The SIFT method of hermeneutics: sensing, intuition, feeling, and thinking - this is beautiful!

Image taken by mum when she holidayed in Canada in July with her brother

In The Church Times 29th, August

Leslie J. Francis and Andrew Village: Preaching with All our Soul, Continuum, 2008.

BECOME sensing people, and savour the rich imagery of this powerful prayer. Go back to the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts, and mingle with the crowd. Relive the experience of those original apostles on the day when the Holy Spirit was outpoured on God’s chosen people. Go back to the Day of Pentecost, and stretch out your arms. Feel the power of the Holy Spirit blow through your world like a mighty rushing wind. Hear the roar of the wind as God blows into the Church. Know that you are empowered. Go back to the Day of Pentecost, and open wide your eyes. See the fire of the Holy Spirit touch the hearts of all around. Smell the flames as they alight upon countless heads. Know that you are anointed. Become intuitive people, and imagine how God longs to transform you through the burning fire of God’s love. Pray that you may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel, eager to assemble with fellow Christians, eager to hear and to discern the word of God, eager to meet the risen Christ in the breaking of bread. Pray that you may be found steadfast in faith and active in service, eager to listen with Mary at the feet of Jesus, eager to serve with Martha the needs of Christ’s world. Let the burning fire of God’s love transform you. Become feeling people, and recommit yourselves to the active service for which Christ longs to commission you in God’s world. Hear afresh the challenge of Jesus’s teaching. When I was hungry, did you feed me? When I was naked, did you clothe me? When I was homeless, did you open your door? When I was lonely, did you walk alongside me? When I was depressed, did you listen to me? When I was sick, did you visit me? When I was dying, did you bring me hope? Recommit yourselves to active ser­vice. Become thinking people, and face the theological issues raised by this prayer. Here is a prayer addressed to a generous God, addressed to a merciful God. But remember that this is not the whole story. The generous God longs to give us more than we deserve, more than we desire. The generous God longs to give us full measure, pressed down and overflowing. But remember: God’s generosity should not be taken for granted. The merciful God longs to forgive us, longs to restore us. The merciful God longs to set us free. The merciful God longs to be gracious to us. But remember, God’s mercy needs to be tempered by God’s justice. Face the theological issues raised by this prayer.
The Revd Dr Leslie J. Francis is Professor of Religions and Education at the Univers­ity of Warwick, and Canon Theo­logian of Bangor Cathedral.

Interesting blog on the horizons from Of Life, Laughter and Liturgy...

Over at Jane's blog, she points our attention to: Lectio difficilior.
I will explore this journal and let you know when I've found out how to get an English translation of their article: The current edition has a lead article by Hans Christoph Aurin on "Your urge shall be for your husband". I've only GCSE French so that's not going to help much.

Update
Yes, you can download as a pdf and there is an English translation provided.

Jane points attention to what sounds like an interesting project:
Our own Geneva feminist theology group begins again next month and we've more or less put the whole of the past 4 years work online via a Wordpress blog and are hoping to record and make podcasts of some of this year's sessions. More about that at our launch. Watch her site for updates.

Hooray - we delivered!

Great for making a Holy Spirit wind noise

Holiday club was great fun - everyone at St Nick's is shattered but also refreshed spiritually by our witness to the kids and in witnessing them having so much fun. We heard how one little girl called Anja, who was just fantastic in our group - smiley and joining in, stood up on a big rock at Carsington Waters resevoir (on a day trip with her family) and sang out one of the songs with her hands in the air, so for some of the children I think it has had impact - God was really with us this week in the power of his spirit.

Explaining His spirit was interesting (we've looked at the life of Peter all week) - we used bubbles and balloons and fans and watched aeroplanes in flight on video and used a glow stick and a wind tunnel instrument to understand what had happened in Acts and Teddy Horsley helped out too.

The atmosphere was electric at times and the smiles big; at other times we fumbled our way through, half remebering scripts and pressing powerpoint slides on sometimes in the wrong order so that our cockerel crowed too many times at poor Peter but everyone pulled together. It made me realise how lively our church is and just how much we have to offer. At the end we were advertising family activities, nick's Chicks for the under 5s, youth for the 11-13s and Alpha for the questioning and curious. It's a great thing to be involved in!

RUN A WEEK OF HOLIDAY CLUB TOMORROW FOR THE UNDER 5s

Just love this which we're using:
Waffle at Max 7

We'll use him all week as a lead in - fab!

Why we need books like Rosie Ward's and people with her role

The BBC reports today on how women struggle with traditional churches, we are not bringing the gospel to this generation of women in a way that makes them hunger for more, in fact it would seem from the local report (Derby) that traditional churches that teach a hierarchical gospel are making women run from the pews (exaggeration on my part - but I think it needs to be given attention)!

Women 'leaving Church of England'

The Church of England has lost about 50,000 women every year from its congregation since 1989, according to a Derby-based sociologist.

Dr Kristin Aune, from the University of Derby, said many young women were put off by the traditional values.

She said television programmes promoting female empowerment also discouraged women from going to church.

Dr Aune based the figures for her book on information gathered from the English Church Census.

Unpopular values

Dr Aune, co-author of Women and Religion in the West, said: "In short, women are abandoning the church.

