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Everything Else

Why bloggers blog

The Pew Internet and American Life Project has just published Bloggers: A portrait of the internet’s new storytellers (PDF document).

In the study they note the breakdown of the reasons bloggers blog. They are as follows:

The Pew Internet Project blogger survey finds that the American blogosphere is dominated by those who use their blogs as personal journals. Most bloggers do not think of what they do as journalism.

Most bloggers say they cover a lot of different topics, but when asked to choose one main topic, 37% of bloggers cite —my life and experiences— as a primary topic of their blog. Politics and government ran a very distant second with 11% of bloggers citing those issues of public life as the main subject of their blog.

Entertainment-related topics were the next most popular blog-type, with 7% of bloggers, followed by sports (6%), general news and current events (5%), business (5%), technology (4%), religion, spirituality or faith (2%), a specific hobby or a health problem or illness (each comprising 1% of bloggers). Other topics mentioned include opinions, volunteering, education, photography, causes and passions, and organizations.

Cool, I’m part of the 2%. While 2% seems small as a percentage, in real numbers it represents 2% of 12 million bloggers or 240,000 bloggers blogging on religion and spirituality.

Everything Else

Blogroll changes

I’ve made a few changes to my primary blogroll. I’ve broken the sites down into three sections. They are:

  • Blogroll – Daily: These are my daily reads. I find something in common with these writers and admire them. I just love reading what they write.
  • Blogroll – Deacons: This is one I’m looking to expand. We deacons are a unique breed with special gifts of the Spirit. I’ll try to highlight deacons and deacons’ wives who write about spirituality and the everyday life of a deacon.
  • Blogroll – Occasional: These are my sometime reads. I visit them less frequently and usually when I’m looking for something in particular. I visit some less regularly because they are not updated as often.
Christian Witness

Rod Dreher on why liberal Christianity is dying

Rod Dreher blogged this past Sunday on Why liberal Christianity is dying.

Mr. Dreher comments on an article by Charlotte Allen in the L.A. Times on the demise of liberal Christianity, which focused on recent events in the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches.

In Liberal Christianity is paying for its sins Ms. Allen states:

When your religion says “whatever” on doctrinal matters, regards Jesus as just another wise teacher, refuses on principle to evangelize and lets you do pretty much what you want, it’s a short step to deciding that one of the things you don’t want to do is get up on Sunday morning and go to church.

I am very thankful that the PNCC is a stalwart in its teaching of the faith. I am blessed because I am part of the Church.

Having struggled with liberalism, I have deep empathy for what many people are going through. I know the agony of seeing your home destroyed. I know the pain of alienation from the Church you once knew.

Once you make the choice to abandon liberalism and embrace serious Christian orthodoxy you enter a new stage of tension. The world doesn’t really appreciate the Church’s teaching and tradition. It gets in the way of the church-of-whatever-feels-good.

In my own life, adopting conservative catholic beliefs has created many tensions.

Some think that what I believe criticizes them, not just their actions (there is a difference). Some think I have changed – gone from the consummate sinner (bad person, mean, angry, sexually sinful, allowing anything as long as it suited me) to being holier-than-thou.

They are right – I decided to change. Not to be holier-than-thou, but through the grace imparted by the sacraments of Penance, the Word, and the Eucharist to work at being a better father, family member, husband, and deacon. The Church offers these things as worthy pursuits in life, pursuits in keeping with the narrow path to the Kingdom.

Change forces one away from allowing whatever. Change like this is far more demanding, certainly more demanding than liberal Christianity. It is far harder to live the true faith. It is very difficult to face your sins, some of which you may never forgive yourself of. The ‘liberal church’ offers a wide and easy road, low benchmarks, light duty in conversion and repentance. The faith of the Apostles requires loyalty to Christ above all.

Jesus called this choice a cross:

Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

In context, Jesus was not talking about hating people. He was talking about putting Him before all else, even before the things we all believe and feel are most important. That’s a strong message and a powerful demand.

Faith in Christ in the context of the Church’s teaching must come first. That can be a devastating choice.

I recently read an article about preaching at the Pontificator’s site. It makes a point about the difficulty of expressing the faith once delivered. In Kim Fabricius on Preaching point one states:

What is a sermon? Wrong question. A sermon is not a what but a who. A sermon is Jesus Christ expectorate. You eat the book; it is sweet in the mouth but bitter in the stomach (Rev. 10:9-11); you spit out the Word and spray the congregation. When grace hits the mark, it always begins with an unpleasant recoil.

Alvin Kimel responds:

—Jesus Christ expectorate——”now that’s an image for preaching that I haven’t thought of, but it makes the point, doesn’t it? Robert Jenson says that authentic gospel-preaching either generates faith or offense in the hearer.

