Sisters and neighbors

Representations of Christian life that are sympathetic, plausible, and interesting are rare enough in popular media to deserve notice. That’s one reason to be a fan of the British series Call the Midwife, now in its third season on public television. 

Based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, the show is about a group of midwives who serve the East End of London in the 1950s and operate out of an Anglican convent. These midwives never expected to be working for nuns, but they end up loving these women with whom they share meals and a profession, if not a faith.

The show adheres to many details of Worth’s memoirs, but more importantly it is faithful to their tone. Worth was not a believer, but she admired the nuns and was grateful to learn about midwifery and encounter the East End in their company.