"Young women tend to express egalitarian values and dislike the traditionalism and hierarchies they imagine are integral to the church."

She said many women found it difficult to make time for church while juggling work and family.

"With the pressures women face, churches must adapt to make themselves more accessible."

She added that while the issue of the ordination of women was being discussed, "we have taken our eyes off the pews, where a shift with more consequences for the church's survival is under way".

NEW BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Read extract of Rosie Ward's book here

As you know I started this blog to better understand the way my 'heart had been troubled' by my local church's attitude to women leaders. When I listened to a local vicar preach on 1 Tim 2 11-15 and thought my heart was going to explode through my chest, I had to find out whether there were other women and men feeling as passionate about this issue as me. (See my June posts particularly). I was gifted with friendship on both sides of the argument and went on an interesting journey- viewpoint in tact, that yes, the church needs women leaders as much as it needs men. Rosie Ward's book is launched at a time when I have found peace over this issue and move on accepting differences exist and yet excited by the prospect of women in all positions of the church 'hierarchy' (such an inappropriate word, really) since July 7th synod decision promoting women to the episcopate.

I look forward to reading this book, when it is available later this month and have already had my attention grabbed by the sample posted by BRF:

From Rosie's book:

Many women find themselves called to lead but also hear competing claims:
• It says in the Bible that women should not be leaders.
• Women should not lead, because they are weaker and more gullible.
• We’ve never had women leaders in the Church, so why start now?
• How would you manage to be a proper wife and look after your children?
• Can women make the hard decisions of leadership? Can they ‘do vision’?

Ever since a fellow student told me he could not be in my Bible study group because ‘it says in the Bible that women can’t lead’, I’ve been passionate about finding out what God really says about women as leaders. To some people, that issue is yesterday’s question; to others, it is very much alive and often painful.

She discusses some of the books that I have found hugely helpful including Gilbert Belizikian's to which I owe a great deal.

Gilbert Bilezikian had written Beyond Sex Roles, Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen had written Gender and Grace, and Gretchen Gaebelein Hull, Equal to Serve.

She writes about how:
While we might have expected women to be increasingly free to move into leadership, there are churches where both men and women take a definite stance against women in certain leadership roles. (!)

and

While I do not wish to underestimate biblical argument, sometimes those who question women’s leadership do so more out of ignorance and prejudice than thought-out conviction.

and:

Before women can step forward with confidence as leaders, they often have to navigate their way through all kinds of scepticism or downright opposition. In this book I want to encourage women to step up and lead—but sometimes they are able to do this only when the confusion of opposing voices has been cleared away. (!)

and

I am convinced that women should step up to leadership in the Church not because of justice or equality, but because the Bible supports women in leadership. For me it is primarily a theological issue, a biblical issue.

Thank you Rosie Ward (CPAS)

Appeal for help with Holiday Club

Does anyone out there know of an illustrated story version for children of Peter's denial of Christ and also for the coming of the Holy Spirit. It would be great if these were online resources, but any suggestions are greatly appreciated. My audience are between one and five years of age so a simple series of pictures would suffice with some suggestions for actions or how else I might get them involved in the telling of the stories. Possibly glow sticks or fire bits (red crepe or tissue) for Holy spirit!?

Thank you

Launch night plans

Just had our 'Youth Group team planning the launch' meeting and all is looking good. We're all excited and it's coming together. We will need help and advice and prayer, please. Readers of this blog, please pray that we reach these 11-13 year olds and their parents who will attend just for the launch evening. If anyone out there can recommend any really good online resource sites for Youth Ministry, we'd really appreciate it. Thanks. I can then add your links to my list 'Creatively resourcing the church'.

By the way, what biscuits are cool for 11-13 year olds, cecause we've already worked out that it isn't the custard creams offered after Sunday Morning worship and it's more likely to be something in a wrapper, yes? We're not sure.

Considering joining this organisation - any advice? Is it good?

We'll be voluntary Youth workers in September, working in a team to bring a youth programme to the 11-13 year olds in the village. Looking for lots of help and ideas so that this might be a place where best practice can be shared. Please feedback on the intro to the web-site at http://www.stnicholasallestree.org.uk/youth/intro.html and on Sophia network.

More ships! See my post on the 18th.

More ships!

From BabyBlueOnline

and this:
May the Holy Spirit so fill our sails and set us on course to do the work He's called us to do.

Public attitudes towards homosexual behaviour have changed dramatically in recent years.

This blog has become less involved with the big theological contemporary debates as time has gone on and I aim to explore the more practical sides of ministry in the future, but, nevertheless, I still meet these issues and can't help but continue to reflect on what inclusive church means in a postmodern society - what it means for those who have been excluded from certain roles over the generations: what it means for women and those whom the church feel do not conform to biblical marriage.

This week my cousin came to visit me; she's my half Italian, Christian, ex philosophy student, forever reflective student of life and theology, TEFL teaching, warm, funny, deep-thinking and vibrant 3rd child (daughter) of my Dad's sister.

She had written an essay as part of her studies entitled:
Public attitudes towards homosexual behaviour have changed dramatically in recent years. From a theological perspective, critically analyse various responses to those changes and to homosexual behaviour.The essay is not on the web so a link won't work (unless there is way of doing this that I'm not aware of so in the next post, I will paste the essay in full, but in small print - so you're best enlarging it if you want to read it.

