Fifty seekers – and one protester – gathered at First Cannabis Church of Logic and Reason.
CHR Comment: This appears to be a publicity stunt rather than a genuine church. The organizer, Jeremy Hall, is described as an ordained minister but there is no indication of who ordained him or how he prepared for ordination.
Source: With a puff of smoke, Lansing’s Cannabis Church kicks off
Vector Architects has built a concrete chapel on a Chinese beach, but raised it up above the sands so that seawater can wash underneath
CHR Comment: The innovative design of this new chapel illustrates the enigma of Christianity in China where persecution and demolition of churches exists alongside new, creative development.
Source: Tidal waters wash underneath Vector Architects’ Seashore Chapel
Hundreds of Filipino villagers donning capes of banana leaves covered themselves in mud Friday in a ritual to thank their patron saint, John the Baptist, who they believe saved residents from killings by Japanese invaders in World War II.
CHR Comment: A fascinating memorial for an event in World War II. This festival might be studied as an example of how unusual religious rituals develop from actual events and convey meaning to the community of believers. Additionally, what will happen with this festival over time? How might it develop and grow to express new interests and concerns of the church in the Philippines?
For example, we know that the Lord’s Supper or Mass started out as a family memorial meal for Passover, which ancient Israelites regarded as historical and miraculous. Jesus transformed the Passover meal in His Passover prayers of thanksgiving, telling His disciples that the bread and the wine were His body and blood, and distributing them for the forgiveness of their sins. The disciples made this private family meal into a semi-public church meal, which became known as the agape feast. Members of the churches would bring food for a fellowship meal that included the rite of the Lord’s Supper. The Passover was transformed from an annual event into a weekly event at the center of the Christians’ worship. Additions were made to the rite, such as a cup of milk and honey that symbolized the blessings and abundance in Christ and the Promised Land (heaven). As the churches grew, church leaders likely found it difficult for congregations to host an entire meal for large crowds of people. So they stripped the meal of practices that they regarded as nonessential. The focus of the meal now rested fully on the consecrated bread and cup and the prayers that surrounded the consecration. These transformations of the rite took place over a few hundred years, inspired church musicians, visual artists, and church fathers to explain theologically what was taking place in the ritual.
Source: Mud-splattered Filipinos pray to saint for blessing and woes – The Washington Post
Today is the most important day in European politics since the collapse of the Soviet Empire.
CHR Comment: Editor R. R. Reno attempts a broader historical and theological evaluation of the Brexit issue, drawing on Augustine’s City of God.
Source: Britain Votes on Brexit Today. Here’s What’s at Stake | R. R. Reno | First Things
Property owners have asked Pastor Roger Jimenez to leave.
CHR Comment: A backlash, backlash, backlash development as persons in America reflect on the significance of the Orlando shooting. The Verity Church Website describes the beliefs of this independent Baptist congregation (see second link below). The third link is to Yelp reviews of the congregation, which include further backlash and a statement from Yelp that the review page will be cleaned up.
Source: Pastor Who Praised Orlando Shooting May Lose His Church
The growing Christian tourism industry presents history from a Christian point of view and often is based on a literal interpretation of the Bible.
CHR Comment: The article describes the upcoming opening of a Noah’s Ark exhibit built to biblical scale as well as six other Christian tourism sites that are open now or will open in the next few years. Some sites are like a theme park, others are like a museum.
Source: Newest tourist attraction to tap into Christian curiosity
When you need to find a text from a Church Father or a significant modern church leader on line, the link below is the place to look. To my knowledge, it is the most comprehensive page available to English readers. Save the page in your browser favorites. If there are other helpful sites that could be added, let us know.
Source: Sites and Texts for Church History (48) – church history review
Pope Francis said Thursday that the great majority of sacramental marriages today are not valid, because couples do not enter into them with a proper understanding of permanence and commitment.
CHR Comment: I waited to collect this story because it seemed incredible when I first read about it. I was sure there would be a follow up story. Now it is available. Pope Francis initially said that “the great majority of our sacramental marriages are null.” He has officially changed the transcript of his comments to say that “a portion of our sacramental marriages are null.” The article includes further comments about waiting to get married until couples have matured. However, the practice he describes in Argentina seems to assume that pre-marital sex is a given and not much of an issue. So where do Roman Catholic Christians go from here?
The second link below is to commentary from an American professor of canon law. Stay tuned on this issue.
Source: Updated: Most marriages today are invalid, Pope Francis suggests :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2016/06/what-francis-forgets-about-marriage
An Anglican diocese that represents three small South American countries has broken with local tradition and is allowing women to be trained and ordained as priests.
CHR Comment: Anglicans ordain Bishops, priests, and deacons. Different Anglican provinces have different standards for whether women may be ordained into these offices. (The second link below is to a detailed Wikipedia page that charts the practices in various provinces.) The Washington Post article also mentions that the change in practice may be due to the presence and growth of Evangelicals in the three countries but it does not name who these Evangelicals are.
Source: Guyana Anglicans to allow women to be ordained as priests – The Washington Post
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordination_of_women_in_the_Anglican_Communion
Associations have a chance to demonstrate their value to local churches.
CHR Comment: Researcher Ed Stetzer writes about the emergence of web-based associations between congregations, which is a new element to church life that contrasts with the use of local associations used for centuries. He recommends that local associations remain important because the local congregations understand local needs better than those involved in web-based associations.
Source: The Future of the SBC—Local Associations | The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer
church history review 