MSI Press Blog

  Today's Publisher's Pride is When Liberty Enslaves by Jerry Aveta, which reached #284 in campaigns & elections and #318 in abolition history of the US. Book Description There is a common experience between our experiences today and those before the Civil War many years ago.  The effect of the intersection of faith and politics during these two experiences has had on our elections and our governance is uncanny in their similarities.  Both times an election insurrection was stopped by the sitting vice president.  Both times had people of the same faith on both sides of the social issues of the day claiming God’s favor and willing to divide the nation over those competing positions. Part 1 of this writing focuses on the Civil War era and how liberty centered around the issue of equality.  Some people of faith believed all men were equal, some did not. Part 2 focuses on our present times and how liberty centers on the sanctity of life concerning abortion and ...

  Faith communities are meant to be places of refuge — where truth is lived, not just preached. Yet when words and actions diverge, the dissonance can wound more deeply than disbelief itself. Hypocrisy doesn’t merely disappoint; it erodes trust, and trust is the foundation of belonging. 1. The Betrayal of Example People come to church seeking authenticity — a glimpse of grace embodied in human form. When leaders or members proclaim love but practice exclusion, preach humility but pursue power, the message collapses. The contradiction feels like betrayal, not of doctrine, but of the heart. 2. The Loss of Credibility Faith loses its persuasive power when it ceases to be lived. The Gospel becomes rhetoric instead of reality. Those who once listened begin to turn away, not because they reject God, but because they can no longer find Him in the behavior of His followers. 3. The Wounding of the Vulnerable Hypocrisy harms most those who come in pain — the seekers, the doubters, the broken...

  Today's Publisher's Pride is When Liberty Enslaves by Jerry Aveta, which reached #284 in campaigns & elections and #318 in abolition history of the US. Book Description There is a common experience between our experiences today and those before the Civil War many years ago.  The effect of the intersection of faith and politics during these two experiences has had on our elections and our governance is uncanny in their similarities.  Both times an election insurrection was stopped by the sitting vice president.  Both times had people of the same faith on both sides of the social issues of the day claiming God’s favor and willing to divide the nation over those competing positions. Part 1 of this writing focuses on the Civil War era and how liberty centered around the issue of equality.  Some people of faith believed all men were equal, some did not. Part 2 focuses on our present times and how liberty centers on the sanctity of life concerning abortion and ...

  People who leave the Church because of hypocrisy rarely lose faith in God outright. What they lose is trust in the human vessel that carries that faith. They step away not from belief, but from betrayal — from the dissonance between what is preached and what is practiced. For many, the journey back begins quietly, almost imperceptibly. 1. The Faith Never Fully Departs Even when they say, “I’m done,” something remains — a memory of grace, a rhythm of prayer, a moral compass shaped by the sacraments. It’s like an ember under ash. They may stop attending Mass, but they still whisper prayers in crisis. They still feel the tug of conscience. That’s not departure; that’s dormancy. 2. The Return Often Begins with Encounter People come back not because doctrine changes, but because someone embodies mercy . A priest who listens without judgment. A friend who lives the Gospel without quoting it. A stranger whose kindness feels sacramental. The hypocrisy that drove them away is answered by...