INTRODUCING YOU TO A NEW WEBSITE

Molly Aley who I've just been introduced to by Paul Burleson describes how:

This egalitarian tends to think that in the community of God, everything gets turned on it's head. For many who view the Scriptures like me, it's those who walk in the fruit of the Spirit who are spiritual "leaders," for in God's economy, rank, social status, appearance, education and other worldly avenues of authority aren't acceptable tokens for true spiritual leadership.

Some egalitarians, myself included, feel that the males in New Testament times, having much more power than the females, were being instructed by Paul to love their wives as their own selves: ie, even though your social structure gives you the power to command obedience, consider whether or not you would want to be in her shoes and how you would want to be treated, and then love her accordingly. This is the way of Christ. The world's strong stood on the backs of the weak and still do to this day. Christ, the strongest of all, went straight for the weak and lifted them up, despite the horrified gasps of those in power around Him...Paul commanded Christian husbands to love their wives in the way that the Jesus he describes (in that same letter to the Ephesians) loves His bride: giving all for her, giving her His identity, raising her up to His level to rule with Him...The complementarian Piper appears to define the feminine women as those happily under the authority, in one way or another, of masculine men. In other words, from birth all the way to death. She will never mature out of that place, by virtue of her gender. But for most egalitarians, spiritual authority exists that those being led might be brought into maturity (Eph. 4:11-13). Those who have power are to use their power to bring others up to where they are. Yes, this is upside-down thinking, compared to what goes on in the world. But that is what the One we follow has done.


"But God, rich in mercy, for the great love He bore us, brought us to life with
Christ even when we were dead in our sins; it is by His grace you are
saved. And in union with Christ Jesus He raised us up and enthroned us
with Him in the heavenly realms, so that He might display in the ages to come
how immense are the resources of His grace..." ---Ephesians 2:4-7a TNEB
You can find out more about her from her website http://adventuresinmercy.wordpress.com/

There's something going on with ships and freedom at the moment - this was the image used by inclusive Church in their invite to Weds 24th September Southwark Cathedral Library, 6.30pm – 9.00pm Women included? An Introduction to Inclusive Church, guest speakers Rosemary Lain-Priestley and Christina Rees with Giles Goddard and Clare Herbert – developing the theme of the roles of women in Church and Society with the state of play re Women in the Episcopate in the C. of E. This comes into my inbox via their newsletter and then Anglican Mainstream report with this image:











Here's a boat I liked from Salcombe:

Youth site intro - would appreciate constructive feedback

Hit on St Nicholas Church Youth Group intro to view

Lottie/Ellie update

A few days ago I reported on how we had lost a soft toy in Salcombe and while my appeal might seen ridiculous, I am by nature an optimist living in a world where I believe anything's possible - we've not hit lucky yet but already the appeal is attracting attention and we've been posted on 'Virtual Salcombe'.com. So watch this space for Lottie/Ellie updates! Not quite a lost coin, lost sheep or prodigal son but important to us, nevertheless. Thank you so much to the site owner!

Message in a bottle and message returned

Just to continue the ocean theme - (I so loved that holiday), if you throw a line, you don't always expect but you hope for a bite. If you send a message in a bottle you are left only to imagine it being read. Anyway, I made an appeal for Starship Discovery Holiday Club ideas - how to best convert these materials for the under 5s and a friend of mine has been in touch with so many ideas and links - it's fantastic. There are so many ideas there, that I now look forward to really getting down to the planning and already have the first day nearly sorted. Thank you soooo much. This makes me realise how the internet can really work to build people up and that it can be a place where indeed blogging might be a way to share best practice rather than just a place where we practise writing our best albeit often confused and searching answers to complex theological questions.

Thank you gfeef!

Lost something else in Salcombe too

More practical - one Humphrey's corner toy - belonging to my daughter - her bed-time toy. It's pink with a chocolate icecream stain on the arm if anyone should find it. I know you might find the appeal ridiculous - but in my world anything can happen!

It's exactly the same as the one in the picture apart from the fact that she's undressed. She's Lottie from Humphrey's Corner but my daughter calls her Ellie. I even dreamed about trying to get her back last night, I was endlessly searching for her but couldn't find her. She could be in Bantham, Salcombe or Kingsbridge.

I left something in Salcombe and I don't want it back

Wow - so good to be home. Being away and in very cramped conditions really makes you appreciate the home you've carved out for yourself. Dorothy was right - there really is no place like home! But, I return renewed. We spent a fabulous day in the wind, on a boat in the estuary. I had a moment quite alone - strange as this may sound, surrounded by people but I really was alone for a good ten minutes. (This is quite rare in my life and not something I ever thought I was even needing - alone-time!). My girls had been taken to buy sweets and the men were at the helm - don't go freudian on me - they just were. Anyway, the wind was blowing so strongly I couldn't have heard a word they were saying - it was just me and the wind and the water and I think I dropped the anchor of my angst right down into the bottom of the sea or it was at the very least just blown clear away. I've returned home to wide open spaces and huge potentials, to vastness and complexity and variance and that things don't need to be all wrapped up with bows on top - to postcards in the downstairs loo tht reveal that people I know are all over the world leading varied lives, that lives are complicted as family news reveals today, that in my trying to wrap up all the loose ends of my theological standpoints is just plain ridiculous - that God is so much more incredibly hugely big than what the Parish where I live teaches, than what my school taught, than what the comon prayer book reveals, or dare I even say it - than what the Bible reveals. Thank you Lord, you're at the helm of my life and only you know where it's going, I have to stop wrestling you for the wheel and just let you steer, it will be blowy at times and the rain might pour down but there are openings between the clouds and the light of your glory shines through it all. I will hang on to the sides and enjoy the ride.

