Scotland is another country

They do things differently in Scotland. Here is the Bishop of Edinburgh's address to his Diocesan Synod on the conflict engrossing the Anglican Communion. It goes deeper. Who in England has ever heard a bishop inviting his Synod to consider the difference between God's ontological transcendence and God's epistemological transcendence? The Church of England paddles in the shallows too often. Afraid of being accused of intellectualism. But the deep issues and paradoxes of human existence are presented more subtly in provincial theatres any night of the week than they are in most English Diocesan Synod meetings sadly.

Church and gay question

May the Church gives its blessing to homosexual partnerships and remain true to the will of God? Still be faithful in its witness to the love of God as shown in Jesus and revealed in the Bible?

As a minimum it seems to me this is an open question. That is, even if you are reluctant to give a definitive “yes” in answer, then neither can you give a definitive “no”. The reasons for this I explain below.

If it is an open question, then isn’t the only proper response of all Christians who take seriously the ethic of love for neighbour, especially bishops and church leaders, compassion and respect between those with differing answers? For me this means learning from and listening to others; accepting, not condemning, those who in good faith and conscience want to go ahead and affirm homosexual relationships; as well as those who, also in good faith, genuinely believe this can never be an option for a faithful Church.

This much might be agreed by all Christians who have not allowed their party-line allegiances to cloud their spiritual discernment. But can it be shown that this is an open question?

I have several reasons why I think it is.

Firstly, “facts on the ground”. Clearly there are many Christians, homosexual and not, who already believe that homosexual partnerships may be good and right in the sight of God. But these may be false teachers. The New Testament itself warns against those who will lead the Church astray with spurious beliefs. But the errors the New Testament speaks of are central points of faith such as the adequacy of God’s grace in Christ. We are also taught that by their fruits you shall know them. Where there are Christian men and women who are faithful members of the Church and who clearly reveal in their lives the fruits of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and differ from Christian brothers and sisters in no other way than that they answer “yes” to our question then how can they be regarded as false teachers?

Secondly, our greater knowledge of the human condition. The findings of various branches of science and the personal experiences of many people suggests very strongly that homosexuality is a given feature of human life.

Thirdly, the development of understanding of the biblical texts. Whilst it may be clear that there is very little in the biblical tradition to support a positive assessment of homosexual partnerships, and much to endorse the traditional Christian antipathy, it is not clear that the biblical material should be determinative of a developed Christian ethic for the 21st century.

Fourthly, the development of positive aspects of sexual ethics in public life. Many religiously motivated critics of homosexual partnership consider it to be part of a wider decline in sexual mores in Western society. But this ignores the evidence for many positive changes in relation to more traditional cultures. Modern intolerance of rape, of domestic violence, of child abuse and of forced marriages shows that the so-called decadence of Western societies actually displays many strongly moral developments in recent decades.

Therefore in my view there is no case for condemnation on religious grounds of those who believe sincerely that homosexual partnerships may be a faithful Christian expression of human love and companionship

Church of England bishops concerned over the quality of the clergy

This item in the Daily Telegraph decribes the content of a report from the Church of England House of Bishops expressing concern over the quality of the Church of England clergy. On the one hand, there is concern over the abilities of new entrants to work in a professional and competent way with teams of skilled lay volunteers and colleagues; and on the other, that too many experienced older clergy have lost their enthusiasm for the role.

