The Narthex
Random Ruminations #23
What’s in a Name?... “Forced Joy”... The “Business” of Government... and more
By John M. Grondelski | April 1st 2025 12:32 PMApril 1 … is more than “April Fool’s Day.” It’s the end of the first quarter of the year. Ninety days of 2025 down. Last year I made a point of marking each quarter of the year to invite readers to consider what they’d done (or not done) with New…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThat 'Poor Church for the Poor'
In reality, Church institutions must be self-sufficient and self-sustaining
By John M. Grondelski | March 28th 2025 11:36 AMTwo pundits from opposite ends of the political spectrum manage to reach the same conclusion: being a “poor Church” really stinks for the really poor. Writing in the left-leaning La Croix, Massimo Faggioli of Villanova University bemoans the many harms he imagines Trump 2.0 poses for the Church (see
Financial Accountability for the U.S. Church?
Thoughts on the idea of a 'Dallas Charter' for ecclesiastical finances
By John M. Grondelski | March 17th 2025 8:12 PMThe Pillar ran a piece March 14 asking, “Does the Church Need a ‘Dallas Charter’ on Money?” (linked below). The gist of the piece was that, as the original Dallas Charter of December 2002 was supposed to protect against clerical sexual abuse, so today a similar document may be needed to…
READ FULL BLOG POSTWe Need 'Reliable Jobs'
American business can and must include the worker
By John M. Grondelski | March 13th 2025 12:34 PMOren Cass, formerly of the Manhattan Institute and now of American Compass, is a public policy thinker I respect. I may not agree with everything he says -- for example, he’s willing to make peace with a “secular conservatism” to attract today’s young and religiously disaffiliated -- but I especially…
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