http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/protestants/ en-us Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:16:35 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2032066/posts President Bush may follow in the footsteps of his brother Jeb and convert to Catholicism, several European papers are reporting. In the wake of the president’s visit to see Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, Italian newspapers, citing Vatican sources, said Bush was open to the idea of converting to Catholicism. The Italian newspaper Il Foglio referred to such talk about Bush’s possible conversion and stated that “anything is possible, especially for someone reborn like Bush.” Noting that Tony Blair converted to Catholicism after leaving office as Britain’s prime minister last year, the paper also stated that “if anything happens,... Newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2032066/posts#comment Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:16:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1993130/posts My niece's husband is a trainee Baptist pastor. Jimbo's hip, friendly, and fun to be with. He's smart and theologically savvy. I like him. He loves Jesus and believes the Bible, and on most moral and doctrinal issues I can affirm what he affirms. We agree on a lot. But even when we agree, we don't see eye to eye. Somehow we seem to have reached our religious conclusions from different starting points and through different routes. A chapter in Mark Massa's book Anti-Catholicism in America illuminated the problem for me. Massa quotes an important theological work by David Tracy,... Inside Catholic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1993130/posts#comment Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:25:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1981139/posts The Times March 6, 2008 That Martin Luther? He Wasn’t So Bad, Says Pope Richard Owen in Rome Pope Benedict XVI is to rehabilitate Martin Luther, arguing that he did not intend to split Christianity but only to purge the Church of corrupt practices. Pope Benedict will issue his findings on Luther (1483-1546) in September after discussing him at his annual seminar of 40 fellow theologians — known as the Ratzinger Schülerkreis — at Castelgandolfo, the papal summer residence. According to Vatican insiders the Pope will argue that Luther, who was excommunicated and condemned for heresy, was not a heretic.... Times Online (London) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1981139/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 04:13:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1967303/posts The Future Lies in the Past -- Why evangelicals are connecting with the early church as they move into the 21st century.Many 20- and 30-something evangelicals are uneasy and alienated in mall-like church environments; high-energy, entertainment-oriented worship; and boomer-era ministry strategies and structures modeled on the business world. Increasingly, they are asking just how these culturally camouflaged churches can help them rise above the values of the consumerist world around them. For younger evangelicals, traditional churches are too centered on words and propositions. And pragmatic churches are compromising authentic Christianity by tailoring their ministries to the marketplace and pop culture.... Christianity Today http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1967303/posts#comment Fri, 8 Feb 2008 21:32:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1958384/posts In a videotape titled "The Pope: The Holy Father," Catholic apologist Scott Hahn claims the proliferation of Protestant denominations proves the Reformers' principle of sola Scriptura is a huge mistake: Do you suppose that Jesus would say, "Well, once I give the Church this infallible scripture, there really is no need anymore for infallible interpretations of scripture. The Church can hold together just with the infallible Bible." Oh, really? In just 500 years, there are literally thousands and thousands of denominations that are becoming ever more numerous continuously because they only go with the Bible. It points to the fact... TeamPyro http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1958384/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:25:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1893176/posts Does the seizure of the Labour leadership north and south of the border by Presbyterian progeny signal the revival of religion in British public life? Both Gordon Brown and Wendy Alexander are self-consciously "children of the manse": happy, we are told, to bring their Protestant sensibility to bear upon public policy. Whether it is opposing supercasinos, or rolling back cannabis liberalisation, or calling for a "coalition of conscience" against the atrocities in Darfur, the Presbyterian ethos of "giving witness in life" has returned to the higher echelons of government. But this is eyewash: the Protestant mindset has rarely played less... New Statesman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1893176/posts#comment Sat, 8 Sep 2007 17:48:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1865124/posts In an act of jaw-dropping hubris, Pope Benedict Joseph Ratzinger recently declared Protestantism's churches "not true churches." In an effort to underscore the wisdom of such a position at this time, he then had his "document" signed by none other than Cardinal William Levada, a pro-gay, pro-pedophile, pro-molestation cleric hailing recently from San Francisco and Portland. Apparently hypocrisy is in abundant supply in the Vatican larder. Levada is one of the papal appointments that causes either great puzzlement about (or gives great insight into) this Pope's orientation. Fresh off of scandals in his previous appointments, Levada received one of the... Bloggers & Personal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1865124/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jul 2007 01:25:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1863942/posts Pope Benedict XVI declared yesterday that Christian denominations other than his own were not true churches and their holy orders have no value. Protestant leaders immediately responded by saying the claims were offensive and would hurt efforts to promote ecumenism. Roman Catholic- Anglican relations are already strained over the Church of England's plans to ordain homosexuals and women as bishops. The claims came in a document, from a Vatican watchdog which was approved by the Pope. It said the branches of Christianity formed after the split with Rome at the Reformation could not be called churches "in the proper sense"... Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1863942/posts#comment Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:55:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1777701/posts My lucubrations for today’s webposting would like to argue just this one single point: Doctrinal clarity is lost when Catholics call Protestant heretics. To be sure, that habit of unthinkingly hurling accusations of heresy at Protestants pretty much died out after the Second Vatican Council, when talk of “separated brethren” became all the rage. But a random spot-check of some Catholic blogsites of a conservative bent–where heresy is often used as the term of choice when these bloggers are in their Colonel Blimp harumphing mood–tells me it’s time for some clarity here. Which prompts the following reflections. First of all,... First Things http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1777701/posts#comment Fri, 2 Feb 2007 01:52:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776877/posts Seventeen-year-old Stephanie Sanchez had been impregnated for the third time by Adrian Estrada, her youth pastor, when she was strangled and stabbed, prosecutor Scott Simpson told jurors Tuesday in Estrada's capital murder trial. Estrada had held Bible studies and ministered to Sanchez in his role as youth pastor at El Sendero Assembly of God church, Simpson said in opening statements. And in December 2004, when she was 16 and he was 21, he took her to abort her first pregnancy. By the time she was killed a year later, Simpson said, Estrada was interested in another young girl. "Rather than... Express-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776877/posts#comment Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:42:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1750827/posts Canada's Christians have been trounced and their venture into the sacrosanct precinct of secular politics has proved a singular failure, brayed the heathen last week, after the House of Commons endorsed gay marriage by a much bigger majority than when it approved of it last year. The heathen in this case was a senior columnist in the super-secularist Globe and Mail, who wrote in undisguised exaltation: "Thoughtful evangelical Christians must [now] ask themselves some hard questions, such as: 'Isn't it about time we admit we've failed? That, both here and in the United States, our efforts to influence the political... Worldnetdaily.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1750827/posts#comment Sat, 9 Dec 2006 06:09:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1750555/posts A watchdog committee at Westminster has said the Goverment isn`t tackling the underperformance of Protestant pupils urgently enough. The committee has sent the Department of Education an end of term report. It grades the department on what it has done to lift exam results in loyalist areas. The verdict: could do a lot better. GCSE Maths: Appalling performance; literacy and numeracy: progress manifestly unsatisfactory. In fact the latter criticism applies across Northern Ireland. The Public Accounts Committe reports that one in five pupils leaves school here without being able to read and write properly. But though concerned with the broad... UTV (Ulster Television) Belfast, Northern Ireland http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1750555/posts#comment Fri, 8 Dec 2006 19:21:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1741842/posts My great-great-great-grandfather was named Moses. My cousins have names like Sarah, Deborah, Jeremy, Judith, Esther, Raphael, and Samuel.... Yet I do not (as far as I know) have a single drop of Jewish blood in my veins. Neither did I, nor any member of my family, convert to Judaism. But philo-Semitism, which often includes an emotional identification with the Jewish people, is part of the heritage of the community I was raised in: The French Huguenots, or Protestants.... But perhaps the most moving example of Protestant efforts on behalf of French Jewry occurred in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a small, all-Protestant town... Azure http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1741842/posts#comment Tue, 21 Nov 2006 01:21:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1737510/posts The Church of England has broken with tradition dogma by calling for doctors to be allowed to let sick newborn babies die. Christians have long argued that life should preserved at all costs - but a bishop representing the national church has now sparked controversy by arguing that there are occasions when it is compassionate to leave a severely disabled child to die. And the Bishop of Southwark, Tom Butler, who is the vice chair of the Church of England's Mission and Public Affairs Council, has also argued that the high financial cost of keeping desperately ill babies alive should... Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1737510/posts#comment Mon, 13 Nov 2006 01:21:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1737258/posts The Church of England believes doctors should be given the right to withhold treatment from some seriously disabled newborn babies in exceptional circumstances, The Observer reported. The view comes in a submission from the church to a British medical ethics committee looking at the implications of keeping severely premature babies alive through technological advances, the weekly newspaper said. The Bishop of Southwark, Tom Butler, was said to have written that "it may in some circumstances be right to choose to withhold or withdraw treatment, knowing it will possibly, probably, or even certainly result in death". Last week, Britain's Royal College... Yahoo News & AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1737258/posts#comment Sun, 12 Nov 2006 14:06:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1688213/posts Pity the poor values voter. She's all dressed up, but does she have anywhere to go? In 2004, she was the darling of the election. Now she feels like a wallflower, taken for granted by the Republicans and mocked by the Democrats. "Values voter" is, of course, a euphemism for evangelicals and conservative Catholics. It is more politically correct to use the euphemism than to acknowledge that one's religious faith actually influences their decision in the voting booth. After all, one must take care not to run afoul of the radical notion of separation of church and state promoted by... Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1688213/posts#comment Tue, 22 Aug 2006 20:26:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1679260/posts Some have joked that Presbyterians are "denser" in Pittsburgh than anywhere else. All over Allegheny County, you can find Presbyterian churches within a stone's throw of each other, and despite population losses, Western Pennsylvania continues to have more Presbyterians than any other region of the nation. There's a strong historical reason for that. It is connected to a group of immigrants who were a bedrock of the region's early settlement, but whose role in American history is virtually unknown to many people. They are the Scots-Irish, although it's not a term they originally would have applied to themselves, according to... Pennsylvania Post-Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1679260/posts#comment Mon, 7 Aug 2006 16:28:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1640838/posts When it comes to salaries among some church leaders, the policy seems to be "don't ask, don't tell," even though tithes from parishioners pay those salaries. While Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches have no qualms about revealing pastors' salaries, many local Protestant churches do not reveal salaries to nonmembers. Salaries of pastors at Protestant churches tend to be set by overarching religious associations or by a church board or both. The figure is often based on the church's location and parish size. Salaries tend to fall within the lower to upper middle-class range. A general rule among Protestant churches may... Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1640838/posts#comment Tue, 30 May 2006 22:59:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1585451/posts Terry Villaire, 69, has a neatly trimmed black goatee, pudgy expressive hands and penetrating dark eyes that are hard to avoid, even from the back pew.During a recent Mass at Holy Angels Parish in Fort Lauderdale, Villaire seemed more like a party host than a presiding bishop as he circulated, distributing kisses on ready lips and cheeks. Just as effortlessly, he slipped into the solemnity of a centuries-old ritual, singing over a wine chalice and wafers.''Our motto is love without judgment, and that's piqued some curiosity,'' said Villaire, a former Roman Catholic priest who's now a bishop in an independent... Miami Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1585451/posts#comment Sat, 25 Feb 2006 18:40:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1578939/posts Has anyone noticed the almost complete disappearance of Protestants from our nation? "What!" I can hear my readers exclaim, "Storck has really gone off his rocker this time. Why, just down the street there's an Assembly of God church and two or three Baptist churches and the Methodists and so on. My cousin just left the Catholic Church to become a Protestant and my niece just married one. Moreover, evangelical Protestants have many media outlets of their own and they have great influence in the Bush Administration. They're everywhere." All this, of course, is true. Except that for some... NOR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1578939/posts#comment Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:22:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1530894/posts ... In the last decade or so, though, the Chinese government has started a full-out effort to become the world’s leading super-power. Unfortunately for them, though, they don’t have a free-enough social system to support a free market. As Donald Rumsfeld pointed out in a July 19, 2005, interview with radio talk-show host Rusty Humphries, "Now, they [China] have a political system that is not a free political system, so that to me is a contradiction to having a relatively free economic system" [DoD News Transcript]. The reason that the Communist Chinese government is beginning to allow more freedoms is... Nadd.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1530894/posts#comment Wed, 30 Nov 2005 01:54:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1530891/posts New research shows that there are potentially 30,000,000 Christians in China ... Perhaps the seed for future democracy? ... Full story on this week's Nadd.com ... Nadd.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1530891/posts#comment Wed, 30 Nov 2005 01:44:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1530435/posts Reformation Day October 31, 1517 It was a Wednesday. It was a Wednesday, October 31, 1517. It was not really all that much different from the thousands of other Wednesdays that had come before. It was fall, of course, and the air had cooled down and the leaves were putting on a wonderful show of color along the River Elbe on the hillside. It was nice time to be a German. It was a nice time to live in rural Germany. The harvest had been plentiful. That is, it had been as plentiful as the white sand fields surrounding the... Arlington Presbyterian Church http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1530435/posts#comment Tue, 29 Nov 2005 15:02:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1527946/posts Elaine Pagels, the famous historian of early Christianity, once told a revealing story about the social world behind the scenes of high-powered biblical scholarship. As a young up-and-coming professor at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, she was invited to a closed-door, after-hours smoker. The men there (Pagels was the only woman) were all prominent Bible scholars. Many of them didn't even believe in God, and those who still called themselves Christian were anything but orthodox. The liquor flowed freely, and as these men got in their cups, they began to sing old gospel songs. To her... Christianity Today http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1527946/posts#comment Thu, 24 Nov 2005 15:22:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1527600/posts The surprising origins of "We Gather Together," a Thanksgiving standard. Its mention of God makes it verboten in schools today. But not too many years ago this was the season when teachers would lead their students in the great ecumenical Thanksgiving hymn, "We Gather Together to Ask the Lord's Blessing." It's a singable melody, and the stirring lyrics speak directly of the Pilgrims' experience in overcoming religious persecution. The Opinion Journal (Wall Street Journal) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1527600/posts#comment Wed, 23 Nov 2005 21:42:04 GMT