The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East is rich in symbolism, but not in the clout that comes from great numbers and wealth. This branch of the Anglican Communion stretches from Algeria to Iran, a part of the world in which there are few Anglicans, but millions of Muslims, Jews, Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Nevertheless, the archbishop of this tiny Anglican flock dared to bring a blunt message to the powerful Episcopal Church this past week — please... Read more
It’s Yom Kippur. Will your Jewish grandmother serve shrimp-and-bacon hordeurves when the family breaks the fast? It’s Ramadan. Will your devout Muslim parents smile if you serve dinner several hours before sundown? It’s Good Friday. Will the Catholic college cafeteria serve hamburgers? It’s Thanksgiving. Can you predict the foods that will be on your mother’s table? Will the German grandmothers bake Christmas cookies at the Lutheran church? Is the tuna casserole served at potluck dinners at rural Minnesota churches truly... Read more
Madeleine L’Engle found it amusing that her critics kept missing the obvious in her fiction. Consider the magical women in “A Wrinkle In Time” — Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. It’s true that they have strange wardrobes and unique ways of speaking. Mrs. Whatsit is chatty, for example, because she is so young — a mere 2,379,152,497 years, eight months and three days old. When the elder Mrs. Which arrives from another dimension, her colleagues begin giggling. Why?... Read more
To follow Presbyterian news updates, outsiders need to learn a few key facts. The Presbyterian Church in America is not the same thing as the American Presbyterian Church. Also, Orthodox Presbyterians are not to be confused with Bible Presbyterians, Cumberland Presbyterians, Reformed Presbyterians, Associate Reformed Presbyterians or Evangelical Presbyterians. This Presbyterian alphabet soup became less complicated in 1983, when the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. joined with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S., the so-called Southern branch. This created... Read more
When it comes to statistics about religion, Europe is an urbane continent full of empty cathedrals, while America offers rows of suburban megachurches. Consider what happens when the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life asks a basic “salience question” to determine the level of interest in faith-related matters around the world. Participants are asked to answer “yes” or “no” in response to this statement: “Religion is very important to me.” About six out of 10 in the United States... Read more
As a rule, movie producers do not enjoy seeing America’s most influential newspaper crucify their films. “Reeking of self-righteousness and moral reprimand,” spat Jeanette Catsoulis of the New York Times, a movie entitled “The Ultimate Gift” could be considered “a hairball of good-for-you filmmaking coughed up by 20th Century Fox’s new faith-based label, Fox Faith.” Wait, there’s more, because this “cinematic sermon” makes sure that its “messages — pro-poverty, anti-abortion — are methodically hammered home.” There were other reviews, good... Read more
As he drives to church, the Rev. Greg Asimakoupoulos always notices the Sunday crowd gathered at one of his favorite sanctuaries. There are a dozen religious congregations on Mercer Island, even though the island east of Seattle in Lake Washington is only six miles long and three miles wide. It’s easy to spot the signs for the major brands, including the Presbyterians, Mormons, Orthodox Jews, Episcopalians, Christian Scientists and others. But Asimakoupoulos pays special attention to the flock at the... Read more
Coming soon to a parish near you: Sunday school with Harry Potter. This could happen if your congregation buys the new “Mixing it up with Harry Potter” study guides from the Church of England. The goal of the 12-part series is to use scenes from these omnipresent books and movies to help children discuss big issues such as death, sacrifice, loneliness, fear, mercy and grief. “Jesus used storytelling to engage and challenge his listeners,” said Bishop John Pritchard of Oxford,... Read more
Harry Potter and his best friend Hermione Granger arrived in the magical town of Godric’s Hollow on a snowy Christmas Eve. Carols drifted out of the village church as they searched its graveyard for the resting place of Lily and James Potter, who were murdered by the dark Lord Voldemort. First, they found the headstone honoring the family of Albus Dumbledore, the late headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The inscription said: “Where your treasure is, there... Read more
It’s the question that preachers, teachers and parents dread, especially if they were shaped by the cultural earthquakes of the 1960s. But no one fears it more than youth ministers, who hear the private questions that young people fear to ask their elders. Youth pastors work in the no man’s land between the home and the church. This is the question: “Well, didn’t you do any of this stuff when you were a kid?” The young person may be asking... Read more
Terry Mattingly
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