In what some have described as police enforcement of Sharia law at the annual Dearborn Arab International Festival, last Friday night Dearborn Police Officers arrested four Christian missionaries and illegally confiscated their video cameras which were recording the events surrounding their arrests. The Thomas More Law Center, a public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has announced it is representing all of the Christian missionaries. Watch these videos. Is this Sharia in Dearborn? Let us know what you think.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Today on Kresta - June 30, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 30
4:00 – Kresta Comments
4:20 – A Rabbi Led Me To Rome
A priest and a rabbi walk into a hospital . . .It sounds like the opening of a joke, but that moment marks the beginning of Taylor Marshall’s journey toward the Catholic faith. He had recently had been ordained as an Episcopal priest, and the parish pastor had given him his first priestly assignment: to visit a woman who was about to undergo surgery at the local hospital. Little did he know that by the end of that day, he would meet a rabbi, and his entire life would begin to change. He is here to tell his story.
4:40 - Who is at the Center of Your Marriage…The Pill or Jesus Christ? Contraception’s Disintegrating Effect on Marital Harmony
Who is at the Center of Your Marriage…The Pill or Jesus Christ? That is the question that Patrick McCrystal asks in his latest book. Patrick is a former pharmacist and the President of Human Life International in Ireland. He is here to present the real life experiences of married couples, expert opinion, medical facts, statistics, historical citations, Church texts and relevant websites. He shows that to maximize your chances of marital fulfillment, you must absolutely avoid contraception.
5:00 – Sharia in Dearborn, MI?
Is it illegal to preach Christianity to Muslims in America now? Acts 17 Apologetics, a Christian evangelistic group, was banned from passing out fliers at this year’s Arab Festival in Dearborn, Mich., so they went to the festival and only talked to those who talked to them. They ended up getting arrested anyway. These Christians were arrested in a public place, doing nothing but talking to Muslims. Islamic law forbids Christians to preach to Muslims. Is Dearborn, MI under Sharia law? Dick Thompson is defending Acts 17 Apologetics and is here to discuss this case.
5:20 – Miracles: Healing for a Broken World
Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you (Mt 7:7). Most people think miracles only happen in movies or the Bible and their prayer lives reflect this belief as well. Fr. Stefan Starzynski reminds us, through his personal experience and real stories, that God is ever present, and that miracles are among the gifts offered to those who petition Him in faith. Fr. Starzynski is here to take us on a tour of miracles, big and small, and illustrates how to find them in your own life.
4:00 – Kresta Comments
4:20 – A Rabbi Led Me To Rome
A priest and a rabbi walk into a hospital . . .It sounds like the opening of a joke, but that moment marks the beginning of Taylor Marshall’s journey toward the Catholic faith. He had recently had been ordained as an Episcopal priest, and the parish pastor had given him his first priestly assignment: to visit a woman who was about to undergo surgery at the local hospital. Little did he know that by the end of that day, he would meet a rabbi, and his entire life would begin to change. He is here to tell his story.
4:40 - Who is at the Center of Your Marriage…The Pill or Jesus Christ? Contraception’s Disintegrating Effect on Marital Harmony
Who is at the Center of Your Marriage…The Pill or Jesus Christ? That is the question that Patrick McCrystal asks in his latest book. Patrick is a former pharmacist and the President of Human Life International in Ireland. He is here to present the real life experiences of married couples, expert opinion, medical facts, statistics, historical citations, Church texts and relevant websites. He shows that to maximize your chances of marital fulfillment, you must absolutely avoid contraception.
5:00 – Sharia in Dearborn, MI?
Is it illegal to preach Christianity to Muslims in America now? Acts 17 Apologetics, a Christian evangelistic group, was banned from passing out fliers at this year’s Arab Festival in Dearborn, Mich., so they went to the festival and only talked to those who talked to them. They ended up getting arrested anyway. These Christians were arrested in a public place, doing nothing but talking to Muslims. Islamic law forbids Christians to preach to Muslims. Is Dearborn, MI under Sharia law? Dick Thompson is defending Acts 17 Apologetics and is here to discuss this case.
5:20 – Miracles: Healing for a Broken World
Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you (Mt 7:7). Most people think miracles only happen in movies or the Bible and their prayer lives reflect this belief as well. Fr. Stefan Starzynski reminds us, through his personal experience and real stories, that God is ever present, and that miracles are among the gifts offered to those who petition Him in faith. Fr. Starzynski is here to take us on a tour of miracles, big and small, and illustrates how to find them in your own life.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Outrageous Statement of the Day
This is one for the ages and has been making its way across the web. It is Peggy West, a member of the Democrat Executive Committee of Milwaukee. She says in a public meeting that the Milwaukee Council should repudiate Arizona's anti-illegal immigrant law because Arizona is "a ways removed from the border." WOW!
Today on Kresta - June 29, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 29
4:00 – Belgian government defends raid of bishops’ meeting / US Supreme Court allows case against the Vatican to advance
The US Supreme Court has declined to hear the Vatican’s appeal of an Oregon judge’s decision allowing a sex-abuse victim to proceed with a lawsuit against the Vatican. The effect of the Supreme Court decision is to send the lawsuit back to the Oregon court for discovery and an eventual trial. Meanwhile, Belgian Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere has defended an aggressive police raid of a bishops’ meeting during an investigation of the clerical abuse scandal. The Vatican and the Belgian bishops have angrily protested two aspects of the search: the violation of the tombs of two deceased archbishops and the seizure of confidential files from the Church-authorized investigating commission. We talk to Matthew Bunson, co-author of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis.
4:20 – Elementary School in MA approves condoms for elementary students
A Massachusetts elementary school could soon start handing out condoms to first graders. The school committee in Provincetown unanimously adopted a condom distribution policy for the elementary school and high school last week. Under the new policy at Veteran's Memorial Elementary School, which has students from pre-Kindergarten to the sixth grade, condoms will be available for any student of ANY AGE that asks. "I don't know a magic age to put on it, do you?" said Dr. Beth Singer, school superintendent. Exposing young children to condoms raises questions, but what's raising eyebrows is that parents can't say 'no' to the new policy. Dr. Miriam Grossman is saying “no” and joins us.
4:40 - Proposing a new way for Catholic colleges to teach science
A world-class physicist is proposing a new way for Catholic colleges to teach science. Murray Daw is a faculty member of the Institute for Advanced Physics, an organization dedicated to science education and research that integrates natural philosophy and modern science. Daw says such integration is essential. He says this integration needs deep intellectual study and that scientists should be trained in an integrated way so as to comprehend the full reality investigated by the base science of physics. Otherwise, he said, they will increasingly be divorced from the very starting points of knowledge upon which modern physics depends. To understand the profound truths of their science, they need to have a firmly anchored base that forms every aspect of their thinking, including the most esoteric math. Professor Daw joins us.
5:00 – Politics for Christians: Statecraft As Soulcraft
Politics is concerned with citizenship and the administration of justice--how communities are formed and governed. The role of Christians in the political process is hotly contested, but as citizens, Francis Beckwith argues, Christians have a rich heritage of sophisticated thought, as well as a genuine responsibility, to contribute to the shaping of public policy. In particular, Beckwith addresses the contention that Christians, or indeed religious citizens of any faith, should set aside their beliefs before they enter the public square. What role should religious citizens take in a liberal democracy? What is the proper separation of church and state? What place should be made for natural rights and the moral law within a secular state?
4:00 – Belgian government defends raid of bishops’ meeting / US Supreme Court allows case against the Vatican to advance
The US Supreme Court has declined to hear the Vatican’s appeal of an Oregon judge’s decision allowing a sex-abuse victim to proceed with a lawsuit against the Vatican. The effect of the Supreme Court decision is to send the lawsuit back to the Oregon court for discovery and an eventual trial. Meanwhile, Belgian Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere has defended an aggressive police raid of a bishops’ meeting during an investigation of the clerical abuse scandal. The Vatican and the Belgian bishops have angrily protested two aspects of the search: the violation of the tombs of two deceased archbishops and the seizure of confidential files from the Church-authorized investigating commission. We talk to Matthew Bunson, co-author of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis.
4:20 – Elementary School in MA approves condoms for elementary students
A Massachusetts elementary school could soon start handing out condoms to first graders. The school committee in Provincetown unanimously adopted a condom distribution policy for the elementary school and high school last week. Under the new policy at Veteran's Memorial Elementary School, which has students from pre-Kindergarten to the sixth grade, condoms will be available for any student of ANY AGE that asks. "I don't know a magic age to put on it, do you?" said Dr. Beth Singer, school superintendent. Exposing young children to condoms raises questions, but what's raising eyebrows is that parents can't say 'no' to the new policy. Dr. Miriam Grossman is saying “no” and joins us.
4:40 - Proposing a new way for Catholic colleges to teach science
A world-class physicist is proposing a new way for Catholic colleges to teach science. Murray Daw is a faculty member of the Institute for Advanced Physics, an organization dedicated to science education and research that integrates natural philosophy and modern science. Daw says such integration is essential. He says this integration needs deep intellectual study and that scientists should be trained in an integrated way so as to comprehend the full reality investigated by the base science of physics. Otherwise, he said, they will increasingly be divorced from the very starting points of knowledge upon which modern physics depends. To understand the profound truths of their science, they need to have a firmly anchored base that forms every aspect of their thinking, including the most esoteric math. Professor Daw joins us.
5:00 – Politics for Christians: Statecraft As Soulcraft
Politics is concerned with citizenship and the administration of justice--how communities are formed and governed. The role of Christians in the political process is hotly contested, but as citizens, Francis Beckwith argues, Christians have a rich heritage of sophisticated thought, as well as a genuine responsibility, to contribute to the shaping of public policy. In particular, Beckwith addresses the contention that Christians, or indeed religious citizens of any faith, should set aside their beliefs before they enter the public square. What role should religious citizens take in a liberal democracy? What is the proper separation of church and state? What place should be made for natural rights and the moral law within a secular state?
Monday, June 28, 2010
Pope calls police raids "surprising and deplorable.”
Matthew Bunson, co-author of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis will be with us tomorrow on the program to discuss this case.
Pope confirms Vatican office for 'new evangelization'
Pope Benedict XVI has confirmed his plan to create a new office of the Roman Curia: the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization.
Speaking on June 28 at a Vespers service in the basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls, on the vigil of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Pope said that the new council would be devoted to spreading the Gospel message in regions where the faith has suffered from the inroads of secularism and the “eclipse of God.” In a reference to his coming patronal feast, the Holy Father said that he, as successor to St. Peter, had an obligation to continue the apostolic mission that the apostles began, bringing the faith to every part of the earth—including those parts where Christendom once flourished but has now been weakened.
The Pope’s plan to create the new dicastery had been reported several weeks ago, but never formally announced. In his Monday-evening statement the Pontiff did not reveal any more detailed plans for the office. Vatican insiders predict that the first president of the new pontifical council will be Archbishop Renato Fisichella, currently the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Speaking on June 28 at a Vespers service in the basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls, on the vigil of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the Pope said that the new council would be devoted to spreading the Gospel message in regions where the faith has suffered from the inroads of secularism and the “eclipse of God.” In a reference to his coming patronal feast, the Holy Father said that he, as successor to St. Peter, had an obligation to continue the apostolic mission that the apostles began, bringing the faith to every part of the earth—including those parts where Christendom once flourished but has now been weakened.
