Voyage of the Dawn Treader Trailer

In a nod to the power of Christian filmgoers, the producers of the next film in CS Lewis "The Chronicles of Narnia" series, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" have pre-released the film's trailer to Christian media outlets.
We will be reporting to them the number of hits we achieve within the next 24 hours. Do your part and click here to view the trailer on my site Catholic Media Review and pass the link on to your friends.

Show Hollywood that the Christian audience which made "The Passion of the Christ" an international phenomenon has not diminished. Make your voice heard.

Welcome home to Rome Traditional Anglican Communion!

"Our Holy Father is shepherd for ALL souls and is working to bring as many as possible to the Sacramental life merited for us by Jesus Christ. He is a true progressive without that taint of liberal dissention."
" The Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) is now to be in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. Indeed, all Anglicans/Episcopalians who have longed for reunion will now have the avenue to do so. I have often attended an Anglican Use parish in San Antonio and if these newly united ones will be anything like what I have experienced with Fr. Phillips and Our Lady of the Atonement, this will be a wonderful infusion of faithful souls into the Church. Deo Gratias!
Ave Maria!"
a friend by email.
Well said, my friend, I have been praying for this and watching for signs that my prayers were answered. Deo gratias!
I am certain CS Lewis is cheering from heaven.

Dr Francis Collins nominated head of National Institute of Health

Dr Francis Collins heads the Human Genome Project and has made the most undereported scientific discovery in history: no GAY gene exists. Homosexuality is largely a product of one's upbringing, according to this article in NARTH.
"Dr. Collins succinctly reviewed the research on homosexuality and offers the following: "An area of particularly strong public interest is the genetic basis of homosexuality. Evidence from twin studies does in fact support the conclusion that heritable factors play a role in male homosexuality. However, the likelihood that the identical twin of a homosexual male will also be gay is about 20% (compared with 2-4 percent of males in the general population), indicating that sexual orientation is genetically influenced but not hardwired by DNA, and that whatever genes are involved represent predispositions, not predeterminations."
Dr. Collins noted that environment, particularly childhood experiences as well as the role of free will choices affect all of us in profound ways. As researchers discover increasing levels of molecular detail about inherited factors that underlie our personalities, it's critical that such data be used to illuminate, not provide support to idealogues."
He was nominated by President Obama to direct the National Institute of Health. He is a convert from atheism to Evangelical Christianity and sees no conflict between that and his role as a leading geneticist, which he describes in his book "The Language of God".
Here in an interview with CNN he discusses the reason he sees no conflict between being a Christian and a scientist. He was recently interviewed about his book in a Christopher Closeup where he was called a "modern-day CS Lewis". Dr Collins loved the idea, as Lewis is his role model; a former atheist intellectual who becomes a Christian and lives to pay for it. Chuck Colson is a friend of Dr Collins and applauds his nomination with reservations; Dr Collins does approve of some forms of embryonic stem cell research as he mentions here.
HT Catholic Exchange
We wish him a long and fruitful term directing the National Institute of Health. He will provide a sense of balance and respect for life which is sorely lacking elsewhere in this administration.

Now, Dr Collins, how about more funding for Down syndrome research?

A week of true Christian Unity: Anglicans come home to Rome too!

What a week the Catholic Church has had! First, the warming of relations with SSPX, now this.
We must be doing something right!
“The Pope is preparing to offer the Traditonal Anglican Communion, a group of half a million dissident Anglicans, its own personal prelature by Rome, according to reports this morning.

History may be in the making", reports The Record. "It appears Rome is on the brink of welcoming close to half a million members of the Traditional Anglican Communion into membership of the Roman Catholic Church. Such a move would be the most historic development in Anglican-Catholic relations in the last 500 years. But it may also be a prelude to a much greater influx of Anglicans waiting on the sidelines, pushed too far by the controversy surrounding the consecration of practicing homosexual bishops, women clergy and a host of other issues."

HT Catholic Online

Freedom Sunday

For decades, churchgoers and pastors alike have cowered in fear of the IRS coming down on them for whispering anything political anywhere near a church. Yet I saw President Clinton, the night before his re-election in a church, where the pastor put his arm around him saying, "Let's get political". One and only one church has been brought up on charges of getting political, because it ran an anti-Clinton ad in it's newspaper during the elections. This is gross misuse of the IRS for partisan purposes, but that was the hallmark of the Clinton administration.
Thirty pastors around the nation have had enough! They are endorsing a candidate from the pulpit this Sunday and daring the IRS to come after them. They are doing things the Democrat way, by civil disobedience leading to arrests, then a court case. They are calling it "Freedom Sunday".
Good for them! I hope some Catholic priests follow, remembering that it was the churches which began both the abolition and civil rights movements. Fr Neuhaus said on his comments about Archbishop Chaput's new book, "Render Unto Ceasar" that if people of faith do not express their views in the public square, it is dangerous to our democracy.
The entire prohibition of mixing politics and religion came not from the Founding Fathers who held church services in the Capitol Buidling, but from LBJ who wanted to silence Baptist preachers who opposed his election. It's time to speak out, people of God, and stand for truth, regardless of the consequences.

