This megachurch preacher shocked many fellow Protestants with this speech. Francis Chan is an author and speaker on Christian topics. He is the founder and teaching pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, CA. He also founded Eternity Bible College and performs significant philanthropic work, donating much of his income to charities.
He shocked the protestant community when he made this admission concerning the Real Presence of Jesus in Holy Communion and rejected the exclusively symbolic interpretation of the Eucharist. During a sermon to his congregation on the feast of the Epiphany, Chan said:
I didn’t know that for the first 1,500 years everyone saw Communion as the literal body and blood of Christ.
In Acts 2:42, we see how the early church devoted itself to the Lord’s Supper, prayer, teaching, and fellowship. Chan correctly notes that, for over 1,500 years, the Christian Church believed it was participating in the Last Supper and that Jesus’ literal body and blood became present. This was the partaking of the bread. This is why, as Chan notes, St. Paul warns the Corinthians that many of them are sick or have died because they partook of Communion in an unworthy manner.
Chan also lamented the substitution of a sermon for the sacrament by Protestant reformers:
“For the first time, someone put a pulpit in the front … before that, it was always the body and blood of Christ that was central.”
Our Lord meant to change the bread and wine into His body and blood, rather than leaving us a mere symbol or memorial of His passion. We know this from the words of His promise to do this in St. John’s gospel, Chapter 6. The critical words of this chapter are John 6:52, “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” John 6:54, “. . . unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of man, ye shall not have life in you.” John 6:56, “For my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed.” Learn more…
“To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant.” John Henry Cardinal Newman
Why Christmas is not over yet? Christmas has become so heavily commercialized that it bears no repeating how the celebration has lost much of its meaning. Many people assume Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving. That erroneous belief is due to the marketing blitz that begins on Black Friday. In the Church, however, Christmas begins December 24th. Since many people assume the Christmas season begins after Thanksgiving, they mistakenly assume it is over on December 26th.
When To Take Down The Christmas Tree
You might notice, or you may be a Catholic who leaves their Christmas tree up and keeps celebrating until January 3rd when the Church celebrates the feast of “Epiphany.” The feast of the Epiphany commemorates the mysterious visit of the magi to the Baby Jesus. This coincides with the 12 days of Christmas idea from the secular Christmas carol “Twelve Days of Christmas”
However, according to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, Ordinary Time doesn’t officially begin until the Monday after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which usually falls on the Sunday after Epiphany (January 3rd). This means that the Christmas season actually extends beyond the popular “Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Others still, wait till Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ and the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Christian Holy Day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is based upon the account of the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:22–40.
But the celebration doesn’t stop there! After Epiphany, the revelry continues until the Baptism of the Lord, the first Sunday after January 6th. This year, Catholics may very well wish to keep their decorations up through January 12th.
And if you want to be really traditional, you can celebrate what the faithful called “Christmastide” before the liturgical reforms that followed the Second Vatican Council. In the old rite, or what we today call the Extraordinary Form, Christmastide lasted for 40 days to correspond with the 40 days of Lent, and the 40 days from Easter to Ascension Thursday.
Whatever the tradition Christmas is not over just yet. Click here to view the United States Council of Catholic Bishops Liturgical Calendar 2025 Catholic Liturgical Calendar
Christianity Today released an editorial stating that President Trump should be removed from office—and they invoked my father’s name (I suppose to try to bring legitimacy to their statements), so I feel it is important for me to respond. Yes, my father, Billy Graham, founded Christianity Today, but no, he would disagree with their opinion piece. In fact, he would be very disappointed. I have not previously shared who my father voted for in the past election, but because of this article, I feel it is necessary to share it now. My father knew Donald Trump, believed in him, and voted for him. He thought that Donald J. Trump was the man for this hour in our nation’s history.
For Christianity Today to side with the Democratic Party in a totally partisan attack on the President of the United States is unfathomable. Christianity Today failed to acknowledge that not one single Republican voted with the Democrats to impeach the President. I know several Republicans in Congress, and many of them are strong Christians. If the President were guilty of what the Democrats claimed, these Republicans would have joined with the Democrats to impeach him. But the Democrats were not even unanimous—two voted against impeachment, and one voted present. This impeachment was politically motivated, 100% partisan. Why would Christianity Today choose to take the side of the Democratic left, whose only goal is to discredit and smear the name of a sitting president? They want readers to believe the Democrat leadership rather than believe the President of the United States.
Look at all the President has accomplished in a very short time. The economy of our nation is the strongest it has been in 50 years, ISIS & the caliphate have been defeated, and the President has renegotiated trade deals to benefit all Americans. The list of accomplishments is long, but for me as a Christian, the fact that he is the most pro-life president in modern history is essential—and Christianity Today wants us to ignore that, to say it doesn’t count? The President has been a staunch defender of religious freedom at home and around the world—and Christianity Today wants us to ignore that? Also, the President has appointed conservative judges in record numbers—and Christianity today wants us to ignore that? Christianity Today feels he should be removed from office because of false accusations that the President emphatically denies.
