Al Kresta's Blog, page 335

Today on Kresta - April 11, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 11

4:00 – Direct to My Desk – Give to Street People? Or Not?
Everyone panhandler asking for a handout is an immeasurably precious person made in the image of God whom we are all called to love. But is a quick donation, at best, cheap love? Or should we remember that Jesus ministered to social outcasts and the undeserving on numerous occasions, so why don't we? We look at whether Christians should always give money to street people who ask for it.

5:00 – Direct to My Desk – BYU's Honor Code / Westboro's Hate / New Bible Translations
We open the phone lines and let you weigh in on three topics. 1) Is the hate speech of the Westboro "Baptist Church" still free speech? 2) Brigham Young University has dismissed a key player from their #3 ranked basketball team for having sex with his girlfriend. The action violated the Mormon school's honor code and the school has decided that principle trumps a possible national championship. 3) The new translation of the New American Bible (used for the Church's liturgies) has changed the translations of "booty," "Holocaust," and "virgin." Al explains and then we ask if this is a good thing or bad thing.

Today on Kresta - April 8, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 8

4:00 – In Philadelphia, Fears That Abusive Priests Still Active
Three weeks after a scathing grand jury report said the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had provided safe haven to as many as 37 priests who were credibly accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors, most of those priests remain active in the ministry. Matthew Bunson , co-author of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal, joins us for analysis.

4:20 – Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You've Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media
According to the media, the church is rapidly shrinking, both in numbers and in effectiveness. But the good news is, much of the bad news is wrong. Sociologist Bradley Wright uncovers what's really happening in the church: Christians are more respected by secular culture now than they were ten years ago; divorce rates of Christians are lower than those of nonbelievers; Christians give more to charity than others do. Wright reveals to readers why and how statistics are distorted, and shows that God is still effectively working through his people today.

5:00 – Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection
Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and no myth, revolutionary, or misunderstood prophet, insists Benedict XVI. He thinks that the best of historical scholarship, while it can't "prove" Jesus is the Son of God, certainly doesn't disprove it. Indeed, Benedict maintains that the evidence, fairly considered, brings us face-to-face with the challenge of Jesus-a real man who taught and acted in ways that were tantamount to claims of divine authority, claims not easily dismissed as lunacy or deception. Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection is Pope Benedict XVI's follow-up to Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordon to the Transfiguration. Fr. Joseph Fessio joins us today as the book is released in Rome.

5:40 – In Philadelphia, Fears That Abusive Priests Still Active
Three weeks after a scathing grand jury report said the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had provided safe haven to as many as 37 priests who were credibly accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors, most of those priests remain active in the ministry. Matthew Bunson , co-author of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal, joins us for analysis.

Today on Kresta - April 7, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 7

Best of Kresta in the Afternoon

4:00 – Christians Caught in the Middle of Middle East Strife?
Christians and Muslims are involved together in the democracy and reform movements bubbling up around the Middle East and members of both communities will gain from their success and suffer if they are violently suppressed, said a leading Lebanese Muslim scholar. With demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt, simmering unrest in Yemen and government changes in Lebanon, "I am both worried and hopeful," said Muhammad al-Sammak, whom Pope Benedict XVI invited to speak to the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East in October. Paul Marshall, Senior fellow in the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, is here to look at Christians in the Middle East protests.

4:20 – Creating Life in the Lab: How New Discoveries in Synthetic Biology Make a Case for the Creator
Each year brings to light new scientific discoveries that have the power to either test our faith or strengthen it--most recently the news that scientists have created artificial life forms in the laboratory. If humans can create life, what does that mean for the creation story found in Scripture? Biochemist and Christian apologist Dr. Fazale Rana, for one, isn't worried. In Creating Life in the Lab, he details the fascinating quest for synthetic life and argues convincingly that when scientists succeed in creating life in the lab, they will unwittingly undermine the evolutionary explanation for the origin of life, demonstrating instead that undirected chemical processes cannot produce a living entity. He joins us.

4:40 – Kresta Comments – The Chair of Peter

5:00 – A Tour of Unrest in the Middle East
Two months ago, a Tunisian fruit vendor lit a match, starting a fire that has spread throughout the Arab world. Muhammad Bouazizi's self-immolation prompted anti-government protests that toppled the regime in Tunisia and then Egypt. The demonstrations have spread across a swath of the Middle East and North Africa. Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch is here to give us the latest developments, country by country.

