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At a conference for environmental journalists in Wisconsin, Al Gore dodged questions on the many identified errors in his global warming movie, An Inconvenient Truth. "We're very close to that political tipping point," Gore said. "Never before in human history has a single generation been asked to make such difficult and consequential decisions." While the audience of environmental journalists were largely in agreement with Mr. Gore's presentation and his positions, one Irish journalist and filmmaker asked Gore about the many scientific errors that were found in Gore's global warming movie, An Inconvenient Truth. "A judge in the British High Court,...

Pastor Benny Hinn: Charlatan or Man of God? October 09, 2009 Lauren Green. Pastor Benny Hinn is being investigated by the Senate Finance Committee and was recently denied entry into the United Kingdom. The press has been bad, he says, because the media doesn't understand him. But the Texas-based faith healer, whose "Holy Spirit Miracle Crusades" pack sports arenas across the United States, is fielding questions about his controversies nonetheless. He says he needs to voice his concerns over the land of his birth, Israel, and the threat to it posed by a nuclear Iran — which he talks about...

Hold On to Your Dream Today's Scripture "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria At some point in life we all face hardships. It may be something physically or emotionally challenging. Or it may be a dream or an opportunity that we missed out on. Whatever your difficulty is, don't let it discourage you from believing in God's best. The enemy wants to keep you focused on everything negative that's happened, but don't let him steal the dreams God has given you....

Take Action Today's Scripture "…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Have you ever met a person who prayed one way and spoke another? One minute they’re believing for their dreams to come to pass, and the next minute they're talking about how they're never going to get where they want to be. What they haven't realized is that their actions aren't working together with their faith. This lack of consistency doesn't do our prayers any good. God wants our words, actions and beliefs to...

Trust over Fear Today's Scripture "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe" (Proverbs 29:25, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Fear is one of the enemy's favorite tools to keep us from going forward in our lives. As soon as we make a decision to step out in faith and do what God is telling us to do, immediately the enemy will bring fear. He'll put thoughts in your mind like, "What if I fail? What will others think? Maybe I don't have what it takes." He'll...

Write the Vision Today's Scripture "…Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it" (Habakkuk 2:2, ESV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Most businesses today have a mission statement that talks about the purpose of the company. In life, every person should also have their own mission statement. What's your purpose? What are you dreaming about? What are your goals? How are you going to use your talents and abilities? Many people have an idea about where they are headed in life, but something supernatural happens when you write down your vision...

Get into Position Today's Scripture "Sing, O childless woman, you who have never given birth…" (Isaiah 54:1, NLT) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Sometimes, when we don't see our dreams and desires coming to pass, we can feel empty and barren like a woman who is unable to have children. But look at what this verse is saying: if you've got unborn promises, don't just sit around in defeat. Don't just give up and say, "Too bad for me." No, God says when you're barren, the first thing you need to do is sing a song of praise....

From arch-dissenter Father (he doesn't like using the title) Richard McBrien in arch-liberal publication National Catholic (they shouldn't get to use the title) Reporter: "Eucharistic adoration, perpetual or not, is a doctrinal, theological, and spiritual step backward, not forward." (source)Yes, I'm sure Jesus doesn't want us worshipping His substantial presence (sarcasm). Seriously, remind me why the Catholic News Service Twitter (the official news agency of the US Catholic Bishops) continually publicizes National Catholic Reporter articles?! Here's my quote of the day: "Supporting NCR, perpetually or not, is a doctrinal, theological and spiritual step backward, not forward." Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration...

In many places where perpetual, or even frequent, Eucharistic Adoration has been made available, there have been great benefits. But Richard McBrien of Notre Dame is again Eucharist Adoration. In his latest piece for the dissenting, ultra-liberal National Catholic Reporter McBrien wrote this with my emphases and comments: ... The practice of eucharistic adoration began in the 12th century, when the Real Presence of Christ was widely rejected by heretics or misunderstood by poorly educated Catholics. The church saw eucharistic adoration as a way of reaffirming its faith in the Real Presence and of promoting renewed devotion to it. However,...

President Barack Obama will deliver a eulogy at US Senator Edward M. Kennedy's funeral Mass on Saturday, a White House official has told the Globe. Kennedy's funeral will be held at a time yet to be determined Saturday morning at The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Mission Hill section of Boston. Commonly known as the Mission Church, the 1,450-seat basilica on Tremont Street was built in the 1870s. Kennedy prayed there in 2003 while his daughter, Kara, was being treated for lung cancer.

