[...] Obviously, rival Sunday attractions also hastened the process of change, but by the end of the century the Church of England had largely become a "members only" organisation. Go to any parish church and the notices ("See Sue for tickets", "Tell Pamela if you can help") indicate that everyone knows everyone and newcomers are not expected. Even cathedrals model themselves on suburban parishes, nurturing their regular congregations. Attend debates at the church's parliament or general synod and you witness an inward-looking body.
If the church prefers commitment to numbers, that is its prerogative. If, on social issues, it wishes to be out-of-step with public opinion, that is its decision. If, as a result, it appears irrelevant, it must not be surprised if it loses the perks of being part of the establishment.
Ironically, by giving it authority to appoint its own bishops, Gordon Brown has actually given it new authority to appoint unelected members of the House of Lords. Rather than increasing the power of this particular club, we should consider severing its automatic, official links with the establishment and with government in particular. Read more
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Saturday, 1 September 2007
Back to Church Sunday: Words of wisdom from the man who runs Lewis's
[...] Whether a retail emporium or your church, attracting and retaining customers is all about perception and hospitality. No matter how good your message, no matter how beautiful your building, your singing, it is the people your visitors meet that will encourage or dissuade. When I moved into the area six years ago I went to the local church with my family for the first time. Reassured by the sight of some neighbours and others I half recognised, after being shown politely to a pew, I quietly explained the geography and notable points of the 12th century church.
With quarter an hour to go before lift off how do you think I felt, what impact on my 12 and 16 year old daughters when we were told to stop whispering and admonished with the words. “Silence is the proper order when preparing to make obeisance to your God”.
The really excellent choir, a pertinent, thought provoking sermon couldn’t overcome that initial put down and maybe they didn’t need an ex General Synodical representative, ex PCC treasurer, an occasional organist or three highly experienced choristers. Either way they didn’t get a second chance. Read more
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With quarter an hour to go before lift off how do you think I felt, what impact on my 12 and 16 year old daughters when we were told to stop whispering and admonished with the words. “Silence is the proper order when preparing to make obeisance to your God”.
The really excellent choir, a pertinent, thought provoking sermon couldn’t overcome that initial put down and maybe they didn’t need an ex General Synodical representative, ex PCC treasurer, an occasional organist or three highly experienced choristers. Either way they didn’t get a second chance. Read more
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Back to Church Sunday: What's your story?
What is your church doing about Back to Church Sunday? Send the story to j.p.richardson@virgin.net (no more than 250 words) and it can be posted on the site here.
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Time to invite people to Back to Church Sunday
With Back to Church Sunday only five Sundays away, the time to start inviting people is now. You can't leave it until a fortnight before! So, pray, pluck up courage, and go for it.
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Profound influence of Bible on individual’s life
The importance of the Bible not only to the church but also to individuals is emphasised by the Sydney Anglican Archbishop, Dr. Peter Jensen, in his monthly column in the Southern Cross publication.
The profound influence of the Bible, Dr. Jensen wrote in the Sydney Anglican monthly publication, has the power to shape the worldview of those who read it.
“More important, it has shaped the way we see the world and live in it,” he wrote. “There are many testimonies to the power of the Bible to bring people to a knowledge of God.”
Despite the Word of God being described as a ‘chief evangelistic weapon,’ he said the challenge, as in the past, was making available for all to access it.
However, unlike the past the Church could now use contemporary means of communicating, in addition to books, the Word to everyone through listening as well as viewing it.
“…We want people to have access to the Word of God in their own language. Books remain an easily transportable and accessible way of communicating knowledge.
“But books are not alone … If we wish to make the Word of God well-known, we may expect to use contemporary means of communication so that all will have access. For some this will mean reading, for others viewing or listening.” Read more
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The profound influence of the Bible, Dr. Jensen wrote in the Sydney Anglican monthly publication, has the power to shape the worldview of those who read it.
“More important, it has shaped the way we see the world and live in it,” he wrote. “There are many testimonies to the power of the Bible to bring people to a knowledge of God.”
Despite the Word of God being described as a ‘chief evangelistic weapon,’ he said the challenge, as in the past, was making available for all to access it.
However, unlike the past the Church could now use contemporary means of communicating, in addition to books, the Word to everyone through listening as well as viewing it.
“…We want people to have access to the Word of God in their own language. Books remain an easily transportable and accessible way of communicating knowledge.
“But books are not alone … If we wish to make the Word of God well-known, we may expect to use contemporary means of communication so that all will have access. For some this will mean reading, for others viewing or listening.” Read more
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Friday, 31 August 2007
Boston Globe: Consecration in Kenya widens a religious rift
(Ed: Includes a description of the service.)
[...] The service was attended by archbishops and bishops who claimed to represent a majority of the world's Anglicans, including the primates who serve as spiritual leaders of the Anglican provinces in Central Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, West Africa, the Indian Ocean region, South America, and the West Indies, as well as an archbishop representing the primate of Nigeria and bishops representing minority conservative factions in the Anglican provinces of Canada, England and the United States. Of the 78 million adherents worldwide cited by the Anglican Communion, about two million live in the United States; in Kenya, a nation about one-tenth the size, there are about three million Anglicans.