These are valid concerns and there are some welcome suggestions of a strategy for how things might be improved going forward. At the same time, it needs to be recognised that the stresses upon parish clergy in the Church of England go wider and deeper than pay, pensions and housing; though these are important. Oversight and support from the wider church structures are patchy at best, because resources are over-stretched; the cultural and social standing of Christian clergy has been significantly diminished in the last quarter century; and the sheer quantity of demands upon clergy to introduce and manage change have outstripped the resources available to them to achieve these tasks effectively. Just one example - the introduction of IT has challenged older clergy who have had to find ways from their own resources of catching up in practical and administrative matters. The list of issues and challenges parish clergy have needed to cope with in recent years , largely relying on their own time and initiative, is very long indeed. Older clergy who happen to have lower levels of physical and psychological resilience will have found it very difficult to make up their skills deficits given the general lack of support.
Mention these points to diocesan training depratments and quite often some officers will complain that clergy are offered training and consultancy but don't take it up. However, this misses the point. De-motivated or over-strectched clergy are not just going to pick up the phone and book themselves on training courses as soon as the latest mailing arrives from the diocesan office. More likely than not they won't see the notice in time to do anything about it anyway, because it wil have been buried in their inbox , possibly unopened, for a week or few.
In his strident book about the Church of England, Last Rites: The End of the Church of England, Michael Hampson is bitter, understandably given the church's attitude towards his sexuality I guess; but nonetheless telling points are made. One that sticks in my mind is his insight that in the Church of England the congregations are irrelevant and the parish clergy are almost irrelevant in terms of power. All the power comes down hierarchically from the Crown and is almost totally vested in the bishops.

Scripture Reason and Tradition Puppet Show

Here's a fun video to explain why Scripture alone is not enough, even if necessary, for us to hear what God is saying to us now. Thanks to Father Sam Rose for this Read his blog here

Archbishop Rowan furore

Poking fun at vicars has a long history in English culture,even before Jane Austen introduced us to Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice! And the figure of the turbulent priest is even older, since Henry II called to be rid of this “turbulent priest”, Thomas a Becket, with deadly results. So there is plenty of material for media editors to mine if they want to target a hapless senior cleric.

Clearly there are some people who are very hostile towards Archbishop Rowan Williams and they are not reluctant to take any opportunity to undermine him. The number within the Church of England of those who wish to see him resign is tiny, and the media coverage they receive is totally disproportionate. Outside the church though it seems there is a significant number who want to make him look irrelevant. Is this part of the general hostility there is to religion amongst some leading voices of our society? Is it a fearful ambivalence of attitude about the power of faith to provide a strong moral vision. I don't believe there is a conspiracy but I don't forget the power of “groupthink” to influence attitudes.

Politicians, both local and national,more and more look to faith groups like local churches to help build sustainable and cohesive communities, as the welfare state continues its long withdrawal. But meaningful partnership involves mutual respect for each other's views.

Politicians and other leading voices who care about more than their own families' fortunes, and there are still some who do, need to ensure that the Archbishop is offered at least the respect for his ideas due to him as the leader of the largest and most deeply embedded voluntary organisation in the country.

The Church of England's true colours

This week's edition of the left-leaning current affairs magazine New Statesman has an article about homosexuality and the Church of England; marking the departure of Richard Kirker from the leadership of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM). There is criticism of liberals in the Church for not standing alongside homosexuals and leaving the field open for conservatives to set the agenda with devastating results for gay clergy. The article claims Kirker is leaving disillusioned and yet also quotes him as knowing that it would be more than a lifetime's work to bring about change on this issue. Kirker is also quoted as offering the positive view that it has been necessary to reveal the true colours of the conservatives on this issue if this issue is to be genuinely resolved.

Round up of Christmas thoughts in UK press

Thinking Anglicans has a round-up of items in the press this week-end about Christmas.

Archbishop cuts up clerical collar on TV

Follow the title link here to see the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, cut up his clerical collar on BBC television during a live interview in protest at Zimbabwe's President Mugabe's continuing stranglehold on his country's people. What we want to know is: does he carry a pair of scissors with him at all times?
Seriously though, all power to Sentamu for bringing this outrageous situation into focus.

US diocese splits from Episcopal church over gay issue

The US Diocese of San Joaquin, California has decided to split from the Episcopal Church over the issue of homosexuality.It will become a diocese in the Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America.This has been reported across the globe. Yet it is worth keeping this in perspective. This diocese has a mere 8,800 members. That's not quite three times bigger than my deanery, which is just one of 29 deaneries in our Diocese of Oxford, England. And I don't imagine all the members of the Diocese of San Joaquin will feel the same way either. These are small numbers of deeply conservative communities.

Archbishop sends Diwali greetings to Hindu community

Archbishop's Diwali greetings to the Hindu community exemplify the true Anglican spirit of positive respect and a desire to seek common purpose with other religious communities.

