Investigation into Muslim prayer service launched

Transcription

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FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015 No: 6271
Investigation into Muslim
prayer service launched
THE BISHOP of Southwark has
launched an investigation into
the circumstances surrounding
a Muslim prayer service held at
St John’s, Waterloo, with the
permission of the incumbent.
On 6 March the Rev Canon
Giles Goddard invited the Inclusive Mosque Initiative to celebrate an “Inclusive Jummah”, or
Friday prayers, in the church.
A video of the service,
released on YouTube shows
Canon Goddard participating at
the close of the service led by
Dr Amina Wadud. Reading from
Psalm 139 he said: “This is from
the Hebrew scripture – we all
share these great traditions, so
let us celebrate our shared traditions, by giving thanks to the
God that we love, Allah.”
Evangelical clergy responded
quickly to the incident, accusing
Canon Goddard of violating
canon law and common sense.
The Rev Peter Ould, a leading
conservative
commentator,
argued that this should not be
excused as a misplaced gesture
of hospitality, akin to allowing a
Muslim group to use a parish
hall. “Consecrated space should
The Rev Canon Giles Goddard
not be used” for non-Christian
worship he said.
On 10 March Canon Goddard
met with the Bishop of Kingston
in private to discuss the incident, but after the meeting he
gave an interview to Ruth Gledhill of Christian Today stating
everything his church did was
legal and within bishops’ guidelines.
He added: ‘It is very much
about St John’s being a place of
welcome. We understand God
as a generous God, a God who
celebrates love and celebrates
life.
“We try and make sure we live
that out. In that sense we feel
very properly Anglican.’
However, Dr Gerald Bray,
director of research at the
Latimer Trust at Oak Hill Theological College in London, questioned Canon Goddard’s views
about Islam and Christianity.
Writing on Facebook he said:
“The simple truth is that Islam
is the only major world religion
that is explicitly anti-Christian.
The Buddha, for example, could
not have known anything about
Jesus and did not develop his
ideas in contrast to Christ.
Muhammad, on the other hand,
knew about Christians and Jews
and could easily have become
one or the other himself.
“Instead, he concocted his
own religion based on elements
of Judaism and Christianity and
regarded it as the culmination
(perfection) of both. You could
say that Islam is related to
Christianity in much the same
way as Mormonism is, but this
does not constitute ‘a common
tradition’.”
The Rev Stephen Kuhrt, Vicar
of Christ Church, New Malden,
told us that he would now be
‘unable’ to worship at St John’s,
Waterloo, where ‘the gospel’
appears to be little other than a
bland affirmation of everyone’s
right to believe and do whatever
they choose.”
Adding: “It is no coincidence
that its Vicar is a Canon of the
Cathedral and, sadly, this gospel
is probably fairly close to one
endorsed (in practice as
opposed to the theory) by the
diocese overall.”
Kuhrt criticised Goddard’s
decision as what he sees as
exemplary of the discrepancy
within Southward Diocese of
‘theory and practice’ relating to
the administration of Christian
faith.
Mr Kuhrt told the Church of
England Newspaper: “The present culture is one where the diocese stands for one thing in
theory and quite another in
practice with any amount of liberalism and revisionism seemingly allowed to roll on
unchecked.”
The recent service has fuelled
criticism by Southwark Diocese
clergy who have recently confronted the Bishop of South-
wark, the Rt Rev Christopher
Chessun, over his management
of the Diocese in relation to
what they view as his favourable
stance toward same sex civil
partnerships.
Mr Kuhrt continued: “Evangelicals who are orthodox on
the issue of homosexuality are
already deeply perplexed by the
diocese’s handling of this and
increasingly alienated by a leadership out of touch with what we
see as crucial to our Christian
faith.”
A spokesman for the Rt Rev
Christopher Chessun, Bishop of
Southwark, told The Church of
England Newspaper that he
“takes very seriously his
responsibility to uphold the
teaching of the Church and to
work within its framework of
legislation and guidance.
“It is quite clear that Islamic
prayer should not take place in a
consecrated building. This is
why he has asked the Bishop of
Kingston to investigate fully
what happened. It is inappropriate to seek to make further public comments on this matter
until this has happened.”
Survey reveals the impact of chaplaincy today
THERE ARE more than 15,000 chaplains in the UK,
new research from the Religion and Society think tank,
Theos, has revealed.
Their survey was carried out in association with the
Cardiff Centre for Chaplaincy Studies.
The comprehensive report, ‘A Very Modern Ministry’, puts a case that chaplaincy has a key part to play
in the future of the Church, where regular church attendance is declining.
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The report, carried out over a three-month period,
found that Luton has 169 chaplains, which works out as
one per 1,200 people, ‘plugging the gap’ in welfare services; 13 per cent of these were without salary or
stipend.
The report found that chaplains are ‘under-appreciated’ though benefitting the communities they serve by
paving righteous ground in a practical, contemporary
context.
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Case studies included a chaplain in a sports club who
challenged the club’s decision to choose a controversial
sponsor and a multifaith chaplain in Canary Wharf who
looked at ways to explore ethics in finance as well as
pastoral support.
Report author Ben Ryan said that the model of worship is shifting from ‘Church to chapel’ as ‘the man in
the street is more likely to meet a chaplain in his daily
life than any other formal religious figure.’
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2
www.churchnewspaper.com
Friday March 20, 2015
DIARY
Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham
THE
CHURCHIN
ENGLAND
THE
Mothering Sunday was celebrated at the Minster with a
service sung by the Girls’ Choir to celebrate their 10th
anniversary.
Former members of the Girls Choir drawn from the
Minster School were invited to participate, as well as
former directors.
Also at Southwell Minster, the Faiths Road Show begins
this week. Pupils from Sturton le Steeple, Sutton cum
Lound, St Anne’s Workshop, St Wilfrid’s Calverton and St
Peter’s Mansfield will experience different aspects of world
culture and faith, delivered by St Philip’s Centre, a charity
set up in 2006 rooted in the multi-faith environment of
Leicester, in conjunction with Diocesan and Minster
education teams.
Diocese of York
Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham
People are being invited to sing at St Mary’s
Church in Beverley in order to raise money for
its restoration.
Beverley Chamber Choir will lead the public
through the one-day event, where people of all
standards will learn Strainer’s Crucifixion,
ready for a performance of the oratorio, at
4pm,when they will be joined by soloists.
The Rev Becky Lumley, Vicar of St Mary’s
church, said: “St Mary’s Church needs to raise
£5 million to repair crumbling stonework, and
we need help from the people of Beverley and
the East Riding. If you come and sing with us on
Saturday 4 April, you’ll not only have a great
day meeting new people and learning to sing a
wonderful piece of music, you’ll be helping us
maintain St Mary’s generations to come.”
Also in York, York Minster Cathedral is
preparing to host a month-long staging of the
York Minster Mystery Plays in June 2016.
Some 28,000 people attended the local plays
during the show’s last run in 2000.
Also in York, the Rev Daphne Kitching will
launch her first volume of Christian poetry. East
Riding’s Revd Kitching will read from her book
‘Walking with us: Poems and Prayers around
the Year’ next Saturday at St Barnabas Church,
Swanland.
A parade stretching from the Galleries of Justice to St Mary’s Church
marked the High Sheriff of Nottingham’s annual Legal Service.
High Sherriff, Graham Cartledge CBE, was joined by judges, council
officials and other dignitaries for the parade preceding a service at St
Mary’s Church led by the Rev Christopher Harrison.
The service gives thanks to ‘freedom under the law, the Queen’s
Peace and national heritage’.
Also in Nottingham, former Ambulance Man, the Rev Kevin Charles
will lead a team for Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care to staff at East
Midland’s Ambulance Service (EMAS). The post at EMAS is thought to
be unique within England’s ambulance services.
Mr Charles said: “I originally took up the position with both
excitement and trepidation as I started with a completely ‘blank sheet’
regarding in-house chaplaincy. My first priority was to introduce and
build up staff support networks.”
Filled with the Spirit
She praised God
And sang of his glory,
His might and his power,
Of his faithfulness
In the past,
And his promise for the future.
Mary, a woman, carried Jesus
To the people.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which was given for you, and his blood which
was shed for you. Eat and drink in
remembrance that he died for you and feed on
him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
Diocese of Winchester
Expect a flower extravaganza at
this year’s Winchester Cathedral
festival on 23-28 June. Former
RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold
winner, Director Hans
Haverkamp, will create displays
organised by 300 volunteers and
staged by the Wessex and Jersey
Area of the National Association
of Flower Arrangement Societies
(NAFAS).
A Summer Market will
accompany the blooming arrays.
Diocese of Lichfield
Lichfield Cathedral celebrated
after reaching the end of a
£3.7million restoration project of
its Lady Chapel.
HRH The Duke of Gloucester
joined 700 guests in a service of
rededication.
The huge undertaking
included removing and
reinstalling the Herkenrode
Glass, which originally found its
way to Lichfield Cathedral in
1803 after the Napoleonic Wars.
Diocese of Hereford
Diocese of Bath & Wells
Four locally based companies have been chosen and
announced to consult on the Footprint Project. This is a £19.3
million programme of capital works and interpretation funded
by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The project will repair the
Abbey’s collapsing floor, install a new eco-friendly heating
system, and provide new improved space and facilities.
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21 March
2pm The Rev Daphne Kitching will
be reading from her new volume, ‘Walking with us:
Poems and Prayers around
the year’, at St Barnabas
Church, Swanland, on its
publication.
7.30pm Newark Choral Society presents Gioachino Rossini:
Petite Messe Solennelle.
Barnaby Gate Methodist
Church, Newark. Tickets £10
in advance or £12 on the door.
Available from RST Music
Service,
Carter
Gate,
Newark.
25 March
00.45: Radio 2 broadcasts a nighttime ‘Pause for Thought’
about the reinterment of
Richard III.
27 March
Mary, a woman
(Lk1: 26-38,46-55)
Mary, a woman
Carried Jesus
All those years ago.
Obedient to her calling,
In the “Yes” of her faith,
Mary carried Jesus.
News
Crowds gathered at St Laurence’s Church Stretton to get
the new Shropshire Churches Tourism Group booklet
(SCTG).
The new edition of the booklet came with a challenge for
SCTG representatives who the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt
Rev Richard Frith, urged to challenge stereotypes.
“Mustiness, damp and old hymn books is what many
think of our old buildings,” said Bishop Richard.
“Thousands of people have passed through our church
doors through the centuries and we need to bring those
people to life in the 21st Century,” he said.
10am: Business for the Kingdom
conference, for people from
all business sectors and corporate structures, to all who
either long for or are
intrigued by business that
embodies kingdom values.
Until 29 March, Ridley Hall,
Cambridge. Booking closes
on 16 March.
10amStalls on historic Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells (bandstand
end), until 3.30pm. In aid of
persecuted Christians in
Syria and Iraq. Something for
everyone.
7.30pm A charity concert with Geoff
and Michaela Smith at the
County Arms, Truro. All proceeds go to the Cornwall
Faith Forum.
28 March
10am
Stalls on historic Pantiles,
Tunbridge Wells (bandstand
end), until 3.30pm. In aid of
persecuted Christians in
Syria and Iraq. Something for
everyone.
3 April
7.30pm St John Passion, Bach, with
the Chichester Baroque
Choir and Players. Free
Entry,
Retiring
collection. With the generous
support of the Chichester
Cathedral Friends.
4 April
10am: Come and Sing fundraising
event at St Mary’s Church,
Beverley, with Beverley
Chamber Choir.
