After a very close vote on Thomas Merton vs. Charles Wesley, the Supreme Executive Committee carefully reviewed all the votes. We are sorry to say that we found two instances of voter cheating, both attempting to support Merton. A voter in Springfield, Missouri, voted 21 times for Merton, while a voter in Colorado Springs, Colorado, voted 34 times for Merton. Those two users have been banned, and we have removed 55 votes from Merton. This means Charles Wesley received more legitimate votes than Thomas Merton, so Wesley is hereby declared the winner. People who cheat are hereby declared losers.

Please note, in Lent Madness, we encourage you to do whatever you can to get out the vote. Send mass emails to everyone in your diocese, rent a blimp, buy television ads, canvass your neighbors, or do something more conventional like tell your Facebook friends to vote for your candidate. But we frown on persons who vote more than once. Don't do it.

Also, please note, we are carefully watching some voters from Seattle, WA; Stow, OH; and Oregon, OH. You've been warned. Don't risk being cast into the outer darkness of Lent Madness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So, rest assured that Big Fathers are watching. Lent Madness will be decided in free and fair elections.

For now, we encourage you to vote (once only) in today's match-up between Lydia and Basil the Great.

After a one-week hiatus from the World's Most Beloved Priestly Duo Video Sensation, during which time the hashtag #WhereIsMondayMadness nearly swamped Twitter, Scott and Tim are back. This week's episode features a look at the first and second missionary journeys of Lent Madness 2014, a preview of the Elate Eight (or Saintly Kitsch) round, a roundup of media coverage, as well as the back story on why Queen Elizabeth wore purple to meet Pope Francis.

Don't forget to vote in today's close battle. Visit LentMadnessTV for more high-quality video from the Archbishops and from the SEC.

Gripped by Lent Madness Withdrawal (LMW) today? Wondering what to do, since you can't check the voting tallies every two minutes? Trying to figure out how you'll contain yourself until it's time to vote on Monday? We're here to help.

First, you might like to take advantage of some excellent resources from Forward Movement. With Holy Week around the corner, why not curl up with The Preaching of the Passion: The Seven Last Words from the Cross by the Rev. Peter J. Gomes? There are other resources for Holy Week and Eastertide as well.

We're also pleased to announce a great way to read yourself through Eastertide, A Journey With Matthew: The 50 Day Bible Challenge.

Take a journey through the Gospel of Matthew with fifty days of scripture readings, meditations, questions, and prayers. Twenty-five dynamic spiritual leaders and authors serve as guides, writing from around the world about the wisdom, lessons, and parables shared by Matthew, one of the great apostles and evangelists. A Journey with Matthew is an extension of The Bible Challenge, a global initiative to encourage daily engagement with scripture and an exploration of the Word of God.

Authors include: David Anderson, Frederick Borsch, Paul Butler, Bo Cox, Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, Michael Curry, Clifton Daniel, Mary Gray-Reeves, Scott Gunn, Daniel R. Heischman, Graham James, Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, Bolly anak Lapok, Tracy Lind, Stephen Lyon, Ian S. Markham, Kate Moorehead, Barry Morgan, Riaz Mubarak, Sam Portaro, Jeremiah Sierra, Becca Stevens, Ray Suarez, Hillary T. West, and Marek P. Zabriskie.

There's more, but it's time to turn the floor over to our favorite deceased color commentators, Archbishops Thomas Cranmer and John Chrysostom. Enjoy!

Before we bring you this week's update from everyone's favorite deceased archbishops, we'd like to alert you to some excellent resources for children (or children at heart). Yes, one could view this as a shameless advertisment from Forward Movement, the sponsors of Lent Madness. Or one could choose to view this as a helpful advertisement from your friends who bring you the most beloved devotional publication in the universe. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Assuming you decided you liked this sort of thing, we wanted to tell you about a couple of resources for children. What? You didn't know Forward Movement made stuff for kids? That's the point! For example, check out The Spy on Noah's Ark, by the Rev. Lindsay Hardin Freeman with illustrations by Paul Shaffer, in which unusual characters share their view of famous Bible stories.

Bible stories take on new life with this collection of eyewitness accounts from surprise sources: a dove, a lion, a stallion, and more. Using the ancient and imaginative art of storytelling, this book will delight children of all ages and begs to be read aloud. Adults will also enjoy these stories, and can use them to enrich personal and group Bible study. Discussion questions for children and adults are included at the end of each story, making it the perfect book for a church "On the Same Page" reading group or other intergenerational program.

If that's not your cup of tea, we offer books that are straight-out fun, with education build in. Two popular titles are Can You Find Jesus? and Can You Find Saints? When Christmas gets a bit closer, we offer a collection of contemporary presentations of traditional Christmas hymns. Don't forget beautifully told stories for Christmas and Michaelmas, Star of Wonder and Season of Angels.

Last, but not least, one of the things we've heard regularly is that families want tools to talk about faith at home. To that end, we created Daily Devo. It's a simple, daily email message that contains a very brief reflection on the assigned scripture readings, a video that's related, some action to take, and a simple prayer. It's all intended to offer a starting point for conversation at the dinner table or bedtime or whatever. You can see a sample and learn a bit more online.

