Just in the nick of time, heeee’s baaaack. I was getting concerned Jesus didn’t have enough airline miles to make it to Earth for a cameo, but as always Wall Watchers (say it with me)… He may not be early, but he’s always right on time. Amen! Meet Mary Jo Coady from Methuen, Mass.
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God Sighting of the Month: Ironing out your salvation
Episcopal Cafe, over in its Video section, posted a video from the Australian Board of Missions (ABM). The simple story of mission here is multi-layered, involving several different cultures and communities and even further afield a whole partnership of Anglican communion agents and ecumenical actors.The primary work is by (i) a group of young people from Resurrection Parish in Fairview, on the
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Mission at its best in the Anglican Communion
Editor's note: This is part of a series that offers ways to make the holidays more affordable, from inexpensive or free events to gifts that are easy on the wallet. The giving season this year could be shaping up to be unlike most Decembers.
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'Tis the season of (alternative) giving
This week in video evangelism, we have a stark reminder of someone we have all met – that one legalistic blowhard for Christ who, in a dire attempt to witness with every waking moment, turns off every individual within throwing distance. This hilarious video beautifully illustrates those dense folk. I knew a guy that I
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Cross Eyed: How not to witness
Choir from our alma mater, Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC. (Thanks Rhett).
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Come Ye Thankful People Come
These are just little things, and mostly I say, “Why bother.” But it ticks me off when people who know better, are better and could be best, mess with my brain cells in such obvious but sloppy ways. I am of course NOT speaking of spelling or grammar! I am from the school that contends that we, after all, are professionals and screwing around with the language is our right.
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The truth slips and slides away … but who cares?
[crossposted at the THS blog ] Randall Stephens As Americans prepare to stuff their faces with turkey, pie, turkey pie, and all manner of bread-related foods, and clock in millions of hours of TV football viewing, it’s worth considering the Pilgrims, originators of America’s holiday. (I was just thinking that a Martian would have a very hard time understanding how football and overeating are linked to an otherworldly religious sect.) How do Pilgrims fit into American history and religious history in general
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Rebunking the Pilgrims?
The news that there will be a telephonic meeting of Executive Council on December 7th, called by members of Council to address the concerns of members about the anti-gay, anti-freedom of speech, homophobic legislation being considered in Uganda is good news. Difficult, but good.The news is of course good because in its own strange way the church is getting itself together to make a statement of
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Moving from corporate governance to incorporated governance
WHEREAS, it hath pleased Almighty God, the Sovereign Disposer of events, to protect and defend us hitherto in our conflicts with our enemies as to be unto them a shield. And whereas , with grateful thanks we recognize His hand and acknowledge that not unto us, but unto Him, belongeth the victory, and in humble dependence upon His almighty strength, and trusting in the justness of our purpose, we appeal to Him that He may set at naught the efforts of our enemies, and humble them to confusion and shame. Now therefore, I, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, in view of impending conflict, do hereby set apart Friday, the 15th day of November, as a day of national humiliation and prayer, and do hereby invite the reverend clergy and the people of these Confederate States to repair on that day to their homes and usual places of public worship, and to implore blessing of Almighty God upon our people, that he may give us victory over our enemies, preserve our homes and altars from pollution, and secure to us the restoration of peace and prosperity.
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Jefferson Davis’ 1861 & 1862 Thanksgiving Proclamations
The Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil (IEAB) has published an important paper on the Ridly-Covenant Draft Anglican Covenant. The Church of Brazil has given careful and studious church wide attention to the development of an Anglican Covenant and its formal commentaries and reports on the various drafts have been extremely helpful. They have asked that this statement be widely distributed.The
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Brazil on the Anglican Covenant, particularly part 4.
The Chaplains of Congress were, on the November 7, 1778, ordered to prepare and report a recommendation to the several States to set apart the 30th day of December following as a day of General Thanksgiving throughout the United States. On the 17th of November, the recommendation was submitted, which being amended, was as follows: It having pleased Almighty God, through the course of the present year, to bestow many great and manifold mercies on the people of these United States; and it being the indispensable duty of all men gratefully to acknowledge their obligations to him for benefits received; Resolved, That it be and hereby is recommend to the legislative or executive authority of each of the said States to appoint Wednesday, the 30th of December next, to be observed as a day of public Thanksgiving and praise; that all people may with united hearts, on that day express a just sense of his unmerited favour; particularly in that it hath pleased him by his overruling providence to support us in a just and necessary war, for the defense of our rights and liberties, by affording us seasonable supplies for our armies; by disposing the heart of a powerful monarch to enter into an alliance with us, and aid our cause, by defeating the councils and evil designs of our enemies, and giving us victory over their troops; and by the continuance of that union among these States which, by his blessings, will be their future strength and glory… And it is further recommended , that, together with devout Thanksgiving, may be joined a penitent confession of our sins, and humble supplication for pardon, through the merits of our Savior, so that, under the smiles of heaven, our public councils may be directed, our arms by land and sea prospered, our schools and seminaries of learning flourish, our trade be revived, and our husbandry and manufactures increased, and the hearts of all impressed with undissembled piety, with benevolence and zeal for the public good…Done in Congress this 17th day of November, 1778, and in the third year of Independence of the United States of America
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1778 Congressional Chaplains Thanksgiving Proclamation
Paul Harvey A brief follow up to Matt’s post from a few days ago , which raised a vigorous discussion of conservative/fundamentalist religion, the chaplaincy, and the military. ” Religion and Warfare: Does God Choose Sides ,” from the radio program “To the Point,” features a discussion between Jeff Sharlet, Mikey Weinstein, and several others on the role of religion in the military, evangelical proselytization, and the Ft
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Religion and Warfare: Does God Choose Sides?