The Pope’s plan to create the new dicastery had been reported several weeks ago, but never formally announced. In his Monday-evening statement the Pontiff did not reveal any more detailed plans for the office. Vatican insiders predict that the first president of the new pontifical council will be Archbishop Renato Fisichella, currently the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Today on Kresta - June 28, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 28
GUEST HOST: PAUL KENGOR
4:00 – Summorum Pontificum and the Young
Pope Benedict’s critics had hoped Summorum Pontificum would disappear without a trace. It hasn’t. His apostolic constitution authorizing wider use of the Traditional Latin Mass continues to bear fruit, some of it annoyingly visible to these critics. Far from just a sop thrown to aging traditionalists, Summorum Pontificum has proven popular with the young. As Pope Benedict noted in its accompanying letter, the Traditional Latin Mass is old in origin but new in appeal: “young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction, and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Sacrifice particularly suited to them.” Recently 3,500 people—many of them children, teens, college students, and young families—filed into the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for a Pontifical Solemn High Mass that lasted two and a half hours. George Neumayr is here to discuss his latest cover story in Catholic World Report - Summorum Pontificum and the Young,
4:20 – Subsidiarity and Social Justice. What do those terms really mean?
When we talk as Catholics about elevation of the poor and service to those who are less fortunate, we often talk about subsidiarity and social justice. What do those terms mean in the context of Catholic social teaching? Sam Gregg joins us to work it out.
4:40 - Kagan, Sen. Byrd, Obama, Oil, and Gun Control Laws
We have a wide-ranging interview with US Rep. Thaddeus McCotter of MI. We’ll look at today’s opening day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court’s ruling today on gun bans, the death of Sen. Robert Byrd and hw the Obama administration is handling the BP oil spill.
5:00 – 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor
Following up his 10 Books That Screwed Up the World, author Benjamin Wiker brings you 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor. Offering a guide to some of the most important literary works of our time, Wiker turns his discerning eye from the great texts that have done so much damage to Western Civilization to the great texts that could help rebuild it. He features a range of works from classics such as Democracy in America and The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, to more "pop" classics like Sense and Sensibility and The Tempest. Through these works, Wiker reveals some of the most important lessons for our time.
GUEST HOST: PAUL KENGOR
4:00 – Summorum Pontificum and the Young
Pope Benedict’s critics had hoped Summorum Pontificum would disappear without a trace. It hasn’t. His apostolic constitution authorizing wider use of the Traditional Latin Mass continues to bear fruit, some of it annoyingly visible to these critics. Far from just a sop thrown to aging traditionalists, Summorum Pontificum has proven popular with the young. As Pope Benedict noted in its accompanying letter, the Traditional Latin Mass is old in origin but new in appeal: “young persons too have discovered this liturgical form, felt its attraction, and found in it a form of encounter with the Mystery of the Most Holy Sacrifice particularly suited to them.” Recently 3,500 people—many of them children, teens, college students, and young families—filed into the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for a Pontifical Solemn High Mass that lasted two and a half hours. George Neumayr is here to discuss his latest cover story in Catholic World Report - Summorum Pontificum and the Young,
4:20 – Subsidiarity and Social Justice. What do those terms really mean?
When we talk as Catholics about elevation of the poor and service to those who are less fortunate, we often talk about subsidiarity and social justice. What do those terms mean in the context of Catholic social teaching? Sam Gregg joins us to work it out.
4:40 - Kagan, Sen. Byrd, Obama, Oil, and Gun Control Laws
We have a wide-ranging interview with US Rep. Thaddeus McCotter of MI. We’ll look at today’s opening day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court’s ruling today on gun bans, the death of Sen. Robert Byrd and hw the Obama administration is handling the BP oil spill.
5:00 – 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor
Following up his 10 Books That Screwed Up the World, author Benjamin Wiker brings you 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor. Offering a guide to some of the most important literary works of our time, Wiker turns his discerning eye from the great texts that have done so much damage to Western Civilization to the great texts that could help rebuild it. He features a range of works from classics such as Democracy in America and The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, to more "pop" classics like Sense and Sensibility and The Tempest. Through these works, Wiker reveals some of the most important lessons for our time.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Cardinal Newman's beatification confirmed for Birmigham
Earlier plans for the papal visit envisioned a beatification ceremony taking place with an outdoor Mass at the airport in Coventry. But with planning for the papal trip dogged by organizational and budgetary problems, the ceremony was shifted to a less ambitious venue. The Mass at Coventry airport would have called for considerable advance planning, including road closings and intense security measures.
Organizers of the papal trip pointed out that with the beatification taking place in Birmingham, Pope Benedict would have the opportunity to visit the Oratory where Cardinal Newman worked.
Commercial for the World Youth Day 2011 highlights the “soul of Madrid”
The latest promotional video for World Youth Day intends to answer where the soul of Madrid is, the city that will celebrate the gathering of youths with the pope.
Outrageous Statement of the Day
Comedian Janeane Garofalo told the Huffington Post June 24 she thinks the Bible is a "work of fiction" "written for a child-like audience."
Today on Kresta - June 25, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 25
Best of Kresta in the Afternoon
4:00 – TIME MAGAZINE: “Why Being Pope Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry”
It would probably be too much to ask that Time magazine run a cover story on the bold statements and concrete actions that Benedict XVI has taken to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis. No self-respecting journalistic enterprise wants to be separated from the pack when it comes to covering a controversial news story, which means it must always follow the herd, even when the evidence points elsewhere. But the Time magazine June 7 cover story is a particularly frustrating example of a media enterprise playing to prejudices with half-truths even to the point of severely misrepresenting the story. "Why Being Pope Means Never having To Say You’re Sorry: The Sex Abuse Scandal and the Limits of Atonement" is the provocative headline splashed across the most recent Time cover, which also features an image of the back of Benedict XVI's mitered head. Greg Erlandson is here to respond.
4:40 – Kresta Comments / Direct to my Desk
5:00 – The Battle: How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future
America faces a new culture war. It is not a war about guns, abortions, or gays—rather it is a war against the creeping changes to our entrepreneurial culture, the true bedrock of who we are as a people. The new culture war is a battle between free enterprise and social democracy. Many Americans have forgotten the evils of socialism and the predations of the American Great Society’s welfare state programs. But, as American Enterprise Institute’s president Arthur C. Brooks reveals, the forces for social democracy have returned with a vengeance, expanding the power of the state to a breathtaking degree. He offers a plan of action for the defense of free enterprise; it is at once a call to arms and a crucial redefinition of the political and moral gulf that divides Right and Left in America today.
5:20 - Detroit Bus Authority Blocks Ads Offering Help to Muslims Threatened for Leaving Their Religion
A federal lawsuit was filed last week over the refusal of a Detroit-area transportation authority to display an anti-Jihad advertisement on its buses. The ad stated, “Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? Leaving Islam? Got questions? Get Answers!” The “Leaving Islam” ad was sponsored by the Freedom Defense Initiative (FDI), founded by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. In the past, SMART had no problem running an anti-religion ad sponsored by an atheist organization that stated, “Don’t Believe in God? You are not alone.” Dick Thompson of the Thomas More Law Center is here to discuss it.
5:30 – Study Shows Children Raised By Lesbians are Smarter and More Well-Adjusted that Those In a Traditional Family – Oh yea, the Study was Done By an Open Lesbian.
Being raised by a same-sex couple is no hindrance to healthy psychological development, researchers say as the first generation of children conceived by lesbians through donor insemination is coming of age. In fact, lesbian mothers rated their 17-year-olds higher in social and academic skills, and lower in rule-breaking and aggression, than did mothers of teenagers who also had a father. The study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics, is the first to follow children of lesbian couples all the way from conception to adolescence. Two quick points: The study was done by an open lesbian and it contradicts decades of previous studies. Gary Glenn is here to discuss it.
5:40 – Primary Results – What Do They Say About November?
The June 8 primaries yielded some marquee matchups and one key runoff. The main message: Outsiders are in. California Former Silicon Valley CEOs and political newcomers Meg Whitman (eBay) and Carly Fiorina (Hewlett-Packard) face career politicians in a state usually unfriendly to female GOP candidates. Both Senator Barbara Boxer, who will face Fiorina in a bid for a fourth term, and Attorney General Jerry Brown, who will take on Whitman in the race for the governor's job, are counting on rookie mistakes. Election analyst Michael Barone is here. He also answers the question “What’s wrong with Michigan?”
Best of Kresta in the Afternoon
4:00 – TIME MAGAZINE: “Why Being Pope Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry”
It would probably be too much to ask that Time magazine run a cover story on the bold statements and concrete actions that Benedict XVI has taken to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis. No self-respecting journalistic enterprise wants to be separated from the pack when it comes to covering a controversial news story, which means it must always follow the herd, even when the evidence points elsewhere. But the Time magazine June 7 cover story is a particularly frustrating example of a media enterprise playing to prejudices with half-truths even to the point of severely misrepresenting the story. "Why Being Pope Means Never having To Say You’re Sorry: The Sex Abuse Scandal and the Limits of Atonement" is the provocative headline splashed across the most recent Time cover, which also features an image of the back of Benedict XVI's mitered head. Greg Erlandson is here to respond.
4:40 – Kresta Comments / Direct to my Desk
5:00 – The Battle: How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future
America faces a new culture war. It is not a war about guns, abortions, or gays—rather it is a war against the creeping changes to our entrepreneurial culture, the true bedrock of who we are as a people. The new culture war is a battle between free enterprise and social democracy. Many Americans have forgotten the evils of socialism and the predations of the American Great Society’s welfare state programs. But, as American Enterprise Institute’s president Arthur C. Brooks reveals, the forces for social democracy have returned with a vengeance, expanding the power of the state to a breathtaking degree. He offers a plan of action for the defense of free enterprise; it is at once a call to arms and a crucial redefinition of the political and moral gulf that divides Right and Left in America today.
5:20 - Detroit Bus Authority Blocks Ads Offering Help to Muslims Threatened for Leaving Their Religion
A federal lawsuit was filed last week over the refusal of a Detroit-area transportation authority to display an anti-Jihad advertisement on its buses. The ad stated, “Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? Leaving Islam? Got questions? Get Answers!” The “Leaving Islam” ad was sponsored by the Freedom Defense Initiative (FDI), founded by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. In the past, SMART had no problem running an anti-religion ad sponsored by an atheist organization that stated, “Don’t Believe in God? You are not alone.” Dick Thompson of the Thomas More Law Center is here to discuss it.
5:30 – Study Shows Children Raised By Lesbians are Smarter and More Well-Adjusted that Those In a Traditional Family – Oh yea, the Study was Done By an Open Lesbian.
Being raised by a same-sex couple is no hindrance to healthy psychological development, researchers say as the first generation of children conceived by lesbians through donor insemination is coming of age. In fact, lesbian mothers rated their 17-year-olds higher in social and academic skills, and lower in rule-breaking and aggression, than did mothers of teenagers who also had a father. The study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics, is the first to follow children of lesbian couples all the way from conception to adolescence. Two quick points: The study was done by an open lesbian and it contradicts decades of previous studies. Gary Glenn is here to discuss it.
5:40 – Primary Results – What Do They Say About November?
The June 8 primaries yielded some marquee matchups and one key runoff. The main message: Outsiders are in. California Former Silicon Valley CEOs and political newcomers Meg Whitman (eBay) and Carly Fiorina (Hewlett-Packard) face career politicians in a state usually unfriendly to female GOP candidates. Both Senator Barbara Boxer, who will face Fiorina in a bid for a fourth term, and Attorney General Jerry Brown, who will take on Whitman in the race for the governor's job, are counting on rookie mistakes. Election analyst Michael Barone is here. He also answers the question “What’s wrong with Michigan?”
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Outrageous News Package of the Day
Is this news package by CNN an objective presentation of a controversial issue facing American society? You be the judge.
