Pope Francis said a Christian faith that does not disturb the powers that be and cannot generate a serious commitment to charity becomes an innocuous devotion. “Christian hope, fulfilled in Jesus and realised in his kingdom, needs us and our commitment, needs our faith expressed in works of charity, needs Christians who do not look Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Christian faith’
Christian faith that does not work for the poor becomes ‘harmless devotion’
Monday, November 25th, 2024An end to the Roman Church?
Thursday, October 17th, 2024
Most of us have grown up in a highly centralised European “Catholic” Church, and so we feel uncomfortable with many of the changes being promoted by Pope Francis. After his visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore last month, Francis was heard to remark that “some people are still too Eurocentric” when they Read more
Pacific women, God and wellbeing
Monday, March 11th, 2024
International Women’s Day on March 8 draws attention to the lives of women. My research explores, in the inner lives of Pacific women, how their relationship with God can affect their wellbeing, and how their image of God relates to their relationship with their parents. How we name, visualise and describe God is most often Read more
Don’t write off Christianity
Monday, August 8th, 2022
Despite the sins of its members, the Christian faith is far greater than opinion polls in the news. It shouldn’t surprise, given the 2021 census results concerning religion, those critical of Christianity and the Catholic Church have used the fall in numbers to suggest religion is moribund and no longer relevant to Australian society. With Read more
Christian faith helped jailed cardinal survive prison
Thursday, June 18th, 2020
Cardinal George Pell says his Christian faith helped him survive prison, and offered advice on how to overcome grief and stressful situations. Pell spoke to an online silent retreat hosted by the Australian Catholic Students’ Association about suffering and the tools one can use to remain steadfast in faith through hard times. Pell says his Read more
Where are the world’s most committed Christians
Monday, August 27th, 2018
A newly published study by the Pew Research Center shows Christians in Africa and Latin America tend to pray more frequently, attend religious services more regularly and consider religion more important in their lives than Christians elsewhere in the world. But the United States also have comparatively high levels of committed Christians. The study analysed Read more
Silver Fern plays to please God
Friday, October 9th, 2015
Grace Rasmussen has been included in the Silver Fern Squad for the Constellation Cup series beginning Oct 20. As recently as last year she wasn’t considered good enough to go to the Commonwealth Games. A nice player, and person, questions existed about whether the theology student was robust enough for international netball. Rasmussen says her Read more
Tides of ocean and cycles of faith
Tuesday, October 15th, 2013
In The Unquiet Grave Cyril Connelly, the 20th century Anglo-Irish critic, writer, and editor, having acknowledged the existence of the thousands of people like him (“…Liberals without a belief in progress, Democrats who despise their fellow-men, Pagans who still live by Christian morals, Intellectuals who cannot find the intellect sufficient—unsatisfied Materialists…”), concludes nonetheless that “there can be no Read more
Vatican official blasts Americans’ faith
Friday, December 14th, 2012A “grey pragmatism and mediocrity” has infiltrated Christianity in America, according to an official of the Vatican’s Latin America commission. Professor Guzman Carriquiry, secretary for the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, said there is a growing tendency for Americans’ faith to be lived with a lack of enthusiasm, lukewarmness and ignorance. “How many Christians today Read more