Archbishop Confronted by Angry Anne Widdecombe

16 Pages·2016·11.36 MB·English

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FRIDAY,APRIL11, 2014 No: 6223
ANSWERING QUESTIONS
Eric Pickles: Britain
on gay marriage during an
AArrcchhbbiisshhoopp
LBC phone-in, Archbishop
Justin Welby said that he still a Christian
had ‘stood by the graveside
inAfricaofagroupofChris- nation – get over it
tians who’d been attacked
because of something that
happenedfarawayinAfrica’. CCoonnffrroonntteedd bbyy
Pressed by Anne Widde-
combe among others, the
Archbishop refused to con-
demn homosexuality but
said the church was
engaged in a listening exer-
AAnnggrryy AAnnnnee
cise on the subject and that
hestoodbythepositionlaid
down by the canons of the
church..
‘I was in South Sudan a
fewweeksago’,hereported,
‘and the church leaders WWiiddddeeccoommbbee
there were saying please
don’t change what you are
doing because then we
couldn’t accept your help,
and we need your help des-
perately’.
The Archbishop said the Andrus described the Arch- By Amaris Cole
issueofsexualitywasonehe bishop’s views as revealing
wrestled with ‘every day’. ‘atbestalamentablenaivete BRITAIN is still a Christian nation and mili-
He said he did not know if andatworstbothhomopho- tantatheistsneedto‘getoverit’,EricPickles
there would come a day biaandcolonialthinking’. MPtoldtheConservativeSpringForum.
when two people of the On the Fulcrum website The Communities Secretary defended the
same sex could be married the Rev Andrew Goddard faith against ‘politically correct intolerance’
in the Church of England. ‘I offered a defence of the in his speech, boasting that his party back
lookatthescriptures.Ilook Archbishop’s position say- ‘Britishvalues’.
at the teaching of the ing he was not adopting a He said all forms of extremism were ‘as
church.IlistentoChristians ‘consequentialist argument’ badaseachother’.
aroundtheworldandIhave andmerelypointingtosome After stepping into the debate over acts of
realhesitationsaboutthat’. harmful results that could worshipatcouncilmeetings,MrPicklespro-
Answering a question put follow the adoption of gay tected the rights of those who wish to pray
to him by the presenter the marriagebytheCofE. beforesessionsbychangingthelawin2012.
Archbishop agreed that ‘a Instead,Goddardclaimed, Hesaidthisweek:“I’vestoppedanattempt
Christian on the ground in hewasmaking‘anappealto by militant atheists to ban councils having
Africacouldendupbeingon neighbour love’ that sug- prayersatthestartofmeetingsiftheywish.
thereceivingendofviolence gestedhisquestionerhavea Heavenforbid.We’reaChristiannation.
andabusebecauseofadeci- widervisionandthinkabout “We have an established church. Get over
sion taken at Lambeth the situation of people we it. And don’t impose your politically correct
Palaceaboutsexualequality have a duty to love in Africa intoleranceonothers.”
andgaymarriage’ aswellaspeoplehereinthe Mr Pickles has previously attacked the
He quoted those who had tivesofthosekilled. gaypeopleinthiscountry. UK. previous Labour Government for ‘diminish-
murdered369peopleassay- Aswellashighlightingthe The Archbishop’s inter- The phone-in programme ing’thefaithwithAlastairCampbell’sfamous
ing if they left a Christian danger to Christians in view has drawn widespread lasted for an hour and the ‘Wedon’tdoGod’policy.
aliveintheirareatheywould Africa, the Archbishop also commentbothinthechurch Archbishop took questions “We’ve stopped Whitehall appeasing
all become homosexuals attacked homophobia and andinthemedia. on a range of issues, includ- extremism of any sort. Be it the EDL, be it
and said he had stood by a said he was deeply con- In the US the Bishop of ing food banks and welfare extreme Islamists or be it thuggish far-left,
mass grave with the rela- cerned at the suffering of California, the Rt Rev Marc cuts. they’reallasbadaseachother.”
cceenn@@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr..ccoomm ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr @@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr
THE 2 www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril11,2014 News
CHURCH
Liverpool
IN
LightNight,thisyearonthe16thofMay,willnowbeusingEvensongasaprominentpartofit’s
ENGLAND
service.Evensongisathirtyminuteperformanceofspirituallyupliftingmusicthatwillbesungby
theCathedral’sworldclasschoir.Evensongsetsastrongreflectivetonefortheserviceandhas
firmlyestablisheditselfasanidealstartingpointformanypeople’sLightNights.Evensongwillend
withadelightfulandrivetingtwist;Pzyksong.Auniqueanddaringinterpretationofafinechoral
traditioninwhichtheiryouthchoirwillbebroughtalongsidetopglobalpsychedelicmusicians.The
officialscheduleforlightnightattheCathedralwillbeasfollows:ChoralEvensong5:30pmto6pm
TheGrandOrgan6pmto6:30pm,SacredLight:Installations6pmto11pm,BigDancePledgeand
DancingwithMDI6:30pmto9pm,Pzyksong9:30pmto11pm.
Portsmouth York Middlesbrough
BothBishopsofPortsmouthwilldeliveradoubleservingofgood ChurchmembersinNorthallertonare
deedsthisweekbypledgingtheirsupportfortwosocialoutreach flexingtheirartisticmusclesinorderto AnewBoy’sBrigadeCompanyinHemlington,
projectswhichassistsomeofthemostvulnerableresidentsofthe aidintheirworshipaswegrownearerto Middlesbroughhasmadeasignificantimpacton
city.TheAnglicanBishopofPortsmouth,theRtRevChristopher Easter.Fourteen“StationsoftheCross” thelocalcommunitysinceitslaunchfivemonths
Foster,andtheRomanCatholicBishopofPortsmouth,theRtRev havebeencreatedintheformofavariety ago.FormedbySt.Timothy’schurchinNovember
PhilipEgan,willvisitAdvicePortsmouthinNorthEnd,andthe ofartworksincludingpaintings, toprovidepositiveaswellasChristianactivities
asylumdrop-incentreatAllSaintsCofEChurchonMonday.(April sculpturesandcollagesalldisplayed foryoungpeople,thisorganizationissaidtohave
7).AdvicePortsmouthoffersfreeconfidentialadvicetoresidents insideAllSaintsChurch.Thethree unitedthecommunity.ReverendRobDesicsofSt
andtenants’regardingeverythingfromwelfarebenefitstofamily churchesparticipating;AllSaints,St Timothy’sChurchsaidoftheBrigade,“Many
issues.Theasylumcentreassiststhoseseekingrefugewithinthe JamesinRomanbyandStLawrenceat youngpeopleinthelocalarealackstructure,
UKandthosewhohaveappliedforasylumandarestillwaitingto KirbySigston,haveutilisedthisproject routineanddisciplineintheirlives,havelow
hear.Thedrop-incentrehelpsthemtofindlegaladviceontheir tokeeptheircongregantsmoving aspirationsandexperiencemanydisadvantages.
