1½ cheers for Richard
Dawkins
There's so much to applaud in Richard Dawkins, says Stephen Tomkins, such as his rage against bad religion. But he's out of his depth
in his new book, The God Delusion, when he attacks all forms of faith. At Ship of Fools.
75th
General Convention legislative summary
Summary of final actions on legislation by the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA, provided by the Diocese of Chicago.
Colour poster, A3 size paper, Adobe Acrobat format.
The
ACC has created a serious challenge
Inclusive Church offers this essay by Giles Goddard.
Advent
Calendar
A poem by Rowan Williams. (Also note a section on the right about
St Nicholas: A closer look at Christmas by Joe Wheeler and Jim Rosenthal.)
Affirming
Laudianism
Brought to the web by the same folks behind Frankly Unfriendly Catholics. (Cross-listed in Odds
and Ends)
African
Anglicans
'Conservative Christians in Africa think America has lost its way. So they're joining forces with American conservatives to bring the
faith back to the United States. Hear about the new breed of African missionaries—working in America'. National Public Radio takes
a look at the state of the Episcopal Church. (This story originally broadcast on 27 January 2003.) The link is
to an archived RealAudio clip of just short of 10 minutes.
African
church has come of age
Obed Minchakpu, writing in Christianity Today, notes that the African church now sees the dual threat of Western heresy and Islamic militancy.
All
the fun of the folios
is an article in the Church Times by Nicholas Cranfield discussing illuminated texts as an introduction to an exhibition
at the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge.
Amazon
organist
On the BBC Religion and Ethics programme last week, we heard this intriguing story about an expedition to the Bolivian rainforest requiring
the services of an organist. Four English organists have volunteered. (Real Media format).
The
American Dream Snatched Away
by Paul Vallely in the Church Times.
Ancient
Easters caught in stone
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London) on Easter sepulchers in English churches.
Ancient
manuscript online
The BBC reports that a 12th-century manuscript featuring the tale of a liaison between one of Britain's early feminists and a monk has
been reproduced on the internet.
And
unto them a sermon is born
Peter Gorrie, writing in the Toronto Star, discusses the variety of Christmas sermons: short to long, simple to Christmas cocktail.
+Andrew:
Conversations with the Primate
The first webcast of an Anglican Primate, as far as we know. 'Archbishop Hutchison has said that among his priorities as Primate are
communications and the building of relationships, 'drawing people into the conversation'. Even if you're not part of the Anglican Church
of Canada, you may want to have a look: this is inclusive communication on the leading edge of technology and of open communication within
the church. His second 'Conversation' is also available.
Andrew
Goddard responds to the Civil Partnerships Act
Goddard, in his informed and thorough article for Fulcrum, analyses all aspects of the CPA, and includes links to sources and points
of view. Worth reading in preparation for the civil partnership pastoral statement from CofE bishops, which will be issued on Monday,
25 July, 2005.
Angels
heard on high C
A Dorchester choir endures despite tight finances, rising secularism: Yvonne Abraham reports on the musical state of All Saints, Ashmont,
Massachusetts, in the Boston Globe.
The Anglican and the Atheist
This Australian radio show is now available in podcast format. It features the Reverend Howard Langmead, Anglican priest, stand up comic,
laughter workshop facilitator, husband, dad and dog owner in dialogue with atheist Brett de Hoedt. Hootville
Communications, the producer of the broadcast, predicts that 'this will become the world's leading Anglican podcast'.
Anglican blogs
Blogs are possibly too volatile an area for Anglicans Online to begin a section and keep it up to date; however, if blogs are a part
of your Internet life, this is a large list of Anglican-related blogs.
The
Anglican church in India
Tristram Hunt, writing in The Guardian, reports on the current state of one of the few Anglican churches in India.
Anglican Church
of Australia Archive
'This archive is part of a strategy developed in the National Church Office to enable a better understanding of Australian Anglicanism.
We have initiatiated a number of community Identity seminars on our story [Anglican History], our beliefs [Anglican Theology] and how
we relate to others [Anglican Missiology]. These seminars work at the post graduate level and foster their respective disciplines and
publish the results of their work. More information can be found at the National Church Office website.' A well organised, attractive
site with searchable texts and images.
Anglican
Church -- out of touch and hope?
The Rugby League writer for Crikey (an independent Australian news service) deplores recent statements from Sydney.
Anglican church
rues lost unity
Alex Kirby, writing for the BBC, reflects on the inescapable end of the worldwide Anglican Communion and on churches that set store by
sexual definitions.
The Anglican
communion is not a single, monolithic structure
The Rt Revd David Crawley, Archbishop of British Columbia and Yukon, wrote this for his diocesan newspaper.
'Anglican
Communion Update' from the PBS Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly
The highly regarded weekly television programme provides a transcript of a brief interview with Archbishop Robin Eames.
Anglican identity
'Is there is such a thing as common worship or prayer across the Anglican Church of Canada'?
Anglican
Identity: Mediocrity or the Middle Way?
Margaret Coffey interviews Rowan Williams for the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation.
Anglican
rosaries
Robin Cuneo, writing in the Erie Times News (Pennsylvania), comments on the growing popularity of the Anglican rosary.
Anglicanism
and Protestantism
Alister McGrath writes in the Church of Ireland Gazette.
Anglicanism
in Crisis
TIME magazine features the Archbishop of Canterbury on the cover of its current African and European editions. His interview and other
resources are available online.
Anglicans
Already Breaking Up
The New York Times carries this Associated Press story on recent developments. 'As Episcopal leaders consider barring more gays from
becoming bishops to prevent an Anglican schism, the world Anglican family is already dying by a thousand cuts.'
The Anglicans'
annus horribilis
Bruce Kaye, writing for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, reflects on what a bad year it's been for Anglicans in Australia.
Anglicans
at war
Stephen Bates, writing in The Tablet, broods about the goings-on in the Anglican church, from a Roman Catholic point of view.
Anglicans
enthrone 'a saint'
John Wilkins, writing in the National Catholic Reporter for a Roman Catholic audience, discusses the recent enthronement of Rowan Williams.
Announcing
an Archbishop: a day in the life of the DCO
Martin Sheppard reflects on the announcement of Dr Sentamu's appointment to Ebor.
Antidisestablishmentarianism
An editorial in the Wall Street Journal discusses the value of an established church.
Apocalypse
(Almost) Now
In the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof links the blue, the red, and the End Times.
Appellate
Tribunal determination on Women Bishops
'The Anglican Church [of Australia]'s highest legal authority, the Appellate Tribunal, has cleared the way for the consecration of women
as diocesan bishops across Australia.' The full report is available online in Adobe Acrobat format here.
Apples: Chew on
this. How do we keep our faith when the sun, like love, abandons us?
In Killing the Buddha, Bia Lowe broods on apples, eclipses, love, princesses, and the loss of innocence, in prose as rich and lush as
brocade.
Applying
for a clergy post in England
A new feature of our Vacancies Centre was prepared for you.
Appointment of new dean of Westminster
Abbey
The Reverend Canon John Hall succeeds the Very Reverend Wesley Carr. Also see this story in The Guardian.
Archaic
rule harnesses the church and the Spirit
Carol Meyer, writing in the National Catholic Reporter, argues against the requirement that Roman Catholic priests be celibate.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
is a key figure in South Africa's history. His story will now be told in a vast internet archive. By Nick Jackson, in The Independent.
Archbishop
George Carey
A sermon delivered at St Peter Nottingham by the Revd Andrew Deuchar, who was Dr Carey's Secretary for Anglican Communion Affairs from
1994 until 2000.
The
Archbishop makes a mess
Mark Harris on the new Convocation of Anglican Nigerian Churches in America.
The
Archbishop of Canterbury's Address at the Third Global South-to-South Encounter
One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Pull up your chair, whether it's in North, South, East or West, and have a read of this brilliant, moving address on the four defining
marks of the church. As we read it, the implications for the Anglican Communion are fascinating. At one point, Archbishop Williams says:
'I mentioned in passing "the instruments of Unity of the Anglican Communion". I would be much happier, I have to say, if we
spoke of the "servants of Unity in the Anglican Communion", because whatever the instruments of unity are, I don’t think
that they are in any sense conditions to be met for Christian faithfulness'.
The
Archbishop of Canterbury's address to General Synod on the Anglican Communion
'Many have said, with increasing force of late, that we must contemplate or even encourage the breakup of the Communion into national
churches whose autonomy is unqualified and which relate only in some sort of loose and informal federation.'
The
Archbishop of Canterbury's Address to the Ninth Meeting of the World Council of Churches
Porto Alegre, Brazil: In this speech delivered on 17 February 2006, Rowan Williams notes that the 'question of Christian identity in
a world of plural perspectives and convictions cannot be answered in clichés about the tolerant co-existence of different opinions.'
The Archbishop
of Canterbury's 2006 Christmas Message
The
Archbishop of Canterbury's Sermon at a Service to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the Martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer
In this rich sermon delivered on 21 March 2006, Rowan Williams notes that 'a liturgical language like Cranmer’s hovers over meanings
like a bird that never quite nests for good and all – or, to sharpen the image, like a bird of prey that never stoops for a kill.
The word of God is not bound. God speaks, and the world is made; God speaks and the world is remade by the Word Incarnate. And our human
speaking struggles to keep up.'
The
Archbishop of Canterbury's Statement on HIV/AIDS for World Aids Day 2006
'As Christian disciples we recognize in God a self-offering in the face of suffering. We are thus compelled to address our responsibility
to do what we can to treat the sick and to educate ourselves and others so as to avoid further spread of the infection.'
Ardizzone prints from Barchester
Chronicles
Normally we don't advertise items for sale; however, our fondness for Trollope makes this site irresistible. Here are the original pen
and ink drawings of Edward Ardizzone, which illustrated Oxford University Press' 1940s edition of The Barchester Chronicles.
Arms
of Love
Bruce Birdsey, rector of the Church of the Holy Comforter, Richmond, Virginia, reflects on Holy Week hymnody in The Living Church (Milwaukee).
Artist
in Lettering
An interview in The Living Church (Milwaukee) with typographer/illuminator/priest Christopher Calderhead.
Authority
figures: John M. Buchanan writes in the Christian Century (Chicago) with questions for new clergy. 'Preachers always need
to ask about the intent of the prophetic sermon: Is it delivered to convince the congregation and enable change, or is it offered
simply to get something off the preacher's chest?'
As
we outlaw discrimination so we need discernment
Geoffrey Rowell writes in the Times (London) Credo column. 'The devices and desires of the human heart need to be set in order. Against
the magnetic field of distorted desire, there must be set the greater and counterbalancing magnetic field of grace and goodness, which
for Christians is the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life.'
Ashes
May Hold Joan of Arc's Secrets
American National Public Radio has this story about a large team of European scientists now examining what are believed to be the ashes
of Joan of Arc, currently kept in a French museum in the Loire valley.
Back-a-book
Lambeth Palace Library has announced a new programme in which individuals can sponsor the conservation and repair of books, some of which
were damaged as long ago as World War II. Following repair, each book will have a bookplate placed inside acknowledging the generosity
of its sponsor.
Banging
on heaven's door
'When was the last time you heard someone in church asking God what on earth he's playing at, allowing the world to go so wrong? David
Runcorn writes about the lost virtues of loss, lament and protest at God', over at Ship of Fools.
Barbara
Brown Taylor
One of the Episcopal Church in the USA's best known preachers is profiled in Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.
Batting
for God
Stephen Moss, writing in The Guardian, interviews the Rt Revd David Sheppard, quondam Bishop of Liverpool.
The Battle
Rages On
Deborah Caldwell, writing for Beliefnet, interviews Frank Griswold, primate of the US Episcopal Church.
The Beginnings
of Gothic Revival in New Jersey
'Two fascinating churches were built in 1845, both Episcopal. One marks the end of a tradition, the other a beginning; neither church
is well known, except to architectural historians, but both deserve to be'.
The
Bells that Make Cockneys
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London) on the 'great bell called Bowbell' within whose sound all true Cockneys are born.
Benedict
and the future of Europe
The Archbishop of Canterbury's speech at St Anselmo in Rome, given on 21 November 2006. 'But is there a sense in which we can speak of
Benedict and his rule as offering an orientation for Europe’s future? In the half-secularised, morally confused and culturally
diverse continent we now inhabit, does the Holy Rule still provide a beacon for common life? I want to argue that it does'.
The
best of enemies
Christopher Rowland, writing in The Guardian, observes the importance to modern Christians of vilifying their enemies.
Betjeman: Sir John Betjeman Centenary
In The Guardian, Terry Philpot looks at the role of faith in
Betjeman's poetry. In The Telegraph, Charles
Moore looks at his boldness. In the Oxford DNB Reading
room this month, you can read biographies of people connected in some way with this fine Anglican poet.
The
Bible: Reading and Hearing
The Archbishop of Canterbury's lectures in Toronto at a joint convocation of Trinity College and Wycliffe College. 'Ultimately, Scripture
brings us back to the uniquely creative moment of God’s freedom—to the grace of a free self-bestowal that can create what
is other and then, by love and welcome, transform that other into a sharer and communicator of the same joyful, generative act.'
A
big day for TS Eliot's Little Gidding
by Nigel Reynolds in the Telegraph: A hamlet of just 14 houses will
be overrun today by admirers of T S Eliot paying homage to its role in inspiring one of the greatest poems in the English language.
The
Big Jump
National Public Radio (Washington DC) has this story about a group of Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli mayors who jumped together into
a tributary of the Jordan River recently in order to raise awareness of a new cleanup campaign. A rabbi, imam and an Anglican priest
also took part in the event.
The
big man in the bulletproof limousine
Glenn McKenzie, writing for the Associated Press, describes the Most Revd Peter Akinola and his influence on Anglicans worldwide.
Bill
Moyers interviews Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
"I think life is meant to be challenging. If we're going to use the fullness of the gifts that we've been given, it means we have
to continue to be stretched, and I look forward to that." Watch the video and read the transcript.
Birth
of a notion
Martyn Percy, writing in The Guardian, muses about baby Jesus and training for natural childbirth.
Bishop
David Say
The Times (London) carried this obituary of the very tall Bishop of Rochester who 'was able, with his impressive presence, warmhearted
manner and resounding voice, to embody the reassurance that all was well with the Church'. The Independent (London) carried
this detailed notice that unfortunately requires login.
Bishop
Drums to the Blues in Off-Hours
'John Bryson Chane, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, is a 59-year-old minister who sometimes takes a break from tending the flock
-- by drumming in a blues band. His group, the Chane Gang, plays the occasional fundraiser, interpreting blues standards'. Read more
at National Public Radio (USA), including sound clips.
The
bishop who ate his boots
Canada's Virtual Museum has an online exhibition about the Rt Revd Isaac Stringer, Second Bishop of Selkirk in Canada.
Bishop-elect
Gene Robinson responds
Listen to Fresh Air's Terry Gross ask the hard questions.
Bishop's News from
Peru
Harold William Godfrey, Bishop of Peru, blogs on his diocese's response to the devastation of a recent earthquake.
The
Blessed Evangelical Mary
Timothy George, writing for Christianity Today, asserts that we shouldn't ignore her any longer.
Blind
Bartemaeus
A sermon preached at Westminster Abbey on 26 October 2003 by the Revd Chris Chivers, Minor Canon and Precentor.
Blind
faith takes a back pew
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on a recent Australian study finding that 'people who carefully wrestle with their faith have a greater
sense of well being than those who uncritically hold to their beliefs'.
Blood
Sport
This editorial from The Living Church (Milwaukee) address the roles of the media as the Episcopal Church USA prepares for its
next General Convention. 'Ubiquitous discussion lists, blogs, and websites have made instant newsgathering, analysis, and commentary
a part of life within the Church. While these forums are invaluable communications tools with powerful potential as tools for ministry,
they also can and are being used as powerful weapons.'
