Unmaking Man and Woman

Dear Apologist, someone told me Catholics ignore the distinction between “gender” and “sex” – and “gender” determines whether someone is a man or woman.  How do I respond?

A Closer Look at the Creed

Recently a student of mine asked me to write a deep-dive on the Nicene Creed.  So.... here we go!

The 2 Questions I Ask Confirmation Candidates

Now is the time of year when many Catholic teenagers in the Latin Rite find themselves in preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  This can be a difficult season for highschool youth ministers.

We have precious little time to work with the kids, so I’ve had to think hard about what I want to spend time on.  Today I want to look at the two questions I always ask our highschool confirmandees.

Undermining Theism - A Look at Two Common Attempts

In the movie Inception, the character Cobb accidentally gives his wife an obsession about the world really being a dream.  This doubt eventually undermines her belief in reality and drives her to suicide.

The secular undercurrents in our culture can do something similar to belief in God.  Rather than presenting real arguments for Atheism (of which there are precisely two), they simply introduce a doubt which prevents people from taking the possibility seriously.

I call these "Underminers" .... and today I want to look at two of them.

What was in the 95 Theses, Anyway?

This year is 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral - an act which many credit as the beginning of the Protestant movement.

But what were the 95 Theses?  What was Martin Luther protesting at point in his career?  Today I wanted to take a look at this most important document from the great man of history.

Stephen Colbert and Christian Citizenship

Comedian Stephen Colbert is arguably one of the most recognizable Catholics in the world.  One of the few times he is willing to leave character is when he talks about his faith.  And when he does, it is reliably profound and worth listening to.

However, sometimes people goof up. And if you are a late-night comedian, these mistakes are public by default.  So while I don't want to dwell too long on the sins of another, I do want to point out what he did ... because it's something we can all do.

Why I Don't Say "Non-Denominational"

It was freshmen year of college.  I was in a study area when my friend Whitney asked another fella if he was a Christian.  He said yes – and that he was “non-denominational”.

“Oh!” she replied excitedly.  “I’m so glad you are.  Some people make too big a deal of their denomination.” 

The latter part of that remark was a barb intended for me.  I remember being dumbstruck.  Did she know she was engaging in the very tribalism she was condemning?  Who knows.

Either way, for me it highlighted a core problem with the word “non-denominational”.  It is a term which Christians increasingly want to ascribe to themselves.  It's supposed to mean one doesn't want to take part in the divisions which characterize modern Christianity.

One isn’t a Methodist, a Baptist, a Lutheran, a Pentecostal, an Anglican, or a Catholic.  Just a Christian, thank you.  A follower of Christ.

Except… it really doesn’t work that way in practice.  Today I want to explore why.