Ethics

SUVs on the Altar

By Ed Brayton

Here's one of the weirdest stories I've seen in the current brouhaha over a bailout package for the auto industry. Greater Grace Temple, a large church in Detroit, placed SUVs on their altar, anointed auto workers with oil and is urging followers to pray and fast in order to get Congress to pass a rescue package to keep the Big Three afloat:

Local car dealerships donated three hybrid SUVs to be displayed during the service, one from each of the Big Three. A Ford Escape, Chevy Tahoe from GM and a Chrysler Aspen were parked just in front of the choir and behind the pulpit...

At one point, Ellis summoned up hundreds of auto workers and retirees in the congregation to come forward toward the vehicles on the altar to be anointed with oil.

"It's all about hope. You can't dictate how people will think, how they will respond, how they will vote," Ellis said after the service. "But you can look to God. We believe he can change the minds and hearts of men and women in power, and that's what we tried to do today."

Yeah, I'm sure that'll do it. I wonder if they anointed the auto workers with crude oil?

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on December 08, 2008 (boomark / email).