Choral Treasure

If you are at all into church choral music, Gregorian chant, polyphony, etc., the new link to the right, Choral Treasure, is wonderful. It streams choral music 24/7. Give it a listen.

From Cross to Crescent

I just found this at Touchstone’s Mere Comments blog. I just can’t help but think that the people who sold the church building to the Islamic association must not have any sense of church history–in addition to possessing a poor theology.

Catholic relations with Orthodoxy bring pope to Turkey

Just found this.

Brown University Suspends PCA College Group

Brown University has suspended the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Brown from using campus resources and has given vague reasons as to why. Apparently, there are some rules against “proselytizing” and “harassment” that groups allowed to use university facilities are supposed to abide by. David Sherwood (who, I believe, used to be a PCA pastor here in N. Texas? Maybe?) had this to say:

“My impression of Brown is it’s a liberal institution in the best sense: it’s a marketplace of ideas,” he said. “All we’ve ever wanted is a place at the table.”

You can read more here.

Orthodox priest beheaded in Iraq

Just found this.

An Excerpt from Benedict’s Lecture

The emperor [Manuel Ii Paleologus] goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul.
God is not pleased by blood, and not acting reasonably is contrary to God’s nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats… To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death….
The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God’s nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: “For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality.” Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God’s will, we would even have to practice idolatry.

Those last few sentences are of chief interest. Sure, God’s transcendence should be guarded, and He is not bound to reveal himself–especially through any material means. But He does. That’s central to the Gospel. God uses the familiar to reveal the unfamiliar–particularly, Himself i nthe form of a man. This is scandalous to anyone with a dualistic worldview.

Rushdie, Hirsi Ali, the Pope — Who’s Next? and Benedict’s Lecture

Here’s an interesting article from the German Der Spiegel online. It recounts some of the history of Islamist threats towards those who offer any criticism of their policies of history.

An excerpt:

There are — few — critical voices that should be taken seriously when it comes to the pope’s comments. Shouldn’t Benedict XVI have known that the quote he included in his speech — a passage he himself described as “brusque” — might be misunderstood? Couldn’t he have made his meaning a bit clearer? Even if he had, it should be welcomed by all, including leftist atheists and agnostics, that we now have a pope who can pose challenging academic questions. In any case, a close reading of his speech reveals not a single insult directed at a single Muslim.

Also, here’s a link to Benedict’s speech. There is nothing inflammatory in it.

The Man Who Claims To Be Jesus

There’s a man in Florida who claims to be Jesus Christ. Seriously. He preaches no sin, no restrictions–just puredee indulgence. No, that’s not indulgences–as in the medieval church practice that allowed one or a loved one a little less time in Purgatory–that’s indulgence–as in indulge your senses. He’s beyond heretical. He’s delusional and cultic. Read more here.

Read more about Jesus Redux here.

The Pope must die, says Muslim

A notorious Muslim extremist told a demonstration in London yesterday that the Pope should face execution.
Anjem Choudary said those who insulted Islam would be “subject to capital punishment” […]. Choudary’s appeal for the death of Pope Benedict was the second time he has been linked with apparent incitement to murder within a year.
The 39-year-old lawyer organised
demonstrations against the publication of cartoons of Mohammed in February in Denmark. Protesters carried placards declaring “Behead Those Who Insult Islam”.

Read the rest here.

Nun gunned down in Somalia

I have found the response to Pope Benedict’s remarks by the Muslim community a bit ironic. I do believe that we must seek to understand their position and love those who are our sworn enemies, but the plausibility of this story makes it a bit difficult.