Britain
needs more multiculturalism
Paul Vallely, writing in the Church Times, notes that racial tensions illustrate the urgency of nurturing ethnic identity.
Britain's
new cultural divide is not between Christian and Muslim, Hindu and Jew. It is between those who have faith and those who do not
In the Guardian, Stuart Jeffries reports on the vicious and uncompromising battle between believers and non-believers.
Broad
of church and broad of mind, by Ian Hislop
It may be comical, class-ridden and camp, but for our correspondent there is still comfort in the Church of England.
Building
and growing healthy congregations
If you have questions or need support for any of your church's ministries, you must mine this wealth of resources, this 'comprehensive
and easy to use guide to building and growing healthy congregations created and maintained by the Diocese of Toronto'.
The Busy Life of
a Parish Priest
A BBC News story by Anna Browning that showcases the Reverend Martin Lee's ministry to three parishes, also including something of his
own background and some statistics about the shortage of priests in the CofE.
A call
for unity
Daniel Burke interviews Njongonkulu Ndungane for the Religion News Service.
Can
gays be priests?
Timothy Radcliffe, writing in The Tablet, comments on the recently-leaked
Vatican document on homosexuality in the priesthood.
Can
the Church help stop child abuse?
A video clip of US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori at Trinity Church, Wall Street.
Can
the church survive?
William F Buckley Jr, writing for syndication, argues that the problem with churches is that we humans are members of them.
Can the Communion hold
together?
Ruth Gledhill, writing for The Tablet (a British RC weekly) reflects on whether or not it is possible to hold the Anglican Communion
together.
Canterbury
finds itself a startling new voice
A N Wilson, writing in The Telegraph, reviews the poetry of Rowan Williams and likes what he sees.
Canterbury
under siege
Simon Sarmiento, writing in Thinking Anglicans, discusses current conflict between English conservatives and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Cardinal Newman and the
Pope
In the Guardian (UK), Chris Hardwick writes about two opposed views of conscience.
The
Care of the Churches
Oliver O'Donovan writes in Fulcrum about the Anglican Communion. 'At the still centre of the storm in the Anglican Communion stands the
isolated, scholarly figure of the current Archbishop of Canterbury - the first holder of that office since the Reformation, it is worth
recalling, to have come to it directly from outside the Church of England, and probably the only one to have received his appointment
by something close to acclamation. It is necessary to recall the circumstances.'
Carey's
tough innings
Russell Twisk, writing for The Tablet, interviews George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, who will retire soon. The Guardian published this
news report about the interview.
Case
for the defense
Carol Zaleski writes in the Christian Century (Chicago) on proofs for the existence of God. 'The project of amassing evidence in God's
favor is [...] dismally unequal to the mystery that one means to represent. Yet it's reasonable to hope that we can supply reasons for
our hope.'
The Case of Job: Putting God on Trial
Robert Sutherland, a Canadian lawyer, an Anglican, and a Senior Fellow at the Mortimer J. Adler Centre for the Study of the Great Ideas
has published a literary, legal and philosophical study of the Book of Job. Several chapters are available on the website http://www.bookofjob.org.
The
Case of the Missing Gospel
Christopher Howse writes in The Telegraph (London) on a manuscript of the Gospel of John.
Cathedral
Cleaner Uses Toothbrush and Light Touch
This recent story by Noah Adams of National Public Radio (USA) provides a wonderful profile of Edwin Cardenas, who began work as a janitor
at Washington National Cathedral in 1990. He now works as a cleaning technician and preservation expert, tending to the cathedral's extensive
fabric.
The
Celestial Stranger
The Guardian reports that a treatise written 350 years ago by the Revd Thomas Traherne will be published soon.
Challengingdavinci.com
This new website produced by the Diocese of Sydney challenges The DaVinci Code's presentation of Christian history. 'Has the Church
been lying for 2000 years? [...] Has someone guarded this secret for centuries? Is this all news to Jesus? Find the truth.'
Champion
of Christianity, the man who should be No 1
A profile of John Sentamu in the Times (London).
The
changing face of the clergy
Peter Smith, writing in the Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) discusses the changing demographics of clergy in the United States.
The
Choice is Yours — Unfortunately
by David Walker, is an article in the Church Times. 'The deification of choice ignores the impact that my choices have on the options
available to others.'
Christ in cinema
Gregory and Maria Pearse review a half-dozen modern films on the life of Christ.
Christian
History Corner
Our Brothers and Sisters, the Episcopalians: Chris Armstrong, Managing Editor of Christian History magazine, reflects in Christianity
Today on the state of the US Episcopal Church.
Christian
Paradox
An extremely interesting article, especially for North American readers, in this month's Harper's Magazine. 'Only 40 percent of Americans
can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels. Twelve percent believe
Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.'
Christian
Unity
Christopher Wells writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on a recent document from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith. 'Obviously Rome’s ecumenical lexicon remains a stumbling block to many Christians [...]' 'The bottom line, as always, is
love — and faith, and hope.'
Christianity's
New Center
Philip Jenkins, the author of 'The Next Christianity' in the October Atlantic, argues that
most Americans and Europeans are blind to Christianity's real future.
Christmas messages from around the Communion (2006)
the Archbishop of Canterbury (English), (Spanish)
(French) (Arabic)
(Portuguese) (Korean)
(Dutch); the Archbishops
of the Anglican Church in New Zealand, Aotearoa and Polynesia; the Archbishop
of the Church in Wales (no Welsh version); the Primate
of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil (Portuguese only); the
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church; the
Archbishop of Hong Kong; the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
USA; Bishop of Tokyo (Japanese only); the
Primate of the Church of Nigeria; the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada; the
Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia; and the Archbishop
of the Church of Ireland.
Christ's
new mission statement
Chris Hardwick muses in The Guardian about the fading habit of attending church and what's required to change that.
The Church and Homosexuality
A thorough study of the Bible and homosexuality by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
A
church asunder
Peter Boyer writes for the New Yorker about the current state of the US Episcopal Church.
The
Church can't stop people from falling in love
In The Observer, Rachel Cooke offers a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at varied churches and people in the C of E, from the rapidly-growing
'evangelicals' to the 'radically tolerant'.
Church
Commissioners Report 2005
Released on 26 April 2006, the Church Commissioners Report for 2005 indicates a 19.1 percent return on the Church of England's investment
during the last year. 'The Commissioners' total expenditure in 2005 was £166.1 million (£163.8 million in 2004). Total non-pensions
expenditure, including support for ministry within dioceses and for the ministry of bishops and cathedrals, totalled £65.8 million
in 2005 – an increase of £2.2 million on the previous year.
The
Church Goes On
American Episcopal priest Ivor Hughes reflects in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on his optimism about an exciting future for the
parishes he serves, despite difficult times in national church politics. 'Is a possible break-up the only topic of the agenda around
the country? Are there other congregations simply trying to get on with their mission and ministry without pressing the self-destruct
button?'
A
Church in Need
Weekend America, a US public radio programme, recently featured a story about St John's Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The parish is
having to choose between preserving its architectural heritage or continuing its commitment to community outreach.
Church
joins university 'milk round' in hunt for young vicars
Elizabeth Day reports in The Telegraph.
The
Church must not sway to the siren voice of postmodern culture
Geoffrey Rowell writes in the Times (London): 'Faithfulness to the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and handed down in
the living tradition of the Church, is what must be both taught and lived if there is to be a true and challenging witness to the cultured
despisers of today.'
A
Church Opens in France
Carlyn Reynier writes in the Guardian (London) on the Church of the Holy Trinity in Nice, France. 'The church has two priorities, says
Canon Letts: to serve God, and to serve his people. Financially that makes life tricky.'
Church
seeks spirituality of youth . . . and doesn't like what it finds, by Ruth Gledhill
From the Times (London) Gledhill writes that the 'Church of England has debunked the widely held view that young people are spiritual
seekers on a journey to find transcendent truths to fill the "God-shaped hole" within them'.
A
Church that Matters?
With contributors including the Archbishop of York, head of the Church Commissioners Andreas Whittam Smith, and some of the church's "frontline"
parish priests, Andrew Brown asks how far the Church of England can continue to matter in English national life. Originally broadcast
on BBC Radio 4, Thursday, 21 November, 2002, a transcript
of the programme is available.
Church
to impose 'rule book' of beliefs
In The Telegraph, by Jonathan Wynne-Jones.
ChurchArt
A valuable UK resource for anyone considering adding art work of any kind to their parish. Among other things the site includes an artist
locator and how to organize and fund commissioned art for your church. It
might serve as a model for other such sites. 'Churchart exists to encourage artists, congregations, and those involved in the care
of churches to foster and engage the arts in the life of the church.'
Churches!
The Ecclesiological Society, founded in 1879 in England, is devoted to all aspects of church life, furnishings, history, architecture
and liturgy. You'll find wonderful links and monthly essays on everything from Medieval Scratch sundials to this month's "How
Do We Keep our Parish Churches?"
Church's
historic home in the City
Michael Byrne and G. R. Bush write in the Times (London) on St Mary-le-Bow in the City of London. 'A parish without residents or Sunday
services provokes envy in other clergy and puzzlement in lay people. Why should such a parish survive?'
The
Civil War still rages on
Giles Fraser, writing in the Church Times, argues that the Church
of England General Synod gives lie to the notion that the English Civil War ended in the 17th century.
Clergy
Need Help to Love Their Congregants as Themselves
Jonathan Romain writes in the Times (London). 'A recent report on the Church of England, The Future of the Parish System, revealed tales
of in-fighting, bullying and malicious gossip at variance with the genteel image of church life. It seems that some Anglican clergy spend
as much time separating warring factions and avoiding psychotic congregants as they do preaching the gospel of love.'
C
of E, RIP
The Anglican church's infighting about gays masks the real issue—that its days are numbered. In The Guardian, Theo Hobson argues
that the current row over homosexuality is really an argument about the structure of the church.
Collected
Papers Presented to the United Methodist-Episcopal Church Dialogue 2002-2006
This large PDF presents 13 papers on historical, doctrinal, disciplinary and ecclesiological matters considered in Methodist-Anglican
discussions in the United States.
A columbarium of Episcopal-search websites
A few weeks ago Anglicans Online asked: 'Where do bishop-search websites go after the elections are complete?' Douglas LeBlanc solves
the mystery.
'I have found that some dioceses, such as New
Hampshire, link to archive pages that offer the profile information on the elected bishop, along with the diocesan profile
from the time. (Most profiles of unelected nominees do seem to fade into the ether.) I found archives for New
Jersey and Oregon through Google. Louie
Crew's Episcopal Elections and Retirements page sometimes leads to pages that still list nominees, such as those for Nebraska and Western
Louisiana. Louie maintains this wonderful page that helps
election geeks like remember me who has run — where, when, and how many times. Bishop Clay Matthews of the Episcopal Office
of Pastoral Development has said he urges search committees to leave their websites in place for a time after an election, rather
than taking them down immediately, to preserve the dignity of unelected nominees. Episcopal News Service did this in the case of
the Presiding Bishop's election.The overall lesson is clear, though: If you find an especially thoughtful or quirky profile of
a nominee, it's best to save a copy on your hard drive'.
Douglas LeBlanc, Virginia
Coming
over to America to help
a statement from the Church of Nigeria about why it is opening a mission to America.
Commercialisation
of Childhood
The Archbishop of Canterbury's interview in connection with a recent report on advertising and childhood.
Commitment
or Numbers
The Guardian (London) carries this article by David Self. 'If the church prefers commitment to numbers, that is its prerogative. If,
on social issues, it wishes to be out-of-step with public opinion, that is its decision. If, as a result, it appears irrelevant, it must
not be surprised if it loses the perks of being part of the establishment.'
Communication
Breakdown
Leanne Larmondin, writing in Canada's Anglican Journal, offers an editorial opinion about the role of real communication in the global
church.
Communion
Matters: A Study Document for the Episcopal Church
On 1 June 2007 the Theology Committee of the US Episcopal Church released this 'document aimed at helping the bishops respond to the
requests made to them by the Primates of the Anglican Communion'. Background information is
available here.
Communists,
counterfeiters, and Catholics
The recently-retired Bishop of California writes about breakaway not-in-communion Anglican denominations.
Companions
of Life
Philip Jenkins writes in Books and Culture (Chicago) on 'the dramatic shift southward in world Christianity'. 'Christians of European
descent should learn that they are not necessarily the norm within the Christian tradition, still less the authentic core; nor, perhaps,
have they ever been. And whether they like it or not, the rules will continue to change and evolve, because that is the nature of growth.'
Complete
in the Beauty of Holiness: Anglican Identity and Aesthetics
[NOTE: This is a PDF file.] A lecture given by Mr Bruce Russell on 5 February 2003 at Saint Mark's Church, Saskatoon, as part of a series,
Anglican Distinctives, organized by the College of Emmanuel and Saint Chad for the Diocese of Saskatoon.
'Complex
reality at street level'
Arthur Jones of the National Catholic Reporter (USA) writes about the Revd Alice Callaghan, an Episcopal priest who was previously an
RC nun, and her community centre for garment workers in Los Angeles.
A
Confident Priesthood, by George Reindorp
George Reindorp (1911-90) was Provost of Southwark Cathedral 1957-61, and Bishop of Guildford 1961-73, and of Salisbury 1973-81. This
edited excerpt is from George Reindorp at St Stephen's 1946-1957: A Confident Priesthood, extracted from an unpublished biography by
John S. Peart-Binns. (Editor's comment: A delight.)
Conquer
the Sodomites
The Sydney Morning Herald published, in its Opinion section, a mock 'parish newsletter' whose purpose is presumably to poke fun at the
obsession with sex in the Diocese of Sydney.
Contemporary
Images of Christ
The Cathedral of St Paul in London has opened a major new exhibit that is the first in a linked series of different events that will
take place in six cathedrals throughout Britain in 2004. Click
here for news coverage.
Contending
with Anglican Realignment
In The Witness (USA), the Reverend Mark Harris writes: 'For a very brief period of time -- less than 160 years -- Episcopalians have
been able to point to the shadow of something almost solid that we called the Anglican Communion, and in which we took comfort. But it
was hard to define the nature of this Anglican Communion...'
Controlling
Church Energy Costs
by Michael O'Loughlin. From The Living Church (Milwaukee): 'According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if the 300,000-plus houses
of worship in the United States reduced energy use by 25 percent, they would save nearly $500 million that could be used more productively
for their mission priorities.'
Conversations
with Rowan Williams
In Autumn 2003 Channel 4 in the UK broadcast a series of conversations with the the Archbishop of Canterbury and four distinguished guests,
in which the Archbishop aired his views on a number of controversial contemporary issues. Only programme one is available (requires RealVideo),
but it's very much worth viewing.
Converting
to the RCL
Alan Lewis of Calvary Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on lectionary change afoot.
The
Council of Anglican Provinces of the Americas is a dangerous overreach
Mark Harris writes in his Preludium.
Covenant
This new website of reflection and commentary shows unusual promise. 'We are evangelical and catholic Anglicans, and fellow travelers
from the wider household of God, assembled and summoned to a common labor in the ecumenical Church of Christ, not least through the
present struggles and gifts of our communities.'
Creditor
Complex
by Rowan Williams. This article on William Tyndale is an edited extract from Christian Imagination in Poetry and Polity: Some
Anglican voices from Temple to Herbert by Rowan Williams [Fairacres Press, £3.50; 0-7283-0162-8].
The
creed that leads from Bunyan to Bridget Jones
'For 500 years, Protestantism has defined Britain. It still does, but in vibrant new forms of worship'. Tristram Hunt makes the case
in The Observer.