Advocates for gay rights in the Anglican Communion reacted angrily to yesterday's consecration. Read more
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[...] The service was attended by archbishops and bishops who claimed to represent a majority of the world's Anglicans, including the primates who serve as spiritual leaders of the Anglican provinces in Central Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, West Africa, the Indian Ocean region, South America, and the West Indies, as well as an archbishop representing the primate of Nigeria and bishops representing minority conservative factions in the Anglican provinces of Canada, England and the United States. Of the 78 million adherents worldwide cited by the Anglican Communion, about two million live in the United States; in Kenya, a nation about one-tenth the size, there are about three million Anglicans.
Advocates for gay rights in the Anglican Communion reacted angrily to yesterday's consecration. Read more
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Archbishop of Dublin: Doesn't know about heaven, but doubts anyone goes to hell
(Ed: Just a thought, but didn't anyone in the Church of Ireland actually think to ask him these sorts of questions before he was offered the job?)
[...] On Heaven
I find it very hard to picture what heaven is like because, always for me, talking about the future we resort to picture language, the poetic. All I can say is that I feel that there is something very real after this life. That future is tied up in God as revealed to us in Jesus Christ. So for me, I see that future as more personal than in terms of pearly gates and rivers and things like this (laughs).
On Hell
I have great difficulty with the idea that, in the end, God’s love and God’s mercy will not have the opportunity of changing people and changing situations. In a way, hell itself is a state of separation from God, but I do have within my faith the idea that in the end God’s love is triumphant. I am certainly not one who gloats over the idea that sinners perish in hell, or that we banish people to hell. I see evil as something to be conquered and overcome by those who have fallen prey to evil. Read more
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[...] On Heaven
I find it very hard to picture what heaven is like because, always for me, talking about the future we resort to picture language, the poetic. All I can say is that I feel that there is something very real after this life. That future is tied up in God as revealed to us in Jesus Christ. So for me, I see that future as more personal than in terms of pearly gates and rivers and things like this (laughs).
On Hell
I have great difficulty with the idea that, in the end, God’s love and God’s mercy will not have the opportunity of changing people and changing situations. In a way, hell itself is a state of separation from God, but I do have within my faith the idea that in the end God’s love is triumphant. I am certainly not one who gloats over the idea that sinners perish in hell, or that we banish people to hell. I see evil as something to be conquered and overcome by those who have fallen prey to evil. Read more
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Divorces down to record low
The number of divorces in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level since 1984 amid signs that changes in legal rulings and publicity surrounding big divorce settlements are encouraging couples to stay together.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics indicate that 132,562 couples divorced last year, a 6.5% drop from 2005 and the third successive annual decrease. The divorce rate, calculated per thousand married men and women, also fell to 12.2, the lowest for 22 years. Read more
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Figures from the Office for National Statistics indicate that 132,562 couples divorced last year, a 6.5% drop from 2005 and the third successive annual decrease. The divorce rate, calculated per thousand married men and women, also fell to 12.2, the lowest for 22 years. Read more
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Violent crimes "are going up"
If the Artful Dodger picked my pocket, I would probably feel angry and frustrated, but it would not be a life-ruining experience. By contrast, if Bill Sykes battered me senseless and robbed me, while Bullseye savaged my leg, I would almost certainly be traumatised - or worse.
The obvious (to me) difference between the two is why, in this column last week, I focused largely on disputed trends in violent crime, rather than all misdemeanours. My argument was that the Government is guilty of selectively using statistics to show that violent crime is falling, when in fact it is not.
The scale of response from The Daily Telegraph's readers, via our website and letters, confirmed that David Cameron's Conservatives were right this week to restore tackling crime, especially violent crime, as a policy priority.
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While an overwhelming majority of correspondents supported my view, an articulate minority criticised me for "cherry-picking" facts to distort the true picture, ie, indulging in the very same sharp practice of which I had accused Labour ministers. Read more
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The obvious (to me) difference between the two is why, in this column last week, I focused largely on disputed trends in violent crime, rather than all misdemeanours. My argument was that the Government is guilty of selectively using statistics to show that violent crime is falling, when in fact it is not.
The scale of response from The Daily Telegraph's readers, via our website and letters, confirmed that David Cameron's Conservatives were right this week to restore tackling crime, especially violent crime, as a policy priority.
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While an overwhelming majority of correspondents supported my view, an articulate minority criticised me for "cherry-picking" facts to distort the true picture, ie, indulging in the very same sharp practice of which I had accused Labour ministers. Read more
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Open Evangelical leader in UK takes dim view of Kenya consecrations
[...] These consecrations in Nairobi and Kampala, as well as the earlier consecration of Martyn Minns in the Church of Nigeria, seem to me to be examples of 'trans-communion interventions' that are warned against in The Windsor Report and in the Primates' Communique from Dar es Salaam.
