100 :
18 Sep 2011

What is the Spiritual Goal of Christianity? Today's lead commentary seeks to draw your attention firstly to a string on our forum begun by Sue asking the question "What is the spiritual goal of Christianity?" [LINK]. One of the responses posted in that string was a link to the address given by Dr Anthony Padovano at the American Catholic Council which endeavours to articulate the Vatican II vision of what the spiritual goal of Christianity, or at least Catholicism, is [LINK]. Sue's string has already generated some very thoughtful responses. To be further provocative I reproduce my response from the string as a commentary as to why I believe the vision of Vatican II has all gone belly up. Elsewhere in Sue's string I've articulated my own view of what the spiritual goal of Christianity, ought to be. ...BMC, Editor. [more]

099 :
08 Sep 2011

The Paradox of Christ viewed as a response to The Paradox of Life: Today's commentary by the editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, is a con job. He heard a very interesting lecture presented at the Broken Bay Institute/Australian Catholic Bishops Conference e-conference on Matthew on Tuesday by an Anglican priest and scholar, Dorothy Lee. The editor believes what she has to say is very insightful and worth listening to. If you haven't already watched the lecture (it's only 20 minutes in length) the editor is trying to con you into doing so and presenting his own perspective on why what Dr Lee has to say is important. [more]

098 :
30 Aug 2011

Book Review: "A Modern Credo" by Kevin Treston reviewed by Brian Coyne After all the depressing news yesterday here is something to lift your spirits. A new book by Dr Kevin Treston that seeks to chart more effective ways of telling the Jesus story in the challenging communication climate institutional religion faces today. His new book is entitled: "A Modern Credo: Telling the Christ Story within the Context of Creation". [more]

097 :
22 Aug 2011

Making sense of religious belief... A Monday reflection from Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne: Last night (Sunday) across Australia there were at least five interesting programs on television drawing significant audiences that had a religious dimension that my wife and myself watched. My mind has been churning since with a range of questions that I offer for reflection today... [more]

096 :
02 Aug 2011

A very "catholic" reading of life's meaning... Here today we have something that I hope might be spiritually uplifting for all our readers. It takes us away from dwelling on our own pains and anxieties to spend a little time with a couple who have endured one of the worst pains there is to endure in life — the murder of one of their children. This is far from a depressing story though. We take you away from our own website to spend time with Rachael Kohn and her conversation broadcast across Australia on Sunday night with Una and Denis Glennon parents of Ciara, who lives on in the hearts of many. [more]

095 :
28 Jul 2011

In praise of our public broadcasters... The media activities of Rupert Murdoch around the world have long been contentious. In recent times the criticisms have reached a new height to the point that some commentators are predicting that there will be major changes ahead in the regulation of the commercial media. Not all media is bad. Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, would like to put in a good word for the valuable role played by our public media which isn't primarily driven by ratings and the profit motive. [more]

094 :
29 June 2011

Book Review: Jason Berry's analysis of the secrets behind Catholic Church finances It could be argued that the greatest mystery in Catholicism is not the Mystery of the Holy Trinity or the Incarnation but the mysteries surrounding Catholic Church finances and the legal structure in which the institution is encased. It is without doubt true that there is not a single person on the entire planet who knows what the Catholic Church in total is worth. To most people it is also an enormous mystery as to how the institution reaches some of the conclusions it reaches as to what is truth and what is justice and how the Catholic Church is structured as a legal entity. Probably for the first time ever an investigative journalist, Jason Berry, has attempted to begin the process of trying to investigate these great mysteries about the financial and legal structure as to how institutional Catholicism is organised. In today's review of Jason Berry's new book "Render unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church", the editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, provides an overview of what is in the book and argues why it ought be a "must read" for any person who is seriously interested in trying to understand where modern day Catholicism is heading. [more]

093 :
26 June 2011

Travelling in Hughie time! The publishers of Catholica, Brian Coyne and Amanda (Milly Mungbeans) McKenna, have returned from their long pilgrimage across the United States and Canada. Today's email provides a brief reflection on their trip — how to live in Hughie time — and an update on our return to the normal publishing schedule from next Wednesday. [more]