Be Faithful with Little Today's Scripture "He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much" (Luke 16:10, AMP) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Many people today are not experiencing God’s favor like they should simply because they’re not passing what I call, the small test. We have to be faithful with the little things in our lives before God will entrust us with bigger things. For example, being excellent in the workplace for you...

Living Breakthrough Minded Today's Scripture "For You, O Lord, are my Lamp; the Lord lightens my darkness" (II Samuel 22:29, AMP) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria I’ve learned when things are difficult and don’t look like they are going our way, that’s when it’s the easiest to lose our joy, vision, and enthusiasm; to believe that things will never get any better. But during those challenging seasons in life, we have to learn to do just the opposite. Right in the midst of the adversity, that’s the time–more than ever–to expect a flood of His favor; a flood...

A Mark of Honor Today's Scripture "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling" (Proverbs 20:3, NLT) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria I’ve found that for most people, it can be easy to start a fight but hard to end one. It’s easy to get offended and say things that we know we shouldn’t, but once you get started, it’s difficult to stop. It’s hard to let it go. That’s why the scripture tells us that it’s much better not to ever even start a quarrel. If you want God to honor you,...

FREIBURG, Germany April 21, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - According to the chairman of the Catholic bishops' conference of Germany, the death of Jesus Christ was not a redemptive act of God to liberate human beings from the bondage of sin and open the gates of heaven. The Archbishop of Freiburg, Robert Zollitsch, known for his liberal views, publicly denied the fundamental Christian dogma of the sacrificial nature of Christ's death in a recent interview with a German television station. Zollitsch said that Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like...

He Anoints Your Head with Oil Today's Scripture “…You anoint my head with oil" (Psalm 23:5, NKJ) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria In the Bible, oil is symbolic of the anointing of God. Do you know what oil does? It makes things flow. Whenever there is friction or something gets stuck, putting oil on it makes it become more fluid. That’s what God wants to do for you. He wants to anoint your head with oil. When he does that, notice what David says in Psalm 23, “Because God anoints me, because...

Stance about-face at issue. BY JULIA DUIN Evangelical leaders say they are bewildered and stunned by the Rev. Rick Warren's apparent turnaround on gay marriage after the famous California pastor said earlier this week that he was not a proponent of California's Proposition 8. Mr. Warren told CNN's Larry King on Monday that he "never once even gave an endorsement" of the proposition, which said marriage in the state could only involve one man and one woman. The measure won at the polls last November by a close margin, in effect negating an earlier California Supreme Court ruling allowing gay...

From The Times April 8, 2009 Tony Blair tells the Pope: you're wrong on homosexuality Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent Tony Blair has challenged the “entrenched” attitudes of the Pope on homosexuality, and argued that it is time for him to “rethink” his views. Speaking to the gay magazine Attitude, the former Prime Minister, himself now a Roman Catholic, said that he wanted to urge religious figures everywhere to reinterpret their religious texts to see them as metaphorical, not literal, and suggested that in time this would make all religious groups accept gay people as equals. Asked about the Pope’s stance,...

Angie Harmon is not afraid to come out and say she doesn’t like how President Obama is handling the job — but she’s sick of having to defend herself from being deemed a racist. Excerpt Full article HERE

Redeem the Time Today's Scripture “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NLT). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Time is the most valuable commodity in life that we have. It’s more valuable than money. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you woke up this morning, God gave you a present called “today.” And with that gift comes a responsibility. The Scripture tells us to redeem the time, to make the most...

Free From Bondage Today's Scripture “…I will free you from their bondage and I will rescue you with an outstretched arm…” (Exodus 6:6, AMP). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria No matter what’s going on in your life, no matter how somebody is treating you, God has a plan to free you from everything that would try to hold you back. He wants to rescue you and show you His mighty hand of favor and blessing. One translation says “with special and vigorous action.” What does that mean? That means, if you will stay in faith even in the...

A talk with The Rev. Richard P. McBrien Life as a theologian, commentator - and lightning rod By Michael Paulson December 28, 2008 CATHOLICISM IN AMERICA is riven by internal debates - often about gender, sexuality, and authority - and seemingly unending controversies, about politics and parish closings and the handling of sexual abuse. Whenever one of these battles catches the attention of the evening news, one of the likely commentators is the Rev. Richard P. McBrien, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame who is one of the most visible interpreters of Catholicism to the American public. McBrien...

