Keep up the good work, evangelical prophets!

From RNS-

Silly me.

On Wednesday, when President Trump embraced an immigration bill that would give priority to English speakers with job skills over family members, I figured the prophets of the evangelical world would be all over him. After all, wasn’t it Jerry Falwall, Sr. who wrote in his 1980 manifesto Listen America, “The family is the fundamental building block and the basic unit of our society, and its continued health is a prerequisite for a strong and prosperous nation”?

So something was needed from the family values crowd along the lines of the statement issued by Austin Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration:

"The United States supports families and should not throw up obstacles to their unity. Unfortunately, the RAISE Act would have our nation turn its back on this long and storied tradition of welcoming families setting out to build a better life."

But no, as with every other Trumpian affront to their professed principles, the President’s house prophets either tell him what he wants to hear or forever hold their peace.

More here-

http://religionnews.com/2017/08/04/keep-up-the-good-work-evangelical-prophets/

J. I. Packer on Why Your Church and Family Need Catechesis

From The Gospel Coalition-

Historically, the church’s ministry of grounding new believers in the rudiments of Christianity has been known as catechesis. It is a ministry that has waxed and waned through the centuries. It flourished between the second and fifth centuries in the ancient church. Those who became Christians often moved into the faith from radically different backgrounds and worldviews. The churches rightly took such conversions seriously and sought to ensure that these life-revolutions were processed carefully, prayerfully, and intentionally, with thorough understanding at each stage.

With the tightening of the alignment between church and state in the West, combined with the effect of the Dark Ages, the ministry of catechesis floundered in large measure for much of the next millennium. The line between natural and spiritual birth virtually disappeared. According to the centuries-old practice, infants baptized into the church were, in theory, to be catechized later in the faith. But too often nothing of the sort occurred. As a consequence of such neglect, great numbers of persons who claimed to belong to Christ had little idea of what that might even mean.

More here-

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/packer-why-your-church-family-needs-catechesis

Families, churches & crime

From The Tribune Review-

Politicians often argue that the solution to reducing crime is more government programs and bigger jails. Yet government cannot adequately address the underlying problems that cause criminal behavior or fill the holes in people's lives.

What families need more than government programs are married fathers and mothers in the home and churches on the corner. Within families, children learn how to govern their lives. Churches help reinforce basic principles and strengthen the family in its role. When these institutions are weak or absent from peoples' lives, society becomes increasingly dependent on government to impose restraint.

The evidence is overwhelming: Having a mother and father as mutually supporting authority figures is vitally important for a child in many ways. Researchers find, for example, that:

More here-

http://triblive.com/opinion/featuredcommentary/11233613-74/government-churches-families

Victorian family values are a myth, Archbishop tells Mothers' Union

From The Telegraph-

The idea of a Victorian golden age of traditional family values is a “myth”, the Archbishop of Canterbury has insisted as he urged Christians to face up to the reality of divorce, cohabitation and gay marriage in the 21st century.

The Most Rev Justin Welby, who argued in the House of Lords against the legislation extending marriage to same-sex couples, said new family structures  including same-sex unions are now a reality “whether we agree or not”.

His remarks came in a sermon to representatives of the Mothers’ Union (MU) from around the world at a special service in Winchester Cathedral to celebrate the organisation’s 140th anniversary. 

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/23/victorian-family-values-are-a-myth-archbishop-tells-mothers-unio/

Religion is good for families and kids

From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-

It’s a message we hear more and more: Religion is bad.

And certainly recent headlines — from terrorist attacks perpetrated by radical Islamists in Paris and San Bernardino to the strange brew of warped Christian fundamentalism that appeared to motivate alleged shooter Robert Dear at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs — feeds the idea that religion is a force for ill in the world.

But in “The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason,” renowned atheist Sam Harris not only asserts that the “greatest problem confronting civilization” is religious extremism, he further waxes that it’s also “the larger set of cultural and intellectual accommodations we have made to faith itself.”

More here-

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2015/12/20/Religion-is-good-for-families-and-kids/stories/201512200049

Vatican asks for wide input on 2015 synod, not based on doctrine

From National Catholic Reporter-

For the second time in two years, the Vatican has asked national bishops' conferences around the world to seek input from Catholics at "all levels" about how the church should respond to sometimes difficult questions of modern family life, such as divorce and remarriage.

Issuing a document in preparation for a second worldwide meeting of Catholic bishops on family life next year, the Vatican has also stressed the need for mercy in responding to such difficult situations -- even asking the bishops to avoid basing their pastoral care solely on current Catholic doctrine.

The call for input came Tuesday in a document released by the Vatican's Office for the Synod of Bishops, which in October 2015 will to host the second of two global bishops' meetings called by Pope Francis for 2014 and 2015.