092 :
29 May 2011

Can the Catholic Church re-evangelize itself? There's a big conference for Catholic Educators taking place in Sydney this weekend with a focus on intiatives within Catholic Education to evangelize or re-evangelize young people. We'll be presenting some reports on the Conference and also endeavouring to fire up a conversation, particularly in light of Dr Tony Lowes' commentary on Saturday about what is required to pull institutional Catholicism out of its present crisis of relevance in modern society. You can read the first part of our report and the conversation starter on our forum now. More will be added later today and tonight including, hopefully, video footage from the concert held last night as part of the Conference. [more]

091 :
26 Apr 2011

Dream catching... I'm not sure today's commentary is going to work too well. In it I'm conveying a humungous amount of information that might take hours, if not years, to fully appreciate. It is a story partly about massive changes occurring in our scientific knowledge that have the potential to impact in enormous ways on our Creation stories and understanding of our universe. At another level it is personal to the writer in watching the incredible personal challenge a former student colleague has taken on at the frontiers of scientific research raising sums of money that boggle the mind. In a sense it is like the seeming futility of pursuing an exercise like Catholica. What hope do any of us have to changing an institution as immobile and incapable of change as the Holy Roman Catholic Church? Why do we even try? This is like trying to build a Dream Catcher! ...Brian Coyne, Editor [more]

090 :
08 Mar 2011

Temptations... The Australian Catholic Bishops began their series of online reflections for Lent 2011 yesterday. Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, spent a bit of time last night reflecting on the reflection, and on how we deliver the Gospel message, and why his daughter is unlikely to be listening to bishops but more likely to be 'tuning into' someone like John Croft. Do you have thoughts on any of these things? [more]

089 :
24 Jan 2011

How would you re-evangelise the Church? It's highly unlikely that your opinions or mine are going to influence Benedict-Ratzinger. Your opinions might be treated as valuable by a lot of other people — particularly on how to make Catholicism relevant again in the world if you've had a lived experience as a teacher or parent trying to pass on the faith to more recent generations. Fr Dan Donovan's commentary last week on the views of a bishop on this subject have been generating a lot of interest and I've added a new commentary at the top of our forum which now includes a link to the actual address Bishop Anthony Fisher gave to the priests and school principals of his diocese. Personally I think what the bishop had to say is "more of the same we've been hearing for the past 30 years" and is unlikely to turn around the decline in participation. I've given some of my views as to what the bishops need to do if a real effort is going to be made to address the decline to irrelevance and remant status. We'd like to hear from you though: as a parent, or a teacher, or a person in an administrative or management position, or retired from such, if you were serious about making the institution relevant again in society what do you suggest needs to be done? As you no doubt already appreciate, we are happy to receive responses written under pseudonyms but, if for any reason, you need to write under a pseudonym try and at least give readers some indication of the level of expertise or experience you bring to the conversation without giving away your identity. To join any conversation and contribute positively to any community you always need to give something of yourself away. That is fundamental to all constructive communication. This can be done without necessarily giving away your privacy or identity as many contributors to Catholica discussions over the years have demonstrated very, very well. ...Brian Coyne, Editor [more]

088 :
17 Jan 2011

Book Review: "Windknocker" by Bud Malby reviewed by Brian Coyne... Welcome again to the first of our regular commentaries for a new year. To kick things off, Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, was sent a book by one of the American members of our forum, Bud Clay or Bud Malby, last week. It doesn't have an inspiring cover but both Brian and his wife have found themselves blown away by the story Bud tells. Here is Brian's review of the book... [more]

087 :
03 Jan 2011

The search for spiritual and personal integrity... In a review of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book, Infidel, Brian Coyne raises questions relevant to all of us in our search for spiritual and personal integrity. [more]

086 :
09 Dec 2010

The cultural crisis in Catholicism... The Catholic Church is facing a massive crisis in participation — people have given up participating in the sacraments and listening to what the bishops and the institution has to say. This video commentary from the publisher of Catholica, Brian Coyne, is about this crisis and addresses what the author says is a deep cultural crisis in the institution that lies at the heart of society's disillusion with the Church. [watch the video]