He Answers You Today's Scripture “I will answer them before they even call to Me…” (Isaiah 65:24, NLT). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Have you ever thought about something you wanted or needed, and suddenly that need was supplied—before you ever even stopped to pray about it? God knows your needs before you even speak them. He wants to provide for you and answer the very desires of your heart. When you put Him first in everything you do, when you faithfully follow His commands, He’ll pour out an extra portion of His goodness and favor upon you....

Choose Life Today's Scripture “…I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19, AMP) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Every day we have the opportunity to choose thoughts of life and victory or choose thoughts of defeat and despair. God promises that when we choose His ways, we are choosing life and victory. Imagine that you’re holding a glass of dirty water. It’s full of all kinds of particles, sand, and dirt. If you were to start pouring good, clean water into that glass and let it overflow, eventually,...

Rescued From the Curse Today's Scripture “Christ has rescued us from the curse…” (Galatians 3:13, NLT). Today's Word from Joel and Victoria I had a lady tell me the other day that she came from a very negative environment. The people who raised her were constantly putting her down. She didn’t feel like she measured up to her sister. She couldn’t seem to keep a good relationship and never got any good breaks. She finally said, “Joel, my life has been one disappointment after another. I think these people have literally cursed my future.” I told her what I’m...

The preliminary pretense of Abrahamic piety over, the Dem leadership could then return to their New Age devotions. Yesterday, they held some interfaith gathering in which Sr. Helen Prejean made clear that she utterly rejects what the rest of us call "orthodox Christian faith": Following the hot topic of abortion, Sister Helen Prejean tackled another: calling for abolition of the death penalty to raucous applause at the DNC's interfaith gathering. She received nothing but a stony silence, however, when she questioned the basis of the biblical crucifixion story as a "projection of our violent society." "Is this a God?" Prejeans...

The priest who took part in a women's ordination ceremony has met with his superiors. And this afternoon, the National Catholic Reporter filed this summary: Maryknoll Fr. Roy Bourgeois, who concelebrated a Mass at a women’s ordination ceremony earlier this month, has met with leaders of his order religious order, calling the meeting “productive.� Bourgeois told NCR that he and the Maryknoll leadership had agreed that in the future they would work in conjunction on important issues of justice and faith, including the role of women in the church. A report based on the day-long meeting Aug. 18 between Bourgeois...

The Case for choices within the Roman Catholic Church is a very important not only for the Church Hierarchy but for all catholic people active or lapsed. Fact we have amalgamations and or closing down of churches in Europe and America on a grand scale exception is Poland who have seen a growth both to the Roman Catholic Church and the National Catholic church which Rome does recognise as valid. Anglican Clergy can do a quick conversion course and receive Catholic Orders along with his wife and kids. However if Fr o flattery dares to have an affair out he...

From the time Anglican pilgrims arrived in Jamestown, it's as if America and the Episcopal Church have been soul mates – for better or for worse. Now come the country's culture wars over sexuality, conservative versus liberal, change versus tradition. And the 2.4-million-member denomination that has given us more U.S. presidents than any other, along with its first-ever woman leader, is not being spared. Nearly five years after a gay priest was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, the fallout continues. One diocese has seceded from the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Dozens of congregations,...

THE leader of the world's Anglicans has described the Christmas story of the three wise men as nothing but a "legend" and has said not all followers must believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has picked apart elements of the Christmas story, including how a star rose high in the sky and stood still to guide the wise men to Jesus's birth place. Stars simply don't behave like that, he told the BBC during an interview. Dr Williams said there was little evidence that the three wise men had existed at all....

Washington, Dec. 11, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The US bishops' conference has issued a caution on the work of a Georgetown University theologian. After a lengthy investigation that was undertaken at the suggestion of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the US bishops' doctrinal committee issued a statement on December 10 saying that the work of Father Peter Phan contained "pervading ambiguities and equivocations that could easily confuse of mislead the faithful." Father Phan, a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, came under scrutiny because of his book, Being Religious Interreligiously. Church officials questioned whether...

