From ‘pride’ parades to Fourth of July celebrations: An illuminating book deciphers our culture

Cities across America are getting ready for this week’s July Fourth celebrations. Near my neighborhood, the Dallas suburb of Addison (with nineteen thousand residents) is expecting 500,000 people for its fireworks show. Cities from New York to Los Angeles are preparing for spectacular parades.

None are likely to resemble the parades with which June’s “Pride” month ended. A Washington Post headline calls last Sunday’s pride parade in New York City “one of [the] largest in [the] movement’s history.” Wikipedia lists thirty-six such parades across the country. 

Of course, LGBTQ activists do not limit their campaign to one month. A self-described “young transgender woman” writes in CNN that “if in June, cities, institutions and individuals can devote attention and resources to LGBTQ people, maybe one day, they can do so all year round.” 

A book that explains why we’re where we are 

The biblical prohibition of homosexual activity has been clearly understood by the Judeo-Christian tradition for more than thirty-five centuries. This moral position was the norm in American culture until recent years. (For example, Pew Research Center reports that in 2004, 60 percent of Americans opposed same-sex marriage; in 2019, 61 percent support it.) 

What explains the moral trajectory of our day? 

In Pagans & Christians in the City: Culture Wars from the Tiber to the Potomac, law professor Steven D. Smith writes that an ancient form of paganism is becoming orthodox today. 

He notes that religion in the Roman Empire was so intertwined with the state that “Rome was, in a sense, a kind of magnificent megachurch.” That’s because, to the Romans, this world is our home. They “typically did not imagine any higher good—anything like union with the gods—that transcended earthly flourishing.” They believed that sexual fulfillment was inherently good,…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

قالب وردپرس

First female bishop takes seat in House of Lords

The Rt Rev Libby Lane was elevated to the upper house on Tuesday after being installed as the Bishop of Derby in May.

She was joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, and the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Dr John Sentamu, as she swore the oath of allegiance to the Queen.

 

  

 

The 53-year-old had been the Bishop of Stockport since 2015, after the vote by the General Synod of the Church of England to allow female bishops in 2014.

As the diocesan Bishop of Derby, she is one of the 26 senior members of the Church of England, known as the Lords Spiritual, entitled to sit on the red benches of the unelected house.

Others include the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

She smiled as she came in and read the promises required of the role. 

 

 

She brings the total number of female bishops in in the Lords to five.

 

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس

President Trump Becomes First Sitting President to Step Foot in North Korea

President Trump Becomes First Sitting President to Step Foot in North Korea



President Trump became the nation’s first sitting chief executive to step foot on North Korean soil. The historic steps took place on Sunday, after President Trump initiated a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Young Un via Twitter. The two shook hands at the demarcation line before Trump crossed the border at Kim’s invitation.


After crossing the border at 3:46 PM local time, President Trump and Mr. Kim walked to the base of a building for a photo-op and a brief word about restarting negotiations between the two countries after talks failed this Spring.


The leaders only spent a little over a minute in North Korean territory before Mr. Kim walked into South Korean territory with President Trump. They addressed assembled journalists then stepped into the Freedom House for a conversation with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.


The hastily-arranged meeting took place after President Trump issued an invitation to Mr. Kim via Twitter. The President, who is in East Asia for a meeting of the G20, tweeted Friday afternoon, “After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea (with President Moon). While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!”


The two leaders seemed to be ecstatic about the meeting….

… Read More

Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.

قالب وردپرس

British Cardinal to be made a saint in October

John Henry Newman will be the first English person to have lived since the 17th century to be recognised in this way.

Newman was ordained as an Anglican priest but converted to Catholicism in 1845.

 

He founded the Oratory is Birmingham as a way of living out his vocation within the Catholic Church. He was later given the role of Cardinal.

When he died over 15,000 people took to the streets for his funeral.

In 1991, 100 years after his death he was declared Venerable before being named Blessed in 2010 during the visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the UK.

He’ll now be canonised at a special service at the Vatican by Pope Francis.

Welcoming the announcement, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of English and Welsh Catholics said: “This is a moment of great pride. On Friday it was the feast of the Sacred Heart and we held a mass for the priests of England and Wales.

“Foremost in our minds was the declaration of a saint who was a priest here.

“John Henry Newman is known for many great qualities, but we remember him particularly for the kindness and compassion of his ministry to the people of Birmingham.”

According to the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, the canonisation was made possible by a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman, consisting in the medically inexplicable healing of a pregnant woman with life-threatening…

… Read More



Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

قالب وردپرس