Rev. Michael Coren?

On Facebook, recently unemployed Michael Coren announced he's going back to university to get his Masters of Divinity degree. 

Pursuit of a Masters Of Divinity degree is no mere hobby. It takes three years of full time study to complete the program. 

So why would anyone still in their earning years take three years off work to get a Masters Of Divinity degree? It doesn't make sense to do it just for farts and giggles, does it? Could it be the reason most people go to unversity?

The three jobs that come up under M.Div. opportunities are ordained ministry, chaplaincy, and counselling. Can you see Michael Coren hanging out on campus or in some community outreach centre giving spiritual advice?

However, getting a gig as a pastor with an open pulpit from which to promote your version of the good news does make sense, and guess who's hiring?

Of course this is just speculation, but it would make sense of things. Last summer Michael read the tea leaves and anticipated his employer's (Sun News Network) demise. Realizing his career in television was probably over, he did a 180 degree about face on a few contenscious issues in order to become more palatable to a desperately politcally correct institution. 

"You know what's funny, sister? I read somewhere female priests are un-biblical."

Michael wouldn't become the first self-promoting celebrity reverend.

    

The main problem with this self-preserving move is the Anglican Church Of Canada is a sinking ship.

However, it's unlikely the CoE in Canada will become financially desolate prior to Michael's need of a pension and medical benefits...assuming that's the plan. 

 Archbishop (Sans Apostolic Succession) Of Cantebury

Hey, with Michael Coren's lightening scruples if he did get into the Church of England clergy, he might rise all the way to the top! That would be nice indeed.

Michael Coren Schism Update

On Twitter, Ex-Catholic Michael Coren says he's been worshipping as a Protestant for a year now. 

Somehow I doubt all the Cathoic parishes and organizations he took money from for his appearances were aware of his schism. I also doubt he'll be issuing any refunds.

Back in November 2013, Michael Coren was contracted to speak on the subject of 'Catholic Education In Ontario's Public Schools". When he arrived at the event he informed the gathering he'd rather do a general Question & Answer session instead. No refund.

He laments being cancelled to appear on EWTN by stating we should all be more concerned about the Baltimore Riots than his defection. Nice try, Mike. Maybe we should be more concerned about Nepal or Nigeria than the riots? Maybe we should be most concerned about the eternal destination of our souls?

It seems word is getting around Michael Coren is no longer Catholic, or he's trying to hide the fact. The empty rows beneath his photo used to contain his speaking schedule. Legatus, Great Lakes Catholic Men's Conference, and the Diocese Of Calgary Priest Days were there.

Michael says he has a new book coming out. Possible titles:

"Why Anglicans Are Right"
"Why Catholics Are Wrong"
"Why Taliban Catholics Are Wrong. Forward by Rev.Rosica"

Michael is portraying himself as a martyr now apparaently the victim of slander and hate from 'right wing Catholics'. He has a poor memory because it wasn't long ago he wrote in Catholic World Report:

"The Catholic Church looks neither right nor left but up. In other words, the Church is not a vehicle for conservatism or liberalism, capitalism or socialism, but a vehicle for Catholicism. Anyone who thinks and believes otherwise has surely misunderstood the teaching and purpose of the institution left us by Christ Jesus."

It's also worth noting Christ Jesus did not leave us the Church Of England; King Henry VIII did that.

Based on this photo it seems Michael was wrong about female ordination too:

"It’s a pride thing, really. Not the Papacy, not the Magisterium, not Scripture, but I, me, we, will dictate what is to be believed and rejected. A quintessential example of this is female ordination. It’s un-Biblical, it perverts the meaning of a Sacrament and the place of the priest during Mass, and it fundamentally misunderstands God’s creation."

Had the Anglican Diocese Of Toronto not put this picture on its Facebook page, I wonder if/when Michael Coren would have announced publicly he's now a Schismatic Catholic?

Dissecting Michael Coren: The Opportunistic Christian

On Sunday, April 19, 2015, Michael Coren left the one and only Church created by Jesus Christ and entered the Protestant denomination created by King Henry VIII fifteen hundred years later.

King Henry VIII wanted a male heir to his throne and blamed his streak of daughters on his wife. Since divorce/remarriage has never been allowed by Jesus Christ nor His Church the monarch of England went on his own way.

