Do Whatever He Tells You

By Charlie Johnston I think I gave the wrong impression when I wrote passionately about Pope Leo’s formulaic statement opposing American action on Iran, where he said that negotiation is the only answer and that violence never solved anything. Both were trite, nice-sounding platitudes that are easily and quickly disproven. But it did not signal […]

Read More Do Whatever He Tells You

A Year of Reckoning for Islam

By Charlie Johnston I first posted the following article on November 20, 2015. I wrote the first version of this particular introduction to it in late 2023, right after the Hamas massacre of Israeli concert-goers. I caught a lot of flack for it, despite a certain delicacy in my candor. We were long governed by […]

Read More A Year of Reckoning for Islam

Spooking the Horses

By Charlie Johnston “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” – Galatians 1:8 When an organization is fractured by deep divisions, I usually encourage a “Don’t spook the horses” policy for about a year. That […]

Read More Spooking the Horses

Be of Good Courage!

By Charlie Johnston   “Wait on the Lord, Be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart, Wait, I say, on the Lord – Psalm 27 A few people have asked me why I have written so little about Pope Leo XIV. I operate under the theory that the head of any large organization, […]

Read More Be of Good Courage!

Something New is Afoot

By Charlie Johnston Hayti, Missouri –  In 1978, when St. John Paul was elected Pope, I was very disturbed. For the first couple of months after his election, the media crowed that we finally had a “liberal” Pope – and things were going to change dramatically in the Church to catch it up to modern […]

Read More Something New is Afoot

The Revolution Gathers Force

By Charlie Johnston Houston, Texas – When I was a little boy, just after starting elementary school, I became a great admirer of President Kennedy. Every time he gave a speech on all the networks, I watched raptly. Of course, I had the mind of a child, so I did not always properly interpret what […]

Read More The Revolution Gathers Force