085 :
15 Nov 2010

Healing the victims of clerical sexual abuse and healing the institutional culture! The editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, presents this report of the inaugural Australasian Clergy Abuse, Reparation & Prevention Conference held in Sydney last Friday. [more]

084 :
06 Nov 2010

Surviving Hell on the Way to Heaven... We have a slight change to our publishing schedule from today. The publisher of Catholica, Brian Coyne, explains the changes and gives a bit of a pep talk in our email today. [more]

083 :
30 Oct 2010

My journey to a new understanding of my beliefs Part II... Today we present the second part of the editor, Brian Coyne's exploration of his own personal spiritual journey of the last couple of decades. Partly triggered by Dr Ian Elmer's commentary last Thursday, today Brian outlines the new paradigm of belief he has moved to and how it contrasts with the one he has now largely rejected. [more]

082 :
29 Oct 2010

My journey to a new understanding of my beliefs Part I... Dr Ian Elmer's Thursday commentary on Catholica, crystalised some deep questions of faith and belief for editor, Brian Coyne. In this two-part commentary, Brian explains the deep shift in his thinking that has occurred slowly over a period of nearly 20 years. Today's introduction explores where he has come from in his beliefs. Tomorrow's conclusion is more directed to where his beliefs sit now and the implications for the future. [more]

081 :
26 Oct 2010

Where are our communications failing? Yesterday on Catholica, the editor drew attention to two videos: one an address by the bishop of his own diocese to a Theology on Tap meeting at an Irish Pub in Parramatta. The other to a one-song excerpt from a long dvd he'd been watching on the communication style of the Hillsong Church. Today's lead commentary puts forward a series of questions about our communication styles as Christians. [more]

080 :
08 Oct 2010

The marketing and meaning of Mary Mac In the lead-up to the canonisation of Australia's first saint next Sunday, October 17th, this country is going to be saturated with media coverage. It has already started but this coming Sunday night, October 10th, two documentaries will be screened nationally. Today's commentary provides a review of the commercial offering, Blessed Mary: A Saint for All Australians, which will be screened on the History Channel on Foxtel and Austar at 7.30pm AEDST, and an introduction to what can be expected on the ABC's production, Mary, Miracles and Saints, for the Compass program. [more]

079 :
04 Oct 2010

Will the Canonisation of Mary MacKillop turn things around for the Church in Australia? On Friday the editor of Catholica was interviewed on ABC News24. Unfortunately the interview went to air live and a copy is not available online. In this post on the Catholica forum, Brian Coyne attempts to convey something of what he said in the interview. [more]

078 :
01 Oct 2010

Tom Quixote and other musings... To be brutally honest I think the days of the institution doing most of its communication through sacramental participation are gone forever. I don't believe anymore that the vast majority of people see the Eucharist as "the source and summit" of their faith or beliefs. JPII and BXVI have "created a remnant Church". Or perhaps it might be more accurate to say, they have simply accelerated a development that was already under way in the world. But is Sunday Mass participation the right means by which we measure the success of Catholicism or Christianity? It is a serious question. Is going to Mass each week the prime measure by which a person will achieve salvation? In short, is that what "gets people to heaven"? [more]

077 :
20 Sep 2010

The looming leadership crisis facing the Church... In a frank article in the latest edition of his diocesan newsletter, Bishop David Walker outlines for his flock the looming crisis in being able to provide enough parish priests in his diocese. Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne suggests what Bishop Walker is writing about has wider application than in his own diocese. Sadly what the Bishop is saying is unlikely to be heard in the places where it needs to be heard and so, collectively, the Church in Australia will "stumble on" with the crisis only getting much worse as the decades ahead unfold. [more]

076 :
14 Sep 2010

What is the future for religion? Today's commentary is a little bit different. In overview it contains two short videos interspersed with a bit of commentary from the editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, and it concludes with a lengthy paper delivered to the British Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) in March of this year by Mr Jeremy Rifkin. As a suggestion you might like to skim read through Brian Coyne's comments to get a quick overview of what this commentary is discussing before starting at the top again and re-reading it in the context of the videos. [more]

075 :
11 Sep 2010

Book Review: Hell on the Way to Heaven... Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne, reviews the new book by Chrissie Foster which tells the story of the abuse two of her daughters were subjected to by the serial priest paedophile, John Kevin O'Donnell. Every parent ought read this book at least as defence against paedophiles. Bishops and priests ought read it if they are seriously interested in seeking to restore the credibility of the institution they represent. [more]