Michael Coren doesn't seem to be seeking a divorce so what caused his apostasy? It's been a very sudden about face for him. On Saturday, June 28, 2014, the Toronto Sun published his "I Was Wrong" column. Prior to it he was considered a doctrinally orthodox Catholic, a 'conservative' if you so choose, in line with the 'hate the sin not the sinner' philosophy, not the 'turn a blind eye' prominenet in many Moderrn parishes and dioceses today.

Let's take a look at his argument for his 'evolution' against doctrine.

Michael says he changed his position on homosexuality/gay marriage due to ...
"largely and ironically because of the angry and hateful responses of some people to my defence of persecuted gay men"

Let's examine that approach, shall we?

What Michael is saying is that extemism in a position nullifies it. Think about that. If true then...

- Westboro Baptist Church disproves Christianity 

- Corporate thieves disprove capitalism

- Watergate disproves democracy

- Holligans disprove English football

- Maple Leaf fans disprove hockey

What I always admired about Michael Coren is his sharp reasoning skills. He wouldn't agree to any of the above so it begs the question how did he come up with such a faulty premise?

Here's another oddity from his column:

"I have evolved my position on this issue not in spite of but precisely because of my Catholicism. My belief in God, Christ, the Eucharist, and Christian moral teaching are stronger than ever."

There are a few problems with this statement. The first is doctrine does not evole so why should any Catholic's opinion?

Obvioulsy his belief in the Eucharist changed ten months later since he has gone from receiving the actual Body Of Christ to a symbol of it. 

His belief in Catholic moral teaching changed too since sodomy is still a sin that cries out to Heaven. Michael Coren is far too intelligent to have been duped by the mainstream media's interpretation of Pope Francis' "Who am I to judge?' quote. He understands the context so can't use that utterance as an excuse for heresy. 

Then he brings his kids into it:

"My kids? They’re not political, they respect and love me and they would never waste their time trying to change my mind. That they’re accepting of gay people and gay marriage is axiomatic – they’re aged 16, 20, 24, and 25 -- and, whether you like it or not, that generation in the west simply does not comprehend opposition on these issues."

I wonder why Coren brings his kids into his sudden break from Catholic doctrine. It would be understandable for a parent upon learning one of his children suffers from same-sex attraction to question his faith.

The problem with his self-descibed Cathoic kids is that they accept gay 'marriage'. Sorry Michael, that dog doesn't hunt. Catholic and accepting gay marriage are mutually exclusive. You know that. 

Continuing on with his column...

"I have evolved on this single subject because I can no longer hide behind comfortable banalities, have realized that love triumphs judgment, and know that the conversation between Christians and gays has to transform -- just as, to a large extent, the conversation between conservatives and gays has."

First, was there a Freudian Slip with the 'banalities' choice?

Second, love does not triump judgement, at least in a theological discussion. Such nonsense might make a NDP Youth gathering break out into song and dance, but it's not solid reasoning. Check the Bible and Church teaching - we are judged. One mortal sin is enough to cast us off to eternal damnation.

Third, the conversation between 'conservatives' and gays has not transformed or changed. It's just more reasonable than contrary opinions on the other side. Indeed, we hate the sin, love the sinner, Michael. 

If Michael wants to make his newly found alliance with sodomites and other unnatural perversions a political position than it won't be a surprise to see him in next year's gay pride festivities:

Does that mean his fiscal political positions have 'evolved' too? Is generational debt now righteous? Has the baby been thrown out with the gay borrowed bath water?

So if extemism is a valid plank in an 'evolved' platform does that mean Michael Coren necessarily endorses Ben Levin's sexual grooming/education curriculum legistlated without a mandate by "Wild Woman" Kathleen Wynne who has finally found her sexual energy? Perhaps he realized he could not support it as a Catholic so found a receptive audience in the morally challenged church of England?  

If you think this is confusing read Coren's Wikipedia page. 

"I am not prepared to throw around ugly terms like “sin” and “disordered” as if they were clumsy cudgels"

Well, gosh, Michael, that's might white of you. Too bad Jesus Christ felt differently. He spoke of sin quite often. Indeed he dined with sinners after absolving them of their sins and telling them to sin no more. As pope of your new found belief system how will you handle your flock's sins assuming they have any?

Since Michael has thrown away the Church it's safe to assume he's tossed the Catechim too. It's quite clear how to understand homosexuality. Pro Tip: just like any other afflication (i.e. alcoholism, etc.). I won't be throwing rocks. 

