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Authors, sign in!At the close of each broadcast of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart offers viewers the “Moment of Zen,” a bizarre or off-kilter media moment that is just weird on its own terms, like Vladimir Putin trying to demonstrate personal warmth by stroking a child who is obviously afraid of him. In the same spirit, representing something that doesn’t add up, I offer this Moment of Zen from the DNC Interfaith Service on Sunday at the Colorado Convention Center.
The most well-known of the speakers was Sister Helen Prejean, the death penalty opponent whose activism was captured in the film Dead Man Walking, based on her bestselling book of the same name. Her rousing challenge to the moral claims of capital punishment was featured on the program, bringing the faith-based crowd to its feet multiple times. After the service, as well-wishers and old friends like Jim Wallis greeted her, one fellow nudged in with a demeanor that was both gentle and kooky. “Sister, do you think there is any Biblical basis for opposing the death penalty?” She stared at him for a moment in silence, while her eyes seemed to be saying, “Well, that’s pretty much what my whole life is about,” and then graciously gave him several references to scripture. He wrote the scriptures down, nodded happily, and disappeared into the crowd.
Published August 25, 2008 by Darrell Hamlin |
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Democratic National Convention
Faith