The Revd Canon Chris Bard

I have learned belatedly today of the death of The Reverend Canon Chris Bard last month. The Church Times website has an obituary here.. I came into contact with Chris several times as a clergy colleague in the Diocese of Chelmsford. He was combining being priest-in-charge of Epping Upland and Diocesan Communications Officer when I started work combining priest-in-charge of Hatfield Broad Oak with Bush End and Industrial Chaplain to Harlow. Only a few years older than me, Chris was the kind of priest who gave me hope for the Church of England and encouraged me to believe it was worth sticking with. He was an outright supporter of women's ordination. He had none of the hedging and evasion that characterised so many priests who professed to be in favour but wouldn't commit until the Pope did - in other words, had their heads in the sand and didn't really care that much about it. He was forward -looking and engaged with contemporary issues; as his early adoption of computer use demonstrated. Although I did not know Chis well as a personal friend his commitments and concerns inspired me in the early years of my ministry.

Church Mission Society

I am reading the October Mission Update from the Church Mission Society (CMS). These are very useful short bulletins giving stories of the way God is transforming lives in the poorest parts of the world through projects assisted by the churches working in partnership. October's edition contains a story about how a group of blind and visually impaired students at a Rwanda secondary school have found new confidence and a sense of belonging through being introduced to "goalball" - a sport that uses a heavy rubber ball with bells inside so blind people can hear it. If there are difficulties for visually inpaired people in the UK in finding fulfilling opportunities for employment and leisure, which there are, how much more are the difficulties for those living in desparately poor economies like Rwanda. CMS is involved in many needy situations like this on the ground. By sending mission partners from churches in one part of the world to churches in another,it enables skills, contacts, money and prayer to be shared between the different parts of Christ's body so strengthening the churches' mission to the poor in the name of Jesus.

Has preference for commitment over numbers been a mistake?

Writing in yesterday's Guardian David Self (Face to Faith column)argues that the increased irrelevancy of the Church of England in modern British society has been greatly assisted by the Church's preference for commitment over numbers. He cites the rise of the parish communion service at the expense of matins as the main evidence of this preference. It has made the Church of England into a club for the committed faithful worshipper rather than a church of the nation inclusive enough to allow those with questions and doubts to continue worshipping with some integrity.

Self raises some interesting issues, but I can't help feeling here is another example of special pleading from a lover of the Book of Common Prayer and the Authorised Version of the Bible. The argument is familiar to all parish priests because they hear it so often from nostalgic older worshippers: the church used to be full on a Sunday, and a respected influence in the community - we used to have Matins and Evensong every Sunday, ergo, the abandonment of these servces is the cause of the decline in numbers and influence.

But the facts on the ground don't support this. Most parishes that had a flourishing matins service introduced the weekly Sunday eucharist service as an alternative, at a less convenient time, such as 9.30am, whilst the main service of Matins classically was at 11am. These eucharist services then steadily grew in numbers attending as parishioners chose them in preference to matins. Families began to take part, bringing their children, and so creche and junior church activities began to be provided alongside. In previous practice children had been neither seen nor heard at church services like matins unless they were in the choir and that was restricted to boys only. Children were expected to attend Sunday School which took place in ancillary buildings, often during the afternoon.

Contrary then to Self's argument, the change from matins to parish communion was a move towards greater inclusivity, responding to the clear preferences of the diminishing sector of the public inclined to attend church. Wider societal changes, especially around the place of children in families have been a major factor in the move to parish communion. Without the parish communion movement church attendance would be even more restricted in numbers and public appeal than it is now; and the influence of the Church in society even more limited. Parish churches which have resisted, or been unable to introduce parish communion services, have seen drastic reductions in church atendance over the latter part of the last century. And, despite the rise of car use, lovers of matins have not bothered to travel to parish churches which have continued to offer this form of worship.

Self also cites the rise of the evangelical wing with its commitment to biblical preaching and personal conversion as another example of this preference for commitment over numbers. And yet evangelical churches generally have attracted much greater numbers than the traditional churches have done and they have made increasing numbers a primary goal of their activities. Many churchgoers now attending churches in the catholic or liberal wings of the Church acquired their faith in evangelical churches when younger. ( And in the United States evangelical churches have been integral to public life in the sense that politicians have known that they would not garner enough votes to win elections without the support of this churchgoing constituent of the electorate.)