Henry Laurens, President of Continental Congress, 1777 Forasmuch as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to him for benefits received, and to implore such father blessings as they stand in need of…it is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States to set apart Thursday the 18th day of December next, for Solemn Thanksgiving and Praise; that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor; and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance; that it may please him graciously to afford his blessings on the Governments of these States, respectively, and prosper the Pubic Council of the whole; to inspire our Commanders, both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude, which may render them fit instruments, under Providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all blessings, independence and peace…virtue and piety, under his nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom which consisteth in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. And it is further recommended, that servile labour and such recreation as, though at other times innocent, may be unbecoming the purpose of this appointment, be omitted on so solemn an occasion.
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Henry Laurens’ Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1777
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:” Now, therefore , I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. Given under my hand , at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D
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Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
Wall Watchers who have been praying for Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty, and have commented on the previous post that broke the news about his battle with lymphoma cancer, it is with a sad heart but a hopeful spirit that I post this. According to the Tulsa World, Pastor Daugherty died after 4:00 a.m.
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Billy Joe Daugherty (1952 – 2009)
Fr. Jake is on the case regarding the connections between conservatives in the US and various church leaders in Africa and Asia, and in particular regarding the connections between the realignment gang with amazing links to conservative religious organizations in the US and the Anglican Prelates from several nations in Africa, all part of the “Global South” cabal. Go, read it.
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Fr. Jake takes looks beneath the sheets. Strange bedfellows indeed!
As Thanksgiving approaches and we begin to focus our attention on buying and preparing dish after dish for our holiday feasts, it becomes more apparent than ever that there are many people in our communities that will be going without a Thanksgiving meal this year. In fact, many of these people often go without meals for themselves and their children and some struggle daily with hunger.
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Bloggers Unite Against Hunger Through The Brown Bag Project
Randall Stephens Cambridge University Press has a marvelous series called the Cambridge Companions to Religion . Of particular interest to readers of this blog will be: Dana Evan Kaplan, ed., The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism (2005); Stephen J
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New Book on John Wesley and Methodism
Mark Achtemeier, a professor of theology at the University of Dubuque Theological School, has long been part of the evangelical wing of the PCUSA, and for many years he maintained that homosexual behavior is wrong and should exclude people from marriage and ministry. Yet now he has made public that he believes gays and lesbians ought to be allowed to marry and be ordained.
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An Evangelical ‘Comes Out’ on Gay Marriage
I couldn’t fight it any longer! Believe me, I tried, Wall Watchers. At first, I thought I could ignore Carrie Prejean during the Miss USA imbroglio. You know, when the Donald “trumped” the news and trotted her out before a sweltering dais of paparazzi, flashing cameras and gay rights activists who wanted to know just who in
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Carrie Prejean and the story of the Christian boobs
A small rumination at the end of the day.You know the question: How many Episcopalians does it take to screw in a light bulb?Well, the answer varies. In an Anglican sort of way, “it depends.”If the light bulb is one of those incandescent bulbs, the answer is, “at least one politically incorrect one.”If the light bulb is one of those energy saving ones, the answer might be, “one to screw it in,
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How many Episcopalians does it take…?
In the screaming 80s, teeming with toxic hair and cross-dressing rockers, Styx penned a song, “Too much time on my hands (tick, tick, ticking away).” Aside from Dennis DeYoung’s chops leading the couch potato’s hymn, I never really cared for the song… until now.
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Cross Eyed: The Last Supper Cubed?
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the release of Nelson Mandela are two of the most joyous and momentous events of the past half century. The collapse of communism changed Europe for ever. The dismantling of apartheid spared South Africa a bloodbath and set the world an extraordinary example of reconciliation and racial harmony.
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How the fall of the Wall freed Nelson Mandela
The US army psychiatrist, a devout Muslim, who shot dead 13 colleagues at Fort Hood, repeatedly visited a lap dancing club in the days before the massacre. Major Nidal Malik Hasan;s behaviour in the lead-up to the shooting spree was similar to that of some of the September 11 hijackers.
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Muslim terrorist: Psychiatrist’s lap-dancing outings before massacre
America’s mainstream religious denominations used to teach the faithful that they would be rewarded in the afterlife. But over the past generation, a different strain of Christian faith has proliferated—one that promises to make believers rich in the here and now. Known as the prosperity gospel , and claiming tens of millions of adherents, it fosters risk-taking and intense material optimism.
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Prosperity Gospel: Did Christianity Cause the Crash?
Evangelist Tony Alamo was sentenced Friday to 175 years in prison for taking little girls as young as 9 across state lines to have sex with them. The decision punishes him for the rest of his life for molesting children he took as “brides” in his ministry
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Evangelist Tony Alamo Sentenced to 175 Years for Taking Girls Across State Lines for Sex
Nursing is one of the most admirable of all professions. I was very lucky, in my 35 years as a doctor, to work with some extraordinarily gifted nurses. They were knowledgeable, dedicated and hardworking, of course; but, on top of this, they had compassion, empathy, common sense and a 360-degree awareness of what was going on around them.
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How will a degree help a frightened patient?