DOCTRINAL PARALYSIS
ON this date in 1999 - Leaders from the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.
The event ended a centuries-old doctrinal dispute over the nature of faith and salvation.
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Covering the event, NYT reporters Bun Man and Mr. Purple attended the news conference.
Bun Man asked one of the Church leaders, "How is it you all are focusing on doctrinal concerns when there are monumental world hunger issues and abject poverty all over the world?"
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One of the church leaders sidled up to the microphone and pronounced, "Doctrinal work took us centuries, do you think we could lessen hunger and poverty without that in place?"
Bun Man replied, "Well, yes, the hungry and poor really don't care about your doctrines..."
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