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Church
investment
under review
THE CHURCH is said to be deliberating
over its £3million investment in SOCO, the
British gas and oil exploration company.
The Times reported this week that the
company carried out tests inside a Heritage site that is home to 200 endangered
mountain gorillas.
The Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) issued a
statement relating to the holdings of the
Church Commissioners and Pensions
Board in SOCO International Plc.
The statement said: “Following Boardlevel engagement between the Church of
England Ethical Investment Advisory
Group and SOCO International Plc, the
EIAG has raised serious concerns about
the Company’s determination to satisfactorily address, in an open and transparent
manner, allegations concerning the operations of SOCO in and around the Virunga
National Park in the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC).
The statement outlines that the allegations are of ‘a serious nature’ and says that
‘efforts of the Company to date have not
been sufficient’ to invite the confidence of
shareholders.
The statement continues: “Through the
engagement undertaken by the Church of
England EIAG a series of steps were identified to the Company that should be taken
to restore confidence. These included:
Instigation of a wide-ranging and transparent independent enquiry of SOCO’s
operations in and around Virunga National
Park, including the publication of the
inquiry scope, outcome and confirmation
of any resulting actions.
Amendment of the previously issued
statement agreed between SOCO and
WWF to remove any room for doubt about
their intentions within existing or future
boundaries of a World Heritage Site so that
there are without exception, no circumstances in which SOCO would conduct further exploration or production activities in
the Virunga National Park. And for this to
be communicated to the World Heritage
Committee.
To adopt and publish best practice standards across a wide range of its operations.
To date it is unfortunate that the Company has not felt it possible to take these
steps. The EIAG do not normally disclose
the contents of our discussions with a company. However, if we judge that sufficient
progress is not being made we reserve the
right to issue public statements, seek to
move shareholder resolutions and/or to
divest from the company.
The EIAG said it will continue to monitor
the company’s activities and to engage
with the Board.
3
Quality, rather than admissions policy, should be foremost
Church school admission
policies under focus
THE CHURCH of England’s chief education officer, Nigel Genders, has
addressed the complex issue surrounding schools admission in secondary
schools, in a new book outlining the
current difficulties of the system.
In his essay, one of a collection assimilated by different experts and commentators in The Ins and Outs of Selective
Secondary Education: A Debate, Genders argues that quality of provision is
pivotal to the problem of parents school
selection and oversubscription.
Mr Genders points out that during
the early years of Church of Englandprovided education, access to education
rather than choice of school had been
the primary concern in education circles.
He said: “The issue of admissions, as
we define it today, was non-existent. It was
only as universal provision was achieved
that the question of which school a parent
should choose for their children became
such a significant matter.”
In his essay, Genders explains that
the Church of England’s ethos and
focus of qualitative concern for a wellrounded education and vision ‘to strive
beyond this narrow instrumentalism’ of
producing students as ‘economically
viable units’, is the core of its vision for
education.
He said: “Oversubscription criteria
are only applicable when a school is
oversubscribed. So the solution is not to
focus all our energy on the admissions
process but to invest more time building and running outstanding schools.”
Book editor Anastasia de Waal said
that the collection brings out ‘the
unhelpfulness’ of setting up a grammar
versus comprehensive school debate,
which are outdated terms of difference
in today’s climate of broader differences.
De Waal said: “While the debate has
traditionally focused on the vestiges of
the grammar school system the reality
is that a large proportion of schools
select on other premises.”
Orthodox Church says women
bishops vote closes down talks
By Brian Cooper
ANGLICAN-ORTHODOX ecumenical relations have been seriously damaged by the Church of
England’s decision to ordain
women bishops, according to a
very senior Orthodox figure.
Metropolitan
Hilarion
of
Volokolamsk, Director of Russian Orthodox Church External
Relations, speaking in Cambridge recently, declared the ordination of women bishops had ended the possibility of Orthodox recognition of the Anglican hierarchy: “Discussion on
the recognition of the Anglican hierarchy is closed.”
While female ordination to the priesthood had been regarded as “the erroneous actions of individual bishops”, the
female episcopate meant Anglican-Orthodox dialogue would
“develop no longer in a theological way” but only by “interaction on practical issues.”
“From our perspective the decision by the General Synod
of the Church of England to allow women to be
ordained bishops has come about not as a theological or ecclesiastical-practical necessity, but by the
determination to follow secular notions of equality of
the sexes in all areas of life. This in turn is tied to the
fact that women now have more elevated roles in
British society.
“In other words, the female episcopate, like the
female priesthood, is a result of the successes of the
feminist movement, which arose and developed in a
secular environment, and was not the result of the
natural development of Christian teaching and ecclesiastical order.”
While arguments over female priesthood and episcopate could “in the final run” be “transferred solely
to the sphere of mutual dialogue within corresponding theological commissions”, other processes in
the Anglican Communion were causing “great alarm
Banks ‘should change the way they operate’
SPEAKING at the Worshipful Company of
International Bankers’ banquet last week, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin
Welby told the Guildhall that banks ‘should
change the way they operate and interact.’
The Archbishop reassured the audience,
which included Barclays chairman John
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News
McFarlane and Group Chairman of HSBC,
Douglas Flint that: “We [the Church] know
more about losing the plot than any of you.”
Having a moral presence in the room influenced one banker (who won a sweepstake on
the length of Welby’s address) to give his winnings to charity.
and disappointment in the Orthodox milieu.”
Ordination of openly gay bishops and clergy in the US Episcopal Church, recognition of same-sex unions as marriage,
and blessing of them by some Anglican communities - all
deemed by Orthodox as “apostasy from the norms of apostolic faith” - added to the current great obstacles in ecumenical relations.
Metropolitan Hilarion said that whereas in the 20th century
divisions between Christians were primarily doctrinal, in the
21st century they were
primarily
on
moral
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Join at
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4
News
Islamist
Churches unite to tackle terrorists
witchcraft-related killings target
churches
By George Conger
EVANGELISATION and education are
needed to halt the witchcraft-related
killings plaguing Tanzania, church leaders said last week.
The lead item on the agenda of the sixday meeting of Tanzania’s United Christian Council meeting in Bukoba that
began on 6 March was crafting a united
response to the murders of accused
witches, the suppression of witch doctors, and the kidnapping and murder of
albinos.
A spokesman for the group, Dr Eliza
Buberwa, Bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church’s North Western Diocese, told reporters government must
work with churches to end the violence.
Witch doctors alone could not be
blamed for the killings, for if there were
no demand for their services from
cultists, then the murder of albinos
would cease.
At least 74 people with albinism have
reportedly been murdered in the east
African country since 2000. Isaac Nantanga, an interior ministry spokesman,
told Agence France-Presse: “These socalled witches bear responsibility for the
attacks against albinos.”
A US survey in 2010 found that while
most people in Tanzania are Christian or
Muslim, 93 per cent said they believed in
witchcraft. Last month an albino infant
was kidnapped and dismembered, his
body parts sold to devotees who
believed they provided protection
against evil spirits, long life and wealth.
In recent weeks the Tanzania press
has reported the murder of several people accused of witchcraft.
Five people were murdered in one village in the Serengeti district, Mara
Region, on 5 March 2015 by fellow villagers on suspicion of engaging in activities that have caused rains not to fall in
the area.
Church ban on hijab upheld by court
A KENYAN court has upheld the right of a church school to
ban the wearing of the hijab by Muslim students.
On 6 March Justice Harun Makau of the High Court in Meru
held that school uniform codes that banned the full-face covering worn by some Muslim women did not conflict with Kenya’s
constitution, saying St Paul Kiwanjani School in Isiola was with-
in its right in banning the garment.
A leader of Kenya’s Muslims
denounced the ruling, saying it
would lead to sectarian divisions.
Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa, organising secretary of the Council of Imams and Preachers
of Kenya, said religious
symbols should be respected.
“The Singh wear the turban, the Catholic wear the
Rosary, and the Muslim
women wear the hijab. Our
freedom of worship and religion must be respected,” he
told a press conference in
Mombasa.
However, attorneys for
the
Methodist-affiliated
school told the court that
making the hijab and white trousers part of the school
uniform code discriminated against Christian students.
Muslim and Christian students had been wearing the
same uniform since the school’s founding he argued.
The issue had arisen last year at the school’s annual
general meeting when some Muslim parents demanded
the school adopt a new dress code to conform to their
new religious sensibilities.
Bid to strengthen
Portuguesespeaking Churches
Bishop Jack L Iker
Also available on Android
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REPRESENTATIVES of some of the Anglican Lusophone churches gathered last month in Brazil to
strengthen the bonds of the Portuguese-speaking
churches in Brazil, Africa and Europe.
Meeting from 26-28 February in Recife, representatives of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil, the
Anglican Church in Southern Africa’s Dioceses of Angola, Lebombo and Niassa and the Lusitanian Church in
Portugal endorsed a declaration
seeking closer relations between the
dioceses and to create a “Lusophone
Network of Anglican Communion”
to coordinate mission, evangelism
and church education.
FIFTEEN people were murdered on
Sunday during attacks by Islamist terrorists on two churches in a predominantly Christian neighbourhood of
Lahore, Pakistan.
On 15 March 2015 a suicide bomber
entered St John’s Catholic Church in
Youhanabad at approximately 11:15am
and detonated an explosive device.
Shortly thereafter a second bomber
entered Christ Church Youhanabad, a
Church of Pakistan parish, and detonated an explosive device after being
wrestled to the ground by one of the
churchwardens.
Thirteen members of the two congregations were killed, along with two
policemen and the two bombers. The
Rt Rev Ijaz Inayat, Bishop of Karachi
and former pastor of Christ Church,
reported on his Facebook page that the
Christ Church wardens stopped the
killer from entering the church, causing the bombs to be detonated in the
narthex.
The bishop reported that at 8am that
morning four men entered a nearby
store and took the shopkeeper
hostage. They emerged from the
closed shop at 11am after murdering
their hostage to carry out their attacks.
After the bombs exploded the mob
seized the two remaining men and
murdered them in the street, the bishop said. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban, has
claimed responsibility for the attack,
the Pakistani press reports.
Nicaraguan
Bishop elected
Primate
THE BISHOP of Nicaragua, the Rt Rev
Sturdie Downs, has been elected the
fifth primate of the Anglican Church in
Central America (IARCA) in succession
to the Bishop of Guatemala, the Most
Rev Armando Guerra Soria.
Following his election at a meeting of
the provincial synod in El Salvador on
31 January 2015, Bishop Downs was
installed as presiding bishop of the
province at a ceremony at St Mark’s
Cathedral in Bluefields, Nicaragua on
21 February 2015.
Born on Corn Island on Nicaragua’s
Caribbean coast, Bishop Downs was
educated at Anglican church schools in
Bluefields and trained for the ministry
at San Andreas Seminary in Mexico
City.
Ordained deacon in 1976 and priest
in 1978, in 1984 he was elected Bishop
of Nicaragua — the first native-born
Nicaragua to hold that post, and is
presently the senior bishop in the
Anglican Communion.
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Enforcing the law by the Crown
Prosecution Service
Comment
Christian Concern has highlighted the issue of abortions carried
out on female foetuses and the Crown Prosecution Service’s prevention of a private prosecution against doctors carrying out such
female infanticide. Aisling Hubert had taken out the prosecution
and the CPS took it over in order to drop it. The CPS said there was
insufficient evidence, and also that prosecution would not be ‘in the
public interest’. It claimed that Miss Hubert did not have all the relevant taped evidence needed, but it emerged that the CPS did have
all the tapes but refused to disclose them. The CPS does not want
this cultural practice prosecuted.
Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, has been a criminal offence
since 2003, and the practice has been surging in numbers. But
there has not been a prosecution since then, until the single one
this year in February. That prosecution was against a doctor stitching up a woman who had given birth and had suffered FGM much
earlier in life at the hands of a religious circumciser. The CPS prosecution failed, unsurprisingly. It was clearly against the wrong person, a doctor seeking to stop bleeding, not someone intending to
inflict genital mutilation: this was a perverse prosecution, and one
that avoided hitting at the real crime.
The real criminality was by the original religious mutilator –
there have still been no prosecutions in the UK against anyone
charged with this offence. At the very least the public will want to
know why, and whether this again is a result of the same chill factor
at work protecting minority cultural practices. The DPP told the
Guardian that ‘prevention is “far better” than prosecution for FGM
and suggests a new approach to the problem might include “more
proactive work by the police – police going to airports when they
know there are times of year people go for FGM ceremonies so
they can talk to people on the way there or on the way back”’. Prosecution seems to have been replaced by gentle persuasion.
By contrast, the CPS is very keen to prosecute ‘historic sex
abuse’ perpetrated by celebrities such as Jimmy Savile,
that is dead or old white males. Such is the zeal to leave
no stone unturned in this class of offender that a string
of prosecutions failed: Dave Lee Travis, William Roache
and Michael Le Vell. MP Nigel Evans was found not
guilty after a terrible time in the public pillory. A previous DPP asked whether the CPS had gone ‘fishing’ for
complaints.
Another embarrassment is the recent case of Abid
Naseer, found guilty by an American court of terrorist
offences, including planning a bomb in Manchester.
The CPS refused to prosecute, despite the Manchester
Police providing much strong evidence. Again, why this
reluctance to do its job and prosecute, in this case a real
and present danger to the public, unlike the aged
celebrities above? Is the very notion of justice and consistency being undermined and changed by the CPS?
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Leader & Comment
Evicting the
Money-Changers
ALANSTORKEY
Twice, Jesus evicted, or more directly, drove the
moneychangers from the Temple. The first time
at the beginning of his ministry, he tangled his
interlocutors in their, and his, understanding of
the Temple. The second was the eviction of those
who were making it a “den of robbers” and the
occupation by Jesus for days of Holy Week, healing the blind and lame and welcoming children
into the Temple area to praise God.
Establishment Christianity has largely been
embarrassed by the unrespectable nature of
these events, but since 2008 they will not go
away.
The events of 2008, the Occupy event at St
Paul’s and of the City of London and the recent
torrent of banking scandals convey that Christ’s
action may actually mean something. They may
be a statement about money, banking and financial establishments. We can rush into St Paul’s,
shut the doors and close our eyes, but the Christ
may actually be saying things about money and
banking. After all, you cannot serve God and
Mammon, can you?
Of course, banking in Jerusalem and now is not
the same. Indeed, Jerusalem takes us back to the
origins of money. Exchange money grew in its
own way and anything with value did the job, but
“fiat” coins, usually with ruler’s heads on them,
grew largely around exploitative taxes from the
rulers.
Rome, of course, demanded its taxes, and
Jesus confronted that issue in the temple Court,
avoiding a trap, with the prior claims of God. But
the Roman take was closely followed by the Temple Tax. This was required to be paid in the Tyrian silver shekel or half-shekel, which had the
pagan head of Melqarth - Heracles on.
It was actually against the law to have pagan
headed coins in the Temple, but the Temple’s
financial system was more important than the
principle of avoiding idolatry. These coins were
no longer produced in Tyre after 19/18BC, but
produced by a Temple-controlled Mint somewhere near Jerusalem. The Temple was therefore making its own coins, selling them, and then
watching them come back into the Treasury.
And, of course, they could sell them at whatever
rate they chose, because it was the monopoly
coin for the Temple Tax.
Vast amounts of gold piled up in the Temple
Treasury. When the Temple gold was sacked in
70AD, so much came on the market that the
price of gold was halved throughout the eastern
Mediterranean.
Jesus was attacking a venal system, intruding
into and replacing the worship of God with the
worship of Mammon. It impoverished people and
accumulated wealth in the hands of Caiaphas, his
family and the temple elite. This was no mere
sideshow, but the national banking rip-off of the
time.
Jesus later attacked where their hearts lay:
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone
swears by the Temple, it means nothing; but if
anyone swears by the gold of the Temple, he is
bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! Which is
greater, the gold, or the Temple that makes the
gold sacred...”
When we return to our own situation, there are
some similarities. Since the 1980s we have had a
money-driven economy centred on the City of
London and a banking expansion of roughly from
five per cent of the economy in 1980 to 10 per
cent now. The money in circulation has grown to
around £1.5 trillion through the continued expansion of credit.
The Bank of England (or sometimes forgers)
used to get the windfall known as seigniorage
through printing notes. Now, with the creation of
electronic money through credit, banks have
been getting a similar kind of windfall for some
three decades amounting to between £10-40bn a
year. It is enough to furnish lavish bonuses, bank
skyscrapers and gross inequalities.
Because bankers got this windfall for extending credit they grew lax in their lending patterns
and the 2008 crash occurred.
They have not even been, nor are they now,
good bankers. Many have been blind guides not
assessing credit carefully, disrespecting their
customers and certainly not helping look after
the weak, who are just passed on to loan sharks.
They do not deserve bonuses. What would it
mean to earn the work of 50 other people? They
have merely been sitting where the money has
fluttered down.
It is time we, too, address this injustice. None
of the parties in the upcoming election has
sought to do so. Jesus got rid of the moneychangers and welcomed children and those who
needed healing into the heart of the City of
Jerusalem. There is no jump of logic required to
ask why we then subsidize rich bankers through
credit seigniorage (and tax evasion) to the tune
of tens of billions while other areas of expenditure like education, health and benefits are
squeezed.
It is time for reform.
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Southwark
Sir, As evangelical clergy
serving on the Bishop of
Southwark’s senior staff
team, we sometimes find ourselves wondering which of
two Southwark Dioceses we
are actually ministering in.
On the one hand, there is
the Southwark Diocese of
popular perception, at least as
some bloggers and commentators are concerned. This
Southwark Diocese is apparently experiencing catastrophic decline due to the
extreme liberal hegemony of
the senior clergy of the Diocese, especially the Bishop’s
staff team, where it is allegedly nigh impossible for an
evangelical to be appointed to
a senior role, or make any significant impact, and the only
agenda is revisionism. This
Diocese allegedly has almost
no Fresh Expressions of
Church and remains a nearclosed door to church plants.
This is compared with the
apparently far rosier picture
in neighbouring dioceses.
Then on the other hand
there is the reality of the
vibrant Southwark Diocese
where we find ourselves serving Jesus.
This Southwark Diocese
has many signs of growth. A
recent
Diocesan
Synod
reported that the growth in
collective electoral roll membership rose from 44,200 in
2002, to 45,100 in 2007, to
46,700 in 2013. No one on the
Bishop’s staff feels remotely
complacent about this, and
under Bishop Christopher’s
leadership we have developed
an intentional growth strategy, through for example
rolling out Mission Action
Planning across the Diocese.
There is much more to do;
but we are moving, and in the
right direction.
A recent study of Fresh
Expressions of Church in this
Diocese found 40 Fresh
Expressions
representing
2,400 worshippers, with an
average growth rate of 16 per
cent in the last two years. We
have recently appointed an
evangelical minister to serve
as our first Dean of Fresh
Expressions and have created
a fund of £100,000 to be
invested in new and existing
Fresh Expressions over the
next year or so. There have
been a number of successful
Dresden
Sir, Peter Mullen’s comments (27 February) that the Archbishop of Canterbury said the bombing raid on Dresden in
1945 was wrong. This is simply not true. Archbishop Justin
Welby actually said that much debate surrounds this most
controversial raid of the allied bombing campaign, and
whatever the arguments, events here 70 years ago left a
deep wound and diminished all our humanity.
In addition, any suggestion that the Archbishop was apologising is also manifestly false, and that the Archbishop’s
comments were a reflection in a solemn ceremony on the
tragedy of war. They very carefully avoided apologising, and
those present, including the President of Germany, recognised the difference.
Ailsa Anderson,
Director of Communications to the Archbishop of Canterbury
congregation plants in the
Diocese, and more are
planned.
In this Southwark Diocese,
we are thankful to serve in a
talented Bishop’s staff team in
which people are appointed
because they are the best for
the role. We have been
appointed to our present
posts within the last two years
or so. The experience of
working alongside people
with different insights on the
Gospel is an enriching one,
and our own perspectives are
appreciated and valued too.
Our colleagues are people
with passionately held and
argued views on every issue,
because they care about the
mission and ministry of
Christ’s church in this place.
This is what working in a
broad and diverse church is
supposed to be like.
Sometimes a narrative
becomes so deeply embedded
in people’s imaginations that
it is almost impossible to shift.
In the case of Southwark Diocese, the narrative has not yet
caught up with the reality.
None of us would wish to
work in the imaginary diocese; we consider this to be a
God-given kairos moment to
be ministering in the real
Southwark Diocese.
The Rev Canon Dr
Stephen Hance,
Canon Missioner
The Ven Alastair Cutting,
Archdeacon of Lewisham and
Greenwich
The Ven Simon Gates,
Archdeacon of Lambeth
The search for truth
Sir, In ’What is the point of
being a Christian?’ Timothy
Radcliffe says that, since the
[email protected]
Church is a ‘Community of
Truth’, part of its mission is to
insist that people go on posing the difficult question: in
this generation it seems to
involve homosexuality.
Radcliffe points out that we
will only be able to do this
convincingly if we do not
know all the answers in
advance. We go on arguing
because the other person is in
some sense right. We argue
not to win but so that the
truth can win.
The opposite of a profound
truth can be another profound truth - a question of
‘both/and’. To claim that you
alone have ‘the whole truth’ is
a false teaching. As Augustine
said, we can no more contain
the full truth of God than we
can contain the sea in a shell.
Archbishop Justin is rightly
concerned to make the
Church fit for new Christians,
who will certainly not believe
what we say about being welcoming and accepting if we
are ungracious about each
other. The analogy of our
being left to write the fifth act
of an unfinished play, working
together to develop the plot
further, is constructive. This
would obviously mean taking
concerns for scrupulous
hermeneutics, for sexual
health and for informed,
research-based opinions, seriously.
Hermeneutics is more art
than science, however, and so
there will always be a range of
interpretations: research does
not always come to unanimous conclusions. A major
Cambridge University study
over 35 years of families from
around the world, headed by
Professor Susan Golombok,
has concluded that children
brought up by two mothers,
two fathers or single parents
fare no worse than those from
traditional families: children
flourish where there is love,
security and support.
She finds the research funded by right-wing religious
organisations in the US is
‘pretty shoddy’. To quote
Archbishop Welby: “Anything
manipulative, coercive, anything disrespectful or controlling, is ruled out because of
who Jesus is.”
Perhaps James Catford did
not specifically mention Jesus
when he wrote about how
best to engage people with
The Bible because he was
prepared to start where they
presently are. Many people
are vaguely ‘spiritual’ and
then become curious about
what are ‘the most important
things in life’. CS Lewis, no
less, moved from atheism to
theism and only then to Christianity.
Serena Lancaster,
Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos.
