Kevin Staley-Joyce

I’ve never heard of a religion consultant before, but I think the United Methodists may be using one. According to a BeliefNet report , the United Methodist church recently completed a study of 32,000 Methodist congregations, aiming to reestablish ecclesial vitality in the face of a financial . . . . Continue Reading »

There seems to be a new article on the ordination of women, sex abuse, or some combination of the two every day now, many displaying theological tonedeafness and worse, scorn for the motives of Catholics who dare to take seriously the Church’s longstanding theological traditions. But there are . . . . Continue Reading »

If its introductory video is any indication, Cornerstone Church is the spitting image of the ” Megachurch Show ” meme recently noted by Joe Carter. But among dozens of ministries, from scrapbooking and Bible study to sports teams and four-wheeling outings, Cornerstone adds an unexpected . . . . Continue Reading »

One of the first images that comes to mind at mention of a “nontraditional proposal” might be a couple’s female half making the first move, proposing marriage. But in an interview the other day, actress Angelina Jolie took the logic a step further, announcing that the only nuptial . . . . Continue Reading »

When critiquing American churches, opinion writers often adopt a form of historicism even Hegel would just barely accept—a philosophic stance that no doubt drives their chiding of churches as “behind the times” or “on the wrong side of history.” The same gives them the gall . . . . Continue Reading »

Mark Shea penned an excellent primer on clericalism yesterday at Catholic Exchange , identifying it as a prominent culprit in the “cover-up” mentality among some members of the episcopacy. While the Church does not operate on the principle of vox populi, vox Dei , Shea argues, neither has . . . . Continue Reading »

There’s the attorney-client privilege and the confidence of priest and penitent, but apparently no such expectation of privacy between the president and U.S. citizens. Such was learned the hardest possible way by Caroline Jamieson, who recently penned a personal letter to President Obama . . . . Continue Reading »

It should be taken as a compliment to Catholicism that, at least within the domain of pop culture, the most acclaimed cases leveled against it do not engage it with arguments, but instead with contrived historical narratives, many of which rise barely above the level of pure myth. Following the . . . . Continue Reading »

The old saying used to be, “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out,” but in the case of modern-day soccer, it may be something like, “I went to a vuvuzela concert and a soccer match broke out.” Such is the word proffered by today’s Onion in its trademark, . . . . Continue Reading »

Damian Thompson writes in today’s Telegraph that Cardinal George Pell’s loss of his anticipated appointment as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops owes to “black propaganda” and a “smear campaign” stemming from long-discredited misconduct allegations and dubious . . . . Continue Reading »