The Muslim terrorists who shocked Paris by their brazen murders in early January provoked a massive reaction.   Three and a half million people marched through the streets of the French capital on January 11 with forty-four heads of the nations and their representatives leading them.  America was absent.

It is my privilege to be a member of two outstanding organizations that exist to serve that part of the church that, in words of Cornelius Plantinga, “speaks Christian, but with a Reformed accent.” And both of them can, from time to time, require some explaining!

 As 2015 slinks toward the finish line, it is readily apparent that everywhere one looks people are desperately searching for someone or something to save us from our deepest dreads. 

For about twenty years, because of important publications with similar titles from the pen of Samuel Huntington, it has been common to interpret international and cross cultural events in light of “The Clash of Civilizations” theory.

In early January Islamic terrorists struck Paris.  First there was the revenge execution of twelve cartoonists and editors at the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices.   Two terrorists, part of an Islamic Terrorist cell in the French capital, barged into the office building and called out specific men they then executed.  I do not countenance what the magazine published.  It was vulgar and highly offensive.  But the Islamic attack was an assault on free speech.

 Step back and look at the big picture.  The view is disturbing.

Last Friday morning in an interview on Good Morning America, President Obama crowed about the killing of Jihadi John in a U.S. air strike and announced, “ISIL is contained.” 

 The Sainte-Chapelle is a royal medieval Gothic chapel, located near the Palais de la Cité, on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, France, consecrated on 26 April 1248. 

The issues, pro and con, on our relationship as Calvinist believers to present day Catholicism, have been laid out quite clearly in recent blogs. I will not add to the substantive arguments here.

Among the most frequently-commented-on items to appear on the WRF website are those which address the topic which our members Thomas Schirrmacher, Thomas Johnson, and Leonardo de Chirico discuss immediately below.  I will not try here to summarize the points that these men make so well.  You will just have to read their posts for yourself.

Pope Francis in one of the most liked leaders in today’s world. In 2014 Time Magazine voted him ‘Man of the year,’ and his popularity is on the increase, especially outside of the Catholic Church. In secular circles, including left-wing thinkers and LGBT movements, many seem to resonate with his apparent approachability and simplicity. With his insistence on mercy, love and tenderness, Francis likes to make his message simple, inclusive and non-judgmental.

 Why We, As Evangelical Reformed Christians, Seek to Dialogue with Pope Francis

In Vatican Files 113, “What Do You Think About Pope Francis?”, posted on September 24, 2015 [and available both on this website HERE and at this location - http://vaticanfiles.org/2015/09/113-what-do-you-think-about-pope-francis/ ], Leonardo De Chirico and Greg Pritchard criticise those evangelical leaders who visit the Pope.

The November 2015 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine, contains an article about Bulgaria that features a powerful photograph of the ruins of the Budludzha Monument.  The monument was once a tribute to the birth of Bulgaria’s socialist movement.