Today on Kresta - June 24, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 24
GUEST HOSTS: BRUCE AND KRIS MCGREGOR
4:00 – Seminary Theology: Teaching in a Contemplative Way
Addressing the pedagogical vocation of the seminary theologian, Deacon James Keating is here to present a set of essays which draw out the integral relationship between theological instruction and spiritual formation. It challenges seminary faculty to ask themselves the difficult question: Does my teaching facilitate a deeper love for Christ and commitment to God's will?
4:40 – Kill the Christians: Lawmakers and protesters in Afghanistan are calling for just that
It has never been easy to work as a Christian—local or foreign—in Afghanistan. But since a video was broadcast on Afghan television showing the baptism of converts in Kabul, the danger has escalated—and the tiny minority suddenly finds itself a potentially sizeable pawn in a game of political chess. Mindy Belz of WORLD Magazine has reported on this story and joins us.
5:00 – Why Me? When Bad Things Happen
Mike Aquilina’s latest book is part of the "30 Minute Read" series. Why me? Why anyone? Suffering is everywhere. Why does God let this happen? It's because he loves us. He has a plan. Don't you want to find out what it is? Mike is here to help us to see our woes as blessings - things that lead us toward God instead of away from him.
5:40 – Feast of St. John the Baptist
Today we celebrate the feast of John the Baptist - patron saint of spiritual joy. After all, he leapt for joy in his mother’s womb at the presence of Jesus and Mary (Luke 1:44). And it says that he rejoices to hear the bridegrooms voice (John 3:29-30). John was joyful because he was humble. In fact, he shows us the true nature of this virtue. Humility is not beating up on yourself, denying that you have any gifts, talents, or importance. John knew he had an important role which he played aggressively, with authority and confidence. The humble man does not sheepishly look down on himself. Actually, he does not look at himself at all. He looks away from himself to the Lord. We look at this feast day with Steve Ray.
GUEST HOSTS: BRUCE AND KRIS MCGREGOR
4:00 – Seminary Theology: Teaching in a Contemplative Way
Addressing the pedagogical vocation of the seminary theologian, Deacon James Keating is here to present a set of essays which draw out the integral relationship between theological instruction and spiritual formation. It challenges seminary faculty to ask themselves the difficult question: Does my teaching facilitate a deeper love for Christ and commitment to God's will?
4:40 – Kill the Christians: Lawmakers and protesters in Afghanistan are calling for just that
It has never been easy to work as a Christian—local or foreign—in Afghanistan. But since a video was broadcast on Afghan television showing the baptism of converts in Kabul, the danger has escalated—and the tiny minority suddenly finds itself a potentially sizeable pawn in a game of political chess. Mindy Belz of WORLD Magazine has reported on this story and joins us.
5:00 – Why Me? When Bad Things Happen
Mike Aquilina’s latest book is part of the "30 Minute Read" series. Why me? Why anyone? Suffering is everywhere. Why does God let this happen? It's because he loves us. He has a plan. Don't you want to find out what it is? Mike is here to help us to see our woes as blessings - things that lead us toward God instead of away from him.
5:40 – Feast of St. John the Baptist
Today we celebrate the feast of John the Baptist - patron saint of spiritual joy. After all, he leapt for joy in his mother’s womb at the presence of Jesus and Mary (Luke 1:44). And it says that he rejoices to hear the bridegrooms voice (John 3:29-30). John was joyful because he was humble. In fact, he shows us the true nature of this virtue. Humility is not beating up on yourself, denying that you have any gifts, talents, or importance. John knew he had an important role which he played aggressively, with authority and confidence. The humble man does not sheepishly look down on himself. Actually, he does not look at himself at all. He looks away from himself to the Lord. We look at this feast day with Steve Ray.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Today on Kresta - June 23, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 23
GUEST HOST: MONICA MILLER
4:00 – TBA
4:20 – Liturgical Changes: Coming Soon to a Parish Near You
The Vatican has given its approval to the proposed U.S. version of the new edition of the Roman Missal. Benedict XVI expressed his hope that the change in translation will serve "as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world."A statement from the U.S. bishops clarified that the complete text of the Roman Missal is still being edited by Vatican officials, but is expected later this spring, when it will be prepared for publication. It now falls to the U.S. bishops to decide when to implement the new translation in parishes. We look at the changes, the timeline and the probable reception by the faithful with liturgist Fr. Peter Stravinskas.
4:40 – Empire State Building Honors China - Says No to Teresa of Calcutta
On August 26, the U.S. Postal Service is honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa. On February 2, Bill Donohue submitted an application to the Empire State Building Lighting Partners requesting that the tower lights feature blue and white, the colors of Mother Teresa's congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, on August 26. On May 5, the request was denied without explanation. Mother Teresa received 124 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Freedom. She built hundreds of orphanages, hospitals, hospices, health clinics, homeless shelters, youth shelters and soup kitchens all over the world, and is revered in India for her work. Last year the Empire State Building shone in red and yellow lights to honor the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Revolution. Yet under its founder, Mao Zedong, the Communists killed 77 million people. In other words, the greatest mass murderer in history merited the same tribute being denied to Mother Teresa. Jeff Field, Communication Director at the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, is here.
5:00 – Father’s Day Week Wake-Up - Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know
Dr. Meg Meeker says that the absence of traditional masculinity and father-daughter interactions may explain your daughter's need for antibiotics, anti-depressants and stimulants. In this week following Father’s Day, we talk about strong fathers – strong daughters - 10 secrets every father should know. Men, your relationship with your daughter will shape her, mold her, and determine her mental, spiritual and physical health more than any other relationship she will ever have. Dr. Meeker tells us how to make it a good one.
5:40 – Are Food and Water Extraordinary Measures? Ethical Principles on Caring for Those in a Vegetative State
In a recent article published in Zenit, our next guest asked the question, “are food and water extraordinary measures?” He and his co-author defined the condition to which the term "vegetative state" refers, discussed certain facts about the tragic condition, introduced key ethical principles for analyzing duties that we have to persons in it, and clearly laid out the current state of Catholic teaching on providing food and water to patients in a persistent vegetative state. Christian Brugger reviews his piece with us.
GUEST HOST: MONICA MILLER
4:00 – TBA
4:20 – Liturgical Changes: Coming Soon to a Parish Near You
The Vatican has given its approval to the proposed U.S. version of the new edition of the Roman Missal. Benedict XVI expressed his hope that the change in translation will serve "as a springboard for a renewal and a deepening of Eucharistic devotion all over the English-speaking world."A statement from the U.S. bishops clarified that the complete text of the Roman Missal is still being edited by Vatican officials, but is expected later this spring, when it will be prepared for publication. It now falls to the U.S. bishops to decide when to implement the new translation in parishes. We look at the changes, the timeline and the probable reception by the faithful with liturgist Fr. Peter Stravinskas.
4:40 – Empire State Building Honors China - Says No to Teresa of Calcutta
On August 26, the U.S. Postal Service is honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa. On February 2, Bill Donohue submitted an application to the Empire State Building Lighting Partners requesting that the tower lights feature blue and white, the colors of Mother Teresa's congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, on August 26. On May 5, the request was denied without explanation. Mother Teresa received 124 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Freedom. She built hundreds of orphanages, hospitals, hospices, health clinics, homeless shelters, youth shelters and soup kitchens all over the world, and is revered in India for her work. Last year the Empire State Building shone in red and yellow lights to honor the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Revolution. Yet under its founder, Mao Zedong, the Communists killed 77 million people. In other words, the greatest mass murderer in history merited the same tribute being denied to Mother Teresa. Jeff Field, Communication Director at the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, is here.
5:00 – Father’s Day Week Wake-Up - Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know
Dr. Meg Meeker says that the absence of traditional masculinity and father-daughter interactions may explain your daughter's need for antibiotics, anti-depressants and stimulants. In this week following Father’s Day, we talk about strong fathers – strong daughters - 10 secrets every father should know. Men, your relationship with your daughter will shape her, mold her, and determine her mental, spiritual and physical health more than any other relationship she will ever have. Dr. Meeker tells us how to make it a good one.
5:40 – Are Food and Water Extraordinary Measures? Ethical Principles on Caring for Those in a Vegetative State
In a recent article published in Zenit, our next guest asked the question, “are food and water extraordinary measures?” He and his co-author defined the condition to which the term "vegetative state" refers, discussed certain facts about the tragic condition, introduced key ethical principles for analyzing duties that we have to persons in it, and clearly laid out the current state of Catholic teaching on providing food and water to patients in a persistent vegetative state. Christian Brugger reviews his piece with us.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
2 Outrageous Statements of the Day!!!
Obama nominee for the supreme court, Elena Kagan, gives her opinion on the controversial hearings over Robert Bork's nomination to the supreme court.
On Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski admits she is "working with the White House" on oil spill talking points.
On Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski admits she is "working with the White House" on oil spill talking points.
Today on Kresta - June 22, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 22
GUEST HOST: PATRICK COFFIN
4:00 – As “The Pill” Turns 50, the FDA Stands Ready to Approve Another Abortifacient “Emergency Contraceptive”
Human Life International has announced the launch of HLI America, a new initiative aimed at confronting contraception and the culture of death throughout the United States. The new initiative comes as we look back on 50 years of the birth control pill and as the FDA appears set to approve another abortifacient “emergency contraceptive.” HLI America will highlight what is true in both our personal lives and on the world stage – namely that “protecting life begins at home'. Led by Jenn Giroux, HLI America will bring Americans the truth about human life, the beauty of children and the devastating and harmful effects of contraception in America. Jenn joins us to explain.
4:20 – Closing Arguments Heard in Prop 8 Challenge
Backers of California's Proposition 8 said in closing arguments last week, the court should reject a legal challenge to the state's ban on same-sex marriage. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, an open homosexual, will render his decision later this summer. California voters approved Proposition 8 in November 2008, months after the state Supreme Court ruled a state law banning same-sex marriage violated the state constitution. Bill May was in court for the trial and offers his analysis of the proceedings.
4:40 – Feast of St. Thomas More – Patron of Politicians
June 22 is the Feast of one of our greatest saints: Thomas More. Thomas was one of the most gifted men of his day. He entered Oxford at about age 15, was a brilliant scholar, writer, and lawyer, was fluent in Greek, Latin and French, was schooled in mathematics and was an accomplished musician. But he is, of course, best known for his martyrdom at the hand of Henry VIII. His crime? he bore witness to Christ's revelation that a valid marriage could not be dissolved and that the Church of Christ must not be divided. Bert Ghezzi is here to discuss this man of God.
5:00 – Another Catholic University Fails a Litmus Test
Marquette University's decision to withdraw an offer to Jodi O'Brien, a self-described "sexuality scholar" to become Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the Jesuit-led institution continues to divide the faculty. Although Ms. O'Brien reached a settlement with the University last week, her supporters maintain that she is the victim of homophobia. Teachers who criticized the initial job offer say that Ms. O'Brien's sexual orientation is not what disqualifies her, but rather the fact that her publications disparage Catholic moral teachings on marriage, sexuality and the family. Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki has spoken openly on the Catholic identity of the school. We talk to Anne Hendershott who had a story on this controversy in the Wall Street Journal this weekend.
5:20 – Trends in Catholic Identity at Catholic Colleges and Universities
Founded in 1993, the mission of The Cardinal Newman Society is to help renew and strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education. Today's Catholic university or college certainly can be authentically Catholic. However, the Catholic identity of many Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States has become increasingly clouded and the essential elements of Catholic education have been discarded for the sake of a mistaken notion of academic freedom. Many Catholic colleges and universities have pursued a secular model as the university ideal to a point where their own Catholic identity and mission within the Church is no longer clear. President Patrick Reilly is here to discuss the trends in Catholic identity at these schools over the last 17 years.
5:40 – Open Line
GUEST HOST: PATRICK COFFIN
4:00 – As “The Pill” Turns 50, the FDA Stands Ready to Approve Another Abortifacient “Emergency Contraceptive”
Human Life International has announced the launch of HLI America, a new initiative aimed at confronting contraception and the culture of death throughout the United States. The new initiative comes as we look back on 50 years of the birth control pill and as the FDA appears set to approve another abortifacient “emergency contraceptive.” HLI America will highlight what is true in both our personal lives and on the world stage – namely that “protecting life begins at home'. Led by Jenn Giroux, HLI America will bring Americans the truth about human life, the beauty of children and the devastating and harmful effects of contraception in America. Jenn joins us to explain.
4:20 – Closing Arguments Heard in Prop 8 Challenge
Backers of California's Proposition 8 said in closing arguments last week, the court should reject a legal challenge to the state's ban on same-sex marriage. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, an open homosexual, will render his decision later this summer. California voters approved Proposition 8 in November 2008, months after the state Supreme Court ruled a state law banning same-sex marriage violated the state constitution. Bill May was in court for the trial and offers his analysis of the proceedings.
4:40 – Feast of St. Thomas More – Patron of Politicians
June 22 is the Feast of one of our greatest saints: Thomas More. Thomas was one of the most gifted men of his day. He entered Oxford at about age 15, was a brilliant scholar, writer, and lawyer, was fluent in Greek, Latin and French, was schooled in mathematics and was an accomplished musician. But he is, of course, best known for his martyrdom at the hand of Henry VIII. His crime? he bore witness to Christ's revelation that a valid marriage could not be dissolved and that the Church of Christ must not be divided. Bert Ghezzi is here to discuss this man of God.
5:00 – Another Catholic University Fails a Litmus Test
Marquette University's decision to withdraw an offer to Jodi O'Brien, a self-described "sexuality scholar" to become Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the Jesuit-led institution continues to divide the faculty. Although Ms. O'Brien reached a settlement with the University last week, her supporters maintain that she is the victim of homophobia. Teachers who criticized the initial job offer say that Ms. O'Brien's sexual orientation is not what disqualifies her, but rather the fact that her publications disparage Catholic moral teachings on marriage, sexuality and the family. Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki has spoken openly on the Catholic identity of the school. We talk to Anne Hendershott who had a story on this controversy in the Wall Street Journal this weekend.
5:20 – Trends in Catholic Identity at Catholic Colleges and Universities
Founded in 1993, the mission of The Cardinal Newman Society is to help renew and strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education. Today's Catholic university or college certainly can be authentically Catholic. However, the Catholic identity of many Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States has become increasingly clouded and the essential elements of Catholic education have been discarded for the sake of a mistaken notion of academic freedom. Many Catholic colleges and universities have pursued a secular model as the university ideal to a point where their own Catholic identity and mission within the Church is no longer clear. President Patrick Reilly is here to discuss the trends in Catholic identity at these schools over the last 17 years.
5:40 – Open Line
Monday, June 21, 2010
Today on Kresta - June 21, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 21
4:00 – Kresta Comments
4:20 – CBS News: “Church Ousts Nun Who OK'd Abortion to Save Woman” – We get the Truth From a Canon Lawyer
In late 2009, an abortion took place at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix after a hospital ethics committee deemed the abortion necessary to save the life of the mother. Sister Margaret Mary McBride, the hospital’s vice president of mission integration, was a member of the committee that made the decision and has since been assigned new duties. The hospital has defended its decision, while Bishop Thomas Olmsted warned that Catholics who formally cooperated in the abortion were automatically excommunicated. That led to nationwide headlines like “Church Ousts Nun Who OK'd Abortion to Save Woman.” We get the real story from canon lawyer Michael Dunnigan.
4:40 – Israel and Palestine: What Does the Just War Theory of “Proportionate Response” Really Mean?
The last three times Israel has taken military action, international commentators criticized the country’s use of force as “disproportionate.” During the recent flotilla incident, the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, and the Gaza War of 2008-09, officials from the United Nations, the European Union, and several countries used that word to describe Israel’s military actions. Coverage in the press was similar — one newspaper columnist, for example, criticized the “utterly disproportionate ... carnage.” The phrase originates in Christian just war theory. But what does it really mean in context of the Christian teaching? Keith Pavlischek is here to explore that question.
5:00 – Catholic Answers to Catholic Questions
Over 2,000 years of tradition can lead to many questions and misunderstandings about the Catholic Faith. Why do Catholics pray for the dead?...Is there humor in the Bible?...Is purgatory painful?...Is there a dispensation for missing Mass when traveling?...Be more confident in your faith. Allow the why to enhance the what you do as a Catholic. Make better decisions. Be more prepared to pass on your faith to others. Feed your curiosity. Author, theology professor, and Catholic apologist Paul Thigpen ensures the answers are not only rock-solid, but also pastoral in their approach and written in everyday, relevant language.
4:00 – Kresta Comments
4:20 – CBS News: “Church Ousts Nun Who OK'd Abortion to Save Woman” – We get the Truth From a Canon Lawyer
In late 2009, an abortion took place at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix after a hospital ethics committee deemed the abortion necessary to save the life of the mother. Sister Margaret Mary McBride, the hospital’s vice president of mission integration, was a member of the committee that made the decision and has since been assigned new duties. The hospital has defended its decision, while Bishop Thomas Olmsted warned that Catholics who formally cooperated in the abortion were automatically excommunicated. That led to nationwide headlines like “Church Ousts Nun Who OK'd Abortion to Save Woman.” We get the real story from canon lawyer Michael Dunnigan.
4:40 – Israel and Palestine: What Does the Just War Theory of “Proportionate Response” Really Mean?
The last three times Israel has taken military action, international commentators criticized the country’s use of force as “disproportionate.” During the recent flotilla incident, the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, and the Gaza War of 2008-09, officials from the United Nations, the European Union, and several countries used that word to describe Israel’s military actions. Coverage in the press was similar — one newspaper columnist, for example, criticized the “utterly disproportionate ... carnage.” The phrase originates in Christian just war theory. But what does it really mean in context of the Christian teaching? Keith Pavlischek is here to explore that question.
5:00 – Catholic Answers to Catholic Questions
Over 2,000 years of tradition can lead to many questions and misunderstandings about the Catholic Faith. Why do Catholics pray for the dead?...Is there humor in the Bible?...Is purgatory painful?...Is there a dispensation for missing Mass when traveling?...Be more confident in your faith. Allow the why to enhance the what you do as a Catholic. Make better decisions. Be more prepared to pass on your faith to others. Feed your curiosity. Author, theology professor, and Catholic apologist Paul Thigpen ensures the answers are not only rock-solid, but also pastoral in their approach and written in everyday, relevant language.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Today on Kresta - June 18, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 17
LIVE FROM ACTON UNIVERSITY IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
4:00 – Catholic Men’s Movements
The Archdiocese of Detroit is partnering with the six other Catholic dioceses of Michigan to host the first-ever statewide conference for Catholic and other Christian men. The conference, which is expected to draw 7,000 men from throughout the state, will be held at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center in Ypsilanti on June 26. The statewide conference theme is Doing all things in Christ! Tapping into real power in a power-hungry world. Paco Gavriledes and Fr. Ben Luedtke tell us more.
4:20 – Israel, Turkey, and the Gaza Blockade / Turkish Bishop Murdered
Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Catholicism in the Middle East probably knew Bishop Luigi Padovese, an Italian Capuchin who served as president of the bishops' conference in Turkey. In terms of the Christian/Muslim relationship, Padovese was also one of those rare voices not easily classified as either a hawk or a dove – hardly blind to the threats posed by Islamic radicalism, but still a man of dialogue through and through. Earlier this month Padovese was murdered by his longtime driver and aide, triggering shock waves across the Catholic world. Turkish writer Mustafa Akyol joins us.
5:00 – Ecumenical Babel
Jordan Ballor is here to present a critical and constructive engagement of the teachings of mainstream Protestant denominations on social and economic matters. Ecumenical Babel is an insightful primer on the challenges facing the ecumenical movement and it invites us to deeper reflection on ecclesiology, ethics, and economics as we consider the future of ecumenical roles and relationships.
5:20 – Trends in Evangelicalism / Prosperity Gospel
Dr. Anthony Bradley examines the destructive impact that the “Prosperity Gospel” – the teaching according to which health and wealth are rewards for those who believe in a certain way, has on both human flourishing and authentic Christianity. We outline more constructive connection between wealth, economics, and Christian theology.
5:40 – Toy Story 3
“Reach for the sky.” That’s how it all began, fifteen years ago: a laconic, drawling challenge from an intrepid pull-string sheriff in a tense bedroom stand-off with a tuberous one-eyed desperado. There was swagger and panache in this self-assured proclamation that a new power had entered the fray, that the rules of the game had changed. It was Pixar’s Toy Story, and the story is now complete with the release of Toy Story 3. Steven Greydanus is here with the review.
LIVE FROM ACTON UNIVERSITY IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
4:00 – Catholic Men’s Movements
The Archdiocese of Detroit is partnering with the six other Catholic dioceses of Michigan to host the first-ever statewide conference for Catholic and other Christian men. The conference, which is expected to draw 7,000 men from throughout the state, will be held at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center in Ypsilanti on June 26. The statewide conference theme is Doing all things in Christ! Tapping into real power in a power-hungry world. Paco Gavriledes and Fr. Ben Luedtke tell us more.
4:20 – Israel, Turkey, and the Gaza Blockade / Turkish Bishop Murdered
Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Catholicism in the Middle East probably knew Bishop Luigi Padovese, an Italian Capuchin who served as president of the bishops' conference in Turkey. In terms of the Christian/Muslim relationship, Padovese was also one of those rare voices not easily classified as either a hawk or a dove – hardly blind to the threats posed by Islamic radicalism, but still a man of dialogue through and through. Earlier this month Padovese was murdered by his longtime driver and aide, triggering shock waves across the Catholic world. Turkish writer Mustafa Akyol joins us.
5:00 – Ecumenical Babel
Jordan Ballor is here to present a critical and constructive engagement of the teachings of mainstream Protestant denominations on social and economic matters. Ecumenical Babel is an insightful primer on the challenges facing the ecumenical movement and it invites us to deeper reflection on ecclesiology, ethics, and economics as we consider the future of ecumenical roles and relationships.
5:20 – Trends in Evangelicalism / Prosperity Gospel
Dr. Anthony Bradley examines the destructive impact that the “Prosperity Gospel” – the teaching according to which health and wealth are rewards for those who believe in a certain way, has on both human flourishing and authentic Christianity. We outline more constructive connection between wealth, economics, and Christian theology.
5:40 – Toy Story 3
“Reach for the sky.” That’s how it all began, fifteen years ago: a laconic, drawling challenge from an intrepid pull-string sheriff in a tense bedroom stand-off with a tuberous one-eyed desperado. There was swagger and panache in this self-assured proclamation that a new power had entered the fray, that the rules of the game had changed. It was Pixar’s Toy Story, and the story is now complete with the release of Toy Story 3. Steven Greydanus is here with the review.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Kresta Poll Question of the Day
Do you plan to see Toy Story 3 in the theater?
