Jane Williams continues her Comment is free belief series: The Book of Genesis, part 5: Genesis and the imagination. “In Genesis’s surface narrative of reality, it is important to remember that God is a player in this drama, too.”
Also at Comment is free belief in The Guardian this week are:
Theo Hobson: Putting the fun in US fundamentalism. “The rise of Christian theme parks in America should be seen in a positive light – it encourages a lighter-hearted view of religion.”
Holly Welker: Why people abandon religion. “Tension between religious dictates and personal wants is forcing people to follow their desires – and reject religion’s decrees.”
Richard Phelps: The new vocal, visible religiosity. “Olivier Roy’s book presents globalisation and secularisation as contributing to the divorce of religion from culture.”
Mark Vernon: Death and loss belong to us all. “A vicar who removed silk flowers from a child’s grave was right to do so – graveyards and mourning are part of the public sphere.”
Savitri Hensman: The best path to peace. “Are there fatal flaws in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s approach to reconciliation?”
Mark Meynell writes on his quaerentia blog about The King James and the possibility of upward desecration.
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times about Why life can begin at 46.
11 Commentswannabepriest has an article, Much better, but let me give you something to aim at…. which reports that the CofE website has a newer, better introductory video than it did before.
But he also links to a video from another source, which is even better. Here is what he says:
11 CommentsIt is much better. The music isn’t turgid and hundreds of years old and the whole thing moves at a better pace. The quality of the typography is better and it looks edited.
However, I still question whether this is the kind of information and content that the Church of England should be aiming to communicate to the wider public. Indeed, the amount of information that this video still includes is voluminous. The whole thing feels pretty relentless now.
Anyway, let me give the CofE Communication gadgees a target to aim at. The following video was produced the Muslim MAS Media Foundation. This isn’t perfect either but it’s streets ahead, in my humble opinion. When can we do something like this, Archbishops’ Council?
Updated again Monday morning
The meeting is scheduled to occur from 25 to 31 January, at the Emmaus Retreat Centre in Swords, near Dublin.
Peter Carrell who is a New Zealander has written an article for the American magazine, the Living Church entitled The Dubliners.
There are interesting comments, which include very useful links to statements from earlier primates meetings, at his own blog, over here.
(Peter has also written a series of posts on his own blog Who is an Anglican these days? starting here, and continuing here, and then here.)
The latest report in the Church of England Newspaper is reproduced here: Primates’ meeting to go ahead, despite threat of boycott.
Last Sunday, the Sunday Business Post reported Anglican meeting to go ahead despite boycott.
ACNS has published Archbishops’ prayers for the upcoming Primates’ Meeting in Dublin.
Updates
ACI has published an article, It’s Broken. Fix it!.
There is yet another interesting set of comments on that article at Anglican Down Under see here.
And Peter Carrell has given his own advice to Rowan Williams this Monday morning at What Should ++Rowan Do?
8 CommentsAnna Arco at the Catholic Herald has interviewed Andrew Burnham formerly Bishop of Ebbsfleet.
There is a feature article based on the interview: ‘What we asked for is what we got’
You can read a complete transcript of the interview here.
Here is a sample passage:
33 CommentsYou said before you were basically setting up the See of Ebbsfleet. What does that mean?
My predecessor, Michael Houghton, who died after a year (which is of course why they were nervous about me), had taken to calling it the See of Ebbsfleet as if it were a proper diocese. And I took the view that what we were aiming to be was a diocese, an orthodox diocese: bishop, priests, deacons, and laypeople. And therefore that, even though we weren’t an actual diocese, we should organise ourselves as if we were. So I wrote a pastoral letter to the people every month, more or less every month for 10 years. I had a council of priests. This was before anyone else was doing this sort of thing. I had a lay council and a lay congress. I had deaneries, with clergy organised in deaneries for pastoral care.
We did all this as if we were setting out to be a diocese, which irritated people no end. It was done in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury because it was all about how best to care for people. And the apologia I gave was that of the Apostolic District, which was the term in canon law to describe a group that is not yet a diocese but might become so and has an apostolic administrator. Of course an administration, a jurisdiction, was the one thing we weren’t. We didn’t have the legal authority to do any of it. But that was what we were in search of becoming. And it fitted in with the Forward in Faith Free Province rhetoric and fitted what we needed to survive in the Church of England. It was a good way to organise people and get them to move forward together.