More here-

http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/vatican-asks-wide-input-2015-synod-not-based-doctrine

Security guard shot at Family Research Council in downtown D.C.

From The Washington Post-

A security guard at the Family Research Council was shot and wounded Wednesday morning after a scuffle with a man who expressed disagreement with the group’s conservative views in the lobby of the group’s headquarters in downtown Washington, authorities said.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the shooter walked into the lobby of the building at about 10:45 and was confronted by the security guard as if the guard were asking him where he was going.

The man then took out a gun and opened fire on the guard, Lanier said. The guard and others wrestled the man to the ground, disarmed him and waited for police, she said. The guard was then taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, the chief said. FBI officials said the guard was shot in the arm.

“The security guard here is a hero, as far as I’m concerned,” Lanier said. ”He did his job. The person never made it past the front.”

The shooter is in FBI custody and has not yet been charged, authorities said. A law enforcement official said at one point in the scuffle, the shooter expressed views that differed from those of the Family Research Council. The official also said the shooter was carrying a bag that had a Chick-Fil-A bag inside. Chick-Fil-A’s chief executive has expressed similar views against same-sex marriage as the Research Council.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/morning-shooting-in-northwest-dc/2012/08/15/845fe926-e6ec-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_blog.html

Wealthy facade wears thin

From Australia-

NOOSA community leaders have gathered to discuss how to address some of life's toughest challenges, including poverty and stressed-out children.

At a prayer breakfast hosted by the Anglican Church of Noosa in Tewantin last week, representatives from various community groups heard how the global financial crisis, crime and other issues were having an impact in the area.

Noosa chaplaincy chairman Warren Evans said in the past few years the number of people struggling financially in Noosa had risen dramatically, despite the area having a facade of wealth.

"There's a whole new era of poverty in the area that we didn't know about before," he said.

"The credit cards are absolutely maxed out."

More here-

http://www.noosanews.com.au/story/2012/02/24/wealthy-facade-wears-thin/

College Trip

I'm taking my youngest (Lindsey) off to college today so we might be a bit light on the posts over the next day.

Sometimes it is the size that counts !

Brown Trout caught on McGuiness Run. 19 inches 2 lbs. 14 oz.

Kuma Laid to Rest

Today has been a sad one for our family. Our dog Kuma, who we think was 18 years old, had to be put down. He had become extremely arthritic and was going into congestive heart failure.

Even though it’s a very gentle process its still difficult.

Kuma (which means "bear" in some Native American dialect) came to live with us seven years ago from the Ligonier Camp and Conference Center where he was the "camp dog". They were more than glad to have us bury him there which I did this afternoon. Many thanks to Jim, Larry, and Bill who helped me do the job of filling in a hole (graciously dug by a backhoe operator) which was easily five times bigger than necessary.

The picture is of Kuma in better days.

Speaking of Jeanne: Dog days of college

My eldest daughter Jeanne, who I affectionately refer to as "Scout" (after Miss Jeanne Louise Finch) was featured in the Wooster Ohio Daily Record today. This is Scout and our dog Kuma.

College of Wooster students who are homesick for their dogs or other pets while they're away at school can step right into Lowry Center on Monday evenings and get a dose of what they're missing.

Even if they don't have pets at home and just need some of the unconditional affection dogs have to offer, the "Paws to Pet" program is a different kind of extracurricular activity they might want to check out.

"It's a relaxing thing for them -- pet therapy really," said John Trier, president of Paws to Pet. He and his wife, Connie, bring Marley, an Irish setter.

Students may pet them, shake their paws or talk to them.

The dogs used in the program, which runs from 5-6:30 p.m., must be regular therapy dogs, Trier said. "We know their temperament; we know how they're going to behave."

About four to five teams -- dogs and trainers -- regularly participate in the program, and Trier said he doesn't think it is an exaggeration to say 50 to 100 college students take advantage of their visits.

(snip)

Jeanne Simons, a junior from Ligonier, said she has been visiting with the dogs and their owners since she was a freshman.

"I have a dog of my own who is 18," she said. "I miss him."

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4511222

Dad's surgery a success

Dad's surgery went very nicely today. He was operated on for a series of abdominal aneurisms. The Dr. said everything is fine. The only hitch was waiting five hours to get a room. Thanks for all of your prayers. This is Dad with my daughter Jeanne.

Good Stuff in TEC: New Jersey

Author Tim Shoemaker headlines workshop in Peapack-Gladstone

St. Luke's Episcopal Church in the Gladstone area is inviting the public to a workshop with author Tim Shoemaker, whose activities for sparking discussions about faith and values in families can be a little "zany,'' said St. Luke's children's pastor, Betsy LaVela.

""He uses very innovative and simple ways (for families) to pass on their faith,
ideas that you can't forget,'' LaVela said of Shoemaker.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080925/NEWS/80925024/1010/newsfront

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