status,translationforthosewhocan’tunderstandtheformsthey forwardastheyarewithoutavicaratthe TheBoys’Brigadehascreatedatruesenseof
needtofillin,foodandclothes. present.AllSaintsChurchisopendaily community,andisteachingtheCompany’s
between9amand4pm. TheStationswill childrenandyoungpeoplelifeskills,achievement
beinplaceuntilGoodFriday,17April recognitionthroughbadgeworkandtheuniform
StAlbans 2014. bringsasenseofidentity,belongingandpride.”
St.Alban’sCathedralisnowtheproudrecipientofbacking
fromtheheritagelotteryfundwhichincludesagrantthat
couldbeworth£4.2m.Initiallythechurchhasbeengiven
£390,000todevelopanewentrancebuildingandeducation
program.Thegoalistobetterpresentthechurch’srich Woolwich
heritageasthesiteoftheexecutionandburialofSt.Alban,
thefirstBritishChristianmartyr.TheinitialHLFmoneyis
alsomeanttohelptheCathedralworkupdetailedplansfor OnSaturdayMarch29thfriends,family,and
thebuildingbeforeafurther£3.8mcanbeappliedforin colleaguesflockedtoSt.Barnabas,Elthamto
2016.TheprojectwhichissettobecalledAlban,Britain’s celebratethelifeofBishopPeterHall,Bishopof
FirstSaint:TellingtheWholeStory,ismeanttobea Woolwichfrom1984-96,whopassedawayonthe
combinationofconservationworkincludingaprogrammeof 27thofDecember.Thoseinattendancewere
activitiesandanewvisitorwelcomecentre. welcomedbyBishopMichaelIpgrave,thecurrent
BishopofWoolwich.Histwopredecessorsinthe
postwerealsopresent:BishopChristopher
Chessun,nowBishopofSouthwark,andBishop
ColinBuchanan.TributeswerepaidtoBishop
Peter’sworkintheparishofAvondaleinHarare
Dioceseaswellasinseveralotherareas.Bishop
Peter’sfavouritehymn“MySongisLove
Unknown”wassungandprayerswereofferedfor
hisfamily.
Lichfield Guildford
Subscribetoournewspaper LichfieldCathedral
andreadourfreemonthly OnThursdayApril10th
Thefamedbreathtaking TheFriaryCentre
magazine,seeourwebsite
TowerToursatLichfield Guildford’sCathedralwill
formoredetails
Cathedralareback! belaunchingtheirnew
StartingonEasterMonday, popupshopinaidofthe
TowerTourswillbegiven Cathedral’sMakeYour
fortheveryfirsttimesince Markcampaign.Make
2010.Ifonechoosesto YourMarkisdesignedto
ventureover,your raisemoneyforurgently
inauguralascentwillbe neededrepairsand
markedbythebeautiful improvements.Theirtop
internalarchitectureofthe goalistoraiseabout£7m
Cathedralandthe tokeeptheCathedral
opportunitytoparticipate runningforgenerations
intheinteractiveTower tocome.ThePopup
educationzone.Eachtower shopwillbeopenfrom
tourlastsapproximately1.5 11am-3pmeveryFriday,
hours.Adultticketsare Saturday,andSundayand
£6.50andticketsfor willfeatureaselectionof
familiesoffourwithtwo uniqueitemstellingthe
childrenwillcost£20.00. storyoftheCathedral.It
Tourswilltakeplaceevery willalsoplayhostto
Saturdayuntilthe25thof familyactivitiesincluding
Octoberat10:00,12:00and quizzes,colouringand
14:00.Afreeteaorcoffeeis photography
alsoincludedwithinthe competitions.
www.churchnewspaper.com ticket.
cceenn@@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr..ccoomm ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr @@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr
www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril11,2014 News 3
Rwandan bishop in genocide claims
AS THE WORLD marks the Human Rights Watch had been carried out in Rwan-
twentieth anniversary of the claimed the bishop acted as a da because Ruhumuliza had
Rwanda massacres confusion spokesmanforthegovernment goneintoexile.
surrounds the appointment of and Africa Rights described LambethPalaceclaimsArch-
aRwandanbishopunderinves- him as a ‘propagandist’ and bishop Kolini sent a letter in
tigation for alleged complicity accusedhimofrefusingtogive May2005sayingheknewofno
in genocide to a parish in the shelter to Tutsis in danger of reasonnottocommendBishop
ChurchofEngland. death and of exposing other Jonathan and wishing him a
The Rt Rev Jonathan Ruhu- Tutsistoattack. fruitful ministry. In response
muliza has been suspended After the genocide Ruhu- Kolini says he stands by what
fromaparishintheDioceseof muliza left Rwanda and moved he wrote in his book ‘Christ
Worcester where he has also to the Cameroon where he Walks Where Evil Reigned’,
served since 2005 as an hon- served as a bishop from 1998 published in 2007, that Ruhu-
oraryassistantbishop. to 2004 when he came to the muliza and other Anglican
In February ‘The Observer’ UK. bishops acted as ‘errand boys’
publishedastoryclaimingthat The Church of England says for the genocidal government.
asBishopofKigaliRuhumuliza that background checks were He says he has no knowledge
defended the genocidal madeandthebishopwascom- of the extensive checks Lam-
regime, claiming in press con- mended to them by Archbish- bethPalacesaysitcarriedout.
ferences and in a letter to the op Emmanuel Kolini but the The matter is still under
All Africa Council of Churches Archbishop has now told ‘The investigation by Lambeth
that the government was try- Observer’ that he did no more Palace but the episode serves
ing to bring peace to the coun- than say Ruhumuliza could be as a reminder of the less than
try when in reality it was helped out of humanitarian gloriousroleofmanyinallthe
engaged in a widespread mas- concerns and that he warned Christian churches of Rwanda
sacreofTutsis. that no proper investigation duringthemassacres.