5:20 – Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper
In recent years, Christians everywhere are rediscovering the Jewish roots of their faith. Every year at Easter time, many believers now celebrate Passover meals (known as Seders) seeking to understand exactly what happened at Jesus' final Passover, the night before he was crucified. Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist shines fresh light on the Last Supper by looking at it through Jewish eyes. Using his in-depth knowledge of the Bible and ancient Judaism, Dr. Brant Pitre answers questions such as: What was the Passover like at the time of Jesus? What were the Jewish hopes for the Messiah? What was Jesus' purpose in instituting the Eucharist during the feast of Passover? And, most important of all, what did Jesus mean when he said, "This is my body… This is my blood"? He is with us to answer those questions.

Today on Kresta - April 6, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 6

The Best of Kresta in the Afternoon

4:00 – Supreme Court lets stand DC gay marriage law
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday let stand a law authorizing homosexual marriage in Washington, DC rejecting a challenge from traditional marriage groups. The top US court without comment turned down a petition from a group of residents seeking to put gay marriage to a city-wide referendum. The high court decision, a blow to traditional marriage, came as another high profile case on the legal status of same-sex marriage in California, churned through the US legal system. We talk with Bill May of Catholics for the Common Good.

4:20 – Scythian
Rousing and raucous, Scythian plays kicked-up Celtic and world music with hints of Gypsy and Klezmer, all infused with a touch of punk-rock sensibility. Take a pair of classically trained dueling fiddlers, toss in a rhythm guitar and the occasional funky accordion, then power it with the driving rhythm of a jazz percussionist, and you've got the ingredients for a show you won't soon forget. Their high-energy, adrenaline-peddling, interactive brand of music has one goal in mind: to get people on their feet and dancing. Their repertoire ranges from traditional and contemporary Celtic and folk music to the alluring and dramatic strains of Gypsy and Eastern European tunes, and then crosses back over the border to pick up some good old-fashioned bluegrass licks. Their latest release is Cake for Dinner, an interactive, educational musical project for children. We talk to band members Alexander and Danylo Fedoryka .

5:00 – EWTN Acquires National Catholic Register
EWTN Global Catholic Network has signed a letter of intent to acquire the National Catholic Register, the nation's leading Catholic newspaper. "I am very pleased and excited that the Register will now be a part of the EWTN family," said Michael P. Warsaw , the Network's president and chief executive officer. "All of us at EWTN have great respect for the Register and the role it has played throughout its history. It's a tremendous legacy that deserves to not only be preserved, but also to grow and to flourish." Michael Warsaw will be here to discuss this news.

5:20 – Wise Words from the Bishop of Rome Concerning the Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal
It is the custom of the Pope to offer Christmas greetings to his official family, the bishops and Cardinals who direct the various departments of the Roman Curia. But his words at this occasion last month were much more than mere pleasantries. They constitute, usually, a kind of review of the previous year from the perspective of the Bishop of Rome. The Christmas statement that Benedict XVI made last month to his official entourage were of particular gravity, precisely because it represents one of his most thorough and insightful assessments of the clerical sex abuse scandal. We talk with Fr. Robert Barron .

5:40 - China, the Economy and Human Rights
President Barack Obama issued a finely tuned call for greater respect for human rights on today in his speech to welcome his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao. Hu's four-day state visit to the United States has become a lightning rod for advocates of China's minority Uighurs, Tibetans, imprisoned democracy advocates and other disgruntled groups. Hundreds have converged on Washington to protest. Meanwhile, the issue of the economy and China's massive holding of US debt continues to be the main topic of conversation. We talk with Philip Levy of the American Enterprise Institute and David Aikman , author and China expert about China, the economy and human rights.

Tuesday, April 5. 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 5

4:00 – The Arizona Shootings and Political Rhetoric
Headlines read "Shooting in Arizona May Soften U.S. Political Rhetoric", "Vitriol in political rhetoric: Did it play a part in the Arizona shooting?", and "Lawmakers Urge Cooling of Political Rhetoric After Shootings in Arizona." Virtually everyone can agree that rhetoric on both sides of the political spectrum can be over-the-top at times, but this is hardly a new phenomenon and seems to have very little to do with the Arizona shooting tragedy. We talk to Fr. Robert Sirico about the AZ tragedy and political rhetoric.

