Do we really need to believe in certain miracles to be Christians? That is the question Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times asked Evangelical pastor Rev. Tim Keller and more recently former President Jimmy Carter. The answer Kristof seems to want is, “No, you can be skeptical about the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection […]
With the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation coming up later this year, it’s sad to note that while great strides have been made in ecumenical outreach between the various Christian communities out there, there are still many things that divide us. However, there are more than a few Christians, typically those outside of mainline Protestant […]
I first began to understand certain mystical truths as I prayed at the place where Jesus was crucified on the first Good Friday. I have written about some of these insights when I spent a night in the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, but some were too much for me to understand at the time, and […]
As a cradle Catholic, I spent every Sunday morning in church, every Wednesday night in Faith Formation Classes and then as I got older, every Sunday night in youth group. My faith was a part of my everyday life, and just as my brain does not have to remind my body to breath, I never […]
I was working in a Youth Summer Conference job (they were very similar to Steubenville conferences) when I had the most uncomfortable experience in my life. The summer staff, ten of us split into two groups of five, were blindfolded and put in a car by our bosses. We drove for what felt like three […]
As a child I thought that being a Catholic was simple. One must say grace during meals, attend Mass on Sundays and other days when required, and occasionally say the rosary. I attended a Catholic grade school (with actual nuns!), and received the sacraments of baptism, confession, communion, and confirmation. The religious instruction seemed as […]
Sharing the Catholic faith with our separated brothers and sisters can be a challenge, especially when there isn’t a shared understanding of early Church history. Many still believe that the Catholic Church was actually created when the Emperor Constantine signed the Edict of Milan, making the Christian faith legal in the Roman Empire. The other […]
A Love-Hate Relationship with Sexual Freedom Our culture has a love-hate relationship with the ideas of sexual liberation that spewed out of the sixties and seventies. By promising instant gratification and sexual self-realization, the sixties and seventies crafted a narrative in which the purpose of sexuality was totally separate from procreation. This liberation has created […]
Today’s secular society operates on an array of levels when it comes to belief, truth, and moral relativism. For this reason, it becomes necessary to examine these entities in our world to provide an adequate response to moments when their meanings become convoluted. Belief and truth can convey deeply held convictions of an individual or […]
As a Catholic, I am often challenged about our use and reverence for the crucifix. The most common charge has been that the crucifix focuses on Christ’s death and fails to celebrate the Resurrection. But as Catholics we recognize these two events are necessarily intertwined. Each time we reflect on the image of Christ […]
I was involved in an online discussion last week on Facebook and the points raised in the discussion illustrate many erroneous ideas many people, including some Catholics, have about abortion. I pray some of the counterarguments in the debate may be of help to you if you become engaged in an argument with people who make […]
Almost 70 years ago a famous but now somewhat forgotten debate took place on BBC radio between Bertrand Russell and Rev. C. J. Copleston, S.J. The topic of the debate was whether or not God existed. Russell, a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, political activist, and self-described atheist, argued against God’s […]
Amoris Laetitia. Regrettably, both Catholic and secular media seem to be dancing to a cadence of increasing hysteria. These bold-print emotional barrages are spreading undue anxiety into the ranks of otherwise placid and well-reasoned Catholics, who previously exampled more stoic equilibriums. De Facto Schism! Heresy and Scandal! Pope Francis leading the Church into confusion? Traditional […]
You probably had your first experience of reality long before you were born, in your mother’s womb. From that experience, a small handful of crucial ideations were created. It was your first experience of otherness, as well as your first experience of selfness because I came in contact with something that was not I. This is […]
In his book, Proving History, Bayes’ Theorem and the Quest for the Historical Jesus, atheist activist Richard Carrier contends that reports in Christian scripture can be determined to be false by the application of Bayes’ theorem. He claims that by this method, it can be demonstrated that Jesus of Nazareth is not an historical person […]
Trained to evangelize, with social media at their fingertips, modern Catholics might be surprised to discover that the most effective missionaries are still those who humbly carry Christ in their hearts to others. When Catholics actually carry Christ, they are filled with the love and joy of the Lord which is infectious. These ordinary folk spread […]
In the sight of my foes. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Psalm 23:5 The Faith Advantage Nothing else compares with Sanctifying Grace, a share in the life of the Trinity. In spite of its heavenly orientation, the Grace of the Faith overflows into all human endeavor. This is most notable in […]
As a devout Catholic father of two kids in public schools, I have often found myself at odds with an educational curriculum that presents to kids as “fact” a worldview I consider not only incorrect but in many areas downright propagandist, even insidious. Let’s call this worldview the “cult of self-esteem”. Twice-Weekly “Self-Love-Ins” For example, when my […]
Raphael Lataster is a teaching fellow in the studies of religion at the University of Sydney. Lataster and Trent Horn, a Catholic apologist, debated one another on the topic Does God Exist? in May, 2016 at the University. At the 45th minute of the debate, Lataster chides Horn for failing to formulate probabilistic arguments in […]
Forty years ago, when I was still a Protestant, I looked at Catholics with suspicion. Catholicism seemed like a cult that worshiped Mary and idolized statues. I pictured Catholics rattling off memorized prayers as clouds of eerie incense billowed around them, bells rang, and candles illuminated their pagan rituals. Ironically, I now endure similar misconceptions […]
We all face difficult moments of darkness and anxiety when things can become difficult. Some may become disillusioned with life and lose hope. During these challenging times, hope can also be misunderstood. We may think that it is having a positive attitude or being optimistic. We may place our hope in things of this world, […]
Devotion to Mary Brought Me Closer to God
I have always had a special attraction to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ever since I was a child, there was something about seeing a statue of Mary or her image in a painting that drew me to her. Out of the fullness of revealed truth that is contained in the Catholic Church, I have always […]
Can Christians Believe in a Christ Without Miracles?
Do we really need to believe in certain miracles to be Christians? That is the question Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times asked Evangelical pastor Rev. Tim Keller and more recently former President Jimmy Carter. The answer Kristof seems to want is, “No, you can be skeptical about the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection […]
Easter and Building a Curriculum of Hope
I have been working in the field of education for more than twenty years now. And every time I come to reflect upon the fruits of Easter, I always try to connect it to the work of educating young people. This month, I have decided to write about the relationship between the Resurrection story and […]
Catholics and Mental Illness: Coming Out of the Shadows
Since mental illness is as common and invisible among the faithful as it is in secular circles, concern for mental health cannot simply be relegated to the secular sphere, especially during Mental Health Awareness month in May. I admit the topic of how and why Catholics experience mental illness might seem completely irrelevant to most Catholics. […]
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