On the (Imagined) Silent Gospel of St Francis

The Roman Catholic Church has a new pope – the first ever to take the name Francis – and American media outlets are filled with people extolling the St Francis – the 13th century figure – for his love of the poor, the environment and this quotation: “Preach the Gospel at all times.  Use words if necessary.”  I guess two out of three is not bad for American media these days.

St. Francis never spoke those words that are so often attributed to him.  It is as simple as that.  Click Here for a great blog post – from July 11, 2012 no less – that deals with this matter.

Sorting Through Recent Challenges

It's been a tough week for Christians living in the United States.  I never thought I would write that sentence, but it certainly seems like an obvious statement to me right now.  Our federal Health and Human Services Secretary is mandating that the Roman Catholic Church and it's institutions provide health insurance coverage for procedures the church finds morally unacceptable.  New York City Schools will no longer rent space to churches.  These are issues that are deeper than slogans.  And they require responses that go deeper than slogans and self-preservation.  Let me recommend four articles from various sources that are helping me face these issues with some depth of thought and a gospel-of-grace perspective.