Where I think Self's argument does pose a challenge to the Church which is worth hearing is in respect of our response to contemporary society. The Church tends to blame itself for its decline in numbers and influence and Self is no different. His claim is that the liturgical changes and the rise of evangelicalism were self-conscious decisions which were a mistake contributing to the Church's demise. Others, like Michael Hampson, for example blame the hierarchy for not giving the laity enough real power.

But I don't believe the Church's demise is chiefly the consequence of any conscious decisions or trends within the Church; nor any particularly culpable failure to act. Like the crab who stays put in slowly warming water the Church's fate has been sealed too slowly for it to realise the full severity of what was happening. The Church of England has rather been overtaken and outflanked by other powerful actors in society. Chief among these is the State, and its adopted twin, large business corporations. The sacred canopy of Christian faith has been blotted out by the new horizons of material security and comfort the modern State and business have been able to provide for Western European populations in particular. The ability of modern societies, through these key institutions, to provide populations with order, meaning, purpose, and security in their lives, quite apart from any need for recourse to spiritual power has sidelined the Church. There is more to this than alternative entertainment on Sundays. It is about the dislodgement of any significant authority or role for the transcendent in modern living. Like the inner city children who never see the Milky Way because of light pollution, the modern consumer-citizen rarely has any opportunity to be confronted by the reality of the divine.

What's interesting to me about Self's comments is that they raise the question: How should the Church respond to its contemporary situation?

Self has identified a tendency for the Church to become more inward-looking and for there to be greater dissonance between its voice and the voice of the majority on a number of matters including, notably, sexual ethics. Although I disagree that this was a deliberate turn to prefer commitment over numbers it was perhaps an almost unpremeditated effort to sustain the life and functioning of the Church. It was a response to its environment which makes sense at any particular moment in time. And this response was to focus energies on meeting the needs of the more committed - after all to keep seeing the stars through the haze of modern consumerism you need a level of distance and commitment.

But natural and understandable as it was, this response by the Church needs re-assessment. Perhaps the whole "mission-shaped church"/"fresh expressions" movement is part of that re-assessment. The small but growing resurgence of interest in the role of faith in the workplace may be another sign of a changing approach. But it is not a new approach ultimately; it will be a rediscovery of the classic Anglican spirit, such as found in Richard Hooker, the 16th century philosopher of the fledgling Church of England: listening to,learning from, and engaging with the world at large.

There is not a choice between commitment and numbers. I doubt under the present conditions of society in Western Europe that we shall see a massive return to church in a short time. But Self's comments make me think; there is a choice between a continued slide into intellectual marginalisation and dissonance which awaits a Church obsessed with small matters and its own survival; and a Church which has the courage to turn its resources towards engaging with the big questions of our time and with people where they are.

Tutu pleads with Primates

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has issued an emotional call for the Anglican Primates to agree to disagree on the subject of homosexuality and accept one another in love.

“Our Lord is weeping to see our Communion tearing itself apart on the issue of human sexuality, when the world for which he died is ravaged by poverty, disease, war and corruption. We are one of God’s agents to deal with these scourges. God has no one but us. Please, I beg you all in our Lord’s name, agree to disagree, argue, debate; disagree, but do all this as members of one family. Accept one another as God accepts us, however we are, in Christ. “Wipe the tears from our Lord’s eyes; put the smile back on God’s face. I beg you all on bended knee.”

In a reader poll on the Church Times website currently 88% agree the Primates should heed Tutu's call.

Anglican churchgoers in England in any case are sensible charitably minded people who do not allow doctrinaire and anachronistic interpretations of Scripture to obscure the obvious demands of charity and good-will towards fellow-creatures. Just as the majority accept the ordination of women to the pristhood as the right and good thing to do in our day, so more and more accept that it is foolish and uncharitable to stigmatize people in faithful homosexual partnerships; and even more foolish to allow difference of opinion on this question to break the bonds of affection between Anglicans worldwide.

