Football mad

by Feòrag

People are getting their priorities sorted the world over. In Kenya, church attendances are down about 30% as parishoners stay at home on Sundays to watch World Cup matches instead. Provost Philip Obwogi of the Anglican Church of Kenya's Cathedral of the Good Shepherd complained:

God should come first all times. When we baptise people, we tell them to fight sin, the world, and the devil and remain faithful soldiers of Christ to the end.

He added that World Cup matches were the sort of worldly pleasure Christians should renounce. Pastor Reuben Langat of Lake View Africa Gospel Church told The Nation that a true Christian could not chose to watch the World Cup instead of going to church on Sunday. Christians Choose World Cup Over Sunday Service - The Nation, 4th June 2002 (via allAfrica.com).

Meanwhile, in England, many churches postponed their services to avoid a clash with the England-Sweden match. England puts its religion first, but still finds time for church - Sydney Morning Herald, 3rd June 2002.