Hi - back after a week break in Salcombe, Devon

Lovely time had by all - if ever you want a reunion with friends without the hassle of organising one, go to Salcombe. This week we met up with friends from church and spent a lovely day on the water together, friends from our daughters' school with whom we ate and chatted while children played and then a friend of mine who I hadn't seen for ten years with whom I'd gone to both secondary school and by coincidence the same university as well. We hadn't arranged any of these meetings before hand. It was all just chance meetings - amasing!

We'll go again next year - we've already booked for two weeks - I wonder who we'll bump into over the course of 14 days rather than 6!

Turning mind now away from church politics and to Holiday club - need to plan for under 5s based on John Hardwick's Starship Holiday club - so if anyone out there has any ideas for how best to adapt the material - drop me a post.

Thanks.

CEN reports on What the blogs say

CEN reports on What the Blogs Say
“Praise the Lord the End is Nigh,” blogs Ruth Gledhill at
Times Online: “We’re still here but now we’re contemplat-
ing The End, if not of the Anglican Communion at least of
the Lambeth Conference.”
To summarise, she quotes the words of one George Con-
ger: “‘The prospects for a united Anglican Communion
appear less likely now than at the start of the confer-
ence.’This has so far been a wasted opportunity,’ one sen-
ior Church of England bishop told The Church of England
Newspaper, while the Church of Ireland’s Bishop Harold
Miller of Down and Dromore said, ‘our situation is that we
either face the storm here, addressing the difficulties in
the next two days or find the storm ahead when we have
returned home. I don’t think the difficulties will go away’.”
A sympathetic contributor writes: “We can all under-
stand your joy that the ‘End’ is in sight and I, for one, hope
we shall have you to tell us about it when the NEXT ones
take place. The Anglican Communion will not die, provid-
ing surgical procedures can be implemented in time to
excise certain of the neoplastic elements which are ham-
pering its continued healthy growth and development.”
The remarks of the Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Rev
Henri Luke Orombi, attacking the Archbishop of Canter-
bury for being but a remnant of colonialism are discussed
by George Pitcher with a member of the conference: “My
eminent friend looks distant for a moment. ‘It’s Orombi’s
way of getting into the conference,’ he replies. ‘If he’s got
something to say to us, he should have come here to say it.
It’s a sign of how frustrated the boycotters are that the
Anglican Communion is getting on with its business with-
out them. And it’s a very childish response.’
“Sounds about right. To which one might add that Dr
Orombi’s talk is of colonialism and the removal of authori-
ty from the Archbishopric of Canterbury. So it’s good to
know for certain now that all the protestations from the
alternative conference Gafcon about the boycott not being
an African power-play, but rather a claim for authentic
Christian witness based on biblical authority, are worth
about as much as the Archbishop of Uganda’s respect for
his fellow bishops.”
Also blogging for the Telegraph, Jonathan Wynne-Jones
looks at the other side of the Church: “Americans aren’t
dumb, and not really ignorant either, just ‘unaware’ of the
impact of their actions. This is the view of Ian Douglas and
he should know —- he is the Angus Dun Professor of Mission
and World Christianity at Episcopal Divinity School,
Massachusetts. He argues that the American bishops are gen-
uine in claiming they had no idea that consecrating an
openly gay bishop would engulf the Anglican Com-
munion in a crisis that has impacted almost every one
of its 38 provinces. “Until recently, most Americans
didn’t even realise they were a part of Anglicanism,
he says.” One contributor writes: “The Ameri-
cans knew darned well what they were doing and
the implications: they decided to act now and apologise
later.”

Blogging providing a new news, accessible to all and where all
can contribute - how inclusive! Well, give you've got access to
a PC that is.

This blog rests for a week - see you on the 16th.
God bless.

For Darren

Hooray - we have lift-off. Relaunch of St Nicholas Church website.

http://www.stnicholasallestree.org.uk

Unsurprisingly negative and cynical coverge from Anglicans United and The Latimer Trust

http://www.anglicansunited.com/2008/08/canterbury_viii_the_rev_todd_h.html

Let's balance this with something more positive from Covenant - communion
http://www.dioceseofsc.org/mt/archives/000363.html

And so this particlular Canterbury tale comes to an end

Today Lambeth finishes. Of course, the processes only hinted at will now need fleshing out but in the meantime, the ABoC finished with these words:

...our calling, therefore, is to make that further step to a ‘covenant of faith’ that will promise to our fellow human beings the generosity God has shown us; that will honour the absolute and non-negotiable dignities of all and strengthen us to resist any policy or strategy that implies that what is good and just for me is not good and just for all my human neighbours...We have quite a strong degree of support for a Pastoral Forum to support minorities, a strong consensus on the need to examine how the Instruments of Communion will best work, and a recognition - though still with many questions - that a Covenant is needed... I shall look within the next two months for a clear and detailed specification for the task and composition of a Pastoral Forum, and I shall ensure that the perspectives of various groups looking at the Covenant and the Windsor process, as well as the Design Group for this Conference help to shape the implementation of the agenda outlined in the Reflections document, and are fed into the special meeting in November of the Joint Standing Committee of the Primates and the ACC. We may not have put an end to all our problems - but the pieces are on the board. And in the months ahead it will be important to invite those absent from Lambeth to be involved in these next stages. Much in the GAFCON documents is consonant with much of what we have sought to say and do, and we need to look for the best ways of building bridges here.

