JP Grayland
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The Smartphone has remade the papacy
Technology is transforming the papacy from a distant office into the Vatican in my top pocket.
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The little man on the cross!
Meaning and comprehension aren’t the same thing, and sacred spaces may work on people long before belief does.
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Authentic tradition, authentic voices and religious nationalism
This essay critically examines how appeals to “authentic tradition” in contemporary theological discourse function as tools in ongoing religious and political conflicts. It argues that these appeals often oversimplify complex theological realities, shaping public perception and influencing authority within the Church and society.
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Doing theology in times of political crisis
The collision of political sovereignty and ecclesial authority exposes fundamental questions of legitimacy within a fragmented normative landscape. Appeals to tradition obscure irreducible complexity, crisis functions as rhetorical apparatus, and the inexorable dynamics of imperial decline reconfigure authority itself—compelling discernment between authentic moral critique and instrumentalised religion.
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When religion detaches from reason it becomes dangerous
A church whose symbols and leaders serve political interests loses its function as a unifying sign: structural resistance, not verbal disagreement, is the appropriate response.
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Restorationism divides
Restorationism promises clarity where ambiguity dominates. It offers programmes, pipelines, and reforms. But the Gospel teaches something scandalous: God scatters seed recklessly, trusts mixed fields, and reserves judgment for harvest. Control is not the language of faith.
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A convergence of realism and Catholic social teaching
Mark Carney’s Davos speech reveals a striking alignment between modern geopolitical strategy and Catholic social teaching. As the post-Cold War order fractures, the need for systems that protect human dignity and promote the common good has never been more urgent or necessary.
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The ideology of “the land” and its quiet power over politics and culture
Land is more than physical territory. It holds emotion, memory, and meaning. Across cultures and histories, land becomes a source of identity, pride, and grief. Its importance transcends soil—it shapes who we are, where we belong, and how we understand others and ourselves.
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Rethinking parish life
The Catholic parish once stood as the Church’s neighbourhood heartbeat. Today, that model no longer fits. From Canada to New Zealand, the shift from “maintenance to mission” is taking hold. Lay-led communities, family-of-parishes, and digital ministries are showing that faith can flourish even where buildings close.
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Blessing love without betraying doctrine
The Church faces a defining question: can it bless love without betraying doctrine? What began as pastoral care now challenges the very grammar of Catholic worship — for in the Church, what is blessed becomes a revelation of belief.
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