Paragraph 26 of that Communique states:
The interventions by some of our number and by bishops of some Provinces, against the explicit recommendations of the Windsor Report, however well-intentioned, have exacerbated this situation. Furthermore, those Primates who have undertaken interventions do not feel that it is right to end those interventions until it becomes clear that sufficient provision has been made for the life of those persons.
Just when the central weight of the Anglican Communion is backing The Windsor Report and the Covenant process as the way forward, and the Archbishop of Canterbury has clearly underlined these as part of his letter of invitation to the Lambeth Conference, why are these consecrations considered to be helpful and wise? Read more
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Paragraph 26 of that Communique states:
The interventions by some of our number and by bishops of some Provinces, against the explicit recommendations of the Windsor Report, however well-intentioned, have exacerbated this situation. Furthermore, those Primates who have undertaken interventions do not feel that it is right to end those interventions until it becomes clear that sufficient provision has been made for the life of those persons.
Just when the central weight of the Anglican Communion is backing The Windsor Report and the Covenant process as the way forward, and the Archbishop of Canterbury has clearly underlined these as part of his letter of invitation to the Lambeth Conference, why are these consecrations considered to be helpful and wise? Read more
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Thursday, 30 August 2007
Charity worry for Christians
CHRISTIAN charities are being urged to review their ‘public benefit’ role as a consultation process over upcoming changes to charity law gets underway.
Following the Charity Act of November 2006, all charities are being called upon to annually prove their ‘public benefit’ to the Charity Commission. Charities which are unsuccessful in persuading civil servants could lose their tax benefits and may even have their charity de-registered. The consultation is being held to give those affected by the change the opportunity to ask questions.
The Act does not define the exact meaning of ‘public benefit’, as this will be decided by the Charity Commissioner based on the feedback from these consultations.
The Church of England’s Archbishops’ Council has issued a statement responding to the proposals which raised their concerns. The Council said it was concerned that religious charities might find it difficult to express the benefits they provide in ‘a manner which will meet the Commission’s expectations’. Read more
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Following the Charity Act of November 2006, all charities are being called upon to annually prove their ‘public benefit’ to the Charity Commission. Charities which are unsuccessful in persuading civil servants could lose their tax benefits and may even have their charity de-registered. The consultation is being held to give those affected by the change the opportunity to ask questions.
The Act does not define the exact meaning of ‘public benefit’, as this will be decided by the Charity Commissioner based on the feedback from these consultations.
The Church of England’s Archbishops’ Council has issued a statement responding to the proposals which raised their concerns. The Council said it was concerned that religious charities might find it difficult to express the benefits they provide in ‘a manner which will meet the Commission’s expectations’. Read more
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2 U.S. bishops defect to Anglican Church
(ED: Shurely shome mishtake in the headline there!)
Two American priests were consecrated Thursday as Anglican bishops in Kenya, the latest in a string of conservative priests who are defecting to African churches in a dispute over gay clergy.
Bill Atwood of Texas and William Murdoch of Massachusetts left the Episcopal Church — the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion — because it allows the ordination of gay priests.
"The gospel ... must take precedence over culture," said Archbishop Drexel Gomez of the West Indies, one of 10 Anglican leaders or representatives who attended the ceremony in Nairobi's All Saints Cathedral. "Homosexual practice violates the order of life given by God in Holy Scripture."
The spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, has asked African archbishops not to consecrate U.S. priests to help avoid a schism. Kenyan Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi said there had been no direct communication with Williams over the Thursday's ceremony. Read more
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US Anglicans consecrated in Kenya
Kenya's Anglican Church has consecrated two US bishops in a move likely to deepen a bitter row over homosexuality.
Bill Murdoch, of Massachusetts, and Bill Atwood, of Texas, will be answerable to the Kenyan Church, although they will serve in the US.
They left the US branch of the Anglican Church - the Episcopal Church - after it consecrated an openly gay bishop. Read more
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Bill Murdoch, of Massachusetts, and Bill Atwood, of Texas, will be answerable to the Kenyan Church, although they will serve in the US.
They left the US branch of the Anglican Church - the Episcopal Church - after it consecrated an openly gay bishop. Read more
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Gay row curate may lose job and home
A CURATE in waiting embroiled in a row over homosexuality is facing the sack.
Richard Wood, 35, may be forced to leave Dagenham Parish Church in Crown Street after refusing to be ordained by his bishop.
The lay curate is making a stand against the Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Rev John Gladwin, who supports a charity campaigning for the inclusion of homosexuals in the Anglican church.
Mr Wood has so far refused to take communion with the bishop "on the grounds of conscience" and is now facing losing both his church and his home.
Read the full story in the Barking and Dagenham Recorder this week. Read more
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Richard Wood, 35, may be forced to leave Dagenham Parish Church in Crown Street after refusing to be ordained by his bishop.
The lay curate is making a stand against the Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Rev John Gladwin, who supports a charity campaigning for the inclusion of homosexuals in the Anglican church.
Mr Wood has so far refused to take communion with the bishop "on the grounds of conscience" and is now facing losing both his church and his home.
Read the full story in the Barking and Dagenham Recorder this week. Read more
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"One in five UK homes relies entirely on benefits"
The number of households in which nobody works for a living rose to more than three million this summer, official figures revealed yesterday.
