Christianity, Shmistianity...Really?

 

It's midnight, yet again I'm sneaking off to write another early morning blog post while my husband sleeps, and I'm pretty sure that he thinks I'm watching the nudie cable channels that broadcast at these hours. If only it were as easy as turning the tube on and falling asleep on the couch to "adult smut" or my favorite the "adult filth" channel (don't get too excited, I've never actually watched these channels but did take note of their names while channel surfing during the day, and please let me reiterate that they don't broadcast during the day).

I tried using a bit more self control this time, while I was twiddling my thumbs restlessly in bed, but the whole "mind over matter" thing gets a bit convoluted when it's the mind that's causing all the trouble to begin with. Instead of going back to sleep my brain jumped onto a revolving door of thought regarding a BBC program I watched a few weeks ago, and my experience here in London on Easter. The BBC program entitled "Does Christianity Have a Future?", produced and directed by Gillian Bancroft and last broadcast on April 17th in the UK, prompted me to question the future of Christianity at all.

Presenter Ann Widdecombe

My immediate family is predominately very religious, and the idea that Christianity would not have a future hadn't crossed my mind, pretty much ever. Enter the BBC program, which initially sent my thoughts spinning, and follow that with a double shot of steaming reality with a visit to the oldest church in London on Easter. Imagine my surprise when Easter came around in London, at St. Etheldreda's Church, and I saw more people shopping around town than at the Easter service. This was a particular shock after having come from the states where you have to leave early to simply get a seat at church on both Christmas and Easter. 

Generally speaking, it seems that people in the United States have a very different attitude toward Christianity than the more relaxed European one. Then again, almost everything here is a bit more relaxed. People walk slower, they take longer to eat, and they just recently got two bank holiday weekends in a row. I found the BBC program interesting, and especially enjoyed the interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury if only to have another gander at those amazing eyebrows.