1) Yes -
2) No -
3) I'm waiting for reviews -
Click Here to Vote in the Poll
1) Yes -
2) No -
3) I'm waiting for reviews -
Click Here to Vote in the Poll
Outrageous Statement of the Day
You would probably assume that Jon Stewart made the Outrageous Statement of the Day, but you would be wrong. He actually serves it up for us. Watch the unbelievable hypocrisy of Gretchen Carlson of "Fox and Friends." WARNING: Bleeped Language
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Day 58 - The Strife Aquatic | ||||
| ||||
Today on Kresta - June 17, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 17
LIVE FROM ACTON UNIVERSITY IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
4:00 – Life as a Member of the Swiss Guard / A Theology of Work
Andreas Widmer served as a member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard from 1986-1988, protecting John Paul II. He talks to us about 10 lessons that he learned from Pope John Paul the Great. We also look at business in the context of an integrated moral life. Andreas will argue that not only can business be performed in a moral manner, but that business is essentially a moral enterprise, a good for society, an opportunity for virtue, and an essential element of the free society.
4:30 – Perils of the Inner City / Subsidiarity and the Poor
Ismael Hernandez is here to examine strategies to improve the socio-economic conditions of inner cities in North America. Fragile urban infrastructures are often vulnerable to patterns that impede human flourishing. Ismael presents an alternate vision for personal and communal uplift based on local entrepreneurial initiative.
5:00 – The Limits of Markets: Law and Moral Culture
Kishore Jayabalan is here to look at the limits of markets and the role of law in building a moral culture. While markets create and distribute wealth better than any other system, markets will produce what the culture demands. Kishore discusses how we can maintain freedom and prosperity while limiting markets when they become detrimental to freedom and virtue.
5:30 – Lesbians are like the best parents ever…NOT!
You’ve all seen the headlines by now: “Children of lesbian parents do well.” These headlines are based on a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. Jennifer Roback-Morse has read the study. She has 8 reasons why this study does not prove anything about the functioning of the children of lesbians. We also look at how marriage and family play important roles in building and maintaining both a strong society and a market economy. Dr. Morse explains how marriage and family breakdown have extreme short and long term economic costs.
LIVE FROM ACTON UNIVERSITY IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
4:00 – Life as a Member of the Swiss Guard / A Theology of Work
Andreas Widmer served as a member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard from 1986-1988, protecting John Paul II. He talks to us about 10 lessons that he learned from Pope John Paul the Great. We also look at business in the context of an integrated moral life. Andreas will argue that not only can business be performed in a moral manner, but that business is essentially a moral enterprise, a good for society, an opportunity for virtue, and an essential element of the free society.
4:30 – Perils of the Inner City / Subsidiarity and the Poor
Ismael Hernandez is here to examine strategies to improve the socio-economic conditions of inner cities in North America. Fragile urban infrastructures are often vulnerable to patterns that impede human flourishing. Ismael presents an alternate vision for personal and communal uplift based on local entrepreneurial initiative.
5:00 – The Limits of Markets: Law and Moral Culture
Kishore Jayabalan is here to look at the limits of markets and the role of law in building a moral culture. While markets create and distribute wealth better than any other system, markets will produce what the culture demands. Kishore discusses how we can maintain freedom and prosperity while limiting markets when they become detrimental to freedom and virtue.
5:30 – Lesbians are like the best parents ever…NOT!
You’ve all seen the headlines by now: “Children of lesbian parents do well.” These headlines are based on a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. Jennifer Roback-Morse has read the study. She has 8 reasons why this study does not prove anything about the functioning of the children of lesbians. We also look at how marriage and family play important roles in building and maintaining both a strong society and a market economy. Dr. Morse explains how marriage and family breakdown have extreme short and long term economic costs.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Kresta Poll Question of the Day
How do you rate President Obama's handling of the Gulf oil disaster?
1) Good -
2) Fair -
3) Poor -
Click Here to Answer the Poll Question
1) Good -
2) Fair -
3) Poor -
Click Here to Answer the Poll Question
Outrageous Statement of the Day
You have heard about this before on the "Outrageous Statement of the Day" when the commercials began to air, but now Chris Matthews, on Tuesday's Hardball, personally previewed his documentary "Rise of the New Right," that promises to warn of the likes of the Tea Party, Christians, and talk radio and their "potential for violence."
Today on Kresta - June 16, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 16
LIVE FROM ACTON UNIVERSITY IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
4:00 – Centralization and Civil Society
A strong civil society is now recognized as indispensible for human freedom, and as noted by scholars such as Alexis de Tocqueville, its polar opposite is the centralization of power. Dr. Dan Mahoney is here to explore the theme of the causes and manifestations of centralization as well as options for halting its progress.
4:30 – Fair Trade / The New Deal and the Great Society: Moral and Economic Failure
Dr. Victor Claar joins us to examine and critique the principal economic ideas and policies of the New Deal and Great Society eras in American history. Special attention is paid to the parallels between the key economic doctrines then and their resurgence now, the historical verdict on Keynesian economic philosophy, and how private charity efforts can significantly reduce the volume of public safety net programs.
5:00 – Pope Benedict XVI and the Crisis of Europe / Theology of Globalization
Dr. Sam Gregg joins us to look at a theology of globalization. He identifies key theological principles through which to consider globalization, and contextualizes globalization as a historical phenomenon. We also look at Benedict XVI’s diagnosis of Europe’s contemporary crisis of identity, and clarify Benedict’s proposals for European renewal, as well as assess the chances of realizing this vision.
5:20 – Liberation Theology
Fr. Robert Sirico rejoins us to outline the rise and decline of liberation theology from the 1960s to the present, and examines and critiques its basic theological and philosophical claims and assumptions.
5:40 – Cross International Catholic Outreach – The Kobonal Haiti Mission
Cross International Catholic Outreach is an international Catholic relief and development ministry that assists the poorest of the poor around the world, reaching countless souls with the love of Christ and the message of the “good news’ of salvation. They work in more than 40 countries throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Cross International President Jim Cavnar is here to talk about their Kobonal Haiti Mission. The mission provides good schools and clean water. Teen pregnancy is down; Voodoo has disappeared; and the village enjoys a vibrant Catholic community. But there is still a long way to go.
LIVE FROM ACTON UNIVERSITY IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
4:00 – Centralization and Civil Society
A strong civil society is now recognized as indispensible for human freedom, and as noted by scholars such as Alexis de Tocqueville, its polar opposite is the centralization of power. Dr. Dan Mahoney is here to explore the theme of the causes and manifestations of centralization as well as options for halting its progress.
4:30 – Fair Trade / The New Deal and the Great Society: Moral and Economic Failure
Dr. Victor Claar joins us to examine and critique the principal economic ideas and policies of the New Deal and Great Society eras in American history. Special attention is paid to the parallels between the key economic doctrines then and their resurgence now, the historical verdict on Keynesian economic philosophy, and how private charity efforts can significantly reduce the volume of public safety net programs.
5:00 – Pope Benedict XVI and the Crisis of Europe / Theology of Globalization
Dr. Sam Gregg joins us to look at a theology of globalization. He identifies key theological principles through which to consider globalization, and contextualizes globalization as a historical phenomenon. We also look at Benedict XVI’s diagnosis of Europe’s contemporary crisis of identity, and clarify Benedict’s proposals for European renewal, as well as assess the chances of realizing this vision.
5:20 – Liberation Theology
Fr. Robert Sirico rejoins us to outline the rise and decline of liberation theology from the 1960s to the present, and examines and critiques its basic theological and philosophical claims and assumptions.
5:40 – Cross International Catholic Outreach – The Kobonal Haiti Mission
Cross International Catholic Outreach is an international Catholic relief and development ministry that assists the poorest of the poor around the world, reaching countless souls with the love of Christ and the message of the “good news’ of salvation. They work in more than 40 countries throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Cross International President Jim Cavnar is here to talk about their Kobonal Haiti Mission. The mission provides good schools and clean water. Teen pregnancy is down; Voodoo has disappeared; and the village enjoys a vibrant Catholic community. But there is still a long way to go.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Vatican, Israel close to agreement? Reports are mixed
Thanks to Phil Lawler and CWNews
The latest session ended with a joint statement affirming that “progress” had been made, the talks were marked by “mutual understanding,” and the two sides had agreed on the next steps to be taken in the joint talks.
These talks, designed to produce a juridical agreement establishing the legal standing of Church institutions in Israel, have continued since 1993, when the Holy See and Israel reached a “fundamental agreement” that led to Vatican recognition of Israel and full diplomatic relations. The fundamental agreement includes a commitment to conclude this juridical pact.
Israeli media outlets reported that the two sides may be close to a final agreement. Vatican officials more guarded in their comments.
The Israeli delegation participating in this week’s session was led by Daniel Ayalon, the deputy foreign minister. The presence of a senior Israeli official was a promising sign. In the past Vatican diplomats have complained that Israeli negotiators seemed to lack both the authority and the commitment to make the necessary commitments.
Ayalon was in Europe for meetings with leaders of other nations, seeking to rally European support for tough sanctions on Iran.
Kresta Poll Question of the Day
Are you aware of the work of the Acton Institute?
1) Yes -
2) No -
Click Here to Answer the Poll Question
1) Yes -
2) No -
Click Here to Answer the Poll Question
Today on Kresta - June 15, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 15
LIVE FROM ACTON UNIVERSITY IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
4:00 – Acton University 2010
Acton University is a unique, four-day exploration of the intellectual foundations of a free society. Guided by a distinguished, international faculty, Acton University is an opportunity to deepen your knowledge and integrate rigorous philosophy, Christian theology and sound economics. As we kick off our week-long broadcast from the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, MI, Acton’s Communication Director, Fr. Robert Sirico, is with us to look at what the Institute does and what we can expect to encounter as we speak to the presenters at this week’s Acton University.
4:20 - Pius XII begged FDR to spare civilians, churches, hospitals
The headlines read “Here is the previously unpublished letter sent by Pope Pius XII to U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Aug. 30, 1943, after one of the several bombings of Rome by the Allied Forces.” But Ron Rychlak says not so fast. He and many other Pius XII scholars have known about the letter for years. We look at this letter and much more with Ron, who has recently updated, revised, and re-released Hitler, the War and the Pope.
5:00 – Rosary for Priests
As the “Year for Priests” concludes, ask yourself, “What have I done for my priest?” Have I said, “Thank you” in word or in deed? Have I said, “I stand with you” with a gesture of solidarity? What is the best thing we can do for a person, including ourselves? Prayer. Praying for someone is the best thing we can do for them. So why not pray for your priest? And why not go the extra step of standing publicly in prayer together for our priests? This Saturday June 19, from 10- 10:30 a.m. – to mark the conclusion of the Year for Priests – laity across the country are being encouraged to pray the Rosary for Priests on the steps of the Diocesan Cathedral. Cyrus Johnson, the man responsible for this effort joins us.
5:20 – Exorcism and the Church Militant
Exorcism is a part of the Catholic church that is still very little known, but very real nonetheless. Fr. Tom Euteneuer has faced the devil, and that the devil is real and walks among us. "The manifestation of demons can be very frightening, but you never have to be afraid of the devil because we always have the power of Christ to deal with him," he said. Fr. Euteneuer is an exorcist and says his work will be increasing after Pope Benedict XVI announced this year his intention to greatly expand the practice of exorcism, in a matter the world hasn't seen in centuries. Fr. Euteneuer is with us to look at Exorcism and the Church Militant.
LIVE FROM ACTON UNIVERSITY IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI
4:00 – Acton University 2010
Acton University is a unique, four-day exploration of the intellectual foundations of a free society. Guided by a distinguished, international faculty, Acton University is an opportunity to deepen your knowledge and integrate rigorous philosophy, Christian theology and sound economics. As we kick off our week-long broadcast from the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, MI, Acton’s Communication Director, Fr. Robert Sirico, is with us to look at what the Institute does and what we can expect to encounter as we speak to the presenters at this week’s Acton University.
