Church Theaters Offering Far More Than Pageantry

Saturday, March 10, 2007 • 7:53 pm

It’s not the brief nude scene in “M. Butterfly,” a drama about a 20-year affair between a French diplomat and a beautiful Chinese spy, that makes the story notable. It’s that the performance is in a church.

In the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church production, the spy strips down to confront the diplomat with the fact that she is really a he.

This article in the Washington Post reminds me of a play put on as a fund raiser for a local (not ECUSA) church. Our church decided we needed to support our brothers and sisters in Christ and attend. It was billed as a play that would tell the real Christmas story. The production was actually quite professional but that could not hide the raunchy jokes about sex and adultery or the lack of any mention of Jesus. The most offensive thing to me was the fact they used the altar as their stage. Just as an aside, the church closed its doors for good the next year. I wonder why.

Hattip to Piedmont!

5 Comments • Print-friendly • Print-friendly w/comments • Share on Facebook

Comments:

At this time of the year, St. Mark’s takes its cue from the liturgical season, making it a point to produce a play with more dramatic heft during Lent, said Rick Hayes, director of “M. Butterfly” and a St. Mark’s member.

The Diocese of Washington takes the liturgiical calendar seriously. Priests are forbidden from conducting “Holy Unions” during Lent due to their “theological reverence.”

[1] Posted by Piedmont on 03-11-2007 at 10:10 AM • top

Piedmont:
“Holy unions” of what? And “theological reverence” for what? I don’t get it (sorry, I’m slow today… time change and all).

[2] Posted by Cindy T. in TX on 03-11-2007 at 02:43 PM • top

Actually, the clergy of the church I grew up in in Charleston, SC, (St. Philip’s) did not allow marriage ceremonies during Lent (I’m not sure about now since I’ve been out of the area for 20 years) since Lent is a penitential time—and weddings by their very nature are celebratory. The first weekend after Easter was always the most highly sought wedding weekend—I got beat out by a friend, and had to settle for the second weekend after Easter!

[3] Posted by Branford on 03-11-2007 at 05:19 PM • top

Cindy:
The term “Holy Union” seems to have replaced “Commitment Ceremony” as it describes SSBs (Same Sex Blessings) in many churches. When Bishop John Bryson Chane conducted the ceremony for the Rev. Michael Hopkins and John Clinton Bradley it was referred to as a Holy Union.
Traditionally Episcopal parishes have not performed weddings during Lent unless due to the circumstances, according to the Rector’s discretion, an exception should be made. These exceptions would include family, job or military obligations or if the bride were expecting.
In one case that I personally knew of, the bride’s great-grandfather was celebrating his 100th birthday. Since family members were already going to be in town from all over the country they were allowed to have the wedding during Lent. In most dioceses the protocol is for the rector to make the decision and inform the Bishop as a matter of courtesy.
By not allowing “Holy Unions” during Lent this charade further engenders the delusion that the “Holy Unions” are valid. The people can say that they are good, faithful Christians but of course this is all a farce.

[4] Posted by Piedmont on 03-11-2007 at 09:35 PM • top

Thanks, Piedmont. That’s what I was afraid of. Shoulda known. Liturgical literalists, yet, heterodox activists. Guess it’s back to business as usual after the Easter bonnets go back into the closet? (No, I’m not going there…. that’s Snarkster’s job.)

[5] Posted by Cindy T. in TX on 03-11-2007 at 09:51 PM • top

Registered members are welcome to leave comments. Log in here, or register here.

Comment Policy: We pride ourselves on having some of the most open, honest debate anywhere about the crisis in our church. However, we do have a few rules that we enforce strictly. They are: No over-the-top profanity, no racial or ethnic slurs, and no threats real or implied of physical violence. Please see this post for more. Although we rarely do so, we reserve the right to remove or edit comments, as well as suspend users' accounts, solely at the discretion of site administrators. Since we try to err on the side of open debate, you may sometimes see comments that you believe strain the boundaries of our rules. Comments are the opinions of visitors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Stand Firm, its board of directors, or its site administrators.