From conservative writer T. Paine at Saving Common Sense:
It is a very sacred time where Christians repent for their sins and focus on trying to live by God’s will.
Sadly there are some Christian churches that have taken this sacred day as an opportunity to advance an earthly agenda. In the Chicago area there are several churches including Unity Lutheran Church in Edgewater, Holy Covenant Metropolitan Community Church in Brookfield, and Berry United Methodist Church in Lincoln Square, that have decided to partake in the “Glitter Ash Wednesday” initiative.
This initiative was created by the New York faith based organization “Parity”. Parity focuses on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. Their goal is to combine the message of solidarity and support with the traditional symbol of lent – repentance. These three churches will offer the option of “glitter ash” in which purple glitter is mixed with traditional ashes to be placed on each Christian’s forehead in the sign of the cross.