 The Rev. J. Gaston Hebert, Little Rock diocese administrator, speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007, in Little Rock, Ark. Hebert announced Wednesday that six Arkansas nuns have been excommunicated from the Catholic Church for heresy. (AP Photo/Mike Wintroath) 6 Ark. nuns excommunicated for heresy   By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago   LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Six Catholic nuns have been excommunicated for heresy after refusing to give up membership in a Canadian sect whose founder claims to be the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, the Diocese of Little Rock announced Wednesday. The Rev....

NZers misled by unfounded sea level claims Monday, 6 August 2007, 12:42 pm Press Release: New Zealand Climate Science Coalition New Zealanders being misled by unfounded claims about sea level rises Media release (immediate) 6 August 2007 New Zealanders being misled by unfounded claims about sea level rises New Zealanders should not be misled by unfounded claims about dangerous rises in sea levels says Professor Nils-Axel Mörner, a leading world authority on sea levels and coastal erosion. He in a short visit to this country and he has addressed audiences at Victoria, Auckland and Waikato Universities. Until his retirement, Professor...

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) On the other hand: "Jesus is not the only way to God . . ." Rev. Ann Holmes http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reader_feedback/reader_feedback.php?id=171 http://tinyurl.com/36ss36

“The primates of the Anglican Communion have utterly failed to recognize the faith, relationships, and vocations of the gay and lesbian baptized,” said Integrity President Susan Russell, responding to the communiqué released today from Dar Es Salaam. “Let us pray it doesn't take another hundred years for yet-unborn primates to gather for a service of repentance for what the church has done to its gay and lesbian members today, as they repented in Zanzibar yesterday for what it did to those the church failed to embrace as full members of the Body of Christ.” The Rev. Michael Hopkins, immediate past...

FRESNO, CA--An Episcopal diocese in California overwhelmingly passed a series of resolutions yesterday that position it to secede from the Episcopal Church and affiliate with conservatives in the global Anglican Communion. If the Diocese of San Joaquin affirms the move in a second vote next year, the small diocese, with 48 parishes and 7,000 members, would be the first to try to break from the Episcopal Church, which has been torn by conflict since the consecration of a gay bishop in 2003. Until now, only individual parishes have severed ties. The vote by the diocese is one more step in...

Two years ago, movie director Theo van Gogh’s throat was cut on a street in Amsterdam in the name of radical Islam. I had partaken in his last work, Submission, where we represented, in the most accurate way possible, the condition of Muslim women: tyranny, humiliations, violence. In this film, we showed Muslim women who had finally rebelled, talking to God in a tone of defiance. It made Imam Fawaz of the Hague scream with hate during the delivery of a vengeful sermon. My friend Theo, the “criminal bastard”, was subsequently riddled with bullets and stabbed to death with a...

Read it all. I died laughing. It is all just so…typical…from 815.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville bishop has excommunicated a defiant priest. Officials said the Reverend Rouville Fisher's decision to join a national organization promoting a married priesthood has resulted in his excommunication. It was the first excommunication since Victor Galeone became bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine in 2001. A diocese spokeswoman said the action disqualifies Fisher from performing or participating in any church rites, but it does not strip him of his lifelong Catholicism. Fisher was excommunicated because he joined Rent A Priest, an organization of Catholic priests removed from ministry because they married. The organization provides priests...

Warning: Link leads to site with racy ads not depicting loving, committed relationships MONTREAL - The openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson created quite a buzz at of Outgames' first International Conference on LGBT Human Rights as he called for all those who have left their houses of worship to go back and reclaim what is rightfully theirs. "The Radical Right has taken our sacred texts hostage," Robinson told the morning plenary crowd. "The story of God's relationship with humankind includes all of us. LGBT people should be involved in their communities of faith and be a witness." Robinson spoke...

by Mark Finkelstein May 17, 2006 If the Da Vinci Code was already feeding the flames of controversy with its challenge to the basic tenets of Christianity, actor Ian McKellen managed to throw a refinery tank's worth of gasoline on the fire on this morning's Today show, asserting that the Bible should carry a disclaimer saying that it is "fiction." Matt Lauer, on his second day "On The Road With The Code," was in Cannes for the film festival, where the Code will have its debut. It has already been screened to some critics, who have given it decidedly mixed...

The spiritual leader of the world‘s Anglicans does not believe that creationism -- the Bible-based account of the world‘s origins -- should be taught in schools. "I don‘t think it should, actually. No, No," said Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, reflecting on the bitter education debate over religion and science that has so divided the United States in particular. Williams, head of a church which has no problem with the Darwinian theory of evolution, told the Guardian newspaper: "I think creationism is, in a sense, a kind of category mistake, as if the Bible were a theory, like other theories."...