A moving letter
Sir, Mrs Margaret Brown’s
heartfelt letter concerning
her beloved Church of England, is so moving and yet so
sad. This from the pen of a
lady who has done more than
any other correspondent of
this paper to nobly defend the
bond of Holy matrimony, not
just from same-sex marriage,
but
from
heterosexual
immorality too.
However it does show the
sharp division between those
who claim legitimate doctrinal
development and those who
believe doctrines are set in
stone.
Even within the Roman
Catholic Church we have the
same forces of liberalism, calling for development. Witness
the extraordinary synod on
the family. Yet the question
should be, what did our Lord
do to protect his revelation,
and mark out genuine developments from false ones.
Would he rely on a Holy
book, subject to misinterpretation, or would he appoint a
confirmer of the brethren,
with an unfailing faith who
protected by the holy Spirit
leads into all truth.
Did our Lord present his
nascent Church with a holy
book, like Islam and even
Mormonism, presented their
founders. No he commis-
sioned a teaching Church,
operative until the end of
time, against which the gates
of Hell can never prevail. One
speaking with authority and
not with speculation, as with
the Pharisees. Even today,
Rabbinic Judaism is torn over
issues as to the very meaning
of the state of Israel.
So the key question is
authority, and as with the rich
young men loyalty to the
word supersedes family connections and sentimental
associations. If the Lord Jesus
Christ is not just another
failed messiah, and really God
incarnate could he possibly
leave his message ( bought by
his precious blood) to confusion.
Robert Ian Williams,
Bangor
Modern families
Sir, It is reported that there is
clear evidence that Ofsted has
a policy of directing inspectors to ask pupils as young as
four years of age about different types of families including
having “two mums or two
dads”, and yet the head of
Ofsted has publicly denied
that pupils have been questioned about inappropriate
topics.
It is small wonder that there
is little trust in Government
bodies if there is dishonesty,
or lack of clarity, in the way
they operate. Is the Department of Education unable to
give clear instructions? Any
teacher in school would be
severely criticised if they
taught their subject in a vague
way.
The vague definition of
“British values” allows far too
much scope for the personal
beliefs of individual inspectors to influence Ofsted
reports. Ofsted seems to
believe that secular humanism and political correctness
are neutral and Christian
beliefs are suspect. Since the
Church of England has
warned the Government that
it is giving the Education Secretary too much power to
decide which beliefs are
acceptable in schools and
which are not, it seems that
the Government is ignoring
the Church.
Jonathan Longstaff,
Woodford Green,
Essex
@churchnewspaper
Feature
7
Call waiting…
How do you know if you have
been called to the ministry?
On the Church of England’s
website, Melanie Griffiths from
the Diocese of Gloucester,
identifies some key pointers to
test your gifts:
pastoral exercise.
After selection, what next?
The Diocesan director of
ordinands will help you choose a
course of study that is right for
you. These range from full-time
training to diocesan training
schemes. A four-year curacy will be
undertaken in conjunction.
You might want to consider these
Theological Colleges. Oak Hill and St
Mellitus College in London, and
London School of Theology in N.W
London offer both full- and part-time
courses. St Stephen’s House in Oxford
and also Wycliffe Hall, also in Oxford.
In Bristol there is Trinity College. The
Barnabas Theological Centre, St John’s
in Nottingham, Cranmer Hall Durham
and The Forward in Faith Vocations
Initiative.
A more in depth look at Theological
Colleges follows.
God’s guidance through his Word & Spirit
(listening to & seeking God in scripture,
worship, through others, in the world)
Interests, inspiration, spheres of influence,
inclinations, innate qualities & gifts (Who
I am as a person, the interests, aptitudes,
passions and skills I have)
Friends, family, fellowship(what do
those who know me best think?)
Taking a step, testing it out (Is there a
safe way to ‘have a go’? Maybe in a
voluntary capacity? Which is the next
step to take? Do I really know what it
entails?)
Situation and circumstances. (Am
I being realistic? What other
responsibilities do I have, How
will it fit together?)
A helpful resource for those
deciding their next step after
hearing the Call, is the Church of
England’s ‘Call Waiting’ website.
For those who have decided on
‘The Calling’, their next step is to
prepare for the Bishop’s
Advisory Panel. Your local
Bishop will sponsor your entry.
These Panels are arranged by the
Ministry Division of the
Archbishops’ Council and last for
roughly two to three days.
At the panel, three interviews take
place as well as a presentation, group
discussion, personal inventory and a
Leadership training and theological study at
Trinity is dynamic, challenging, Spirit-filled
and mission-focused.
Statistics released by the Church of England show that 2014 figures for
under-30s recommended at selection conferences or Bishop’s Advisory
Panels is at a 25-year high.
Young people now make up a quarter of people accepted for Church of
England ministry training.
Prospective ordinands gathered at the Archbishop of York’s home in
Bishopthorpe last week at an event called Step Forward. The one-day event
was designed for 18-30-year-olds considering ministry. The one-day event
addressed five key themes of Calling, Discerning, Forming, Serving and
Worshipping.
Liz Boughton, Young Vocations Adviser, Ministry Division of the
Archbishops’ Council said: “We are so pleased to see more young people
being recommended for ordination than in the last 10 years. The gifts and
insights that young people bring to ministry are more important than ever in
the life of the Church of England and I look forward to seeing the impact that
a generation of young priests will bring.”
The Bishop of Sheffield, Steven Croft, chair of the Ministry Council, said:
“It is really encouraging that young people are continuing to come forward,
playing their part in the Church of the future. More and more young people
are hearing God’s call to bring their energy and gifts to serve in the mission
of the church. As a Church we need this movement to deepen and grow still
further.”
[email protected]
Whether you’re thinking about ordained ministry,
or other forms of church leadership, this is the
place to go deeper with the Word of God and let
the counter-cultural world-changing reality of his
Kingdom shape your life and ministry.
Find out more at trinitycollegebristol.ac.uk
•
Theology degrees, diplomas and certificates Ordination
training School of Leadership Full and part-time study
•
Live like the
Kingdom is near
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8
Study at Cranmer Hall and receive a
world class theological education
rooted in prayer, worship and
Christian community
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Feature
Four things young leaders
bring to the church
By Beth Ineson
Principal, Trinity College, Bristol
prisoner and spread the good news of
Jesus in both word and deed.
“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct,
love, faith and purity, show yourself an
example to those who believe,” 1 Timothy 4:12.
Paul obviously thought that the young
leader, Timothy, had the capacity to be
an example to others in the way he
spoke, acted and lived. So what can we,
as a church, learn from younger leaders
today?
“110%”
3: Passionate commitment. I believe
that one of the things young leaders
bring is a sense of passionate and unreserved commitment to the work and
word of God. It has often been thought
in the past that young people ought to
go and get more ‘life experience’ before
committing to full-time church leadership, but there is something incredibly
humbling about a younger leader committing wholeheartedly to serve God’s
people right from the start of their
working lives. Yes, they will have to
work on building the long-term
resilience needed to maintain a lifetime
of ministry, but that is where we’re
pleased to be able to help our students
put in place some good practices and
disciplines that will see them through,
even when the passion feels less
intense.
“Are you for real?”
1: Authenticity. Younger people seem to
have an innate ability to see through
hypocrisy. Children have an endearing
(albeit sometimes embarrassing) honesty, and I wonder if those in their 20s
and late teens have not yet quite ‘grown
out’ of it? So many younger leaders I
know are wonderfully eager in their
pursuit of authenticity – in their relationships, in their actions and in the way
they see church. They are not prepared
to put up with half-truths and they can
spot a lack of honesty at great distance.
Trinity’s emphasis on full-time residential training means that we’re a place
where people live in close community
over several years – too long a time to
simply ‘be nice’! So genuine relationships are formed that come from sharing life honestly, and sometimes by
working through conflict. If our
younger leaders can be encouraged to
take this capacity to build real community wherever they go in their future
ministries, then our churches will be
richer and deeper as a result.
“Let’s get on with it”
2: Action. Many younger people are fed
up with the cynicism and apathy of previous generations and want to get on
with making a difference, changing
things where they are not as they ought
to be. There is great physical and emotional energy that often comes with
youth and while, of course, younger
people need to learn the discipline of
stillness and reflection, we must encourage their hunger and willingness to see
faith spelled out in actions. Many of our
students in their church placements act
as catalysts in their local communities,
helping to put feet and hands on the
command to feed the hungry, visit the
“Why do we do it like that?”
4: Questions. One of the joys of teaching
in a college with a high number of
younger students is that there is a
healthy desire to question and challenge the way things have been done in
the past. Of course the ability to do this
is not limited to the young students, but
I do sense a special capacity amongst
our younger leaders to work out how
the received traditions of the past might
be re-imagined for this generation.
Now more than ever the church
needs radical and fresh-sighted reinvention of its practices and disciplines. Certainly younger leaders need older
leaders and must seek out the wisdom
of previous generations to root themselves firmly in the goodness of the
past. But the ability – and willingness –
to question the status quo is to be celebrated.
It is important to say that, of course,
these things are not limited to the
under-30s – there are plenty of people of
all ages who exhibit these traits.
But there is something unique about
the way in which these characteristics
are expressed and used by leaders
who are just starting out, and as the
church of Christ we need to support,
protect and celebrate the passion and
gifts he has given them for our
strengthening.
Leadership, mission and theology
“We try to engage
specifically with the
demanding issues
people are facing in
their jobs. Seeing God
at work in the heart
of Westminster is an
amazing privilege.”
Revd Jason Roach, curate in
workplace ministry, Whitehall
Oak Hill
College
people equipped
for ministry
oakhill.ac.uk
OPEN MORNING
AT OAK HILL
16 May 2015
St Mellitus College is a community of learning dedicated to helping Christians
study theology and explore their faith more deeply, with a focus on missional leadership and the flexibility to fit around busy lives.
Whether you’re exploring ordination within the Church of England, wanting to
grow your leadership
potential through postgraduate study, have a
desire to become a youth
minister, or want to study
theology at undergraduate level, St Mellitus provides a transformational
environment that will
grow your heart and mind
in Christ.
St Mellitus College
offers a range of accredited courses through its
teaching sites in London,
Liverpool and Chelmsford.
Training that will stretch you
academically and spiritually
Cranmer Hall is set in
the heart of St John’s
College within Durham
University. It is a vibrant
and diverse Christian
community that
has been praying, learning,
growing
and
training
men
and women for
ministry
and
mission for over
a century.
Training for
ministry
at
Cranmer Hall
stretches you
academically
and spiritually
as you engage
with the breadth and
depth of Christian, and
particularly
Anglican
tradition. It equips you
to read the culture and
enables you to serve the
Church. Life at Cranmer
is rooted in Scripture
and prayer and is deeply
embedded in mission
locally and further
afield.
As part of this commitment to mission
Cranmer Hall is launching a new training path-
way in October 2015
called the Cranmer
Urban Track. This is an
exciting new initiative
with
context-based
learning at its heart.
This pioneering project
will see two training
hubs open, one in East
Durham and one in
Middlesbrough, to train
new vicars in these varied North East communities.
Ordinands on this
track will live and work
in and around their hub
church with up to two
days a week spent
studying in college.
While in context in the
hub, ordinands will be
supervised by specifically appointed hub tutors.
The hub tutors are
parish priests who will
act as formational tutors
to the ordinands
and
oversee their
training programme.
Ordinands on
this track will
study for the
Common
Awards BA in
Theology,
Ministry and
Mission over
three years.
