Virginia Episcopal Bishop Defends & Criticizes Radical Theologian in Anglican Controversy

Mark Tooley
March 15, 2013

Virginia Episcopal Bishop Shannon Johnston on March 15 defended his sponsorship of a diocesan event hosting radical Jesus Seminar writer John Dominic Crossan even though he called some of Crossan’s beliefs “offensive.” Meanwhile, a prominent Anglican pastor of a former Episcopal church in Virginia has severed his “peacemaking work” with Bishop Johnston over Crossan. The controversy was originally sparked by a report of Crossan’s presentation at a Northern Virginia Episcopal church by IRD Anglican staffer Jeff Walton.

“Admittedly, Dr. Crossan is quite controversial with respect to some of his views concerning Jesus’ life, the historical context, and the resulting theology of Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection,” Bishop Johnston said in his public statement. “But these very controversies are precisely why I believe it is important to have the opportunity to hear directly from him, to think critically (in the larger sense of the word) about what he has to say, and to ask probative questions so as to gain the clearest possible understanding.”...   the rest

Churches and Christianity’s Critics
Should churches and related institutions ever sponsor speakers who reject key tenets of Christian faith?

A Jesus Seminar radical theologian’s appearance at a Northern Virginia Episcopal Church under sponsorship by the Diocese of Virginia has rightly sparked controversy. Bishop Shannon Johnston defends the sponsorship of Crossan’s “provocative” beliefs even while calling some of them “offensive,” such as rejecting Christ’s bodily resurrection. Johnston seems to think that Crossan, even when not countered by a defender of orthodox faith, is a legitimate teacher for Christian clergy and laity. His is a conventional liberal Protestant view that often sees the church not as unique proclaimer of Gospel but a host for dialogue...

Fifteen years ago I attended a Jesus scholarship conference at United Methodism’s Duke Divinity School. Crossan was a featured speaker, as was fellow Jesus Seminar pundit Marcus Borg. Only one orthodox scholar was included as a panelist, N.T. Wright. At the start, the seven authors were asked which Gospel stories definitely were not true. Crossan cited the Last Supper, the 12 disciples, and the Lord’s Prayer, all of which the early church invented as part of its “crisis management.” Cleverly, Wright responded that the gnostic Gospel of Thomas was untrue.

All but Wright denied Jesus’ bodily resurrection, with one comparing stories of resurrection to sightings of Elvis. Crossan agreeably said. “It doesn’t matter where Jesus’ bones are. It doesn’t matter where Elvis’ bones are either because Elvis is still around. The real question is: Why is Elvis important? Faith doesn’t need superstition.” He denied that the early church believed in bodily resurrection, showing himself more ideologue than scholar.

Raymond Dague: The Theology of Heresy in Central New York
[Raymond wrote this back in June 2005 when we heard that Bp. Skip Adams had invited Marcus Borg of the Jesus Seminar to come and speak to CNY clergy. It was one of the main reasons I started my blog; to help get the word out about the ongoing deconstruction of Christianity in the Episcopal Church. It is interesting to read this if only to remember what what going on at the time: clown masses, druid priests, "women's eucharists" etc. -PD]

Chaplains sing Doxology

Mar 17, 2013

Pope Francis appears for first angelus

By John Bingham and Nick Squires in Vatican City
March 17, 2013

"Thank you for your welcome, and for your prayers," the first pope from Latin America said from a window of the papal apartment high above the square. "Pray for me," he added.

Dozens of flags from Francis's native Argentina were waving in the crowd as the former cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio recited the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer, the first of his papacy.

The occasion has traditionally been a moment to comment on international issues, but Francis instead used the occasion to emphasise his Italian roots... the rest

Pope Wades Into Crowds, Surprising Onlookers
Walking up to crowds, shaking hands with surprised bystanders in the street, mixing his formal speeches with off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Francis stamped his own style on the papacy Sunday...

