3.13.2017
CHR Comment: The article describes the social ethics of Rauschenbusch, Hauerwas, and refers to some conservative social ethics movements.
Source: The Christian social ethics project hits a wall | Religion News Service
Aid Workers Freed Amid South Sudan Famine
3.14.2017
(UPDATED) Eight staff members found safe and relocated.
CHR Comment: Tens of thousands are displaced. About 60% of south Sudanese are Christians. The famine is man-made due to fighting.
Pope Francis open to allowing married priests in Catholic Church
3.10.2017
The pontiff suggests easing the rules could address a shortage of priests in some areas.
CHR Comment: The article gives an example of a Brazilian diocese where there are 700,000 Catholics served by only 27 priests.
Source: Pope Francis open to allowing married priests in Catholic Church
Boycotting Disney
3.8.2017
Avoiding the subject of homosexuality will not prepare kids for the real world.
CHR Comment: The article expresses outrage that Franklin Graham and other conservative Protestants suggest the boycotting of a recent Disney film, which was announced to portray a homosexual character.
Source: Flaming hypocrisy in evangelical Disney boycott: Jonathan Merritt
Archbishop Chaput
3.6.2017
Recent, ugly nonsense about those who supposedly cannot refrain from sinful sexual relations is pastoral cruelty disguised as kindness. The voice of Archbishop Chaput, by contrast, strikes a welcome and profound note of clarity and true compassion.
CHR Comment: A brief essay concerning the Archbishop’s recent book, Strangers in a Strange Land, reflecting also on the importance of this bishop.
Source: A Book for Me and All Protestants to Read | Carl R. Trueman | First Things
Historic burials of children found in St. Augustine
3.2.2017
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — An archaeological dig in St. Augustine continues to marvel scientists and historians. More burials have been found, and some are children’s graves. They are children who may have been some of the earliest colonists in St. Augustine
CHR Comment: Parish records illustrate the higher mortality rate for children in the earlier years of settlement, according to the report.
Source: firstcoastnews.com | Historic burials of children found in St. Augustine
Why some Muslim Syrian refugees are converting to Christianity
3.3.2017
It’s illegal, or at least dangerous, for Muslims to convert in Muslim-majority countries.
CHR Comment: Jesus began appearing to the father in his dreams. Several months later the whole family was baptized. One bishop reports over 100 such Baptisms at his church alone.
Source: Why some Muslim Syrian refugees are converting to Christianity
Why Evangelicals are Trump’s strongest travel-ban supporters
3.3.2017
New polls show that, while support for a travel ban has dropped among most religious faiths, it has grown among Evangelicals – a sign of their cultural evolution and growing bond with the Trump administration.
CHR Comment: The article argues that Evangelicals have a “Christian America” theology, which feels threatened by Islam.
Source: Why Evangelicals are Trump’s strongest travel-ban supporters – CSMonitor.com
Study: Female Pastors Are on the Rise
2.27.2017
And so are our impossible expectations for them.
CHR Comment: According to Barna, one out of eleven Protestant clergy in America is a woman, though they tend to serve smaller congregations.
Source: Study: Female Pastors Are on the Rise | CT Women | Christianity Today
Tim Keller Stepping Down as Redeemer Senior Pastor
2.26.2017
The influential Reformed leader is moving away from his NYC pulpit as his church becomes three.
CHR Comment: Keller will continue service to the broader church by teaching at Reformed Theological Seminary in New York.
Source: Tim Keller Stepping Down as Redeemer Senior Pastor | News & Reporting | Christianity Today
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