As well as this exciting new opportunity
Cranmer Hall continues
to deliver a range of
study options from Certificate to Doctoral level.
With many different
paths and courses for
those wishing to undertake ordination training
or simply study Theology and Ministry, Cranmer Hall is worth
researching:
www.dur.ac.uk/cranmer.hall/
Seeking the best place
to hear your
calling
You have already taken the greatest of all
life-changing decisions – to devote your life
to the service of God as a priest. The next
decision is to find the place that will enable
you to deepen your understanding and
strengthen your commitment to God, the
place that will most comprehensively form
you for your life’s ministry.
Our conviction is that it is at St Stephen’s
House that you will be able to hear your
calling most clearly and answer it most
faithfully.
So we invite you to taste and see; we hope
that you may recognise in us the best place
to hear your own particular calling to follow
Christ.
Feature
Creative Christian learning at St John’s
At St John’s College,
Nottingham we see
education and formation for ministry
as much more than
an intellectual exercise – we look to
inspire
creative
Christian learning
marked by evangelical conviction, academic excellence,
and charismatic life,
equipping people for
their role in ministry and mission in
an
ever-changing
world.
Community at St
John’s
St John’s has a rich
and diverse community with students
coming from a variety of backgrounds,
those studying fulland part-time, on
site and through distance learning, ordinands in the Church
of England and
those from other
denominations,
independent
students, single and
married
people,
staff and family
members of all ages.
Although the St
John’s community is
constantly changing
one thing remains
constant - there is
always an active,
supportive
and
vibrant community.
What
sets
St
John’s apart?
Since our formation
in 1863, we have
welcomed
and
encouraged
students from non-traditional academic
backgrounds. This
is reflected in the
many
alternative
forms of assessment
used under controlled conditions.
Programmes
Starting in September
2015
our
Durham University
validated courses at
Certificate
(HE),
Diploma (HE) and
BA in Theology,
Ministry and Mission, can be studied
by distance learning. Our Graduate
Certificate (60 credits) offers study that
is accessible to students with a wide
range of educational
backgrounds and
ministerial, professional and personal
circumstances.
We
are
also
delighted from September 2015 to
launch new exciting
pathways at Certificate (HE) and BA in
Theology Ministry
and Mission, with a
particular focus and
training for the fluid
and fast moving
world of children,
youth and mission
work.
In addition to the
above
courses,
which are all validated by Durham University, we offer St
John’s accredited
courses such as the
Certificate in Christian Studies as well
as specialist modules in Counselling
Skills for Pastoral
Care and The Work
of a Church Administrator.
Please see
www.stjohnsnottm.ac.uk for
details.
go deeper
...courses in theology, ministry and
mission, children’s and youth ministry
to equip the whole people of God...
...a variety of distance learning courses
to suit your needs, from single modules
and one year part-time to full BA
degree...
...enrich your ministry
through study weeks, short courses and
summer schools
[email protected]
0115 968 3203 www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk
St Stephen’s House, Oxford
+44 (0)1865 613500
www.ssho.ox.ac.uk
St Stephen’s House is a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford.
9
FIRST CHOICE THEOLOGICAL THINKING AT THE
LONDON SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY (LST)
THE FUTURE CONFERENCE at LST
22ND JUNE 2015
A DAY OF INSPIRATION, INNOVATION AND HOPE AS WE
HELP PREPARE THE CHURCH FOR GOD’S FUTURE.
Visit www.lst.ac.uk/future for more information
DEO GLORIA LECTURE 2015 | 8 MAY 2015 | LECTURE BY EUGENE CHO
For further details and to book visit www.lst.ac.uk/deo
www.lst.ac.uk | 01923 456 000
ON CAMPUS, ONLINE OR DISTANCE
LEARNING – LST DELIVERS LIFE
CHANGING ACADEMIC TRAINING.
Theology, Mission & Worship
For the 21st Century
Ordination Training
BA in Theology and Youth Ministry
Undergraduate Study
MA in Christian Leadership
@stmellitus
stmellitus.ac.uk
[email protected]
London | Chelmsford | Liverpool
10
March 20, 2015
Feature
Multicoloured Ministry
The Archbishop of Canterbury has
said: “All who are baptised are called to
ministry, whether that is lay or
ordained. The Church needs a wide
variety of ministers in order to serve all
people. God calls young people and
older ones, wealthy and poorer.”
Indeed, while many seek to fulfil
their vocation in the ordained ministry,
there is a huge range of lay ministries
on offer. And the courses on offer at
Bible and theological colleges, reflect
this.
If you have an interest in, and a talent
for, music, there are a few options to
consider to develop your ministry in
this area. All Nations in Ware, for
example, is offering a course in
Worship Music and Liturgy.
The London School of Theology has
two programmes on Theology, Music
& Worship and Theology & Worship.
These two combined and integrated
honours programmes are the only
ones of their kind in Europe and were
initially developed with the Music &
Worship Foundation (MWF). As well
as a substantial core programme of
theological studies they offer a wide
range of music and worship modules.
Their long-established Theology,
Music & Worship degree programme
offered at Certificate, Diploma, and
Degree level is specifically designed
for musically gifted students interested
in taking a combined and integrated
study programme in theology, music
and worship, who want to advance
their music skills and understanding to
a high level and at the same time wish
to be theologically equipped.
On a similar theme, All Nations also
offers a course on Art, Identity and
Local Contexts.
All Nations also do courses on
Islamics, short courses for people
going on cross-cultural mission and
they have a World Worship Day for
those interested in ‘heart’ music. What
is your own heart music and how can
you identify it? How can this enable
you to draw close to God in worship?
How can you understand the heart
music of those around you and those of
another culture? How can you use this
knowledge to help the church you
attend move towards new forms of
worship, and a new sound that fully
expresses the identity of your
congregation?
Last autumn Cliff College held its
first course on Godly Play. This is a
three-day course enabling participants
to become a Godly Play practitioner in
their locality
(see www.godlyplay.org.uk/courses/ f
or further details of the curriculum).
The spirituality of the child (and the
adult) and the ways in which Godly
Play is a form of spiritual guidance is
explored throughout the course. The
training follows an action/reflection
model of learning. There is a mixture
of trainer-led presentations in each
genre, and participant storytelling
presentations, covering more than 15
stories.
The idea of Godly Play has taken off
in recent years and is used
increasingly in a diversity of settings
including churches, schools, people
with mental health problems, hospitals,
care homes for the elderly and adult
small groups.
However, they point out that course
is aimed at equipping people as
practitioners.
Cliff College also have courses on
schools ministry, family ministry and a
certificate in Christian mentoring.
For those who are interested in
counselling, LST has a Theology and
Counselling course accredited by the
British Association for Counselling and
Psychotherapy (BACP), the main
professional body for counselling in
the UK. This is the only Christian
Counselling course to meet the
standards of their full professional
scrutiny.
Moorlands College has a course and
certificate on residential ministry as
well as courses on Christian
mentorship and coaching and they
offer a foundation course on pastoral
care.
Their full-time undergraduate
courses include one on BA (Hons) in
Applied Theology (Youth and
Community Work) with JNC
Professional Qualification endorsed by
the National Youth Agency.
Ridley Hall offers courses in youth
work with a range of courses - both
part-time and full-time - designed to
equip people for youth work ministry
in specific contexts.
Additionally they also offer courses
to support those already actively
involved in youth work or
supervision/tutoring of youth workers.
Over at Oak Hill in North London
they recently unveiled a new
partnership with Acts 29, the global
church planting network. The aim of
this is to establish an academy to train
people for ministry and church
planting in Europe.
Dr Daniel Strange, Academic Vice
Principal of Oak Hill, said: “Most
European nations are less than two per
cent evangelical. Through immigration
to the continent, we also have
unprecedented access. The reevangelisation of Europe has strategic
importance for reaching some of the
most unreached peoples of the world.
The European church needs
revitalising and new churches need to
be planted to meet the challenge and
opportunity.”
As part of their usual BA offering,
Oak Hill focus their courses on
Theological and Pastoral Studies –
biblical training for work across a
range of ministries including church
leadership; Theology for Crossing
Cultures – biblical training for crosscultural mission; or Theology and
Praxis for Children’s and Youth
Ministry – theology and practice for
youth and children’s leaders.
The choice of courses is wide and
varied, and many of the colleges offer
these either as full- or part-time
courses. Some are even short courses
and others are offered as distancelearning options.
Questions for every
politician this May
A timely report from the
Equality
and
Human
Rights Commission has
revealed a significant
amount of anecdotal evidence for religious discrimination – primarily
against Christians – in the
workplace.
The report sought the
public’s views about incidents in the workplace
relating to religion. Nearly
2,500 people responded.
One law firm changed the
name of its Christmas
party to the ‘End of Year
Party’ and a teacher told a
class that people who
believed in God were ‘nutters’. There were also
claims of discrimination by
atheists, humanists and
believers in minority religions but the main body of
complaints came from
Christians. The ECHR said
there was widespread confusion about the legal
framework of equalities
legislation.
There have, of course,
been court cases around
the wearing of religious
symbols since the turn of
the century. Nadia Ewedia,
the British Airways worker
who was sacked for wearing a cross, became a
cause célèbre and led to a
wholesale change of uniform policy by the airline.
Shirley Chaplin, a nurse in
the West Country, was
demoted for wearing the
same cross she had worn
throughout a long career
in nursing.
There have also been
cases where religious
rights to manifest belief
have clashed with gay
rights, especially the case
of the Islington registrar
Lillian Ladele, who was
sacked for asking to be
excused from conducting
civil partnerships. The tribunal found in her favour
the first time on compelling logic that the council could easily have made
reasonable accommodation for her and handled
the
disciplinary
case
against her poorly. On
appeal the tribunal found
against her, as did various
superior courts right up to
Strasbourg.
The idea of ‘reasonable
accommodation’,
which
has been mooted by
church leaders, politicians
and judges, has still not
been accepted as a way forward in settling these troublesome disputes.
But during a general
election campaign now is
the time to get some
answers from those who
want to represent you.
There are two key questions to ask of your candidates. What do you think
are the limits, if any, to the
freedom
of
religious
believers to manifest their
faith in public life? Should
a test of reasonable accommodation be applied when
religious rights and gay
rights clash?
Asking these two questions will at the very least
get your prospective candidates thinking about the
issues. There are many
other questions and issues
upon which Christians will
base their voting but their
attitude towards religious
freedom domestically and
internationally, should also
be a key factor.
Comment
11
ANDREW
CAREY
View from the Pew
Elton John has called for a boycott of fashion brand Dolce
and Gabbana after he said the designers labelled children
born through IVF “synthetic”.
David Cameron
D&G and same-sex parents
I’ve never heard of the fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana, but it is refreshing to hear a gay couple express traditional views that the best way to bring up children is with a mother and a father. That is not to say that gays and
lesbians make bad parents and I would much prefer children to be adopted by same-sex couples than left languishing in the so-called ‘care’ of the state.
They are reported to have said: “We oppose gay adoptions. The only family is the traditional one. No chemical
offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow. There are things that should not be changed.” Now some of
this language may be harsh in the translation and even offensive to some, but the two designers have every right
to express a strong opinion.
Sadly, the usual suspects are leaping upon their statements and calling for a boycott. Sir Elton John, who with
his partner David Furnish has two sons through surrogate mothers, says he will never wear Dolce and Gabbana
ever again. The shame is that such calls represent an irresponsible shrinking of the public space for proper
debate and difference.
