish rebel factions recaptured another town from the militants across the border in Syria on Friday.

CHR Comment: Christian troops were among those who participated in the liberation of Hol, Syria. They are part of the Democratic Forces of Syria, which formed in mid-October, 2015.

Source: Kurdish forces retake towns in Iraq, Syria; dealing double blow to ISIS – CSMonitor.com

500 Years of Virgin Mary Sightings in One Map

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Apparitions of the Virgin Mary, inspiring wonder and devotion among millions, have been tracked for centuries.

CHR Comment: A fantastic visual exploration of popular Roman Catholic piety. The infographic charts show how the number of sightings has increased in modern times, perhaps due to better recording and reporting. This illustrates how important new revelations are to Roman Catholics. I will add a link to this on the maps page of Church History Review.

Source: 500 Years of Virgin Mary Sightings in One Map