Crumbling
churches pray for £925m
The Guardian reports that repairing England's crumbling churches will require £925 million. Let us pray, indeed.
Cultural
Vandalism
Christopher Ohlson writes in the Guardian (London) on hymns in the Church of England.
Cutting
down a Christmas Tree in Vermont
National Public Radio (US) has this good story on how one Vermonter harvested his family's Christmas tree this year.
CyberFaith:
how Americans pursue religion online
A followup report to Wired Churches, from the Pew Internet Project.
Da Vinci Code
The Church of England created a webpage to explore some of the controversial issues the film raises: The
Da Vinci Code: Making your mind up.
The
dangers of unbalancing the 'broad church' of Anglicanism
In The (London) Times, Bishop Geoffrey Rowell ponders the genius of the Church of England.
Daring
To Be a Different Church
Patrick Gahan writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on the prospect of leaving ministry and some alternatives to it.
Dear
Rowan
The Guardian (London) republished an 'open letter' to the Archbishop of Canterbury by famed religion writer Andrew Brown.
Defender
of the Faith
Philip Jenkins, writing in The Atlantic (US), profiles Archbishop Peter Akinola.
Defending
the faith
Omayma Abdel-Latif, writing in Al-Ahram (Cairo), argues that Christianity in the US has been hijacked by extremist fanatics.
A
defensive, Canute-like position
Tom Horwood writes in the Guardian (London) on religious contributions to public debates. 'Today's increasingly aggressive attacks on
the role of religion in public life—whether against faith schools, grants to religious organisations or politicians who articulate
belief—will only be countered by reasoned argument that offers solutions to the dilemmas that decision-makers face.'
Desert
Songs
The Coptic monasteries of Egypt were plundered by the Victorians for their priceless early manuscripts. Now the texts are being restored
and reunited—as a virtual collection. Stuart Jeffries, writing in The Guardian, is entranced by their timeless beauty.
Desmond
Tutu warns against fundamentalism
The Associated Press reports that Desmond Tutu, retired Archbishop of Cape Town, warned that religious fundamentalism is on the rise
worldwide.
The Devil
is Real
The Reverend Lloyd Prator, an Episcopal priest in the USA, writes at beliefnet.com: 'I was skeptical about whether the exorcisms I performed
were doing anything—until an unseen force grabbed my hand'.
Dietrich
Bobhoeffer: The Archbishop of Canterbury's speech
at the opening of the International Bonhoeffer Congress, University
of Wroclaw, Poland: 'Dietrich Bonhoeffer was in no way a theologian who wished to be defined by negations. In his prison letters, he
deplores the tendency of religious apologists to concentrate on the weaknesses of the secular world-view ....'
A different
kind of truth: finding love and redemption in the Anglican Church
Princeton student, Emily Garcia, tells her story.
A Different
Set of Questions
Is the press ready to cover the first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church USA? We thought it timely to look again at a June
2006 article written by Diana Winston for the Revealer.
Dismantling
the barriers to belief
The first in a series of articles in the Church Times by Alister McGrath. The remainder are The
attempt to disprove God; Reports
of the death of God are greatly exaggerated; and Reconnecting
with our storytelling roots.
Diversity
of belief is a very Anglican tradition
Martyn Percy writes in the Guardian on Anglican diversity: 'schismatic tendencies in Anglicanism would appear to relate to authority,
theology and ecclesial power. But this takes little account of the fact that such tensions have existed within Anglicanism from the outset.'
A divided
Episcopal Church?
Peter Steinfels, writing in the New York Times, reflects on what a split in the church might be.
The
Divine Compassion has steel as well as serenity
Geoffrey Rowell writes in the Times (London) on compassion in Buddhism and in Christianity.
Do They
Like Me?
United Methodist pastor James Howell writes in The Christian Century (Chicago) on the importance — or ultimate non-importance — of
likeability in pastoral ministry.
The
Doctor and the Vicar
The Sydney Morning Herald tracks the PR storms and blog battles that followed its publication last week about a situation in the Diocese
of Sydney.
Does
a bear live in the woods?
The Guardian reports that Rowan Williams, soon to become Archbishop of Canterbury, believes in the Bible.
Dome,
sweet dome
Lisa Jardine writes in The Guardian about Christopher Wren and St Paul's.
Don't call them
Conservatives
Teresa Mathes, on the website of San Diego's St Paul's Cathedral, argues that the religious lobbyists who call themselves 'conservatives'
are not that at all.
Don't
call us evangelicals
Thinking Anglicans has located, assembled, and annotated the Church Times' publication of an important new article by Theo Hobson.
Drive
for multi-faith Britain deepens rifts, says Church
In the Telegraph, Jonathan Wynne-Jones writes that 'The Church of England has launched an astonishing attack on the Government's drive
to turn Britain into a multi-faith society'.
Dumbed
Down
Timothy Renick writes in the Christian Century (Chicago) on 'what Americans don't know about religion'. 'surveys show that the majority
of Americans cannot name even one of the four Gospels. Only one-third know that it was Jesus who delivered the Sermon on the Mount, and
10 percent think that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.'
E-Seminary
The Living Church (Milwaukee) reports on an effort of the Diocese of Iowa to provide easy online access to seminary education.
An
Easter Message from the Primate
Andrew S. Hutchison addresses the Anglican Church of Canada in light of his recent visit to the World Council of Churches meeting in
Brazil.
Easter's
hawks and doves
Sin must be paid for with blood—that view of the crucifixion leads to support for capital punishment and war, writes Giles Fraser
in The Guardian (UK).
Edward
Heath
The obituary in the Church Times contain some delightful anecdotes. (Hands up everyone who knew the former prime minister was once an
editor at that newspaper.)
The
Electronic Collection Plate
Douglas LeBlanc writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on the phenomenon of electronic donations for church purposes. Anglicans
Online, by the way, has its own electronic collection plate to help keep
our computers running.
Emerging
Church
The Revd Paul Roberts, writing for Thinking Anglicans, reflects on the Emerging Church movement.
Epiphany Reflections 2007
Three good reflections on the Epiphany: From Geoffrey Rowell in
the Times (London); from Christopher Howse
in the Telegraph (London); and from Judith Maltby in the Guardian (London).
The
Episcopal Church at Its Best
The Living Church (Milwaukee) carries this story on a diocesan consecration that was 'a refreshing mixture of appropriate pageantry,
the kind of personal familiarity one normally finds at a wedding rehearsal dinner, and a hopeful grasping of closeness among all present'.
Episcopal Church Network
for Science, Technology, and Faith
'Facilitates dialogue between [the US Episcopal Church] and members of the scientific, technical, and medical communities; to be an educational
resource for this Church, its seminaries, and the wider Christian community; and to provide guidelines in Christian ethics for use in
everyday decisions within contemporary American culture'.
Episcopal
Dissidents, African Allies: The Anglican Communion and the Globalization of Dissent
This dissertation was submitted in May 2004 by Dr. Miranda K. Hassett to the Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill. This online version is a 1.1MB Adobe Acrobat file; a revised and shortened version of this text is under contract for publication
with Princeton University Press.
Episcopal
laypeople and evangelism
A graduate student in the USA is doing a survey to determine if there is a correlation between denomination and evangelism. If you are
associated with a US Episcopal church, please consider taking this survey.
Episcopal
split brings leadership opportunity
An editorial in the Nashville City Paper about opportunities for moral leadership.
Episcopalian
groups struggling to preserve unity
Associated Press reports on efforts to organize against schism in those dioceses whose bishops have been pushing for separation.
epiScope
'An episcope is an optical device for projecting flat opaque images, like postcards, prints, photographs, pages of books, but also three-dimensional
objects.' It is also the name of the new official weblog of the Episcopal Church USA.
Evangelicals
are strict, not stupid
Colin Sedgewick, writing in The Guardian, argues against the stereotype that evangelicals are not intelligent.
The
Eve of destruction
Karen Armstrong, writing in The Guardian (London), notes that all religions have had a problem with women and sex, Christianity more
than most.
Every Voice Network
The Anglican Voices United for Justice site contains liturgical, educational and sermon resources in time of war. Most notable may be
the resources dealing with talking to youth. The site contains many more topics.
Everyman's
History of the Prayer Book, by Percy Dearmer.
This classic is now online, well formatted, and worth your time. Note the Family
Tree of the Prayer Book.
Evil-minded parishioners making
life hell for clergy
Ruth Gledhill reports in The Times (London).
The
example of Jesus points the way to a meaningful pattern of prayer
Bishop Geoffrey Rowell writes in the Credo column of the Times (London). 'To know God is to seek for Him continually. In praying
we reach out to our Creator who both reveals and hides Himself, “smiting on the dark cloud with the dart of our longing love” as
that medieval Christian treatise The Cloud of Unknowing puts it'.
Exodus.
Numbers. Judges
As conservative parishes leave the liberal Episcopal Church, who shall inherit the real estate? Elizabeth Austin weighs the issue in
the journal Legal Affairs.
Face
to Faith
David Bryant, writing in The Guardian, talks about faith, guilt, and sin.
Face
to Faith
Church liturgy needs to use more metaphors in order to help people communicate with God in new ways, says Glynn Cardy.
Face
to Faith: A carnival of Christianity
In the Guardian (UK), Theo Hobson writes on why 'Christian culture needs to cultivate an anarchic lightness, a lust for freedom, a celebratory
spirit. It needs to learn from the boom in festival culture'.
The
Facts about a Misreported Mass
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London). 'Most things that the press says about the Tridentine Mass are wrong.'
Failure
is one of the greatest gifts bestowed on the faithful
Jonathan Sacks writes in the Times (London).
Faith
Communities in a Civil Society
Rowan Williams provides a Christian perspective in this address delivered on 10 September 2007. 'the presence of the Church, not as a
clamorous interest group but as a community confident of its rootedness in something beyond the merely political, expresses a vision
of human dignity and mutual human obligation which, because of its indifference to popular success or official legitimation, poses to
every other community a special sort of challenge'.
Faithful Cities
This important report from the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Church of England, released on 22 May 2006, urges a new invigoration
of the churches' roles in urban communities. 'Faithful Cities is about the places we live and the way our lives are changing. Thinking
about cities, towns and other urban communities has involved us in thinking about citizenship, about politics and the challenges
God’s open future poses us as disciples. Getting urban policy right is of interest to all communities in our predominantly
urban society.' Reuters has
already commented, and so has the BBC.
The
Fat is in the Fire: The Network and the Windsor Action Covenant
by Mark Harris.
Father Matthew Presents
YouTube.com is not often where we look for fun in our spiritual life, but the Revd Matthew J. Moretz, new curate at St Paul's Church
in Yonkers, New York, is changing that. His weekly three-minute video blog — brimming with youth, creativity, and humour — is
addictive, like good candy. Do have a taste and see what you think.
'Fear
of Ideas: The Decline and Fall of Anglicanism'
An essay by Don Cupitt in The Guardian (London).
Few dioceses
are uniform in all their beliefs
An editorial in Canada's Anglican Journal.
Fewer Lords
Spiritual, or none at all
Paul Bickley writes in the Church Times (London) on the future of episcopal membership in the House of Lords. A related document was
released last month by the Theos thinktank for public theology: Coming
off the bench: The past, present and future of religious representation in the House of Lords.
Find
your own desert during Lent
In the Guardian Jane Shaw considers two central questions for Lent: who is our tempter and where is our desert?
Fireproofing
the house
Douglas LeBlanc interviews N. T. Wright for Christianity Today about the Windsor report. Dr Wright is Bishop of Durham. He also
wrote 'Blindly embracing diversity will damage unity' for The
Guardian.
First
handmade bible for 500 years
A team of artists from Monmouthshire is working on producing the first handwritten and illuminated bible to be commissioned for centuries.
A look at the state of the holy book being created for St John's Abbey in Minnesota.
Five
Talents
Craig Cole writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on a micro-credit programme sponsored by the Central Philippines and Five Talents
International. The Millennium Development Goals 'have become almost a rallying cry in The Episcopal Church, and they have released a
wonderful rush of energy to assist the world’s poorest. In another positive aspect, the goals are agreed upon by many members of
our denomination no matter where they stand on other issues.'
Five
Ways to Ease the Pane
One of five stained-glass window designs will finally replace a London church window shattered in 1940, writes Tim Adams in the Guardian.
The
Flowering of Exeter's Carvings
Christopher Howse writes in The Telegraph (London) on the roof-bosses of Exeter Cathedral.
A Fond
Thing, Vainly Invented
Richard Mouw writes in the Christian Century (Chicago) on prayers with/to/through the saints. 'I am still not ready to start talking
with Christians who have already gone on to heaven. But I am more aware of how many of us in the Protestant world operate with a too-small
circle of Christian fellow travelers.'
Foreign
Archbishops Flock to U.S. Congregations
American National Public Radio featured this piece in its Weekend Edition Sunday programme. 'In the past two years, there's been a flurry
of reverse colonization as archbishops from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Bolivia and Singapore have taken conservative Episcopal churches
under their wings.'
Forgiveness
in a Culture Stripped of Grace
The Times (London) has published this extract from the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2006, Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving
in a Culture Stripped of Grace, by Miroslav Volf.
Forgiveness in Coventry
Kim Lawton interviews clergy of Coventry Cathedral. From Religion and Ethics Weekly, a programme of American National Public Radio.
'A
Fourth Way: On the Anglican Communion as an Ecumenical Fellowship'
Mark Harris, a priest of the Episcopal Church in the USA, looks at the limits of communion: 'I would (in good company) contend that (i)
for most Episcopalians there is nothing about the Episcopal Church that requires fixing (outside our normal processes of perfecting our
life together) and that (ii) there is no power in the Anglican Communion to fix it anyway, for the Anglican Community is a glorious example
of Ecumenical Hospitality, not an example of patriarchal ecclesiology'.
From bone
box to big screen, Jesus reconsidered
Abraham McLaughlin surveys the field in the Christian Science Monitor (USA).
From
Childhood Dreams of Priesthood to a Bishop’s Chair
The New York Times reports on 'the Rev. Laura J. Ahrens [who] is set to become Connecticut’s first female Episcopal bishop'.
From
Sex Pistols to Shadowmancer
Bob Smietana, writing in Christianity Today, comments on the life of Graham Taylor, English priest, author, and former roadie for the
Sex Pistols.
From
Uganda to York, shaped by the saints and martyrs
Sarah Meyrick, writing in the Church Times, comments on the new Archbishop of York.
'Fundamental
issues'
The Rt Revd Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, writes in The Guardian about Islam and Christianity.
The
Future Priest
Peter J. Surrey writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee). 'Who is best equipped to serve with distinction, the church in troubled times?
Given that we are always faced with changing conditions, what is the best human model to seek as a candidate for the priesthood? To many,
including myself, these are among the most important questions facing the Anglican Communion.'
Gay
communion
Stephen Bates, writing in The Guardian, reflects on why it is the Anglican church that is most obsessed with what gays get up to in the
privacy of their bedrooms.
Gay
spouses will need legal divorce
Political correspondent Gaby Hinsliff, writing in The Observer (London) notes that gay couples who split up face paying 'alimony' to
ex-partners.
George
Packard, military bishop
Phil Jones, writing in Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, interviews the Rt Revd George Packard, Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies, Episcopal
Church of the USA.
Getting
out of hell isn't easy
Christopher Howse, writing in The Telegraph, suggests that people aren't adequately afraid of being consigned to hell.
Gift
choices prove Magi were women
Willy Trolove, writing in the New Zealand Herald, pokes fun at one of the more widely-publicised segments of the recent General Synod
of the Church of England.
