The Practical Parson

 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ- Today the world witnessed a horrific act of targeted political violence, in the form of the assassination of a conservative commentator, Charlie Kirk, in Utah.  As people of Christian faith and charity, I ask you all to remember his family and friends in your prayers; and commend to your prayers the intention of the repose of his soul.  Before too long, media outlets will shift the narrative of this day away from the story of what happened, and will begin blaming inanimate objects and victims themselves for acts of horrific violence; in a spectacle that is a revolving circle of self-righteous grandstanding rather than meaningful discourse or transmission of fact.  As both a Bishop but first and foremost a Christian; I have been heartbroken and utterly sickened to see so many people who profess Christian faith and love, actively celebrating the death of a man whom they deemed “the enemy.”  While he may have held views that we...

 Over the past week, I have listened as the national media have turned their hand of hatred momentarily from the president-elect, and towards some of his picks for cabinet positions in the incoming administration.  Curious, I delved into the stories that are being peddled, to see if I could ascertain a morsel or atom of truth; and as usual, found only hatred and vitriol where fact or evidence should be applied.  Whether or not the men in question are guilty of some form of sexual assault of which they have previously been accused seems little the point; in light of the bigger point for the press, that the allegation was made at all.  Because in the media's twisted view, why would anyone lie about such a thing?  If this person is so wonderful and above board, how could anyone say such a thing about them?   To understand this, we have to understand both what an allegation is (in truth, and in media's view), as well as what it does, and does not do. ...

 President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently signed into law a complete ban on the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.   While that may seem and sound like a commendable action from the outside, banning a church that has a patriarch in Russia while there is an ongoing war with Russia; the reality of what the law invites is actually quite sinister, and I would dare say, diabolical.  Let's start with the foundational issue: banning Russian Orthodox anything in Ukraine.  While it might sound like they're just cutting off the Patriarch of Moscow, what is truly happening is the Ukrainian government is seizing church properties: monasteries, cathedrals, convents, churches, shelters for the poor and homeless- all being seized by the state.  However it doesn't end at seizing church property, oh no.  The government has now enabled themselves to seize the personal and private property of private citizens who are Russian Orthodox as well.  This level of land-g...

 Ever since the Enlightenment period of history, purportedly educated men and women have long been on a crusade to break mankind of its religion and faith in those things that are unseen.  We see it in every facet of life around us, the struggle to break mankind of its ability to believe in something that is not of itself; something greater.  The intellectuals try to break us of our faith by telling us that there is no possible way to prove that the things contained in scripture actually happened; though they fail to acknowledge that they themselves cannot prove that they did NOT happen.  They tell us that we should not submit to blind faith, and should always and only trust our own senses; for there lies our freedom from faith and religion.  Perhaps most intriguingly, is the fact that though the liberal intellectual community has pushed this doctrinal concept of "only believe your senses" for generations, the reality of it is actually quite the reverse.  ...

 Imagine you live in one of the smallest countries in the world, surrounded by larger nations who have repeatedly vowed to destroy you and your country.    Imagine groups of people who violently assault you and members of your family on a consistent basis; while claiming YOU are the one who is committing a crime.  Imagine your children being burned alive; your sisters and mothers brutally raped and butchered; your family and friends mutilated and dragged into the dirt streets and left for dead; your neighbors beaten to death while their children watch, then having the children either kidnapped and held hostage or raped and videos of it sent to family members.  Imagine your country finding its footing and launching a defense against people who want you and everyone like you dead; to protect the innocent and eliminate terrorists who prey on the innocent.  Imagine the same terrorists using innocent women and children as human shields so that when you wipe...

 Imagine being a society who elects a terrorist organization to run your society for you.    Hamas was elected to run Gaza since 2007, and has done absolutely nothing for the people of Gaza in that time.  They have systematically stolen imports of concrete and building supplies intended for housing; to build their precious tunnels underground so they can launch secret attacks on Israel.   They have confiscated pipes and drainage materials needed for water infrastructure projects to use as improvised rockets and explosives against Israel.  They have made the people of Gaza dependent on water, electrical, and material goods imported from Israel.  Fast-forward to this year, and Hamas launches a war against Israel.  Israel responds and shuts down supply chains from Israel to Gaza.  Hamas insists that Israel is trying to cause a humanitarian catastrophe because Israel won't continue importing water, electricity, and other goods into a communi...

 This past week, a woman in Louisiana died at the age of 88.  Now in and of itself that may not be a newsworthy notice, the woman in question- Carolyn Bryant Donham, is known the world over as the woman whose accusations led to the murder of Emmett Till in 1955.  All the world over today, people are celebrating the fact that she is deceased, and proclaiming their desire that she burn in hell for her lies and causing the death of that young man so many years ago.   What I find truly ironic, is that this "I hope she burns in hell" mentality is overwhelmingly coming from the same cabal of hypocritical leftists who have been chanting "believe all women" for the past several years.  But it does raise a necessary talking point to true change that is needed in society today- should we always and everywhere take someone at their word when they accuse another person of horrific and violent crimes?  Should we, as the leftists say, just take a woman at her word w...