Per Christum

During his visit to the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI addressed obstacles to Christian unity at an ecumenical gathering. Without naming the Episcopal church, the pope seemed to be addressing them and other mainlines that act in the name of being “prophetic” at the expense of classical biblical and historical Christianity. The pope worries, as do many conservatives in the mainlines, that some Christian leaders are embracing the same type of relativism popular in secular culture. Over at Kendall Harmon’s blog, there is discussion about the pope’s address. However, some have suggested Benedict was actually addressing innovators in the Catholic Church that employ similar reasoning as progressives in the mainlines; his words are appropriate for both.

I think the pope is right-on here. The mainline pursuit of a certain interpretation of “social justice” is straining ecumenical relationships. When I was in graduate school, many students and professors strongly advocated changing classical Christian positions on various moral and social issues, and disobeying current canons and rules if necessary. I found that the driving force behind this change was a trendy and militant concept of “justice” and “being prophetic.” This drive for change was so strong, that it didn’t matter who or what was trampled along the way: canons, Scripture, Tradition, ecumenism, church members, etc. Two examples of this attitude stand out in my head. The first was a future Episcopal minister who said she didn’t care what the Bible or Tradition said about same-sex unions; for her, it was a “justice issue,” and that settled it. The second was when I let a professor know that I was concerned about the effects the consecration of Gene Robinson would have on ecumenism. “What about Rome?” I asked (at a time when I was not considering joining the Catholic Church). He said, “who cares what Rome thinks!” “Why does everybody always ask what ‘Rome’ thinks?” There you have it: being prophetic trumps ecumenism, biblical teaching, and just about anything else. The Episcopal church (and, to a lesser extent, other mainlines) is pursuing its modern vision of “justice” at the expense of ecumenism and, if statistics are any indication, members.

Now, let me say, the mainlines have every right to do this, and pursue ecumenism in their own way (as the Catholic Church does). However, Catholic , Orthodox, and evangelical leaders are not fooled: many mainlines are pursuing a revisionist agenda (”revisionist” in the sense of rethinking classical Christian doctrines and morality), and they can’t claim to be theologically orthodox and morally traditional when their actual policies and actions show otherwise. A vague concept of “resurrection” is not a substantial point of unity; sharing belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus is. If the mainlines want closer ecumenical relations with Rome, Constantinople, and even evangelicals, then they are going to have to rethink recent deviations from Scripture and Tradition in the name of being prophetic; if they don’t want it, that is fine, but neither Orthodoxy nor Catholicism is going to betray Scripture and Tradition for the sake of being “relevant” in 2008.

See Combox for the author.

“I do not deny that there are differences between the Churches, but I say that we must change our way of approaching them. And the question of method is in the first place a psychological, or rather a spiritual problem. For centuries there have been conversations between theologians, and they have done nothing except to harden their positions. I have a whole library about it. And why? Because they spoke in fear and distrust of one another, with the desire to defend themselves and to defeat the others. Theology was no longer a pure celebration of the mystery of God. It became a weapon. God himself became a weapon!

I repeat: I do not ignore these difficulties. But I am trying to change the spiritual atmosphere. The restoration of mutual love will enable us to see the questions in a totally different light. We must express the truth which is dear to us – because it protects and celebrates the immensity of the life which is in Christ – we must express it, not so as to repulse the other, so as to force him to admit that he is beaten, but so as to share it with him; and also for its own sake, for its beauty, as a celebration of truth to which we invite our brothers. At the same time we must be ready to listen. For Christians, truth is not opposed to life or love; it expresses their fullness. First of all, we must free these words, these words which tend to collide, from the evil past, from all political, national and cultural hatreds which have nothing to do with Christ. Then we must root them in the deep life of the Church, in the experience of the Resurrection which it is their mission to serve. We must always weigh our words in the balance of life and death and Resurrection.