Now that the ads are over, we bring you the archbishops.

Remember, LentMadnessTV offers loads of entertainment. Watch every episode, and then watch them again with your friends and neighbors.

The highlight of your week is already here. It's time for another action-packed episode of Monday Madness, brought to you by the Supreme Executive Committee. This week features conversation about the Round of the 32's epic conclusion with the Fratricide Finish between John Wesley and Charles Wesley. Tim and Scott also take some time to share some behind-the-scenes insights into the making of Monday Madness.

When you finish, make sure you watch the latest video from the Archbishops and more at LentMadnessTV.

Saturday morning, the world -- or at least the American East Coast -- awoke to the news that Nicholas Ridley had been re-martyred by John of the Cross (79% - 21%). We'd say he "went up in flames" but that might be cringe-worthy as Ridley was, in fact, burned at the stake.

Now begins the long wait for tomorrow's battle between Phillips Brooks and Simeon. While some of the Lent Madness faithful will presumably engage in all-night vigils, we simply encourage you to set your alarm and plan to alert the neighbors as we begin another action-packed week of Lent Madness. It's only a few more hours away, so you don't actually have that much LMW to worry about. Stay strong.

In media coverage, NBC viewers across the nation got their dose of Madness as this clip ran on televisions everywhere.  Meanwhile, Tim gave an interview to Boston Public Radio (forward to 52:35) in which, in an unprecedented move, he went on record saying decent things about Scott (twice!). Time will tell if Scott returns the favor.

Of course, the Archbishops are back with more Color Commentary From Beyond the Grave (tm) as they preview the week ahead and answer viewer mail. Watch LentMadnessTV for more videos from the Archbishops and the Supreme Executive Committee.

This week, we thought we'd introduce you to the perfect confirmation and adult eduction program for fans of Lent Madness. Here's an email Q&A with Laura Darling, Celebrity Blogger and the managing director of Confirm not Conform. Enjoy! Think of this as the entertaining ads in our contest, like in the Superbowl, but with information instead of zillion-dollar marketing glitz.

Give us the tweet: what's awesome about Confirm not Conform?

You started with a tough one! I’m having trouble keeping it tweet-short. I turned this over to our Facebook friends and got a couple of answers: The Rev. Ann Tillman suggested, “Freedom of choice, and fun and creative lessons, among other things.” Denise Oldham, parent of two sons who went through the program, wrote, “Choice, choice, choice. It's all in the hands of the teens, not their parents!!”

So, yes, choice is important because if Confirmation is going to mean something to the Confirmands, they can’t just be going through the motions. They have to actively choose to be confirmed. The goal of Confirm not Conform isn’t getting youth confirmed per se; it’s the much more important goal of helping youth (and adults!) to develop and express authentic faith, whether that means getting confirmed or deciding they are not yet ready to. Both are faithful choices. Hence, Confirm not Conform.

I’d say Confirm not Conform is awesome because “CnC gives youth & adults tools to articulate their faith, because they have something important to share with the church & the world.” There. That’s 134 characters.

Why would a lover of Lent Madness also love CnC?

CnC has a faithful irreverence that I think would appeal to the Lent Madness lover. It is not afraid to explore the quirks of our faith, and it doesn’t have a sickly sweet flavor. This isn’t “Captain Billy’s School of Christian Goodness,” as our Executive Director likes to say. When we were trying to come up with a slogan for Confirm not Conform, one thing we came up with was, “It’s not pukey.” We decided to go with “An authentic faith is a strong faith” instead.

CnC also gets people invested and involved, much as Lent Madness does. It’s active, not passive. Even when we’re talking about church history, which so often seems dry, we happily wade into the skullduggery, having people play out (and relish) the political machinations that we might otherwise want to gloss over in order to save our reputation.

Seriously, Lent Madness is magical because it combines fun and formation to teach unsuspecting voters about the lives of the saints. We've heard CnC is a bit...eccentric for a confirmation program. What's its magic?

(more…)

The Supreme Executive Committee of Lent Madness categorically denies any involvement with bribery for places in the bracket of saints. Despite all accusations to the contrary, Louis of France earned his way into the 2014 bracket, and the SEC did not accept payment for favorable placement.

This so-called "Payment for Placement" scheme has rocked the foundation of  the world's most popular online Lenten devotion.

Some accusers have pointed to the St. Louis Gateway Arch as possible evidence of corruption. As everyone knows, the SEC consists of Fr. Tim Schenck and Fr. Scott Gunn, infamously known to be archnemeses. Can the SEC help it if there's a major American city named after one of the contestants? So what if we arch-rivals happen to like the Arch?

This photo, sent by an anonymous source, was taken at St. John's, Hingham. So what if a clydesdale was there?

The Rev. Tim Schenck indignantly proclaimed, "Hey, Louis was a failed crusader, just like these bogus accusations are a failed crusade to tarnish the SEC." He continued, "Just because I like beer doesn't mean I have accepted a large gift from Anheuser-Busch in the form of small, unmarked kegs."