Prayers to commemorate Princess Diana

The Archbishop of Canterbury has produced two prayers for use in churches on the tenth anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.

Synod yes to Covenant

General Synod's vote to give the green light to the Anglican Communion Covenant is a double if predictable blow against both compassion and freedom. Key gospel values are being sacrificed for the sake of ecclesiastical politics. The conservative bishops are not content simply to disagree with their more liberal colleagues over human sexuality: they want to make it a test of anglican orthodoxy. But liberals cannot and should not accept this. What is at stake is whether Anglicans are prepared to let our spirit of openness to truth in reason and experience be quenched by a basically fundamentalist approach. It is deeply tragic that more bishops are not prepared to stand up against the conservatives. And most tragic of all is Rowan William's belief that he must lead by seeking resolution of these differences in this way rather than leading the Communion to greater engagement with the issues; tragic because of recent Archbishops he is the most well equipped intellectually and spiritually to make the case for diversity within unity.

Voice of sense

Kathy Galloway from Iona Community writes sensibly and compassionately on the Christians and homosexuality issue in The Times.

Truly evangelical

The link in the title is to a piece by Elaine Storkey, (posted on the blog fatherjones.com) about her evangelical faith. Storkey is a leading evangelical Anglican scholar and was on the staff of Wycliffe Hall theological college, now in the grip of conservatives. If this understanding of Christian discipleship were what the term "evangelical" referred to then I'd be happy to call myself an evangelical. As it is I eschew those categories really. I am not "an evangelical" and I am not "a liberal" or "a catholic". But I believe that to be authentically and faithfully Christian I need to be evangelical, to be liberal, and to be catholic.

Wycliffe Hall controversy

A formerly respected Anglican evangelical theological college has been captured by conservative extremists. Wycliffe Hall in Oxford now has a principal, Richard Turnbull, who believes that 95% of the British popoulation is going to hell and a vice-principal who won't allow women to teach men in church. As Giles Fraser wrote in the Guardian:

"Of course, what should really happen is that the bishops of the Church of England stop using colleges like this to train its priests. Places such as Wycliffe are turning Anglicanism into a cult. But it's a symptom of how bad things are in the C of E, and how frightened its bishops have become of the financial muscle of conservative evangelicals, that they won't find the gumption to cut Wycliffe adrift."

I agree. The Church of England has let conservative theology drive its agenda for too long. An approach to the Bible and the faith which is basically fundamentalist and anti-intellectual has gone unchallenged. The Church of England is becoming a cult - retreating from the findings of modern science and cultural development and hiding behind a wall of false certainty based on a default literalism about the Bible and faith. Most sermons I hear outside my own parish are implicitly fundamentalist. It's as if the explosion in human knowledge of the last two centuries, including all we know about the origins and history of Christianity, never happened.

Christians who care about this need to work harder to persuade and inpire others that there are ways of being faithful to Christ which can constructively value and engage with modern culture.

Richard Turnbull's reply

A letter from leaders of the student body at Wycliffe

The gadget of my life

My Palm Treo 600 is the gadget of my life. It is my combined diary,
notebook, addressbook, bible, phone, emailer, mp3 and video player, pocket
camera and instant messenger. And because it can access the internet it is
an encyclopedia, dictionary. newspaper, and train timetable. Google is
always to hand. Using instant messaging, I can communicate with my son
whilst he sits at his desk at work, or with my daughters whilst they study.
I read my favourites blogs whilst sitting on trains or waiting for late
appointments to arrive. I use it to access the online prayers and bible
readings for the Church of England morning and evening prayers.Or if really
needed I can check my work emails away from the desk. Using a nifty
cassette that slots into my car's tape player I connect the Treo to the
in-car stereo. With a 1GB SD card inserted I can drive from the south to
the north of England without hearing the same track twice! It also converts
the phone into a hands-free car phone so I can take calls whilst driving.
Everything is backed up on the desktop PC and my crucial diary is backed up
on a Yahoo! online calendar so even if both Treo and desktop fell apart at
the same time I can still find out where I am meant to be!
Needless to say this post is written on and posted from the Treo whilst
listening to some favourite music tracks playing in the background.