STEPHANOPOULOS: So, do you have a church here in Washington?
OBAMA: Not yet. And so, one of the things that Michelle and I will be doing is probably visiting some churches and seeing what’s comfortable. It is tougher as president. You know, this is not just an issue of going to church, it’s an issue of going anywhere. You don’t want to subject your fellow church members, the rest of the congregation, to being mugged every time you go to church. And so, we’re going to try to be balancing, not being disruptive to the city, but also saying we want to be part of Washington D.C.
But one of the things that I don’t like historically about Washington is the way that you’ve got one part of Washington, which is a company town, all about government, and is generally pretty prosperous. And then, you’ve got another half of D.C. that is going through enormous challenges. I want to see if we can bring those two Washington D.C.s together. [article]
Translation: I haven’t yet found a predominantly black church where the pastor is not likely to get me into trouble.
On the other hand he seems to think that just by picking a church he can bring these two Washington D.C.’s together. Rather interesting is that his criteria is trying out churches to find which one is “comfy.” Yes the theological distinction of comfiness. Church shopping is of course a normal American pastime. To find a church where you can check off going to church on Sunday without actually being challenged in any serious way and if they have a Starbucks that’s a bonus.
Presidents not going to church services is nothing new. President Reagan said that he did not go “as regularly as I should. I suppose it’s true that a man can be religious without going to church.” His attendance before becoming president was spotty and as president very infrequent.
I bring this aspect up because I find it interesting the difference between the Catholic and Protestant view in this regards. While church going is mostly emphasized in Protestantism, missing one of the services for any reason is not seen as any problem. There is no service like Mass Times for Protestants so that they can make sure they go to a service when on vacation or traveling. Though of course when speaking of Protestantism it is always hard to speak of it as a block and possibly High Anglicans or some Lutherans, etc might take the Sunday obligation more seriously. But for the most part Protestants consider it no big deal if you miss church services. For the most part you can receive all of the benefits of a Protestant service by watching a comparable one on TV. The sermon is the main focus for most Protestants since there is no sacramental component that actually requires personal attendance. So why not just listen to the best sermon on a podcast or from your favorite TV preacher?
The virtue of religion is the duty whose purpose is to render God the worship due to Him. Here is a problem that Catholics and Protestants share is that we go on Sunday often with the primary attitude of wanting something for ourselves. We want good liturgy/homily/fellowship, etc or to be entertained and actual worship of God takes a back pew. While the desire of liturgy/homily/fellowship are goods they are not the primary reason for the Sunday obligation which has it roots in third commandment. Too often we become passive in wanting to receive something instead of uniting ourselves together in worship of God. To quote Kurt Cobain “Here we are now, Entertain us” can be used to describe what many people want out of Mass/service. The key to good liturgy/homily/fellowship, etc is that it helps us to worship God.
23 comments
I would think that if he had a prior job in DC, maybe he’d go where he used to attend?
My wife was raised in a Presbyterian church, and observes that there is no Sunday obligation to compel church attendance, just judgment from the people who don’t see you there.
Similar to shopping for churches, I’ve always found it odd how Protestant churches select their own pastors. That’s gotta make it way too easy to pick a pastor who’s exactly like you and doesn’t challenge you at all. But I suppose there is no other way, many Protestant churches don’t have anyone above them with the authority to appoint them a new pastor.
I was a fairly high-church Episcopalian (read: Protestant who claims sacraments) for many years; I never heard of the concept of Sunday obligation before converting to Catholicism. As an Episcopalian, I did have the sense that on Sunday morning you really ought to be in church unless you had a compelling reason not to be, and weekly communion was certainly understood to be a very good and important thing. So in that sense, the Sunday obligation just underscored the way my family had been living for years. But there really wasn’t a sense, as Protestants, that if you missed once in a while for reasons that weren’t entirely compelling, you had a spiritual issue you needed to take care of.
On the Presidential theme, I wonder what JFK did?
Peace,
–Peter
I never thought I would see a Kurt Cobain reference on this blog!! 😉 On a serious note, when I have missed Mass for a good reason (sickness, etc.), I have felt a lose or an emptiness inside. I don’t go to Mass because I have to, I go to Mass because I want/need to. It is like an addiction!!
Great entry, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Isn’t it sad how “Here we are now, Entertain us” could be part of the lyrics of a certain Catholic hymn, e.g.
Here we are, now,
Entertain us,
Make us feel all good and special, Lord,
After all, we,
Got up early,
We deserve a really sweet reward.
Peter, I was a teenager during JFK’s presidency. The family attended Holy Trinity in Georgetown regularly. We saw fairly frequent news clips of the family outside the church. There is still a memorial plaque on the outside of the building to the effect that it was JFK’s church during his presidency.
Now, that’s not entirely true. A lot of old school denominations and corners of the world do believe that there’s a Sunday obligation, and that you’ll go to Hell if you don’t go to church. Old Scottish church groups, for instance — the ones up in the Hebrides that were forced by the UK government to open their shops on Sunday.
In many Protestant countries, Sunday attendance was until recently enforced by law; you would be fined if you missed church. (Also used to weed out Catholics and Protestants of other denominations.)
Around my neck of the woods, there never used to be soccer practice or Scout meetings on Wednesday nights, because Sundays and Wednesday nights were reserved for church services for folks of certain churches.
