Adrian Chiles The Guardian My atheist family was appalled when I converted to Catholicism – but it’s given me great peace
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Taking stock in 2020. Where is the Church going with Safeguarding?
Private Eye Silence of the Lambeth
Richard Harries Church Times Coming in from the outside
“In the second of a series of articles exploring apologetics in a secular age, Richard Harries considers what it might mean to know God”
David Walker ViaMedia.News All Things Considered….Including ‘Living in Love & Faith’
Thank you Bishop David. It’s going to ne a tough ask but I really hope so. What an opportunity To show that we can live well together in diversity.
It is a shame that Lord Harries predicates much of his article on there being a First Cause to our existence without repudiating the current belief of many astrophysicists that no Cause is necessary for our being. Much non – belief these days suggests many people find theism has no meaning, even though Lord Harries suggests we form a relationship with such a First Cause.
I agree very much with Bishop David’s comment “if new evidence or additional perspectives come to light, fresh things not previously considered, then any previous judgement must be at least open to reassessment and revision.” This is a strong argument for regarding Bible text as reflective of views in the past, but provisional in terms of their authority in the context of later new evidence and perspectives – for example, with regard to human sexuality or the role of women. With regard to LLF, he says “Not only have a very diverse set of perspectives have been sought, but participants… Read more »
“90% of religion is superstition.” Fr. O’Rourke from Mr. Chiles’ column sounds like my kind of religious minister. And thank you to the Thinking Anglicans staff for providing a link to Mr. Chiles’ column. I was atheist for a while, but it didn’t stick. I feel more at peace with myself believing in an organizing spirit or Force. Nothing anthropomorphic, no super man. But something occupying all space and time, eternal, that suffuses all living creatures, that I call God. And while I am Jewish, as a homeless person several decades ago, I wandered into an Episcopal church and was… Read more »
I had yet again given up commenting on TA, tired of prolix discussions of abstruse amateur theology of little relevance to parish life. Furthermore, having been retired 12 weeks, I’m suffering from mild PTSD. I have come to see that the demands on parochial clergy imposed by institution, by parishioners, and by the public at large that as a civic and town centre incumbent I tried to serve at least as much as churchgoers, are utterly irreconcilable. I need to recover. But two things posted on 11 January provoke me to break out. 1. Private Eye again, and all its… Read more »
I too am surprised how often bishops seem to be overseas, especially in this era of climate change. We should, as a church, be discouraging unnecessary international travel.
May I wish you a very long and happy retirement. I hope you will continue to share your stimulating and we’ll informed opinions which I always enjoy reading.
Than you Simon – if that’s meant for me (it’s a bit of a nuisance that one can never be sure who is responding to what on TA). I’ll do my best.
Stephen Parsons’ blog asks where the CofE is going with Safeguarding in 2020. Bishop Walker looks forward to exciting things from Living in Love and Faith this year. I think that we can be sure of one thing from the bishops this year: lots more windy rhetoric and no change. The Masonic style Nobody’s Friends secret dining club exposed by Private Eye will ensure that anything other than the status quo will run as always into the sand. Hopefully Ian Hislop will be able to tell us more about Nobody’s Friends: do they wear bowler hats and aprons with tassels… Read more »
In times past Nobody’s Friends and their ilk were landed gentlemen so it is perhaps unsurprising that the Church had such s strong presence in provincial towns and their surrounding farming and sporting communities and estates.
These days, the successors of landed gentry are more often financiers and business leaders. They are probably centred largely in cities. The Church’s new focus seems to be, as you say Dean, Oxbridge colleges, cathedrals, and large town churches. Coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not.