4:20 – Redeeming Economics: Rediscovering the Missing Element
Economist John Mueller is calling for a bold revolution in economics—by retrieving its past. John says to make this leap forward will require looking backward, for the most important element of economic theory has been ignored for more than two centuries. Since Adam Smith tore down this pillar of economic thought, economic theory has had no way to account for a fundamental aspect of human experience: the social relationships that define us, the loves (and hates) that motivate and distinguish us as persons. In trying to reduce human behavior to mere exchanges, modern economists have lost sight of how these essential motivations are expressed: as gifts (or their opposite, crimes). Mueller makes economics whole again, masterfully reapplying economic thought as articulated by Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas. He joins us to make his case.

5:00 – Beatification of John Paul is set: May 1
On 1 May, the second Sunday of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, Benedict XVI will preside at the rite of beatification for Pope John Paul II in the Vatican. Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, authorised the dicastery to promulgate the decree of the miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Servant of God John Paul II. This concludes the process which precedes the rite of beatification. We talk with Kishore Jayabalan who was baptized and confirmed by John Paul II and was in Rome when the Pontiff died in 2005.

5:20 – Finance Friday: On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
Today we continue our series intended to fully explore the practical, political, moral and philosophical underpinnings of the financial meltdown of 2008. Our guide will be Dr. Max Torres and each "Financial Friday" we will be using as a base of discussion, one book written on an aspect of the financial crisis. Today, we look at Henry Paulson's On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System.

Today on Kresta - April 4, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 4

4:00 – A Rat is a Pig is a Dog is a Boy: The Human Cost of the Animal Rights Movement
Over the past thirty years, as Wesley J. Smith details in his latest book, the concept of animal rights has been seeping into the very bone marrow of Western culture. One reason for this development is that the term "animal rights" is so often used very loosely, to mean simply being nicer to animals. But although animal rights groups do sometimes focus their activism on promoting animal welfare, the larger movement they represent is actually advancing a radical belief system. For some activists, the animal rights ideology amounts to a quasi religion, one whose central doctrine declares a moral equivalency between the value of animal lives and the value of human lives. All people who love animals and recognize their intrinsic worth can agree with Wesley J. Smith that human beings owe animals respect, kindness, and humane care. But Smith argues eloquently that our obligation to humanity matters more, and that granting "rights" to animals would inevitably diminish human dignity. He joins us.

5:00 – One Year Since the Haiti Earthquake (Jan. 12)
When the Haiti earthquake struck on January 12, 2010, Cross Catholic mobilized donors and trusted Haitian mission partners to rush immediate aid to traumatized refugees. They shipped food, water, and medical supplies to survivors as quickly and efficiently as possible, despite a closed seaport and broken roads. In the ensuing months, they remained committed to helping their Haitian partners recover and rebuild – a process that continues to this day. Political unrest, a cholera outbreak, and a shattered national infrastructure pose great challenges to the recovery, but Cross Catholic is working hard to meet the needs of the many Haitians who are crying out for help. We look back at this trying year for the country of Haiti with Jim Cavnar of Cross International Catholic Outreach.

5:30 – "Princess Boy" Ignites Media Buzz: Cross-Dressing Kindergarteners.
Any semblance of objectivity went out the window on the January 3 broadcast of NBC'S "Today Show." Host Meredith Vieira promoted a book by Cheryl Kilodavis, titled "My Princess Boy," an illustrated children's book that promotes the tolerance of cross-dressing boys. The segment featured Kilodavis and her 5-year-old Dyson. Dyson likes to wear girls' clothes and do girl things. Mom likes to make money off her son's proclivities. And "Today" wants to educate viewers about "tolerating" little boys who wear dresses. We bring in a real expert – Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi.

Today on Kresta - April 1, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 1

4:00 – Thirty Years Ago: When President Reagan Was Shot
On March 30, 1981, Ronald Reagan, president for merely 10 weeks, stepped outside the Washington Hilton. What happened next was an image millions would soon witness on their TV screens: America's 40th president raised his arm to ward off a question from a reporter and then, seconds later, bullets crackled the air. Yet, there was one image we never saw, which Ronald Reagan privately shared several times in the days to come, always with sources he knew to be devoutly religious: his son, Michael; his new pastor at the National Presbyterian Church, Louis Evans; and, among others, some high-profile Catholics—Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, New York's Terence Cardinal Cooke. The Cooke moment was particularly poignant. It was Good Friday, April 1981, and Reagan sensed a feeling of rebirth. He was certain his life had been spared for a special purpose, one that, he discerned, struck at the epicenter of the Cold War conflict: the epic battle against atheistic communism. Paul Kengor tells the story.

