Posts by Kevin Schaal
After Years Of Abuse By Priests, #NunsToo Are Speaking Out : NPR
In February, Pope Francis acknowledged a longstanding dirty secret in the Roman Catholic Church — the sexual abuse of nuns by priests.It’s an issue that had long been kept under wraps, but in the #MeToo era, a #NunsToo movement has emerged, and now sexual abuse is more widely discussed.The Vatican’s wall of silence was first…
Read MoreWhy Bow Head, Fold Hands, and Close Eyes for Prayer or Worship?
Come bless the Lord, ye servants of the Lord. Who stand by night in the house of the Lord. Bow your heads, close your eyes, and clasp your hands together in the holy place, and bless the Lord. Wait a minute! You say. That is not how the song goes. If you use a very…
Read MoreI Was America’s First ‘Nonbinary’ Person. It Was All a Sham.
Four years ago, I wrote about my decision to live as a woman in The New York Times, writing that I had wanted to live “authentically as the woman that I have always been,” and had “effectively traded my white male privilege to become one of America’s most hated minorities.”Three years ago, I decided that…
Read MoreIn Australia, Catholic Church’s Bank Is Full, but Pews Are Empty – The New York Times
SYDNEY, Australia — Despite a series of sexual abuse scandals stretching back decades, Australia’s Roman Catholic Church displays a veneer of strength.Across Australia, more Catholic parishes have stayed open than in other countries that have weathered abuse scandals, and Catholic schools are still filled with children — owing largely to the financial and legal savvy…
Read MoreReview: American Gospel, Christ Alone
The documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone (2 hours 19 minutes) produced by Brandon Kimber is a defense of the gospel from the perspective of the conservative evangelical movement. It features repeated interviews and clips from John Piper, Mark Dever, John MacArthur, Phil Johnson, Paul Washer, and many more. The documentary does not hold back on…
Read MoreReligious conservatives will never abandon Trump
Voting for a thrice-married, twice divorced man known for extramarital affairs, cavorting with Playboy models, vulgar talk, and an itchy Twitter trigger finger — to say nothing of the accusations of racism and sexual harassment or worse against Trump — certainly opens socially conservative Christians up to charges of hypocrisy. It also arguably makes it…
Read MoreUnited Methodist Church’s LGBT Vote — Demise of Traditional Christian Sexual Morality Is Exaggerated | National Review
This is an important cultural moment. It is now clear that a majority of America’s largest mainline denomination agrees with the teaching of their Catholic and Southern Baptist brethren about the immorality of sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman.For some time now, the progressive cultural elite has been casting traditional Christian…
Read MoreThe Only Solution for the Guilt Culture
One remarkable characteristic of humanity is that we WANT to feel guilty about something—especially when we enjoy success. On the other hand, when we suffer, or perceive ourselves be unsuccessful, we would prefer to be victims. Thus we end up with the guilt culture in which we find ourselves today. We are told we…
Read MoreShould Christians Use the KonMari Method + How to Declutter for Good
It’s important to remember that Marie Kondo comes from a different culture and a different religious background. In her book, she says: I once worked as a Shinto shrine maiden for five years. I have loved shrines since I was in grade school and would often drop by our community shrine to pay my respects…
Read MoreMiracle Hill Ministries, lawsuit asks: Who is a Christian? – RNS
Miracle Hill, the largest provider of care to the needy in the Upstate, runs a vast network of homeless shelters, thrift stores, drug-recovery programs and a foster care agency. While it takes no government money for its adult programs, four years ago the ministry began accepting federal and state dollars for its foster care program.Miracle…
Read More