Items of interest from various sources of religious news and opinion, in print and on the web.
Atheist Song Performed at President Carter’s Funeral. The song “Imagine,” by John Lennon, has long been an anthem of the atheist left, which is not surprising, given the song’s lyrics: “Imagine there’s no heaven / It’s easy if you try / No hell below us / Above us only sky.” What is surprising is that it was reportedly the favorite song of the former president Jimmy Carter, who was a lifelong Southern Baptist. In fact, “Imagine” was performed at his funeral on January 9. President Biden, in his eulogy, hailed Carter as “a strong Christian.” The song goes on, “Imagine there’s no country / It isn’t hard to do / Nothing to live or die for / No religion, too.” Many Christians expressed distaste that a song with such a strongly atheistic theme should be performed in a Christian church at a Christian funeral. Bishop Robert Barron, prelate of the Catholic Archdiocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said he was “appalled” by the performance. “Vested ministers sat patiently while a hymn to atheistic humanism was sung,” he said. Creitz, Charles. “Social media erupts over funeral rendition of Jimmy Carter’s reported favorite song, ‘Imagine.'” Politics. FoxNews.com, 9 Jan., 2025. Web. 10 Jan., 2025.
Pastors from the Lower Michigan Study Club pictured with a page of Papyrus 46, the world’s oldest Pauline manuscript (-AD 150-200), located at the University of Michigan Hatcher Library in Ann Arbor.
(Above and below left to right) Traveling VBS in Hecla, South Dakota