CCaallllss ffoorr cchhaannggee ffrroomm
Archbishop
congratulates
EEnndd HHuunnggeerr FFaasstt
ccoonnttiinnuuee ttoo ggrrooww
ONthe16ofApril,DavidCameron, emergency food from the food
Nick Clegg and Ed Milliband will banks for the year of 2012-13 com-
be delivered a letter from the End paredtojust128,697fromtheyear
Hunger Fast Campaign urging previous.
them to put a greater emphasis “We normally associate malnutri-
upon hunger within the UK. The tion with developing countries
Evangelical alliance which repre- wracked by food shortages and
sents 2 million evangelical Chris- poverty, but it’s disturbing to learn
By Amaris Cole tians across 79 denominations that malnutrition is right here on
plays a large part within that cam- our own doorsteps,” Clifford
THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury has paign added.
congratulated the newly elected the “HungerintheUKisarealissue “Last year more than 5,500 peo-
Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac whichmustbeofconcerntousall, ple were admitted to UK hospitals
OrthodoxChurch. includingtheConservatives,Liber- sufferingwithmalnutrition.Noone
Justin Welby wrote to His Holiness al Democrats and the Labour should be allowed to go hungry in
Mor Ignatius Aphrem II on his election Party,”SteveClifford,directorgen- Britain. Many of our member
asthe123rdsuccessorofStPeterinthe eralofthealliance. churches are playing their part
ApolisticSeeofAntiochandAlltheEast, Clifford emphasized that the hosting and stocking food banks
andSupremeHeadoftheUniversalSyr- number of those going hungry andweneedthepoliticalpartiesto
iacOrthodoxChurch. within the UK has grown exponen- playtheirpartaswell,”
The Archbishop wrote: “Your contri- tially in recent years, citing statis- In addition to the letter Clifford
butions to history, literature and theolo- tics provided by the Trussel Trust and other directors of the Alliance
gy, as well as your interest in relating to the number of citizens inEngland,Wales,NIandScotland
strengthening the ministry to children, now using their food bank servic- are participating in the 4 April fast
asseeninthechildren’sbooksyouhave es.346,992peopleutilizedthemini- to help draw attention to the seri-
published, will be of significant impor- mum three days worth of oushungercrisisfacingtheUK.
tance at a time of enormous challenges
in the Middle East, but also in different Methodist leader moves on
partsoftheworld.
“You also bring with you an under-
standing for the context in the United
Kingdom, having had part of your edu-
cationinIrelandandhavingservedasa METHODISTS are to lose their General Secretary. The Rev working people it has been my pleasure to know’, Dr Atkins
priesttotheSyriacOrthodoxCommuni- Martin Atkins told the Methodist Council meeting in Leam- saidmonthsofhardworklayaheadandhewouldcontinueto
tyhere.Youhavefurthermoreplayedan ingtonSpaofhisintentiontostepdownasGeneralSecretary undertakehisresponsibilitiesasbesthecould.
importantroleinthenewphaseofwork and Secretary to the Methodist Conference in August next Connexional Secretary Doug Swanney said there would be
in the International Anglican Oriental yearbywhichtimehewillhavebeeninofficeforsevenyears. timeatalaterdatefortributesbutthatMethodistswere‘huge-
OrthodoxDialogueandwelookforward DrAtkins,59,hastimedhismovesothathewillbeableto lygratefulforMartyn’sfaithfulservicetothechurchandlook
to a time of continuing enrichment in takeupanotherpostbeforeretirement. forwardtoseeingwhatmorehewillbringinthefinalyearof
ourchurchtochurchrelationships.” Describing his colleagues as ‘among the finest and hardest hisworkinthisrole’.
cceenn@@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr..ccoomm ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr @@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr
4 www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril11,2014 News
Immigration
Williams credited in Wales
Climate change
reform urged
A FOMER Arch- Archbishop of day set to newly
bishop of Canter- Canterbury in commissioned
plans questioned
bury is to be a 2012. musicbygraduate
Chancellor of the The university BenVaughan. THE BISHOP of Leicester has
University of will welcome the Duringthecere- called for a reduction in the num-
SouthWales. former Archbish- mony honorary by Lord Harries berofyearsachildwouldhaveto
Lord Rowan op with poetry by doctorates will live in the UK before it becomes
Williams’ tenure T.S Elliot prize alsobedistributed relevantinimmigrationcases.
as Chancellor will winning poet Pro- and a new univer- Under the Government’s Immi-
be marked at a fessor Phillip sity mace will be gration Bill a family who might
shortceremonyto Gross. presented. The former Bishop “What intergovern- otherwise be deported would be
be held on April The poetry will The ceremony of Oxford has ques- mental institutions allowed to remain if a child has
14th. be based on lines will take place at tioned what role the and organisations lived here for more than seven
This is his first written by Lord 10amattheRoyal Government is play- are in place to plan yearscontinuously.
major public role Williams himself Welsh College of ing in helping draw for this scenario? ButBishopTimStevensbacked
in Wales since which will also be Music and Drama up international What role are the an amendment that would have
retiring as the performed on the inCardiff. plans to tackle the United Kingdom cutthetimelimittofouryearsand
effects of climate Governmentplaying said he would have supported an
Rochester in the Lords
change. inthat?” evenlowerlimit.
Lord Harries of Lady Verma said DuringdebateontheBillinthe
Pentregarth raised the UK was leading HouseofLordshesaid:“Itseems
THE BISHOP of Rochester Norwichhepledgedhisalle- the issue in the on many of the that the arguments, from any
has taken his seat in the giancetotheQueen. House of Lords in issues. understanding of child develop-
HouseofLords. He replaces the former light of the latest “We work very ment,areclearlyoverwhelming.
