For at least 12 centuries, the Western church used the following collect on this coming Sunday: Let us pray (in silence) [that God will make us one in mind and heart] pause O God, you inspire the hearts of the faithful with a single longing, grant your people to love what you command and to
Resources for Easter Five Read More »
The image above, of three popes and a patriarch (no it’s not the beginning of a joke), may be unique in Christian history. The Copts have been separate from majority Christianity since the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451, the fourth ecumenical council. Pope Francis (for the Roman Catholic Church) and Pope Tawadros II (for
Three Popes and a Patriarch Read More »
On this site (and elsewhere), I am regularly urging churches and Christians to take up the positives and benefits of 21st-Century (and 20th-Century!) technology. This is a story where a church IS using available technology. I was having a drink with a couple of friends when in walked Salvation Army officer Peter Savage with a
Collecting in the 21st Century Read More »
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:17) πᾶσαι οὖν αἱ γενεαὶ ἀπὸ Ἀβραὰμ ἕως Δαυὶδ γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες καὶ ἀπὸ Δαυὶδ ἕως τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες καὶ ἀπὸ
Matthew in Slow Motion 11 Read More »
For many years now, in ethics classes for teenagers, I have been using the concept that artificial wombs look like they will be available in their reproductive lifetime as a debating topic. Now, news of an artificial womb for animals makes this discussion even more pressing. Then, this weekend, we read: Professor Sergio Canavero, Director
The Exsultet (Exultet) can be a good source of reflection during the Easter Season. The Exsultet originates from some time between the fifth and seventh centuries and is the traditional Western Rite hymn of praise intoned by the deacon during the Easter Vigil after the procession with the Paschal Candle. Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of
Using the word “Anzac” in any commercial context is illegal and carries a fine of up to $50,000. In 2015, Australian supermarket chain Woolworths ran an Anzac “Fresh in our Memories” campaign. It was taken down and was seen as the social media fail of that year. Might not Jesus, and his death, receive some
Making Money out of Christ’s Death Read More »
This year there were the usual suspects attacking me online, often anonymously, from the Bible-alone crowd, that Good Friday isn’t in the Bible, that I am living in darkness, that I am ignorant, that I was following “man-made” (sic) rules, and that Easter is a pagan celebration. Anita Lea (who has 95K followers on twitter
Even Pagans are Losing Their Religion Read More »