Among them were a growing number of lone parent families - the first increase in the figure for single parent homes entirely dependent on benefits in five years. Read more
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Among them were a growing number of lone parent families - the first increase in the figure for single parent homes entirely dependent on benefits in five years. Read more
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Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Venables: Anglicans lack structure to solve gay row
The worldwide Anglican Communion lacks the structures needed to end its current impasse over homosexuality, a conservative prelate opposed to gay clergy and same-sex marriages said in Kenya on Wednesday.
Greg Venables, archbishop of the Southern Cone of Americas, was speaking in the capital Nairobi ahead of a controversial ceremony on Thursday where Kenya's Anglican archbishop will consecrate two conservative U.S. clerics as bishops.
"There are no official structures to resolve things, so part of the major struggle we are going through is to work out how we actually resolve a conflict of this nature," he told reporters. Read more
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Greg Venables, archbishop of the Southern Cone of Americas, was speaking in the capital Nairobi ahead of a controversial ceremony on Thursday where Kenya's Anglican archbishop will consecrate two conservative U.S. clerics as bishops.
"There are no official structures to resolve things, so part of the major struggle we are going through is to work out how we actually resolve a conflict of this nature," he told reporters. Read more
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Calls for Essex vicar to resign over phone mast
ANGRY residents are calling on a vicar to resign after a church was allowed to attach a phone mast to its spire.
Despite fears that the mast will be used to distribute pornography to children, telecommunications giant T-Mobile was given the green light by the ecclesiastical Court of Arches to erect it on SS Peter and Paul Church, The Green, Chingford.
But a petition with 1,257 signatures says those who have signed it have a total lack of confidence in the Rector of Chingford, Rev Tom Page, the churchwardens and Parochial Church Council (PCC) because they are in favour of the mast. Read more
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Despite fears that the mast will be used to distribute pornography to children, telecommunications giant T-Mobile was given the green light by the ecclesiastical Court of Arches to erect it on SS Peter and Paul Church, The Green, Chingford.
But a petition with 1,257 signatures says those who have signed it have a total lack of confidence in the Rector of Chingford, Rev Tom Page, the churchwardens and Parochial Church Council (PCC) because they are in favour of the mast. Read more
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Lesbian priest makes list for Chicago bishop
Though global Anglican leaders have urged the U.S. church to unequivocally exclude gay bishops by next month, an openly lesbian Episcopal priest is among the five nominees for bishop of the Chicago diocese announced Tuesday.
Rev. Tracey Lind, who followed Chicago Bishop William Persell as dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, is one of three women named as finalists to replace Persell, who plans to resign after his successor is installed. It is the first slate of candidates in the diocese to include women.
"Since the day last winter when I was asked to make myself available to this nominating process, my discernment prayer has been that God would continue to lead me to serve God's new creation in the church," Lind said in a statement. "I believe that accepting this nomination is what God is asking of me, and I will strive to respond to that call faithfully and with grace." Read more
If you want to read a couple of Tracy Lind's sermons, you can do so here, here and here.
There's also this quote from this one: "The unconditional love of God for all of us is the good news of the Gospel. Not, if you are very, very good, God will love you. Not, if you are sorry for not having been very, very good, He will love you. Not, God loves you; now get back in line before She changes Her mind."
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Rev. Tracey Lind, who followed Chicago Bishop William Persell as dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, is one of three women named as finalists to replace Persell, who plans to resign after his successor is installed. It is the first slate of candidates in the diocese to include women.
"Since the day last winter when I was asked to make myself available to this nominating process, my discernment prayer has been that God would continue to lead me to serve God's new creation in the church," Lind said in a statement. "I believe that accepting this nomination is what God is asking of me, and I will strive to respond to that call faithfully and with grace." Read more
If you want to read a couple of Tracy Lind's sermons, you can do so here, here and here.
There's also this quote from this one: "The unconditional love of God for all of us is the good news of the Gospel. Not, if you are very, very good, God will love you. Not, if you are sorry for not having been very, very good, He will love you. Not, God loves you; now get back in line before She changes Her mind."
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Changing Attitude Manchester walks in Gay Pride Parade
Thirty five supporters of Changing Attitude walked in the gay pride parade in Manchester last Saturday. We carried the LGBT Anglicans 'We're Here!' banner at the front and the Changing Attitude banner at the rear, with rainbow placards in between. Read moreNo comments will be posted without a full name and location, see the policy.
Kids today: wrong and strong - and they know their rights
[...] In my experience, the children who have problems often come from broken homes with an absentee father, no effective support at school and no mentoring.
Youth today spend hours listening to music glorifying gangsterism and degrading women. They play violent computer games, watch brutal reality DVDs from America and compete with one another as to who's the tougher on YouTube, MSN Messenger or MySpace. They do not see the point of school.
We have to change the pervasive street culture that dominates these children's lives. We have to provide better role models for them than peer groups dedicated to challenging authority by any means at their disposal.
I have seen incidents on their mobile phones that would make your hair stand on end. I have seen boys come in at Year Seven, aged 11, bright and eager to adapt to their new environment.