Bishop James Langstaff Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, report from the closely with our EU “Ispeakasaformerchairofthe
wasflankedbytheBishopof whoretiredinFebruary. Intergovernmental and international Children’s Society and as a mem-
Leicester and the Bishop of Panel on Climate partners to ensure ber of the commission that pub-
Change. that all of us are lished the A Good Childhood
Minorities and mental health Hesaid:“Thefirst signed up to trying report on behalf of the Children’s
wayinwhichpeople to mitigate as much Society some four or five years
are likely to experi- aswecantheimpact ago, which was based on the evi-
THE BISHOP of St Albans ernment had been looking at enceclimatechange climate change will dence of more than 20,000 chil-
hasquestionedwhattheGov- “ways to overcome inequali- is through food - its have on food, but - dren, many of them very young
ernment is doing to ensure ties in access to services, shortage and its or three decades by let us not be in any children.
ethnicminoritieswithhigher which includes better access price. 25%; fish stocks in doubt - unless we “They made it very clear, even
thanaveragelevelsofmental for black and minority ethnic “The report sug- tropicalareaswillbe bring forward attheageoffiveorsix,thatfriend-
health problems are fairly communities to mental gests that wheat down by 40% to processes, we will ships were an absolutely primary
treatedbytheNHS. healthservices”. yields over the next 60%.” face huge difficul- part of their understanding of
Bishop Alan Smith raised He added: “For example, decadewillgodown He asked ties in the future,” their well-being. This is docu-
theissueaspeersquestioned we know that people from by 2% and over two Baroness Verma: shesaid. mented and spelt out in that
theGovernmentintheHouse BMEcommunitieshavebeen report, as indeed it is in many
of Lords on mental health less likely to use psychologi- othermoreacademicreports.
funding. caltherapies. Living wage should be law “I would be happy to support
He asked health minister “To tackle that, the depart- this amendment as it stands or
EarlHowe:“Giventhesignifi- ment is working with the even if it is reduced to fewer
cant disparity in mental Race Equality Foundation THE GOVERNMENT should “Do you agree that a good way years. On the basis of any under-
health diagnosis, treatment and other stakeholders to set up an independent review to mark this anniversary would standing of child development,
and outcomes between understand why that is so on the effect of making it com- be to commission an independ- the argument for a cut-off period
minority ethnic groups and and to understand inequali- pulsory for employers to pay ent inquiry into the actual of four years seems overwhelm-
the general population, what ties around access to other the living wage, the Bishop of effects of raising the minimum ing.”
steps are being taken not mental health services and Leicesterhassaid. wage to the living wage for The Government rejected the
only to uphold parity of what can be done to improve Bishop Tim Stevens’ com- everyone?” amendment on the grounds that
esteem between mental and that. ments came at question time in Lord Younger said he could seven years was already the com-
physical health but to reflect “NHSEnglandisalsowork- the House of Lords as peers not comment on whether there mon law position and that chil-
thatintheprovisionofacces- ing with BME community markedthe15thanniversaryof shouldbeanotherinquiry. dren who had lived here for less
sible and effective mental leaders to encourage more theminimumwage. He said the Government was than that time could remain if
healthservicesforallpeople? people to use psychological He asked business minister “very much focusing on pover- theirremovalwouldbedispropor-
Lord Howe said the Gov- therapies.” Viscount Younger of Leckie: ty,whichisverycomplex”. tionate.
Government urged to help integrate Romas
THEBISHOPofStAlbanshascalledformoreGovern- have a Roma congregation. When you meet people HesaidtherehadbeensignificantnumbersofRoma
ment action to help the integration of Roma people in fromthatcongregation,youwillfindthatstoriesofdis- economic migrants since 2007 and the majority would
theUK. criminationarecommonplace. describethemselvesasChristian.
BishopAlanSmithsaidtheChurchwasdoingalotof “The Roma church in Luton meets in a United “Therefore, the Church of England has a particular
work with Roma people, but there was also a need for ReformedChurchbuilding-itisoneofthoseecumeni- responsibilitytoengagewiththem,toministertothem,
thestatetoact. calinitiativesthatweareallinvolvedinnowadays. toprovidethemwithasafeplacetomeetandworship,
In a House of Lords debate, he said: “I know some- “The leadership is shared between one of my own andtohelpandsupporttheminallthepracticalitiesof
thingofthebackgroundbecauseinmyowndiocesewe clergy, the Reverend Martin Burrell, and some of the life towards integration into the wider community,” he
Romamenfromthecongregation. said.
“The church began meeting in May 2011; it ButhesaidthatthoughtherewasalotfortheChurch
has an average weekly congregation of around todotherewasalsoa“vitalrole”fortheGovernment.
70people;andithaschildren’sprogrammesfor “Tackling the current paucity of employment oppor-
different age groups. All the congregation are tunities for the Roma must be prioritised if long-term
Romanian in their ethnic roots, although many socialcohesionistobeachieved,”hesaid.
didnotcomedirectlyfromRomaniatotheUK. “I believe that there is a large potential workforce of
“They are not a homogeneous group - they young, intelligent and willing people whose skills, if
Subscribe to us via come from different parts of Romania and they can be linked to needs on the ground, could be a
Pagesuite belong to different family groups - yet many hugebenefittousall.
http://bit.ly/coendigital sharesimilarstoriesofrejectionandracism. “Literacy and language barriers often form some of
“Thereisacertainunwillingnesstotalkabout thedifficulties,soweneedtodomoretomakeavailable
it, as they want to fit in and, not surprisingly, toRomapeopleworkopportunitiesthatperhapsdonot
want to be viewed as normal—as just regular require the highest level of spoken English or literacy
peopleinthecommunity.” atthesametimeasfocusingoneducation.”
cceenn@@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr..ccoomm ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr @@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr
www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril11,2014 News 5
African Church
Survey finds Palestine’s
launches tech college
‘Forgotten Faithful’
THE CHURHC of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) has
launched a $120 million dollar campaign to build a technical col-
lege outside of Harare. At a dinner held on 2 April 2014 at the By Cindy Stansbury volunteers(alluniversitygraduates)whowillbe
Meikles Hotel, Dr. Chad Gandiya the Bishop of Harare, visitingthehomesofallGazaChristians.
announcedthestartofa25-yearcampaigntobuildauniversityfor JeremeyMoodey,CEOofEmbrace,explained
8000 students in Chitungwiza, a town 25 miles south east of A HISTORIC survey in Palestine predicts the thatallvolunteershavebeenspeciallytrainedin
Harare. "Among the several disciplines the university focus will small minority of Christians in the West Bank communication skills, field work and instructed
bebiomedicalsciencesandobviouslythisnoblemissionisamam- hasdroppedfurtherstill. onhowtoproperlycompletethequestionnaires.
mothtaskbutitispartofourmissiontoserveallmembersofour Therehasneverbeenacomprehensivesocio- To ensure accuracy in the groundbreaking
nation regardless of religious or political alignment or affiliation, economic study of Gaza’s Christian Community survey, a trained data coordinator and
and regardless of gender or age," the bishop said according to a and the last official census carried out by Israel researcher will also be in attendance to review
reportofthelaunchprintedbytheHarareHerald. tookplacejustafterthesixdaywarin1967;the and check the filled-out forms prior to collating
Christian population at that time was 2,305, or andanalysing.
