Christian Apologetics Society: Leaving Jesusland for Chicago

Scripture Memorization

Isaiah 55:11
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it

Gen 1:3
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light

Matthew 26:26
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body."

Malachi 1:11
My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty.

John 20:23
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

James 2:14
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

Luke 20:38
For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.

Rev 21:27
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

1 Cor 3:15
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Psalm 51:5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.

John 3:5
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

1 Timothy 3:15
but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Acts 22:16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Leaving Jesusland for Chicago

My apologies to regular CAS readers for not posting this past two weeks. I left what "Blue Staters" call "Jesusland" for the very urban environs of Chicago. Chicago, I discovered is remarkably Catholic. (Settled by French Catholic fur traders. Makes sense.)

Here in Jesusland, Catholics are a minority. My state is in competition with Mississippi for the fewest Catholics. Baptist and Pentacostal churches predominate. Country crossroads often sport two or more Baptist churches. Catholic churches are about 20-30 miles apart. Some counties lack a single Catholic church entirely.

By comparison, downtown Chicago seems to have Catholic Churches spaced 20-30 blocks apart. Some city crossroads seemed to have several Catholic churches at their intersections, one Roman and another one or two Eastern. The view from an elevated deck showed tall cross adorned spires announcing the presence of Catholic churches in every neighborhood.

I discovered that Old Saint Mary's Catholic Church on Michigan is actually a very modern structure. The Catholic Church in Chinatown offers worship in Chinese and four other languages, including Italian. The Lithuanian parish in Bridgeport offers Mass in Latin. I'm sure local Chicagoans could add to my list of observations.

To be fair, I know that all religions are likely found in Chicago. North of the river, we found a Jewish area. That was before driving along Devon and through its Indian and Pakistani communities. Along the way we passed at least two Episcopal/Anglican churches and a lovely Lutheran church. I did eventually spot a Baptist congregation.

Somewhere south of the corn belt in Illinois, Catholic churches disappeared and Baptist churches dominated. I thought to myself. Jesusland! I'm almost home.

Labels: Catholic, Catholicism, Miscellaneous