Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 8/22/20

• Defying appeals court order, John MacArthur says: ‘We’re in church because our Lord commands it’

I published a post back on August 10th (see here) critical of John MacArthur and Grace Community Church’s decision to defy state and local mandates related to the COVID-19 pandemic and reopen without even any health safety protocols. On Friday, August 14th, a judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that GCC could reopen. The following day, Saturday, August 15th, the California Court of Appeal overturned that ruling and directed GCC to abide by LA County health safety restrictions, which GCC, in turn, defied by holding public services the next day. The legal tug-of-war continues as I write these words. It’s interesting, in a very sad way, that in their fight against the state and local governments, MacArthur and GCC retained the legal services of the Thomas More Society, a Roman Catholic legal entity that specializes in religious freedom issues. I was listening to Catholic talk radio on Monday and one of the show hosts was boasting about the wonderful ecumenical partnership between GCC and Roman Catholics in this alleged “fight for religious freedom.” I find that development very regrettable.

• Pope Alexander VI: Unscrupulous Borgia Patriarch With a Lust for Power

Pope Alexander VI, aka Rodrigo de Borja, is symbolic of historical papal corruption.

• Excommunication of renegade Sacramento priest roils Catholic diocese. Here’s why it happened

Excommunicated Catholic priest, Jeremy Leatherby, exemplifies the views of many traditionalist and conservative Catholic clerics and laypersons who consider progressive pope Francis to be a heretic.

• Pope Francis’ Catholic critics are dividing the Catholic church and families

This article from the liberal Jesuit magazine, “America,” accuses traditionalist and conservative Catholic critics of pope Francis of dividing the Catholic church. Of course, those same traditionalists and conservatives accuse Francis of deviating from Catholic orthodoxy.

• A Christian Historian on Why Its Time for the Southern Baptist Convention to Change Its Name

The Southern Baptist Convention has much bigger problems than its name, e.g., Rick Warren, Beth Moore, and ecumenist crusaders, Timothy George, Richard Land, Ronnie Floyd, etc., etc.

• Catholic Bishop: Joe Biden is no Catholic

Catholic conservatives will back Trump while Catholic progressives will support Biden.

• Pope Francis: Mary’s Assumption was a ‘giant leap for mankind’

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin was celebrated by the Roman Catholic church on August 15th. The Roman church teaches Mary was taken up to Heaven bodily, either immediately prior to her death or immediately afterwards, it’s not quite sure which. Mary’s alleged assumption is one of Catholicism’s numerous “sacred traditions” with no basis in fact. Under normal conditions, Catholics are obligated to attend mass on the Feast of the Assumption under threat of eternal damnation, although relatively few comply.