Bishop drops defamation case about0.6%. “Gaza’s Christian community is under great
A survey being carried out this month will pressure, both from the continued blockade of
THE BISHOP of the Ontario- Anglican Samizdat of the bish- updatethesenumbersforthefirsttimeinnearly the territory by Egypt and Israel, which threat-
based Diocese of Niagara, the op sporting underwear on his 47years. ens a humanitarian catastrophe, and by the
Rt. Rev. Michael Bird, has head,andofhisfaceappearing It is anticipated that the number of Christians Islamist government in Gaza. We want to sup-
dropped his $400,000 defama- atopthebodyofthelateNorth residing in Gaza has dropped exponentially in port this community in their presence and their
tionofcharacterlawsuitagainst Korean dictator Kim Jong Il. theintermittentdecadessincethelastsurvey.It witness, and this survey will be a vital building
DavidJenkins,aftertheconser- The bishop had sought to shut isexpectedthatthenumberwillrestsomewhere block in our own endeavours and those of our
vativebloggeragreedtopartial down the website, ban Mr. around 1,500, less than 0.1%; a massive 0.5% partners,”hesaid.
payment of the bishop’s legal Jenkins from all further public drop. Referred to as the “Forgotten Faithful”, the
fees and an apology. A first of comment, and pay $400,000 in The project is being organized by the Chris- dataregardingthissmallgroupisexpectedtobe
itskindlawsuitthatwasclosely damages plus costs. The bish- tian movement Embrace the Middle East, the releasedinMay.
watched by free speech opagreedtosettlethesuitafter Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem and the Gaza “‘The Palestinian Christian community in
activists, in February 2013 the Mr.Jenkinscounteredwiththe YMCA. Data will be collected by ten groups of Gazaistinybutdetermined,’Moodeyadded.
bishopsued Mr. Jenkins claim- offerofpaymentofpartiallegal
ing his blog had defamed him costs and an apology. Settling
bydescribinghimasanineffec- the lawsuit was the prudent Charity fights deadly virus
tual leader, a thief, sexual per- course of action, the blogger
vert and atheist. The bishop’s wrote, noting “further financial
complaint further alleged that haggling was infra dig, so I
altered photos printed on the agreedtotheterms.” By Amaris Cole Thereiscurrentlynocureor medical response personnel
vaccine, and there are now 157 and critically needed medical
Death sentence for Christians
A CHRISITAN charity is reportedcases. supplies to various parts of the
responding to ‘the worst Ebola In Lofa County and the capi- country with an airplane and
ACHRSTIANcouplehavebeensentencedtodeathforblasphemy outbreak in seven years’ in tal city of Monrovia, Samari- helicopter.
byacivilcourtinLahoreforsendingblasphemoustextmessages. WestAfrica. tan’s Purse is working to “This is a very serious situa-
On 4 April 2014 a court in the Toba Tek Singh district ruled Samaritan’s Purse is partner- prevent spread of the deadly tion that could become even
Shafaqat Emmanuel and his wife Shagufta Kausar were guilty of ing with the Government of disease by conducting public more critical in the coming
sending English-language text messages defaming Islam to two Liberia, one of the countries education and awareness cam- days,” said Franklin Graham,
prominent Muslim activists. Lawyers for the accused noted the that is experiencing the out- paigns. presidentofSamaritan’sPurse.
defendants were illiterate and further noted they did not speak breakofthelethalvirus. The organization is also pro- “Our team in Liberia is com-
English.ThelawyersfurthernotedthatMr.Emmanuel,whoisdis- Other countries reporting viding emergency medical sup- mitted to doing all we can to
abled, and his wife, a waitress, were not the registered owners of some of the 96 Ebola-deaths plies to its partner, ELWA share God’s love with Liberian
the SIM card that was the source of the alleged message. An include Guinea and Sierra Hospital located just outside of people by providing medical
appeal is planned. Their conviction follows the death sentence Leone. Monrovia, and transporting supportandotherrelief.”
handeddownlastmonthtoChristiansweeperSawanMasih,who
was also convicted of blas-
phemy. The NGO "World
Vision in Progress" (WVIP),
which has been supporting
the couple, responded that
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6 www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril11,2014 Letters
Write to The Church of England Newspaper, 14 Great College Street,
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NB: Letters may be edited
No job for Jesus YYOOUURR
Sir, On Saturday March 29th David Question of Identity
Cameron writing about the celebra- TWEETS
tion of the first Same-Sex marriages Sir, Peter Mullen’s column last week ‘searching for heaven’ raises a lot of
putonthePinkNewswebsite:“This interestingquestionsnotonlyabouttheafterlifebutalsoabouttheidentity
weekendisanimportantmomentfor oftheself. Howeveritappearstomethathisargumentcollapsessomewhat
ourcountry.Itsaysweareacountry inoakindoftheological/psychologicalreductionismfullofinerrantpitfalls
that will continue to honour the for someone who wants to take the Biblical record concerning life after @RevRichardColes
proud tradition of respect, tolerance deathseriously. SwitchedfromiPhonetoHTC2yrsago
and equal worth”. The next day the I’mthinkingparticularlyofthebiblicalwitnessthatsome‘part’ofussur- &loveit.Wouldn’tgoback.Sawur
“SundayTimes”reportedontheguid- vives death and remains in a state of awareness prior to the resurrection. tweeton@churchnewspaperletters
ance drawn up by the Equality and Paul’sexpectationthattodepartistobewithChristinafarbetterstate,for page!