Pope Francis in 2005: Defend the right to life even if they ‘have you killed’

Scrolling around...March 15, 2013

Francis' Agenda: "To Walk, To Build, To Profess Christ Crucified"
Here, a Vatican English translation of Jorge Mario Bergoglio's first extended message on Peter's chair – which, in a shift from papal protocol, wasn't delivered from the chapel's throne, but with the new Pope standing at the pulpit (above), sin miter... not to mention a braccio (that is, off-the-cuff)...

The Pope From Beyond the Seas
Philip Jenkins "...In crude terms, the choice of Cardinal Bergoglio meant symbolically picking a pope from the Global South, while in fact opting for the most European alternative and the closest thing to an Italian..."

The First American Pope
 George Weigel: "The swift election of Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, S.J., as bishop of Rome is replete with good news — and not a little irony. To reverse the postmodern batting order, let’s begin with the good news..."

Dr. Albert Mohler Reflects On Pope Francis
"Well, that’s why I think being a Jesuit indicates a deliberate kind of activist distinction from that. John Paul II was a philosopher. Benedict was a true theologian. I mean, he was heart and soul committed to doctrinal theology as his focus. And I think what you’re going to find in Francis is probably going to be a more pastoral activism, which evidently the College of Cardinals thought that the Roman Catholic Church needed at this time."

Obama couldn’t eat at Hill meeting without food ‘taster’
...“Unfortunately, you know, the president can’t,” said Collins when asked if Obama ate at the lunch meeting.
“He looked longingly at it,” Collins continued. “He honestly did look longingly at it, but apparently he has to have essentially a taster, and I pointed out to him that we were all tasters for him, that if the food had been poisoned all of us would have keeled over so, but he did look longingly at it and he remarked that we have far better food than the Democrats do, and I said that was because I was hosting.”...

Obama's Approval Ratings Worldwide Plummet from 2009
By the time Barack Obama reached his fourth year in office in 2012, the world had grown far more disenchanted with American leadership, according to a new Gallup poll. Obama's erstwhile worldwide popularity dipped by the end of his first term. In 2009, 130 countries were polled, and the median approval level of United States leadership was 49%. That number dropped to 41% in 2012, which was approaching worldwide approval numbers posted for George W. Bush’s last two years, when his numbers stood at 38% in 2007 and 34% in 2008....
Obama’s Second Term Troubles Have Begun

Bishops to Meet With Gov. Cuomo to Stop His Bill for Late-Term Abortions
...The Catholic Bishops of New York State will meet with Cuomo on Tuesday at the State Capitol in Albany. Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, archbishop of New York, will be unable to attend the meeting as he will still be in Rome, where Pope Francis’ formal Mass of Installation will be held that same day...

MOVIES: The profanity counter vs. the eye-rollers
...At the end of a press screening for some R-rated film, I discussed the subject with a fellow critic who views movies from a decidedly secular viewpoint. As I often do, I brought up the picture's offensive language. He said he didn't mind bad language in a film ... so long as it wasn't gratuitous. A bit perplexed, I remember responding, "They used the f-word nearly 70 times. How gratuitous does it have to get?" He had no answer. But at least he was gentleman enough not to roll his eyes...

Court Rules Fifth Grader Can Invite Classmates to Church Party
A U.S. Appeals Court ruled on Tuesday that a then-fifth-grade student should have been allowed to pass out fliers to her classmates to invite them to a Christmas party at her church as it wouldn't cause "substantial disruption."...

Hateful school play mocking Bible and religion with blatant homosexual themes attracting national attention
...The school is performing the play, "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told," by Paul Rudnick. It's billed as a "comedy." But it's described by many as "blasphemous and hateful." The play retells stories from the Bible using homosexual characters in a pornographic and mocking fashion.

The play begins with a retelling of Genesis using a homosexual couple, Adam and Steve, instead of Adam and Eve, along with other homosexual characters who are are very sexually explicit in their speech and actions. As one review puts it, this re-telling of Genesis "gets so specific as to be a gay how-to sexbook."