Those who accuse me of sacrificing Orthodoxy to a blind obsession with love, have a very poor conception of the truth. They make it into a system which they possess, which reassures them, when what it really is, is the living glorification of the living God, with all the risks involved in creative life. And we don’t possess God; it is He who holds us and fills us with His presence in proportion to our humility and love. Only by love can we glorify the God of love, only by giving and sharing and sacrificing oneself can one glorify the God who, to save us, sacrificed himself and went to death, the death of the cross.

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“I realize what I am going up against

but I will confront my fate with my head high,

with my back straight and the interior strength

of one who is certain about his faith.”

— Magdi Christian Allam.

Some voices in Europe and other places are presently criticizing the pope for his high profile baptism of Magdi Allam at the Easter Vigil. They assert that the pope is somehow taunting Islam and unnecessarily putting Mr. Allam’s life in danger, and perhaps the pope’s as well. I cannot know the pope’s mind. But I would like to suggest why he might do something so dramatic and frankly foolish in the eyes of the world:

I think the pope is making all kinds of points.

• He wants to uphold the example of this man who has stood up to Islam already for many years.
• He also wants to make an issue of the Muslim practice of assassination of those who convert out of it. Imagine the shame heaped on Islam if Allam is killed.
• He wants to show Muslims that reasonable and rational people, the very best of Islam are ashamed of what Islam has become.
• He wants to make a point to sleepy Europeans that Christianity is a faith worth dying for.
• He wants to give all the world an example of Christ-like willingness to die for the good, rather than to kill.
• He wants the world to know that it is superior to suffer violence than to commit it.
• He wants to show the world the moral and spiritual superiority of Christ and Christianity.
• He wants to show the world that the willingness to innocently suffer violence for one’s faith is not reserved to the earliest ages, but is a very present reality.
• He wants to highlight that Christians throughout the world willingly suffer violence for their faith every day.
• He wants to bring about religious freedom, a true liberation of personal conscience in the lands of Islam.
• He wants to give the Muslim world an example of Christian virtue that they will notice.
• Should Mr. Allam or Benedict lose their lives, he would want to offer martyrs for the sake of the Muslim world.

Finally, Magdi Allam, now on the world stage, may be safer than if he had not been in the spotlight. Who knows?

From Whats wrong with the world?

Annotated bibliography of historical apologetics online is a fun page to look at. Largely Protestant, but very much worth the time and effort of a Catholic to look at some of these historic arguments that were generally geared towards post-Christian diests. Mrs. McGrew writes:

I’m pleased to announce that an annotated bibliography of apologetics works from the late 17th through the 19th centuries is now available here. It contains links to the works in question, available in the public domain.

It is entirely the work of my husband, Tim McGrew, in one of his areas of specialization. He has been working on it for some time before being satisfied that it’s ready to be made public. But he is very interested in making these works more widely available. The men who answered the Deists in their own time get far too little credit nowadays and deserve to be more widely known and read than they are.

Pastors, youth leaders, and professors who work with Christian young people could do far worse than to familiarize themselves with some of the apologetic work that was done in the past. Those who have an interest in apologetics should acquaint themselves with the pre-20th-century material so as not to reinvent the wheel.

Feel free to pass this link on to others who might find it useful.

Well OK, I will! There ya go.

Once, when riding a MUNI bus in San Francisco, I noticed a group of blue-turbaned fellows getting on with their kirpaans. I immediately thought, “Ah, Sikh transit! Gloria MUNI.”

- Tim Ferguson in the combox over at The Cafeteria is Closed.

A great deal of misinformation has been circulating about the web as to the nature of the kirpan that Sikhs wear about their person… Lest people think of modern Sikhs as some wild armed faction, it might be good to talk about the kirpan…

The ceremonial dagger is, as often as not, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and is worn underneath clothing on the thigh. I knew a gent when I was in college who gave a lecture in a sociology class about his Sikh faith… It was revealed he wore his underneath his clothing and it was rather small. When asked if we could see it, he smiled and declined… he was not interested in undoing his pants, and showing us his drawers to access it…

In all actuality, if someone had started some trouble, for him to reach for this would have entailed dropping his trousers to access it before taking on some miscreant with a small knife and his pants around his ankles.

Not very threatening is it?