Known as a non-beer-drinker, the Rev. Scott Gunn stated, "For the record, Anheuser-Busch has nothing on me. And just because I love licorice does not mean I'm in [St. Louis candy maker] Switzer's pocket, even though they make the best licorice in America."

The SEC chooses the bracket at its annual spring boondoggle retreat. While nominations are accepted, bribes are discouraged. "Everyone gets into the bracket on her or his own merit, not because of sponsorships," said Gunn. Schenck added, "And there's no way we're going to accept free cardigans or sneakers to put Fred Rogers in." Gunn, seeking the last word on this subject, blurted out, "We see eye to eye on this one. No one gets into the bracket unless some church has put them on a calendar of commemorations, and even then a few individuals are going to have to be content in the Land of Make Believe rather than the Lent Madness bracket. That goes doubly for King Friday."

King Louis of France, or St. Louis, as he's known, is obviously the patron of the eponymous city. The Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, the Very Rev. Mike Kinman, seeking to distance himself from this episode said, "Like Sergeant Schultz, I know nothing!" Kinman added, "Those clowns [the SEC] run this thing on their own and are apparently accountable to no one. The Cathedral is too busy doing important stuff like betting for charity to be involved in their little scheme."

The SEC concluded its statement with this advice: "If you want to follow the money on brackets, why aren't you looking at Warren Buffet's billion-dollar bracket bet? And if you ask him about that, find out if he wants to invest in Lent Madness."

The Supreme Executive Committee brings you another episode of Monday Madness, with one intrepid member of the SEC reporting from NYC on St. Patrick's Day. Apparently, New York doesn't realize that Patrick was walloped by Constance in the first round of Lent Madness 2011.

Tim and Scott talk about the patron saint of Ireland but also have plenty of time to answer "What does the Fox say?" but not "Who let the dogs out?" Perhaps you'll find the answer in Tim's most recent book though. They also talk about the resident foodie of Lent Madness, who blogs at Saints and Recipes.

If you want something to do next weekend while you're fighting Lent Madness Withdrawal (LMW), try watching back episodes of Monday Madness or the Archbishops' color commentary. If audio is your bag rather than video, check out Padre's Pods, an excellent podcast by Fr. Sean Maloney. In the most recent episode, he interviewed half of the SEC.

Most important, keep enjoying Lent Madness and invite others to the party. Happy Lent!

We can now add "as seen on TV" to the list of accolades for Lent Madness, thanks to a brief report on Fox News. Various versions of the news clip have been aired on dozens of stations across the nation to the consternation of viewers everywhere. The clip quotes SEC member Tim Schenck and Lent Madness devotee Wendy Claire Barrie from New York, NY. SEC member Scott Gunn was quoted saying, "They left me out. Fox News is dead to me! Oh, wait, they already were. Well, now they're really cooked!"

Of course, that's not the only video game in town. Our own network, LentMadnessTV, has an update for the week from the archbishops. Tune in to get the latest commentary from everyone's favorite (deceased) color commentators, Archbishops Thomas Cranmer and John Chrysostom.

If you're bored today trying to survive Lent Madness Withdrawal until the voting resumes Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. EDT, why not shop in the Lentorium? Or stock up on books from our Celebrity Bloggers. See you Monday!

So what does the Fox say? It's not just "fair and balanced" politics any more. They've finally moved into substantive reporting. Let's see the likes of PBS and CNN keep up with that. We dare you to send a TV truck to interview the entire SEC.

Yesterday saw J. S. Bach easily blasting Alfred the Great with both organ music and votes (65% to 35%). In a statement for the media, Johann said in a thick German accent, "I'll be Bach...to face Anna Cooper in the next round."

Since we had the only Saturday contest of Lent Madness 2014 last weekend, this is the first full weekend without any voting. Many veterans of the saintly smackdown describe these long periods between votes as difficult, indeed. Thousands of fans suffer Lent Madness Withdrawal or LMW. We've offered tips before (here and here). This year, we want to encourage you to "live into" LMW. Embrace it. Face those demons. Here are five ways to survive LMW by embracing it.

If you can think of a machine that might stave off LMW, you can contract with an actual LMW factory in India to manufacture this device. Give the SEC a big enough cut, and we might sell it in the Lentorium.

Move to a new state or country and buy a car. Repeat until you get a license plate staring with LMW. If you get this particular number and drive a white VW Beetle, you can also show that you're a fan of the Beatles, who will doubtless be added to the Episcopal Church's calendar of saints one day.

If you can invent a medication to treat LMW, you'll become rich. Or find another way to become an LMW profiteer.

Find a way to harness the nervous energy of thousands of people pacing back and forth as they wait for Monday morning's voting to open. If you can pull that off, you'll have something better than green energy: purple energy. It's a win-win.If all else fails, throw a party.

Hey, the good news is that voting will return on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. We might even add some bonus content on Sunday morning to help you through the weekend. That's how much the SEC cares about your well being. You're welcome.