The Reflections document contains:
‘We believe that the Pastoral Forum should be empowered to act in the Anglican Communion in a rapid manner to emerging threats to its life.'

It warns that a ‘proliferation’ of ad hoc episcopal ministries such as those put in place by conservatives cannot be maintained. It calls for all existing ministries already set up to be placed "in trust" in order to be reconciled back into their original provinces.

One of the most significant passages is one of the first: ‘There have been differerent interpretations of the sense in which ‘moratorium’ was used in the Windsor Reprot. Our understanding is that moratorium refers to both future actions and is also retrospective: that it requires the cessation of activity. This necessarily applies to practices that have already been authorised as well as proposed for authorisation in the future.’

Handford explained that this did not mean Bishop Robinson would be asked to step down. He accepted that Bishop Gene had been legally elected under US canons. But he said there could be no more. See Ruth Gledhill

So in summary does this mean that there are to be no more episcopal consecrations of openly and partnered homosexual priests within churches that choose to reside within the tenets of the new covenant?

Does this also mean that there should be no church blessed homosexual marriages in churches of the new covenant?

Does this mean that churches loyal to the new covenant should not seek to come under, or should now indeed renege upon, alternative episcopal oversight?

Where does that leave Babyblueonline's church?

How does this impact upon LGBT Christians?

How does Gene Robinson feel about this?

Are GAFCON still unsatisfied and by what now specifically?

Does all of this help to bring the message of salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ to people everywhere and in every circumstance?

Goodnight and God bless, Rachel.
Tomorrow is a new day!

See Bishops hope for a united future

A-Hah - so Baby Blue's church broke away! Having only just engaged with church politics for the first time in my life in 8 weeks, I can be unsure.

So I have a link on my site to Babyblueonline. She's over here reporting on the Lambeth Conference. I haven't read the the contents of her site but drop in on it every now and then so that I might better understand our American cousins. Lambeth angst has of course partly come about due to the actions of the TEC and so I find it interesting to explore the TEC. Babyblue belongs to a church that has broken free of the TEC, their episcopal oversight comes from Nigeria. Read her latest post:

http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/2008/08/sunday-big-surprise.html

An interesting day today - Olympics, Carrell and Tinker

Our worship this morning was an All Ages service in which we looked at the Olympics for how it speaks about the Christian journey. We focused on Hebrews and verses which describe how we must keep our eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished the race we're in. We thought about how we must focus on how he did it; understanding that he never lost sight of where he was headed...Hebrews 12: 1-3 in The Message. He suffered along the way but in the sure hope of eternal glory.

Our children made and waved flags and loved watching the animals on a worship Africa DVD. There was a drama, intercessions and beautiful music and a stimulating sermon. St Nicks does what it says on the can - all ages really is all ages and in fact our children are catered for in every service and this doesn't mean that they have to leave the service - they can if they want to for a group next door but when they want to stay with mum and dad they can bring grab bags full of toys and paper to the pews or they're encouraged to produce something at the front which encapsulates the sermon - ie they're absorbing the words but are focused also on making something that helps to reinforce its message in a way that they will understand. Well done St Nicks - this is church for the whole family - it's intellectually edifying, spiritually stretching and quenching and family uniting!

On the blog front, I've been contacted by Peter Carrell of Anglican Down Under and Mevin Tinker. I look at Peter Carrell's site quite a bit. I have to say I very much admire his left hand column - his profile points to Jesus rather than himself and his presuppositions are cleverly, precisely and gently articultated. I think I share similar presuppositions:

Presuppositions

This blog is conservative evangelical in perspective. It presupposes that the ordination of women is consonant with Scripture. It understands Scripture to set out through Old and New Testaments an ethic for sexual relationships which expects celibacy or marriage of followers of Jesus Christ. It recognises that these understandings are not shared by all in the Anglican Communion; and further recognises that although some in the Communion are woefully ignorant and dismissive of Scripture, nevertheless there are others who engage with Scripture with zeal and integrity yet through a different interpretation arrive at different understandings. Thus the final presupposition to be noted here is that Scripture is authoritative for Anglicans, yet interpretation means the application of that authority to human conduct involves genuine questions, some of which do not yield, or do not yet yield common answers.

Archbishop Rowan Williams speaks

to make clear something that can get very much obscured in the rhetoric about ‘inclusion’, this is not and should never be a question about the contribution of gay and lesbian people as such to the Church of God and its ministry, about the dignity and value of gay and lesbian people. Instead it is a question, agonisingly difficult for many, as to what kinds of behaviour a Church that seeks to be loyal to the Bible can bless, and what kinds of behaviour it must warn against – and so it is a question about how we make decisions corporately with other Christians, looking together for the mind of Christ as we share the study of the Scriptures.

