Interesting stories I’ve found lately:
John Allen interviews Fr. Pedro Brunori, an Opus Dei priest of Argentina, about Cardinal Bergoglio’s management of the Buenos Aires Archdiocese. This gives us some things to look for in the near future in the article: Expert Says Francis Can and Will Deliver Reform.
More than half of Americans think the Bible has too little influence in our culture, but only 1 in 4 people read it. That kinda sounds like us, doesn’t it? We tend to know what we should do and don’t bother to do it for some odd reason, probably Sloth. There’s isn’t a lot of good material out there that’s easily accessible to help us read the Bible, and I don’t think the new Bible miniseries is very useful (will say more about that Wednesday).
Christ Was Persecuted, But What About Christians There’s some discussion lately around a new book by Candida Moss saying the martyrdom stories of the early Church were blown out of proportion. This story takes a fairly balanced look back. How much is true and how much is hype from antiquity is still under discussion.
Jonathan Merritt says In the Middle East, Not America, Christians Are Actually Persecuted. Whether you accept this reasoning or not, this story does shed light on places where Christians have to fear for their lives; who’s responsible is up for discussion.
Pope Francis sets out his standards in dealing with the abuse of children. It’s a promising start, and I’m sure everyone will be watching what happens next.
Is There a Little Migdi Allam in All of Us? John Allen tells us of a famous convert’s recent de-conversion, and I’m wondering what Allam’s expectations in converting really were.
To Set Out On The Spiritual Path, You Must Be Ugly. Omid Safi shares a story from the life of the great Muslim mystic, Mawlana Rumi, showing that the only reason any of us set out as a seeker is we know we aren’t beautiful, and this is how we improve our looks, among other things.
A new excavation near the Biblical city of Ur promises some insights into Abraham’s origins. Looking forward to the results of this work.
Here is a reconstruction of the oldest Christian Hymn we have, with original music.
For those of you curious about the personal tastes of the new Pontiff, such as his love for soccer, you will find what you need here. I’m a fan of the movie Babette’s Feast as well.
Martha Teicher on CBS Sunday Morning said John the Baptist was at the foot of the Cross. Wow, are we that collectively dumb? I’m wondering whether there’s “possible ‘beloved Disciple'” they’re referring to at the end of this post. What else could it possibly be?
North Carolina has killed legislation to establish a state religion. Why were they doing this in the first place, and what were they not doing while chasing this impossibility?
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