074 :
13 Aug 2010

A Response to Tom McMahon... Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne, responds to Tom McMahon's reflection on Catholica and some of our recent commentaries [LINK]. [more]

073 :
27 Jul 2010

We are a Church in search of a re-vitalised leadership! Catholicism today is fast becoming just one amongst the thirty thousand or so churches that make a claim to be led by Jesus Christ. It is fast-losing any claim to primacy amongst the Christian churches. Catholica Editor, Brian Coyne, today explores what has gone wrong and what needs to be done if the institutional Catholic Church is to legitimately reclaim some sense of primacy amongst the Christian churches. [more]

072 :
26 Jun 2010

Extending yesterday's discussion... Is there a catastrophic split in institutionalised religion today between those who propose that essentially religion is some game of running around trying to prove you know all the laws, and those who see religion principally as a means through which people can learn, within a community and support context, how to make the best moral decisions in the nitty-gritty choices that crop up in their journey through life. Fundamentalists of course do not want to think. They want to obey and not have to think. The majority in civilisation though no longer seem comfortable with that and they have been tuning out from institutions that endeavour to promote the fundamentalist agenda for navigating one's way through life. How does an institution encourage people, and support them, in the quest to make the best moral choices in their lives when there are no priests, bishops or popes to call to make the decisions for the individuals who have to make the actual choices? [more]

071 :
25 Jun 2010

How do we make the correct choice when the choices are morally difficult? The extraordinary events in Australian Federal Politics yesterday where some 112 members of the Labor Party were forced to make the difficult moral choice between loyalty to a leader who was losing electoral appeal and the prospects of success at a rapidly looming election are a fascinating lesson in the sort of moral challenges any intelligent person faces at some point or other in life. By coincidence, last night on television across Australia, the ABC screened a documentary examining the difficult moral choice faced not only by Winston Churchill but by naval commanders and even ordinary sailors surrounding the decision to sink the French Naval Fleet lest it fall into the hands of Adolf Hitler. Today's commentary examines the challenges we all face in reaching the best moral decisions when the choices before us are difficult or next to impossible. [more]

070 :
18 Jun 2010

Book Review: A Short History of Nearly Everything Over recent days I been reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. I finished it last night. Today's commentary is essentially a review of that book but many of the things in that book also intersect with two television programs I've been watching with much interest in recent weeks: Simon Schama's The American Future: A History and The Voyage to the Planets series on ABC Television. [more]

069 :
21 May 2010

Analysing some recent ideas from Pope Benedict... I received an email from Fr Kevin Murphy during the week suggesting that we explore on Catholica more deeply some of the ideas discussed by Pope Benedict in his recent comments to the press on the way to Portugal. John Allen gave the first report of the media conference in NCR and it was NCR's translation of the Pope's comments — originally given in Italian — that Fr Kevin sent through to me suggesting we might use this for the basis of a discussion here. Before tackling what I have to write as thought-starters for a discussion you might like to refresh your own memory by reading John Allen's report which you will find at: [John Allen's Report] | [the commentary from Brian Coyne]

068 :
11 May 2010

Do we need a new way of measuring our 'success' as Catholics? DavidC posted a stunning video on our forum late last night. It is of a virtual choice of 185 voices performing in cyberspace. Brian Coyne uses that video as an introduction to a series of questions for reflection on how we measure our "success" as Catholics. Has measuring our success on Mass Attendance figures reached its 'use-by date'? How do you measure your own success as a Catholic, a Christian, or simply as a person — is it by how often you attended church, or do you evaluate your 'success' by some other set of measures? We'd value your sharing your thoughts with us. [Forum Discussion String] | [Lead Commentary Archive Version]

