The Change Callers Are Waiting For?

Published on by D. G. Hart

The Times reported last week on the “Francis effect“:

One year into his pontificate, Pope Francis remains immensely popular among American Catholics and is widely seen as a force for positive change within the Roman Catholic Church. More than eight-in-ten U.S. Catholics say they have a favorable view of the pontiff, including half who view him very favorably. The percentage of Catholics who view Francis “very favorably” now rivals the number who felt equally positive about Pope John Paul II in the 1980s and 1990s, though Francis’ overall favorability rating remains a few points shy of that of the long-serving Polish pope.

Seven-in-ten U.S. Catholics also now say Francis represents a major change in direction for the church, a sentiment shared by 56% of non-Catholics. And nearly everyone who says Francis represents a major change sees this as a change for the better. . . .

But there are other indications of somewhat more intense religiosity among Catholics. About a quarter of Catholics (26%) say they have become “more excited” about their Catholic faith over the past year (outnumbering the one-in-ten who have become less excited). Four-in-ten Catholics say they have been praying more often in the past 12 months (compared with 8% who say they have been praying less often). And somewhat more Catholics say they have been reading the Bible and other religious texts more frequently (21%) than say they have been doing so less frequently (14%). None of these questions about religious practices were explicitly tied in the survey to Francis’ papacy; the questions dealing with attitudes toward Francis came elsewhere in the questionnaire.

The survey also finds growing numbers who expect that in the near future the Catholic Church will allow priests to get married; 51% think the church will make this change by the year 2050, up 12 percentage points from the days immediately following Francis’ election a year ago. But there has been less change in Catholics’ expectations about other church teachings. Roughly four-in-ten Catholics think that in the coming decades the church either definitely or probably will allow women to become priests, about the same number who held this expectation a year ago. And 56% of Catholics think the church will soon allow Catholics to use birth control, very similar to the 53% who said this last year.

All the more reason not to put hope in princes.

29 thoughts on “The Change Callers Are Waiting For?”

  1. I checked the blog a few days ago when the translation of Francis interview came out where he took the pro gay civil unions position. I figured there would be a thread on that one.

    No question that Francis is intensely popular. I’d argue the change is more outside the church. Pope Benedict was seen strictly as the head of the Catholic church while Pope Francis is seen more broadly as a moral leader in the west. People who aren’t Catholic are genuinely interested in Pope Francis’ views.

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  2. A Visual History of “The New Calvinism” and a Timeline of “The Grumpy Calvinism”

    “The New Calvinism – A Visual History”: https://s3.amazonaws.com/Challies_VisualTheology/new-calvinism-timeline.html

    “The Grumpy Calvinism – A Somewhat Foggy Remembrance”

    * Darryl Hart, in a bad mood due to Isabella puking up a hairball on his laptop, starts “Old Life Theological Society” blog.

    * Five minutes later, Nelson Kloosterman denounces project in a 36-page essay in “Christian Recycling” while John Frame vows to do a liturgical dance on Hart’s grave.

    * Jed Paschall waits first table. Spills Shrimp Etouffee in lap of customer.

    * Jason Stellman converts from Presbyterianism to Hare Krishna at LAX. Quickly renounces conversion and announces intention to pursue the Bahai faith. Stellman and brother announce plans to embark on a cross country tour playing the hits of England Dan & John Ford Coley.

    * Darryl Todd Maurina takes up residence in the Missouri Ozarks. Vows to supplement moonshining income with a career in journalism. Writes first expose on Jed and what is at the time known as “Radical Dual Kingdoms Orgonomy”.

    * Doug Sowers, after a mystical middle of the night appearance by what he believes to be the Ghost of Greg Bahnsen, resolves to fight this new theology while continuing his tract ministry at interstate truck stops.

    * Tom Van Dyke fails to score a point on Jeopardy and vows to create a new name for himself blogging.

