Saturday, February 18, 2023

By the way, Rutler was cleared!

We constantly hear about priests being accused of many things, but we don't seem to have much media coverage when we find out the accusations were false. I say this with relevance to Fr. George Rutler, one of my favorite priests. The news came out almost two years ago, and still it's not well known. Hence, my comment about media.

Sadly, in this case the accuser went as far as using a stunt double to make a fake video. Shameful! What happens often is that when people are tarnished by a media report (practically slandered), unless media reports again to restore things, that person's image is usually permanently ruined. Enough said! Read more about it at the following link.


Finally! Lifesite News Reports Fr. George Rutler cleared of all False Accusations by NY District Attorney | Catholic Business Journal


Sunday, February 5, 2023

Current Evangelical Churches

Many evangelical churches, or at least most of the ones I've been in and attended, or visited over decades, are basically local family businesses in which the family inherits the business. Many congregants do not seem to view that this is nepotism, and a big deal. If one visits any of these local churches for the first time, what happens is that perhaps one notices that a lot of them are either labeled non-denominational or interdenominational, but that's not always the case. Non-denominational is almost the opposite of interdenominational since one implies having more than one denomination, and the other means not having an affiliation with any denomination, or simply none. However, and strangely, when one enters either of them these days on an initial visit, it may feel or seem as if there is no difference in liturgy or worship style. It's as if the labels don't represent anything. One thing is for certain, and it is that there are many of them all around this land.

All-around there are evangelical churches. Some are small and some are large. In fact, some are such huge congregations that they are called “megachurches.” One of the biggest would probably be that church in Houston, Texas. The nepotism statement I made seems to apply without out any doubt in its case. The church was started by his father, and when he passed away, the son became senior pastor. They do employ many people seemingly, but the ones who make big decisions, I am convinced, are the family members, regardless of advice from others. I am simply saying this is how it is.

The thing is that if congregants know this fact and don't have any objection because they feel the church enhances the spiritual life of people, including their own personally, one may as well let it be. I am sure that sooner or later, if they disagree with this system, they will move on. This simply how many of these types of churches run the business. Congregants may as well deal with it, unless they perhaps decide to switch to a specific denominational church, which may end up being a huge change to what they are normally accustomed, if they never attended such a church. Blessings!

Sunday, January 8, 2023

1: 8

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. 

- Exodus 1: 8




Source:

JPS Tanakh 1917

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Sunday, December 18, 2022

On Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah to all. Yes, tonight is the first night of eight. I am a unity kind of guy. Hence, the name of this blog. I believe everyone can celebrate Hanukkah. I think Jesus, who was a Jew, was also a unity and inclusive guy. After all, Jesus did say: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people[a] to myself (John 12:32).” Of course, this idea has sometimes been taken out of context. The story of Hanukkah can be found in the deuterocanonical books (which some Protestant denominations refer to as the Apocrypha) of First and Second Maccabees. But, enough about my views. In this post I am sharing an article on aish.com by Rabbi Ken Spiro. The article is titled: What Hanukkah Is Really About. I hope you enjoy reading. Click on the following link.


What Hanukkah Is Really About - Aish.com

Saturday, November 19, 2022

South Sudan's education challenge

A recent feature story from the World Council of Churches caught my attention. It was about a current challenge in the education system in South Sudan. The article states "South Sudan churches are playing a significant role in the country’s education, but food shortages are keeping millions of children out of school.” The story gets more in-depth when the following stats are provided:

The situation is critical in the world’s youngest nation, where more than 2.8 million or more than 72 percent of the children are not in school. For those who attend school, three-quarters start morning classes with empty stomachs, while a quarter find no food when they return home. More than 4.5 million children in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to UNICEF (oikoumene.org).

Humanitarian assistance is needed. Read more at the following link. Blessings!


South Sudan education gets a boost, even as food shortages keep children out of school | World Council of Churches