‘Lost’ in the eternal lite

Last updated on: May 31, 2010 at 5:01 am By tmatt

When describing the mysterious concept called purgatory, the Catechism of the Catholic Church starts with the basics. “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,” the text states. “The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification. … The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of... Read more

Island of ‘Lost’ souls

Last updated on: May 24, 2010 at 6:47 am By tmatt

It’s getting harder to visit office water coolers without hearing the whispers of the “Lost” disciples who are bracing for the end of the world as they know it. The same thing is happening during coffee hours in religious congregations of every shape and size, which is a testimony to the complexity of the religious themes and symbols embedded deep in the show’s mythology. Tough theological questions have circled the island of the castaways ever since the fateful crash of... Read more

Trying to focus on the future

Last updated on: May 17, 2010 at 6:11 am By tmatt

As strange as it may sound, the head of Focus on the Family is trying to find just the right place in his Colorado Springs office to put a framed copy of an editorial from the New York Times. Under the headline “Super Bowl Censorship,” it defended the Christian group’s right to buy a prime chunk of airtime, even if the ad focused on the decision by an ailing Pam Tebow to ignore her doctors’ advice to abort her fifth... Read more

Voices of unbelievers, in pulpits

Last updated on: May 10, 2010 at 6:23 am By tmatt

On Sunday mornings, you will find him leading hymns in one of the independent Church of Christ congregations somewhere in South Carolina. Call him “Adam.” He is a church administrator, a “worship minister” and a self-proclaimed “atheist agnostic.” That last detail is a secret. After all, his wife and teen-aged children are devout believers and he needs to stay employed. “Here’s how I’m handling my job. … I see it as playacting. I kind of see myself as taking on... Read more

Sermons by Billy and Obama

Last updated on: May 3, 2010 at 7:05 am By tmatt

Both men faced rows of loved ones still wrapped in grief after shocking tragedies. Both men quoted the Psalms. Both concluded with visions of eternal life and heavenly reunions. Both referred to familiar songs that offered comfort. Facing those gathered in Beckley, W.Va., to mourn the loss of 29 miners, President Barack Obama asked them to remember a rhythm and blues classic — “Lean on Me” — that had its roots in coal country life. Songwriter Bill Withers wrote: “Sometimes... Read more

State of the online Godbeat 2010

Last updated on: April 26, 2010 at 5:38 am By tmatt

For journalists who care about life on the Godbeat, the list of the dead and the missing in action has turned into a grim litany. Some religion-beat jobs have been killed, while others have been downsized, out-sourced, frozen or chopped up and given to reluctant general-assignment reporters. Gentle readers, please rise for a moment of silence. The Orlando Sentinel. The Dallas Morning News. Time. The Chicago Sun-Times. The Rocky Mountain News. U.S. News & World Report. The list goes on,... Read more

State of the Godbeat 2010

Last updated on: April 19, 2010 at 6:48 am By tmatt

This was not your typical New York Times headline: “For Catholics, a Door to Absolution is Reopened.” The news report itself offered a flashback into an earlier age, back to the days before Vatican II or even to the tumultuous times of Martin Luther. On one level, this was simply a trend story about the Vatican trying to revive some old traditions. However, there were complicated details behind the blunt headline. “In recent months,” the Times reported, “dioceses around the... Read more

God, movies and cancer

Last updated on: April 12, 2010 at 5:13 am By tmatt

Hollywood bean counters have started calling them “God films.” The typical faith-based indie has a tiny budget and most of the actors are amateurs or second stringers from television. It doesn’t take much money to promote one because churches are eager to hold pre-release screenings that fire up clergy and volunteers to spread the word — on foot and online. Southern Baptist entrepreneurs in Georgia made the pro-marriage drama “Fireproof” for $500,000 and it grossed $40 million at the box... Read more

Quest for the common Easter

Last updated on: April 5, 2010 at 5:49 am By tmatt

Motorists across America saw a strange sight this past Sunday morning if they stopped at a traffic signal near an Eastern Orthodox sanctuary and then, shortly thereafter, passed a Catholic parish. What they saw was worshippers singing hymns and waving palm fronds as they marched in Palm Sunday processions at these churches. Similar sights will be common during Holy Week rites this week and then on Easter Sunday. There is nothing unusual about various churches celebrating these holy days in... Read more

Hitchens, Hitchens and God, too

Last updated on: March 29, 2010 at 5:47 am By tmatt

When Peter Hitchens was eight years old, and his older brother Christopher was 11, their father asked the two hotheaded young Brits to sign a peace treaty. “I can still picture this doomed pact in its red frame, briefly hanging on the wall,” noted Peter Hitchens, in a recent essay published in The Daily Mail. “To my shame, I was the one who repudiated it, ripped it from its frame and angrily erased my signature, before recommencing hostilities. … Our... Read more