Have you heard the one about the Archbishop at a Baptist University?

Two weeks ago, Archbishop Chaput of the Archdiocese of Denver spoke at Houston Baptist University. (Link to article.) The topic? The vocation of Christians in American public life. There is no smarmy can't-we-all-just-get-along ecumenism, rather, he recognizes the sharp doctrinal differences between groups of Christians while pointing the greater "familial bond in baptism and God's Word" between those who share a love of Jesus. It is apparent that the Bishop sees the Church as greater than our fabricated denominations, but that is another discussion.

Archbishop Chaput takes umbrage at John Kennedy's September of 1960 campaign statement that his Catholicism would not effect his loyalty to the country as President. In other words, Kennedy's religion only had effect on the areas of his life that he wanted it to, leaving other areas - significant areas - untouched. Unchanged by the gospel. Chaput explains his concerns by 1) looking at the problems in Kennedy's words, 2) reflecting on a proper Christian approach to politics and public service, and 3) examining where Kennedy's remarks have brought us to.

The article is thought provoking and timely as in recent years, research has found that the Christianity of todays teens and young adults is a "moralistic therapeutic deism".

The underlying question is, is Christianity a religion that we are to practice or is it a covenant between God and man encompassing the whole of life? Consider Genesis 15:17 (a good life verse if anybody needed one)...the rest of the chapter is good too.

The truth is that we all have areas of our lives that we do not want to have changed by the gospel. Is there anything for us to hear in the Archbishop's words?

The one about the Archbishop at a Baptist University...Probably would not have been much of an original joke anyway.

(Thanks to Michael Geer for the link to the news story posted at catholic.org.)