The two designers are expressing views that have been widely acceptable in Europe until a couple of years ago.
They are still held today by many people.
And these are views that will simply not go away, however many tantrums are thrown. I wish I could say that I
will buy this designer brand but my guess is that I couldn’t afford it.
thespiritualdirector
LIZHOARE
By the Rev Dr Liz Hoare
‘Be transformed by the renewing of your
minds, so that you may discern what is
the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect,’ (Rom 12:2).
Study is of the essence of a city like
Oxford but in such an atmosphere it
carries with it a severe health warning.
It sets people up to feel superior, to live
in their heads and to rely too much on
rational thought for all the answers.
There is an opposite approach too
that says ‘it’s too clever for me. I am
only a layperson’: an attitude that opts
out of responsibility to know and live
God’s way. Jesus said ‘you shall know
the truth and the truth shall set you
free.’
Study is a spiritual discipline that all
Christians need to take seriously and if
we can appreciate it as something separate from grades and the ability to read
intellectual tomes that others find inaccessible, it is a discipline available to all.
All that is required is an inquiring mind
and a spirit of humility that desires to
learn. Study involves giving something
careful attention in order to understand
and analyse it.
Although we bring ourselves to the
process, we are trying to observe and
be as objective as possible to get to the
truth. Christians have always sought to
pursue understanding in the practice of
faith. ‘I believe in order that I may
understand’ is the way that Christians
have thought about the great themes of
theological discourse. But we don’t
[email protected]
have to be a John Calvin or a St Augustine to practise the discipline of study.
It is moving to hear how Christians
have gone to great lengths to learn
more about God’s word, whether it’s a
St Ignatius going back to school in 16th
century Spain to learn Latin so he could
read the Bible, or a Mary Jones as a
young girl in the Welsh valleys walking
many miles to buy her own copy of the
Scriptures. The Bible is the central
focus of this spiritual discipline, but it is
not the only one.
Christians need to study the world
around them for the things it has to
teach us about God and his ways. This
may be the natural world and it is no
accident that many students of nature
have been and continue to be Chris-
tians. It may also be the world of human
activity for reflection here will lead us
back to God’s word and we will gain so
much by way of application of what we
find there. Regularly doing this will
train our minds to think biblically about
human existence.
If we are teachers of the Bible, the
discipline of study is inescapable. The
way we assimilate and communicate
the fruits of our study is also important.
If we fill our sermons with intellectual
arguments that do not relate to people’s
real lives we are doing them a great disservice. If we fail to leave time to study
God’s word and do not value the place
of careful study we will also fail those
who come expectantly to hear what
God is saying to his people.
@churchnewspaper
12
Janey Lee Grace
Live Healthy! Live Happy!
Can men help improve women’s body image?
‘Sisters are doing it for themselves’ is the mantra we hear
constantly: women everywhere are becoming empowered to choose the work they do, their relationships and
take control of their happiness.
We are in an age where ‘self care’ is the buzzword. The
enlightened woman knows that its OK to look to the
resources she needs, the whole analogy of putting on
your own life-saving equipment before attending to others rings true… and yet it appears that the message that
women are ‘OK’ just as they are still doesn’t quite make it
through the heart centre of today’s savvy woman.
Recent initiatives like the ‘This Girl Can’ ad campaign
encouraging women of all shapes and sizes to exercise
from Sport England really help, but it’s still in isolation .
The truth is that girls and women of all ages have
never been more unhappy with their bodies. Research
shows that slim women are often no more satisfied with
their bodies than overweight ones.
Some 40 years after the debut of body politics, fat is
more of a feminist issue than ever. Body dissatisfaction
has become the norm, with children as young as three
even worried about their appearance. Eating disorders,
weight and shape concerns affect many women.
Surprisingly for us women one man believes that men
can help.
Dr Aric Sigman, a child health education specialist,
and author of the book The Body Wars says: “Husbands,
partners, fathers and brothers are key to protecting and
Farage Does God
improving the body image of girls and women in their
lives Men have a very different and much kinder take
on female body fat, sex appeal, eating and weight loss.
“Knowing what men think can actually serve as an
antidote to the prevailing assumptions that feed body
dissatisfaction.”
Perhaps men have traditionally been cited as the
cause of the problem. But Aric believes that men are
in a position to countercheck the prevailing, highly
damaging generalisation that female body fat is unattractive and disliked by males.
He believes that how men see women’s bodies is a
real part of life. “When it comes to the world of
women’s body image, eating disorders and dieting,
there has been a distinct lack of male input. It has
understandably been dominated almost entirely by
women.
“Men are often surprised to discover how even the
most intelligent, capable, rational and empowered
women can be laid low by body dissatisfaction. Most
men assume that an otherwise confident woman
wouldn’t be bothered that deeply by something as
superficial as a bit of fat or a patch of cellulite. Many of
us just don’t get it.
“It’s time we harness this different perspective and
ensure it’s put to good use.”
Guys! Take this on board - tell every woman in your
life she looks great !
The Body Wars by Dr Aric Sigman is published by
Piatkus
Best-paid cleric
Best-seller at the Ukip Conference was Nigel Farage In His Own Words, a
collection of quotes from the great man compiled by Andrew Liddle, Lead
Reporter for the Dundee Courier. As well as sections dealing with such
predictable topics as immigration and the EU there is also a short collection
of Farage’s sayings on religion. Farage has never claimed to be devout,
although one of his aides has said he can find his way around an AngloCatholic high mass but he has not been backward in using religion as a
weapon in his war on multiculturalism, announcing on one occasion that he
was a ‘bit tired about my kids coming home from school being taught every
other religion celebrating every other festival but not actually being taught
about Christianity’.
Rowan Williams may have been thinking of Farage when he warned
recently against voting for politicians who espouse ‘Judaeo Christian values’
because the Ukip leader certainly thinks this is a ‘Judaeo Christian country’
and ‘we’ve got to actually start standing up for Judaeo Christian values’. Like
many people who speak in his way Farage never lists such values. Do they
include hospitality to strangers or help for the poor, for example?
People warm to Farage because he has overcome accident and illness,
delights in playing the cheeky fellow, and appears more of a normal human
being than most politicians. “I approve of Jesus,” he tells us. “He seems a
decent sort who liked his wine and the company of riff raff.”
It’s likely that the highest paid Anglican cleric in the world is the rector of Trinity
Church on Wall Street. In 2010 the parish’s tax returns showed the then rector, the Rev
James Cooper, receiving a total package worth $1.3m a year. This was made up of a
salary of $346,000, $507,000 in pension benefits and other ‘deferred benefits’ and an
assessment of $400,000 for use of a $10 million house. As one critic of the controversial
rector put it, it was ‘a Wall Street pay and conditions deal’.
Cooper has now departed after disputes with the vestry over his spending plans and
the new rector, the Rev Bill Lupfer, has been speaking to the press. He has described
Trinity as ‘a most complicated parish’. It has an investment portfolio of $4 billion, most
of it in Manhattan real estate. Like the C of E, Trinity is heavily indebted to gifts from
that most devoutly Anglican of monarchs, Queen Anne. Trinity has given away a good
deal of its money in the form of grants that have gone to projects in the Anglican
Communion around the world and Lupfer hopes to do more of this.
While his predecessor planned more expensive rental property, he hopes Trinity can
fund low-income housing, arguing that the church exists to promote the common good.
With a wife of Japanese descent he is also interested in racial reconciliation, high on
the agenda in the US at present after events in Ferguson. A new parish centre is
planned to serve the congregation, local residents and people in need.
Conscience of the Nation
Making converts on line
It’s not only the Jihadists who are using the internet to make converts. Billy Graham used to
invite people attending his crusades to get up out of their seats and come forward to accept
Christ as their saviour. Now the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is announcing that
most converts are being made online. Christianity Today reports that in 2014 of the 1.6
million who told BGEA that they prayed ‘to accept Jesus Christ as their saviour’
less than 15,000 did so in person. BGEA launched a number of evangelistic
websites less than four years ago and claims that already more than 5
million have indicated a decision for Christ. Other organisations like
Campus Crusade’s Global Mission Outreach, which reported more than
30 million online decisions for Jesus in 2014, are also active in web
evangelism.
Critics say that such a momentous decision can’t be made with a
click of a button after a few minutes of thinking and there are
worries that unless converts become members of a church they
will not grow in faith but soon drop away. People who are
converted at live events often attend with friends who support
them in their journey. But online evangelism does have some
advantages.
Not only is it cheaper, it reaches people who would never be
allowed to attend a crusade or visit a church. Although Saudi
Arabia attempts to block internet sites that violate the tenets of
Islam, BGEA says 572,000 in that country visited its sites in
2014. India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh are in the
list of top six countries for visits for both BGEA and Campus
Crusade.
Peter Stanford has called Archbishop Justin Welby the ‘conscience
of the nation’ but this view is not supported by findings from YouGov.
Their poll was quoted by Peter Kellner at a Westminster Faith
Debates. It put the Queen at the top of the list with William and Kate
joint second. Welby came fourth with 15 per cent. Joining Kellner to
discuss where the conscience of the nation is located were Rabbi
Laura Janner-Klausner, veteran religious journalist Clifford Longley
and Eliza Filby, the author of God and Mrs Thatcher. The panel
proved reluctant to discuss a suggestion from the floor that part
of the Queen’s authority stems from a divinity that still, in
Shakespeare’s words, hedges a monarch. Contrary to claims that
silence is one of her greatest strengths the Queen never
fails to do God in her most important speech of the year,
her Christmas broadcast, and is unfailing in her church
attendance. Summing up, former Education Secretary
Charles Clark argued, probably correctly, that there is
no one source of moral authority in Britain today and
that the conscience of the nation is dispersed among us
all.
Unfortunately the implications of that idea were not
examined. What does it say, for example, about the
Department of Education’s assumption it has the right to
issue binding regulations on British values to schools?
As the National Society said in response to the DfE:
“British values should emanate from a broad conversation
and not from the Secretary of State.”
The
Whispering
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Comment
Gallery
@churchnewspaper
Classifieds / Register 13
ANGLICAN CYCLE OF
PRAYER
Friday 20 March. Psalm 73:21-26, Job 30:20-31.
Montreal - (Canada, Canada): The Rt Rev Barry
Bryan Clarke; Moosonee - (Ontario, Canada): The Rt
Rev Thomas Corston
Saturday 21 March. Psalm 19:1-6, Ro. 14:1-12.
Moray, Ross & Caithness - (Scotland): The Rt Rev
Mark Strange
Sunday 22 March. Lent 5. Psalm 26, Ro. 14:13-23.
Morogoro - (Tanzania): The Rt Rev Godfrey Sehaba
Monday 23 March. Psalm 90:13-17, Job 31:1-8.
Mount Kenya Central - (Kenya): The Rt Rev Isaac
APPOINTMENTS
Nganga; Suffragan Bishop of Mount Kenya Central (Kenya): The Rt Rev Allen Waithaka; Mount Kenya
West - (Kenya): The Rt Rev Joseph Kagunda
The Rev Adrian Arnold,
Tuesday 24 March. Psalm 89:46-51, Job 31:9-15.
Vicar of St Gabriel Middleton Junction, Diocese of
Mount Kenya South - (Kenya): The Rt Rev Timothy
Manchester, has been appointed Team Vicar of the
Ranji; Suffragan Bishop Mt Kenya South - (Kenya):
Staveley and Barrow Hill Team Ministry, (Derby).