Christianity Today said it’s time to call a spade a spade. The spade is this: the left has used Christianity Today for its political agenda. It’s evident that Christianity Today has moved to the left and is representing the elitist liberal wing of evangelicalism.
Is President Trump guilty of sin? Of course, he is, as were all past presidents and as each one of us is, including myself. Therefore, let’s pray for the President as he continues to lead our nation.
By the Middle Ages, Christians were celebrating the remarkable event of Jesus’ birth with an extended season that began with Advent (four Sundays before Christmas) and continued for the 12 Days after Christmas (up until Epiphany on January 6th). The time preceding Christmas used to be a solemn time of fasting, whereas the days after Christmas were the time of celebration. Christians looked forward to the Midnight Mass of Christmas Eve with great anticipation, because the service marked the transition from fasting to feasting. This service, known as “Christ’s Mass,” eventually became a description for celebrations of Jesus’ birth worldwide. The word Christmas has its origin in the old English term Cristes Maesse, meaning “Christ’s Mass.”1
Though the word Christ is commonly used as Jesus’ name, it is actually a title. It comes from a Greek word that means “Anointed One” (the Hebrew word is “Messiah” — a term that Old Testament prophets used to describe the coming Savior). It should be noted that the abbreviated term Xmas does not necessarily take the “Christ” out of Christmas. The first letter of the Greek word for Christ (Χριστός) is “X” (pronounced “kai” in Greek), and it has been used throughout history to represent Jesus’ title.
Mass comes from the Latin word missa, which means “dismissal.” During the Middle Ages, the term became a general description of the Eucharistic service (the bread and wine of which Christians partook in remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus).2 The word gives insight into how medieval Christians understood at least one of the significant aspects of the Eucharist — they gathered together to remember the body (and great sacrifice of Christ), so that they would be strengthened to go (or more specifically, be “dismissed”) back into the world to BE the body of Christ.
The apostle Paul told of this mystery when he wrote to believers in Corinth, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
1 Martindale, C. Charles. “Christmas.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company, 1908. Retrieved July 20, 2008 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm.
2 Pohle, Joseph. “Sacrifice of the Mass.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Retrieved July 20, 2008 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10006a.htm.
Originally published December 2019; updated August 2026 to reflect their marriage and annulment outcome.
Is Blake Shelton Catholic? As far as is known, he hasn’t converted to Catholicism, but his relationship with Gwen Stefani, a practicing Catholic, has visibly shaped his faith. The two married in a small chapel Shelton built on his Oklahoma ranch on July 3, 2021 — a wedding that almost didn’t happen the way it did, because of Stefani’s Catholic faith.
Gwen Stefani married Gavin Rossdale in 2002, and they divorced in 2016. The Catholic Church does not recognize divorce as ending a valid marriage. Therefore, Stefani couldn’t have a Catholic wedding to Shelton. Her first marriage needed a formal annulment, a process that can take years. She began that process not long after she and Shelton got serious, specifically so their eventual marriage could be recognized by the Church. The Vatican granted the annulment in early 2021, clearing the way for their wedding that summer.
Shelton, for his part, has been open about how the relationship changed him spiritually, even without formally converting. Speaking at the 2022 Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, he credited the way he and Stefani came together as proof of something bigger than coincidence. He has said he has been attending church more regularly since they got together. His belief in God is stronger now than at any other point in his life.
The couple has continued to make their faith visible since the wedding. They have attended Easter Mass together in recent years, despite scrutiny over Stefani’s Catholic prayer app.
So the short answer: Blake Shelton isn’t Catholic, but he married one, in a Catholic ceremony, after his wife-to-be went through the Church’s annulment process to make it happen — and by his own account, that relationship has been the biggest catalyst for his own faith.
Kim is the wife of rapper Kanye West. Kim who is famous for her in-your-face sexual style, says that her husband and her experience at the White House have emboldened her to tone down her look and dress more conservatively.
Like it or not Kardashian has influenced millions of young girls in today’s highly charged sexual world. Let’s hope her change of heart sustains and she can begin to have a positive influence
Kanye, who encouraged his wife to dress sexy and show off her body, began having a change of heart and told Kim he no longer liked her dressing overtly sexy. “It was damaging his soul”
For her part, Kim recently visited her family’s homeland, Armenia, where she and her children were baptized at one of the oldest churches in the world.
Thursday was a special day for Puritan colonists in New England, with ministers giving a religious lecture on Thursday afternoons, so that could have contributed to the Thursday Thanksgiving tradition (although, for a brief five-year period in the 1600s, Thanksgiving was held on Nov. 25). At any rate, Thanksgiving has been held on a Thursday in November since George Washington’s presidency.
