When I read about this:

Best Paid Pastors Make Hundreds Of Thousands To Millions Of Dollars Annually

It brings to mind the 1960 Burt Lancaster/Jean Simmons film Elmer Gantry, based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis. (Both are excellent by the way.)

Things that come to a bad end...

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A prominent preacher of the Prosperity Gospel

is about to find that prosperity is fleeting...

Eddie Long on sabbatical as divorce proceeds

Is there ever a pile of issues here! Like other ministers railing against all things gay, it seems he's a bit conflicted about the issue himself. Now it's going to cost him his prosperity. Permanent alimony, at that end of the pay scale, will likely be quite a bit, particularly if he's losing his following...

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I guess things aren't all sunshine and light

in Africa, at the orphanage of this scary fellow...

'Machine Gun Preacher' Under Heavy Fire

"Sam Childers, subject of a new movie, is accused of neglecting children at his orphanage in South Sudan."

He's a controversial figures. What is the truth?

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I really think

that the people in charge of programming should make sure that this gentleman only speaks into dead microphones when they're not on the air.


Pat Robertson says Alzheimer's makes divorce OK

He has no credibility now, so this won't likely make any difference. 'Just another nutty comment from that Robertson guy...'
 

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I know one thing,

I certainly won't be able to watch this film with the same child-like appreciation for a work of fiction that I could watch it with before, no sir!

Wizard of Oz is a God-hating Movie


I think it's been ruined for me...

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Damned if you do...

and if you don't? Same thing.

Clergy Insulted By Speaking Ban At Sept. 11 Events

If you open it up you'll end up with followers of the flying spaghetti monster wanting to talk... (No offense to follower of the flying spaghetti monster meant, of course.)

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Nope. Sorry.




A very muscular brand of Christianity: Why Jesus has undergone a macho makeover

Do you notice that he is even more WASPish looking than ever?

It's not just a matter of making Jesus macho or muscular, he becomes more and more 'one of our own' who can, by the way, whip the snot out of anyone or anything you throw at him. Take that!

Jesus as male action figure. Why am I not surprised?

Blech!

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Another 'Good Grief' statement

from the irrepressible Pat Robertson...

Pat Robertson: Crack in Washington Monument ‘Sign from the Lord?’

He's starting to preface his statements with a disclaimer, though, so that's a step in the right direction. I can help him with a suggestion, though. Instead of "I don‘t want to get weird on this so please take it for what it’s worth." he needs to preface his statements with "And here's another c-r-a-a-a-a-z-y idea!".

You're welcome.

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A different word comes to mind

Pint-sized preacher: The toddling pastor wowing churchgoers in Mississippi

That word is 'exploitation'.

He's only 4 years old, for crying out loud. Only in America you say? Thank the good Lord!

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For everyone's sake


Advice to homilists: Please get to the point in six or eight minutes

There's a wonderful story in our parish about my father, who was a leader in the parish in many ways, but always ushered at the 8 a.m. Mass on Sunday. We are blessedly served by a religious order whose two charisms are the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) and preaching. Years ago, one of the priests who served in our parish was known for the phrase 'and one more thing' and then go off on a tangent for another 10 minutes. He could do this two or three times in a homily. One Sunday my father had had enough and from then on when the priest had gone over 10 or 15 minutes my father, standing at the back of the church, would hold his arm up and start pointing at his watch, signally Father that is was time to wind down. It's become a legend in our parish. No one talked like that to the priest, pre-Vatican II. People still mention it to me...

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