It includes a depiction of Steve having a sexual relationship with an animal during the Noah's Ark scene. After several other hideous defamations of Bible stories, the first act ends with Adam and Steve being two of the wise men at the Nativity. The second scene appears to be a modern-day depiction of the birth of Jesus in a New York apartment with the "wise man" Steve now being HIV-positive and the pregnant Mary being a lesbian who (among other things...

Scrolling around...March 14, 2013

America’s New Theocracy: Liberals and the Gospel of Banning
Please take a pew while we kneel reverently and pray the Gospel of Banning.

Guns. Soda. Salt. SUVs. Trans Fats. Plastic bags.

Have I mentioned:

Styrofoam.
Fracking.
The Bible.
Rush Limbaugh.
Conservative talk radio.
Fox News.
Plastic bags.
Smoking.
Shark fin soup.
Bacon.
Paper Bags
Oil.
Coal.
The internal combustion engine.
Incandescent light bulbs...

SURPRISE: HIGH SCHOOL GRADS CAN'T READ
City University of New York officials raised some eyebrows last week when they revealed that 80 percent of the high school grads who enroll in CUNY can’t read, write, or do basic arithmetic. If you’re a New York City high school grad, that means eight out of ten.

Not to worry: tests administered by the U.S. Dept. of Education show that, nationwide, only 30 percent of eighth-graders in the public schools—that’s just three out of ten—can read like eighth-graders.

Do you still wonder why Obama’s president?...


Physicists say they have found long-sought Higgs boson
...The elusive particle, called a Higgs boson, was predicted in 1964 to help fill in our understanding of the creation of the universe, which many theorize occurred in a massive explosion known as the Big Bang. The particle was named for Peter Higgs, one of the physicists who proposed its existence, but it later became popularly known as the "God particle."... image

White House tour move backfires on Obama
With Obama’s poll numbers dipping to near 50 percent, Republicans have seized on the issue, criticizing the president for canceling the tours as a stunt to hurt Congress, where lawmakers have long arranged White House tours for their constituents...

President Obama Meets with Hezbollah-Defending Groups ahead of Mideast Trip On Monday, President Obama prepared for his trip to the Middle East by meeting with around 10 Muslim and Arab officials that provided him with “recommendations.” The attendees included representatives from the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, two anti-Israel groups with a record of pro-Hezbollah advocacy. The meeting came four days after his meeting with Jewish leaders...

Germany To Legalize Anonymous Hospital Birth
The German government wants to allow women to use false names when giving birth in hospitals while still ensuring that children born this way can learn the mother's name after turning 16...

Porn is destroying a generation of young people: expert
An expert on sexual ethics and pornography has used a disturbing new report out of the UK to describe how the culture of easy access to pornography and sexual promiscuity is destroying a generation of young people... Scotland: “Police chief: If you don’t curb porn, number of sex crimes will rise”

Religious-based adoption services may be leaving Colorado
Religious-based adoption agencies might be forced to close when civil unions for same-sex couples become law.
A measure allowing civil unions for gay couples has cleared the Colorado Legislature and is headed to the governor's desk, where it's expected to be signed...

My father, the hate preacher: Nate Phelps on escaping Westboro Baptist Church Pastor Fred Phelps, whose bizarre protests have made his tiny church reviled around the world, has a terrifying hold over his congregation. But one escapee is now Fred’s fiercest critic – his own son...

Quiet thunder in Argentina

This profile of Cardinal Bergoglio first appeared in The Catholic Herald on October 7 2005
By Jose Maria Poirier
Wednesday, 13 March 2013

José Mariá Poirier explains why the self-effacing Archbishop of Buenos Aires may well be the next pope

What a surprise: it turns out that the main opponent to the unstoppable Joseph Ratzinger in the April conclave was none other than the severe, shy figure of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The revelation comes in the “secret diary” of one of their colleagues in the Casa Santa Marta – a cardinal’s account of the election published recently in an Italian magazine.

