Flashes
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Questions about AI are really religious questions
Every new technology carries an implicit vision of what it means to be human. That makes the deepest questions about AI fundamentally religious ones – even if much of the developed world would prefer the Church stayed silent on matters of profit and progress.
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The theological emptiness of the Petrocchi report
Phyllis Zagano’s analysis in America and in Flashes dismantles the Petrocchi Commission’s conclusions on women’s diaconate, showing they rest on no historical, theological, or anthropological documentation.
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Just war theory – more like confession than permission
Just war theory was always reluctant permission, not a green light. Resorting to military force is never a display of international strength, but an open admission of bankruptcy. By prioritizing weapons modern states confess that the essential, slower work of human connection was abandoned far too soon.
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Trump’s attacks elevate Pope Leo
Donald Trump’s repeated derogatory remarks about Pope Leo have paradoxically transformed the pontiff from a figure of mild curiosity into a confirmed world leader. His steady appeals to the just war tradition now command mainstream media attention rather than being buried in back pages.
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False news and discord demand urgent response
Global frustration with misinformation and the collapse of respectful conversation demand more than secular remedies. The World Day of Communications challenges the Church to model the unity it preaches by first healing its own internal Babel.
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Synodality won’t trickle down
Expecting clerics; hierarchical leaders alone to drive Synodality may be unrealistic. Parish communities in Australia already demonstrated their readiness for a synodal church during Plenary Council preparations. The path forward may require complementary action from the bottom up.
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Shrinking God to fit inside our borders
Pentecost refutes religious nationalism that makes God reliably sympathetic to one culture’s anxieties. The Spirit crossed every boundary human beings had declared permanent, fluent in every tongue that power had dismissed, authorised by no government, and contained by no border.
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“Pure-blood” bishops sound more like Harry Potter than the Gospels
Jesus measured faithfulness by whether people fed the hungry and visited the imprisoned, not by tracing clerical lineage. The doctrine of Apostolic Succession, built on mistranslation and selective memory, distracts from the radical simplicity of the Gospel’s own demands.
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Does the Bible give Israel divine rights over Palestinian land?
Genesis texts promising land to Abraham’s descendants are frequently cited to justify Israeli occupation. But modern biblical scholarship and Paul’s letter to the Romans challenge any claim that God permanently favours one people over another.
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How Evangelical voters drive US policy on Israel
Evangelical Christians form a major Republican constituency, and Christian Zionist organisations like Christians United for Israel claim millions of members. Their lobbying has directly influenced decisions such as relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem, with politicians openly courting their support.
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