The Gift Outright
Dr Michael Poon and Mark
Macdonald, Bishop of Alaska, engage in dialogue about 'our common future'. Macdonald writes: 'Though it may seem absurd or amazing
or both, it appears, at least from the perspective of mainline church institutions that the Gospel is just now about to find its first
real home in North America'.
Girl
meets God: Memoir of a spiritual journey
Dale Neal writes in the Citizen-Times (Asheville, North Carolina) about Lauren Winner's conversion to Anglicanism.
Giving
up Christmas for Advent
Stephen Tomkins writes in the Guardian (UK) about fasting before feasting. 'It seems to me that, for all our hedonism, our fasting forebears
enjoyed their revelries more than we do, because they had to wait for them. We are like kids who peep through the wrapping paper.'
GlobalGood.org
'Produced by the [US] Episcopal Church's Office of Communication and launched on April 20 in observance of Earth Day 2007, this web site
is a tool to support your involvement in the top churchwide mission priority set by the 75th General Convention: peace and justice
ministries framed by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.'
Go
to work on Christmas
Digby Anderson, writing The Spectator, argues that you can avoid barbarity and blasphemy by making the Epiphany your big feast.
God
Has His Way
An interview in The Living Church (Milwaukee) with the new Latino/Hispanic missioner of the Episcopal Church USA.
God
in Peckham Rye
William Dalrymple, writing in The Guardian (London), argues that the characterization of Britain as anti-religious is not accurate.
'God
Is My Palm Pilot'
An essay by David Batstone and Bill Wylie-Kellermann in Sojourners: 'Is technology the tool of the devil? The primrose path to a better
life? Or something in between?'
God
of the Latté: Faith in the Suburbs
American Episcopalian author Lauren Winner has worthwhile words for 'Christians living in suburbia—and for those of us who share
in the sins of suburbanism from our perches in the country or the city'.
Goddard2Goddard
An InclusiveChurch/Fulcrum joint project of correspondence between
Andrew Goddard and Giles Goddard continues. There are now several letters from each contributor posted at Fulcrum and InclusiveChurch.
'We agreed just before Christmas to correspond with each other over the next few months on matters relating to the challenges facing
the Anglican Communion and the Church of England and to publish our exchanges online. The correspondence will appear on both the Fulcrum
and Inclusive Church sites although both of us are writing in a personal capacity.'
God's
will must override the dictates of feminism
Claire Smith writes, for the Sydney Morning Herald, a rebuttal to Muriel
Porter.
Going
to Church? Wear Your Thickest Skin
by Paul Handley. A Church Times special feature from December 2005. See also Good
manners put people at their ease, by John Lloyd; and Polite
poster campaign for 2006, by Christine Miles.
Goodbye,
Blog
Alan Jacobs writes in the current issue of Books and Culture (Chicago) on weblogs as 'the friend of information but the enemy
of thought'. 'I think first of the extraordinary anger that seems to be more present in the blogosphere than in everyday life. Debate
after debate—on almost every site I visit, including the ones devoted to Christianity—either escalates from rational discourse
into sneering and name-calling or just bypasses reason altogether and starts with the abuse.
God made me gay
Retired priest Bruce Lowe wrote this 'biblical affirmation of homosexuality' well before the current arguments started. We recognize
that this is the sort of piece that is likely to infuriate people whose opinion is different and bore those whose opinion is the
same, but we found it well written, not at all inflammatory, and worth reading.
God:
the Hollywood years
Scott Hughes, writing in The Guardian, reflects on the portrayal of God in the cinema.
Graphic
Violence
Alan Jacobs writes in Christianity Today's Books and Culture on Edward Tufte's 'profound respect for the power of well-chosen
designs—charts, graphs, outlines, and so on—to convey information quickly and powerfully'. Reading Tufte, 'You learn to try
out various ways to organize information—historically, thematically, geographically—and in the process you force yourself
to reconsider the way you habitually organize data in your own head'.
Green Church Awards 2007
The Church Times Green Church Awards have been established 'to acknowledge, encourage and support the practical environmental work done
by churches and their congregations; to spread the word about environmental action and encourage other congregations to get started;
and to celebrate good practice, by featuring the shortlisted projects in the Church Times and at an Awards ceremony'. Entries end
on 30 June 2007.
Groping
at shadows in a darkened room
Chris McGillion, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, notes that religions have more in common than not; all are grasping for truth.
Guidelines
for Conversion
National Public Radio (Washington DC) carries this report from France on a set of new guidelines on conversion and missionary work proposed
by the World Council of Churches.
Halloween Choice
'Don't go grim this Halloween.' This fine site encourages a wide variety of choices for consumers in their decisions about Halloween.
'co-ordinated by the Communications Office of the Church of England-Diocese of Manchester'.
Have
you told your mum yet?
An anonymous woman narrates the story of her son's courage in revealing to his parents that he is gay.
The
Heartlands of Anglicanism
The Most Reverend Njongonkulu Ndungane, the Archbishop of Cape Town, has written this substantial reflection for the consideration of
the primates of the communion. 'We will find authentic Anglican answers if we conduct our debate within the fertile territory of the
rich Anglican heartlands, engaging with one another in a godly spirit of tolerance, trust and charity, and having confidence in the living
tradition of our Anglican structures, as part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, through which the Lord has preserved us,
guided us and led us, so mercifully in the past.'
Heaven
is the loser
Peter Stanford, published in the New Zealand Herald, writes joyfully about Desmond Tutu.
Hell
hits back
The Guardian (London) offers an editorial on the topic of Hell, responding in part to Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor's essay in
The Spectator and in part to a column in the Church Times (only in its paper edition, alas).
High
pressure, long hours and low pay—the life of a vicar is no longer a tea party
The Telegraph's Cassandra Jardine finds out what it takes to be a vicar in the 21st century.
The hijacking
of a Ship of Faith
Brian Williams writes from St Paul-within-the-walls, in Rome, on the conflict
in our church today.
A
historian opposed to preservation
Rachel Harden interviews Sir Roy Strong in the Church Times about coronations and the need to alter churches.
Homophobia
and the Global South
Simon Sarmiento, writing in Thinking Anglicans, has filed this report on a recent study by Amnesty International of the persecution of
gays.
Hope
for the Hereafter Nourishes the Urge to Live Better in a Grim Present
by Stephen Plant in The Times (London), who writes: 'belief in life after death need not be a distraction from belief in life before
death — it can be its motivation.'
How
I learnt to love atheists
John Ward writes in The Guardian about atheism, religion, and what they have in common.
Hollywood
stirring the passions of church leaders
Malcolm Brown, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, observes that recent cinematic focus on Christ and on terrorism has had an effect
on bishops and their Easter messages.
Holy
sage
A N Wilson writes about Rowan Williams for The Spectator. Don't miss this.
Holy
Week Drama
Steven Giovangelo writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on a Good Friday hail storm.
Horses
in Church
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London) horse biers in Welsh churches.
House of Lords debate on the contribution of churches to civic life
The archbishop of Canterbury's website has his
opening remarks, closing remarks and
a link to the Hansard
report of this important debate on 19 May 2006.
How
Firm a Foundation
Richard B. Tudor writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) that the time is ripe for the growth of a confessional movement in the Episcopal
Church USA.
'I
support Rowan: we are working together'
In the Telegraph (UK), Lord Carey, the 103rd Archbishop of Cantebury, muses about Rowan, Romans, and his retirement.
I
don't want a friendly service in church
Sue Arnold, writing in The Independent, discusses the role of marketing and consumer satisfaction in churches.
Icons
S.L. Woodford writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on death, grief, and text-messages.
The
idolatry of holy books
Giles Fraser, writing in The Guardian, muses that calls to reform Islam mirror the Christian Reformation.
'If you Meet
George Herbert on the Road, Kill Him'
Paul Roberts reflects on clergy life in the Church of England. This is part two of four reflections; the others are on clergy
stress, visiting, and 'you
get the clergy you plan for'.
I'm
not "devout", that's why I'm an Anglican
In a letter in the Telegraph (UK), Quentin Letts explains why the 'failure to froth' is perhaps the greatest strength of the CofE.
In Cyberspace,
Can Anyone Hear You Pray?
In the BBC's Online Magazine, Giles Wilson takes a seat in space, at the Church of Fools.
In
defense of the first sacrament
Derek Olsen writes thoughtfully for the Daily Episcopalian on Communion without Baptism, or CWOB. 'However, the message of the Gospel
is not simply a message of hospitality alone. Scripture also insists upon the reality and the responsibility of the covenant community.'
In our many voices
A Via Media USA report to the Episcopal Church.
'In
praise of euphony'
David McKie prattles quaintly in The Guardian about the English custom of naming the aggregated multi-church parishes that result from
combining small and declining churches.
In
praise of organised religion
Over at Ship of Fools, Steve Goddard writes about just why all that seems wrong with the church is quite all right with him.
In
Quires and Places Where They Sing
By Adrian Leak. A feature article in the Church Times, celebrating 'the quincentenary of the birth of Thomas Tallis, one of the great
composers of English church music.
'In
search of a gentle God'
Geraint ap Iorwerth writes in The Guardian 'Who does God listen to when He is bombarded with the prayers of different nations and religions,
all equally convinced that He is on their side?'
In
Search of a Mass
Saskia Sissons write in the Tablet [you may well have to fill out a free subscription form] asking "Should Catholics be like consumers,
shopping around for the right liturgy? One young mother, returning to the Church, did so, with an unexpected result.
In
the end, there is no one God does not love
Ruth Gledhill interviews Gene Robinson for The Times (London).
In
the language of Jesus
Martin Wainwright, in The Guardian, argues that Turkey's Christian revival has a message for Iraq's communities.
'In 20
years, there will be no more Christians in Iraq'
In The Guardian, Mark Lattimer wonders why the coalition forces haven't done more to protect them.
Incwadi
Yokutandaza Ebandhleni
'Zulu (also known as isiZulu) is one of the major languages of South Africa, spoken as a first language by nearly 10,000,000 people.
The Book of Common Prayer was first translated into Zulu in 1856 and was one of the earlier printed works in that language. It has since
gone through over a dozen editions, of both the 1662 English BCP (presented here) and also the more recent South African BCP's. The version
given here was printed by the SPCK in 1915 and likely was a revision of the translation by Henry Calloway, one of the prominent missionaries
in South Africa. It includes nearly the whole 1662 BCP. It appears as 199:9 in David Griffiths' Bibliography of the Book of Common Prayer.'
An
innocent's guide to things Anglican in the US
Ruth Gledhill wrote this interesting and helpful guide on her weblog connected with the London Times.
'Inscribing
the Word'
At a scriptorium in Wales, calligraphers are applying medieval arts to create the 21st-century Saint John's Bible'. The Smithsonian Magazine
reports. (Also see the web site for the St John's Bible and our
large image file of the page featured in the story. We kept it large to preserve the detail, so it will take time to download.)
Inside
is an odd place to pitch a tent
... But then it is his cathedral. Halfway through his week under canvas in a side chapel of York Minster, Archbishop John Sentamu tells
Stephen Bates what inspired his highly unusual camping trip.
An
interview with Bishop Gene Robinson a year after his ordination and consecration
Terry Gross (of 'Fresh Air') interviewed Bishop Robinson last week. The show, which includes a segment with Bishop Robert Duncan, Diocese
of Pittsburgh, aired on National Public Radio (USA) on 9 December 2004. It's available on the NPR
website in Real Audio or Windows Media Player format.
An
Interview with Sarah Coakley: Back to Classical Theology by a Deeper Route
by Rupert Shortt.
An
interview with the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury
The editor of the Daily Telegraph, Charles Moore, interviews Dr Rowan Williams. From the first question 'Have you ever not believed in
God?' to the last 'Do you think that [the Prince of Wales] has a serious relationship with his faith?', the interview is compelling reading.
Iraqi
Christian conference
Canon Andrew White, Anglican Vicar of Baghdad, speaks on the BBC Religion and Ethics programme about Christian life in Iraq today. (Real
Media format).
Iraq's
Christians and Muslims
Greg Watts, writing for The Times (London), reports on the uneasy and uncertain relationship between Christians and Muslims in Iraq.
(Some readers outside the British Isles will be unable to see this article, alas.)
'Is ANWR Worth
Saving?'
An article by Chip Duncan about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 'When Sarah mentioned that the caribou were "sacred," I
took the leap. As a filmmaker, I'd produced numerous hours of television on spiritual subjects, so the idea of a sacred animal roused
my attention. Though I'd expected to go down a more animistic road, I probed enough to find out that many of the Gwich'in of Arctic Village
were practicing Episcopalians. In fact, the small log church was visible from Sarah's hillside. "Why Episcopalians?" I asked.
"I don't know," said Sarah. "I guess they were just the first ones to show up here."' For the original interview
with Sarah James, go here.
Is
religion relevant?
The BBC asks the question—and gets answers.
Is the Bible a Legal Document?
Giles Fraser, in the Church Times, argues that it is not.
Is
the Pope Catholic?
Gerald Warner, writing in The Spectator, argues that perhaps the reason for the current meltdown in the Roman Catholic church is that
John Paul II is scandalously liberal.
Islam and the
Internet
National Public Radio produced a three-part series that can read and heard here.
An
island of social justice in the sea of faith
In The Times, Bess Twiston Davies interviews Kathy Galloway, the new leader of the Iona community.
It is not
a crime to hold traditional values
Rowan Williams writes in the Times Higher Education Supplement. 'What is still puzzling about the debate over Christian unions in some
colleges and universities being refused recognition by student unions is the underlying assumption that seems to be at work. It's as
if these student unions are saying that disagreement itself is disturbing — that having different convictions is so violently disruptive
that no open exchange can be allowed.'
It
is rare to have a prophet as an archbishop
Andreas Whittam Smith, writing for The Independent, marvels at the greatness of Rowan Williams.
It
may be a poor imitator of Jesus's inclusive love and tolerance but the church is necessary
says David Self in the Guardian's Face to Faith.
It's
time to cross the fine line that divides our two Churches
Tom Utley, writing in The Telegraph, talks about his visit to an Anglican church on Christmas eve instead of his usual Roman Catholic
church.
A
jealous God
Jasper Griffin, writing in The Spectator, muses about whether monotheism is intrinsically warlike.
Jerusalem the Golden
This is an undated, illustrated/illuminated version of John Mason Neale's famous translation of Bernard of Morlaix's hymn.
Jesus
accepted women. Why can't Anglicans?
Muriel Porter writes for The Age (Melbourne)
Jesus
goes to the disco
Writing in The Spectator, 'Mary Wakefield finds a gang of missionaries in the sex-and-drug-fuelled raves of Ibiza'.
Jesus
is not a choice between Galileo and the Inquisition
Roderick Strange expresses his opinion in the Credo section of The Times (London).
Jesus is not
a Republican
Religious historian (and practicing Anglican) Randall Balmer writes in the Chronicle of Higher Education on American Evangelicalism
and politics. 'Evangelicals need once again to learn to be a counterculture, much as they were before the rise of the religious right,
before succumbing to the seductions of power. The early followers of Jesus were a counterculture because they stood apart from the prevailing
order.'
'Jesus
Kitsch, My Lord and Savior'
In the woods behind a West Virginia monastery, a writer and a photographer ask an age-old question: 'Is bad art good religion?' Over
at Killing the Buddha, Erik Hanson muses about why, how, and whether he loves Christian tat.
Jesus
loves me
Graham Bowley, writing in Britain's Financial Times, reflects on the current controversies in the Anglican Communion.
Jews
fast, Muslims fast, so should Christians
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London). 'Nothing could be more foreign to a consumerist attitude in religion, where self-esteem
is the cardinal virtue.'
Job Listings
The Anglican Church of Canada has launched a new vacancies webpage. Most positions are located in Canada, though one opening in Mexico
indicates that non-Canadian vacancies may be posted here as well.
