According to the BBC, the new pope wears regular shoes: Sporting plain white vestments and a cross, and opting for plain dark shoes rather than red ones, Pope Francis spoke in Italian during Friday’s meeting, occasionally breaking off from the prepared text to speak off the cuff. Red shoes? Really? Yes, really. (Kudus: van der … Continue reading »
Tagged with christianity …
The Seminary Bubble
From the Aquila Report, but I heard a UMC Bishop making essentially the same point 10 days ago: Imagine an institution that requires its leaders to attend not only college, but graduate school. Imagine that the graduate school in question is constitutionally forbidden from receiving any form of government aid, that it typically requires three … Continue reading »
Please Don’t Tip
If you want to stiff your waiter, that’s your business. But please don’t drag God into it: The idea that Christians are poor tippers apparently has been whispered in service circles for a long time. Many waiters try not work Sunday brunch, so as to avoid notoriously stingy churchgoers, claims Justin Wise, the director of … Continue reading »
Chi Rho
Here’s a symbol you often see in churches: and in cemeteries: The symbol is a sort of monogram or shorthand meaning “Christ,” and is formed from the first two letters of that word in Greek (“ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ″). Those first two letters are, respectively, Chi (Χ) and Rho (Ρ). The letter Chi is pronounced “key” or “khee.” … Continue reading »
Age-Segregated Worship On the Way Out?
Here’s an interesting sign of the times: Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale now offers only one service at 10:15 a.m. with, essentially, blended worship – that means no more separation based on age, likes and comfort. For years Coral Ridge was the best-known Presbyterian Church (PCA) in the country, due to the influence … Continue reading »
The Best Apologetic
Twenty-odd years ago, I became a Christian, and part of the reason was apologetics, or defenses of the faith. God used several books, including C.S. Lewis’ wonderful Mere Christianity, to overcome my objections to the Christian faith. By the time I got to seminary, however, I was really pretty bored with apologetics. It’s not that … Continue reading »