The Rt Rev Charles Muturi
The Rev William Bazely
Wednesday 25 March. Annunciation BVM, Lady
To be House for Duty Assistant Curate (to be known
Day. Psalm 70, Job 31:16-23. Mount Kilimanjaro as Associate Minister) of St Thomas’ Brampton with
special responsibility for the district of Holymoorside (Tanzania): The Rt Rev Stanley Elilekia Hotay
Thursday 26 March. Psalm 80:3-7, Job 31:24-34.
(Derby).
Mpumalanga - (Southern Africa): The Rt Rev Daniel
The Rev Helen Bent,
Bishop’s Adviser in Music and Worship (Sheffield), to Kgomosotho
be Head of Ministerial Training, Royal School of
Church Music.
The Rev Stephen Bowen
%-())!$!&"
BIBLE
now holds the Bishop of Southwark’s Permission to
("#&*'!)&,&+')
Officiate.
020 7222 2018 • [email protected]
The Rev Karen Bradley
To be Team Vicar in the East Scarsdale Team
Day 80 – Joshua 7-9, Psalm 67, John 1
Ministry, (Derby).
The Rev Michael John Brock,
Day 82 – Enjoy hearing the Scriptures read aloud in
Vicar of Dersingham, Rector of Anmer, Vicar of
church
Shernborne and Priest in Charge of Ingoldisthorpe
(Norwich) to be Priest in Charge of St Anne, Sutton Day 84 – Joshua 16-18, Psalm 70, John 4
Bonington, St Michael, Sutton Bonington and St
James, Normanton on Soar (Southwell and
Nottingham).
CHALLENGE
14
Mrs Thatcher, the Church and her faith
God and Mrs Thatcher
Eliza Filby
Biteback, hb, £25.00 (or £16.00
from the CEN Shop)
Enoch Powell, like Margaret Thatcher a politician of conviction, made the
famous claim that the careers of all
politicians, unless cut off in midstream, end in failure. Mrs Thatcher
transformed Britain and yet, as Eliza Filby shows in
this excellent new study, she did not achieve what
she set out to do. There is a sense in which her
career, too, ended in failure.
Thatcher’s values and beliefs were shaped by her
Methodist upbringing. She remained a committed
Christian who transferred her allegiance to Anglicanism of a low church non-sacramental variety when
she married Denis (she was never confirmed).
Encouraged by such guides as Brian Griffiths and
Michael Novak she believed in individual freedom
contained by a sense of social responsibility that
meant it would not give rise to exploitation and injustice. She saw the creation of wealth as a godly pursuit
but regarded the worship of wealth as a sin.
Thatcher saw her policies as setting people free to
achieve their God-given potential. She did not foresee
that they would lead to materialism and fiscal irresponsibility. Personally careful and thrifty with
money, she unleashed economic forces that led to a
huge increase in debt and consumerism. Delayed
gratification, or the idea that you saved to buy what
you wanted, became old history. Her father, the
Methodist local preacher Alderman Roberts, had
called debt ‘the curse of mankind’.
Asked to defend her policies after she left office,
Thatcher quoted Wesley: ‘Do not impute to money
the faults of mankind’. As Filby shrewdly comments:
“The flaw in Margaret Thatcher’s theology was not
that she did not believed in society, as many criticised, but that she had too much faith in man. She
had forgotten the essence of Conservative philosophy: the Fall.”
There was in truth a certain naivety about Margaret Thatcher. Charles Moore brings this out in his
account of her attitudes to sex. One Tory backbencher described seeing Willie Whitelaw looking
haggard and drinking whisky in the Commons bar.
Asked what the problem was Whitelaw replied: “I had
to explain to the PM about anal sex.” But as well as
sex, Thatcher could also be naive about money. Her
disciplined Methodist upbringing left her unable to
grasp the extent of human weakness.
The Soul of Football
Mark Chester
BRF, pb, £6.99
I Think It’s God Calling
Katy Magdalene Price
BRF, pb, £7.99
Here we have two very interesting little books on the subject of
vocation. Each explores what it is
to listen to God’s call on your life
and the adventures that can
ensue.
There are times when Mark
Chester’s book is a classic. It tells
the story of his love of football,
and Liverpool Football Club in
particular. It is at its best in painting a picture of what it is to be a
young person in love with the
game. Mark Chester is the
founder of Who Let the Dad’s
Out? It is a movement of churches reaching out to dads, and what
better way than through football.
I especially liked Mark’s depiction of life in the 70s and the way
life was much, much more rough
and ready then.
As a fellow dreamer I certainly
Moore’s book, which will undoubtedly be the standard biography, does full justice to Thatcher’s beliefs.
There is a sense in which Filby does little more that
fill out the picture but she also pays attention to what
was happening in the churches, particularly the
Church of England, at the time. This book could also
have been entitled ‘The Church and Mrs Thatcher’
and there are long sections where the Iron Lady
fades out of the picture and the focus is on bishops
and theologians.
Filby has an excellent grasp of church history during the period and rarely makes a slip although to call
Enoch Powell an ‘evangelical’ is surely a mistake. He
certainly disliked too much Catholic ritual and
opposed papal claims but he is probably best
described as an old fashioned ‘high and dry’ Anglican.
Filby writes well. She has a gift for phrases that
convey important insights, telling us, for example,
that “whereas America has a secular state but a largely devout public, Britain has a Christianised state and
a predominantly secular electorate”. She is also balanced in her judgements. This is not another attack
on Margaret Thatcher but a real attempt to understand her religious beliefs and relate them to her policies.
The Church of England does not escape criticism.
She sees merit in the argument that it was an out-oftouch upper middle class institution with a paternalistic attitude to the underprivileged and is not afraid to
question the value of General Synod. She is scathing
about Sir Douglas Lovelock and the Church Commissioners and suggests that in the end both Thatcher
and liberal Anglicanism were flawed.
Filby is clear about the declining influence of the
Church. Theologians and bishops became less
prominent in chairing commissions on such issues as
Human Fertilisation and Embryology and church
leaders like David Sheppard were reluctant to speak
out on matters to do with sex in case this damaged
their credibility. But the C of E did successfully reinvent the nature of establishment as a guarantee that
all faiths were represented in the public square.
Under Thatcher the Church defended a post-war
consensus it had, largely through William Temple,
helped to create. It is an ironical outcome that Filby
does not explore that the creation of the welfare state
may have encouraged secularisation by depriving
religious bodies of important charitable functions.
Today some of those functions are returning to the
churches and other non-state actors with consequences as yet unknown.
Paul Richardson
responded to the author’s illusion
that one day he might be plucked
from the terraces to play in the
first team. I had just such a
dream, but with a far superior
club, QPR.
Mark weaves the story of his
youth and his football, and his
dad, in the most natural way. He
tells of the horror of Hillsborough
and how it ended his love of the
game, for a while. He speaks movingly of his journey with God as
well and the way his faith journey
moulded his life. God works in
mysterious ways.
It is a good book but not a perfect one. The last section of ruminations is tacked on. It needed a
much more demanding editor.
But it is a great read and I thoroughly recommend it.
Katy Magdalene Price has written a cracker of a book about
being called to Ordination, attending theological college and
becoming a curate. It grew from
her popular blog. It is quite brilliantly written and is a riveting
read. It is full of pungent criticism
of the ways of the Church of Eng-
land and the struggles of being
called to priesthood – and, of
course, the joys.
This is a rare thing among
Christian books – funny, wise and
real. It is also very good on the
struggles of being a Christian and
the challenges facing Church.
She does it with such wit and
humour that the criticisms never
seem harsh.
Every page is packed with mischievous asides and comments. It
is not for the fainthearted but it is
really funny and incredibly honest. Like me, Katy was a fully
signed-up postmodern and the
ways and language of the church
seemed, and seem, very strange.
I have to say that this should be
essential reading for those attending theological college and for
those who lead the Church. Here
speaks a wise woman and one
whose lack of piety and honest
reflection make her a very good
companion. If I wasn’t a priest
myself, I would wish she was my
priest.
Books / Sunday
SUNDAYSERVICE
Palm Sunday — Sunday 29 March 2015
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1-15:47
The readings this week focus on the passion of Christ, who
gave himself up to an ignominious death for us and for our
salvation, but was honoured and vindicated by his Father.
Isaiah 50 is a song of the Messiah, meditating on the
things that God has given him. He has been given the
tongue of a teacher, to delight those who are weary with
falsehood, lies, and law. He has given him an open ear, to
hear God’s word. In return, the Messiah gives his back to
those who struck him, and gives himself up to shame, suffering, and spitting. Because of this faithful obedience to his
will, the Lord God vindicates his servant. He cannot be disgraced forever, or be finally defeated by his adversaries. No
one can call “guilty” the one that God has cleared.
Philippians 2 tells the same story. The innocent Christ
was obedient to death, even death on a cross — “the utterly
vile death of the cross” as they called it, which couldn’t be
mentioned in polite conversation without a twinge of disgust. God himself gave up his high position, and humbled
himself.
Not only did he take human form and flesh, with its limitations and liabilities, he followed the path of emptiness for
the sake of others (which is what Paul is encouraging the
Philippians to do as well). Because of his faithful obedience
to his will, God highly exalted Jesus. The work of the
covenant of redemption being completed, the Father
rewards the Son with the position he deserves.
In Isaiah 45:23, the LORD swore that every knee would
bow to him and every tongue swear allegiance; in Philippians 2, Paul places Jesus in that place of divine honour and
prestige, so that at his name everything in heaven and on
earth will bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lord.
The long Gospel reading is the narrative on which the
poetic reflections of Isaiah and Paul are founded. Mark 14
begins with a plot to kill Jesus and his proleptic anointing
for burial. Judas agrees to betray the Master and give him
up to the authorities. He is given his reward. Meanwhile,
Jesus teaches his disciples about what he is going to do as
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, as he
gives them bread and wine. He suffers the shame and pain
of Gethsemane, Sanhedrin, denial, mocking, and cruel crucifixion.
Mark 15 ends with the seemingly decisive stone rolled
over the grave where he is laid.
Palm Sunday would not be complete without remembering the bitter irony of Samuel Crossman’s hymn, “My song
is love unknown.” Though the crowd which sang his praises was composed of different people to the one which
bayed for his blood, the contrast of fickle human responses
to the self-giving of the King is startling and sobering:
Sometimes they strew his way,
And his sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King:
Then “Crucify!”
is all their breath,
And for his death
they thirst and cry.
Yet he gave himself up for us. As Crossman (an appropriate name!) concluded: “What may I say? Heav’n was his
home; But mine the tomb, Wherein he lay.” He took my
place to give me his.
Dr Lee Gatiss is author of The Forgotten Cross (Evangelical
Press) and Director of Church Society
(www.churchsociety.org).
HYMN SELECTION
My song is love unknown
From the squalor of a borrow stable
How deep the Father’s love for us
Tell me the story of Jesus
All glory, laud, and honour
Steve Morris
All books reviewed on these pages are available from www.churchnewspaper.com/shop. In case of difficulty please call 020 7222 2018
[email protected]
@churchnewspaper
Reviews
15
Life among the Occupiers
FILMS OFTHE WEEK
Suite Française (dir. Saul Dibb, cert. 15) is based on two
novels written by Irène Némirovsky during the Nazi
occupation of France. She died in Auschwitz, but her
notebook was kept by her daughters.
Only in 1998 did her elder daughter Denise realise
the value of the works, and they were published together as Suite Française in 2004. The film is adapted from
the second novel Dolce.
