Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 4/14/18

• Are Catholics Born-Again Christians?

When I was growing up as a Catholic here in the Northeast, I had never heard the term, “born again,” used until candidate Jimmy Carter ran for President in 1976 and created headlines when he admitted to looking “on a lot of women with lust.” Oh, boy! We made great fun of Carter and those other ridiculous “born-agains.” However, Catholicism couldn’t ignore the Biblical mandate (“You must be born again” – John 3:7) any longer, and taught that Catholics ARE born again when they are baptized as infants. But is that what being “born again” really means according to the Bible? See here.

• ‘Amoris’ critics at Rome summit discuss options in opposing pope Francis
• Cardinal Burke: There are times when a Pope must be disobeyed

High-ranking conservative critics of pope Francis met in Rome last week to consider their options in opposing the lifting of the ban on communion for remarried divorcees. It’s special times we live in when doctrinaire Catholics feel they must defend the church from the pope.

• After Controversy, Mark Driscoll to Re-Enter Publishing World With ‘Spirit Filled Jesus’

We should forgive brethren who have fallen, but pastors and teachers who fall and create scandal should move on to different occupations. No thanks, Mark. Don’t want to read it.

• A Conservative Catholic Begs the Pope: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

I saw this article and checked our local library to see if “To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism” by Ross Douthat was available and sure enough it was. Great! Another book by a conservative Catholic that’s deeply critical of pope Francis. Review to follow.

• Pope Francis says helping the poor and migrants is as important as opposing abortion
• Pro-Life Group Says Pope Francis ‘Causes Confusion’ When He Equates Social Justice With Abortion

In regards to abortion, Francis has stated in the past that he’s trying to move Catholicism away from being a one-trick pony, focused entirely on opposing abortion.

• “When you Google evangelicals, you get Trump.”

I used to google “evangelicals” multiple times throughout the week in search of news stories for the weekend roundup, but I stopped doing that a LONG time ago when “evangelical/s” became permanently linked with Donald Trump, courtesy of Jerry Falwell, Jr., Robert Jeffress and Franklin Graham. When we google “evangelicals,” we SHOULD be seeing stories about spreading the Gospel, not the conflation of faith and dirty politics.

• Pope apologizes for ‘serious mistakes’ in judging Chilean abuse cases

Year after year, case after sad case, Catholicism just cannot get this pedophile priest and cover-up scandal right.

• Nation’s Evangelicals Warn They’ll Only Give Trump 1 Or 2 Hundred More Mulligans (satire)

Speaking of evangelicals and Trump, I checked the Babylon Bee to put the finishing touches on this post and this one fell right into my lap!