"I am sick and tired of defining the word of God"

Bingo. Michael Coren's entire argument is exposed with this statement. As a Catholic scholar he should know it is in fact not his nor anyone else's preogative to define the Word Of God. That privlidge was given to Peter and the Church his successors rule over. The 33,000 denominations of His Church prove once you break away into personal interpreation then by definition it dissolves. 

Michael, I suggest you got yourself into this mess by succumbing to the Devil's temptations. He seducced you into thinking your intellect is higher than the Church's. Your opinion great that the pope's. It's probably what happened to King Henry VIII, Luther, etc.

Finally, "If we live, we grow. The alternative is, of course, death." Michael, any Scriptural or Traditional proof for that statement? Of course not. You can not make up doctrine. 

Reading Michael's Wiki page it seems like he has profitted from his Christian allegiances. There is some suggestion that something very personal caused his 'evolution' in gay marriage which then precipitated his departure from the Church. Some people expect him to become an Anglican minister in the near future. Whatever the cause we should pray for him since every soul Lucifer wins is a loss for us. 

SIGNS OF HOPE: THE UNDER-35 PRIEST

BY THOMAS PETERS


Is an American Catholic renaissance possible in our lifetime?

Nine years ago I started writing as the “American Papist” because I was, and remain, proud to be both Catholic and an American.

We as Christians understand that hope is a necessity of being Catholic because there is no better foundation for hope than the promises of Christ.


Newly ordained priests. Copyright: The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

But what signs of hope can be gleaned for the future of the Catholic Church in America?

This year, interspersed with my other writing, I’m launching a series of essays around the theme “Signs of Hope” to share and explain what gives me inspiration and optimism about the future of the Catholic Church in America.

And I hope you actively take part in sharing with me and your fellow readers what gives you hope.

My first sign of hope is the Under-35 Priest.

When I get into debates about the future of the Catholic Church in America with Catholics who disagree with me about the importance of orthodoxy, one of the realities I keep in mind is that, because of the type of young men studying in seminaries and serving in parishes already, the papist revolution has already begun.

We tend to think about the shortage of priests in numeric terms. And we take hope when the latest reports show that there are more men studying for the priesthood now than a decade or two ago. But what fascinates me more is the quality of the men studying for the priesthood now and of priests in general under the age of 35. One of the most striking features of these young priests is their orthodoxy, especially when you contrast their theological views with the set of priests who graduated seminary in the 1970′s. Just as we talk about the shared characteristics among generations of Americans (i.e. the baby boomers, the “greatest generation” etc.) we can talk about shared characteristics among generations of priests. So many of the men who became priests in the 1970′s sought to change the world through the Church. Men under 35 become priests to serve the church.

Think about what a young man choosing the priesthood knows he is getting himself into: overwork, due to the shortage of priests, and ridicule from most anyone outside the church. It takes dedication and determination to choose such a path.

Here’s a dynamic I’ve seen in parish after parish. The liberal monsignor is the pastor. He is in his 60s. His homilies and pastoral priorities are cryogenically frozen and preserved from the 1970′s. He never preaches against sin. The assistant priest (i.e. parochial vicar) is probably in his 30s, maybe late 20s. This under-35 priest loves St. John Paul II. He loves Latin in the Mass. He may have fallen away from the church in college, but he had a powerful conversion. He talks about sin and the beauty of confession in his homilies. He quietly tries to introduce Eucharistic adoration.

Does this sound like a parish you know of, maybe even your own?

It’s happening all across America. And it’s going to change the face of the church in this country.

Over the past decade I have met hundreds of seminarians and young priests. I can only recall a handful who didn’t fit the pattern I’m trying to describe.

And, of course, I have also met and studied under scores of priests over the age of 35 who are every bit as loyal and as dedicated to the Church as the young men I’m describing. We owe these priests an incalculable debt for their perseverance and for passing on the faith in its fullness.

We must also consider how many young priests in the 1970′s began their priesthood with stars in their eyes and orthodoxy in their hearts but changed their views along the way. Who knows how the rough and tumble of vocation lived out in the real world can alter priestly attitudes and sensibilities. So the way priests view themselves and the Church obviously can change over the course of a lifetime. But at the same time, I wager that today in 2015 we’ve already reached a critical mass of young, orthodox priests who will have a significant impact on the Church in America in ourlifetime, even if trends change eventually and the next crop of priests are less orthodox than the current set.