067 :
08 May 2010

A brain storming session searching for a positive vision for Catholicism... In an endeavour to try and shift our discussion away from the constant flow of negativity and depression that some of our leaders seemed pathologically attracted to offering us these days through their pronouncements and misguided policy directions, I thought we might try a brain-storming session this weekend. If you were granted the power to create and inspire a form of Catholicism that was genuinely held in high regard by all people, not simply some minority which you, or some other person you might nominate might regard highly, what would be the characteristics of that Church? Last night I set down some thought-starters from my own personal perspective. The list which I have posted on our forum is not meant to be exhaustive but is an attempt to excite the neurons in your minds to expand on this list in a brain storm. In a "brain storm" one is seeking to accept all ideas rather than those that might be judged as practical/doctrinally sound/fitting in with some constitution or pre-defined set of 'rules'. The sorting out as to whether something can be implemented comes later. I invite you to share with us: What is the vision of a vibrant Catholicism you would like to see? [Forum Discussion String] | [Lead Commentary Archive Version]

066 :
29 Apr 2010

A new way of looking at the Resurrection... A slight change to the usual pattern today. Because of work pressures Dr Ian Elmer's commentaries are going to be less frequent for a period. I had one ready to go today but due to pressures on my own time have not yet been able to get to the layout. In place of that lead commentary I draw your attention to a post I placed on the forum yesterday which has already been drawing a lot of readers. It's a new look at the meaning of the resurrection story that I've been drawing from my reading of Aussie theologian, Denis Edwards' new book "How God Acts". The Resurrection in recent decades has been generating renewed controversy — as have such concepts as the Virgin birth. I argue in what I have written that Denis Edwards provides a possible way out of the controversy. [Forum Discussion String] | [Lead Commentary Archive Version]

065 :
24 Apr 2010

What sort of priests is the world looking for? Our reflection today centres on the experiences and outlooks of a number of former seminarians and former priests who left for various reasons. It's from a conversation that arose in the Catholica forum on the current crisis the institution is facing. Billy wrote: "Methinks this is all too little, too late now. As the mounting pressure builds up, the hierarchy will, little by little, be brought to their knees when they realise the magnitude and impact of a church that couldn't reform itself, has now become irrelevant to a modern day society that have simply moved on. It is the dying off, of an era." which led to ex-seminarian, TonySee, sharing his experiences. Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, subsequently invited other ex-priests and seminarians to share their perceptions about priesthood and what sort of priests they perceive society to be looking for today. [Forum Discussion String] | [Lead Commentary Archive Version]

064 :
18 Apr 2010

A radical proposal to end the present crisis? Today's commentary has been inspired by a complexity of inputs that the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, shares in both the introduction and in the later exploration of the theme he is opening up for discussion, debate, and conversation... [more]

063 :
03 Apr 2010

Too books worth paying attention to! Here is something to provide you with a sense of hope during what seems to be a generally gloomy Easter (at least from a Catholic institutional perspective). An introduction to two books the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, has found uplifting in recent days... [more]

062 :
13 Mar 2010

Prayers for Meetings When I attended a meeting at Hunters Hill Parish Hall last Wednesday night to act as roadie for my musician wife, little did I expect I'd find a new product to promote in the Catholica Spiritual Marketplace but also an interview with a very interesting lady. If you'll forgive the advertorial nature of this commentary let me share with you some good news... [more]

061 :
01 Feb 2010

Communication in a digital age... To kick off our new publishing year, Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, has some good news with which to start the year. There's a whole heap of questions too. We call ourselves 'a pilgrim people' — pilgrims on our way to discovering truth and love as it is understood by our Creator-God. How do you find truth, or love, in a digital and three-sentence attention span age? On Twitter you're not even given that luxury. You have to find it in 140 letters or less! [more]

060 :
10 Nov 2009

A serious writer on spirituality and religion or an entertainer? Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, has spent the last couple of days absorbed in Dan Brown's latest thriller, The Lost Symbol. Not unexpectedly it's a great read but Brian asks if we should treat a writer like this primarily as an entertainer or is he someone who has an important contribution to make to the great discussions going on in society at the moment about the place and meaning of religion and spirituality in our lives? [more]

059 :
23 Sep 2009

A History of the Knights of the Southern Cross At the beginning of this month the Knights of the Southern Cross in Australia celebrated their 90th birthday. Cliff Baxter was commissioned to write the history of the Order in New South Wales to mark the milestone. Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, who has a number of associations with the Knights, reviews the book... [more]