In all reality most are about as dangerous as the pocket knives every red-blooded American school boy would have ALWAYS had on them in the 50s & 60s (before they would have been arrested for possession of a weapon!)… A practice my father - who never leaves the house without his altar boy rosary, wallet, and pocket knife - carries on today.

(I used to keep a small Swiss Army knife in my wallet… I lost the wallet. Now I am mostly known to travel with a wine-key/bottle opener for party emergencies…)

It is worth noting that well before 9/11 it was the practice of any Sikh who was flying to simply pack the ceremonial dagger in his checked luggage, and confirm that he had done so with security who were trained to know about this custom and were respectful of it.

So as a radical moderate on this one, let me point out that NO, they are not sword wielding extremists with daggers stained in blood like wild-eyed soldiers of fortune… and NO it isn’t that unreasonable for the Secret Service (the party responsible for US security) to ask that they check them at the door before a 45 minute meeting with the Pope in the same fashion they get check them at the airport for 10+ hour flights overseas.

Am I alone in noticing the remarkably low key and casual approach to yesterday’s visit of the PoC and the Pope? As a matter of fact, I would not be the least bit surprised if the majority of our readership was totally unaware that the Patriarch of Constantinople was in Rome yesterday for the 90th anniversary of his Roman alma mater (yes, the Patriarch like many Orthodox clergy studied in Rome!) and while there “stopped in” to see the Pope.

In my imagination it went something like this…

“Hey Ben!”“Bart! What are you doing in town?!?!”

“Goin’ to my reunion… how’s life?”

“Great… just working on this encyclical… was getting ready to take a Fanta break - want one?”

“Trying to cut back! Thanks though… Wanna hit the chapel?”

“Let’s do!”

I am not sure what to make of it - if it represents a significant thaw in relations or if it represents a friendship and closeness that is very casual anymore or a sign of something altogether different.

Either way, it used to be the case that such visits were talked about for months or weeks in advance with a lot of photo ops and plans made for joint celebration of prayer services…

This was all very downplayed - made the news a day or two before the event, and not much details except that they prayed together in Latin - the Ecumenical Patriarch initiating the Ave.

Very interesting.

More interesting still? “Bartholomew invited by the pope to participate in the synod of bishops“

With the recent death and appointment of a new leader to Mormonism, as well as the (now abandoned) candidacy of LDS member Mitt Romney in running for the GOP nomination, there has been some considerable coverage of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints these past few weeks.

I was watching a PBS special on Mormonism in America the other evening that was fairly balanced. Showing some of the cultural and social life of Mormonism, as well as the way large close-knit families are so encouraged, I thought PBS did a fair job of avoiding the sensationalism that Mormonism sometimes invites (or demands). Yes, we all know about the polygamy of the past (practiced by breakway sects only today) and the “Mormon underwear”, the ownership of Marriot and the baptism for the dead.

Most folks don’t know about the:
+ tithing of gross income,
+ monday night family meeting and prayer services held in the home,
+ community life that has included communal farming to support the needy
+ the welfare associations they started to help their own and then help others,
+ fact that they have NO paid ministers,
+ they have an estimated 30B+ in assets,
+ but have suffered NO financial scandals,
+ the emergency relief services (Mormons were on the way to New Orleans before Katrina hit. When the Prez, the Governor, the press and everyone else was flying over New Orleans, they were there. Even before Oprah.)

Frankly, I am enamored by their dedication and homelife. It is easy to understand how very attractive the LDS could be to many folks who see the positive sides of Mormon homelife, lifestyle choices (no drinking, smoking, caffiene!) and dedication to thier church both financially and volunteer wise. Frankly it was humbling to see such dedication.

Most people also don’t know that the youth are raised expecting to go on missionary trips… In one segment they showed young men preparing for “The Mission” - the two year period where they go out, door to door, trying to share their faith. What most people may not know is that most of those kids are doing that when they are 19… After 3-4 months of intesisve preparation at one of 12+ mission preparation centers throughout the world they are sent forth for 24 months to invite people to join thier community.

