Pope Francis

[tschu]

Special on Pope Francis on CBS right now. Dude's a badass. Total step in the right direction for the lolcatholic church if theyre gonna have any hope of stepping out of the 1400s and into the modern age. I may have been wrong about you Mr. Francis

[carlfense]

Special on Pope Francis on CBS right now. Dude's a badass. Total step in the right direction for the lolcatholic church if theyre gonna have any hope of stepping out of the 1400s and into the modern age. I may have been wrong about you Mr. Francis

[carlfense]

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis said on Friday that he took personal responsibility for the harm done by priests who sexually abused children, and he pledged that the Roman Catholic Church would confront the issue unflinchingly and impose sanctions when necessary.

 

“The church is aware of this damage,” he said. “It is personal moral damage, carried out by men of the church, and we will not take one step backward regarding how we will deal with this problem. On the contrary, we have to be even stronger, because you cannot interfere with children.”

 

The remarks were made off the cuff before members of the International Catholic Child Bureau, a French nonprofit that promotes the rights and dignity of children. They were his most forceful comments to date on the church’s abuse scandal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/world/europe/pope-takes-responsibility-in-priests-abuse-scandal.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

[robsker]

But is "love your neighbor as yourself" really "grace"? According to my dictionary, grace is divinely given. I doubt if tmfr15 could deliver on that requirement even if he wanted to.

 

You can quibble over terms if you want, but the point of what I'm getting at is this.

 

In the Christian faith, grace is free, unmerited favor and mercy that isn't dependent on any condition or requirement, given by God. For Christians, aka those that receive the gift of grace, we become caretakers and also become sanctified, being refined to look more and more like Christ. As such, we are bound to extend grace - not our own grace, but God's - to others. Because God extends mercy and love and forgiveness to all people, so too are we called and equipped to do the same, by His strength and authority. Passing it along, so to speak. So yes, by a technical definition, grace is divinely given, but by a practical realization, it is extended by Christians as caretakers or messengers. Not something that we create or give of ourselves, but something that we have been given, and in turn, give.

 

that was nicely stated. Well done as a representative of truth.

[robsker]

 

 

Goodness. Sounds like a christian.

 

A real christian and not what passes for christianity in US politics.

 

 

I agree and am really thanking God for what I'm seeing so far from Pope Francis.

 

It will be really interesting to see where things go from here. Christendom is essentially over, but remnants of it still remain and are held to (who knows why) in certain places, especially here in the midwest.

 

Having such an influential leader really "walk the walk" is going to, if I have to guess, continue to separate that chasm between the progressing worldviews of modern culture and the church. I think that can simultaneously be a really good and a really bad thing.

 

what makes you say (think) that Christendom is essentially over?

[Landlord]

 

 

Goodness. Sounds like a christian.

 

A real christian and not what passes for christianity in US politics.

 

 

I agree and am really thanking God for what I'm seeing so far from Pope Francis.

 

It will be really interesting to see where things go from here. Christendom is essentially over, but remnants of it still remain and are held to (who knows why) in certain places, especially here in the midwest.

 

Having such an influential leader really "walk the walk" is going to, if I have to guess, continue to separate that chasm between the progressing worldviews of modern culture and the church. I think that can simultaneously be a really good and a really bad thing.

 

what makes you say (think) that Christendom is essentially over?

 

 

Statistics regarding things like religious disaffiliation, rise of popularity in things like secular humanism, the shift away from the church being a central place in society and culture, etc.

 

It's hard to put into a neat succinct little sentence.

[robsker]

 

 

Goodness. Sounds like a christian.

 

A real christian and not what passes for christianity in US politics.

 

 

I agree and am really thanking God for what I'm seeing so far from Pope Francis.

 

It will be really interesting to see where things go from here. Christendom is essentially over, but remnants of it still remain and are held to (who knows why) in certain places, especially here in the midwest.

 

Having such an influential leader really "walk the walk" is going to, if I have to guess, continue to separate that chasm between the progressing worldviews of modern culture and the church. I think that can simultaneously be a really good and a really bad thing.

 

what makes you say (think) that Christendom is essentially over?

 

 

Statistics regarding things like religious disaffiliation, rise of popularity in things like secular humanism, the shift away from the church being a central place in society and culture, etc.

 

It's hard to put into a neat succinct little sentence.

 

Understood.

 

It is true that the numbers in the United States re: trends in church attendance are in the wrong direction.... but as an encouragement to a brother --- take heart --- the Gospel cannot be stopped. The truth of the Glory of God in Christ will prevail for He is victorious already. A central place in society and culture? Perhaps not as much as we would like. That said, Christ is King and all is well.

[Landlord]

 

 

Goodness. Sounds like a christian.

 

A real christian and not what passes for christianity in US politics.

 

 

I agree and am really thanking God for what I'm seeing so far from Pope Francis.

 

It will be really interesting to see where things go from here. Christendom is essentially over, but remnants of it still remain and are held to (who knows why) in certain places, especially here in the midwest.

 

Having such an influential leader really "walk the walk" is going to, if I have to guess, continue to separate that chasm between the progressing worldviews of modern culture and the church. I think that can simultaneously be a really good and a really bad thing.

 

what makes you say (think) that Christendom is essentially over?

 

 

Statistics regarding things like religious disaffiliation, rise of popularity in things like secular humanism, the shift away from the church being a central place in society and culture, etc.

 

It's hard to put into a neat succinct little sentence.

 

Understood.

 

It is true that the numbers in the United States re: trends in church attendance are in the wrong direction.... but as an encouragement to a brother --- take heart --- the Gospel cannot be stopped. The truth of the Glory of God in Christ will prevail for He is victorious already. A central place in society and culture? Perhaps not as much as we would like. That said, Christ is King and all is well.

 

 

Actually I think the death of Christendom is a great thing. It resulted in millions of cultural Christians that self-identified that way because that was just what you did, but lacked any genuine influence of the Spirit or acknowledgment of Jesus as savior.

 

Moving into a post-Christian culture draws the battle lines where people can't so easily fool themselves. They either are or aren't for Christ, not just as a mental faculty but with their lives, and are forced to acknowledge it.

[carlfense]