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The internet has been abuzz with intriguing headlines announcing that scholars have determined that the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” papyrus is “authentic” and that there is “no forgery evidence” in the manuscript. What exactly does this mean? And should Christians be concerned that a new discovery might contradict the biblical account and undermine their faith? Actually, the report from scholars working with the Harvard Divinity School found that the manuscript is much younger than previously thought – in other words, it is even further removed from the time of the New Testament than scholars originally believed – meaning that,...

Look out unbelief—atheism is on a roll, or so proclaims American Atheists, whose annual convention kicks off Thursday in Salt Lake City. "This has been an excellent year for atheism," says Dave Muscato, public-relations director for the deity-dissing group. "Between 2005 and 2012 there was a fivefold increase in the number of people who use the word atheist when asked to identify their religion." That's still not a lot. While 20% of Americans profess no particular religious faith, according to the Pew Research Center, only 6% identify themselves as atheist or agnostic. Still, one hates to toss cold water on...

The Last Four Things Death - Judgment - Hell - Heaven by - FATHER MARTIN VON COCHEM, O.S.F.C. The predominating opinion among the great writers of the Church is that most souls are lost eternally because they do not cooperate with the graces that God makes available to men to save their souls. And they cite several significant passages of Scripture to this effect, especially the famous passage in Matthew (Chapter 7, verses 13 & 14): "Enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who...

A communist official in China has condemned the rapid growth of Christianity in the region as "excessive", but has denied allegations of increased persecution. Officially an atheist state, the right to freedom of religious belief is guaranteed under Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution but protections are limited to those who worship within state-sanctioned bodies. Chinese Christians often suffer at the hands of government authorities, and the Asian superpower is ranked the 37th worst country in the world for Christian persecution by the Open Doors World Watch List. Despite this, reports suggest that between 3,000 and 10,000 people are turning...

It’s not a secret the church has been in decline for a number of years and for a variety of reasons. You can read some statistics and views on why, here and here and here. Everyone has their opinions.Abuse, apostasy, and irrelevance are just a few of the words that keep coming up in the search for reasons for the decline. There are a variety of compelling opinions and I even have a few of my own.But I suggest there is another area of decline more significant and perhaps much less obvious—and one that certainly contributes to the church’s decline...

The video of Father Ray Kelly's version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was taped at a recent wedding in Ireland and has become an internet sensation. The priest from Oldcastle, Ireland, is a trained singer but he told reporters that the couple had no idea what was going to happen. Father Kelly changed the lyrics to make the song more suitable for a wedding. A look at video from the ceremony indicates that the audience loved it. According to BBC News, Father Kelly is currently working on his third album. "I keep saying this will be my last because this year...

Satanists want in on the right to pray in school - as long as they can pray to the devil. The Satanic Temple states that they are fighting for the rights of public school students to learn in a cruelty-free classroom. In a press release, the NYC organisation declares May 15 as "Protect Children Day," and describes a goal of ending physical and mental abuse in public schools. After students register on Satanic Temple's ProtectChildrenProject.com, "the Temple will then notify their respective school boards that their deeply held beliefs oppose physical and psychological abuses, including the use of corporal punishment,...

Why did Alex Hribal do it? Why did the 16-year-old sophomore at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania stab and slash 20 of his classmates (and a security guard), leaving at least four of his victims in critical condition? WTAE in Pittsburgh reports that “investigators continue to explore bullying as a possible motive.” NBC News cites criminologists who suggest Hribal was driven “by rage and adrenalin.” The Associated Press reports “[t]he boy’s family is just as puzzled as police about what triggered the attack.” But there is an obvious explanation of Hribal’s murderous rampage, which has been ignored by...

Something for the weekend. One of the most powerful depictions of Christ on film from the movie Ben Hur (1959). A wonderful melding of music and dialogue as Christ goes silently to the aid of Ben Hur and gives him water. The wordless encounter between Christ and the Centurion was amazing, as the Centurion’s face registers bewilderment, shame and curiosity as he has a totally unexpected encounter with the Divine. Whatever the actor who played the Centurion was earning that day, it wasn’t nearly enough.

Wisdom Loves Righteousness 1 A wise son heeds his father's instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence. 3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction. 4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. 5 A righteous man hates lying, But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame. 6 Righteousness guards...

A fine young man, a father of children and a professional, approached me at church: "What do you think of that Pope John-Paul? He's no good." Others also didn't like him. I put a magnetic sign on my car, it was met with sneers: 5 pictures of the Pope immediately after being shot, in 1/6th of the space, "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood." – Hebrews 12:4 Yet I also didn't like Pope John Paul II, not in himself, but because of the cult of personality around him. I love...