About me

Peter Carrell

I am not important, but Jesus is! His profile is found in the Gospels.

Update on a previous post and news from Melvin Tinker

On the 4th June, I posted the following:

In The Church Times, Paul Vallely looks at how GAFCON’s thinking is out of date. He clearly trips up Rev'd Melvin Tinker, who when explaining his traditionalist standing on homosexuality, perhaps rather foolishly said: "People decide whether something is good or bad...on the basis “Would you want everyone to do it?”

Rev'd Melvin Tinker clearly didn't do much to help the Conservative Evangelical cause by appealing to what most people at any one time would do. Conservative Evangelical polemic is usually proud to boast that it is very counter-culture; it pays no attention to what most of the people are doing most of the time. Paul Vallely discusses how Tinker's conservative evangelical-speak is a kind of 'Orwellian doublethink'.

Conservative Evangelicals like the GAFCON traditionalists refuse to embrace 'the gospel ethic of inclusion [because it] is a sign of being in thrall to contemporary culture' and yet are happy to play the culture card when it suits them.

My reporting on Melvin Tinker seems a bit harsh now, looking back on it. I don't think, like Paul Vallely, that ALL Conservative Evangelicals refuse 'the gospel ethic of inclusion [because it] is a sign of being in thrall to contemporary culture'. I think that SOME of the conservative evangelicals I have known seem to think many of society's values need to be resisted and give too much time and attention to this at the cost of helping to affirm what is atually instead rather good about our society and I think this is perhaps because a lot of 'Reform thinking' communicates itself through what it is NOT, rather than by stating what it IS. It reacts AGAINST the negative rather than affirming the POSITIVE. (Part of the reason why I don't sit comfortably inside the REFORM Christian worldview is in part because because I'm idealistic, joy-filled, upbeat, positive, yes, probably rather a niave, 'rosy-coloured spectacle -wearing' kind of person.) Conservative evangelical thinking can sometimes present itself as a series of statements which have been created in an exploration of the sin of the world; the depravity of humanity. Having said that, Conservative evangelicals do want their churches to be inclusive but they also expect repentance to follow as a consequence of God's love as people transform. They would expect homosexuals to repent of an active sexual life that they see as not in accordance with scripture. From, what I understand, they don't expect homosexual orientation to be repented of but they expect celibacy as a result of Christian commitment and they do not feel as though homosexual Christians should be ordained. I do not know if Melvin Tinker is Reform or not and I guess he simply made a mistake in referring to what most of the people do most of the time, but at least he actually went out to meet and greet the crowds (Gay pride march occurring at the same time as Gafcon). Anyway he has mailed me with the following explanation:

Dear Rachel,

Thought that you might be interested.

Yours truly, Melvin tinker.

I would like to reply to Paul Vallely’s comments on my little excursion to the Gay pride March in Jerusalem as a delegate of GAFCON.

First, let me assure Mr Vallely that I was not ‘undercover.’ I was invited by the BBC to openly attend and engage in a debate with Mr Baxter. This we did with great gentleness and respect.

As far as the pink shirt was concerned- why should gays have all the good colours?

But more seriously, Mr Vallely accuses me of adopting an argument based upon a discredited view of natural law (natural theology?).

He cites Hume as ‘knocking aside the pillars of its presuppositions.’ Some think that he did the same for the traditional belief in miracles. Does this mean that Mr Vallely who claims to be a ‘Papist’ no longer believes in miracles either? However, my argument was not based upon natural law at all, and certainly not natural theology (for which I have very little time), but special revelation which is simply backed up by creation- as one would expect to be the case.

The irony is that a new ‘natural law’ argument is being invoked to support the right to gay sex and same sex attraction, for the objection is raised: ‘Surely, such same sex-attraction is normal for those concerned, whether it is the result of genetic or environmental factors is irrelevant, it is right for them.’ (Some would ‘Christianise’ this argument by saying, ‘God made them this way’). But here a distinction has to be made between what is normal and what is proper. To say that something is acting normally is a matter of statistics, to say something is acting properly is a matter of design plan and purpose. For example, I might say that my car is acting normally if it starts after three turns of the ignition, but that is not what the manufacture had in mind when he designed the car in the first place. What, then, is the Designer’s plan for human beings? The Christian claim is that we have access to the Mind of God in Scripture, the Bible in general and the book of Genesis in particular. First of all, sex is linked to reproduction which God declares as good. This doesn’t mean that every sexual act must issue in children, but it still remains as one of its primary purposes, what it is designed to achieve- all things being equal. According to Mr Vallely, Rome under the onslaught of the Enlightenment abandoned the view that ‘the only purpose of sex is procreation’. So it should have, but the point is an irrelevance. I, nor the Bible, makes such a claim, but it is a purpose which is ruled out for homosexuals. In the second place, in the account of the creation of humans in Genesis 2, v18 we have the principle of unity in difference-,the two becoming one -psychologically, spiritually and physically. This culminates, and is literally consummated in the act of sexual intercourse itself. In others words, this is the design plan for sexuality-male and female. The activities of our bodies fit the way we were made. Simply at the level of biological anatomy-the male and female were made for each other, not male for male or female for female. This is not an argument from biology to morality (or a case based on natural law), but stating the obvious, namely, that biology testifies to the morality we have in the Bible. In homosexuality the element of complementarity is missing-the unity in difference. What we have in the genital expression of homosexuality is an impossible attempted unity in sameness. It is therefore clear that in the light of God’s design and intentions for humanity as set forth in Scripture, homosexual ‘sex’ is a disordered form of sex. It cuts across and frustrates the structures and purposes of God’s creation.