Journals
and Letters of the Reverend Henry Martyn, B.D.
Late Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge; and Chaplain to the Honourable East India Company, edited by the Rev. S. Wilberforce, M.A.,
Rector of Brightstone. Project Canterbury hosts both volumes of his journals,
totalling almost 1000 pages, and covering the years 1802-1812. Amongst other things, James Kiefer notes, [Martyn] translated the New
Testament into Hindi and Persian, revised an Arabic translation of the New Testament, and translated the Psalter into Persian and the
Prayer Book into Hindi'.
Just
Williams
An in-depth interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury, by Roy Hattersley, in The Observer.
Kindness
begins in the hearts of innocents
The Sydney Morning Herald reports on an interfaith effort to combat prejudice in a school in New South Wales.
The
Kingdom of God is Now or Never
Timothy Radcliffe writes in Church Times about the stories we have to tell, the future, the killing fields of the last century, the Last
Supper, and 'a wonderful moment for Christianity'.
Larry
Wall, PERL, and God
In slashdot.org, an interview with the creator of the programming language Perl, who, in Question 7—you'll need to scroll down
to it, no anchor, alas—talks about his faith. A lengthy exchange of views on this topic between various readers of Slashdot follows
on the interview. If you've never read a Slashdot exchange, well, it's ... words fail. One quick example, from the beginning of an email:
'God didn't create the universe. Well, He did, but not intentionally. God just wanted a beer'.
Laureate
Tutu Remains Tireless Advocate
The New York Times reports on Archbishop Tutu's 75th birthday party.
Learning
Curve
L. Gregory Jones writes in the Christian Century (Chicago). 'A commitment to the art of learning invites congregations, judicatories
and seminaries to work together to develop criteria for "learning clergy" who have the capacities to cultivate their intelligence
through the interplay of creativity, analysis, practical skills and wisdom.'
Leaving
Church on a Regular Basis
Barbara Brown Taylor writes in The Christian Century (Chicago). 'Leaving church, I believe, is what church is for—leaving on a
regular basis, leaving to see what God is up to in the world and joining God there, delivering all the riches of the institution to those
who need them most, in full trust that God will never leave the church without all that it needs to live.'
Left Behind: The
Skewed Representation of Religion in Major News Media
'Media Matters for America' claims that news media exaggerate the importance of the religious right and ignore religious progressives.
Lent Thought for the Day
The Revd Dr Giles Fraser spoke about Lent on the BBC. The short
transcript is well worth reading.
Let
us ignore the mantras of modernity and dance the sacred dances
Geoffrey Rowell writes in the Times (London) on processions and hymns. 'It is thin gruel for the soul if [these treasures are] discarded
for the ephemeral emotion of passing fashion simply because [they are] old. Mantras of modernisation can too easily cut us off from deeply
rooted spiritual wisdom.'
Let's
bring back the hymns that pack a punch
In the Times (London), Catherine Fox asks where all the old smiting and fighting songs have gone.
Letter
tells tales of Narnia
When a little girl wrote to CS Lewis asking him for an explanation of the Chronicles of Narnia, she never expected to get a reply.
Lichfield
Cathedral
Spend a few minutes with the photographs of Tom Allwood, a recent Choral Scholar at the cathedral and a Cambridge graduate. Delightful.
Life
after Anglicanism
Theo Hobson, writing in the Guardian (London), explains why he calls himself 'post-Anglican'.
A
life of prayer
The Skagit Valley Herald reports on the life of an Episcopal monk on an island not far from Seattle.
Lifting
bans in the Bible
Ruth Gledhill, writing in The Times (London), reports that one by one, some of the Bible's most exacting prohibitions and injunctions
have been overruled in the name of secular progress.
Like,
see what I'm praying?
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London) on liturgical language. 'Many people, not excluding those who seldom go to church,
regret the replacement of Cranmer's splendid language in the Book of Common Prayer by modern but debased prayers in the pick and mix
of Common Worship.'
Listen to the women
Kathy Galloway, writing in the Sunday Herald, discusses 'the blindness at the heart of Christian history'.
The
listening church
The Rt Revd Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford, writes in The Guardian about the relationship of Christianity to good and evil.
The
logic of all purity movements is to exclude
Andrew Linzey, writing in The Times (London) argues that Anglicans should listen to the Holy Spirit and not to schismatic fundamentalists.
The London Challenge
The Bishop of London challenges his diocese to change and grow in an address at the diocesan synod.
Look
Closer to Home
Giles Fraser, writing in The Guardian (London) argues that secularists who dismiss Christianity as the choice of the stupid should look
in the mirror.
Looking
for God in the Details at Ground Zero
David W Dunlop asks, in the New York Times, whether God has a place at ground zero.
A loss of faith
Once a force for social change, the Anglican church is now governed by an alien evangelism. Michael Hampson laments in the Guardian (UK).
Lost
Gospel Revealed; Says Jesus Asked Judas to Betray Him
A set of articles in the online National Geographic News including a PDF file of the full Coptic text.
The
lost language of worship
Christopher Howse writes in the Guardian (London) on liturgy and culture. 'most people in Britain today do not take to Byrd and cathedral
architecture like ducks to water. They are bored by high culture because they are blind to its language.
Lost
Opportunity
Joseph Neiman reflects in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on the recent sale of the cathedral of the Diocese of Western Michigan.
A
Magnificent Collection of Brief Lives
In the Telegraph, Christopher Howse explains why we should all rejoice at the publication of the new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Making
the Case for Full Inclusion of Homosexuals: A Pasadena priest and lesbian explains her position to the leader of the Anglican church
Susan Russell, a member of the US Episcopal Church delegation addressing the Anglican Consultative Council recently in Nottingham, is
profiled in the Los Angeles Times.
Making your
church inclusive and welcoming to all
Stephen Birchall writes, in the April, 2004 issue of eChurchActive, an overview of the modifications
churches need to make them more welcoming to the many people with various disabilities. For useful links and a free download of his book, Disability
Discrimination and the Church, visit Stephen Burchall's website. These
materials were prepared for churches in the UK to meet the newly amended Disability Discrimination Act but they will be pertinent to
churches round the Anglican Communion.
Man
not born to be king
Andrew Brown, writing in the Church Times, further analyzes last week's interview granted
by Rowan Williams to The Guardian.
Man
v God
The Times (UK) notes that 'the polemical journalist Christopher Hitchens is more read in America than in his native UK – but that
is about to change with his vitriolic new book attacking religion'.
The
man who made Byrd live
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London) on the revival of William Byrd's music. 'Byrd lives.'
Marriage
and Scripture
The Revd Dr John Hurd, Honorary Assistant at St Clement's Anglican Church in Toronto, Canada, recently preached on the scriptural understanding
of marriage in light of same-sex blessings.
Marriage
made in heaven
Karen Armstrong, writing in The Guardian about a recent wedding at Harvard University, argues that the suppression of ego demanded by
a truly Christian union makes gender irrelevant.
'Master
builder'
Giles Worsley, writing in The Telegrah, looks at the life and works of religious architect Henry Woodyer.
A
master mariner meets the storm
David Edwards, writing in The Tablet, outlines what can and cannot be expected of the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Masterpiece
in a Country Church
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London) on a fourteenth-century English painting in a Suffolk parish church.
The
meaning of Easter
The Guardian has published an email exchange between James Jones and Brian Mountford.
'Memories
Chiseled in a Cathedral's Stone'
In the New York Times, Daniel Wakin writes: 'Twenty-two years ago, the idea rang out like a clarion. To resume work on the Cathedral
Church of St John the Divine, British masters would come to New York and train jobless youths in the ways of medieval stonemasonry. Together
they would revive a dying craft. And lo, a stoneyard arose on the edge of Harlem. The cathedral began to grow again. It was an idea at
once grandiose and simple, and well covered in the national news media. But a decision to commercialize the operation just before an
economic downturn drove the stoneyard under in 1994. The young masons, who had the promise of a lifetime's work, scattered. So whatever
happened to them?'
A
Messy Situation
Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane speaks on 8 May 2007 on 'the state of affairs within the Anglican Communion'. 'The challenge to our Church
is to maintain its unity while we seek, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to discern the way of Christ for the world today [...]
.' The messy situation he is talking about took place before any of us were born.
+Michael's
last day as primate
by Rodney Andrews, in the Anglican Journal. The Bishop-elect of Saskatoon reflects on the legacy of Archbishop Michael Peers, who has
stepped down as head of the Anglican Chuch of Canada.
Microscopes have no
morals
Colin Tudge, writing in The Guardian (London), notes that science needs the ethical underpinning that religion can best provide. His
essay may be partly in response to an article last week on
why so many scientists believe in God.
Minimalist
music for cathedral centenary
The Guardian (London) reports on Sir John Tavener's new 'Atma Mass', which will premiere in Liverpool Cathedral on 18 July.
'A
Minister who Appreciates a Good Felon' (New York Times)
'On Good Friday, the Rev. Gordon H. Duggins, who seems to perpetually sweat under his heavy black suit and tight clerical collar, preaches
the same sermon every year. It is called "Why Heaven Needs Felons."'
A
Ministry of Healing
The Episcopal News Service interviews the Revd Dr Nancy Lane, an Episcopal priest with cerebral palsy who operates A
Christian Healing Ministry in the Diocese of Central New York.
Missiology
and Homosexuality
Bishop Terry Brown of the Diocese of Malaita in the Church of the Province of Melanesia writes on the application of the Lund Principle
to current debates about human sexuality. Read his brief article to find out what that is.
Missionary
faiths need reciprocity and detente
An interview in The Times (London) with the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Revd Michael Nazir-Ali.
Modelling
the way: the Powys/Wright dialogue
The Revd Nigel Wright, a gay priest, and 'an opponent of homosexual practice', Archdeacon David Powys, discuss with Roland Ashby the
issue of homosexuality with reference to a collection of essays on the subject: Faithfulness in Fellowship: A Study Guide, by the Doctrine
Commission of the Anglican Church of Australia.
Monks
break silence with CD
The BBC reports that an order of Irish Benedictine monks, traditionally drawn to a life of prayer and silence, are releasing a recording
of Gregorian chants.
More Cake, Vicar?
USPG has new fund raising campaign. Get the recipes
and poster from USPG.
Most
Americans take Bible stories literally
A recent ABC News poll found that six out of ten Americans accept the Bible as literal truth.
The
most Christian of virtues
In the Philadelphia Inquirer Walter Cronkite reflects on the upcoming US Presidential elections and the Christian virtues that seem to
be missing so far and that should be central to this, and (by extension) to many conflicts.
Most
dangerous parish in the world
The Reverend Canon Andrew White, an Anglican priest in Iraq, writes in The Times (London) about being Christian in Baghdad.
Most Episcopalians
Just Don't Care
Harriet Baber writes in the Church Times (London).
The Mothers' Union
‘The Mothers' Union (MU) is a Christian organisation of more than 3.6 million members working in 77 countries, women passionate
about caring for families everywhere. If you wish to help support families in your own area, volunteer your time to one of our church
or community-based branches. We also support women drawn from local dioceses, women who speak the language, understand the culture and
customs and have first-hand experience of the problems their neighbours face. But the backbone of the MU is its volunteers. Join us.’
Mthatha Mission
Jesse Zink is an Episcopal Church USA missionary working at the Itipini medical clinic outside Mthatha, South Africa. This is his weblog.
The
muddled way of an inclusive church
Lance Dickie, writing in the Seattle Times, notes that it is much easier for an exclusionary church to define itself.
Muffled
Bells at the National Cathedral
National Public Radio (USA) has this good story by Linda Wertheimer on the bells at Washington National Cathedral and the funeral of
late US President Gerald Ford.
My Enemy's Enemy
Shared views on the traditional family and sexual ethics have led to alliances between otherwise very different Churches. But the dialogue
is faltering between Catholics and Anglicans over these same ethical issues. Where does this leave the goal of Christian unity? [Ed.
You must login to see this article. It's free.]
My Towers,
Our Towers
Philippe Petit, now artist in residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, writes in the Wall Street Journal of his
1974 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers, the loss of his child, and the wisdom of the Very Revd James Parks Morton, the previous
dean of the Cathedral, who puts both into a perspective of the present.
Nailed
by the heels?
The Church Times reports on a recently-published study at Imperial College, London suggesting that Jesus (and other crucifixion victims)
was nailed through the heel and not through the wrists as traditionally depicted.
'Names
Are Dangerous'
Our good friends at Killing the Buddha report 'In connection with a book
we're making for the Free Press / Simon & Schuster. ("Killing the Buddha: A Heretic's Bible"—watch for it in 2003)
we've just begun a five month investigation of religion in America. Our first stop just happened to be an Episcopalian church a few blocks
from Ground Zero. KtB co-editor Jeff Sharlet's essay "Names Are Dangerous" is a dispatch from the frontlines of the war being
fought for control of religious language'.
'A
near-miraculous triumph'
The Archbishop of Canterbury, in an unusual turn as a drama critic, reveals how it felt to see religion savaged and God killed in His
Dark Materials.
The
need for restraint
The Rt Revd Professor Stephen Sykes, writing for the Church Times, notes that the most important information from the recent Primates'
meeting is not a recommendation but a word of caution.
The
net is watching you
Andrew Brown, writing for The Tablet, reflects on the role of the internet in life and in church politics.
'The New
Agnosticism? An old word putting forth new shoots: agnosticism is being tugged toward faith'.
In Killing the Buddha.
New
Archbishop Is Known for Taking Stands
In the New York Times, Peter Steinfels writes: 'No doubt about it, the Most Reverend Rowan Williams, who will be formally enthroned as
archbishop of Canterbury on February 27, makes good copy'.
A New New
Testament
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times on a Covenant for the Church of England. 'The temptations to produce a new new testament are
familiar. [...] Well, I don’t want a new new testament. I’m a baptised believer who wants to gather round the table with
others. Open table fellowship was a hallmark of Jesus’s ministry. Anything more restrictive is an insult to orthodoxy.'
A new peal
Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York has received a US$1 million grant from a British philanthropist for twelve new bells. This page
provides in-depth information on the bells and their production. They will be rung for the first time on 28 October, and the set
will be the only twelve-bell peal in the United States.
New Testament Gateway
NT Gateway has long been on our Biblical Resources page, but it is Worth Noting again. It is the most complete directory of Internet
resources on the New Testament to be found on the web; if you are doing serious Bible study, NTGateweay.com is already a well-worn
bookmark. Dr Mark Goodacre, Department of Religion, Duke University, created, maintains,
broadens and deepens the site on a daily basis.
'New
year's wishes'
Desmond Tutu writes for The Guardian (London).
Newseum: The Interactive Museum of
News
Outstanding collection of front pages from newspapers from around the world. View the entire front page, download it as a PDF, or go
to the paper's website. Wonderfully useful for events with worldwide impact.
'The
next Christendom'
R Scott Appleby, writing in the New York Times, reflects on the changes to be wrought in global Christianity because of its changing
demographics.
No
longer Catholic
Gary Kriss, writing for The Living Church (Milwaukee), notes that the US Episcopal Church has recently re-emphasised that it is
a Protestant church. (Unlike 19th-century England, the US will probably not prosecute and imprison priests who persist in Catholic liturgical
practises.)
No snogging,
no celebrity gossip: church launches magazine for teenage girls
The Independent reports on a new venture by Church Times editor Paul Handley.
Not
faith, but fanaticism
Oxford University should end its support for the homophobic, misogynist evangelicals at Wycliffe. Giles Fraser, in The Guardian.
Not
Religious
by Rowan Williams, in the Church Times. 'This is an edited extract from Christian Imagination in Poetry and Polity: Some Anglican voices
from Temple to Herbert by Rowan Williams (Fairacres Press, £3.50; 0-7283-0162-8).'