    * David Van Drunen publishes “Natural Law and the Two Kingdoms”. Many cheap beer enthusiasts mistakenly buy book, thinking it to have something to do with “Natural Light” 24-pack cases.

    * Reformed community is outraged at the contents of Van Drunen’s book. Complains of “way too many footnotes and facts”. As penance, Westminster Seminary California sends Michael Horton to Lookout Mountain, where he is kidnapped by angry faculty and held hostage for six months in a culturally transformative soup kitchen. Horton hides Hart’s “A Secular Faith” under his mattress and reads nightly snippets by flashlight for spiritual sustenance.

    * Bryan Cross begins philosophical quest to prove logically that this is his world and we are all just his patio furniture.

    * Tim Keller renounces Jure divino Presbyterianism and begins to teach “Kinda Sorta if You Feel Like It” Presbyterianism.

    * Alan Strange disappears during trip to New York City to see Metropolitan Opera production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Many report seeing him taken straight up to heaven.

    * Moscow, Idaho community concerned as Steve Wilkins takes up residence and begins, with the assistance of Doug Wilson, attempting to plant cotton on plots on the outskirts of town. Christ Church buys last remaining downtown building not already under its control.

    * Tim Bayly writes that, not only is it preferable for women to not work outside the home, it is best if women work under the home in a root cellar.

    * Patriarchy movement takes big hit when Doug Phillips abandons Vision Forum ministry to marry Duggar daughter AND 79-year-old Bill Gothard. The Three vow to move to Utah to advocate for plural AND gay marriage.

    * New Old Life contributor Greg the Terrible speaks out against “Bambi”, denouncing it as thinly veiled bestiality. Todd vigorously defends the film while Erik considers entering the witness protection program.

    * Greg Thornbury is named President of The King’s College on the same day that Harry Potter mysteriously goes missing. Six months later he tragically jumps from the top of the Empire State Building, apparently desolate that no one from the mainstream press has noticed.

    * In spite of best efforts of “The New Calvinists”, New York City remains stubbornly Jewish and untransformed.

    * Richard Smith first touts the virtue of nature walks on Old Life. Denounces non-revivalists as hopeless sinners and announces plans for 37-volume biography of Edwards to take the place of the Bible.

    * Sean loses job. Takes up residence on San Antonio street corner selling self-published memoir of his days in Catholic Seminary. Bryan denounces book as “not saying anything that has not been fully accounted for in my paradigm”, but book becomes a best seller nonetheless. Sean buys former Vision Forum building and revives ministry.

    * Zrim moves to Cambodia, fully convinced that he can submit to Pol Pot.

    * Chortles Weakly returns to Southern Baptist Church after realizing that his Southern PCA is made up of nothing more than Southern Baptists who can read.

    * Rabbi Bret is imprisoned for blowing up what he mistakenly thinks is Hart’s house. Didn’t receive memo that Hart had vacated in 1987.

    * Hart is granted Tenure at Hillsdale. Ceases Old Life blog indefinitely to devote time to writing a “Wire” like series starring Jeff Bridges as lead detective. Coen’s reported to be interested.

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  4. My favorite:

    * Jason Stellman converts from Presbyterianism to Hare Krishna at LAX. Quickly renounces conversion and announces intention to pursue the Bahai faith. Stellman and brother announce plans to embark on a cross country tour playing the hits of England Dan & John Ford Coley.

    England Dan & John Ford Coley – love it, such somewhat obscure 70’s cheese

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  5. Eric,

    In the words of Ingino Montoya:

    Retirement – I don’t think that word means what you think it means.

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  7. Erik, you forgot that DTM takes a Korean wife, which is as key to old lifery as Chandler’s getting cancer is to the new Cals. Speaking of which, please send me to Japan–a culture that prizes submission and self-effacement.

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  8. New Old Life contributor Greg the Terrible speaks out against “Bambi”, denouncing it as thinly veiled bestiality. Todd vigorously defends the film while Erik considers entering the witness protection program.

    But I bet you don’t have Machen on your desktop background.

