WASHINGTON — One of the most sobering sights that novelist Joel Rosenberg has ever seen was the glitter of Manhattan outside the windows of a Learjet a few months after Sept. 11. Since this was a private plane, its passengers did not pass through a metal detector and have their ID cards checked. There were no security procedures at all. “It was the middle of the night and we were flying right over Ground Zero,” he said. “I remember saying... Read more
John Paget has no doubt there are conservative Christians in cyberspace who are praying for the salvation of his soul. This may seem like a strange use of prayer time, seeing as how he is a pro-life, evangelical Christian who is a graduate of Biola University — once the Bible Institute of Los Angeles — and active at the First Baptist Church in Olympia, Wash. Then again, Paget runs a certain political website. It’s www.ChristiansForDean.info, with this cheery headline: “Good... Read more
Jesuits rarely receive frantic calls from Hollywood megastars rushing to finish movies that are causing media firestorms. But Father William Fulco is getting used to it, as Mel Gibson completes his cathartic epic “The Passion of the Christ.” While mixing dialogue the other day, Gibson hit a scene in which a man standing at a door lacked something to say. The director needed a line — right now. Fulco’s first question was unique to this project: Was this character supposed... Read more
Another Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Winter Solstice season has come and gone, but the lawyers will be cleaning up for quite a while. Things got rough on the church-state front. Pick a zip code. Firefighters in Glenview, Ill., were ordered to take down their station’s lights, tree and Santa when neighbors said they were offended. A pastor in Chandler, Ariz., was grieved when the public library set up a display of readings about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but not Christmas. Instead... Read more
The words are ancient, yet affirmed by all who join the Episcopal Church. The bishop asks them: “Do you believe in God the Father?” New members reply: “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” The bishop asks: “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?” They reply: “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.”... Read more
The atmosphere could not have been tenser as the world’s Anglican archbishops gathered in the privacy of Lambeth Palace in London. The world was watching. Conservative Anglicans — most from Third World altars — were furious that the U.S. Episcopal Church and its allies were ignoring global calls not to enthrone a noncelibate gay bishop in New Hampshire. No doubt about it, the consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson grabbed headlines and easily won the Religion Newswriters Association poll to determine its top 10 events... Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: Second of two columns on traditional carols. The story begins with the Empress Helena, who commanded that the relics of the Wise Men of the East be brought to Byzantium. These three skulls were eventually taken to Milan and, in 1162, to Cologne. According to folk tradition, the relics made their journey from Bethlehem to Cologne in three ships. As minstrels kept singing the songs, the destination changed and so did the identity of the travelers. The result... Read more
Sometime just before Christmas, maestro Patrick Kavanaugh will gather a few friends to take part in a quietly subversive public rite. Slipping from house to house under cover of darkness, it is their intention to sing pieces of explicit, doctrinal religious music to family, neighbors and even strangers. They do this every year, even if it is snowing. Historians refer to this rare activity as “Christmas caroling.” “People really do love it,” said Kavanaugh, conductor for the Christian Performing Artists... Read more
LOS ANGELES — Faced with the end of his world, even the cheery hobbit Pippin lost hope. “I didn’t think it would end this way,” he tells Gandalf, as they watch the forces of evil advance in Peter Jackson’s epic “The Return of the King.” “End? No, the journey doesn’t end here,” replies the wizard, who has already had one near-death experience and been reborn. “There’s another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world... Read more
The bureaucrats charged with turning Russia into a godless utopia had a December dilemma and a big part of their problem was St. Nicholas. The early Communists needed to purge Christmas of its Savior, sacraments and beloved symbols, including this patron saint of widows and children. What they needed was a faith-free icon for a safe, secular New Year’s season. Digging into pre-Christian Slavic legends they found their superman — Father Frost. “It’s so ironic,” said the Rev. James Parker... Read more
Terry Mattingly
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