Nothing is served
by avoiding these hard questions
Cardinal Walter Kasper addresses the recent Church of England Bishops' meeting. The Church of England's decision on the consecration
of women to the episcopate 'will be of fundamental significance for relations between us in the future'.
Now,
to reinvent the church
Muriel Porter, writing in The Age (Melbourne), argues that the Hollingworth crisis has given the Anglican Church an opportunity it must
not pass up.
A nurturing
place on the border of despair
Lee Lawrence writes in the Christian Science Monitor about life at the Theodore Schellner School in Jordan.
Obituary
The Times (London) notes the death of the Right Reverend David Say, former Bishop of Rochester. 'He
was physically strong and worked hard; able to speak at length in the House of Lords after midnight, between two full days in his diocese'.
Obituary
Anne Maddocks, the first female organist at Chichester cathedral, who supported her husband's healing ministry. In the Telegraph (UK).
Obituary
The Very Reverend Michael Mayne, aged 77, was Dean of Westminster from 1986 to 1996, having previously spent seven years in Cambridge
as Vicar of Great St Mary's, the university church; earlier he had been Head of Religious Programmes Radio at the BBC.
Obituary
The Reverend Arthur Peacocke made a significant contribution to the understanding of the structure of DNA during his early career as
a scientist, though he became better known, after his ordination as an Anglican priest, as a leading advocate of the proposition
that the antagonism between science and religion is based on a fallacy.
Of
Canterbury and York
Andrew Brown, writing in the Church Times, reflects on the recent lecture on The Media by Rowan Williams.
Of
Monks and Madmen
John Garvey writes in Commonweal (New York) on the monastic film Into Great Silence and the Virginia Tech shootings.
Oil
Profits and Ethics Don't Mix — Or do they?
The Norwegian government has hired philosopher and Sunday school teacher Henrik Syse 'to figure out how the Norwegian [...] Petroleum
Fund can act as investor in an ethically beneficial manner'. Books and Culture has this interesting interview.
On
Christingles, Rundles, Trendles: Advent observances, both obscure and useful
Bruce Russell, writing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, reflects on Advent wreaths.
On
Easter morning a new order broke into the world
Geoffrey Rowell writes in the Times (London).
On
the altar of function and beauty
The church architect Ninian Comper changed the spiritual values of his time, says Christopher Howse in the Telegraph.
One
Baptism, One Hope in God's Call
This report by a working group called the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is available online in
Adobe Acrobat format, as well as in preliminary Spanish and French translations at
this address.
'One
in the Eye for God', by Simon Parke
The resurrection was a long shot that should have changed the world; but it doesn't seem to have. How would it be if we let it change
us, asks Simon Parke.
An
Open Letter to Episcopalians on the Issue of Homosexuals and the Church
by Dr. J. Carl Ficarrotta, a parishioner of Grace and St Stephen's Episcopal Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Dr Ficarrotta says:
'I teach philosophy and have been an Episcopalian for over 25 years. Naturally, I have been following the events at this month's national
convention, and the reaction here in Colorado. I have written an open letter on the subject of homosexuality and the Church. It is a
letter I hope will be accessible to someone without training in philosophy, but at the same time it employs some philosophical argumentation'.
'The Opening
of the Evangelical Mind'
By Alan Wolfe, in the October 2000 issue of The Atlantic Monthly (US). 'Of all America's religious traditions, the author
writes, evangelical Protestantism, at least in the twentieth-century conservative forms, has long ranked "dead last in intellectual stature."
Now evangelical thinkers are trying to revitalize their tradition. Can they turn an intellectual backwater into an intellectual beacon?'
A thoughtful, interesting article.
'The
Origins of Western Culture'
Western culture, which is rapidly overrunning the rest of the world, is a peculiar synthesis of Classical and Biblical thought. It is
fashionable to acknowledge the Gr co-Roman contribution, no least in the aftermath to the Olympics, but almost taboo to recognise the
Biblical input without which there would certainly have been no Paralympics!' An article by Anthony Nichols in Anglican Media Sydney.
Our Gay
Bishop--some reflections
Kwame Nsiah, writing in The Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra), explains his country's point of view, noting that they had a gay bishop once,
but solved that problem by jailing him.
Out
of Africa
An article by Douglas LeBlanc about Archbishop Peter Jasper Akinola.
Pagan
Rome's son of God
Christopher Howse, in The Telegraph, revisits the age-old question: Did Virgil predict the birth of Jesus?
Page
images of the complete first printing (Barker) of the King James Bible
Digital scans of every page of the Authorised ('King James') Version of the Bible you can read, resize, select by page or book. The reproduction
is outstanding. This is only one small part of the outstanding collection of the Schoenberg
Center for Electronic Text and Imaging at the University of Pennsylvania.
Parasites
on religion
The Reverend Giles Fraser, writing in The Guardian, discusses why humanists and secularists, in the end, can't even light a candle.
The
Passion of Mel Gibson
Richard Corliss and Jeff Israely, writing in Time, look at Mel Gibson's new movie about the life of Christ.
Pegging
out love's laundry
Christopher Howse's column in The Telegraph reflects on Rowan Williams' recent lecture on the media.
Pentecost Is Just
the Start
Denis Minns writes in the Tablet (London): 'What was true of the first Christian community remains true of us and of our communities.
We experience failure within ourselves: division, bitterness, muddle-headedness and bewilderment in our communities. Luke would not have
us suppose that any of this is not real; but he encourages us to see in it that imperfect humanity which the Spirit joins to itself,
modelling us anew after the pattern of Christ, so that the Father's light might shine from our humanity as it does from the humanity
of his Son.'
People
Stephen Bates, in The Guardian, in a short bit reflects humorously on why preparation for confirmation thirty years ago might have propelled
Tony Blair across the Tiber. (See the second paragraph, after royal baby announcement.)
People and Places - Voices
of the CofE
'A joint Church of England and Premier Christian Radio production, People and Places provides an opportunity to meet some of the people
who make the Church of England what it is today.' Individual stories can be downloaded as podcasts.
People,
Look East
Gary Kriss, writing in The Living Church (Milwaukee) asks whether the twentieth century was quite right in jettisoning the practice of
eastward-facing liturgical prayer.
'Peopling
Heaven'
An essay by Bill Bly on the occasion of the death of his father. We were spellbound by this.
Pharisees
running the asylum
Simon Parke, writing in The Independent, explains that he is leaving the Church of England because it is now in the hands of the wealthy.
A
pilgrim for our age
Bob Holman reflects in The Guardian on The Pilgrim's Progress, which was published this month about 300 years ago.
Please
forgive me
Doug LeBlanc, writing for Episcopal Life (an official publication of the US Episcopal Church) reflects on the recent challenge from the
ABC to repent.
The Poem
and the Poppy
This fine essay by Stephen Osborne from The Tyee and Geist magazine (British
Columbian publications) looks at poppy-wearing today in light of John McCrae's famous poem. 'McRae's poem fails to tell us what that
war was, but it serves well enough to mark the terrible void at its heart: it has proven itself to be a poem that sticks. Moina Michael's
poppy, although often associated with traditions of militarism distasteful to many (including both of my grandfathers), is taken up every
year by millions of plain people willing to register a claim in the empty fields of war. The poppy is our acknowledgment of those who
go into the void.'
The
Poetic Truth of Madeleine L'Engle
Bonnie Shullenberger writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee). 'Madeleine L'Engle was an inspiring, questioning, difficult presence in
the church. You have to read at least a handful of her approximately 60 books to experience her importance and poetic sway. She was a
strong character whose words still confront the church.'
Poisoning
the Wells of Open Debate
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times (London) on blogs and bloggers.
Politically
dangerous
Archbishop Rowan Williams writes in the Times (London) on the visibility of religious symbols in public life. 'So the ideal of a society
where no visible public signs of religion would be seen—no crosses around necks, no sidelocks, turbans or veils—is a politically
dangerous one. It assumes that what comes first in society is the central political “licensing authority”, which has all
the resource it needs to create a workable public morality.'
Pondering
the church in Greenville, South Carolina
Michael Paulson, writing in the Boston Globe, reflects on the state of things at Christ Church, one of the largest Episcopal churches
in the US.
Poor
Dr Rowan: solving the gay row will only lead to another one
The one and only Andrew Brown, writing in The Telegraph, reflects on the no-win situation in which the Archbishop of Canterbury finds
himself.
The
Poorest Deserve the Best
The Archbishop of Canterbury's 2006 Christmas Sermon.
Pop culture and
preaching
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports on the effectiveness of the Revd Dr Raewynne Whiteley, a priest in the Diocese of New Jersey, at
rooting her sermons in popular culture. The Diocese of Fort Worth does not ordain women.
The
Pope and Islam
Jane Kramer writes in The New Yorker: 'Benedict wants to purify the Church, to make it more observant, obedient, and disciplined—more
like the way he sees Islam.'
Pope
on a slope
Michael Bronski, writing in the Boston Phoenix, asserts that the papacy has lost its moral authority and asks whether the new Archbishop
of Canterbury could become the new voice of Christendom.
Practice
what you once preached
The Washington Post reflects on the anger and sense of betrayal amongst African Anglicans that the home countries of missionaries who
a century ago denounced homosexuality are now more accepting of it.
Praise
Hymns
Rupert Christiansen in The Telegraph (London) reflects on his selection in Once More with Feeling: A Book of Classic Hymns and Carols, which,
he comments, is 'inevitably personal and partial, but I hope not wildly eccentric. I guess that my taste is typical enough: I'm middle-aged
and come from the warm reasonable heart of middle England'. Are his favourites yours?
Prayer
is what anyone can do
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (UK).
Prayer Vigil in
Time of War
The Prayer Room at the King of Peace Church, Kingsland, Georgia, USA.
'Prayers
Without Boundaries'
Barbara Carton suggests that well-meaning postings to internet prayer chains take on lives of their own.
Preaching the
Bad News: Is the Therapeutic Gospel turning Christ's activists into couch potatoes?
Kristina Robb-Dover, writing for the Society of Mutual Autopsy, asks hard questions about ordination processes in the Episcopal Church
USA. SOMA, a 'review of religion and culture,' is edited by Episcopalian John D. Spalding.
Prepare Thee for
Some Serious Marketing
In the New York Times, Fara Warner surveys the 'branding strategies' of some American denominations.
Presiding
over crisis, and maybe schism
Deborah Caldwell, writing for Beliefnet, has produced a long interview with the Most Revd Frank Griswold, presiding bishop of the US
Episcopal Church.
Primates call
for breathing space
an interview with Andrew Hutchison, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, published by the national newspaper of that church.
The Primates
have forced my move to the right
Giles Fraser explains himself in the Church Times.
'Privatized
Spirituality as a Retreat from Gospel Imperatives'
By the Rt Revd Robert Ihloff, Bishop of Maryland.
Pushing Anglicanism
to the Precipice
Pat Ashworth writes in the Church Times (London) on spin-doctoring, racism and plagiarism. 'Those whose impulse is always to react rather
than reflect are playing into the hands of the lobbyists we have been too preoccupied to notice: the secular commentators, who are happy
to write off Christ's Church as ill-informed, bad-tempered, and irrelevant. When even Christians are forced to agree with them, this
is where the real damage starts.'
The quality
of zealotry
Samuel Hazo, writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, argues that those who believe they hold all the answers make the most mischief.
Quantum
Leap
An article by Keith Ward in The Tablet. 'Modern science enables us to see the Resurrection not as contrary to reason, but as an intelligible
possibility in the ‘multiverse’, where lives take many forms'.
The
quiet re-emergence of the church
Dr Peter Matheson, principal of Melbourne's Uniting Church Theological Hall, argues that God is alive and well and that the churches
are not dying at all.
Ralph and the Archangel
Michael Ford, writing in The Tablet, tells the true story of a former bank robber who had a vision of God and became a monk.
Reason
to be Cheerful
Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, writes about why his first toast will always be to 'Reason'. In the Guardian.
Reconciling
the helplessness and the humanity of the baby Jesus
Peter Steinfels, writing in The New York Times, reviews the Christmas Tryptych as theology rather than just art.
Rector Elected
as Newark's Episcopal Bishop; Gay Candidate Finishes 5th
headlines the New York Times.
The
Rector of Stiffkey
'He was one of the most scandalous figures of the age. But who was the rector of Stiffkey?' Find out in the Independent.
Rector
'sorry' for church revamp
A vicar appearing at a rare Church of England Court has apologised for renovating a church without permission. The BBC reports.
Red Flags
and Christian Soldiers
'The U.S. destroys an enemy army, sets up shop, and tries to convert a nation to free markets and Jesus. With American missionaries “poised
and ready” to follow the troops into the cradle of civilization, Iraq, 2003, may end up looking strangely like Japan, 1945'. In
Killing the Buddha, Tim Shorrock takes an in-depth look at what happened then—and what may happen now. Shorrock is working on a
book based in part on his experiences growing up in a missionary family in postwar Japan and Korea, and would appreciate hearing from
readers; his e-mail address is tshorrock51@hotmail.com.
The
Reformation Continued
The Revd Dr Giles Fraser gave the University Sermon at The University Church, Oxford on 4 May 2004. 'For the message the Church has given
to gay Christians is the message Luther came to see as inherently abusive: God does not love you as you are - you need to be completely
and fundamentally - and perhaps even impossibly - different before He will love you.' The sermon can be downloaded in
Word format.
'REGARDED
AS ONE: Why the movement from maintenance to mission is not enough'.
Mark Harris, a priest in the Episcopal Church in the USA, considers the problems of adapting evangelism to geography.
Reflection
on Peter Hollingworth
Richard Randerson, writing in the New Zealand Herald, discusses Peter Hollingworth and the process that got him to the office from which
he recently resigned.
A
relic of the Age of Reason
Anne Campbell-Dixon reflects on John Wesley's chapel in London.
Religion
is a bloody disgrace
Tony Bayfield, writing in The Guardian, argues that 'the Abrahamic family of faiths' is collectively failing.
The
Religion Report with the Archbishop of York
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Stephen Crittenden interviews Archbishop John Sentamu. Transcription and audio format both
available.
Reloading
the Trinity
Martyn Percy, writing in The Guardian (London) comments on the Christian symbolism in the smash-hit movie Matrix Reloaded.
Remembering
Auden
Alan Jacobs writes in Books and Culture (Chicago). 'demanded difficult thought from himself; he resisted easy answers and comforting
assurances. He explored forgotten resources from poetry's past: the medieval love for allegories of the inner life, the essayistic or
letter-like meditations of the great Roman poet Horace.'
Render
unto the Pope
Adrian Hilton, writing in The Spectator, argues that the EU is a means of undoing the Reformation and extending Vatican sovereignty over
Britain.
Respecting
the dignity of every human being
Vincent Warner, writing for The Seattle Times, reflects on his hopes for the ultimate meaning of the consecration of Gene Robinson.
Resurgent
religion has done away with the country vicar
Giles Fraser, writing in The Guardian, seems to have ruffled a lot of feathers (in letters,
and this editorial) with an essay on the risks of aggressive
faith.
The
Results Are in
A full, interesting report on 2004/2005 statistics for the Church of England reveals some encouraging and surprising news. Average giving
is up to the record level of £5 a week; the highest number of new clergy were ordained since 2002; the number of children and young
people at services rose slightly; cathedral attendance is up; and the biggest surprise for us was reading that some 86 percent of people
in England have attended a church or other place of worship in the last year. Confirmation numbers are down, but baptisms, marriages
and funerals are about steady.
Resurrecting
the church
Barney Zwartz, religious affairs editor for Melbourne's The Age, writes about the state of the institutional church.