Washington declared a day of thanksgiving and prayer in 1789, partly to honor the new U.S. Constitution but mostly to acknowledge “the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor”
It took the trauma of the Civil War to make Thanksgiving a formal, annual holiday. Lincoln issued his proclamation on Oct. 3, 1863, three months after Union Army victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, and at a time in which ultimate triumph appeared in sight.
Writing that the nation’s many blessings “should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged” by the American people, Lincoln declared: “I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”
Why Thank Squanto
Behind it, all was Squanto, the Catholic Native American, a member of the Patuxet tribe best known for being an early liaison between the native populations in Southern New England and the Mayflower Puritans (Pilgrims).
Years prior, Squanto had been captured by the English and freed by Franciscans who educated and catechized him. It is not known with complete certainty that he converted to Catholicism, but it is highly likely, as his Christianity is documented.
When the Mayflower landed in 1620, Squanto worked to broker peaceable relations between the Pilgrims and the local Pokanokets. He played a key role in the early meetings in March 1621, partly because he spoke English. He then lived with the Pilgrims for 20 months, acting as a translator, guide, and advisor.
The First Thanksgiving Was In Flordia
Today many historians recognize that the truly first thanksgiving celebration in the new land was most likely in St. Agustine Florida 55 years before the pilgrims arrived in Plymouth
Whatever its original roots the important aspect of thanksgiving is best summed up in the words of the late Cardinal George
“Recognizing that none of us is self-made and unwilling to declare ourselves a cosmic accident, we turn to the Author of all that is and say thanks. In the face of a gift that cannot be matched in return, all one can do is be grateful.” —Cardinal Francis E. George
It seems rapper Kanye West is having a big change of heart when it comes to how his wife Kim Kardashian dresses. West used to encourage Kim to dress sexy and show off her body, telling Harper’s Bazaar in July 2016, “I love her nude selfies. … I feel like it’s almost a Renaissance thing, a painting, a modern version of a painting. I think it’s important for Kim to have her figure. To not show it would be like Adele not singing.” Now he is singing a different tune. West explained to Kardashian that while he used to think his wife should look like other girls who constantly show off their bodies, he now realizes that Kardashian’s revealing looks are negatively “affecting” his “soul and . . . spirit.”
His apparent change of heart, however, coincides with his increasingly public life as a Christian. As reported by The Daily Wire in July, West said that his “radical obedience to Christ” helped stabilize his mental health. Moreover, earlier this year, the rap icon created “Sunday Service” events that include gospel music.
For her part, Kim recently took a trip to Armenia to have her kids Baptized. Perhaps she will begin to have a change of heart. We are not called to be mimics of the Blessed Mother, dressing as would be appropriate for a first-century Palestinian peasant woman (e.g., long veils, skirts to the floor, sandals). We are called to imitate the Blessed Mother in her virtues. In terms of modesty, that might mean dressing in a way that is appropriate to one’s culture and circumstances, not drawing undue attention to oneself either in one’s dress or undress, remaining circumspect about one’s own choices, and not denouncing the reasonable choices of others. Read more about the Blessed Virgin’s Guide to Catholic Modesty
All the candidates seeking the democrat party Presidential nomination are promising a plethora of entitlement programs. Free college, free healthcare, free childcare, even free to people who aren’t citizens of the United States. At least one candidate wants to give everyone an income even if they can but don’t want to work. But each dollar taxed and spent deprives Americans of the freedom to make their own choices. When a central bureaucracy directs funds, they tend to come with strings attached.
While it may seem counterintuitive, people are happier when they are engaged in work than when they have free time. The Greek philosopher Aristotle recognized this same idea. For Aristotle, happiness is a final end or goal that encompasses the totality of one’s life. It is not something that can be gained or lost in a few hours, like pleasurable sensations. Aristotle would be strongly critical of the culture of “instant gratification,” which seems to predominate in our society today.
Hungarian-American psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi discovered this same human phenomenon. He did careful research that discovered that some of our deepest intuitions about work, play and what makes us happy was completely backward. He discovered that most people were, in fact, happier at work than at rest. Moreover, he also found that people tended to think they were happier in their free time and would choose to have more free time than work, even though it made them unhappier.
This may explain why a new poll from Gallup found that young Americans (18-29) are souring on capitalism, a system that promotes free choices and independence. Less than half 45 percent, view capitalism positively. That is a 12-point decline in young adults’ positive views of capitalism in just the past two years and a marked shift since 2010 when 68 percent viewed it positively”. Socialism’s promise of things without work is nothing new. So why such a dramatic increase in its favorability?