The saying goes that the church “outlives all heresies”, and the makeup of young priests in America is testament to the truth of that adage. I once heard a story about several seminarians complaining among themselves that their professor (an older priest) was misrepresenting scripture and trying to turn parts of the New Testament into proto-feminist propaganda. Most of the secondary sources they were assigned were published in the 1970′s. It was the beginning of the semester and the course was required. They were trying to figure out what could be done — they didn’t want to miss this opportunity to understand the scriptures more fully. Finally one of them suggested that the solution was that some day they would be teaching the course and when that happened they would teach it differently. The answer was not to overthrow the heterodoxy, the solution was to outlive it. I have never forgotten that perspective.

I think it’s impossible not to trace this quiet revolution to St. John Paul II, and in particular the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver. So many young priests trace part of their vocational discernment either to St. John Paul II or a World Youth Day (Denver in particular). This positive trend also appears to be more pronounced in America than in other parts of the world.

I think it’s also particularly revealing to note which bishops and religious orders are attracting the most vocations — orthodox ones. That’s why the Dominicans on the east coast are flourishing while the Paulist Fathers are having a harder time. Or why Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz can have over two dozen men in formation in a diocese that numbers less than 100,000 and another diocese did not ordain a single priest in ten years because the bishop refused to ordain another man until he could also ordain women.

One simple way of looking at all this is to say: if you are willing to put up with all of the challenging and difficult things that come with being a Catholic priest, you might as well be really Catholic.

The under-35 priest is not running the show right now. He is waiting in the wings, serving the church he loves. The vast majority of these young priests will not be old enough to be appointed bishops for another decade or two. But when they do, one of the pillars of an American Catholic renaissance will be in place.

===

What do you think? In your experience, are younger priests more likely to be orthodox than older priests? What are the dynamics in your parish and your diocese? What gives you hope for the future of the Catholic Church in America?

Agendas Have Consequences

Back in my hometown of approximately 3,000 people up in North Western Ontario (aka The Backwoods) we only had one pizzeria. We also had a Ministry Of Natural Resources fire fighter base.  Their relationship was mutually beneficial: one day a week was designated as "Pizza Night". I don't know how many pizzas were ordered but it would have been a lot.



The owner of the pizzeria lived near the base. The fire fighters were transported to the forest fires by helicopters that usually took off between five and five thirty in the morning. As you can imagine, the pizzeria owner didn't get home before two in the morning so getting woken up three hours later by helicopters wasn't ideal.

One day the pizzeria owner complained. He actually requested the base to not send the helicopters until after seven so his sleep wasn't interrupted. From what I was told it wasn't a nice request either. The manager of the base responded by ordering pizzas from the nearest pizzeria an hour's drive away in another town.

That's how we used to settle things. Today there are human rights commissions, legislation, and biased media brainwashing the masses. Today the owner of the pizzeria would take his complaint to such a tribunal, get a favorable ruling, the fire fighters wouldn't get to the fire as early and more trees would be destroyed.

It's not supposed to make sense.

If I went into a bakery to order a First Communion cake only to be told by the owner that as an atheist he wouldn't be comfortable making a cake that went against his beliefs I'd gladly take my business elsewhere. I might even go to social media to let as many people know that Christians aren't welcome in that establishment. The baker and I are free to choose who to do business with.

That's not how everyone reacts though. Today you are likely to get death threats, arson, and demands the state intervene to close your business down.



The Left's obsession with a pizzeria in Indiana isn't about gay marriage, equality, or human rights. If it was they'd be harassing Muslim businesses too. It's not so much an obsession either - it's an agenda.

Scratch the surface of the more militants trumpeting the gay agenda and you'll invariably find socialists. Gay conservatives aren't demanding Christian bakeries or florists serve their weddings. Read the biographies of the militants and you'll find support for leftist parties, Marxist philosophies, and social engineering.



So how did some relatively obscure television news station in middle America get to such infamy anyway? It was no fluke one of their reporters drove half an hour to walk into Memories Pizza last week. My theory is someone on their staff had been in that establishment before. Maybe someone who works at the station is from Walkerton, Indiana or maybe someone was just passing through town and needed something to eat. The owners are Christians and display items of their faith in their restaurant. There's nothing illegal about that. It's something most people wouldn't notice or would quickly forget - unless you have an agenda against Christians.

When Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act was signed by the governor this television station saw an opportunity to further the agenda. Someone (probably the producer of the news program) wanted to 'catch' a Christian business person state they wouldn't provide service to a gay wedding, as is their right under the law. Someone else remembered the Christian items on display in Memories Pizza in Walkerton and off they went.