4:20 – Why Stay Catholic?: Unexpected Answers to a Life-changing Question
Scandals in the Catholic Church won t go away. The same, uninspiring sermons keep coming. Lay people, who wonder where the beef in Catholicism has gone, are left hungering for something more. In light of all this, it s no wonder that so many Catholics are asking, What's so great about this Church anyway?, which leads them to the greater question, Why stay Catholic? Michael Leach offers surprising, inspiring, and timely answers to this life-changing question.

5:00 – "The Myth of Religious Tolerance"
Religious Freedom – It's a topic on many people's minds as reports come in that 2010 was the bloodiest year for Christians in decades. Persecution is rampant across the Middle East and elsewhere. Fr. Thomas Williams, LC has written an article entitled "The Myth of Religious Freedom is which her that a respect for religious freedom stands head and shoulders above a supposed tolerance for religious belief — with the relativism, indifference, and subtle disdain for religion it so often comprises. He is here.

5:30 - Raising Good Kids: Back to Family Basics
Everything You Wanted to Know About Parenting You Already Know. If the last thing you need is another parenting book, Raising Good Kids: Back to Family Basics is the parenting book for you. Tell-it-like-it-is radio host Dr. Ray Guarendi is a firm believer that the secret of good parenting isn't about knowing what to do. It's doing what you already know. With examples from his own experience as a father of 10, insight from his years as a clinical psychologist and radio host, as well as a healthy sense of self-depreciating humor, Guarendi provides a practical outlook that can help other dads and moms identify and follow through with the basic building blocks of successful parenting. He joins us.

Today on Kresta - March 30, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on March 30

4:00 – Congressional Hearings Explore Anti-Muslim Bigotry and Radicalization of American Muslims
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said it wasn't a response to Republican Rep. Peter King's comments at a congressional hearing this month on post-Sept. 11 Islamic radicalization and terrorism — but it sure seemed like it. The Illinois Democrat's hearing yesterday on anti-Muslim bigotry — the first congressional hearing of its kind — was an opportunity for Democrats to present Muslim-Americans in a different light: as a community that is facing growing discrimination and intolerance. Robert Spencer does the analysis.

4:20 – TBA

4:40 – God, the Tsunami and the Problem of Evil
Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti Earthquake, the Indonesia Tsunami, The Japan Tsunami. After all of these tragic events, the question is always raised; "Why does God allow natural disasters?" As we see in Deuteronomy, James and Numbers, God sometimes causes natural disasters as a judgment against sin. So is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Fr. Robert Barron has some answers to these questions and we look at God, Natural Disasters and the problem of evil.

5:00 – What We Can't Not Know: A Guide
In the revised and updated work on natural law, What We Can't Not Know, J. Budziszewski questions the modern assumption that moral truths are unknowable. With clear and logical arguments he rehabilitates the natural law tradition and restores confidence in a moral code based upon human nature. He explains the rational foundation of what we all really know to be right and wrong and shows how that foundation has been kicked out from under western society. While natural law bridges the chasms that can be caused by religious and philosophical differences, Budziszewski believes that natural law theory has entered a new phase, in which theology will again have pride of place. He is with us.

5:40 - The Napa Institute
The Napa Institute exists to promote excellence in Catholic thought and apologetics. It also seeks to instill a new zeal for Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith in all its participants. To accomplish this, one of the Institute's key tools is an annual conference designed to help attendees respond to the moral and spiritual challenges posed by America's emerging "post-Christian" culture. We talk with Institute Chairman Tim Busch about the Institute, the Conference and Ave Maria Radio's involvement.

Third church attacked as Pakistani extremists declare war over Florida Koran burning

An armed group of seven people attacked the Catholic Church of St. Thomas in the military district of Wah, about 45 km from Islamabad. The attack took place at 6.30 pm yesterday, while the security guard was absent. The extremists hurled stones, damaged the building and tried to set fire to it, but they did not shoot. Yesterday's was the third attack against a church in Pakistan less than a week. The escalation of violence is a result of the mad act - repeatedly condemned by Christians in Pakistan and India – of pastor Wayne Sapp, who last March 20, in Florida burned a copy of the Koran under the supervision of the evangelical preacher Terry Jones.