Perhaps it is due, at least in part, to the fact that young people are leaving their faith. Interestingly, many choose to identify as “none,” meaning they still believe in God or have some sense of spirituality, whatever that means but no longer identify with a particular denomination or branch of faith. Writers, theologians, and social psychologists debate the reasons, but I think it mainly boils down to wanting to pursue me. Their foundation is no longer a transcendent pursuit; rather, it has become one of personal gratification. This is why they avoid committed relationships and have fewer, if any, children at all. They are scared of permanence. Transcendent experiences, however, are the focus of such a wide variety of world cultures from east to west; without them, we feel empty, and our life becomes void of any deep meaning other than the constant pursuit of material objects and societal accolades, neither of which will ultimately satisfy the human heart and its longing. Living for yourself is a recipe for disaster.
This may explain why a new study published in the Harvard Business Review found that young people are leaving the workforce in droves. Many of them citing mental health issues as the driving force behind their decision.
There is little doubt that each generation gives their children more than the previous generation. Today many of our youth have no desire nor a need for independence. They delay marriage, live at home longer, and are less independent, all in pursuit of me. Now comes the appeal to socialism, the promise that you can and should have what you want without working for it. Coupled with a lack of transcendence, many young people today are lost in a sea of self-absorption. A new study published in the Journal of American College Health showed that students seeking help for mental health problems had risen considerably between 2009 and 2015.
Human beings have a strong need to become all that they can be, but once this need is met, some continue to feel needs beyond the self and pursue goals that may have little to do with the self. Neglecting those goals and continuing on the “me” path is a form of insanity.
In the west, the Judeo-Christian perspective rightfully understands that envy (desire for another person’s possessions) is a sin. It also recognizes the value of work. “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:3.
Even God worked for six days before taking a day off.
“Where do we find the core of life’s meaning? Right on the job! At whatever work we do with our head or hand, from the kitchen to the executive suite, from your house to the White House. “Work is the great equalizer — everyone has to come to it in order to find meaning in living: no short cuts, no detours, no bargain rates.” Work is the “chisel with which you carve yourself.” That work not only adds value to others, it also adds value to you in the process. By looking outside yourself to see how you can serve others, you are actually building a Godly character. Second, the author argues that work is the difference between civilization and barbarism, between a solid economy and a weak one. I can think of no greater lesson our society needs to learn right this moment.
Finally, numerous psychological and sociological studies have shown what Genesis taught us long ago. A life-course perspective has posited marital relationships as one of the most important relationships that define life context and affect individuals’ well-being throughout adulthood (Umberson & Montez, 2010). Being married, especially happily married, is associated with better mental and physical health (Carr & Springer, 2010; Umberson, Williams, & Thomeer, 2013), and the strength of the marital effect on health is comparable to that of other traditional risk factors such as smoking and obesity (Sbarra, 2009). Despite this, many people today are simply avoiding the responsibility of family life again, pursuing me. This will never bring true happiness that Aristotle and many others recognized. It will only continue to fill the halls of mental health facilities. True joy is found not in avoiding the cross but rather embracing it and becoming all that you can be.
References
Carr D., & Springer K. W. (2010). Advances in families and health research in the 21st century. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 743–761. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00728.x
Sbarra D. A. (2009). Marriage protects men from clinically meaningful elevations in C-reactive protein: Results from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). Psychosomatic Medicine, 71, 828. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181b4c4f2 [PMC free article] [PubMed]
Umberson D., Williams K., & Thomeer M. B. (2013). Family status and mental health: Recent advances and future directions. In Aneshensel C. S. & Phelan J. C. (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of mental health (2nd edn, pp. 405–431). Dordrecht: Springer Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_20
In September 2018, Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, who was off-duty, had entered the apartment of Botham Jean which was one floor directly above hers. She thought there was an intruder and opened fire, killing Botham Jean. Amber was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
At the sentencing Brandt Jean, Botham’s brother, said, “I wasn’t ever going to say this in front of my family or anyone, but I don’t even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you because I know that’s exactly what Botham would want you to do. And the best would be to give your life to Christ. I’m not going to say anything else. I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want you to do. Again, I love you as a person and I don’t wish anything bad on you.”
With many feeling the sentence was not enough, anger erupted outside the courtroom where chants of “No justice, no peace,” could be heard. But back in the courtroom Judge Tammy Kemp, granted Brandt Jean’s request to hug his brother’s killer, Amber Guyger who wept when the two hugged and she herself hugged Guyger as Guyger whispered in her ear. Kemp answered quietly, “Ma’am, it’s not because I am good. It’s because I believe in Christ. None of us are worthy. Forgive yourself.”
This is the forgiveness Christ calls us all too
Matthew 6:9-15
9“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
14For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Botham Jean. After her sentencing, his brother forgave her and embraced her. https://t.co/xIExvp4qslpic.twitter.com/eVUuwyiMky
Finally, numerous psychological and sociological studies have shown what Genesis taught us long ago. A life-course perspective has posited 
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