The following was taken from the cbc.ca website.
Muscular Christianity gets workout in Winnipeg
Last Updated Mon, 16 May 2005 11:05:47 EDT CBC News <http://www.cbc.ca/news/credit.html>
WINNIPEG - A 100-year-old church in Winnipeg, slammed by declining membership, has come up with an innovative way to update its image: Christian-themed wrestling matches.
St. Philip's Anglican Church hosted its first post-service match on Sunday, hoping to attract new members with a more hip program that included a two-match show with six local wrestlers, most of them Christians.
/Spreading the word through wrestling./
The colourfully clad wrestlers presented a WWE-style program complete with smackdowns and headlocks.
Many in the congregation of about 40 regular members find wrestling a natural fit with religion because of the theme of good versus evil.
"When you go to church, you want to strengthen what's right, you want to push away what's wrong," said Darcy Berrington, who stayed to watch the match with his daughter.
"When you watch wrestling, you're cheering for what's right."
Wrestling promoter Louis Hendrickson, who helped organize the first demonstration match, also finds the combination appropriate.
"Wrestling and God mix because everybody is struggling within themselves – good and evil – and we all know in the wrestling business there is a good guy and a bad guy."
/Wrestling promoter Louis Hendrickson./
Organizers hope to follow Sunday's demonstration with a larger event this summer.
The whole thing was the brainchild of church outreach worker David Bain.
"Our congregations are aging," he said. "Do we want the Anglican Church to die with them?"
--- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