What the Church believes and professes, the truth of the Gospel, its Tradition and teaching, will offend many. Its teaching is bitter in the stomach, causes us to recoil, and will either lead us to faith or offense.

A true Church is the antithesis of ‘liberal’ Christianity. Seeking to accept all people and reject none, which any true Church does, has been corrupted by the liberals into accepting all behaviors and sins and rejecting none.

As members of the Church we can all do a better job of being charitable. We can focus on preaching and teaching how God’s action and call are meant to move us to achieving the Kingdom. We can focus on ministry, charity, peace, and community building.

What we must not do however is preach and teach that doing any of those things, or having a better and more comfortable life, or all that we want, or friends, family, acclaim, and money, are worth more than Jesus. No brand of liberal Church is worth the harm that kind of choice can do our souls.

In the end, faith in God and His Word must come first, honest orthodox catholic faith.

Tip of the biretta to the Young Fogey.

Everything Else,

Miscellaneous

St. Stan’s gets a new website

St. Stanislaus Kostka in St. Louis, MO has a new website.

I like the layout (albeit with a few layout modifications needed, the pages are too wide and you have to scroll left to right). There’s less of an emphasis on conflict (although you can still find info about the conflict between the parish and the Diocese) and more emphasis on the practice of the faith and parish life.

Interestingly, in their links section they provide a link to St. Agatha’s, the Roman Catholic parish set up in opposition to St. Stan’s by Abp. Burke.

I’ve surpassed 500 items of comment spam

Akismet reports that it has filtered 502 items of comment spam to date. What a great plug-in!!!

Perspective

Extricating one foot

In the past two days I’ve commented heavily on R.C. Church issues. I, as an ex Roman Catholic, still tend to have a kind of fleeting attachment to things R.C.

I washed my hands of the N.O. liturgical mess I had lived with for far too many years —“ and that was easy. I also found it very easy to drop the overblown Marian doctrines, the infallible, monarchical Pope, and the overriding and ever present focus on sexual issues which drowned the key points of the faith – the key points from which the theology and teachings on human sexuality are derived.

I experienced great joy in joining the PNCC. The spiritual growth and the caring concern I experienced in the parish through which I entered made the process all the easier.

My process of study and growth has led me to firmly and fully embrace PNCC doctrine, theology, sacramentality, and the PNCC way of life —“ all with deep love. I genuinely feel that the PNCC Catholicity fits me like a custom made glove (or better yet, I fit to it). Yet, I still allow myself to get pulled into commenting on R.C. Church issues. Why?

This is a struggle for me. I feel like I want to say something or must say something. Then upon saying it I think, why do I care what they do?

I have to reflect on this and I need to move on, extricating that one foot I’ve left behind.

I’m starting from the premise that my commentary comes from a sense of anger. It’s not anger at people or even the R.C. Church as an institution, but anger at the lack of vision. It’s an angry frustration. When I see something not working, or when I see an accident about to happen I want to step in and do something. I see a Church that should, if it believes what it proclaims about itself; take an approach that would be much different. I see a Church whose way of life should reflect its faith.

In seminary there was quite the discussion about celibacy. The priests who lectured on the issue made the point that celibacy is more than not having a wife, its about not having intimate or close relationships with any person, place, thing, or group to the exclusion of closeness with God (and Mary) and all God’s people. Be close to everyone but to none. This wasn’t confusing for me at all and I understood the ideal (being young helps that process).

In the long view, and with age, I saw the problem. An ingrained sense of apartness (and not all R.C. priests are like this —“ especially the good ones) sets up an ‘us against the world’ dichotomy. It all becomes so formulaic. It leads to the destruction of the weak in loneliness and the aloofness of the strong that are within or conjoined to the hierarchy. It becomes more and more difficult to find Machiavelli’s ‘Good Prince.’

That’s where the PNCC gets it. We are a community, the priest and the people working together, each with his own job to do. The priest focused on bringing the people up.

Bishop Hodur wished to bring the people up from the coal mines by education – bringing them up in their human dignity. He wished to engender in them a sense of citizenship and ownership, giving each, every man and woman, a voice and a vote. At the same time he brought them up through the praise and worship of God —“ raising them up as active participants in, advocates for, and children of God’s kingdom.

In the PNCC the priest is not celibate and apart, but from and of the people —“ an active member of the community. The PNCC has no need of a ‘Good Prince’ for we have but one —“ Jesus Christ. What we need and have are good citizens, each doing his part.

