A week of watching the rollout of the new ChurchMilitant.com format has only confirmed my first impression — that it is a brilliant stroke of combining the animation and energy of video, with the ability to revisit content, excerpt and study further the transcript or news text, with the dynamic of blog-type responses, as stories develop. (I expect a shakeout of the blog-type comments, however, as it has already drawn many who seem to just have a personal vendetta against Michael Voris, and are using the Church Militant comments to dilute or warp the issue. Many of the comments just attack, rather than add to dialogue). Kudos to Michael Voris and his whole team.
Today begins a new series, defending Catholic doctrine by disputing the feel-good theory that Judas didn’t really go to hell, so fundamental to much pulpit diatribe that implies God is just too “nice” to send anyone to hell.
What Church Militant has just done is to leverage the credibility it has built up over years into 
true leadership in Catholic Media. For some time now, I have been shifting my attention within the Catholic Media outlets. I used to read Zenit every day, at least the headlines, during the Papacy of Benedict XVI. During that period, Zenit seemed to be more NEWS oriented. Now, in my opinion, it reads more like Pope Francis’s daily diary and, with some of the ambiguity attached to his public comments and opinions, it has become less rather than more. Similarly, when EWTN took over the National Catholic Register I had great hopes for its being at the forefront of Truth in the Church, clearly communicating to the laity. I was totally turned off when they not only mis-used the word “murder” against George Zimmerman, who had been found not guilty in a legitimate court, but when over 100 commenters brought the error to NCRegister’s attention, the words on the blogsite were changed, but without really acknowledging the inappropriateness of what they had done. To me, NCRegister (like Catholic News Service, to some extent) seems now to excel more at spin-meistering for Catholic PR, than at propagating Truth, no matter how difficult. It is but a slippery slope down to the level of CathNewsUSA, of LCWR and Nuns on a Bus advocacy.
In such an atmosphere, it is perhaps not too surprising that a leadership void had been opening. Church Militant has seized the moment, not seemingly for their own aggrandizement, but rather for the sake of the laity’s right to know, i.e. for Truth. LifeSiteNews continues to impress also, as they are on top of many emerging stories, although this past week Church Militant scooped them by a few hours on the CRS VP who is in a same-sex, so-called marriage. But I do see a basic compatibility between LSN and Church Militant in their thirst for Truth, and fearless reporting. And both should be congratulated for staying on top of the scandal surrounding CRS (Catholic Relief Services, who collects money IN OUR CHURCHES!). I also like the publications of the Cardinal Newman Society in the niche of Catholic Education, which it serves well.
I hope that with Church Militant’s leadership now, across a breadth of Catholic issues, in what was becoming a ready-to-pop news bubble, there might be even more opportunity to keep media pressure on Synod threats, rather than on just reporting the results after the fact as alleged Catholic Media were wont to do in the last session.
I know there are CF readers who will disagree, or who just don’t like Church Militant and Michael Voris. I am reminded, however, of Christ’s words that He’d rather have us hot or cold, than lukewarm to be vomited from His Mouth.
Tags: News and Media
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I have never subscribed to ChurchMilitant, but have read many of Micheal’s words and watched some of his video clips. There are many who see him as right of the far right as teachings of the Church are concerned. If we all followed the true teachings of the Church, there would be no such classifications, but that is a whole other issue entirely. I believe I will try a subscription to Church Militant and see. Great work at Cleansing Fire you guy’s…I’ve been following for a couple of years now.
Wholeheartedly agree with your views, Diane, of Church Militant, LifeSiteNews, and of EWTN’s print media (well remembering them running with a story twist on Fr. Groeschel’s defending priests in his care). I, too, have read here at CF and heard elsewhere that not all appreciate Church Militant, usually disparaging MV’s style. I am a person who likes passionate delivery even when I don’t agree with the speaker, but I understand not everyone does.
As to lower key deliveries, look how softly sweet Cardinal Wurhl speaks and how friendly funny is Cardinal Dolan. Wonderful deliveries, but I don’t find their content faithful to the Truth. So I suggest to those among us who find MV over-the-top, let’s give him room in that regard. Until I see otherwise, I trust the man’s intentions and hope that those of like mind will accept his delivery. We all know of saints who were berated because of their delivery, but their messages live on.
MV’s goal (IMO) is protecting and defending the Faith, and he does it no-holds-barred vigorously. I say God bless him. Those who are trying to re-write our Faith hate him out of hand of course. It’s those who believe as we do that I wish would refrain from picking Voris apart but instead focus on the content, because it’s the message that counts. I would ask them to not distract by kicking the style of the messenger… those who are trying to change the Faith do enough of that for their corrupt reasons.
Thank you for keeping us informed. The CF community, ALL faithful communities, are life lines for us during these trying times. God bless your efforts.
+JMJ