4:20 - Pius XII begged FDR to spare civilians, churches, hospitals
The headlines read “Here is the previously unpublished letter sent by Pope Pius XII to U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Aug. 30, 1943, after one of the several bombings of Rome by the Allied Forces.” But Ron Rychlak says not so fast. He and many other Pius XII scholars have known about the letter for years. We look at this letter and much more with Ron, who has recently updated, revised, and re-released Hitler, the War and the Pope.
5:00 – Rosary for Priests
As the “Year for Priests” concludes, ask yourself, “What have I done for my priest?” Have I said, “Thank you” in word or in deed? Have I said, “I stand with you” with a gesture of solidarity? What is the best thing we can do for a person, including ourselves? Prayer. Praying for someone is the best thing we can do for them. So why not pray for your priest? And why not go the extra step of standing publicly in prayer together for our priests? This Saturday June 19, from 10- 10:30 a.m. – to mark the conclusion of the Year for Priests – laity across the country are being encouraged to pray the Rosary for Priests on the steps of the Diocesan Cathedral. Cyrus Johnson, the man responsible for this effort joins us.
5:20 – Exorcism and the Church Militant
Exorcism is a part of the Catholic church that is still very little known, but very real nonetheless. Fr. Tom Euteneuer has faced the devil, and that the devil is real and walks among us. "The manifestation of demons can be very frightening, but you never have to be afraid of the devil because we always have the power of Christ to deal with him," he said. Fr. Euteneuer is an exorcist and says his work will be increasing after Pope Benedict XVI announced this year his intention to greatly expand the practice of exorcism, in a matter the world hasn't seen in centuries. Fr. Euteneuer is with us to look at Exorcism and the Church Militant.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Kresta Poll Question of the Day
What kind of TV do you most often watch?
1) The Broadcast Networks -
2) Basic Cable / Satellite -
3) Premium Cable / Satellite -
4) I Don't Know the Differences -
5) I Don't Watch ANY TV -
CLICK HERE TO VOTE
1) The Broadcast Networks -
2) Basic Cable / Satellite -
3) Premium Cable / Satellite -
4) I Don't Know the Differences -
5) I Don't Watch ANY TV -
CLICK HERE TO VOTE
Pro-life Champion, Activist, Married Father of Eight Becomes Catholic Priest
Paul and Rebecca Schenck have been married for 33 years and have 8 children. He was ordained a Catholic priest under a provision begun in 1980 by Pope John Paul II that allowed married men with families to be admitted to the priesthood. He is the first married priest for the central Pennsylvania Diocese.
After leaving Western New York Schenck became the Executive Vice President of the American Center for Law and Justice, a Washington based public interest law firm with more than a dozen Supreme Court cases, including Schenck's, to its credit. In 1997 he moved to Baltimore and opened the National Pro-Life Center on Capitol Hill in Washington, and joined the Catholic Church in 2004.
Today he is Director of the Respect Life Office for the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA and Chairman of the National Pro-Life Center. He conducts pro-life work in Washington, DC, Annapolis, MD and Harrisburg, PA. Schenck celebrated his first Mass with his mother at St. Francis Home in Williamsville.
Congrats Fr. Schenck and may God bless your ministry!!!
Cuba frees political prisoner following talks with Catholic Church
An emaciated, political prisoner in Cuba was recently freed after what has been reported as unprecedented talks between President Raul Castro and Catholic Church officials.
Ariel Sigler Amaya, a 46-year-old dissident was arrested in 2003 with 74 other protestors for what the local Communist government viewed as treason. Sigler became a paraplegic while in prison and now weighs 106 lbs.
News agencies are attributing Sigler's release with talks between Church officials and the Cuban government as well as the upcoming visit of the Vatican's foreign Minister, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, who will travel to Havana within days.
During talks with Cardinal Jaime Ortega on Saturday, who leads the Archdiocese of Havana, government officials said they would release Sigler who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The talks, which commenced May 19, have taken place as part an effort to end a hunger strike from the dissenters.
Though the prisoner's family is thrilled at his release, Sigler told the Agence France Presse (AFP) that he is torn.
“Emotionally, I have mixed feelings, both joy and pain, because there are so many (dissident) brothers still jailed.”
The AFP reported that six other political prisoners have been transferred from jails to their homes on Saturday in what have been considered concessions by the Cuban government.
Outrageous Statement of the Day
Watch this CNN promo for ‘Gary and Tony Have a Baby’ and tell me if there is ANY chance that this will be a fair look at this topic or whether it will be a hit piece on the Judeo-Christian view of the traditional family.
Today on Kresta - June 14, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 14
4:00 – God Has GREAT Plans for You! :A Guide to Help Clarify Your Calling and Increase Your Happiness
One afternoon the following insight changed Joe Tabers’ life forever, and it can change your life as well! - You were created to do great things; to make a difference in this world. Only you have your unique combination of experiences, skills, talents and gifts. How you choose to use these to best serve God and to benefit other people, will directly determine your level of happiness, and your personal success. Yes, you are here to make a difference! He is here to help you, a family member or a friend determine what type of work, vocation, or calling God may be drawing you toward a calling that you can remain passionate about for the rest of your life!
4:40 - Homecoming: Healing From Abuse
T. Pitt Green is the pseudonym of a clergy sex abuse survivor who currently lives in the Diocese of Arlington, VA and works with the Diocese’s Victim Assistance Program. Sexual abuse by clergy is not to be taken lightly and the scars linger long after; but in this instance, this survivor shows her journey to peace as a continuing member of the Church. She is here to discuss her faith – in the face of the greatest of betrayals.
5:00 – 500 “Stories From the Heart”
"Stories from the Heart" is a daily radio program which features Catholic inspirational stories. The stories are uplifting, bringing the heart and soul closer to God. They are listened to by children and adults alike. The stories span the late 1800's to the present day and host Sandra McDevitt says her listeners tell her Kleenex tissues are necessary when listening to many of the stories! Next week Sandra will be recording her 500th program, and we take time today to honor her and discuss the impact of the program.
5:20 – 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor
Following up his 10 Books That Screwed Up the World, author Benjamin Wiker brings you 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor. Offering a guide to some of the most important literary works of our time, Wiker turns his discerning eye from the great texts that have done so much damage to Western Civilization to the great texts that could help rebuild it. He features a range of works from classics such as Democracy in America and The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, to more "pop" classics like Sense and Sensibility and The Tempest. Through these works, Wiker reveals some of the most important lessons for our time.
4:00 – God Has GREAT Plans for You! :A Guide to Help Clarify Your Calling and Increase Your Happiness
One afternoon the following insight changed Joe Tabers’ life forever, and it can change your life as well! - You were created to do great things; to make a difference in this world. Only you have your unique combination of experiences, skills, talents and gifts. How you choose to use these to best serve God and to benefit other people, will directly determine your level of happiness, and your personal success. Yes, you are here to make a difference! He is here to help you, a family member or a friend determine what type of work, vocation, or calling God may be drawing you toward a calling that you can remain passionate about for the rest of your life!
4:40 - Homecoming: Healing From Abuse
T. Pitt Green is the pseudonym of a clergy sex abuse survivor who currently lives in the Diocese of Arlington, VA and works with the Diocese’s Victim Assistance Program. Sexual abuse by clergy is not to be taken lightly and the scars linger long after; but in this instance, this survivor shows her journey to peace as a continuing member of the Church. She is here to discuss her faith – in the face of the greatest of betrayals.
5:00 – 500 “Stories From the Heart”
"Stories from the Heart" is a daily radio program which features Catholic inspirational stories. The stories are uplifting, bringing the heart and soul closer to God. They are listened to by children and adults alike. The stories span the late 1800's to the present day and host Sandra McDevitt says her listeners tell her Kleenex tissues are necessary when listening to many of the stories! Next week Sandra will be recording her 500th program, and we take time today to honor her and discuss the impact of the program.
5:20 – 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor
Following up his 10 Books That Screwed Up the World, author Benjamin Wiker brings you 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor. Offering a guide to some of the most important literary works of our time, Wiker turns his discerning eye from the great texts that have done so much damage to Western Civilization to the great texts that could help rebuild it. He features a range of works from classics such as Democracy in America and The Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, to more "pop" classics like Sense and Sensibility and The Tempest. Through these works, Wiker reveals some of the most important lessons for our time.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Kresta Poll Question of the Day
Will you watch any coverage of the World Cup Soccer Tournament?
1) Yes -
2) No -
Click Here to Answer the Question.
1) Yes -
2) No -
Click Here to Answer the Question.
Outrageous Statement of the Day
This one is a real winner. On his May 25 Tavis Smiley show, the host challenged persecuted author Ayaan Hirsi Ali about the idea that radical Muslims uniquely rationalize violent acts: "But Christians do that every day....People walk into post offices, they walk into schools, that's what Columbine is." Actually, the Columbine killers targeted Christians. Watch and prepare to be amazed.
Today on Kresta - June 11, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 11
4:00 – Catholic Answers to Catholic Questions
Over 2,000 years of tradition can lead to many questions and misunderstandings about the Catholic Faith. Why do Catholics pray for the dead?...Is there humor in the Bible?...Is purgatory painful?...Is there a dispensation for missing Mass when traveling?...Be more confident in your faith. Allow the why to enhance the what you do as a Catholic. Make better decisions. Be more prepared to pass on your faith to others. Feed your curiosity. Author, theology professor, and Catholic apologist Paul Thigpen ensures the answers are not only rock-solid, but also pastoral in their approach and written in everyday, relevant language.
4:40 - Kresta Comments
5:00 – Edith Stein and Companions On the Way to Auschwitz
On the same summer day in 1942, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and hundreds of other Catholic Jews were arrested in Holland by the occupying Nazis. One hundred thirteen of those taken into custody, several of them priests and nuns, perished at Auschwitz and other concentration camps. They were murdered in retaliation for the anti-Nazi pastoral letter written by the Dutch Catholic bishops. While Saint Teresa Benedicta is the most famous member of this group, having been canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1998, all of them deserve the title of martyr, for they were killed not only because they were Jews but also because of the faith of the Church, which had compelled the Dutch bishops to protest the Nazi regime. Now, Fr. Paul Hamans has compiled these martyrs’ biographies, several of them detailed and accompanied by photographs. He joins us.
5:20 – June 11 – Feast of Bl. Ignatius Maloyan / 39 New Saints You Should Know
Pope John Paul II canonized or beatified such a staggering number of people—well over fifteen hundred—that many of them remain as obscure after receiving their new title as they were before. If you have never heard of Bartolo Longo, the former satanic priest, you are not alone. And what about Enrico Rebuschini, who battled depression? Or the happily married Luigi and Maria Beltrame-Quattrocchi? Brian O'Neel is here to tell some of the stories of ordinary human beings who demonstrate that holiness is not another word for boring, but a defining characteristic of those who threw themselves wholeheartedly into the adventure of life.
5:40 – 80s Nostalgia as New A-Team and Karate Kid Hit Theaters
There was a time during Steven Greydanus’ high school years when his family’s weekly rituals included two TV shows: “Knight Rider” and “The A-Team.” Twice a week they gathered on the sunroom couch around the box (yes, kids, TVs used to be shaped like boxes!) to see justice dispensed by a leather-jacketed David Hasselhoff and his talking Trans Am, and by four former Special Forces guys hiding out in the “Los Angeles underground.” We have some 80’s nostalgia today with the release of the new “A-Team” and “Karate Kid.”
4:00 – Catholic Answers to Catholic Questions
Over 2,000 years of tradition can lead to many questions and misunderstandings about the Catholic Faith. Why do Catholics pray for the dead?...Is there humor in the Bible?...Is purgatory painful?...Is there a dispensation for missing Mass when traveling?...Be more confident in your faith. Allow the why to enhance the what you do as a Catholic. Make better decisions. Be more prepared to pass on your faith to others. Feed your curiosity. Author, theology professor, and Catholic apologist Paul Thigpen ensures the answers are not only rock-solid, but also pastoral in their approach and written in everyday, relevant language.
