The Intersection of Faith and Culture
I’ve been a Christian for about 20 years. The number one thing I’m tired of hearing? “Christians! What a bunch of hypocrites!” When I hear this or read it in a dreaded Internet comment, I want to raise both fists in exasperation and say, “Exactly!” Because here’s the thing, smug […]
“If a church in America isn’t growing younger or darker, then it’s not growing,” John Chandler Cleveland says to me over the din of clinking wine glasses and restaurant chatter. He and his wife China are en route between preaching engagements in Canada and their home in Southern California. I’m […]
On April 27, the Catholic Church added Popes John XXIII and John Paul II to its list of saints. About 800,000 gathered in Rome, pouring into St. Peter’s Square and its nearby streets, celebrating the lives of these holy men as they were recognized as heroes of the faith. Cities […]
Pope Francis reveals his spiritual boldness yet again. Recently at St. Peter’s Basilica he shocked the congregation by confessing to an ordinary priest before hearing the confessions of fellow priests during the ceremony. He continues to display his ability to lead with authority, without losing his humanity and integrity. The […]
OK, srsly. When is Pope Francis going to get his celebrity-status foreshortened nickname? A false intimacy with the Catholic Church’s quiet storm feels a lot more warm and life-affirming to my insides than with, say, RPatz or Brangelina. If only his name lent itself more easily to hyphenated monikers. Po-Fran […]
If you’re like me, you’re captivated by the new pope. Pope Francis has a way of making even the most staunch Protestants consider what the Catholic Church has to say. (But isn’t this is the way it should be? Shouldn’t we be unified as one church?) I recently read an […]