HumanRightsCommissionandcivill example (Phillipians.1:21-23.). Or take the Biblical testimony that those >
servants, that chaplains working in whohavediedhavefallenasleep(IThessalonians5:10).Anybodywhoeats @gerrylynch @churchnewspaper
hospitals and schools could be too much cheese before bedtime realises that sleep is not a completely Crikey,newsgetsaround.
refused a job because of their views unconsciousstate! IhaveoftenmeditatedonthewordsofJesustothesec-
>
on gay marriage. On this basis our ular Sadducees with their denial of life after death. He quotes the Biblical @RevRichardColes
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would record; ‘“I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Theperilsofstardom,Father...
not have stood a chance of getting a Jacob” HeisGodnotofthedeadbutoftheliving.’ YesIknowthepassage @churchnewspaper
careerintheseareasbecauseHestat- is about resurrection but those word’s seem to confirm the promise made
ed that marriage is definitely to Martha, Lazarus’s sister, ‘Those who believe in me . . .will never die’ Archbishop Cranmer @His_Grace
between a man and a woman. But (Jn.11:26). It is this Biblical testimony that gives me faith to believe in a Oxfordjustdon’tdeservetowin
then He is only God incarnate in the continuitybetweenwhatIamnowinmypresentbodyandwhatIwillbein #boatrace.Nastythingsweredoneon
flesh. thefutureinmyresurrectionbody. (Italsoheightensmyaccountabilityfor BroadStreet.
What David Cameron said and whatIhavedoneinthebodywhichPeter’sargumentseemstometoeffec-
what is happening in our society are tivelydeny). Jody Stowell @RevJodyStowell
contradictory. Equality is no two-way There is of course much anecdotal evidence for a pre-resurrection con- ‘Ifwedonottransformourpain,wewill
street in this country rather it is like scious state in ‘near death experiences’ one of the most recent being mostassuredlytransmitit.’
that saying in the book “Animal Alexander’s book noted by Peter. My argument would be that though @RichardRohrOFM
Farm”: “ All animals are equal, but these don’t tell the whole story and they may sometimes be more vision
some animals are more equal than thanconcretereality,yetformetheypointbeyonddeathtoarealityofcon- Peter Ould @PeterOuld
others”.Howcouldoursocietygetto scious peace and rest priortothefulfilmentofthegloriouspromiseofthe
the point where those working on resurrection.
behalf of the needs of others are Rev Kevin Billson BD
being made to feel that their views Rugeley
andbeliefsareunimportant?
David Bousie
Burton-on-Trent
sitionofhandswithprayer:so[ifyou Divines reject[ed] these chemical
accept this sacramental doctrine of fanciedordersandcharacters...”.
Priests and Bishops Orders] the church of God was all The latter “characters” refers to the
that while without true orders, since Medieval concept that like Baptism,
Sir, Fr Michael Galloway asks: “If there was nothing used that can be Ordination, taken as a sacrament, Ohgenius
there is no difference or distinction called the matter of a sacrament. . . . impartsan“indeliblecharacter”.This pic.twitter.com/5W78qC62PL
betweenPriestandBishop,why...is Therefore, though we continue this is still raised in Anglican circles as if
it necessary to raise and ordain institution of Christ, as he and his it has some basis in Scripture or the
[someone] to the Episcopate by apostles settled it in the church, yet historyoftheearlyChurch.However Sally Hitchiner @SallyHitchiner
prayer and the laying on of hands?” wedenyittobeasacrament”. the idea of an “indelible character” EricPicklesSaysBritainIsA‘Christian
(letters,March21). In fact a close review of the Prayer being imparted in Ordination was Nation’AndMilitantAtheistsShould
The answer to this paradox is to Book Ordinal will show that those comprehensivelydisproveninJoseph ‘GetOverIt’-Doyouagree?
recognisethatourPrayerBookOrdi- beinginductedintoOfficeareassert- Bingham’sScholasticalhistoryoflay
nal contains rites of induction into ing they already have their personal baptism. Bingham, arguably still Winchester
three Offices, not sacraments creat- call from Christ while the Church Anglican’s most illustrious authority Diocese @CofEWinchester
ing three Orders. Article 25 of the investigates and confirms they have on the Early Church, found neither Greatarticleon+Tim’sspeechin
Thirty-nineArticlesadmitsthatOrdi- the associated gifts and knowledge thetermnoritsequivalentconceptin HouseofLordspraisingAnglican
nation is among those commonly fortheoffice. the Ancient Councils of the Church, teachertrainingin@churchnewspaper
called sacraments. However since in Without this perspective it is and invited those who disagreed churchnewspaper.com/37499/archives
Scripturethelayingonofhandsmay impossible to explain why our “first reconcile the contradictions” of @churchstate
beanattitudeofprayerindicatingthe Canons of 1603/4 recognised the the idea with the practice and state-
person being prayed for, unlike Bap- PresbyterianChurchofScotlandasa ments of the Early Church and then BBC Radio 4
tism and the Lord’s Supper, Ordina- sister Church, or how the 1920 Lam- “produce as good proofs ... from the Sunday @BBCR4Sunday
tion has “not any visible sign or bethConferencecouldcallforChris- ancient Councils, as I have produced @JustinWelby#samesexmarriagehasa
ceremonyordainedofGod.” tian reunion on the basis of tothecontrary.” globalimpactoninterfaithrelations&
Speakingtothissubjectinhisexpo- recognisingnon-episcopalministries. Alan Bartley, Anglicansaroundtheworld.Weneed
sition of the Thirty-nine Articles, The views of Bishop Hensely Hen- Greenford,Middlesex. tobeawareofconsequences
BishopGilbertBurnetreviewsallthe son were clearly in agreement with
Scripture and early Church evidence thispriorto1920asin1919herepub- God and Politics
forOrdinationbeingasacrament.He lished Bishop Croft’s 1675 “Naked UK @GodandPolitics
concludes “In the first nine or ten Truth” uniting “the pretended dis- Lotsofpplthink@JustinWelbywas
ages there was no matter [sacred oil tinct orders of Episcopacy and Pres- presentingargumentagainstgay
etc.]atallused,nothingbutanimpo- bytery”andasserting“OurEpiscopal marriageyesterday-ratherhewas
discussingcomplexitiesofhisposition
cceenn@@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr..ccoomm ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr @@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr
www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril112014 Leader & Comment 7
MariaMilleras‘HeadofValues’–forourChurch?
