This post may teeter on the brink of cheesiness. You have been warned.
There’s a song by Ne-Yo called “Closer.” ($250 to the winner of the wager, “Will Ne-Yo’s ‘Closer’ ever be referenced on www.twocatholicguys.net?”)
Stay with me. I know I’m not helping.
Here’s a link to the music video. Be warned, the lyrics and video are very suggestive. Alright, time to talk myself out of this hole I’m digging.
My thesis might run something like this: There seems to have been whole centuries when the most talented artists were rendering works to the glory of God. Some still do. However, the glorified artists (who may or may not be terrifically talented) of our time are not doing this, and it is a shame.
I take part of that back. Some of them will point upward and thank God when they win an award. It’s not nothing.
In the case of Ne-Yo, I am not arguing that his lyrics should be “explicitly” Christian, or theistic. This isn’t like taking Bryon Adams’ “Everything I Do” and imagining the lyrics declare the love of God (except for the lying part). Anyway, the best possible conversion of that song has already been achieved.
. . . → Read More: Closer
Eric and Colleen Fitts stopped by the show for Episode 5 to tell us about Bethlehem Farm. Bethlehem Farm is a Catholic community doing great work in the Appalachian region of West Virginia. The married couple (with a baby on the way!) discuss the mission of their ministry and what it’s like living a simple life of Discipleship. Check it on out by clicking play below!
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty (too) is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all. (1 Cor 15:14-19)
These are the words of St Paul to the Corinthians (emphasis mine). Here we catch a glimpse of the wonderful Catholic Tradition of Reason. St Paul makes it very clear – if what we teach and what we preach isn’t actually true – then we should be pitied! Such a proclamation might be offensive to modern, relativistic sensibilities, but its reason is sound. The consequences of what you believe are the impetus behind how you act, and how you act . . . → Read More: Faith and Reason