wonderful thoughts from the Pope, intellectually coherent and practically relevant and doable IMO
Weekly lessons in theology and public life • Since 2011
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Lesson 7: Sharing Risk
Read MORE: Lesson 7: Sharing RiskLet’s examine the Church’s voice in our democratic society that many think presently champions an inverse of Christian values. Last week I suggested that entails asking what the Church has to say when economics is allowed to trump every other…
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Lesson 6: How Did We Get Here?
Read MORE: Lesson 6: How Did We Get Here?About fifty years ago, Harvey Cox wrote an article entitled something like “The Free Market as God.” I remember participating in one rather intellectual discussion of it. That was about it. Things have changed. Nowadays all sorts of people are…
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Lesson 5: Wealth
Read MORE: Lesson 5: WealthMy intention is to examine some of the peculiar issues Christianity faces in our present democratic society. I planned to start with the complicated role industrial capitalism plays and was re-reading an email from Lupe Andrade in preparation. Before starting…
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Lesson 4: What Is The Message?
Read MORE: Lesson 4: What Is The Message?The royal wedding that united Prince Harry and Meghan Markle offers a good source for examining the content of the Christian message in a democracy. Many, including myself, thought it offered hope to our society that seems terrified of the…
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Lesson 3: Who Speaks for the Church?
Read MORE: Lesson 3: Who Speaks for the Church?The problem becomes even more complex when you ask who speaks for the Church in the cacophonous public conversation taking place in modern democracies. I was quite naive when I suggested the Church is one voice among many in these…
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Lesson 2: The Conversation
Read MORE: Lesson 2: The ConversationLast week, I suggested one of the big questions challenging the Church is finding her role in a democratic society. For starters, I claimed we had to acknowledge that we are only one among many voices in the public conversation.…
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Lesson 1: One Voice
Read MORE: Lesson 1: One VoiceIf love is to be the foundation of a modern Christian narrative, it will have to address some critical issues, such as abortion, family values, industrial capitalism, climate change, and religious freedom. But maybe the first question to be tackled…
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Lesson 23: Pope Francis’ “Rejoice and Be Glad”
Read MORE: Lesson 23: Pope Francis’ “Rejoice and Be Glad”As I read the Pope’s recent exhortation Gaudete and Exsultate, I was struck by how much it echoes our search for a modern Christian love narrative. Although he presents it as a call to holiness in today’s world, he repeatedly…
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Lesson 22: Love is Imitating God
Read MORE: Lesson 22: Love is Imitating GodI can’t stop exploring what might be a modern Christian narrative based on love, because I am learning so much from the conversation. I especially have been surprised at the rich interplay that has taken place online. Remember my son…
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Lesson 21: Christ is Risen
Read MORE: Lesson 21: Christ is RisenEvery Easter, we shout “Christ is risen!” to each other with great joy. Chances are, we have a pretty good idea of what we mean, even though we would have a difficult time putting it into words. Most attempts at…
Recent Comments
I absolutely love these ideas, especially paying attention to beauty and reducing your needs.
Fritz a wonderful lesson – and esp. reading has a flow I found encompassing. If only …….. yes we can…