This is a challenge that evangelicals need to consider. With our megachurch, church-growth mindset, we often assume that bigger is better, and a church with lots of members is a strong church. Is this always true? In our efforts to reach the secular culture, is the secular culture instead sometimes reaching us?
The ideal would be to have both size and purity. But might there come a time when American evangelicalism too will need to be winnowed? —•
Good! A twist on "liberation theology" - this time the Vatican will use theology to liberate people from the socialists.
I wish this guy was 25 yrs younger. God bless Pope Benedict XVI.
"Eighty percent of Spaniards are Catholic, but only a third of them go to church and follow its teachings."
Well then - hate to be too logical here- then only a third of the 80% ARE Catholics.....duh.
>>"If it's true Pope Benedict XVI prefers a leaner, smaller, purer church as he has spoken of before," said Notre Dame professor R. Scott Appleby, "we could see a withering of certain Catholic institutions because they're not considered fully Catholic. This might include Catholic colleges, hospitals, and other Catholic institutions."
The more I read about our Holy Father, the more I LOVE him!
No, the result will be fewer "Catholics." Get 'er done, Pope Benedict!
The Church has spiritual authority over the state, not temporal authority. If this gentleman seriously thinks that is unBiblical, he needs to explain away Samuel, Nathan, and Elijah ... just for starters.
Our new Pope is a very clever man. He used the liberal's separation of church and state demand against them in dealing with rouge priests working with Marxist governments in Central America. He won't be easily outwitted by liberals, no matter how intellectually superior they think they are.
if catholicism is to have any meaning, it is going to have to put it's foot down every now and again.
The Body of Christ will always be few (narrow is the way, and few who find it). Hence, even large evangelical churches, the RC church, and even mainline protestant churches only contain a small subset of those in the Body. The rest have conformed to the world, but like to call themselves Christians. But, the Bride of Christ (universal, not exclusive to one denomination, and being called out by God) will be presented spotless to Her Bridegroom - redeemed by His own blood. Maranatha!
AHA!
So there is to be a TEST for membership in the
Roman Catholic church.
Whodabelievedit?
There are a few more institutions that require a TEST of membership.
Membership in the Judicial Branch of government needs a TEST based on swearing allegiance to the Constitution AS WRITTEN.
Employment in this country needs a TEST of legal residence.
On the matter of civil disobedience:
Jesus did not admonish us to obey un-Godly laws. He taught that money belongs to the government. Life belongs to God.
When the government takes a life, whenter by court order or legalizing abortion it is playing God. The government can take all the money it prints. It can not take the life that it does not give.
There must be a TEST for the law, any law. The test must be administered in the heart of the believer. Does obedience to the Law require separation from the Will of God? If it does it must not be obeyed.
Thank you Pope Benedict.
Bump.
Okay, I'll tell them right now.
The man who Should have been Pope.
From a nun in Fort Dodge...
What you probably don't know about the recent conclave to select the new pope is that there is one particularly qualified and distinguished man who could not be selected.
Bishop Hans Grapje was raised in a Catholic school in The Hague. As a young man, he aspired to become a priest, but was drafted into the army during WWII. He spent two years flying aboard B17s as a co-pilot until, in 1943, his aircraft was shot down and he lost his left arm.
While a POW, Hans spent the remainder of the war as a chaplain, giving spiritual advice and last rites to dying soldiers, allied and enemy. He was renowned for his ecumenical tenderness and compassion.
After the war, Grapje became a priest and served as a missionary throughout Africa. In spite of his handicap, he was noted for piloting his own bush plane into the deepest, most primitive villages to spread the church's message and charity to the impoverished.
In 1997, then Archbishop Grapje was serving at an outpost in Zimbabwe when an explosion in one of the country's vast silver mines caused a catastrophic cave-in. The archbishop, in spite of his age and infirmity, went down into several of the shafts to administer last rites to those who would never escape.
He was in one of these shafts when it partially caved in, trapping him and several rescuers. Although he was rescued three days later, he suffered several painful injuries, including one that cost him his right eye. Additionally, the silver content in the shaft's air supply had poisoned him, causing his skin to take an indigo hue - a condition known as argyriasis - that persists to this day. Although the Cardinal has devoted, and indeed risked, his life in the service of God for nearly 70 years, as a scholar, a mentor, and the epitome of a holy man, church politics preclude his ascension to the Papacy.
Church leaders have made it clear they don't want a one-eyed, one armed, flying purple, Papal leader.
Now THAT is a good tagline.
They should start by kicking all the queers out of the seminaries -- fast. The, perhaps, heterosexual men will be willing to go to the seminaries to become priests.
Actually, I think the pope would be glad if these nominal Catholics became faithful Catholics.
This could get very interesting.
But this teaching has largely been a dead letter. The bishops in America have called for disobedience to the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions precisely ONCE, in April of 1973. The rest of the time, they have called upon Catholics to DISAGREE with the Supreme Court's decisions.