Because there are no positive male role models in many of their lives, they look not to their teachers - for whom they have no respect, no bond and no inkling that they can actually help them - but to their peers in Years Eight and Nine to give them a lead.
But those peers are already being corrupted by Years Nine and Ten, with their challenges to authority and their unwillingness to learn.
Kids today are wrong and strong - and they know their rights. There is no real counter-balance to this hierarchy of rebellion and disaffection that is shaping their formative psyche. What we have to get across is that it's cool to learn. Read more
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Youth today spend hours listening to music glorifying gangsterism and degrading women. They play violent computer games, watch brutal reality DVDs from America and compete with one another as to who's the tougher on YouTube, MSN Messenger or MySpace. They do not see the point of school.
We have to change the pervasive street culture that dominates these children's lives. We have to provide better role models for them than peer groups dedicated to challenging authority by any means at their disposal.
I have seen incidents on their mobile phones that would make your hair stand on end. I have seen boys come in at Year Seven, aged 11, bright and eager to adapt to their new environment.
Because there are no positive male role models in many of their lives, they look not to their teachers - for whom they have no respect, no bond and no inkling that they can actually help them - but to their peers in Years Eight and Nine to give them a lead.
But those peers are already being corrupted by Years Nine and Ten, with their challenges to authority and their unwillingness to learn.
Kids today are wrong and strong - and they know their rights. There is no real counter-balance to this hierarchy of rebellion and disaffection that is shaping their formative psyche. What we have to get across is that it's cool to learn. Read more
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"We pay to have an underclass" - discuss
(Ed: You might not agree, but it is provocative!)
[...] Has anybody noticed that the more we spend on the underclass, the bigger it gets and the worse it behaves?
[...] Has anybody noticed that the more we spend on the underclass, the bigger it gets and the worse it behaves?
Has anyone noticed, either, that what we used to call the working class has shrunk? Not merely because, as surveys tell us, so many now think of themselves as "middle-class", but because something called the respectable working class has almost died out. What sociologists used to call the working class does not now usually work at all, but is sustained by the welfare state. Its supposed family units are not as the rest of us might define the term. It lapses routinely into criminality and lives in largely self-inflicited squalor. It has low educational attainment and is bereft of ambition. It is what we now call the underclass.
We have an underclass because we pay to have one. I do not mean that to be a glib remark, from which it could be inferred that, if we were to stop paying for one, it would magically disappear. What I mean is that 60 years of welfarism, far from raising people out of poverty and of the vices that sometimes (but not inevitably) go with it, has simply trapped them there. Welfarism has smashed the traditional, and vital, family unit. The state readily takes responsibility for families if those who should be running them decide, in part or in whole, to abdicate it. The huge outlay of money that allows this to happen is represented by politicians - and not exclusively those of the Left - as a great act of humanity and philanthropy. It is nothing of the sort. It is, rather, an act of sustained and chronic cruelty, and it leads to such horrors as happened in Liverpool last week. Read more
In Peckham the problem is family breakdown
[...] According to local youth worker and musician Jason Castro, for most young people in Peckham, the biggest hero is without doubt 50 Cent. "They say 'he's got bare money' - they like the fact he is rich and that he can get the girls," he says.
Mr Castro believes that society has until the age of eight, nine at the latest, to influence children into making the right choices. After that, the laws of the street take over and promising youngsters are lost to the battles of Peckham's notorious frontline - the streets around the bustling shopping area and its cornucopia of world foods - where local gangs do battle with rivals from nearby New Cross.
"Everybody is busy just trying to live, trying to put food on the table for their children. The things outside of that, such as teaching and inspiring - they haven't got time for that. U ltimately, the cause of the problems here is family breakdown," he says. Read more
'Integrity’ USA welcomes nomination of ‘openly gay’ candidate for Bishop of Chicago
(ED: Nice example of the 'false dilemma' fallacy - "bigotry over ability" - unless they really do believe these are the only positions in the Church, in which case we really are in deep trouble.)
“The big news today is that discernment has trumped discrimination in the Diocese of Chicago,” said Integrity President Susan Russell. “The inclusion of the Very Rev. Tracey Lind on the list of five extraordinarily qualified candidates for Bishop of Chicago is a bold step forward and a sign of hope and encouragement not only to LGBT Episcopalians but to the whole church. Her experience and leadership make her an excellent candidate and Integrity applauds the Diocese of Chicago for not allowing the forces advocating bigotry over ability to dominate their nomination process.” Read more
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“The big news today is that discernment has trumped discrimination in the Diocese of Chicago,” said Integrity President Susan Russell. “The inclusion of the Very Rev. Tracey Lind on the list of five extraordinarily qualified candidates for Bishop of Chicago is a bold step forward and a sign of hope and encouragement not only to LGBT Episcopalians but to the whole church. Her experience and leadership make her an excellent candidate and Integrity applauds the Diocese of Chicago for not allowing the forces advocating bigotry over ability to dominate their nomination process.” Read more
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Taliban win exclusion of S Korean army, missionaries
The Taliban has agreed to release the 19 South Korean hostages held in Afghanistan in return for the withdrawal of South Korean troops from the country before the end of the year, Al Jazeera television has reported.