Christians arrested for the second time protesting human rights abuses in China

from Operation Rescue
Rev. Pat Mahoney, Brandi Swindell, and Michael McMonagle were arrested and forcibly dragged away as they knelt in prayer outside the Mao Tse Tung Mausoleum. The group was in Bejing speaking out against China's forced abortion policies, religious persecution, and other human rights abuses.
Plain clothed policemen were filmed dragging Rev. Mahoney and Ms. Swindell by the arms as other men, presumed to be additional plain clothed officers, attempted to shield the arrest from cameras with large umbrellas.
The three Christian activists were detained and released earlier in the week as they stood in Tiananmen Square with a banner that read in English and Chinese, "Jesus Christ is King."
It is unknown if or when the group will be released after Thursday's arrest.
In the wake of the arrests, President Bush today issued his harshest statements against human rights abuses committed by the Chinese government.
"We stand in support of Rev. Mahoney and the other two brave Christians who have been arrested again for speaking out on behalf of the oppressed. The human heart yearns for freedom and truth. The truth of the Gospel and the sanctity of life cannot be silenced forever. As the eyes of the world focus on Beijing for the Olympics, we pray that those truths will be emblazoned in the hearts of all who hear of this courageous and prophetic witness," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "We pray for their immediate release and safe return to freedom."

We're not going to take it any more: Pastors revolt against the IRS muzzle

Jill Stanek has a fascinating column on World Net Daily.
Did you know that the regulation of free speech of pastors is only 50 years old? It dates to the Senate career of Lyndon Johnson? He was being called soft on communism as his election for a second term came up, so he had the amendment passed to help him get re-elected, which eventually led to him becoming President when JFK was assassinated. He escalated the war in Vietnam and started the failed war on poverty. What a disastrous presidency!
Anyway, the Johnson Amendment caused a lot of unnecessary paranoia among conservatives. Liberals like Rev. Jeremiah Wright have no such fear.
What do they know? That there has only been one actual prosecution of a church for crossing the church/state divide, Pierce Creek Church in 1992 for running a newspaper ad opposing Bill Clinton. The Clinton's use of the IRS to prosecute their political opponents is legendary; just as Bill O'Reilly who was audited multiple times during the Clinton Administration. So, 50 brave pastors are signing up to give explicitly political homilies to challenge the unfair muzzling of traditional religious believers, and hopefully, bring the Johnson Amendment down. It's about time!
Here's the game plan:
"On Sept. 28, approximately 50 pastors the ADF has chosen from volunteers nationwide will preach sermons to provoke the IRS on this point. This would immediately invoke a lawsuit that would find its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a press release condemning the plan as "deplorable" and "worldly," AU's Lynn stated, "I assume the ADF will provide a list of congregations unwise enough to join this move, and we'll be ready to report those churches to the IRS."
Barry, ADF is planning one better – no, two better. It plans to give you and the IRS videotapes of the sermons."
What valiant leaders these pastors are! How I would love to be one of their congregants. If you are, be sure to give them a FAT check in the collection that day! They may need it for legal fees!
HT World Net Daily

So much for dialogue

From Focus on the Family's Citizen Link
American Psychiatric Association Cancels Forum on Homosexuality and Religion

'Open dialogue' will have to wait until next time.
Under pressure from a homosexual bishop and his friends, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has canceled a May 5 event in Washington, D.C., that promised “balanced discussion” on the origins and treatment of homosexuality.
The pro-homosexual speakers — Bishop Gene Robinson, an openly homosexual Episcopalian in New Hampshire, and Dr. David Scasta, past president of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists — had sought “common ground and new perspectives” with two conservatives: Dr. Albert Mohler, president of South Baptist Theological Seminary and a member of the Focus on the Family board of directors; and Dr. Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of psychology at Grove City College.
"The APA program committee approved this six months ago," Throckmorton told The Washington Times. "But when gay activists learned about it, they felt my views on homosexuality are conservative and they didn't agree with them. So they threatened to protest."
According to a statement from the APA: "Misinformation and rhetoric surrounding this event had risen to a level that would hinder the kind of open dialogue and interaction that was originally anticipated."

Why Muslims convert to Christianity: it's up to us

" we Christians especially need to guard our emotions so we can be a good witness to Muslims—a caution raised by Dr. Dudley Woodberry, professor of Islamic Studies at Fuller.
Woodberry, aware that throughout the world Muslims have been turning to Christ, was curious about the reasons why—especially in countries where the cost of converting is so high.
To find the answer, he created a detailed questionnaire. Over a 16-year period, some 750 Muslims from 30 countries filled it out—and the results are eye-opening. The number one reason Muslim converts listed for their decision to follow Christ was the lifestyle of the Christians among them. "
“When Christ’s love transforms committed Christians into a loving community, many Muslims [identified] a desire to join such a fellowship.”
Woodberry’s research shows that when the Church is being the Church—witnessing to the love of Christ and of His transforming power—Muslims are drawn both to us and to Him.
"Read the rest here.
Chuch Colson, Breakpoint
This brings to mind what Mahatma Ghandi said about Christianity, he was intrigued by the teachings of Christ, but never saw it practiced. That's because he missed Mother Teresa. What a duo those two would have been! They could have converted the entire nation!
But that doesn't leave us with an excuse. We are the only Bible our Muslim neighbors might read. Do we "let our light shine before men"?

Chuck Colson with some amazing stats on Muslim conversions to Christianity

Is this becoming a mass movement? Unbelievable numbers of Muslims are converting to Christianity according to this article in Catholic Exchange.