    You gotta hand it to Terribulus..

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  11. Dr. Strange is alive and well and one of the 3 contributors to the PuritanBoard with anything remotely useful to say. And he is far more edifying than “remotely useful.”

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  13. Erik, you forgot to note the date and time when Cw’s avatar first appeared directly under Bryan’s in a thread — which caused some serious confusion and cognitive dissonance.

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  14. One revision:

    * Rabbi Bret is imprisoned for blowing up what he mistakenly thinks is Hart’s house. Didn’t receive memo that Hart had vacated in 1987. The Baylys disavow responsibility, in spite of the fact that they had given Rabbi Bret matches, TNT, a street map, the blueprints to Hart’s house, and the book “Blowing up s**t for Dummies.”

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  16. Erik Charter
    Posted March 12, 2014 at 1:27 pm | Permalink
    One revision:

    No more of that, or Tvd will come down hard. He doesn’t want Presbys making revisions.

    For reasons only God knows why.

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  17. And 56% of Catholics think the church will soon allow Catholics to use birth control,

    So if the RCC was a democracy, and the people voted agaisnt the current Catholic sexual ethic, the Monty Python enters the annals of history and wouldn’t apply?

    Whoa.

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  19. * Mark VDM argues that the revision of the Belgic on the civil magistrate has been sorely misunderstood. Begins planning coup in which Dutch Queen Beatrix will overthrow Obama.

    Like

  20. Erik,

    I think that will go down as my favorite combox moment ever. Once things settle down here I’ll comment more. Zrim submitting to Pol Pot is pure gold, only because he would.

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  22. Jed,

    Thanks. The inside jokes are a bit thick, but I fully expect it to go viral any day now. I at least hope it gets to Horton and Van Drunen.

    I woke up with it the other morning so I assume it was spirit inspired. Just not sure what spirit.

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  23. As much as I disliked Greta Gerwig in “Damsels in Distress” I liked her in “Frances Ha”.

    I recommend that any young man who is interested in a young woman invite her over for a Noah Baumbach double feature of “The Squid and the Whale” and “Frances Ha”. If she likes them, you’ll be on the road to marriage. If she doesn’t, she’ll likely seek a restraining order the next morning.

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  24. Erik, my wife was shocked when I showed her Frances. She didn’t know I had it in me. I literally think that movie saved my marriage. I wasn’t able to reveal my sources for a few months. Like you, these activities out here end me up in the dog house.

    Insert some kind of emoticon somewhere, for some good reason. And enjoy the weekend if you happened to stumble on my words. Whoever you are.

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  25. Andrew,

    My wife watched the first 20 minutes or so and didn’t like it. I’m encouraging her to go back and finish it. It’s hilarious.

    Her trip to Paris and her returning to her college are classic.

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  26. Yeah Erik, it may be an acquired taste, or an eye of the beholder kind of thing.

    They are just movies after all. Saw Captian Phillips last night, very good. But any more, I should e-mail you instead of combox here at DG’s bar. He runs a tight ship (emoticon).

    Later brah.

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  27. * Tom Van Dyke fails to score a point on Jeopardy and vows to create a new name for himself blogging.

    I was on Jeopardy in my mid-20s, Erik. Rocker, hair dyed platinum. They couldn’t get enough of me. Won my honeymoon to St. Thomas. The guy who beat me cheated by looking at my final bet and adjusted his bet accordingly. Interesting story.

    As it turned out, the good Lord took care of me. I’d have wasted the Jeopardy money but though I had not a dime in my pocket, I did have a cool honeymoon in the bag when I proposed to my wife. We ate lobster every night [and leftover lobster for breakfast, yum] and our 27th anniversary is this June.

    Thx for asking. 😉

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  29. Erik Charter
    Posted March 17, 2014 at 10:43 am | Permalink
    Tom,

    I need clips before I believe it.

    Heh heh. If it’s not on the internet, it can’t possibly be real.

    Like

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