Was Dolly Parton a Christian icon?

Who would have imagined that one of the biggest celebrities associated with Christian faith would be a country and western singer in an exaggerated blonde wig, glittering rhinestone costumes and teetering high heels?

But yes, the late Dolly Parton always openly proclaimed her Christianity, said she started each day with a prayer, and asked God, and Jesus, to help her do her best each day to be kind and good.

Dolly

Dolly’s religion was not highlighted in the mainstream media when she died on August 25, although it was acknowledged – it could hardly be ignored. Her career as a singer-songwriter and philanthropist – she provided millions of children with access to books – was the main focus of her celebrity, along with her wit and glitzy appearance.

The circumstances of her birth – born one of 12 children in a Tennessee backwoods – and yet rising to global fame were a source of universal applause.

So was Dolly’s remarkable ability to be highly successful and extraordinarily popular across a wide spectrum of people. Donald Trump ordered flags to fly at half-mast in her honour; but she was also much praised by the likes of Jane Fonda, a lifelong left-wing Democrat.

Dolly emphasised the positive, saying she was against racism and homophobia, which is simple decency”

For Dolly – whose grandfather was a Pentecostalist preacher – her Christianity was central to her life. But she was savvy about not taking sides when matters become politicised. When asked to endorse Hillary Clinton for president she issued a tactful, if evasive, reply: “Hillary might make as good a president as anybody ever has.”

Dolly emphasised the positive, saying she was against racism and homophobia, which is simple decency. But she also seldom offended any group, except perhaps for “anti-vaxxers”, when she sang her famous ballad “Jolene”, to the words “Vaccine”, encouraging Covid jabs.

In show business, she was not only unusual in her political neutrality, but also staying married to the same husband, Carl Dean, for over 60 years. And she was never involved with drugs.

I suspect she learned a lot from growing up in a big family – where you have to negotiate the tricky paths of family dynamics.

Dolly also knew how to stay humble, which is a truly Christian virtue. One of my favourite Dolly quotes was a self-deprecating reference to her showy appearance: “You wouldn’t believe how much money it takes to look this cheap!”

She also said, “I may look fake, but I’m real where it counts.” Her authenticity was solid, and her faith anchored in her country roots.

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Remembering 9/11

The shock of September 11, 2001 is surely engraved in the memory of everyone old enough to have lived through it. Most of us recall exactly where we were when we learned of the terrible attacks on Manhattan’s Twin Towers. The sense of solidarity we felt with Americans following the atrocity was then overwhelming.

And what a hero the Franciscan Fr Mychal Judge emerged: he immediately dashed to the site of the attack, to help, administer the last rites, and care for the injured.

A chaplain with the New York Fire Department, he himself died when hit by debris in the North Tower. The picture of firefighters carrying the priest’s body became another memorable snapshot of that shocking day.

9/11, as it came to be called, changed a lot in the world order, besides being a terrible milestone in loss of life. Americans had never known acts of terrorism on their own terrain before. I think a lot of people came to see that blowing up innocent people is no romantic ideal.

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The first time I visited Norway I was told that the King was so democratic that when he went skiing in wintertime, he took the tram from Oslo just like any other citizen, even carrying his own skis.

Harald V, who has recently died, was described as a king for all citizens, of whatever creed or colour.

Yet, until 1956, the Norwegian Constitution banned Jesuits from entering the country. And the ban was only rescinded because it was a condition for Norway joining the European Convention of Human Rights.

The new King – Haakon VIII – is obliged to be a member of the Lutheran Evangelical church, although the monarchy is no longer head of the national church. (Norwegian Lutheranism is traditionally stricter than the Swedish variety, with a strong advocacy of temperance.)

The Norwegian royal family have attracted some controversy because Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit had an unwise friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, his step-son has been convicted on a rape charge, and his sister Princess Martha-Louise married an eccentric shaman who also claims to be a reptile alien.

The Norwegians are a patriotic people, and their monarchy is a national symbol, but these problems have reduced their popularity.

But I like the way Norwegian royal family often appear in embroidered folk costume, which is just as charming as any haute couture.