In other church unity news, the Italian news agency ANSA takes note of a quiet story that may have long-term significance. 'On Ash Wednesday, that purpose is very much about a person acknowledging that they want to concentrate on God and reduce whatever is keeping them from God.' Roman Catholics would agree, but they probably wouldn't describe Ash Wednesday in quite those same terms.Ģ. But it may represent a way in which the holy day and the Lenten season are changing as they're adopted by happy evangelical Protestants who once rejected the church calendar as 'too Catholic.' The Tennessean subtly notes the parallels between the imposition of ashes and evangelical altar calls: 'There is something about coming forward, walking down the aisle with a purpose,' Thomas Kleinert, senior minister at Vine Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), tells the paper. Yes, the 'Happy Ash Wednesday' title is supposed to be ironic. Lent: It's not just for Catholics and mainliners anymore