It is true that the theological justification for constant Sunday attendance has gotten weaker and weaker over the years as these denominations got further away from Catholicism.
Maureen,
“the ones up in the Hebrides that were forced by the UK government to open their shops on Sunday.”
How long ago was this? Curiosity mainly.
I work for a data processing company that professes “family values” but yet cannot guarentee me that I can get to church if an issue develops on a Sat-Sun and I have not gotten to church yet. They just dont get it.
Most major denominations have a church in DC which is considered the “glamour parish” or where the elite meet. Catholics have Holy Trinity in Georgetown (run by Jesuits, who else) where Jack Kennedy attended, even though the territorial parish of the White House is St Stephen’s on Pennsylvania Ave. Jews have Washington Hebrew Congregation. Can’t remember what the others have.
The last time a President was a regular local churchgoer, was Bill Clinton at Foundry Methodist. Across from the north side of the White House is Lafayette Park. On the other side is St John’s Episcopal, known as the “church of the presidents,” as nearly all of them have attended there at one time or another. Reagan was ostensibly a Presbyterian, though he was never a regular churchgoer while living in DC.
The Obamas were affiliated with the United Church of Christ while living in Chicago. The UCC is a liturgical confession, and fairly liberal, descending from Congregationalists in New England. Don’t know where the First Family would go for this option, really. But security is a big consideration, as is the potential for disrupting the normal life of a congregation.
Great, now I have “Smells Like Teen Spirit” stuck in my head. Thanks.
🙂
There are lyrics for “Smells Like Teen Spirit”? I thought it was just gargling.
Translation: I haven’t yet found a predominantly black church where the pastor is not likely to get me into trouble.
I don’t even read that much into it. I actually just read “sigh, I ran on a ticket that Church life is kinda important, so I guess I gotta humor those voters and pretend I have some semblance of a religious life…”
Christ had to have a sense of humor, but I wonder what impact this negativity toward Protestants in general and Obama in particular has on Christ’s body. Does it “help us to worship God?” No doubt that interview was a comfy one for Obama, but taking his response to such a shallow conclusion and then generalizing a whole religious movement to such vacuity also seems a bit too comfy & smug.
I’m not having much luck poking around the newspaper sites… but anyway, here’s the gist. There was some kind of local/town law on one of the predominantly Protestant islands (Lewis, possibly) which prohibited shops and restaurants from opening on Sunday. The EU said that this law was not legal under EU law, so now shops are allowed to be open. However, most shops and restaurants still close on Sunday, including the one Tesco. (Some of the tourist trade shops do open.)
This just happened in the last couple of years.
As a foreigner, former resident in DC, I can assure of these:
1) The Obaminator will have no trouble to enlist friendly black priests-bishops-parishes in DC. That strategy worked in the elections to win the Christian vote.
2) But there is a funny joke: all of them will be terminally guilty of Prophet Malachi:
2:8 But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction…says the LORD of hosts,
9 and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction.”
What is the VERY BIG joke? When the press will ask the chosen culprit, how THAT practicing-proud-homosexual (citing Biblical curses) token bishop, will give the official much taunted speech. (The dumb Obaminator advisers confuse the La-la-land Globe-Revolutionary Road awards, with the great majority of USA voters).
If The Curt Jester smart humour spreads, we can promote a feast of blunders.
Cordially
Yes, I work with a very religious young evangelical man and I was quite startled when he mentioned a few weeks ago that he and his wife really ought to find a church here in town. He moved here from Minnesota 3 years ago and yet apparently it hasn’t been a pressing concern for him. I said “What do you do on Sunday mornings?” He said “Oh, we read the Bible together and pray.” Well, that’s better than sleeping off a hangover, which is how my Sunday mornings were spent when I was in my 20’s.
I used to see Bill and Hill coming out of Foundry Methodist every now and again. A friend told me a member of the church said she was actually quite relieved when they left office and stopped attending. At first it was a thrill to see the Prez in church, but gawkers and the Secret Service detail took up most of the pew space.
Joe, I sympathize. I worked for two companies that had me working Sundays, and often I’d work Saturday nights so there was no way to go to Mass.
But please call around and see if there are other Sunday times. I found a nearby parish that had a Sunday evening Mass to accommodate sailors, fishermen, etc. who work days. There was also a very old priest who had Mass at 6 am without a choir – good, short homily and going in peace before 7!
Liked your quote from Kurt Cobain. Yes that is true of the default attitude of many catholics who are unfortunately properly catechised, and how different it is from the teaching of the church that it is an act of justice that we render to God when we worship on Sunday
Er i mean improperly catechised…
“You don’t want to subject your fellow church members, the rest of the congregation, to being mugged every time you go to church…we’re going to try to be balancing, not being disruptive”. You can call him a liar if you want but actually do that, don’t try to manipulate his words or make a random tangent on catholic church shopping. He is looking for a place that won’t take away from the congregation. He is the president, (as of the 20th) I think that might take a little as you say shopping. You can insult the article based on the fact he shouldn’t be going to church in a public facility but rather find a different way to get in touch with the community. You in fact can insult just about everything else you said but don’t even try to link it to this article.
What is the previous poster talking about?
Why does he sound offended?
SFP
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