4:40 - Kresta Comments
5:00 – Edith Stein and Companions On the Way to Auschwitz
On the same summer day in 1942, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and hundreds of other Catholic Jews were arrested in Holland by the occupying Nazis. One hundred thirteen of those taken into custody, several of them priests and nuns, perished at Auschwitz and other concentration camps. They were murdered in retaliation for the anti-Nazi pastoral letter written by the Dutch Catholic bishops. While Saint Teresa Benedicta is the most famous member of this group, having been canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1998, all of them deserve the title of martyr, for they were killed not only because they were Jews but also because of the faith of the Church, which had compelled the Dutch bishops to protest the Nazi regime. Now, Fr. Paul Hamans has compiled these martyrs’ biographies, several of them detailed and accompanied by photographs. He joins us.
5:20 – June 11 – Feast of Bl. Ignatius Maloyan / 39 New Saints You Should Know
Pope John Paul II canonized or beatified such a staggering number of people—well over fifteen hundred—that many of them remain as obscure after receiving their new title as they were before. If you have never heard of Bartolo Longo, the former satanic priest, you are not alone. And what about Enrico Rebuschini, who battled depression? Or the happily married Luigi and Maria Beltrame-Quattrocchi? Brian O'Neel is here to tell some of the stories of ordinary human beings who demonstrate that holiness is not another word for boring, but a defining characteristic of those who threw themselves wholeheartedly into the adventure of life.
5:40 – 80s Nostalgia as New A-Team and Karate Kid Hit Theaters
There was a time during Steven Greydanus’ high school years when his family’s weekly rituals included two TV shows: “Knight Rider” and “The A-Team.” Twice a week they gathered on the sunroom couch around the box (yes, kids, TVs used to be shaped like boxes!) to see justice dispensed by a leather-jacketed David Hasselhoff and his talking Trans Am, and by four former Special Forces guys hiding out in the “Los Angeles underground.” We have some 80’s nostalgia today with the release of the new “A-Team” and “Karate Kid.”
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Oil Spill – A Lesson in the Cardinal Virtues?
June 10th, 2010 by Robert Struble, Jr.
The worst oil spill in US history owes a lot to the fading away of moral virtue. I’m unsure if all seven capital sins promoted the BP oil catastrophe. But without doubt, the surge in pride, greed and lust tended to smother the four cardinal virtues – prudence, fortitude, temperance and justice.
Virtue’s first foe was pride – the failing of the fallen angels. On April 20, 2010 an intemperate sense of self-worth took its toll on Curt Kuchta, captain of the Deepwater Horizon, causing him to obsess about his rank as commanding officer of the oil rig. According to a Wall Street Journal report, not even extreme crisis could distract Kuchta from worrying about a slight to his authority. After the explosion, Andrea Fleytas, a 23 year old subordinate, had dared to take the initiative and broadcast a distress signal – an SOS which, in the chaos, the captain had neglected to issue: “Mayday, Mayday. This is Deepwater Horizon. We have an uncontrollable fire,” she announced over the airwaves.
In return for her presence of mind under pressure, captain Kuchta scolded her, “I didn’t give you authority to do that.” Minutes later, she ended up in the oily waters swimming for her life, and soon after the captain himself had to jump overboard.
Intuitively, deep water drilling contradicts the cardinal virtue of prudence. The imprudence of the operation is more obvious now that stopping the deepwater gusher in timely fashion has proven to be beyond human power. It seems that America’s vaunted technological prowess gave rise to pridefulness, and the capital sin of pride mixes with prudence about as well as oil with Florida’s white sand beaches.
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). As a reckless driver scoffs at risk, so prideful corporate executives and technocrats drilled into the ocean floor with abandon. They discounted dangers, and paid too little heed to the hazards of the unexpected. They underrated the potential for human blundering. This want of prudence, this scarcity of carefulness, was personified by BP’s “company man,” tentatively identified as Donald Vidrine, (who was onboard at the time of the explosion). First and foremost a profiteer, he overrode the insistence of some rig operators that the drilling process include more precautionary safeguards.
What prompted the foolhardy risk taking? At first glance it seems to have been the commonplace desire to cut costs and maximize profits. This natural (and economically laudable) principle of good business management became a vice, however, in proportion as greed or avarice canceled out the cardinal virtue of temperance. BP was so focused on financial gain that common sense caution got tossed overboard.
Temperance was also in short supply as regards the drug abuse widespread among the Federal inspectors of the drilling operation. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) was the government agency charged with enforcing safety regulations. But, according to reports, some of the inspections were performed while under the influence of drugs like cocaine and crystal methamphetamine. How does it affect your patriotic heart, O citizen, to know that our Federal taxes pay the wages of zonked-out druggies protecting our interests against corporate irresponsibility?
The sin of lust was also a factor in the intemperate behavior of some MMS inspectors, who had no scruples about downloading pornographic images onto their Federal Government computers at taxpayer expense. They also engaged in sexual trysts with oil company employees whom they were supposedly regulating. Cronyism, free hunting and fishing excursions, a trip to the Peach Bowl – this kind of fraternizing and gift exchange brought disaster upon our southern shore. According to acting Solicitor General, Mary L. Kindall, trading in favors appears “to have been a generally accepted practice” between the regulators and the regulated.
Continue reading here...
Susan Boyle to Sing for Pope
Ms. Boyle, a Catholic, said last month that she has a deep devotion to St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio).
In April church leaders said they wanted Ms Boyle, who would be a "great asset" to the events planned for the Pontiff's visit in September, to sing in Glasgow.
It will be the first Papal visit to Britain since 1982 when Pope John Paul II's six-day tour drew huge crowds. It will also be the first official Papal visit to Britain. The 1982 trip was a pastoral one. Pope Benedict XVI will visit between September 16 and 19.
He will be received by the Queen, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on September 16.
Yesterday it was confirmed an open mass would be held at Bellahouston Park.
Outrageous Statement of the Day: Blame Bush - 17 Months Later
Jonathan Alter of Newsweek once again blamed Bush and the Republicans for creating the mess that Obama is now cleaning up, preventing the President from accomplishing his agenda.
Today on Kresta - June 10, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 10
4:00 – The Battle: How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future
America faces a new culture war. It is not a war about guns, abortions, or gays—rather it is a war against the creeping changes to our entrepreneurial culture, the true bedrock of who we are as a people. The new culture war is a battle between free enterprise and social democracy. Many Americans have forgotten the evils of socialism and the predations of the American Great Society’s welfare state programs. But, as American Enterprise Institute’s president Arthur C. Brooks reveals, the forces for social democracy have returned with a vengeance, expanding the power of the state to a breathtaking degree. He offers a plan of action for the defense of free enterprise; it is at once a call to arms and a crucial redefinition of the political and moral gulf that divides Right and Left in America today.
4:20 - Detroit Bus Authority Blocks Ads Offering Help to Muslims Threatened for Leaving Their Religion
A federal lawsuit was filed last week over the refusal of a Detroit-area transportation authority to display an anti-Jihad advertisement on its buses. The ad stated, “Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? Leaving Islam? Got questions? Get Answers!” The “Leaving Islam” ad was sponsored by the Freedom Defense Initiative (FDI), founded by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. In the past, SMART had no problem running an anti-religion ad sponsored by an atheist organization that stated, “Don’t Believe in God? You are not alone.” Dick Thompson of the Thomas More Law Center is here to discuss it.
4:30 – Study Shows Children Raised By Lesbians are Smarter and More Well-Adjusted that Those In a Traditional Family – Oh yea, the Study was Done By an Open Lesbian.
Being raised by a same-sex couple is no hindrance to healthy psychological development, researchers say as the first generation of children conceived by lesbians through donor insemination is coming of age. In fact, lesbian mothers rated their 17-year-olds higher in social and academic skills, and lower in rule-breaking and aggression, than did mothers of teenagers who also had a father. The study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics, is the first to follow children of lesbian couples all the way from conception to adolescence. Two quick points: The study was done by an open lesbian and it contradicts decades of previous studies. Gary Glenn is here to discuss it.
4:40 – Primary Results – What Do They Say About November?
The June 8 primaries yielded some marquee matchups and one key runoff. The main message: Outsiders are in. California Former Silicon Valley CEOs and political newcomers Meg Whitman (eBay) and Carly Fiorina (Hewlett-Packard) face career politicians in a state usually unfriendly to female GOP candidates. Both Senator Barbara Boxer, who will face Fiorina in a bid for a fourth term, and Attorney General Jerry Brown, who will take on Whitman in the race for the governor's job, are counting on rookie mistakes. Election analyst Michael Barone is here. He also answers the question “What’s wrong with Michigan?”
5:00 – TIME MAGAZINE: “Why Being Pope Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry”
It would probably be too much to ask that Time magazine run a cover story on the bold statements and concrete actions that Benedict XVI has taken to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis. No self-respecting journalistic enterprise wants to be separated from the pack when it comes to covering a controversial news story, which means it must always follow the herd, even when the evidence points elsewhere. But the Time magazine June 7 cover story is a particularly frustrating example of a media enterprise playing to prejudices with half-truths even to the point of severely misrepresenting the story. "Why Being Pope Means Never having To Say You’re Sorry: The Sex Abuse Scandal and the Limits of Atonement" is the provocative headline splashed across the most recent Time cover, which also features an image of the back of Benedict XVI's mitered head. Greg Erlandson is here to respond.
5:20 – Kresta Comments / Direct to my Desk
4:00 – The Battle: How the Fight between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future
America faces a new culture war. It is not a war about guns, abortions, or gays—rather it is a war against the creeping changes to our entrepreneurial culture, the true bedrock of who we are as a people. The new culture war is a battle between free enterprise and social democracy. Many Americans have forgotten the evils of socialism and the predations of the American Great Society’s welfare state programs. But, as American Enterprise Institute’s president Arthur C. Brooks reveals, the forces for social democracy have returned with a vengeance, expanding the power of the state to a breathtaking degree. He offers a plan of action for the defense of free enterprise; it is at once a call to arms and a crucial redefinition of the political and moral gulf that divides Right and Left in America today.
4:20 - Detroit Bus Authority Blocks Ads Offering Help to Muslims Threatened for Leaving Their Religion
A federal lawsuit was filed last week over the refusal of a Detroit-area transportation authority to display an anti-Jihad advertisement on its buses. The ad stated, “Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? Leaving Islam? Got questions? Get Answers!” The “Leaving Islam” ad was sponsored by the Freedom Defense Initiative (FDI), founded by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. In the past, SMART had no problem running an anti-religion ad sponsored by an atheist organization that stated, “Don’t Believe in God? You are not alone.” Dick Thompson of the Thomas More Law Center is here to discuss it.
4:30 – Study Shows Children Raised By Lesbians are Smarter and More Well-Adjusted that Those In a Traditional Family – Oh yea, the Study was Done By an Open Lesbian.
Being raised by a same-sex couple is no hindrance to healthy psychological development, researchers say as the first generation of children conceived by lesbians through donor insemination is coming of age. In fact, lesbian mothers rated their 17-year-olds higher in social and academic skills, and lower in rule-breaking and aggression, than did mothers of teenagers who also had a father. The study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics, is the first to follow children of lesbian couples all the way from conception to adolescence. Two quick points: The study was done by an open lesbian and it contradicts decades of previous studies. Gary Glenn is here to discuss it.
4:40 – Primary Results – What Do They Say About November?