The Reverend
William Montgomery Watt
Islamic scholar and priest, born March 14 1909; died October 24 2006: Obituary in The Guardian (UK).
Review of the Permanent Private Halls associated with the University
of Oxford
This report is available online in Adobe Acrobat format here; it
responds to various concerns about the administration of Wycliffe Hall, a permanent private hall of Oxford University.
Re-writing History: the Episcopal
Church struggle
A new report and analysis from Ekklesia associate Savitri Hensman.
The
Role of Religious Communities in Peacemaking: The Solomon Islands
Bishop Terry Brown writes on the Melanesian Brotherhood's peacemaking work during civil war in the Solomon Islands in 1999 and 2000.
Rowan,
Jesus, and St Paul
Hywel Williams writes in The Guardian about the role of the Archbishop and the Anglican Church. We found this to be a compelling essay.
Ruth
Gledhill interviews Peter Akinola
In The Times (UK). Where else?
Sabbath
Wisdom
In this attractive issue of Trinity News, a publication of Trinity Church, Wall Street, New York City, several writers explore
the importance of rest in Christian life.
Sacred
Mysteries
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London) on Candlemas. 'For the past 1,000 years or so, in the yearly memorial of that meeting
in the Temple, Christ as the light has been symbolised by lighted candles carried by parishioners in procession. That's why the day,
next Friday, February 2, is known as Candlemas.'
Sacred
Paris
The Travel section of the Sunday New York Times included this fine multimedia presentation today about Parisian treasures of church architecture.
Saepius
Officio, the Answer of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Bull Apostolicae Curae of Leo XIII
This document, long available in English on the web, is now available in the original Latin.
St Thomas
Church Fifth Avenue Webcasting
From September through June this New York City parish with a world-famous musical programme provides webcasts of its choral worship.
Saints
are a Little Strange
Jon Sweeney, writing in The Living Church (Milwaukee) looks at the strangeness of sanctity in this excerpt from his new book, The
Lure of Saints.
Sarah
Jones, ordained priest
last weekend after a gender change, in the Church Times's Back Page Interview, by Rachel Harden.
Saving
Anglicanism
An Historical Perspective on Decisions Facing the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church: Lionel Deimel of Via Media USA has
written a long and thoughtful essay whose topic can be gleaned from its title. It is, alas, available only as a PDF file, but it's quite
worth reading.
Say
a prayer for the C of E today
The Church must confront its evangelical bigots and embrace women bishops' Cristina Odone in the Sunday Times considers why she is willing
to relinquish tradition to keep the church from falling 'in to the hands of ... uncompromising puritans'.
School-in-a-box
We learned this week (from this National Public Radio story)
about UNICEF's School-in-a-Box program. It provides an aluminum box that 'contains classroom supplies for up to 80 students, and 10,000
kits were distributed in Pakistan over the past year. The 110-pound boxes are often carried by donkeys or small boats. The culturally
neutral materials include writing utensils, notebooks, rulers, counting blocks and posters.' We wonder how many parishes, dioceses, church
organizations and companies might be willing to forego some pleasure in the coming months to donate the funds necessary for this remarkable
effort.
Science
and politics can mean nothing without faith: Geoffrey Rowell writes in the Times (London) on lessons gleaned from recent
travel to Switzerland and Romania. 'We have to live by faith, for we can live in no other way. The question is, in what shall we
put our faith?'
Science
and Religion
Wired magazine tackles Science and Religion in its December 2002
issue (we rather like the graphic):
The
New Convergence: 'After centuries of battle, scientists and theologians are finally forging a grand unified theory. Think Eternity
= mc2'. Gregg Easterbroook takes a look at the new rapprochement between two old sparring partners.
The
Pope's Astrophysicist: 'Meet the Vatican Priest who scans the heavens for the origins of the universe. (Hey, Galileo — Want
a job?)'. By Margaret Wertheim.
A Prayer
Before Dying: 'The astonishing story of a doctor who subjected faith to the rigors of science — and then became a test
subject herself'. By Po Bronson.
Screen
Captured
Canadian Anglican deacon Aaron Orear writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on 'Greg Garrett, who went to the movies for a good action
flick and ended up following a bread crumb trail that led him into a relationship with God'.
Scripture
and Sexuality
The Most Rev Dr Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales, delivered a major lecture on 'our commitment to listening and learning'.
Scripture
tells us that we hold the Earth in trust for future generations
Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, writes in the Times (London) on global climate change: 'It’s
here that we need to pool our religious wisdom as well as our scientific expertise. The Hebrew Bible contains some of the world’s
earliest environmental legislation.'
Searching
for the Garden of Eden
Bishop Geoffrey Rowell writes in the Times (London) on his experience of Christian life in Lake Nicaragua, where the influence
of Ernesto Cardenal is quite strong.
The secular
society gets religion
Felicia R. Lee, writing in the New York Times, notes that religion has been re-entering the public arena in complex and unforeseen ways.
Seeking
the face of God
In Face to Faith, Christopher Howse writes on the problem of names and knowing.
September 11
There have been numerous articles and essays reflecting on the events of September 11. We select two that we found particularly moving:
they speak not only to the specific tragedy that occurred last year but, to our mind, achieve a timelessness in their reflections
about sudden death and the human spirit. If you have a few minutes, do read these:
Only
love and then oblivion: Love was all they had to set against their murderers, by Ian McEwan
Leap, by Brian Doyle
Sermon
by Richard Chartres for the 25th anniversary of the Diocese in Europe
Don't miss this Silver Jubilee sermon. 'The Divine Word was of course made flesh not words and Jesus Christ not only taught the truth
but is the truth. He is the communication of the Father and the human face of God.'
Sermon
for Easter Day
Tthe Archbishop of Canterbury's sermon for Easter 2006.
A
Sermon for Low Sunday
Retired cathedral and seminary dean Gary Kriss preaches on the differences between a parish and a congregation. 'Members of a parish
come because it is their home. They come because they belong, because they want to be there, because they feel connected and want to
be with and support one another—in faith and love, in wonder and expectation. If our goal and our commitment is to be a parish
in that sense, this parish has a great future.'
Sermon
for New Year's Eve, by Raewynne Whiteley
The Reverend Raewynne Whiteley is an Australian priest working on her doctoral dissertation on Anglican preaching at Princeton Theological
Seminary in the US. There is a sermon preached every Sunday in every church in the world. Some are memorable; even fewer are exemplary.
We at Anglicans Online have been fans of Ms Whiteley's sermons for a long time; this is one of her best.
Sex wars in church
Alison Webster, writing in The Guardian, discusses African views on sexuality and whether or not there is unity of opinion.
Shabbat
in space
The Jerusalem Post reports on the efforts of Ilan Ramon to determine
when the Sabbath began, and to say the Kidush without wine.
Sham
marriages
The Dioceses of London and Southwark are drawing up guidelines to help clergy avoid what are called 'sham marriages' undertaken for legal
reasons. The BBC Religion & Ethics Sunday programme addresses the issue with two guests.
The
shaping of the Bible
Souren Melikian, writing in the International Herald Tribune, reviews the collection of early Bible fragments on display at the Arthur
M Sackler Gallery in Washington DC.
Shaping the Values
of Youth: Sunday School Books in 19th century America
Use this link to go to the complete collection of 19th century books, with introduction and listing by genre. If you wish only 19th century
hymnals, click here. These books were drawn from collections
at Michigan State University and Central Michigan.
Shock
and Awe, Fear and Trembling: A hard rain's gonna fall.
Peter Manseau writes at Killing the Buddha about a clear strong radio signal in rural Virginia.
Signs from God
The Curious History of Church Marquees. Although it's US-centric, it's fun. In Slate.
Silence
on sex is no answer
Marilyn McCord Adams, writing in The Guardian (London), asserts that the most serious threat to the Anglican communion is the spirit
in which the debate about sex is conducted.
A Small-town
Episcopal Church Carries On, Unruffled
Peter Steinfels writes in the New York Times on Christ Church, Deposit, New York. 'Is this small-town congregation affected by the conflicts
roiling worldwide Anglicanism and the Episcopal Church in the United States over the 2003 consecration in New Hampshire of a gay bishop
living with his male partner and the issue of same-sex unions?'
'Smoke
and Mirrors: Two fathers, one son, and the stagecraft of the soul'
By Peter Manseau, co-editor of Killing the Buddha. How one sentence uttered in Roxbury, Massachusetts
in the mid-1960s changed lives.
So
what are bishops for?
Janet Street-Porter, writing for The Independent, explores why we need bishops at all.
Soldiers
or Pilgrims
John Wilkins writes in The Tablet of the debate within the Catholic churches on how to relate to the modern world. [Free registration
required]
Some
sick babies must be allowed to die, says Church
'Church of England leaders want doctors to be given the right to withhold treatment from seriously disabled newborn babies in exceptional
circumstances. The move is expected to spark massive controversy'. Amelia Hill and Jo Revill report in the Observer (UK).
The
soul of Britain
John Wilkins, writing in The Tablet (a British RC weekly) reflects on whether or not Christianity is 'almost vanquished' in Britain.
Souls
on Ice
The subject of Gene Robinson's consecration has been fodder for every print, TV and radio commentator, but few have captured the setting
and atmosphere you'll find in Peter Manseau's article in Killing the Buddha.
Speak
for England
In the Spectator, the Saturday leader urges Rowan Williams to uncover and speak about and for the real Church of England.
Speaking of Faith
American Public Media provides this very fine regular radio show hosted by Krista Tippett. Some recent shows we found particularly wonderful
were The Evolution of American Evangelicalism; Restoring
the Senses: Life, Gardening and an Orthodox Easter; and Truth
and Reconciliation. We know of few better marriages of intelligent faith, good web design and high-quality radio programming.
The
Spirit of the Age
Dr NT Wright, Bishop of Durham, writes in the Guardian about Pentecost and its challenges.
A
Spiritual New Beginning
At Virginia Seminary, Professionals Put Aside Their Careers for Classes in Search of Religious Fulfillment, an article in the Washington
Post by Frederick Kunkle.
A Springsteen spiritual
Rich Barlow, writing in the Boston Globe, notices the deep spirituality of New Jersey boy Bruce Springsteen. We devoted our front-page
letter to this topic on 1 September 2002.
Stand by your man
Patrick Collinson, writing in The Guardian, reflects on the future of the Anglican Communion.
State
of the Family 2005
Annual report by Anglicare Australia. 'State of the Family 2005 reflects on the implications of the changing nature of families in Australia
today on our communities and social fabric, and in particular on those individuals and families who experience particular disadvantage,
stress or marginalisation.'
Stolen
Goods: Tempted to Plagiarize
Thomas G. Long writes in the Christian Century (Chicago) on sermon-stealing. 'With a few clicks of the mouse, I had uncovered a crime
wave of homiletical petty larceny.'
'The Story of Hannah Riddell and
Hansen's Disease'
By the Reverend Timothy Nakayama: An Anglicans Online special.
The
Stranger
A Providence Journal story about life as a homeless person. (To read it you must register with Providence Journal. It's free but tedious.
The story is worth it.)
A
street theologian outside the city gates
The Anglican priest and Christian socialist Kenneth Leech looks back on his unconventional ministry in the East End of London. In the
Times (London).
The
Sunday Profile: Rowan Williams
Peter Stanford profiles the ABC in the Independent (London), and asks: 'For God's sake, man...why are you so nice? That's what the Archbishop
of Canterbury's fractious flock want to know.'
A
Sunday Service: How to Survive
in the Church Times, from The Lutheran Handbook.
Sydney
Anglicans urged to repent
The Sydney Morning Herald comments on the launching of Muriel Porter's new book The New Puritans.
Sydney's
unlikely allies
Lucy Wooding, writing in The Tablet, writes about the Anglican evangelicals of Sydney. 'The Anglican evangelicals of Sydney are in a
category of their own. The city’s archbishop sees himself as upholding the true Puritan tradition. And he has now found something
of an ally in his Catholic counterpart.' The Diocese of Sydney wrote this
reply to The Tablet.
A
Tainted Easter Message
Colbert King, writing for the Washington Post, comments on the recent news from the Diocese
of South Rwenzori.
Taking
the Jesus story back to basics
Giles Fraser, writing originally for The Guardian but published here in The Sydney Morning Herald, argues that the Christmas Story is
supposed to be disruptive, even offensive.
Taking
the sin out of sex
In the Guardian, David Bryant asks: Why has the church been so prudishly anti-sexual, giving grudging tolerance only to the marriage
bed?
Tawdry
Audrey, Bobo, Maud, Pearl...all better men than I
A N Wilson writes in The Telegraph about homosexuality and the church.
Tea and punch
Vicars and parishioners come to blows at a farewell celebration. Nicola Woolcock tells all in The Times (London).
Teaching
Moment
Anglican biblical scholar Robin Griffith-Jones reflects in this interview with The Christian Century (Chicago) on the promising
evangelical possibilities offered by the popularity of The DaVinci Code. 'I think it is time we admit that our claims are bizarre—and
then people will respect us when we explain why we think these claims should be believed.'
Terry
Waite joins Quakers to escape ‘chirpy’ vicars
In the Sunday Times, Christopher Morgan talks with one of the 'world's best known Anglicans' about his reasons for attending the Friends'
Meeting House instead of his local parish church.
Thinking Faithfully
about Sex and Marriage
On 19 April 2006 the Primate's Theological Commission of the Anglican Church of Canada released this report by the Reverend Jamie Howson.
It is also available in Adobe Acrobat format.
This I Believe
We enjoy listening to each new segment in this well-produced feature from (American) National Public Radio. Particularly thought-provoking
or worthwhile recent essays have been by Jason Sheehan, Whitney
Harris, Betsy Chalmers and David
Copperfield.
This mutiny will
fail; the church will abide
William Swing, Bishop of California, writes in The Witness (and his
diocesan website) about the efforts to create schism in the US church.
Thou
shalt help to save the planet, Mothers' Union tells its 3.6m flock
The Times (London) reports on why a short season of strawberries seems like a good idea to the MU.
Thou
Shalt Not Judge
The Guardian (London) provides this special excerpt from Stephen Bates's new book God's Own Country: Tales from the Bible Belt.
'Sitting in Alabama, where nine out of 10 inhabitants call themselves Christians, where half are Baptists and where just 1% of the population
belong to non-Christian faiths, here was the judge telling me he was living in a godless country.'
Three
reasons to stay an Anglican, for all its follies
A N Wilson, writing in The Telegraph, comes about from having recently described himself as an atheist to explain why he is an Anglican.
Three
times an Episcopalian
The Revealer comments on the recent New York Times Magazine article about Peter Lee and the Diocese of Virginia.
Time
and Gravity Take a Toll on St Bartholomew's Church
Christopher Gray, in the New York Times, counts the loss.
Time
for bishop's move
Judith Maltby, writing in The Guardian, argues that the church needs women bishops.
Time
for both sides in the war debate to tell the truth about evil and oil
Writing in The Independent, Archbishop Rowan Williams says: 'Lent is a period of temptation and trial when we have to learn a new honesty
about ourselves—and about what really motivates our views on Iraq'.
Time to tame the fanatics
Khalid Mahmud, writing in Dawn (Pakistan's largest English-language newspaper) argues that it is time for Bahawalpur Pakistan to deal
with the religious fanatics there.
Times and Seasons:
Working drafts for Lent
The Church of England published some of its latest drafts from 'Times and
Seasons', a forthcoming Common Worship book. Drafts relating to Lent, Holy Week and Easter are available in PDF format on the website
of a voluntary body, Praxis. Another version is available here, with links
to the CofE draft noted above, as well as a version in Rich Text Format. Using any word processor, you can format this to fit your requirements.
Tin Tabernacles
It seems that not all Anglicans have an edifice complex. Check the Photo Gallery.
