Christmas: ‘Be Not Afraid’ Is a Central Message

Thanks to the crèche, introduced to Western Christendom by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223, the Christmas story has become seamless: a unified tale with a single cast of characters, from Mary, Joseph, and the infant savior, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, through the choir of angels, the shepherds, the local […]

Abolishing the Moral Order 

In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis argued that all the celebratory talk about man’s increasing ability to control nature had a dark side in which some men took control over other men with nature as the instrument. But, so long as the Judeo-Christian understanding of man was dominant, it would be difficult for tyrants […]

On Religion – Canadian researchers find that doctrine really does matter, in terms of church growth – Columns

When they set out to find growing mainline churches, sociologist David Haskell and historian Kevin Flatt did the logical thing — they asked leaders of four key Canadian denominations to list their successful congregations.It didn’t take long, however, to spot a major problem as the researchers contacted these Anglican, United Church, Presbyterian and Evangelical Lutheran […]

Mercy for Dylann Roof

Showing mercy to Dylann Roof by refusing to impose the death penalty would respect the acts of both his victims, who showed him welcome, and their families, who showed him forgiveness. In this way, good could be drawn from evil, and the sinfulness of Dylann Roof’s actions could be overcome by love. Source: Mercy for […]