What waiting for death has taught me
Bill TammeusA small c catholicNORTH SPRINGFIELD, Vt. -- I've been here in soft, green New England learning patience and waiting for death.Not my death, but that of my wife's sister, who early this year...
View ArticleThere's no business like the PR business
Bill TammeusA small c catholicAs a pure-hearted journalist whose salary has always been paid out of vending box proceeds and not from ad sales, I’ve always had some disdain for sin-stained people in...
View ArticleI have never seen true evidence of God. And yet...
Bill TammeusA small c catholicWhen I look back on my life, I'm astonished.I've ridden elephants in India and camels in Egypt. I've seen Paris from near the top of the Eiffel Tower. I once woke up in...
View ArticleKansas City diocese's ombudsman talks sex abuse prevention
Bill TammeusA small c catholicAs the Catholic church works through the horrific, dispiriting priest abuse scandal and attendant cover-up by bishops, there's been little to applaud. But when something...
View ArticleWhy the vitriol when discussing religious liberty today?
Bill TammeusA small c catholicThe difference between our public discussion of religious liberty in 1988 and what passes for that discourse today is remarkable and terribly sad.In June 1988, as part of...
View ArticleThe economy should not be politicians' golden calf
Bill TammeusA small c catholicColumn: Both major political parties in the United States have it wrong, Bill Tammeus writes. It's not all about the economy, stupid. And it never should have been.
View Article50 years after Vatican II, faith and culture operate at different speeds
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: Despite not being Catholic, Bill Tammeus remembers fondly the days of Vatican II, but thinks today there's a retrenchment of its hope.
View ArticlePressure's off for Protestants now that they're not the majority
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: Protestants used to rule the country, but now they are freed from the obligations of defending the status quo.
View ArticleOnly good can happen when different faiths work together
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: As we become more familiar with each other's faith communities and there's less likely to be either suspicion or animosity, which can grow when there...
View ArticlePattern of caring, bearing and sharing a gift from religious congregations
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: In a faith community, members know they are loved. In a time of one night stands and neighbors whose names we don't know, that's a lot.
View ArticleSomeone should tell Finn to step down if he won't do it himself
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: No one is suggesting Kansas City, Mo., Bishop Robert Finn can't be forgiven his sins, but he has the obligation to avoid further damage.
View ArticleWhat this Presbyterian loves about the Catholic church
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: It didn't surprise me that a few readers who responded to my last NCR column about Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City accused me of anti-Catholic bias.
View ArticleA gift to Presbyterians that Catholics should be able to enjoy
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: Bill Tammeus says that by not having female priests, Catholics are short-changed, missing the blessings female clergy members can bring to a parish.
View ArticleKüng's disagreements with Vatican spark comparison with Protestant views
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: A story on Hans Küng shows Bill Tammeus how the Catholic and Protestant churches compare and how they're different.
View ArticleWhere Egypt and D.C. intersect; persecution in India; and a note of thanks
John L. Allen Jr. A small c catholicAll Things Catholic: Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has become so widespread, it's actually inspired bipartisan cooperation in Congress.
View ArticleWhy the vitriol when discussing religious liberty today?
Bill TammeusA small c catholicThe difference between our public discussion of religious liberty in 1988 and what passes for that discourse today is remarkable and terribly sad.In June 1988, as part of...
View ArticleThe complexities of forgiveness are difficult to unwrap
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: Forgiveness can be risky. It can be painful. It can be and usually is necessary, but if you imagine it's an easy matter, you are delusional.
View ArticlePresbyterian-run Catholic Worker house does things backward -- like Jesus
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: The Cherith Brook Catholic Worker house offers showers and food to homeless people with no strings attached.
View ArticleWe can't pretend Americans have always favored religious freedom
Bill TammeusA small c catholicThe 18th-century French writer Voltaire, rarely short of words or insight, once declared history to be "no more than the portrayal of crimes and misfortunes."There's much...
View ArticleStatus of abortion, death penalty in Catholic teaching makes little sense
Bill TammeusA small c catholicA small c catholic: The Catholic church puts its priorities in the wrong place when it says abortion is of greater consequence than the death penalty.
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