058 :
17 Sep 2009

What sort of ecclesial leadership do we need? The rumours are circulating again of changes at the senior leadership level of the Church in this country. In today's commentary the editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, poses questions regarding both the leadership and what, precisely, they are seeking to teach or preach... [more]

057 :
21 Aug 2009

Understanding Fundamentalism... In some senses the very existence of Catholica could be considered to be a response to fundamentalist thinking. Catholica itself might be characterised as a search for an alternative way of looking at religion, spirituality, theology and God to fundamentalist perspectives. Perhaps it is no surprise then that the editor, Brian Coyne has been deeply impressed by a study he recently came across by Karen Armstrong which explores Fundamentalism in the three great monotheist faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Today's lead commentary is a review of Karen Armstrong's book, The Battle for God. [more]

056 :
27 June 2009

A Good News Commentary... Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, today provides an introduction to two exciting adult faith learning experiences being promoted by the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn and the Diocese of Broken Bay. One of the initiatives — a National On-Line Conference for the Year of St Paul — takes place this coming Tuesday, and he proposes we follow this conference and conduct our own online forum in parallel with the many meetings in physical space that will be conducted around the nation at the same time. [more]

055 :
01 June 2009

Film Review: Angels and Demons... Brian Coyne reviews the controversial Ron Howard film, Angels and Demons. His conclusion is that there is much that is worth watching in this film beside the entertainment. [more]

054 :
09 May 2009

Living out of our anger! The publishers of Catholica husband and wife team, Amanda McKenna and Brian Coyne, have had our regular Wednesday commentator, Tom McMahon, as a house guest for the past five days. Tom is visiting Australia from his home in San Jose, California. Today's commentary flows out of the experience and sharing of perspectives. [more]

053 :
25 Apr 2009

Truth Conquers! The Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, in this commentary explores some important territory: what's the ultimate objective of our institutional and personal life quests? It's a question linked to some questioning going on in the back room at Catholica at the moment as we endeavour to discern the objective of our endeavour or mission. [more]

052 :
11 Apr 2009

What will "church" look like in the future — Part V In the last commentary, Brian Coyne ended by suggesting there are three principal tools in communication that someone needs to be aware of if a message is to be successfully transmitted. He begins today with a re-capitulation of those principles before exploring where we (the institution is presently falling short) before concluding with some thoughts on the future character of the Church. [more]

051 :
04 Apr 2009

What will "church" look like in the future — Part IV In the fourth part of this extended series, Brian Coyne turns from discussion of what the objectives of the spiritual quest are to consideration of more practical issues. If we are to rebuild an effective Church we firstly need some consensus or agreement on what we're trying to communicate, then we need some agreement about our methodologies in how we get the message across. [more]

050 :
28 Mar 2009

What will "church" look like in the future — Part III The first two parts of this commentary were originally posted on the Catholica Forum on 24 and 25 March 2009. Overall the commentary is seeking to discern what the Church of the future might look like given some of the forces we see at work in society. This first part looked at the changing perceptions of the objective of belief. Part 2 looked at the consequences of the removal of a major incentive that operated in the past to draw people to Church. In this third part, Brian Coyne presents two arguments, one secular and the other spiritually based, that might be used to encourage increased liturgical participation again. [more]

049 :
28 Mar 2009

What will "church" look like in the future — Part II The first two parts of this commentary were originally posted on the Catholica Forum on 24 and 25 March 2009. Overall the commentary is seeking to discern what the Church of the future might look like given some of the forces we see at work in society. This first part looked at the changing perceptions of the objective of belief. This second looks at the consequences of the removal of a major incentive that operated in the past to draw people to Church. This part begins with a summary of the argument from Part I. [more]

048 :
28 Mar 2009

What will "church" look like in the future — Part I The first two parts of this commentary were originally posted on the Catholica Forum on 24 and 25 March 2009. Overall the commentary is seeking to discern what the Church of the future might look like given some of the forces we see at work in society. This first part looks at the changing perceptions of the objective of belief. Part 2 looks at the consequences of the removal of a major incentive that operated in the past to draw people to Church. In part 3, which has not been previously published on the forum, Brian Coyne looks at some possibilities of how we might "be Church" in the future. [more]