With all of this, I am sure Mr Vallely’s Pope would agree. I would therefore be surprised if Mr Vallely as a Roman Catholic, dissented from such a view.

It would be nice to hear from My Vallely as to whether his views accord with Rev'd Tinker's, but this might be unlikely.

Anyway, thank you Melvin for your comments. I think the press are always keen to cause the clergy to slip-up, hence my image; they are careful to not leave banana skins in the pathways of the marginalised so I suppose, being vociferous in your viewpoint, albeit a biblical one, is going to mean you are left in a vulnerable position, how worried you are by these comments by Vallely and the like, I suppose depends on whether you feel as though your point of view is helping to pomote the gospel or not. That is a very difficult one,. Whilst we need to live in accordance with God's will, we also need to ensure that the message that Christianity conveys is that nobody is denied access to the wonderful, life-giving love of God as the thief hanging on the cross and saved by Christ reveals. There is simply nothing that we can do to stop God from loving us. Homosexual people know that they are just as loved by God as the rest of us for we all fall short of the mark.

The indaba must go on but...

...this, I found useful on what Anglican identity is made up of - there's lots more in the original - Lambeth reflections on their site:

As Anglicans we acknowledge the joy of engaging with the scriptures in setting forth the authentic proclamation of God’s Word. We are attentive to scripture in our worship, prayer and study, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that scripture may form us and shape our worship, our doctrine and our community life. We believe the scriptures to be primary and we read them informed by tradition and reason and with regard for the cultural context. We value the place of biblical scholarship as a critical tool, recognising nevertheless that this leads to divergent interpretations across our many and varied contexts, and of listening to our sister churches as they interpret the same scriptures. The over-arching issue with which we wrestle in relation to the scriptures is the interpretation of the Bible in our ongoing life...

Christian worship involves encountering the mystery of God and participating in the life of the Trinity. We delight to meet Christ in word and sacrament. The sacraments of Baptism, whereby we are joined to Christ, and the Eucharist, where we are nourished by his body and blood, bind us together in unity. The Anglican approach to worship places a high value on common structure, common prayer and a common lectionary, sharing the scriptures, across the Communion, while at the same time encouraging local freedom, and inculturation. We are committed to praying for one another and we want to deepen that fellowship of prayer and intercession. As Anglicans, we recognise the relationship between liturgy and doctrine - worship shapes belief - and between worship and mission - worship energises mission. We particularly need to be reminded of our evangelistic context and to seek worship that engages with youth cultures and with children.

We have inherited and hold firmly to the pattern of the three-fold ministry of bishop, priest and deacon, which guarantees our historical continuity and unites us with the many churches who hold to this order. There is a strong view that an important part of the way forward in deepening our communion is (a) in the development of person to person relationships, (b) in diocesan partnerships and (c) in recovering our sense of belonging and mutual affection. At the same time we recognise that the variety of provincial order - the different polities of our churches - can produce misunderstandings and confusions that need to be understood and addressed. We need to acknowledge that the whole is more than the sum of the parts and that each part of the Communion, when it acts, must do so in the knowledge of what it means for the whole.

For Anglicans, the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds are understood to be faithful and sufficient statements of the essentials of the biblical witness as revealed by the power of the Holy Spirit to us and to the whole church in every generation. We acknowledge the full reliability of the texts of the canonical Scriptures given to us by God, and seek to proclaim afresh with clarity and power the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ. From this strong sense of biblical reliability the Church derives norms of moral and ethical life that are to be honoured by the whole of the Body of Christ; at the same time we discover biblically faithful means to respond pastorally to those who are unable to observe such norms. When serious disagreements arise among us about moral and ethical norms we are called to intensify our efforts to discover God’s Word through continuing scriptural discernment. We rejoice in the Holy Scriptures as God’s gift to the whole church for teaching and guidance, admonition, and pastoral care. In the Anglican prayer book tradition, the following collect, composed by Archbishop Cranmer, sets a proper framework for our understanding of the Holy Scriptures ...in the lives of all God’s faithful people.

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. Praying this collect reminds us that an Anglican approach to Scripture honours the sacred texts as inspired and revealed by God while inviting us to use the resources of the human intellect to interpret and apply those texts for making faithful disciples and for the deepening of holy lives worthy of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Utilizing the God-given gifts of reason and tradition as resources for the interpretation of the Scriptures enables the fullest possible exploration of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) and calls to mind the unfathomable depths and richness of the ways of God (Romans 11:33). Biblical interpretation is the work of reverent inquiry that approaches the Holy Scriptures in a spirit of awe and wonder as holy writings different from all other texts.