Of course my dream would have been that when I said: “We’re going to submit to the Holy See.” Everyone would have followed me and done so that the priests, the churches and congregations would do so en bloc, which they haven’t.
It irritated people, but it did give us a real coherence and cohesion, and it meant that such things as evangelism and mission were always at the forefront of the agenda. And we had a children’s and young people’s eucharistic festival at Brean Sands, Somerset every year with 700 kids coming together for the day. We had parish evangelism weekends to train up younger leaders to replace the older men and women who were struggling to keep their churches going.
I’m very proud of all that and it was all very good. Except that at the end we couldn’t all move forward together, which is the sadness. Partly it was because some priests are too afraid of doing it. Partly it was because of the issue of buildings. Partly it was because for congregations, provided they’ve got that nice Bishop so-and-so and that nice Father so-and-so the ecclesiology is neither here nor there.
And partly it was because the really vigorous parishes, of which there were some, don’t grow because people debate women’s ordination, gay marriage or any other issues of the day. They grow because they simply get people coming together as community. Who knows why they get together? One wouldn’t dream of asking them because you might get the wrong answer. For all sorts of reasons, therefore, going forward together hasn’t quite worked, neither on my side of the country, the West and South West, nor elsewhere.
The Diocese of Portsmouth website reports the sad news that Kenneth Stevenson, the former Bishop of Portsmouth, yesterday lost his battle with leukaemia, dying peacefully in hospital aged 61.
Bishop Kenneth died in hospital early this morning (January 12) after a short illness. His successful earlier treatment for leukaemia had led to a deterioration in his overall health and physical resilience to infection.
May he rest in peace!
3 CommentsThe Standing Liturgical Commission of The Episcopal Church is developing resources for blessing same-sex relationships.
As explained here:
The 2009 General Convention of The Episcopal Church acknowledged the changing circumstances in the United States and in other nations, as legislation authorizing or forbidding marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships for gay and lesbian persons is passed in various civil jurisdictions that call forth a renewed pastoral response from this Church. In light of these circumstances, the General Convention directed the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources for blessing same-gender relationships. At the same time, we were asked to invite theological reflection from throughout the Anglican communion…
The Commission has recently published two documents as PDF files:
These materials are discussed in an article at the Living Church SCLM Lists Principles for Same-sex Blessings.
41 CommentsThe Church of England Communications Unit drew attention today to the following parliamentary exchange yesterday in the House of Lords:
* Oral Questions
The Bishop of Manchester the Rt Revd Nigel McCullogh asked a supplementary question during Lord Dubs’s oral question about the Act of Succession. Bishop Nigel highlighted that this was not a matter of simple right to equality and that there were wider implications to the suggestions made by Lord Dubs in particular there is an issue for the Church of England should full equality be granted. The full text can be found below or in context at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/110110-0001.htm#1101107000347The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, does the Minister accept that the central provision for the establishment of the Church of England is that the Sovereign, as Supreme Governor, should join in communion with that church? Does the Minister agree that, unless the Roman Catholic Church is prepared to soften its rules on its members’ involvement with the Church of England, whose orders it regards as null and void, it is hard to see how the Act of Settlement can be changed without paving the way for disestablishment, which, though it might be welcome to some, would be of great concern to many and not just to Anglicans or, indeed, to other Christians?
Lord McNally: My Lords, that intervention shows the wisdom of proceeding with extreme caution on these matters.
Another copy of the full set of exchanges can be found here.
19 CommentsThe Revd Dr Tudor F L Griffiths, outgoing Chancellor of the Diocese of St Asaph, preached a sermon last Sunday in St Asaph Cathedral, which is reproduced in full here. Dr Griffiths is also Rector of Hawarden Parish Church. (h/t Ruth Gledhill, for finding this.)
He discusses the Anglican Communion at considerable length, and concludes with this:
18 CommentsSo does this mean the end of the road for the Anglican Communion? I hope not but fear so. I think Archbishop Rowan Williams a wonderful grace-filled man with an impossible job. You may have heard of the Anglican Covenant, a kind of agreement between the different Anglican Provinces. Our own Bishop Gregory has been very much involved with the Covenant; it has been a long drawn-out process of drafting and re-drafting and debates. But my own assessment is that it will go down in history as a valiant failure. The shape of Anglicanism is changing; but my prayer and hope in all this is that I hope we can remember what is really important and that is not the growth or even survival of the Anglican Church. At best we are no more than unworthy servants, a signpost to the Kingdom of God and we look forward to the great day when labels and denominations will fall away in one chorus of praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Deirdre Good (from the USA) reports on Christmas in the UK for the Daily Episcopalian.
