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1. What can Brown do for your faith?
The most interesting press release Weblog has seen on The Da Vinci Code comes from Carlton Pearson, the Pentecostal preacher whose megachurch went bust after he started preaching universalism. "The panic of the religious right is obvious in their knee-jerk reaction to The Da Vinci Code or to anything else that challenges their often idolatrous traditions," Pearson says. "What is the difference between the Christian response to The Da Vinci Code and the Islamic world's response to Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses?"

Well, for one thing, "religious right" leaders seem to be telling Christians to "engage the culture" by watching the movie. Oh, and then there's the whole not calling for the death of Dan Brown thing.

Incidentally, it's in the Islamic world, not the area formerly known as Christendom, where the film is actually being banned. That doesn't stop Movieguide's Ted Baehr from telling readers that the movie is a Muslim scheme: "If Christians pay to go see Ron Howard's movie based on the book, they will be paying Mohammed to attack Jesus Christ and His Church."

What Weblog doesn't quite understand is the use of the term boycott in talking about one particular movie. Is saying "don't see this movie" or "this movie stinks" the same as calling for a boycott? If so, then why are critics described as "panning" the film but pastors and bishops are "calling for a boycott"? And is choosing not to see a film the same as taking part in a boycott? Because I'm not reading a lot about the big R.V. and Just My Luck boycotts. And if it's a boycott to refuse to see a film, what do you call Sony's refusal to let people who want to see the film (namely film critics who aren't in Cannes) do so?

Anyway, if you have no interest in sifting through hundreds of articles about Christians and The Da Vinci Code (Weblog has decided not to link to the myriad articles about local clergy reactions) and just want one non-CT article, Peter Boyer's New Yorker piece works well.

2. The other religion-and-immigration debate
Think the religious debate on immigration is contentious? Be glad you're not in Europe, where the debate over immigration isn't just taking place in the churches—it's literally taking place in the churches. Dozens of Afghan refugees have holed up in Dublin's St. Patrick's Cathedral, and begun a hunger strike. They promise to starve to death unless they're granted asylum. Church of Ireland archbishop John Neill said using the church as a place to stage such a protest is "not appropriate."

In Belgium, however, Catholic bishops have backed a similar occupation of more than two dozen churches by illegal immigrants.

Immigrants have similarly occupied Paris's Church of St. Merri, notes the National Catholic Reporter.

Paul Belien of the Brussels Journal weblog notes that the immigrants—mostly Muslims—have made interesting changes to some of the churches they're occupying. In Brussels's Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, protesters have hung a green banner reading "Allah" in Arabic, moved the altar, and covered the statue of "Our Lady" with a shroud. Meanwhile, they're holding Muslim prayer services. "The Belgian Bishops are so ignorant that they do not see what is going on," writes Belien. "Their churches are being turned into mosques before their very eyes."

3. Who attacked a Christian radio station in Nairobi?
On Friday, after Muslim prayers, Nairobi's Hope FM radio station aired a program comparing the Qur'an and the Bible. In the middle of the broadcast, five hooded gunmen attacked the station, which is housed at Nairobi Pentecostal Church, shot two guards and a mechanic, and hurled a Molotov cocktail into the studio. One of the guards died and the station had to shut down for 10 hours. Church officials blame Muslim militants, but Kenyan Security Minister John Michuki isn't helping matters—he has promised to raid further media outlets if they "demean" the government. "No body will be allowed to harm the government and if they do that we will teach them a lesson," he said. Two months ago, Michuki ordered a raid by armed, masked police against The Standard newspaper after it published cartoons mocking him. Kenyan media outlets are connecting Michuki's comments and the Hope FM raid.

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May (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50