The caretaker of the church of St. Thomas confirmed that the attack occurred yesterday, at about 6.30 pm, taking advantage of the absence of the security guard. A group of six or seven armed men broke through a small door and started throwing stones at the windows, smashing the small lamps and tried to break the door. The caretaker called the priest and the police, he is currently still in shock and does not intend to make statements.

The extremists were armed, but did not open fire. Unable to break down the door, they tried to set it on fire. The parish priest, Fr Yousaf, rushed to the scene of the attack and tried to reassure the small Christian community. "It's a reaction - the priest told AsiaNews - to the desecration of the Koran in Florida, although the Catholic community has condemned the act. We pointed out clearly that we have no link with the Americans. At the time of the attack there were no guards, the police are present only on Sundays. "

Pastor Tariq Emmanuel, who lives near the church, added that the assailants did not open fire "because it is a high security area" and the military would have reacted immediately in the event of gunfire. "The forces of order – he adds - have asked to install closed circuit security cameras and private guards of the Christian faith", the only available. Christians now "no longer believe the promises of protection" of the police, especially after the murder of Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti.

Msgr. Anthony Rufin, Bishop of Islamabad / Rawalpindi, strongly condemns the latest attack on the Christian community of Pakistan and once again distances the church from the burning of the Koran in the United States. "We have already explained – says the prelate - we are Pakistani Christians, not Americans. We have repeatedly reiterated that we should not be equated to the Americans. " He adds that the police "have started to investigate", but in the past the parish "had not received threats of any kind. "

The bishop of Islamabad points the finger at what he calls the "most troubling" part of the story. "The church of St. Thomas – he points out - is located near a high security zone, which is the only ammunition dump located in Pakistan, and as a result reinforced area. In addition, there are 4 barriers at the entrances of the military district of Wah, which means the assailants did not come from outside. " The prelate calls to take urgent action and anticipates the intention to arrange a meeting with Christian leaders, from the Anglican Church and other Protestant denominations to examine the current situation "of minorities. The young Pakistani Christians, in fact, do not see any reason for hope in the future.

Hundreds protest archbishop's stand against corporal punishment at school

Garbed in the trademark purple of St. Augustine High School, more than 500 students, parents and other supporters of the 7th Ward institution's use of corporal punishment marched this morning on an Archdiocese of New Orleans office to deliver a message to Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who has called on school officials to abandon the 60-year disciplinary practice.

They posted these demands on the locked door to the Walmsley Avenue office building: Retract statements linking St. Augustine students to violence; be transparent in investigating the punishment policy; and allow respective dialogue on the issue.

The archbishop "is trying to fix something that's not broken, and he's going about it in the wrong way," Jacob Washington, student body president at St. Augustine, said during Saturday's march.

"No parent was ever upset. No student was ever upset. No alum was ever upset," Disciplinarian Sterling Fleury said. "We just want to run our program the way it's been run for the past 60 years.'

Aymond has said corporal punishment institutionalizes violence, runs counter to both Catholic teaching and good educational practice, and violates local archdiocesan school policy. The Josephite trustees, who founded the school, imposed a temporary paddling ban last year, in circumvention of local school board wishes.

In a prepared statement, Aymond held his ground and prayed for a "peaceful resolution" to the dispute. He said another meeting on the matter is planned in the coming week.

"Today's march is another indication of the great passion of the St. Augustine High School community for their school. I share their passion for the school and its success; we disagree only on the issue of corporal punishment," Aymond said in part.
"I am totally committed to continued dialogue with members of the St. Aug community and the Josephites in order to resolve this issue in a spirit of Christian reconciliation," he said.

In a weekly video address to the Catholic community pasted this month to the archdiocese's website, Aymond unveiled an upcoming church initiative to counter the street violence and murder rate in New Orleans, then pivoted to the subject of St. Augustine.

Some viewers said they saw that as an implied linkage between St. Augustine alumni and street crime, and Aymond later apologized for any unintended suggestion that St. Augustine's discipline had anything to do with crime.

The Rev. John Raphael, the president of St. Augustine, has said the issue is not as much about the wooden paddle as about the rights of African-American parents to educate and discipline their children in their own traditions.

"It's not about the paddle, it's about the right to self-govern," Warren Johnson, a 1981 alumnus of St. Augustine, said Saturday.

St. Augustine has been identified by the Center for Effective Discipline as the lone outlier among Catholic schools still embracing corporal punishment.