Jane Williams continues her Comment is free belief series: The Book of Genesis, part 4: The problem and the answer. “Genesis is powerful polemic that allows readers to be realistic about the world’s tragic state, and yet live in hope and courage.”
Guy Consolmagno SJ writes for Thinking Faith about Looking for the Star, or Coming to Adore?
This week The Question at Comment is free belief is Is there a God instinct?
There are answers from Jesse Bering, Denis Alexander and Nick Spencer.
AN Wilson writes for Comment is free belief about Tennyson’s In Memoriam: a farewell to religious certainty. “The lyrics teach that the false certainties of evangelical Christianity are as arid as shrill, negative materialism.”
Giles Fraser writes for the Church Times about When fun becomes cruelty.
Christopher Howse writes for The Telegraph about Peculiar people in Southwell.
10 CommentsUpdated
The Church of England has today launched a redesign of its website.
The new website can be found here.
However, all old links from Thinking Anglicans articles to Church of England documents are now broken. This affects in particular our pages relating to the General Synod. The new General Synod section of the CofE website now starts here.
UPDATE Sunday evening
Peter Owen has revised three of our most recent articles containing links to the Church of England website, namely
Yorkshire – Dioceses Commission reports
Women in the episcopate draft legislation referred to dioceses
Reference to Dioceses: Anglican Covenant
Where a referenced document could not be found on the new CofE website, a copy has been uploaded to TA.
The Church Times carried a news report about this new website design in its issue dated 24/31 December, which was published before Christmas. See ‘Anglican’ vanishes in web revamp by Ed Thornton.
In this article, the Church of England Director of Communications, Peter Crumpler, was quoted as follows:
10 CommentsUsers of the current web address will be “automatically redirected to the new site” when it goes live in January, he said. “All the existing links should transfer across automatically.”
Gerald Butt reports in the Church Times that Christians fear more violence after fatal bomb attack in Alexandria.
Bishop David Hamid reports on his blog the invitation from the Coptic community in the UK to join them on Sunday: Pray for Christians in Egypt this Sunday.
The Church Times has a leading article: Signs of hope after Christmas attacks.
So also does the Tablet: Martyrdom in the proper sense.
2 CommentsAlthough I linked earlier to this news story, I am doing so again, because the underlying article is now available to all readers.
Read the full article by Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Bishop of Kaduna If you disagree, at least be there.
2 CommentsDEAR brothers in Christ, — the Primates’ Meeting is one of the four instruments of unity within our Communion. Recommendations from the meetings carry weight and have an impact on the Communion. So we always look forward to your collective wisdom as the spokespersons of your provinces, and we uphold you in our prayers, that you may be led by the Holy Spirit.
Clearly our Communion has been going along a very difficult road since the Lambeth Conference of 1998. To put it bluntly, we are a traumatised family, though I would hasten to say that the Church has had worse crises, and survived every one of them. My conviction is that the Communion will also survive this present crisis, and emerge even stronger, and better positioned to make Christ known in a world that is becoming increasingly relativistic and pluralistic.
There have been reports that some of you are thinking seriously about not attending the Primates’ Meeting in January (News, 26 November). This is a very worrying situation, and, after waiting on the Lord, I have decided to make this open appeal to you all, to urge you to seek the face of the Lord before boycotting this next meeting…
The Economist carries an article on church property disputes, mainly with reference to the Diocese of New Westminster.
See Faith in courts.
3 CommentsAs the season of goodwill fades, an old problem returns: religious disputes that draw in secular courts
PULSES rarely race in Shaughnessy, a genteel, old-money district of Vancouver where mature cedars shield mansions with giant drawing-rooms. But the splendid Anglican church there, which draws worshippers from across the city, is the centre of a dispute that arises in many countries: how should judges rule in religious rows? Usually such quarrels involve worldly goods and rival claims to be the true believers. They quickly raise theological issues normally settled in church councils, not the courtroom…
Updated 9 & 11 January 2011: All the four documents linked below are now available on the new Church of England website, and I have updated the links accordingly.