Camera crews following two young men in New York (or Chicago?) showed the abuse some of these young men recieved. Honestly, I thought it was pretty sad. These affable young kids go out, leaving behind friends and family after having been raised singing childhood hymns about the glory of being missionaries, do mean well. They also largely have little success. The foul language against them is embarassing to me. I can’t help but wonder if one of the benefits of sending youth out to be treated so poorly for 24 months is to confirm them in the thinking that there is no place like home.

So if it happens to be the case that you are out walking and minding your business and a couple of clean cut young men from the LDS approach you, please be polite, let them know you are a Catholic, offer to share a little of your own faith with them, let them know you would like to get their names so you can pray for them, and maybe even offer to buy them a Sprite if it is hot. You might be the first person who has been nice to them since they left home.

You also might get them thinking about the Catholic Church.

“Some evangelicals turn to monasticism, suggesting unease with megachurch religion - and the stirrings of rapprochement with the Roman Catholic Church.”

This is an interesting piece just published in the Boston Globe about Evangelicals developping sorts of religious communities - The Unexpected Monks.

Especially interesting is how we have seen this before. John Michael Talbot (though his conversion came first), Anglican Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement, Frère Roger of Taizé, the venerable souls of the Oxford Movement all come to mind. It has been done, there is precedent to varying degrees.

Invariably, monasticism of one stripe or another is the conclusion many an honest deep-thinking scripture reader. To live the beatitudes and commands of the Gospel, there seems to be little choice but to consider that it may be the case community life and the total dedication of celibacy will be required for some. Wheel re-invention seems to be too maddeningly common.

Some of them sound, blessedly, rather Romeward bound. If I had a few boxes of the Divine Office laying around, I would ship them over, post-haste…

Let us keep them in our prayers!

H/T: CVSTOS FIDEI

As I mentioned a few days ago, I attended the Youth Rally for Life at the Ohio Statehouse on Friday. This was an interdenominational event put on by Columbus Right to Life. While my students were Catholic, the keynote speaker Nina Fuller, and the other youth speakers were not. I was impressed that youth from a variety of denominations and churches stood together against abortion. This is encouraging, and, I think, representative of postmodern ecumenism (of which blog-level ecumenism is a part). I think of postmodern ecumenism as Christians working together for common causes, e.g. against non-Christian secular moral trends, and praying together when appropriate, but not trying to agree on everything, and not necessarily working toward formal union/communion (which I think distinguishes postmodern ecumenism from modernist ecumenical efforts, which take a “lowest common denominator” approach toward morality and doctrine). At any rate, my point is that I have hope, and working with other Christians is a worthy goal, and not to be dismissed simply because it is sometimes done in a less than genuine manner.

For those who are praying along with other Christians during this Octave of Christian Unity, I offer another prayer for said unity (from our Octave of Christian Unity resource, Day Two).

Eternal Father,
we praise you for sending your Son
to be one of us and save us.
Look upon your people with mercy
for we are divided in so many ways,
and give us the Spirit of Jesus to make us one in love.
We ask this gift, loving Father,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for Christian Unity 1 from Catholic Doors

Please read Fr. J’s excellent Octave of Christian Unity post below. I don’t want to detract from his post, except to say that a few years ago Jonathan and I put together some prayers and readings for the Octave of Christian Unity, with a special focus on East-West unity. Please check out the resources for day one, including this prayer:

Heavenly Father,
Your blessed Son asked that His Church be one
as You and He are one,
but Christians have not been united as He prayed.
We have isolated ourselves from each other
and have failed to listen to each other.
We have misunderstood and ridiculed
and even gone so far as to attack each other.

In doing so we have offended against You,
against all our brothers and sisters in the Church
and against all who have not believed in You
because of our scandalous disunity.
Forgive us Father,
and make us fully one.
Blot out our sins,
renew our minds,
rekindle our hearts,
and guide us by Your Holy Spirit
into the oneness that is Your Will.