Tolerance
is the key to our society
An editorial in The Observer about the role of the church in modern life.
Too
broad a church
Paul Ham, writing in The Australian, discusses Phillip Jensen and his complaints about the secular media.religious fanatics there.
The
toughest life-and-death decisions are in his hands
In the Times (London) 'Richard Harries, the former Bishop of Oxford says that IVF, cloning and stem-cell research are no more than ways
of interacting with nature'.
Tracing a dramatic
past of a massive Kenyan church
Andrew Kuria, writing for the African Church Information Service, reflects on the past, present, and future of the Anglican Church
in Kenya.
Trademark
Gospel
Martin Marty writes in the Christian Century (Chicago) on the attempt of a Brazilian Pentecostal couple to register a trademark for the
word gospel.
Transformed
by a Left Hook
A profile in Christianity Today of a priest in Australia for whom boxing is a means of grace.
Trend-setters
of the web
Rachel Harden, in the Church Times, calls Anglicans Online 'venerable' in her article on our tenth anniversary. (We'll take it. Doesn't
it make us rather like an archdeacon amongst websites?)
Trinity
at the centre of a divide
Kevin Giles, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, describes the 'great irrelevancy' dividing Sydney evangelical Anglicans.
The
trouble with George
Hywell Williams, writing in The Guardian, is not happy with the post-retirement antics of George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury.
Two ends of
the spectrum
Tthe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has published a profile of the two men who symbolize the opposing sides in the argument about sexuality.
A
'two-track' plan to heal divisions
This article from the Telegraph reports on what it calls 'audacious plan to save the worldwide Anglican Church by allowing it to divide
into two tracks, one fast and the other slow'.
Two
views, one Bible
The Times (London) has published this chart showing different interpretations of Bible
passages about sexuality. The chart is a single large image file.
Über
site marks ten years in cyberspace
The Anglican Journal writes about, er, us.
UnEnglish
and Unmanly: Anglo-Catholicism and Homosexuality
by David Hilliard (Victorian Studies, 1982). In this important journal article, now available online for the first time, Australian
scholar David Hilliard examines social, historical and literary connections between Anglo-Catholicism and homosexuality in Britain.
Unholy
Gain
The Reverend Bonnie Shullenberger, a priest of the Church of Uganda, writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) on the importance
of moral engagement with scientific advances.
Unholy
orders
Colin Slee, writing for The Observer, reflects on the furore over the appointment of Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading.
An
unworthy Archbishop
An editorial in The Telegraph reflecting on Rowan Williams' 2003.
Urbi
et Orbi 2006
In his first Easter message as Pope of Rome, Benedict XVI calls for peaceful resolution to international conflicts in Africa, Latin America
and the Middle East, mentioning in particular 'international crises linked to nuclear power'. Available online at vatican.va in
English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish, but not in Latin.
Use Lent to
become a better person
Lucia Herndon, writing in The Philadelphia Inquirer, reflects on the passage of the first week of Lent.
Validity
is Everything. Should it be?
Steven R. Ford writes in The Living Church (Milwaukee) about validity as a consuming interest in parts of the Anglican world.
'We, as Anglicans, have a deep and rightful commitment to the historic episcopate. Yet we willingly divide ourselves according to which
particular line we consider to be "valid." Where will it ever end?'
Varieties
of Religious Experience
In a short story in The Atlantic, prolific American author John Updike
looks at 11 September 2001 from the inside, holding the stories together through the person of Dan Kellogg, a 63-year-old Episcopalian
from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Vergers and Precious Metals
The BBC's Sunday Religion and Ethics programme includes two stories worth noting. The first on vergers,
and the second on an increasing incidence of bell thievery by
people in search of at-hand precious metal.
Vicar under fire from equality
chief after racist joke and comments about 'damage' of multiculturalism
Steven Morris reports in The Guardian.
The
view from above
Tom Bentley, writing in The Observer about Rowan Williams, suggests that no one can live up to the conflicting demands we make of
our leaders today.
View
from Fleet Street
Thinking Anglicans has reproduced the column written by The Guardian's Stephen Bates for the Church of England News.
A
"virtuous pagan" looks at the priesthood
'Minna Proctor had always thought of religious people as fanatics. Then her father told her he wanted to become an Episcopal priest --
and she decided to find out why'. The article is at Salon.com. [Note: To read this without being a subscriber, you'll need to read
one advert. Click to the advert, then don't click again until you see a link at the bottom of the page: it's a passthrough to Salon.com.
You only have to do this once. Salon.com puts a cookie on your computer allowing you to bypass the advert.]
Vision
of unity allows diversity
Richard Randerson, writing in The New Zealand Herald, discusses the origins of New Zealand's successful church diversity.
The
vocabulary of junkets
Andrew Hornery, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, notes that politicians go on fact-finding missions and bishops go on retreats.
'Waging
Peace'
By Douglas LeBlanc in Christianity Today. 'How two Episcopalians—one liberal, one conservative—have learned to say "reconciliation"'.
See also Getting Personal 'Behind Douglas LeBlanc's story
of reconciliation in the Episcopal Church' and Identity-Based Conflicts, 'Father
Brian Cox has preached reconciliation in Eastern Europe, Southern California, and now in his own denomination'.
War
is not a time for keeping your head down, Archbishop
Paul Vallely, writing in The Independent, asks why Rowan Williams is being so quiet.
We meet God
when we look up
Michael Peers, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, reports on his trip to the enthronement of Rowan Williams.
'We
need have no fear of interference with nature'
The Guardian has published an excerpt of a lecture on genetic modification given by Mary Warnock, a member of the House of Lords, at
Gresham College.
We
need to be saved
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain, writes about the reality of Hell.
Webcam at Norwich
Cathedral
The BBC installed a webcam in Norwich Cathedral for the BBC website. There
are panoramic views of the cathedral, including one from the tower.
Wealth
creation can atone for the sins of Mammon
Peter Mullen writes in the Times (London). 'But we should not serve money: for that is the sin of Mammon. The City [of London] must look
beyond itself to the values of the City of God.'
'We're Trying
to Change World History'
A Profile of Bishop William Swing, Bishop of California, in the November 2000 of Fast Company (a
glossy business magazine published in the US).
What
do these stones mean?
The Archbishop of Canterbury's sermon at the service of prayer and thanksgiving to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War
II, Westminster Abbey.
What is acceptable behaviour
for a diocesan bishop?
Simon Sarmiento, writing for Anglicans Online, reflects on the recent public letter from nine bishops to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
What price unity
Robin Eames, Primate of the Church of Ireland, writes in the Church of Ireland Gazette. (Despite its presence on the Church of Ireland's
web server computer, the Gazette describes itself as being independent of the C of I.)
What the church
is wearing
The Anglican Journal shows and tells readers' favourite vestments.
What
the Parson Knows
An interview with Richard Morgan, winner of the Country Life's award for the best-loved
country parson in the UK, by Rachel Harden. [The article is not available online from Country Life. But you can read our recent
AO letter about the, er, contest.]
What
we really need are women bishops
In the Telegraph, the Dean of Salisbury, the Very Reverend June Osborne muses on the state of the 'foot soldiers' in the Anglican Church.
What
women want
Judith Maltby, in The Guardian, looks at the ordination of women in the Church England, ten years on.
What
would Falwell do?
'After years of near-invisibility, religious progressives want to regain their vanished political clout. But with conservatives claiming
a monopoly on godliness, it's going to be a struggle of biblical proportions.' [Note: To read this without being a subscriber, you'll
need to read one advert. Click to the advert, then don't click again until you see a link at the bottom of the page: it's a passthrough
to Salon.com. You only have to do this once. Salon.com puts a cookie on your computer allowing you to bypass the advert.]
When a Founding
Myth Becomes a Weapon
Peter Doll writes in the Church Times (London): 'founding myths have a visceral power, which can help bind nation or Church together.
But the myth becomes dangerous when used as a weapon of self-defence, or confused with the complexity of history'.
When did we lose the culture
of civility?
In The Times (UK), Jonathan Sacks reminds us that 'a soft answer turns away wrath'.
When
doubt is desirable
Don Cupitt, writing in The Guardian, reviews the reviewers of David Jenkins' autobiography. Jenkins is the former Bishop of Durham.
When Rowan Goes to Rome
American Episcopalian R. William Franklin writes in the Tablet (London) on the eve of the Archbishop of Canterbury's upcoming visit to
Rome. 'Many will be hoping that at the end of next week's visit, the Pope, despite the role that he played as Cardinal Ratzinger
in producing documents that slowed the momentum of the dialogue, and the archbishop, despite his burdens of presiding over an impaired
communion, will encourage the theologians of their two Churches to assess anew the past and present climate of their relationships
and suggest possible ways forward to preserve and promote the ecumenical impact of Vatican II and recent dialogues.'
'Where
are those Elijahs?'
The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, speaks on recent elections and Palestinian Christian life in this interview
with Episcopal News Service. The interview is available in audio and video formats.
Where
things stand now - a resource for newbies and oldbies
An article in the blog Political Spaghetti uses
Bishop John Bryson Chane's op ed piece in the Washington Post, The
Gospel of Intolerance, as a starting point for a well documented article on the AAC and Archbishop Peter Akinola's recent public
endorsement of the Nigeria's proposed legislation making gay and lesbian marriage a crime.
Where
was God on Boxing Day?
Paul Handley, editor of the Church Times, wrote this column for The Independent.
Who
are England's bishops
The Telegraph reports on a study by the Revd John Tomlinson on the social backgrounds of England's bishops.
Who
Can Expel the Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion?
A web log called Episcopal Majority asks this question in an article that has received extensive comment in the last week.
Who
decides who's a Christian?
James Murray, writing in The Australian (Canberra), comments on recent statements by the Archbishop of Sydney that he knew who was obedient
to biblical teaching and who was not.
Who
wants to be an Anglican now?
An editorial in the Church Times. We presume that it was written by Paul Handley, its editor.
Who's Anglican
and who's not
Canada's Anglican Journal notes and summarizes some of the churn in the global meaning of the word 'Anglican'.
Who's
in charge of leaking tub?
Christopher Howse uses his column in The Telegraph to comment further on the Chancellor of York Minster announcing that he is becoming
a Roman Catholic.
Who's
responsible for church fires?
Bud Kennedy, writing in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram discusses after-effects not of a church fire, but of an attempt to allocate blame
for it.
Why
Archbishop Akinola is Wrong
Francis Bridger and Graham Kings argue in the Church Times.
Why
are the churches failing?
Muriel Porter, writing in The Age (Melbourne) reports on the rise of 'religionless Christianity' to fill the void left by fading mainstream
churches.
Why Churches
Should Have Websites
AKM Adam makes the case for a URL.
Why Do You Sit Where You Sit?
Craig A. Satterlee asks on Alban.org.
Why
I gave it all up to be plain Father David
Steve Boggan of The Times (London) interviews Fr David Hope, former Archbishop of York.
Why Lent
needs to be a bit less busy
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times (London) on what he calls 'Designer Lent'.
Why
People Leave the Church
John Garvey writes in Commonweal (New York). 'Despite the failings of the institution, I remain committed to it because I have been influenced
personally by many serious, holy men and women who were themselves nourished by a church that has many flaws but also many saints. A
rich experience of the church can anchor you, despite the frustrations.'
Why
the Church has been such a blessing
Ivan Hewett writes in The Telegraph on 'the muted and respectable spiritual uplift of the Anglican responses and canticles, which
are still the staple musical fare of our cathedrals and parish churches'.
Why
the People of New Orleans Suffered
by Harriet Baber in the Church Times.
The Widow, the Crook and the Power of Persistence
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby 'gave a sermon at the opening service of the 2013 meeting of Primates and presiding bishops [of the Porvoo Communion] in Reykjavík.'
The
Windsors' crown of thorns
'Could it be that now, more than ever, we need a monarchy which is primarily spiritual in its role and dimension? Next month is the
50th anniversary of the Queen's accession, but, progressively shorn of much of its political and constitutional significance, the institution
has been left with four broad directions in which to develop'. Ian Bradley tackles the thorny question in The Guardian.
'Wired
Churches, Wired Temples'
The results of a survey undertaken by the Pew Internet and American Life Project on how churches and synagogues in the States use the
internet. A followup report is listed above under 'Cyberfaith'.
Wise
Men of the Churches set out to Keep Christ in Christmas
Ruth Gledhill writes in the Times (London) about a report challenging 'the secular dream of taking Christ out of Christmas or anything
else'.
Woman
dean at ancient cathedral
'The first woman in Britain to become dean at a medieval cathedral was installed in Salisbury, Wiltshire on Saturday', reports the BBC.
Woman's
Worth
Nigel Bunyan reports in The Telegraph on a 17th-century manuscript that lay forgotten for years in a town hall vault, which has provided
a new insight into the genesis of the women's movement.
Women
Bishops: A Response to Cardinal Kasper
Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, and David Stancliffe, Bishop of Salisbury, respond to Cardinal Kasper's invited address to the House of
Bishops meeting. You'll find a link to Cardinal Kasper's address.
Women
can be Bishops, UK General Synod rules
'The Church of England yesterday decided that the ordination of women as bishops can be theologically justified.' Jonathan Wynne-Jones
article in the Telegraph on 9 Sunday July, 2006.
Wood,
The Right Reverend Maurice
'Bishop of Norwich who was outspoken in his conservatism and was an ally of the US evangelist Billy Graham'. Obituary in The Times (London)
The
word made flesh
Michael Prodger on Holbein's harrowing picture of Christ lying in the tomb, The Spectator (UK).
Works of Richard
Hooker
Downloadable in PDF format, this scan of the first printing of Hooker's Complete Works can be found on Online
Library of Liberty. The bulk of the 'holdings' concentrate on aspects of liberal economics. The main reason for visiting this site,
beyond the first printing of Hooker, is that anything of interest you find can be downloaded as PDF files.
The
world according to Rowan Williams
Paul Vallely, writing for The Independent, offers a selection of quotations from the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
'Worship
on the web: Religion sets its sites along information superhighway'
Helen T Gray writes in the Kansas City Star about online worship.
Worshipping
God through Icons
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph (London). 'Like the body of Christ, an icon is created. When we worship before it, we do not
adore the created matter but the God it reveals.'
Wounded
in Common Mission: the Term of Inter-Christian Divisiveness
Christopher Wells, writing for the Anglican Communion Institute, has written this essay in anticipation of the US General Convention.
The
writings of Rowan uncovered, part 1 and part
2
Alister McGrath, writing in the Church of England Newspaper, reflects on the literary corpus of the newly-designated Archbishop of Wales.
(Non-UK readers should note that the Church of England Newspaper has that name because it is about the Church of England; it is
not published by the Church of England.)
A
year ago, historic St Jude's Cathedral in the Diocese of the Arctic was destroyed by fire
'In November 2005, an arson fire destroyed Iqaluit's "igloo church," an icon for the Inuit people and
the historic Cathedral for the Anglican Diocese of the Arctic. Local residents and supporters from across the Arctic are struggling
to raise the millions of dollars needed to resurrect their beloved Cathedral'. General
information about the cathedral and the devastating fire is here; a web page with more
detail, drawings of the proposed cathedral, and additional photos is here. (Note
that this last page will take time to download, as it contains large images.)
The
Young and the Godly
American National Public Radio (Washington DC) has begun a series of radio stories on young clergy, some of whom are Anglicans.
Young
Anglican Follows Vocation
The Anglican Journal (Canada) carries this fine article by Henrieta Paukov on a nun of the Sisterhood of St John the Divine who will
turn 30 this year.
Zanzibar,
Angola, Canterbury
Dan Damon of the BBC World Service interviews Rowan Williams in this week's Reporting Religion programme. |