As a result of the debate at the November 2010 General Synod on the Anglican Communion Covenant, the matter was referred to Diocesan Synods. The papers sent to dioceses and are available online. They include this paper outlining the process
Reference to Diocesan Synods (GS Misc 971)
and these background papers.
Transcript of debate on Anglican Covenant November 2010
Draft Act of Synod (GS 1809)
Faith and Order Commission: Briefing Paper (GS Misc 966)
Dioceses are required to respond by 5pm on Monday 30 April 2012, so the earliest that this matter can return to General Synod for a final decision on whether to adopt the covenant is July 2012.
5 CommentsUpdated 10 January 2011: links updated to refer to the new Church of England website.
I have recently published election results for General Synod officers and some committee members.
General Synod officers (including detailed voting figures)
General Synod committee elections (Appointments and Business Committees)
The Church of England website has now published these, and other election results, including all the detailed voting figures.
General Synod officers elected
Electoral Returns for Officers and Committees
The Secretary General, Canon Kenneth Kearon, writes:
The thoughts and prayers of many in the Anglican Communion are focused on Sudan at this time, as the people of Southern Sudan prepare for a referendum to decide their future. The referendum will take place on 9 January next, and all are invited to pray and to focus their concerns on that war-torn country at this time.
And the ACO has provided a page of background material.
Other useful pages:
Trinity Wall Street Sudan: Background on the Conflict by Rebecca Linder
Cif belief A momentous day for Sudan on 9 January by Graham Kings
Diocese of Salisbury Deadline for Sudan
Episcopal Church A Season of Prayer for Sudan
New York Times Peaceful Vote on Sudan Appears More Likely
1 CommentJonathan Wynne-Jones reports in the Sunday Telegraph that First Anglicans are received into the Roman Catholic Church in historic service.
Priests and worshippers from around 20 Church of England parishes converted to Catholicism on Saturday at a ceremony in Westminster Cathedral.
Three former bishops were among those confirmed at the service, which saw the first wave of Anglicans defecting to Rome to join the Ordinariate…
Further reports by Austen Ivereigh at America in The discreet beginnings of the Ordinariate and by Sean Finnegan in History Being Made at The Anglo-Catholic.
54 CommentsAdam Forrest has interviewed the Archbishop of Canterbury for The Big Issue in Scotland: This turbulent priest.
2 CommentsSome archbishops have published their Christmas sermons.
Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Wales
Archbishop of Dublin
Simon Barrow of Ekklesia has this response to the Canterbury sermon: Rowan and the rollicking rich.
Simon Barrow also writes about Christmas and the rebirth of ‘peasant Christianity’.
Jane Williams continues her series for Comment is free belief with The Book of Genesis, part 3: Creation – and afterwards “A dissonant note crept into God’s creation once man and woman arrived to put their mark on the world.”
This is what the Church Times had to say 100 years ago about the King James Version: The Bible tercentenary.
Adam S McHugh asks in The Washington Post: Are happy churchgoers good news?
Christopher Howse writes for The Telegraph about Trollope and the three policemen. “Anthony Trollope got into hot water when he crossed a real, live dean.”
Jessica Martin writes a Face to faith article for the Guardian: It speaks of the majesty of God that he dwells on earth with humanity in intimacy.
8 CommentsSimple Massing Priest has an article with this title, reporting what Michael Peers a former Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada said, back in 2000, well before the proposed Anglican Covenant was invented:
13 Comments[W]orldwide Anglicanism is a communion, not a church. The Anglican Church of Canada is a church. The Church in the Province of the West Indies is a church. The Episcopal Church of Sudan is a church. The Anglican Communion is a ‘koinonia’ of churches.
We have become that for many reasons, among which are the struggles of the sixteenth century and an intuition about the value of inculturation, rooted in the Incarnation, which has led us to locate final authority within local churches.
We are not a papal church and we are not a confessional church. We are autonomous churches held together in a fellowship of common faith dating from the creeds and councils, recognizing the presidency of a primus inter pares (the Archbishop of Canterbury), often struggling with inter-church and intra-church tension, but accepting that as the price of the liberty and autonomy that we cherish.
As I said to the members of the Council of General Synod last month, the price of this includes a certain measure of messiness.’ [Power in the Church: Prelates, Confessions, Anglicans The Arnold Lecture, December 6, 2000, Halifax, Nova Scotia]