The texts that Christians typically read on Palm Sunday have become so familiar that we probably don't sense their revolutionary power. But no first-century Jew would have missed the excitement and danger implicit in the coded language of the accounts describing Jesus' entry into Jerusalem just a few days before his death. In Mark's Gospel we hear that Jesus and his disciples "drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives." A bit of trivial geographical detail, we might be tempted to conclude. But about five hundred years before Jesus' time, the prophet Ezekiel had relayed...

REGINA, Saskatchewan, April 11, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A prominent U.S. pro-family activist was detained by the Canadian Border Services Agency Thursday for alleged violations of Canada’s “hate propaganda” l Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, had flown into Regina International Airport to speak at the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association provincial conference this weekend. LaBarbera had been targeted by a makeshift group known as “Intolerance Free Weyburn,” which pressured the government to deny him access to the country. LaBarbera believes he was flagged by customs as a result. LaBarbera provided LifeSiteNews with a formal document issued by CBSA agent...

As the America celebrates Palm Sunday, let us not forget about the history of the false perception that 2.7 million visitors of Jesus' day had (Jews and Gentiles) from all over the land of Israel and the known world during the Week of the Passover. Countless multitudes in Jerusalem at that time had totally misunderstood who Jesus was (Matt. 23:27; Luke 19:14). These countless multitudes that Jesus healed from demonic oppression and all kinds of diseases had soon forgotten His wonderful works for them. His 3-1/2 year preaching ministry was beginning to wear thin, and they had had enough of...

Here is something that could tie together the recent anti-Catholic catholic high school explosions with lefty groups such as the LCWR, Network, FutureChurch, NCAN, etc., and the Fishwrap, The Tablet, Commonweal, America, US Catholic, etc.This was found the blog of Daniel Greenfield (my emphases): What do the forced departure of Brendan Eich from Mozilla and #CancelColbert have in common? They are both examples of Fakectivism. [Fake-activism = Faketivism]Fakectivism is social media activism by small numbers of people that is integrated into the news cycle because it matches the media’s political agenda.Every Tea Party member knows that media coverage of actual...

The Muslims Will Invade The Vatican, And Try to Destroy The Roman Catholic Church By Ted on April 12, 2014 inFeatured, General SHOEBAT EXCLUSIVE By Theodore Shoebat I remember a few years ago spending time with an Evangelical friend of mine. Within our conversation, somehow, the subject of the Crusades came up. Of course, I defended the Crusades, explaining that they were fighting off Islamic invaders in the Middle East. He, on the other hand, vehemently condemned the Crusaders as evil and barbarous people. I asked him, “Who would you rather win, the Muslims or the Crusaders?” He said,...

Saw the movie God's Dead Not today. I highly recommend this movie to all Christians. It is a very powerful and moving show. It will be well worth your time. GOD'S NOT DEAD!!!!

Well, that didn't take long. As my colleague Edward Malnick reports, the first gay Church of England priest – a canon, no less – today married his boyfriend. Canon Jeremy Pemberton, 58, a divorced hospital chaplain and father of five, wed his long-term partner Laurence Cunnington, 51. We're not told where, but obviously it wasn't in an C of E church. That's against the law. But they may well be able to have their marriage blessed in church because that's only "against the rules" as opposed to illegal.Campaigners predicted that Canon Pemberton would be the first of many. I think they're...

This is amazing news. According to internet activity it would seem that Christianity is a lot more popular than Communism in China right now. There is something beautiful going on in one of the most oppressive countries on the globe. That's the odd thing about Christianity -the more you try to stamp it out the more desirous it becomes. I seem to remember the apostles weren't treated very well in their travels. But they did pretty well. World Mag: Foreign Policy released a fascinating infographic today, based on a compilation of information from Weibo, China’s huge social media platform that...

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Kathleen Schlenz of Peace Dale knew something was wrong when her daughter, Anna, arrived home from school Friday. The Rev. Francis “Rocky” Hoffman, a priest of Opus Dei, an orthodox division of the Roman Catholic Church, and executive director and radio host of Relevant Radio, a Catholic radio network that broadcasts on 33 stations in 13 states and online, had spoken to a school-wide assembly at The Prout School, where Anna is a junior. The speech was being taped to be broadcast on Relevant Radio at a later date. “She was most upset about the divisive and...