Barna’s study among unchurched adults shows that nearly four out of every ten non-churchgoing Americans (37%) said they avoid churches because of negative past experiences in churches or with church people.
There are seven justices on the Virginia Supreme Court. Only five heard the case. For the purposes of declaring 57-9 unconstitutional four of those would have to agree with the diocese. But the diocese also argues the statute does not apply. And the justices were most interested in probing the attorneys for both sides on the facts of the case, and whether the statute was even relevant.
The news on Episcopal parishes some weeks determines the theme: this week that theme is parish decline, transition, survival and recovery — transitions brought on
Ordained while gay — it’s the new driving while black. In a revealing campaign, Anglican Mainstream seeks to persuade you that sex with children reveals
“It is disturbing for me to see special interest groups distort my scientific observations to make a point against homosexuality. The American College of Pediatricians pulled language out of context from a book I wrote in 2006 to support an ideology that can cause unnecessary anguish and encourage prejudice. The information they present is misleading and incorrect, and it is particularly troubling that they are distributing it in a way that will confuse school children and their parents.”
I didn’t know where I was going, but I headed south and ended up at the Bosque del Apache. When I got out there, the light was turning to evening. I drove out to one of the dikes, and then pulled over and parked. None of the fancy birds were left: the sandhill cranes were gone as well as the snow geese. But there were red-winged blackbirds, Canada geese, and ducks, making their soft sounds.
Monastic wisdom has always recommended that everyone keep in mind their mortality. Benedict in his Rule suggests that the religious keep “death in mind at all times”. At first blush nothing seems to be less desirable. Why would I want to remember such a depressing thought? To our ears it seems like a morbid focus on the negatives.
The traditional Mohawk greeting of She:kon, skennenkowa ken literally translates into English as “Do you still have the Great Peace?” Most Mohawk speakers shorten the phrase, using “She:kon,” pronounced “say-go,” as slang for “hello.”
Come and see, says Jesus, kicking off his public ministry after his baptism. It’s a statement that’s got more than a little dare in it; more than a little edge. This is the Jesus that our rector Paul and I started referring to as ‘‘the Boyfriend.’’ We used it as a colloquial version of the ancient Christian name of ‘‘Bridegroom’’ for Jesus, but it felt more personal—and funny, if a little disturbing, because that’s how Jesus is.
At. St. Philomena, Father Damien . . . looked out over his flock. They dressed as finely as they could in their circumstances, the men in white shirts and the women in flowing holokus, wrapped around the waist with folds of colorful cloth. Garlands of flowers encircled their necks or were worm as bands on broad-brimmed hats. The bouquets served double duty. . . . Skin eruptions gave off an odor even beneath fresh bandages.