A growing interest in the tradition of Lent is giving Protestants something more in common with Catholics. Though slightly different in practice, some call this a step toward convergence in the global church. Christopher Ruddy, an associate professor at The Catholic University of America who is an expert on ecumenism and ecclesiology, said of the Protestant churches rediscovering Lent, “There’s certainly a sense of a spiritual desire to prepare for Lent...a desire of conversion.” Washington’s multisite National Community Church is one among several Protestant churches to have adopted Lenten practices of fasting and giving up material things and habits. “Lent is about repentance; it’s about confession,” Joel Schmidgall, the church’s executive pastor, said in a sermon on March 2. “It’s about pruning and cutting things back so that you can grow closer to Christ.”
Lent: It’s Not Just for Catholics Anymore
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
I use a motorized wheelchair and communication device because of my disability, cerebral palsy. Parishes were not prepared to accommodate my needs nor were they always willing to recognize my abilities.
Age and its relationship to stardom is the animating subject of “Sunset Blvd,” “Tammy Faye” and “Death Becomes Her.”
What separates “Bonhoeffer” from the myriad instructive Holocaust biographies and melodramas is its timing.
“Wicked” arrives on a whirlwind of eager (and anxious) anticipation among fans of the musical.