That is a Church that reflects its faith —“ a faith in Jesus who came to save us. He left his disciples in the world to get the job done. They lived a life of holiness as an example for believers and non-believers, yet they still connected to the needs and personalities in their communities bringing them the message. They were part of communities referring to their membership as brothers and sisters, beloved, and friends:

For I long to see you, that I may share with you some spiritual gift so that you may be strengthened, that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by one another’s faith, yours and mine. (Paul to the Romans 1:11-12)

Will I still comment —“ for course because it is today’s news. I will try however to make my commentary less biting. I need, as a blog writer, to expound on ‘getting it’ and living out the message of Christ’s Holy Catholic Church. I need to extricate my foot and wash from it (through God’s grace) any trace of being a know-it-all and savior. Only then can I live the Catholic way —“ catholic in community, a much better witness.

Everything Else

A few days off

My wife and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this weekend. I’ve uploaded my homilies and a few other scheduled posts, but otherwise posting will be sparse.

Please keep us in your prayers.

I wish all of you a wonderful and reflective Memorial Day weekend. I still like to refer to Memorial Day as Decoration Day – reminds us that we should get ourselves over to the cemetery to reflect upon the sacrifice of those who took the Lord’s command seriously (regardless of the politics of the moment):

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Decoration Day

Everything Else,

Swimming across

The York Forum discussion board is commenting on Fr. Taylor Marshall of the Canterbury Tales blog (to whom I link) who has renounced his orders in the ECUSA and who is entering the R.C. Church. Dr. William Tighe (who posts at Pontifications on occasions and writes for Touchstone) reported:

Fr. Taylor Reed Marshall, formerly Curate of St. Andrews, Fort Worth, has renounced his Orders in ECUSA and will be rec’d into the Catholic church [sic] by Bp. Vann of Fort Worth this Saturday (May 20), together with his wife and children. At the end of the month they will be moving to Washington, DC, where TRM will take up a position as assistant to Msgr. William Stetson for “Anglican Use” matters. He will be present a the Anglican Use conference in Scranton in June, where I hope that he will be heartily welcomed, and greeted especially by those whom I count as my friends who will be there.

I wish Fr. Marshall and his family well.

As to the Anglican Use in the R.C. Church —“ well, I don’t get it.

At best it’s a stop gap measure to accommodate Anglicans who are swimming the Tiber in an effort to escape the heterodoxy of the ECUSA. It’s why I think swimming the Bosporus makes more sense. The Orthodox require a process of integration and there is no false expectation left in the mind of those converting. You must become and integrate yourself within the fullness of Orthodoxy. That’s indicative of the fact that Orthodoxy sees itself on a road toward becoming, toward Theosis.

If Anglicans wish to go to Rome, that’s fine, but why bring the trappings of Anglicanism? Getting on the road to becoming is a more truthful stance. There would be far fewer problems if people had to face the fullness of their decisions —“ making clear choices. The R.C. Church is exactly what it is. Why would people choose to delude themselves as if they have the power, wisdom, or longevity to make over the Church?

In my estimation there will be no ‘Anglican Use’ of any substantial magnitude in 25 to 30 years. The married clergy will die off and will not be replaced (can you imagine R.C. Bishops anywhere ordaining married men). They will not be replaced by more Anglican clergy swimming the Tiber, since anyone with any sense of what Church is will have gone somewhere else in those 25 to 30 years, or will have sold their soul.

That leaves the congregations in these AU parishes, which will age out. Their replacement generation will remember the beautiful liturgies but will walk away when the AU parishes get ‘integrated’. There will be the typical hurt feelings and failure to listen and meet their needs.

It’s sad and it is a warning sign to all those who push for headlong integration with the R.C. Church. They delude themselves greatly. Campos is feeling the effects of integration, the SSPX will if it chooses to integrate, and the Anglicans will as well.

As always we pray for reconciliation and the grace to overcome the sin that is a barrier to that. It must be recognized that sin exists on every side and that we need the light of the Holy Spirit to show every party the way forward.

Good luck Fr. Marshall.

Everything Else,

Sound words

I am a regular reader of Fr. Martin Fox’s blog Bonfire of the Vanities.

During the past week Fr. Fox has posted on confession (see: Don’t sweat confession) and on tradition and the Holy Mass Rites in the R.C. Church (see: What about the Traditional form of Mass? and Old Rite, New Rite…). All of these are worthy and sound reading and I highly recommend them.

While at Holy Mass on Sunday I had a moment to reflect on the response to the psalm “I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.”

As Catholic/Christian bloggers perhaps we should take that up as our motto. Fr. Fox exhibits this in spades. His words are elegant and kind, even while making a point. His are words of praise for the Lord.

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