The Qatar-based channel said it had received the report from its Kabul correspondent: “There was an agreement between the Taliban and a South Korean delegation to release the hostages in return for the withdrawal of the troops before the end of the year.”
A South Korean presidential spokesman has confirmed the reports but has added that many details still had to be worked out, and that it may take some time before the actual release takes place.
The Taliban reportedly only agreed to the release after South Korea agreed to meet other conditions such as halting its citizens from conducting any Christian missionary activity in the Middle Eastern country. Read more
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The Qatar-based channel said it had received the report from its Kabul correspondent: “There was an agreement between the Taliban and a South Korean delegation to release the hostages in return for the withdrawal of the troops before the end of the year.”
A South Korean presidential spokesman has confirmed the reports but has added that many details still had to be worked out, and that it may take some time before the actual release takes place.
The Taliban reportedly only agreed to the release after South Korea agreed to meet other conditions such as halting its citizens from conducting any Christian missionary activity in the Middle Eastern country. Read more
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Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Archbishop Jensen: My dream begins with the Word
[...] There are many testimonies to the power of the Bible to bring people to a knowledge of God. It is one of our chief evangelistic weapons. But knowledge – and ownership – of the Bible is growing less common, especially amongst younger people. This lack of knowledge will make the overall task of evangelism more difficult.
One of the earliest works done by Christians in Sydney in the 19th century was to go from door to door distributing the Bible. They saw this as a vital task if people were going to know God. In those days literacy was a problem and Christians were also very busy teaching people to read and write. Literacy and the Bible go hand in hand.
Today the challenge is a similar one. We want people to have access to the Word of God in their own language. Books remain an easily transportable and accessible way of communicating knowledge. But books are not alone.
Down through history many people could not read. But they could all listen as long as the Word made sense to them. If we wish to make the Word of God well-known, we may expect to use contemporary means of communication so that all will have access. For some this will mean reading, for others viewing or listening.
I have a dream – a dream to give all our fellow citizens in the Diocese a copy of the word of God. This would have to be a major Christian effort and would involve planning, training, publications, prayer. If we set aside the year of 2009 in particular (the 50th anniversary of the first Billy Graham Crusade) and worked together on such a great project, I think we would experience much joy in the Lord’s service. It would also help fulfil the aim of our Diocesan Mission that all may hear his call to repent and believe on him. Read more
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One of the earliest works done by Christians in Sydney in the 19th century was to go from door to door distributing the Bible. They saw this as a vital task if people were going to know God. In those days literacy was a problem and Christians were also very busy teaching people to read and write. Literacy and the Bible go hand in hand.
Today the challenge is a similar one. We want people to have access to the Word of God in their own language. Books remain an easily transportable and accessible way of communicating knowledge. But books are not alone.
Down through history many people could not read. But they could all listen as long as the Word made sense to them. If we wish to make the Word of God well-known, we may expect to use contemporary means of communication so that all will have access. For some this will mean reading, for others viewing or listening.
I have a dream – a dream to give all our fellow citizens in the Diocese a copy of the word of God. This would have to be a major Christian effort and would involve planning, training, publications, prayer. If we set aside the year of 2009 in particular (the 50th anniversary of the first Billy Graham Crusade) and worked together on such a great project, I think we would experience much joy in the Lord’s service. It would also help fulfil the aim of our Diocesan Mission that all may hear his call to repent and believe on him. Read more
No comments will be posted without a full name and location, see the policy.
Scottish RC Cardinal resigns from Amnesty International
Cardinal Keith O'Brien has today written to the Director of Amnesty International in Scotland advising him that he intends to resign his membership of the organisation following the decision by the International Council of Amnesty International to support the provision of abortion services. Read more including the text of a much longer audio clip.
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No comments will be posted without a full name and location, see the policy.
RC Bishop of East Anglia, statement on Amnesty International and abortion
[...] It is much to be regretted that delegates failed to challenge the decision of the earlier meeting of Amnesty’s International Executive Committee to support the decriminalisation of abortion; access to quality services for the management of complications arising from abortion; and legal, safe and accessible abortion, subject to reasonable limitations, in cases of rape, sexual assault, incest and risk to a woman’s life.
The Catholic Church has no desire for women who have been through the trauma of abortion to be punished; they need compassion and healing. Women who suffer complications after an abortion should obviously receive quality care. But our proper indignation regarding pervasive violence against women should not cloud our judgement about our duty to protect the most vulnerable and defenceless form of human life. Read more
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The Catholic Church has no desire for women who have been through the trauma of abortion to be punished; they need compassion and healing. Women who suffer complications after an abortion should obviously receive quality care. But our proper indignation regarding pervasive violence against women should not cloud our judgement about our duty to protect the most vulnerable and defenceless form of human life. Read more
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Chelmsford Anglican Mainstream sends congratulations to ACK
For the attention of his Grace, Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi.