The BBC has nobly, and uniquely, allowed its satirists to TThhee WWaanntt CCuullttuurree
mock itself in the witty parody programme W1A, a follow
on to the satire on the planning for the London Olympic
Games, with Hugh Bonneville as its lead figure. He is the
‘headofvalues’fortheBBCinW1A,andthelatestcrisisto
engulfhimishisownsalary–theTelegraphdiscovershis
plutocraticpay,andtheBBChierarchydeputestheheadof
valueshimselftodefendBBConhisownpay.Theprevious Adulttantrums,orwarsastheyarecalled,are
episode concerned the lack of West Country accents on often rooted in wants. I have just been studying
the BBC in connection with important appointments. Alan the Second Boer War, which the British wanted
Satire of the BBC by the BBC is long overdue, given its to happen because of diamonds in Kimberley
power to satirise any and every institution it cares to tar- and gold in Witwatersrand. It was a pity about
get. our concentration camps in which 25,000 were
Storkey
Alas W1A connects uncomfortably with the latest MPs killed.
expensesrow,thistimewithMariaMillerinthedock.The And our wants are destroying the planet. As
mostworryingpartofherdifficultiesisshownbytheTele- therich,man-madeclimatechangedeniersmelt
graph’s audio tape of a her assistant apparently warning away, we recognise after 50 years of evidence
thepaperoffinvestigatingherexpenses withthethreatof thatwearewarmingtheoceansandchangingthe
Levesonpressregulation.Nowthatispreciselywhatmany weather. We want air travel, cars, goods from
feared when the government gave way to the celebrity China, heating, exotic food and our wants are
‘HackedOff’campaigntogetthepressplacedunderstate sovereign in a worldwide system of mega-con-
permissionandregulation.NotonlydoesMsMillerhavea The biggest parts of our culture are also often sumption. Yet, we are so committed to what we
penetrating power over press regulation, as Minister of the most taken for granted and unquestioned. wantthatwewillnotfacethecomingcalamity.
Culture, Media and Sport, she also has power over the This certainly applies to the idea of wants - the AndsoweturnagaintotheScriptures,andthe
Church of England. In order to massage gay ‘marriage’ most strongly promoted idea in western post- tenth commandment. God’s last reverberating
through Parliament she issued the diktat forbidding the civilisation. word from Sinai, is “You shall not covet” seems
Churchtoconductsuchmarriages–forthemoment.But We are taught to want houses, cars, clothes, to see this area as an abiding universal human
shehasthepowertochangehermindandinstructother- holidays, experiences, sex, fun, excitement and problem.
wise, thus throwing the Church into crisis. Under this almost anything you might name. Wanting is You shall not have a lust for goods, especially
administration the state now controls the Established good. Its sacred texts are advertisements. We the goods of others. Other than affirming want-
Church’s ethics and practice at a deep level, in the same mortgage the future to supply present wants; ingwhatothershave,itforbidsit.Morethanthat
wayitcontrolsthepress. ChurchofEnglandparishesare household debts are some £1.4 trillion, mainly Psalm 23 begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I
nowallunder NewLabour’s CharityCommissionnorms, mortgages. Gone are the days when consumer shallnotwant”.RatherthantheNIV’s“Ishallnot
and takentogetherwiththeregulatorypoweroftheMin- credit was called buying something on the beinwant,”thisseemstosuggestamorefunda-
istryofCulture,MediaandSport,thisisarealchallengeto “never–never”,becauseyoushouldnotbuynow mentalattitudetoliveinpathsofrighteousness,
ourChurch. andpaylater.Nowwantsaremet. contentment,mercyandgoodness.
The question of values and cultural norms was also The central idea of wanting is egocentricity. WithJesustheissuebecomesmorepointed.If
raisedbytheBBCPanoramaprogramme‘TheMayorand The ego wants for his or herself. The thing, or thecornflowertrumpsDior,whyareweworried
Our Money’, scrutinising the huge borough of Tower experience, is the reward to the ego. It makes about what we wear? God centred living, it
t
Hamlets in East London, where Mayor Luftur Rahman is the self happy, orit is supposed to. But the food seems, deconstructs wanting, and if we die to
n
under the spotlight for a tribal favouritism in distributing wewantmakesusfat.Housesconsumeourtime self, wants have nowhere to call home. So the
jobs and money to Benghali and Somali agencies. He was and energy, and stately homes run the lives of gospel,thegoodnews,addresseswantingatroot
e
electedonjust13%oftheborough’spopulation,twothirds thetoffswholiveinthem. and in principle, and shows us the joy comes
of that Benghalis. But it could be said that he was simply Wantedsexunderminesrelationships,andthe fromGod,alwaysasunlustedgift.
m
usinghisowntribalculturalnormsandinamulticultural daily wants of all of us separate us from one Where are we in all this? I try to eliminate air
society therefore quite blameless? Andrew Gilligan in the another. The child’s “I want” goes along with flights, hot baths and showers, heating, exotic
Telegraph disclosed that the Mayor sold off the historic grabbing and tantrums and prevents it from foodandclosedownadvertisedwantsbutreally
m Poplartownhallforunderamillion,withplanningpermis- growingup. amstillenslavedandcompromisedinallkindsof
sion give in private for it become a hotel. Meanwhile in The wants of women and men have long kept areas.Weareprobablyallmoreorlessself-indul-
Afghanistan electionshavebeenheld:westernnormsina them apart or in perpetual negotiation, as with gent and have not really taken up the radical
o tribal Islamic culture, merely the reverse of the Tower Brian and Jennifer warring over a new kitchen challengeoftheGospeltowageWaronWant.
Hamletprocessitmightbeargued.Willthesatiristshave on The Archers. Really, unsatisfied wants rooted The War on Want attacks the whole western
C thenervetoparodythisMayor,culturalnorms,andregu- in theego where theycannotbe satisfied, letus way of avarice that is undoing civilisation. It is
lation? downeverywhere. perhaps the most fundamental war the human
But the ramifications of wanting go much fur- racefaces,spiritualandpractical.Canwefightit?
