The Practical Parson

Imagine hating and despising a man so much, that you would not only flout the laws and traditions you claim to uphold; but would gleefully invite others to join you in your condemnation of the man.    Imagine encouraging men to perjure themselves under oath so that you may obtain evidence to support your cause.    Imagine spending  years investigating the man, and finding no cause to try; you decide to create concepts to charge the man, since there is no legal justification to pursue him.    Imagine finding one who was once a confidant of the man to turn against him and betray him because you reward the traitor for his lies and betrayal.   Imagine finding yourself so self-righteous that you are willing to charge the man with anything just so you can get rid of him.    Imagine how great your pride must be when you convince others to charge the man and hold him in custody; and how much more when your falsehoods and calumny are seemingly rewarded and supported by those you choose to liste

On Monday of this week, a woman went into a private Christian School in Nashville, Tennessee and murdered 6 adults and children.  As usual in this country however, almost as if on cue, progressives began demanding increased gun control, again.   They insist that banning "assault-type" weapons and making it harder to purchase guns legally would stop these tragedies from occurring; ignoring the very first fact about all crime: that a criminal is, by definition, one who violates the law. The sad reality is that you cannot prevent crime by passing more laws; since those who commit crimes do not follow them. The reasons why increased gun control would do little if nothing to slow or prevent mass-shootings, is because in the history of civilization; such weapons have been in existence for too long, people have had too much access, and there are too many of them in existence.  Desiring to remove such weapons from society is a laudable goal; however it is one that is not only impossi

We preach Grace when we have offended. We preach repentance when we have sinned. We preach forgiveness when we have erred. We preach salvation when we have strayed. We preach acceptance when we have excluded others. We preach the Love of God while keeping it from others. We preach the truth of the Gospels while we hide it from the world. We preach the presence of Christ while denying others to it. We preach many things in our lives as Christians, as Priests, as Ministers; but do we do so honestly? The truth is nothing; unless it can change both the recipient, as well as he who carries it. -The Practical Parson

  Ever since the Pan-Amazonian synod in Rome, which saw Idols of pagan deities especially the one known as "Pachamama" carried in procession to one of the holiest places in Christendom; there has been a concerted effort on behalf of the Vatican and South American bishops and cardinals to pagan-ize the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.  The latest brain child to come of this is a recommendation for the Vatican to approve so-called "Mayan Rites" for South American priests to include; which demote the central act of Christian worship in the Eucharistic service, and would focus more intently on pagan inspired prayers, dances, and lay-led activities in the sanctuary.  The cardinal who has been pushing these rites has even gone so far as to claim that these are the only ways in which the indigenous people are able to encounter the Divine.  So, 5 centuries plus of missionary work, sweat, blood, and effort have done... Nothing? your Eminence?   Do you really expect anyo

  Many Christians in the United States will undoubtedly be aware of a new(er) TV series, which purports to dramatize the life of Christ and his followers.  What most people, even some clergy, do not realize; is the subtle, underlying heresy that this series teaches against the Christian Faith itself.   T he show seems to be focusing not on the nature of the people they are supposed to be portraying; but the laws of physical attraction, in the manner in which they both dress the actors, as well as the focus in cinematography on the eyes and faces of the characters.  This introduces the first heretical idea of the show- depicting Christ as purely human, and as such subject to the attractions and desires of human flesh.   That may be simply reading too much into the way in which they film the series, but when one repeatedly hears comments on the series about "how sexy Jesus is", one must ask if the intent was NOT to depict him thus.  The manner of costuming seems to be more focu

  As most people in the States are aware, the District Attorney of Manhattan, NY has been pursuing an investigation into former President Donald Trump's relationship and subsequent clashes with a woman who claims to have had an intimate relationship with him years ago.  The facts of the matter seem fairly clear and clean-cut: Trump had an affair with a porn star, got her to agree to a non-disclosure agreement, then when he ran for president his attorney arranged a payment to the woman to help maintain her agreement to silence.  Now at face value this may seem like a damning situation, and one that the attorney general of Manhattan is banking on people thinking so; but what is the legal basis of seeking prosecution against the man?  The entire search for prosecution hinges on a vague (and as the NY Times itself refers to it as) legal "theory", that one of Trump's former attorneys arranging such a payment was an violation of campaign finance laws.  Not that paying the w

Recently, there has been a lot of debate, and downright violence regarding transgender people and drag queens; especially regarding a new Law in Tennessee which prohibits the performance of 'drag shows' in public places with minors.   The alphabet mafia, which I refer to them as now because they keep adding letters to their collective acronym and scream bigotry if you forget one by accident; declare this law is bigoted and a violation of their rights.  But no one asks themselves- why was it felt necessary to even consider such a law?  The reality is that there has been an increase in the number of schools and public educators (as well as some perhaps well-intentioned albeit delusional parents) who have been exposing children under their care to drag shows and the drag community without informing the parents or others about what they're doing.  Beyond the nature of these shows themselves, which are often loaded with graphic language that describes sexual encounters and acts,