Your Grace,
On behalf of Anglican Mainstream in the Diocese of Chelmsford, we send our best wishes to yourself and to the Revds Bill Murdoch and Bill Atwood on the occasion of their consecration as Bishops of the Anglican Church in Kenya.
Whilst it is a matter of regret that present circumstances in the Anglican Communion require extraordinary measures, our hope and prayer is that, with your encouragement, our brothers in Christ will indeed provide orthodox Episcopal care and oversight for many in North America, so as to unite those in every nation who share historic Anglican faith and practice.
In Christ,
Revd John P Richardson
On behalf of the Core Committee of Chelmsford Anglican Mainstream:
Revd David Banting
Revd Mark Burkill
Revd Paul Harcourt
Revd Anthony Rose
Revd Ray Samme
Revd Simon Smallwood
Revd Edmund Cargill-Thompson
Rt Revd John Ball (retired)
No comments will be posted without a full name and location, see the policy.
Your Grace,
On behalf of Anglican Mainstream in the Diocese of Chelmsford, we send our best wishes to yourself and to the Revds Bill Murdoch and Bill Atwood on the occasion of their consecration as Bishops of the Anglican Church in Kenya.
Whilst it is a matter of regret that present circumstances in the Anglican Communion require extraordinary measures, our hope and prayer is that, with your encouragement, our brothers in Christ will indeed provide orthodox Episcopal care and oversight for many in North America, so as to unite those in every nation who share historic Anglican faith and practice.
In Christ,
Revd John P Richardson
On behalf of the Core Committee of Chelmsford Anglican Mainstream:
Revd David Banting
Revd Mark Burkill
Revd Paul Harcourt
Revd Anthony Rose
Revd Ray Samme
Revd Simon Smallwood
Revd Edmund Cargill-Thompson
Rt Revd John Ball (retired)
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Mother of Rhys: "I blame the parents"
THE mother and father of murdered schoolboy Rhys Jones yesterday said that they blamed the parents of their son's killer for making him capable of murder.
And in their second appeal for help, the couple also vowed to leave Croxteth Park in Merseyside for a new life elsewhere.
Saying she had never before felt frightened in the neighbourhood, Melanie Jones, 41, admitted: "I don't feel safe now. I am going to leave. I can't live there any more. I can't go up to those shops any more. I've got to move somewhere else." Read more
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And in their second appeal for help, the couple also vowed to leave Croxteth Park in Merseyside for a new life elsewhere.
Saying she had never before felt frightened in the neighbourhood, Melanie Jones, 41, admitted: "I don't feel safe now. I am going to leave. I can't live there any more. I can't go up to those shops any more. I've got to move somewhere else." Read more
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Why have weddings become so grotesque?
People make such a fuss about their weddings nowadays that it's hard to remember marriage is fundamentally a couple of sentences - it wasn't me who said "with hard labour" - w\ritten on a piece of paper.
People can love their partners and promise them the world, but marriage remains what it was described as being by that loyal fellow, Robert Louis Stevenson. "It is a sort of friendship," he said, "recognised by the police."
Yet to go by the antics of the average young British couple, you'd think the decision to get married was akin to the inauguration of an election campaign or the sending of a Task Force to the Falklands: noisy, hysterical, with lots of sickness, no certainty of success, and the promise of vast expense on every front.
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There will be casualties along the way - usually a parent or two, the odd friend, and sometimes one's intended - but the real horror of the modern wedding is surely the cost. It is now felt that the bond is not quite a bond unless it is sealed with a golden kiss: tens of thousands of pounds and three weeks in the Seychelles. Read more
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People can love their partners and promise them the world, but marriage remains what it was described as being by that loyal fellow, Robert Louis Stevenson. "It is a sort of friendship," he said, "recognised by the police."
Yet to go by the antics of the average young British couple, you'd think the decision to get married was akin to the inauguration of an election campaign or the sending of a Task Force to the Falklands: noisy, hysterical, with lots of sickness, no certainty of success, and the promise of vast expense on every front.
advertisement
There will be casualties along the way - usually a parent or two, the odd friend, and sometimes one's intended - but the real horror of the modern wedding is surely the cost. It is now felt that the bond is not quite a bond unless it is sealed with a golden kiss: tens of thousands of pounds and three weeks in the Seychelles. Read more
No comments will be posted without a full name and location, see the policy.
There really IS a conspiracy
At least, according to George Monbiot in the Guardian. As one blogger observes, it closely follows the plot of a 1980s sci-fi film. Most interesting are the comments of readers who believe him.
[...] In the US, the Democrats were neutered by new laws on campaign finance. To compete successfully for funding with the Republicans, they would have to give big business what it wanted. The first neoliberal programme of all was implemented in Chile following Pinochet's coup, with the backing of the US government and economists taught by Milton Friedman, one of the founding members of the Mont Pelerin Society. Drumming up support for the project was easy: if you disagreed, you got shot. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank used their power over developing nations to demand the same policies.