Resolution 1.10 again

The African bishops express their belief that "the best way forward to sustain our Anglican heritage" would involve reaffirming Lambeth 1998’s resolution 1.10 and implementing it in its entirety.

The bishops call for the adoption of the three moratoria and the swift formation of the Pastoral Forum as recommended by the Windsor Continuation Group "by the Archbishop of Canterbury in consultation with the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA".

For more see here

Wow - 10 Years! That's even longer than we have to wait for the first English, female bishops!

10 years to go

Has he got a point? What is the answer? I'm baffled if I can work it out! Re Anglican Mainstream comment.

http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/08/01/purpose-to-grow-a-faithful-church-for-the-promulgation-of-the-gospel-while-forming-christian-disciples-in-the-evangelical-catholic-and-reformed-anglican-way/

It's made me think

Digression:



Through the course of this blog, I've been trying to sharpen my own feelings on certain issues. My husband, who sits beside me as I blog, working on his laptop - I know - we're a bit weird aren't we? Anyway, we talk about these things a lot - he asked me about the women in ministry point - how was it going? etc and you know I must admit, it took me a while to remember that this was the prompt for the birth of this blog. I feel like this one has been settled for me. I've worked through it; it is a secondary issue, as it's called. Of course ,that doesn't mean it's not important but I'm at peace in my mind, as I should be, but really I am, with those who disagree. I'm confident enough in my own position now to move forward more in love and less with a feeling of having to defend my position. I rest back in it and breathe deeply, happy that women have been accepted into the episcopate, knowing that for some Christians it will always be a sticking point but I have my eyes fixed ahead and not behind me - Jesus beckons...

But on the whole 'issues in human sexuality' thing, it is with a real sense of shock, as I've just revealed to my husband, that it's dawning on me that 'duh, duh, duh' - I can't help but feel that I'm rather 'conservative' about this one - with a small 'c' - you see just when I congratulate myself on some liberal thinking - I do little things that reveal the conservative in me. If the girls watch a film as they sometimes do, I sit with them but catch up on church news etc on my laptop at the same time - I found myself quickly scrolling away from the word homosexual today because my 6 year old, who is very good at reading already might have asked questions. I don't want to have to answer her...yet - am I a coward? Am I conservative? I think churches should be totally inclusive but I do have a problem with gay marriage in a church - would we take the girls ?- I don't think we would. My husband agrees with me. We can't help but feel that God intends for us to be a man and a woman in a marriage to love each other and bring forth children.

The other day I went on a walk with the girls and they asked about their brains - wow said the eldest - I've got these wiggly grey things that make up my brain and my brain helps me to do things - is that right mummy? And then poignantly - mummy is my brain a girl? I explained that she's a girl and so her brain is a girl to which my three year old asked whether her brain was a boy brain or a girl brain. We then talked about how sometimes brains get mixed up and they get put in the wrong bodies and they didn't seem to have a problem with the idea of a girl brain accidently ending up in a boy's body or vice - versa - now we left it there and the converstaion changed, until one of them asked what can be done if your brain is the wrong one, to which I explained that sometimes people have operations to make their bodies match their brains and they seemed to think that this was a very logical and reasonable way of dealing with this problem. We're bringing our girls up to be loving and understanding and embrace and accept difference, but of course we're also modelling and promoting traditional marriage so I guess you know, however liberal we think we are, there is something really very orthodox about our views - I do believe in the supremacy of scripture and I think God knew what he was doing when he created us -man and woman. so does this mean I agree with Lambeth 1.10? Perhaps I'd better look at it (1.10) again and in more detail.

“We are saved as individuals, [but] we must serve in teams,"

Very thought provoking.

Faith and deeds must go together

And so in summary.... BBc News Online Lambeth diary reports:

...it's clear that the bishops will not solve the dispute about homosexuality...But the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is hoping for one significant development. Dr Williams told the bishops that unless they came up with a set of the common values, shared Anglican principles, and an agreement to abide by them, he could see nothing but further disintegration ahead.

The agreement - or "covenant" - will not spring fully-formed from the conference, and it would need to be ratified by each of the 38 autonomous Anglican Churches in the world.

Dr Williams tried to distil the argument first of traditionalists and then of liberals, expressing each accurately and bluntly enough, but in the sort of terms that could make you believe compromise was still possible.

He admitted it felt both "presumptuous" and "risky", a sign of how deeply entrenched the opposing sides have become.

In Dr Williams's version, for example, traditionalists say to liberals: "We don't see why welcoming the gay or lesbian person [into the Church] must mean blessing what they do in the Church's name [for example blessing same-sex relationships], or accepting them for ordination [for example as bishops], whatever their lifestyle."

As Dr Williams would have it, liberals say in response that they feel the spiritual life of their churches has been enhanced by "acknowledging the [spiritual] gifts of gay and lesbian believers. They will certainly be likely to feel that the restraint you ask for is a betrayal. Please try to see why this is such a dilemma for many of us"...

"What some see as confused or reckless innovation in some provinces [the ordination of Gene Robinson in America for example] is felt as a body-blow to integrity of mission and as a matter of physical risk to Christians [to Anglicans living tensely with Muslim neighbours in northern Nigeria for instance]."

Dr Williams said the only solution he could see was a "covenant" - some sort of statement of shared beliefs and a more-or-less binding agreement to stick to the