Teacup Browsing

• While overall, charitable giving is up, giving for churches is on the decline.

• And job opportunities for professing members of those churches are way down, especially if you're. "Wallonian." 

• NYT's short on ISIS.

• The woman (yes, the woman) who invented Iraq.

• Soccer or football?

• CofE's soccer prayers.  It didn't help, them.

• Canterbury and Rome on the (very long way).  According to ENS, "The burdens of division continue but the opportunities for new collaboration and much deeper understanding between the two world communions are compelling and timely."  Just not in cricket.

• Catholics Hilaire Billoc and G.K. Chesterton (following traditional Catholic social teaching) as well asmany Anglican theologians including Phillip Blond and John Milbank have offered an alternative to Piketty-mania: namely, Distributism.  Which is not what it sounds like. FAQ.  Plan to hear about more about it in response to Piketty's blockbuster NYT best seller, Capital in the Twenty-First Century.

• Il Papa excommunicates the Sopranos...

• And Maureen Dowd and Francis are seeing things closer than they seem.

• Rolheiser on Living without fear of God.

• Greg Boyd on legalism and more legalisms.

• Inspiration:  this woman works 2 jobs so that she can do this for lunch.

• The dedicated life of Ann B.

• Monasticism moves to Disney.

• Five most visited holy sites.

• You've heard of the running of the bulls?  Here's the Thai version.

• Another art critic.

• Two church signs this week: