Outline I. Introduction II. St. Francis and the Natural World III. The Reformed and Nature IV. Holy Scripture and Creation V. Further Catholic and Reformed Shared Territory VI. Accepting the “Blessing of the “Animals” VII. More on St. Francis I. Introduction When I was a Reformed Protestant I remember that there was a certain time […]

We are possibly witnessing the eradication of Christianity across large swathes of northern Iraq. Although Called to Communion seeks to avoid writing that might be viewed as alamarist or propagandist, we believe the tragic situation unfolding in Iraq deserves our immediate attention, our immediate prayers, and our immediate assistance. This is truly an ecumenical cause, as the […]

Protestant criticisms of the Catholic Church frequently target the medieval Catholic Church as a prime example of the Church’s problematic relationship with politics and the secular order. These critics often claim that the medieval Church was ruled by a greedy hierarchy bent on increasing its power in Europe and abroad, eager to silence or even […]

Both of my parents grew up in large baby-boomer Catholic families. My father, the eldest of five, traded Catholicism for the “hippy” lifestyle, though he spent some of those wayward years getting drunk with Catholic priests at Auburn University, which I suppose reflects some continued connection to the Church. My mother, also one of five, […]

Robert Louis Wilken’s The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity (Yale University Press, 2012) is an ambitious survey of Christian history, from one of America’s most accomplished religious historians. Wilken is William R. Kenan Professor of History of Christianity Emeritus at the University of Virginia, an associate at the St. Paul Center for […]

This is a guest article by Casey Chalk. Casey was born and raised in a Virginia suburb of Washington D.C. Casey was baptized into the Catholic Church and received the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion before leaving the Church with his parents for evangelicalism at the age of eight. Casey attended the University of […]