The spotlight the news has placed on Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – whether or not it is true – will be agony for this notoriously media-shy Jesuit, whose face will have gone even redder with the speculation by vaticanisti that Bergoglio should now be seen as the leading contender to replace Benedict XVI when his time comes: the first Jesuit, and the first Latin American, in Church history to occupy the See of St Peter.

For Bergoglio’s enemies, the revelation will come as no surprise. It only proves, they will say, what we thought all along: that behind all that humility what Bergoglio really cares about is ambition. the rest

Pope Francis: A Disappointment for Catholics Who Don't Like Being Catholic
How can we tell that the conclave made a good decision in elevating Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy? Exhibit A (through at least D): liberals are annoyed. But leftists' problems with Pope Francis, well-emblazoned as they were within hours of the announcement, reveal some crucial truths about the Church that even many Catholics are loath to confront...


Found this at First Things: Coincidence?

Francis I a friend to Argentine Anglicans
The Bishop of Argentina and former primate of the Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur (Anglican Church of the Southern Cone), the Most Rev. Greg Venables, has applauded the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio saying the Argentine Archbishop is a devout Christian and friend to Anglicans, who has stood in solidarity with the poor against government corruption and social engineering.

In a note released after the election of the new Pope, Francis I, on March 13 Bishop Venables wrote:

“Many are asking me what Jorge Bergoglio is really like. He is much more of a Christian, Christ centered and Spirit filled, than a mere churchman. He believes the Bible as it is written. I have been with him on many occasions and he always makes me sit next to him and invariably makes me take part and often do what he as Cardinal should have done. He is consistently humble and wise, outstandingly gifted yet a common man. He is no fool and speaks out very quietly yet clearly when necessary. He called me to have breakfast with him one morning and told me very clearly that the Ordinariate was quite unnecessary and that the church needs us as Anglicans. I consider this to be an inspired appointment not because he is a close and personal friend but because of who he is In Christ. Pray for him."... 
Also: Justin Welby greets the 265th successor of St. Peter

Pope Francis on Same-Sex Marriage: 'A Move of the Father of Lies;' 'A Total Rejection of God's Law'
...Then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio made these observations in a letter to a group of monasteries in Argentina, in which he asked the sisters for their prayers in defeating the same-sex marriage legislation...

New pope slips out of Vatican for morning prayer visit

Habemus Papam Franciscum

Habemus Papam Franciscum

The First Latin American Pope: Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires


Pope Francis Makes His First Appearance

Abp. Chaput on New Pope: "A Man from the heartland of the Global Church"

Slideshow: Growing Up Argentine: Pope Francis

New pope elected: Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina
Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church today, and said he would take the name Francis I.

Pope Francis, 76, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel to signal he had been chosen to lead the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics...

The New Pope: Bergoglio of Argentina
...Formerly the head of the church’s influential Jesuit order, Francis is known as a humble man who led an austere life in Buenos Aires. He was born to Italian immigrant parents and was raised in the Argentine capital...

Wikipedia: Pope Francis

Pope Francis, first South American pontiff, cheered by crowd
Throngs jamming St. Peter's Square roared with joy as Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, stepped onto the balcony as the new pope and leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
The crowd grew silent as Bergoglio, 76, recited the Lord's Prayer and a Hail Mary.
"Let us pray for the whole world," he told the crowd.
"I ask you a favor: Before the bishop blesses the people, I want to ask you to ask the Lord to bless the bishop," the new pope said, according to a translation by NBC News. "Please, pray in silence for me."...

Vatican sends first tweet under Pope Francis I
The official Twitter account for Pope Francis has sent out its first tweet under the new papacy.

"Habemus papam franciscum," tweeted the pope's official account @Pontifex. The Latin phrase translates to "we have a new pope [Francis I]."

The Twitter account for the Vatican was changed to reflect that a new pope had been chosen shortly after it was announced from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City...