The June 8 primaries yielded some marquee matchups and one key runoff. The main message: Outsiders are in. California Former Silicon Valley CEOs and political newcomers Meg Whitman (eBay) and Carly Fiorina (Hewlett-Packard) face career politicians in a state usually unfriendly to female GOP candidates. Both Senator Barbara Boxer, who will face Fiorina in a bid for a fourth term, and Attorney General Jerry Brown, who will take on Whitman in the race for the governor's job, are counting on rookie mistakes. Election analyst Michael Barone is here. He also answers the question “What’s wrong with Michigan?”
5:00 – TIME MAGAZINE: “Why Being Pope Means Never Having To Say You’re Sorry”
It would probably be too much to ask that Time magazine run a cover story on the bold statements and concrete actions that Benedict XVI has taken to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis. No self-respecting journalistic enterprise wants to be separated from the pack when it comes to covering a controversial news story, which means it must always follow the herd, even when the evidence points elsewhere. But the Time magazine June 7 cover story is a particularly frustrating example of a media enterprise playing to prejudices with half-truths even to the point of severely misrepresenting the story. "Why Being Pope Means Never having To Say You’re Sorry: The Sex Abuse Scandal and the Limits of Atonement" is the provocative headline splashed across the most recent Time cover, which also features an image of the back of Benedict XVI's mitered head. Greg Erlandson is here to respond.
5:20 – Kresta Comments / Direct to my Desk
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Today on Kresta - June 9, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 9
4:00 – Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
Christians through the ages have sought to take the example and words of Jesus to heart and to live them in social settings very different from ancient Palestine. Catholic social teaching is an offspring of this effort. Certain teachings of the Catholic Church are very clear and relatively easy to articulate. Catholic social teaching, on the other hand, is difficult to summarize so neatly. Nevertheless, this complexity can be summarized imperfectly in terms of seven key principles of Catholic social teaching. We examine these seven principles with Christopher Kaczor.
4:20 - 33 Questions About American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask
Did the Founding Fathers support immigration? Was the Civil War all about slavery? Was the Constitution meant to be a “living, breathing” document? Thomas Woods answers these and 30 other Questions About American History You Aren't Supposed to Ask.
5:00 – The Truth About Teen Girls
Unless you're an adolescent male, you have already asked yourself this question, perhaps in the past few days: Is there something wrong with teen girls? Specifically, are they getting too sexy? Barely a week passes without a flash bulletin blinding us with news of another prominent preadult who is in the family way or showing off her underthings. Miley Cyrus, 15, seminaked! Jamie Lynn Spears, 16, pregnant! A bunch of Massachusetts high schoolers all having babies together! It's an epidemic! A recent issue of TIME Magazine contains an article entitled “The Truth About Teen Girls.” Dr. Meg Meeker is with us to see if TIME’s “truth” comports with her “truth” about teen girls.
5:20 – Ask Me Anything 2: More Provocative Answers for College Students
College students have real questions about dozens of real-life issues, from love and sex to hell and roommates. They need logic. They want reason. In the follow-up to Ask Me Anything, Professor Theophilus (J. Buziszewski) gives both in a completely fresh way from a Christian standpoint. The professor tackles hot topics that hit hard in college, like faith and reasoning, sins you just can't shake, and the feeling that there must be something more. Rarely will your questions be answered so honestly and directly. So go ahead. Ask another one.
4:00 – Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
Christians through the ages have sought to take the example and words of Jesus to heart and to live them in social settings very different from ancient Palestine. Catholic social teaching is an offspring of this effort. Certain teachings of the Catholic Church are very clear and relatively easy to articulate. Catholic social teaching, on the other hand, is difficult to summarize so neatly. Nevertheless, this complexity can be summarized imperfectly in terms of seven key principles of Catholic social teaching. We examine these seven principles with Christopher Kaczor.
4:20 - 33 Questions About American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask
Did the Founding Fathers support immigration? Was the Civil War all about slavery? Was the Constitution meant to be a “living, breathing” document? Thomas Woods answers these and 30 other Questions About American History You Aren't Supposed to Ask.
5:00 – The Truth About Teen Girls
Unless you're an adolescent male, you have already asked yourself this question, perhaps in the past few days: Is there something wrong with teen girls? Specifically, are they getting too sexy? Barely a week passes without a flash bulletin blinding us with news of another prominent preadult who is in the family way or showing off her underthings. Miley Cyrus, 15, seminaked! Jamie Lynn Spears, 16, pregnant! A bunch of Massachusetts high schoolers all having babies together! It's an epidemic! A recent issue of TIME Magazine contains an article entitled “The Truth About Teen Girls.” Dr. Meg Meeker is with us to see if TIME’s “truth” comports with her “truth” about teen girls.
5:20 – Ask Me Anything 2: More Provocative Answers for College Students
College students have real questions about dozens of real-life issues, from love and sex to hell and roommates. They need logic. They want reason. In the follow-up to Ask Me Anything, Professor Theophilus (J. Buziszewski) gives both in a completely fresh way from a Christian standpoint. The professor tackles hot topics that hit hard in college, like faith and reasoning, sins you just can't shake, and the feeling that there must be something more. Rarely will your questions be answered so honestly and directly. So go ahead. Ask another one.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Kresta Poll Question of the Day
Was Israel justified in raiding the "flotilla" heading to Gaza?
1) Yes -
2) No -
Click Here to Answer the Question.
1) Yes -
2) No -
Click Here to Answer the Question.
Charlie Crist: Anything to Get Elected
Charlie Crist is flip-flopping again. When he was a Republican trying to win the Republican primary, Crist repeatedly stated he was pro-life and even said he would "fight for pro-life legislation if he's elected to the Senate."
However, now that he has left the Republican Party in order to win an election and is trying to attract liberal votes, the Crist campaign yesterday removed the "pro-life/family" issue page of its website.
In doing so, Charlie Crist eliminated any reference to being "pro-life" in a transparent attempt to hide his position in order to win an election.
The Marco Rubio campaign has uploaded this screen shot of the old "pro-life/family" issue page which shows just how much Crist is trying to change his positions in order to win an election.
Will Charlie Crist flip-flop further, no longer call himself "pro-life" and revert back to his 1998 pro-choice position? Check out the video below.
However, now that he has left the Republican Party in order to win an election and is trying to attract liberal votes, the Crist campaign yesterday removed the "pro-life/family" issue page of its website.
In doing so, Charlie Crist eliminated any reference to being "pro-life" in a transparent attempt to hide his position in order to win an election.
The Marco Rubio campaign has uploaded this screen shot of the old "pro-life/family" issue page which shows just how much Crist is trying to change his positions in order to win an election.
Will Charlie Crist flip-flop further, no longer call himself "pro-life" and revert back to his 1998 pro-choice position? Check out the video below.
Today on Kresta - June 8, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 8
4:00 – Jesus and Money: A Guide for Times of Financial Crisis
Widespread unemployment. Record home foreclosures. A vulnerable stock market. Government bailouts. In the wake of a sobering global recession, many Christians realize they need to rethink their approach to money. Here, respected New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explores what the Bible does--and doesn't--say about money. He clearly and concisely examines what Jesus and his earliest followers taught about wealth and poverty, money and debt, and tithing and sacrificial giving to helps us understand the proper role of money in modern Christian life. Along the way, he critiques the faith promise and health-and-wealth approaches to these issues, showing what good stewardship of God's possessions really looks like. Church study groups, pastors, church leaders, students, and all who are concerned about making sense of money in a world of economic uncertainty will value this book.
4:40 – Ave Maria Radio “Shroud Tour”
Ave Maria Radio is proud to present Russ Breault in five exclusive presentations highlighting the Shroud of Turin. Russ takes a fascinating look at the forensic evidence for the Shroud of Turin being the real burial cloth of Christ. Is it the image of crucified Christ? Is it authentic, or is it history's greatest hoax? Join Russ in this fascinating journey at a one of the five locations near you! Presentations in the Detroit Metro area to take place each day next week – June 15 – 19.
5:00 – Kresta Comments
5:20 – CBS News: “Church Ousts Nun Who OK'd Abortion to Save Woman” – We get the Truth From a Canon Lawyer
In late 2009, an abortion took place at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix after a hospital ethics committee deemed the abortion necessary to save the life of the mother. Sister Margaret Mary McBride, the hospital’s vice president of mission integration, was a member of the committee that made the decision and has since been assigned new duties. The hospital has defended its decision, while Bishop Thomas Olmsted warned that Catholics who formally cooperated in the abortion were automatically excommunicated. That led to nationwide headlines like “Church Ousts Nun Who OK'd Abortion to Save Woman.” We get the real story from canon lawyer Michael Dunnigan.
5:40 – Israel and Palestine: What Does the Just War Theory of “Proportionate Response” Really Mean?
The last three times Israel has taken military action, international commentators criticized the country’s use of force as “disproportionate.” During the recent flotilla incident, the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, and the Gaza War of 2008-09, officials from the United Nations, the European Union, and several countries used that word to describe Israel’s military actions. Coverage in the press was similar — one newspaper columnist, for example, criticized the “utterly disproportionate ... carnage.” The phrase originates in Christian just war theory. But what does it really mean in context of the Christian teaching? Keith Pavlischek is here to explore that question.
4:00 – Jesus and Money: A Guide for Times of Financial Crisis
Widespread unemployment. Record home foreclosures. A vulnerable stock market. Government bailouts. In the wake of a sobering global recession, many Christians realize they need to rethink their approach to money. Here, respected New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explores what the Bible does--and doesn't--say about money. He clearly and concisely examines what Jesus and his earliest followers taught about wealth and poverty, money and debt, and tithing and sacrificial giving to helps us understand the proper role of money in modern Christian life. Along the way, he critiques the faith promise and health-and-wealth approaches to these issues, showing what good stewardship of God's possessions really looks like. Church study groups, pastors, church leaders, students, and all who are concerned about making sense of money in a world of economic uncertainty will value this book.
4:40 – Ave Maria Radio “Shroud Tour”
Ave Maria Radio is proud to present Russ Breault in five exclusive presentations highlighting the Shroud of Turin. Russ takes a fascinating look at the forensic evidence for the Shroud of Turin being the real burial cloth of Christ. Is it the image of crucified Christ? Is it authentic, or is it history's greatest hoax? Join Russ in this fascinating journey at a one of the five locations near you! Presentations in the Detroit Metro area to take place each day next week – June 15 – 19.
5:00 – Kresta Comments
5:20 – CBS News: “Church Ousts Nun Who OK'd Abortion to Save Woman” – We get the Truth From a Canon Lawyer
In late 2009, an abortion took place at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix after a hospital ethics committee deemed the abortion necessary to save the life of the mother. Sister Margaret Mary McBride, the hospital’s vice president of mission integration, was a member of the committee that made the decision and has since been assigned new duties. The hospital has defended its decision, while Bishop Thomas Olmsted warned that Catholics who formally cooperated in the abortion were automatically excommunicated. That led to nationwide headlines like “Church Ousts Nun Who OK'd Abortion to Save Woman.” We get the real story from canon lawyer Michael Dunnigan.
5:40 – Israel and Palestine: What Does the Just War Theory of “Proportionate Response” Really Mean?
The last three times Israel has taken military action, international commentators criticized the country’s use of force as “disproportionate.” During the recent flotilla incident, the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, and the Gaza War of 2008-09, officials from the United Nations, the European Union, and several countries used that word to describe Israel’s military actions. Coverage in the press was similar — one newspaper columnist, for example, criticized the “utterly disproportionate ... carnage.” The phrase originates in Christian just war theory. But what does it really mean in context of the Christian teaching? Keith Pavlischek is here to explore that question.