Lucile Angellier (Michelle Williams) lives in the small
town of Bussy near Paris, with her mother-in-law
(Kristin Scott Thomas), who thinks her son, away in the
army, married down. Theirs is a strained relationship
and it gets no better when in the summer of 1940 the
Germans occupy the town and a German officer is billeted in their substantial house.
He’s Bruno von Falk (Matthias Schoenaerts) and he’s
a nice German, from a military family but a composer
before the war. It’s not long before the no-collaboration
pretence dissipates as he and Lucile start fraternising,
and a bit more.
One of Bruno’s unwanted jobs is to go through the
pile of letters from townsfolk denouncing the behaviour
of their neighbours, and revealing to the enemy all their
nasty little secrets – some of which may send the
accused to their death. He seems to have managed not
to kill anyone so far.
The Germans set the clock to German time, they collect firearms, there’s no obvious resistance, and as the
refugees from Paris stream through the town, Marshal
Pétain’s words about “compassion and solicitude” for
the dispossessed sound hollow. Némirovsky empathises with the ordinary people caught up in this disaster,
while the mayor (Lambert Wilson) finds that his Viscount title cannot insulate him from the shame of defeat
and the reality of reprisals.
It’s the Viscountess (Harriet Walter) who sets in train
a tragic series of events when she denounces local
farmer Benoit (Sam Riley) in a pointless little act of
spite. Benoit’s billeted German officer (Tom Schilling)
has been eyeing Benoit’s wife Madeleine (Ruth Wilson), and Benoit plays dangerous games, hiding German officers’ clothes as they bathe naked – and he’s
CD OFTHE WEEK
Argent
In Deep
(Talking Elephant)
I would not normally get excited about a straight rerelease that comes without extensive liner notes and
extra tracks, as perfected by labels like Esoteric and
Salvo, but the return of Argent’s
greatest album deserves a note.
It is very much a disc of two
halves. The first is largely written
by the inordinately talented Russ
Ballard and is almost faultless.
“God Gave Rock and Roll to You”
is a beautifully judged slab of celebration with sweeping bursts of
organ.
“It’s Only Money” – so good
that they wrote it twice – is here
in its single version, but also as a
harder, riff-based track.
The side ends with “Losing
Hold,” as memorable and loveable as any of the singles. If it
were biologically possible, it
would ache from every pore. Is
this as good a 20 minutes as any
in rock?
The second half is a very differ-
[email protected]
one of many who has kept a gun hidden.
Loyalty and duty clash with doing the right thing for
Bruno and for Lucile, as tongues wag in both the town
and among the German troops. Not even the “Suite
Française” composed for Lucile by Bruno (in reality by
Alexandre Desplat) can eclipse the growing tensions.
Némirovsky, born in Kiev in 1903, fled the Russian
Revolution in 1918 for France, and was already an established author when Germany invaded France. Daughter of a Jewish banker and married to a Jewish banker,
her earlier novels might now seem anti-Semitic in the
characterisations, but in the end neither her reputation
nor conversion to Catholicism could protect her.
Despite her first-hand experience of occupation, the
ent affair that begins with an attempted epic (DJ Alan Freeman managed
to get two jingles from the nineminute schizophrenic “Be Glad”) and
ends with a bit of an East End knees
up (“Rosie”).
In between, “Christmas for the
Free” (a ballad, that sounds like it
could have been written by Paul
McCartney and is highly Christian in
its lyrics) starts two tracks that inves-
plot, the concept and the romantic attachment seem
rather wooden – at least in comparison with Captain
Corelli’s Mandolin (even if Louis de Bernières did not
like the film treatment of his book). There are insights
into the mechanics of collaboration, but if any of the citizens are “collaborationniste” – keen to assist the Nazis
rather than merely accepting the inevitable – it doesn’t
show.
Bruno faces his own call of duty when put in charge
of a firing squad. He has one final choice to make in the
closing scene, and it’s perhaps the nearest we get to a
sense of real humanity in the midst of turmoil.
Steve Parish
tigate suffering, overpopulation,
homelessness and a loving response.
The other is the bluesy “Candles on
the River”, featuring a superb instrumental section.
Though humble and lacking pretension, it remains one of the great unsung albums of its decade. It has had
staying power across four decades
and still ignites emotion.
Derek Walker
@churchnewspaper
It’s not all black and white
By Mike Resch
New Wine
Listening to Sir Tom Jones on BBC television show
The Voice he, along with the other vocal coaches,
spoke about singing needing shades. He explained that
you can’t hammer out a song at the top of your range
all the time; there needs to be light and shade to help
the performance sound better.
As an ex-professional photographer I know the same
to be true of photography, be it in colour or black and
white. Whilst walking around The Tate Modern
recently I also noticed that even the famous Black
Square, when I photographed it, revealed not simply
one shade but a depth of shades (whether this was the
artist’s intention or not, I don’t know).
As we look at God’s creation we see not only
wonderful colours but, when the light shines, we can
see highlights and shades. The brighter the light, the
more highlights and shade we see around us.
Within many New Wine churches, including my
own, there is a danger that people feel they are
expected to be shining white hot all the time in their
faith and have a life that is flawless. As I look around
me I believe this is contrary to how God operates.
In the Bible we see that Jesus himself encounters
light and shade to overcome in the wilderness, the
misunderstandings of others around him, the Garden
of Gethsemane experience and the separation of being
forsaken by the Father. I am not saying we should not
give 100 per cent to God but that we need to be
realistic about how this may play out.
There is a temptation that each time we go to church
we expect there to be a new revelation, comfortable
word and a nice sense of God’s presence. That is
indeed a highlight when, and if, it happens but is that
really to be expected each time?
This light will be tempered with some shade to make
the highlight more outstanding. On the whole, healing
happens all the time from a cut finger to a disappearing
PRIZE CROSSWORD
bruise, however that is seen as normal. God’s divine
healing of a blind person is remarkable however,
because of the shade of normality.
Is there a better way to be informed of God’s love
and plans for us? A better way of seeing God’s light in
our lives? I believe there is but it means we need to
work at it rather than receiving it on a plate each time.
Maybe Lent is the natural season when we can find
time to discover a better way of knowing God more
intimately.
In Timothy Keller’s book Prayer (Hodder, 2014) he
reminds us of the way of Christian meditation. He
explains how it is the opposite to other meditations,
where the aim is ‘to become no longer aware of any
words, ideas, images, or concepts – instead to become
aware only of awareness itself’. Christian meditation is
to understand that the Bible holds the truth and power
to transform our lives by knowing God better.
Taking time out to reflect on a single passage, where
we understand its meaning, through the context, to
reveal God’s heart, is something of a lost art. It is so
easy today to get a number of different thoughts,
sermons and commentaries on a single passage that
10
No. 942 by Axe
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
Member of a group of
Jews who accepted
Jesus as the Messiah
(8)
'...but I ----- -- tarry a
while with you, if the
Lord
permit'
[1
Cor/KJV] (5,2)
Arguably,
Melchizedek's
city
[Gen]; and probably formerly-named
Jebus
[Josh], the forerunner
to the 'holy city' (5)
Tower built by Noah's
descendants
who
intended it to reach up
to Heaven [Gen] (5)
Consecrates with oil (7)
Joseph's first master in
Egypt [Gen] (8)
'We saw his ---- when it
rose...' [Matt/NIV] (4)
Place where Jacob
24
our own reflection time can be shortened.
This is sad as through reflection and revelation we
will grow in wisdom and the depth of the knowledge
obtained will be greater. Reading a book, listening to a
podcast, watching a YouTube video will give us a
highlight of knowledge. However, I believe time spent
with God meditating on the Bible will give us so much
more light and shade as we taste his Word.
Edmund Clowney takes it even further when he
writes in Christian Meditation (Craig Press, 1979): “If
we pray without meditation, our own communion with
God becomes poor and distant.”
For the preachers amongst us, Vineyard Pastor and
well-loved New Wine speaker David Parker, said one
time: “To draw the water from our well to give a drink
to someone is much better than to get water from a
muddy puddle to share.”
He was urging us to go deeper in our understanding
of the Bible, to hear God’s heart by understanding
context and to work hard at digging spiritual wells
from scripture so that we not only transform ourselves
but also help transform others.
In Psalm 1 we have an image of a tree whose roots
are watered constantly resulting in green leaves all
year round. The blossom and the fruit though come in
seasons. This is the light and shade we experience as
believers as we abide in the vine. We can be nourished
constantly, the blossom comes and we bask in his
wonderful light.
Many rightly rejoice in the blossom but, as the
blossom falls, they panic and say ‘Where are you God?’
Don’t panic, allow the fruit to grow and replace the
blossom. When the fruit falls or is picked, again, don’t
panic. Remain with your roots in the water of biblical
meditation to wait until once again you are basking in
his light.
The Rev Mike Resch is Rector of the Sittingbourne Team
Ministry and leads the New Wine East Kent Local
Network Group
dreamed of a staircase
to Heaven [Gen] (6)
Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
etc: often grouped as
the ------ Books (6)
Down
1
English monk and
scholar (672-735) (4)
2
'Like a maniac, shooting
flaming ------ of death'
[Prov/NIV] (6)
3
Obed's father [Ruth] (4)
4
Code of law derived
from the Quran (6)
5
Architectural
feature
symbolic in a cruciform
church building (8)
7
'The children of Ater of
Hezekiah, ------ and eight'
(Neh/KJV] (6)
12
'He himself went into
the synagogue and -------with
the
Jews'
The first correct en try drawn will win a book of t he
Ed i tor ’s choi ce. Sen d your en tr y t o Cr oss wor d N u mber
9 42 , The Chur c h of E ngl and Ne ws p ap er ,
1 4 Grea t Col lege Str eet , W est min ster , Lon don, SW1 P
3RX by n ext Frida y
14
16
18
20
22
[Acts/NIV] (8)
Disciple, called by Jesus
along the shores of the
Sea of Galilee [Matt] (6)
Hebrew prophet featured in both books of
Kings (6)
'So I tell you this, and ----- on it in the Lord...'
[Eph/NIV] (6)
Abode of Satan and the
forces of evil (4)
Biblical prophet and OT
book (4)
Last week’s solutions:
Across: 5 Corinthians, 7 Amos, 8
Ministry, 9 Vassal, 10 Ranges, 11
Adders, 14 Canaan, 16 Bethpage,
17 Name, 18 The Creation.
Down: 1 Crisis, 2 Animal, 3
Shinar, 4 Samson, 5
Commandment, 6
Serve/Mammon, 12 Echoes, 13
Stairs, 14 Caesar, 15 Nuncio.
PRICE £1.50 / €2.00 / $2.50
12
Name
Across
8
6
David's capital
before he took
Jerusalem
[2
9
Sam] (6)
'------ said, 'He is
Elijah'
[Mark/NIV] (6)
'Then
Moses
[email protected]
climbed Mount --- from the
plains
of
Moab...
[Deut/NIV] (4)
Address
9 770964 816108
Pos t C ode
@churchnewspaper
© Copyright 2015, The Church of England Newspaper. Registered as a newspaper by Royal Mail. Published by Political and Religious Intelligence Ltd, 14 Great College Street, Westminster,
London, SW1P 3RX, Telephone: 020 7222 8700. Imagesetting by Classified Central Media Limited, 4th Floor, Central House, 142 Central Street, London, EC1V 8AR, 020 7216 6400. Printed by Mortons Media Group Ltd, Newspaper House, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6JR. Tel: 01507 523456. Newstrade distribution: Comag Specialist Division, Tel: 01895 433800.

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