'Speeches come and go, but policies continue' by Jim Wallis The president's State of the Union address sounded like it was cut and pasted from so many old speeches. There was nothing new last night. Easily agreed-to rhetoric about freedom, growth, opportunity, and civility hides the facts: 1. George Bush's foreign policy, and the way he fights his war on terrorism, is making our families less safe and secure, not more. His war in Iraq was based on false pretenses and has utterly failed. Yet, the president doesn't seem to have the capacity for self-examination, or the moral sense to...

I have heard the terms "heresy," "apostasy" and "schism" used in describing people and beliefs not in agreement with our Catholic faith, but I suspect that those terms are often used incorrectly. What are their proper definitions? The Church distinguishes three specific genres of what it calls the sin of "incredulity" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2089). Heresy is the obstinate denial by someone baptized of a truth which is to be believed with divine and "catholic" faith, or it may be an obstinate doubt about such a truth. Apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith. Schism...

Catholic League Not Amused By ‘VILE’ Leary Special By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - Updated: 12:15 AM EST The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has put Worcester homey Denis Leary on its Naughty List and the religious group is demanding that Comedy Central ax future showings of his “vile special” “Denis Leary’s Merry F#%$in’ Christmas.” “Hate speech dressed in humorous garb is still hate speech,” said Catholic League president Bill Donohue. “Leary is obviously bedeviled by some disorder but nothing excuses this crap.” In the Yuletide yukfest, the “Rescue Me” star has a...

DENIS LEARY’S SICK IDEA OF HUMOR Tonight [November 29], Comedy Central will air a special by Denis Leary, “Merry F#%$in’ Christmas” (it first aired two nights ago and is scheduled to air again on Dec. 17). The show consists of several skits, a cartoon and musical performances. There is a skit about lesbian nuns, and a song by “Our Lady of Perpetual Suffering Church Choir” about a hooker. But by far the most offensive part of the show is the monologue by Denis Leary on the origins of Christmas. Here is part of what he says: “Merry Christmas. Tonight we...

The fuel driving this science education debate is easy to understand. Scientists are suspicious that Christians are trying to insert religious beliefs into science. They recognize that science must be free, not subject to religious veto. On the other hand, many Christians fear that science is bent on removing God from the picture altogether, beginning in the science classroom--a direction unacceptable to them. They recognize that when scientists make definitive pronouncements regarding ultimate causes, the legitimate boundaries of science have been exceeded. For these Christians, intelligent design seems to provide protection against a perceived assault from science. But does it...

Dublin, Nov. 25 (CWNews.com) - The Archbishop of Dublin has said that homosexual men are not excluded from ordination as Catholic priests, according to a report in the Irish Times. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin made his remarks on November 24, in response to questions about the Vatican Instruction indicating that homosexual men should not be admitted to priestly training. The Irish archbishop said that he could not respond fully to questions on that issue since the Vatican document had not yet been officially released. The document became public after a leaked copy was published in full on an Italian web site...

SALT LAKE CITY -- Gordon B. Hinckley never expected any of this. Not living to the age of 95, and certainly not becoming president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Oh, no. Never in my wildest dreams, of course, as a young man did I ever think ... no," Hinckley said during a rare conversation with reporters at church offices in Salt Lake City on Monday. "At one time I had the ambition to do what you're doing. What a wonderful thing it was that I escaped that," he joked. Hinckley instead went to work in church...

In the fall of 2004 I led about 20 parishioners through a 15-week study of the Revelation to John. It was a gratifying and challenging experience. Equipped with commentaries and a reading plan, we set out to discover what this part of scripture had to offer. We found plenty. I began the class with a sketch of the cultural and political situation of the churches to which Revelation was written and a word of caution in the form of two quotations. I repeated Martin Luther’s dictum that “Revelation reveals nothing,” and pointed out that many Christians are, unfortunately, like Luther...

From a "homily" given at St. Bede the Venerable Church in the affluent community of La Cañada. I'm gonna give you a little bit of a trade secret here that we don't often mention from the pulpit. And that's something about Church law itself which says that Church law is to be applied more strictly the more generally it's applied and it's to be applied more loosely the more particularly, specifically, it's applied. What that means is if I am standing up here and we have a discussion going, let's say, on birth control. As a Catholic priest I'm sort...