Worship: A Quick Lent?

Lent isn't what it used to be. Throughout Christendom, churches are relaxing the rigors of the traditional time of penance before Easter.

From its roots, the word Lent—akin to the way the days "lengthen" early in the year—essentially means spring. For Christians, it recalls Jesus' 40-day fast in the wilderness, and began to be observed no later than the 4th century. For medieval man, Lent was a grim, belt-tightening time: only one meal a day was permitted; meat, milk, eggs and cheese were forbidden foods.

A Drinking Man's Diet? For modern man, Lent...

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