But the most powerful promoter of this programme was the media. Most of it is owned by multimillionaires who use it to project the ideas that support their interests. Those ideas which threaten their interests are either ignored or ridiculed. It is through the newspapers and TV channels that the socially destructive notions of a small group of extremists have come to look like common sense. The corporations' tame thinkers sell the project by reframing our political language (for an account of how this happens, see George Lakoff's book, Don't Think of an Elephant!). Nowadays I hear even my progressive friends using terms like wealth creators, tax relief, big government, consumer democracy, red tape, compensation culture, job seekers and benefit cheats. These terms, all invented or promoted by neoliberals, have become so commonplace that they now seem almost neutral. Read more
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[...] In the US, the Democrats were neutered by new laws on campaign finance. To compete successfully for funding with the Republicans, they would have to give big business what it wanted. The first neoliberal programme of all was implemented in Chile following Pinochet's coup, with the backing of the US government and economists taught by Milton Friedman, one of the founding members of the Mont Pelerin Society. Drumming up support for the project was easy: if you disagreed, you got shot. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank used their power over developing nations to demand the same policies.
But the most powerful promoter of this programme was the media. Most of it is owned by multimillionaires who use it to project the ideas that support their interests. Those ideas which threaten their interests are either ignored or ridiculed. It is through the newspapers and TV channels that the socially destructive notions of a small group of extremists have come to look like common sense. The corporations' tame thinkers sell the project by reframing our political language (for an account of how this happens, see George Lakoff's book, Don't Think of an Elephant!). Nowadays I hear even my progressive friends using terms like wealth creators, tax relief, big government, consumer democracy, red tape, compensation culture, job seekers and benefit cheats. These terms, all invented or promoted by neoliberals, have become so commonplace that they now seem almost neutral. Read more
No comments will be posted without a full name and location, see the policy.
City without fathers - ignoring the causes of urban poverty and violence
The horrific, execution-style killing of three teens in Newark last weekend has sparked widespread outrage and promises of reform from politicians, religious leaders, and community activists, who are pledging a renewed campaign against the violence that plagues New Jersey’s largest city. But much of the reaction, though well-intentioned, misses the point. Behind Newark’s persistent violence and deep social dysfunction is a profound cultural shift that has left many of the city’s children growing up outside the two-parent family—and in particular, growing up without fathers. Decades of research tell us that such children are far likelier to fail in school and work and to fall into violence than those raised in two-parent families. In Newark, we are seeing what happens to a community when the traditional family comes close to disappearing.
According to 2005 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, only 32 percent of Newark children are being raised by their parents in a two-adult household. The rest are distributed among families led by grandparents, foster parents, and single parents—mostly mothers. An astonishing 60 percent of the city’s kids are growing up without fathers. It isn’t that traditional families are breaking up; they aren’t even getting started. Read more
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According to 2005 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, only 32 percent of Newark children are being raised by their parents in a two-adult household. The rest are distributed among families led by grandparents, foster parents, and single parents—mostly mothers. An astonishing 60 percent of the city’s kids are growing up without fathers. It isn’t that traditional families are breaking up; they aren’t even getting started. Read more
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Leadership resigns from Colorado church
The Church of the Holy Comforter today announced the resignation of its leader, The Reverend Dr. Charles Reeder and his departure from The Episcopal Church effective October 1, 2007.
Holy Comforter also announced that the Vestry, The Children's Minister, Youth Minister and the Treasurer will resign and follow Father Reeder's move towards the greater worldwide Anglican Communion.
"We are saddened by the current state of The Episcopal Church in the US which we believe has strayed from the orthodox, scriptural beliefs of the worldwide Anglican Communion," said Reeder.
"Many church members have demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the Episcopal Church's actions and words through the withholding of contributions. This has led us to examine the best possible future for Holy Comforter and our desire to remain part of the worldwide Anglican Communion." Read more
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Holy Comforter also announced that the Vestry, The Children's Minister, Youth Minister and the Treasurer will resign and follow Father Reeder's move towards the greater worldwide Anglican Communion.
"We are saddened by the current state of The Episcopal Church in the US which we believe has strayed from the orthodox, scriptural beliefs of the worldwide Anglican Communion," said Reeder.
"Many church members have demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the Episcopal Church's actions and words through the withholding of contributions. This has led us to examine the best possible future for Holy Comforter and our desire to remain part of the worldwide Anglican Communion." Read more
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Monday, 27 August 2007
Lichfield bids for bigger congregations
The Lichfield Diocese is launching a major new campaign to woo lapsed church-goers back into the fold.
The Bishop of Lichfield, the Right Reverend Jonathan Gledhill says “Back to Church Sunday” on September 30 will be the biggest evangelism initiative undertaken by the diocese since the Billy Graham rallies at Villa Park in 1984. Read more and watch a short video interview with Bishop Jonathan Gledhill
Gene Robinson to be interviewed on BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 28 August 2007 9:00-9:30 (Radio 4 FM)
Repeated: Tuesday 28 August 2007 21:30-21:58 (Radio 4 FM)
Michael Buerk interviews people who have made life-altering decisions and talks them through the whole process, from the original dilemma to living with the consequences.
Gene Robinson explains his choice to become the first openly gay Anglican bishop.
(Online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/)