If this media outlet had any integrity they'd also be doing an expose on the following:

- A black photographer refusing to take pictures of a KKK rally
- A Jewish baker refusing to make a swastika cake
- A gay florist refusing to make arrangements for a traditional marriage rally

Don't hold your breath.



How many weddings have you been to that served pizza, anyway?

Western nations, democratic and capitalist, were established with Judeo-Christian beliefs. To rid society of democracy and capitalism you also have to get rid of Christian influence. Forcing Christian businesses to serve gay weddings isn't the last step. The next item on the agenda is to force Christian churches to perform gay weddings. The plan is those who resist will lose their tax exempt status and either close or suffer financial loss. Sadly, since churches are do a lot of charity work many of society's most in need will suffer.

Socialists believe they are the best provider of services to the needy. The entire Russian Revolution was launched on that faulty premise. They are also generally atheists, just as the Soviet Union was.



Religions appeal to a higher authority for moral clarity and guidance. Those living in contradiction to such teachings find other authorities. In our times that authority is the socialist state. Socialists aren't attacking Islam because that would be considered racist and their extremists kill you. Hindus and Buddhists aren't much of a threat and generally vote in blocks so there's nothing to gain by going after them. So the socialists have Christianity in their sights and won't stop until they've overtaken our society's very foundation. They want to control what we think, say, teach our children, etc, just as life was in the good old USSR.

Sexually "Wild Woman" Premier Kathleen Wynne said "It's certainly not how we behave in Ontario" in response to Indiana's religious liberty law. She's right about that. Since taking power in 2003, her party has lied ('No New Taxes') cheated (E-Health Emails) stolen (Oakville Natural Gas Plant) bribed (Sudbury By-Election) and now want to indoctrinate children into unChristian sexual behavior (Sodomy) with a curriculum authored by a convicted pedophile who's into incest.



As always, going back to Judas, the Church's greatest opponents have been from within. It's no surprise Ontario's publicly paid Catholic teacher's union fully supports the gay/socialist agenda since they accepted their bag of silver a long time ago.

James Ryan‏@OECTAPrez
Catholic Teachers welcome a new Health & Phys Ed. Curriculum which will give students the knowledge they need to be safe. #oecta #onted
RETWEETS55
FAVORITES23

6:13 PM - 23 Feb 2015

Unlike the fundamental basis of Protestantism, once you get in bed with the socialist agenda there is no picking and choosing doctrine. It's all or nothing:

Waterloo OECTA retweeted

Jerry DeQuetteville @jdeq · Mar 8
Happy International Women's Day. The attached infographic shows how much work remains to be done in Canada. #ETFO





I don't know if my home town's pizzeria and the forest firefighters ever reconciled but it would seem logical. The pizzeria lost business and the firefighters' pizzas weren't as hot or fresh as when purchased locally. Neither side had a hidden or ulterior motive against the other.

Reconciling isn't on the socialist menu. Even if Memories Pizza changed their mind and agreed to cater a gay wedding it wouldn't be the last news story. Christianity's opponents won't be satisfied until they have changed society and the Church. Just like the first radical, they too refuse to serve the source of liberty and freedom.

If our current pontificate is accomplishing anything it is drawing the curtain open on the wolves. The priest who has always spent more time with the social justice committee than in the confessional, the bishop who shies away in his chancery mansion, the cardinal pushing for Communion to the divorced/remarried, are all coming out of the woodwork.





Round Two of Pope Francis' Synod On The Family will put one side against the other. It won't be the first time leaders of the Church have been at odds - during the Arian Crisis 80% of the bishops didn't believe in Christ's Divinity. Did the laity even know their bishop was a heretic back then? Apparently most pewsitters didn't know the 'Spirit Of Vatican II' didn't call for all the changes thrust upon them.

If we were still pre-Internet when the Synod's midterm report came out most of us would not have known about it. Presumably most of the bishops would have just gone along with it. However, that's not what happened. The Great Equalizer, the Internet, responded and the threat quelled. Prior to the blogosphere, a bullying prelate would have silenced his orthodox critic.

The consequences of silence or acquiescence are real and present. The enemy wants your liberty; they want to be your god. Talk to anyone who fled communism if you still require more proof.

Theoden: I will not risk open war.
Aragorn: Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not.