Prayer for the Unity of the Church from
the New St. Joseph People’s Prayer Book

Tomorrow, January 18th begins the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, originally the Octave of Christian Unity. What few know is the history behind this event. In 1898 was founded a small group of Franciscans within the high Anglo-Catholic wing of Anglicanism by Sister Lurana. Father Paul Wattson who later joined her is considered the cofounder. Early on the Franciscans of Graymoor came to understand Christian unity as a major part of their purpose. In 1908 Fr. Paul Wattson came up with the idea of an octave (eight days) of prayer from the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter on January 18 to the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on January 25th. The idea caught on and came into general use by Catholics and Protestants when in 1916 Pope Benedict XV encouraged its practice. Further reading.

I’ll let the Franciscans of Graymoor tell the rest of the story:

The Father Founder would speak about the Octave in later years and say that “the first fruits of the Octave was the acceptance of the Society into the Roman Catholic Church” in 1909.

Good first fruits indeed.

Now Catholic readers are going to look at their liturgical calendars and scratch their heads as Jan. 18th is a ferial weekday. What happened? No, tomorrow is not the Confession of St. Peter for Catholics–and it never was.

Prior to the liturgical reforms of Pope Paul VI, January 18th in the West was the Feast of the Chair of Peter which commemorated the saint’s arrival at Rome. Anglicans and Lutherans retained the feast under the title Confession of St. Peter to eliminate the implied reference to St. Peter’s authority as Bishop of Rome and predecessor of the popes through history. The transfer of the feast to February 22 was likely a gesture to the East as that is when it occurs on the Antiochian calendar.

Let us also pray for our Holy Father this week as unity is a crucial dimension of his ministry. Ut unum sint.

This is interesting. A young Catholic named Sam Clear has set out to traverse the globe in the search for Christian unity. Below is his mapped route.

After five years working with Youth Mission Team Australia, fresh from his post as the legendary Melbourne YMT Manager, Samuel Clear, has decided to take a year out to walk 29,000 kilometres around the globe praying for the unity of all Christians!

Setting out on the 14th of December 2006, Samuel Clear will walk from Cape Branco, the eastern most point of Brazil, up through South America, Central America and North America, across Russia and down through Europe to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The journey will encompass approximately 29,000km over 564 days of which approximately 18,000km will be travelled on foot.

The entire journey is a pilgrimage and day by day, each location is in itself the destination. As Sam slowly travels around the world he will be praying for the unity of all Christians and inviting Christian’s worldwide to join him in walking and praying for unity. Read more >

SAM’S BLOG Go now >

More about Sam.

Sam’s blog is worth taking a look at. A lot of amazing photos from all over, and some interesting stories. Perhaps consider leaving a message of encouragement. I know I get excited by combox comments… and I blog from my bedroom!

According to this map he should be in Rome in the next few weeks. Keep him in your prayers. You never know Who he will run into.

Pray for Sam’s safety and spiritual growth.

“Where can I find references to the Mormon belief that God ‘cursed’ certain people by giving them dark skin?”

“What would the Catholic Church say about the Mormons’ ‘Word of Wisdom’, which proscribes smoking and drinking of tea, coffee, and wine?”

“Who are the ‘other sheep’ Jesus mentions in John 10:16? The Mormons say that verse refers to Jews who allegedly migrated to South America around 600 B.C.”

“I’ve been told that Mormons worship Satan in their temple ceremonies and that they wear satanic symbols on their clothes. Is this true?”

“Mormons condemn as unbiblical the Catholic custom of paying priests and bishops. Are there any verses that support the Catholic position?”

“What exactly is a stake center?”

“I want to bolster my faith with more knowledge, especially on the subject of the nature of God. My Mormon family members constantly challenge my Catholic beliefs, especially that there is only one God. What do you recommend?”

LDS Research Page - More Information

The Catholic Response tothe Mormon Missionaries

Introduction
First in a series of presentations on the Catholic Response to the Mormon Missionaries
Discussion 1
The Plan of Our Heavenly Father
Discussion 2
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Discussion 3
The Restoration
Discussion 4
Eternal Progression
Discussion 5
Living a Christ-Like Life
Discussion 6
Membership in the Kingdom
Summary
Last in a series of presentations on the Catholic Response to the Mormon Missionaries