The Church of England Newspaper ther.Theftisanextensionoftheidea.So,too,is WemaybetemptedtobelievethattheWaron
the idea of the protection of property so that it Want doesn’t exist, that we can have our cake
withCelebratemagazineincorporatingTheRecordandChristianWeek canbeoursandotherscanbekeptout.Thedis- andeatit,butitdoes.Onlyitaddressestheway
PublishedbyPoliticalandReligiousIntelligenceLtd. appearance of common property and goods – of the earth is warming. Defeating Want is the
CompanyNumber: 3176742 common land, utilities, railways, coach and bus biggestchallengetheplanetfaces,andwemight
Publisher:KeithYoungMBE services, industries, a health service, mutual be better off without it as Jesus
banksandplayingfieldshasreallybeenmarked clearlyimplies.
bythesovereigntyofprivatewants.
PublishingDirector&Editor: CMBLAKELY 02072228004
BecauseIwanttomaximisemyreturn,Iwould
Chief Correspondent: TheRevCanonGEORGECONGER 00107723322604 not bank with someone who
Reporter: AMARISCOLE 02072228700 would mutually offer
loans to the economi-
Advertising: CHRISTURNER 02072222018
cally weak at lower
Advertising&EditorialAssistant: PENNYNAIRPRICE 02072222018 rates. Wanting ends
civilisation by creat-
Subscriptions&Finance: DELIAROBINSON 02072222018
ingwallsbetweenus
GraphicDesigner: PETERMAY 02072228700 – walls to keep oth-
ers out; it is
Theacceptanceof advertisingdoesnotnecessarilyindicate
uncivil and
endorsement.Photographsandothermaterialsentforpublication
rude.
aresubmittedattheowner’srisk.TheChurchof EnglandNewspaperdoes
notacceptresponsibilityforanymateriallostordamaged.
ChristianWeeklyNewspapersTrustees:RobertLeach(02082245696),
LordCareyof Clifton,TheRtRevMichaelNazir-Ali,TheRtRevPeteBroadbent,
DrElaineStorkey,TheRevPeterBrown,TheRevCindyKent
TheChurchof EnglandNewspaper,
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14GreatCollegeStreet,London,SW1P3RX
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Advertisinge-mail:[email protected]
Subscriptionse-mail:[email protected]
Website:www.churchnewspaper.com
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8 www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril11,2014 Comment
Janey Lee Grace
Live Healthy!Live Happy!
Get your 10 a day
The recent research into how much fruit and veg we many. Costwasalsoamajorfactor,it’snotcheaptoeata
should be consuming certainly made the headlines;, widevarietyofhighqualityfruitandvegandsomepeople
manyexperts declaredthatchangingthe‘5aday’advice arecallingfortheGovernmenttoput ataxonsugarand
wasridiculous,otherswhileunderstandingthemeritsof processed foods and bring back food vouchers that can
thestudy, stillfoundithardtoswallow. onlybeexchangedfor‘real’food,(Ilikeit!). blender. Here’sthequickestwaytostarttheday
UniversityCollegeLondonandUniversityofLiverpool I’mawarethatseveralcountrieshavehadhigherguide- withatleastfiveportions. Intoawidechutejuicer
researchersusedfiguresfromtheHealthsurveyforEng- linesforyears,isn’ttherecommendation17inJapan? It’s put 2 small apples – but ‘sandwiched’ between
land and looked at the diets of 65,000 people and found all irrelevant though if you are a busy person throwing them put a chunk of lemon, (peel on) handful of
those who consumed seven to ten portions of fruit and down cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and a spinach, big chunk of courgette or cucumber, cel-
vegadaydailyhadalesserriskofseriousillness. Veg- readymealfordinner.Ifyou’reluckytheclosestyou’dget ery and a handful of curly kale. Juice it, pour the
etables are better than fruit and we should eschew to even one portion is to have a few squares of decent liquidintotheblenderandblendwithhalfanadvo-
cannedvegandcartonsoffruitjuice. chocolatewhilewatchingTV–asoneofmydearfriends cado,youcanifyouwishaddsomeyoghurt. Serve
Variousnutritionistsanddoctorspoppedupacrossthe pointsout.‘Cocoaisabean–thereforeoneofyourfivea overice,tastesgreat–putitinaflaskandtakewith
media to either support or dispute the findings, most day!’ you to work. You’ll be feeling so smug ! After
stoppedshortofactuallyfullyagreeingandadvisinghow I’m passionate about good nutrition yet I’m imperfect thatlot,tryandhaveasaladwithlunch,oneortwo
weshouldgoaboutit;manypointedoutthatit’sastrug- andIwouldfindittrickysomedaystomanagethesetar- portions of veg with dinner - then you really have
gle to get five into us, two thirds of people don’t eat that gets – if it were not for my tried and trusted juicer and earnedthatchoccy!
New Editor makes his mark Top Thinkers?
Thevenerablemagazine‘Theology’hastakenonafreshleaseoflifeunderitsnew Themonthly‘Prospect’isaskingpeopletovoteontheworld’stopthinkers.Ithas
editor,RobinGill.Gilliswellknownforhiswritingonethicsandhasrecently offeredashortlistof50people.MercifullyRichardDawkinsdoesn’tmakethelist
retiredfromtheUniversityofKenttoliveinhisnativeGibraltarwherehehasbeen (hehasinthepast)butDanielDennettisthere.Religiousthinkersarenottoo
madeacanontheologianofthecathedral.Hetookoverthemagazineatthe prominentalthoughPopeFrancismakesthegrade.ThenovelistMarilynne
beginningoftheyear,succeedingsuchluminariesasAlecVidlerandG.R. Robinson,whohasgoodclaimtoberegardedasatheologian,appearsandso
Dunstan.IntheMarchissueheprintsanarticlebyNigelBiggar,RegiusProfessor doesconverttoJudaism,MarthaNussbaum.Votersareallowedtoselectthree.
ofMoralTheologyatOxford,subjectingtheFaithandOrderCommission’spaper Ofthenamesoffered,thiscolumnwouldgoforThomasNagel,Robinsonand
‘MenandWomeninMarriage’tosomepowerfulcriticism.TheFaithandOrder PopeFrancisbutothernamesnotonthelistspringtomind.Nowhehasleft
CommissionisthesuccessortotheDoctrineCommission.ItischairedbyBishop Lambeth,RowanWilliamsiscontinuinghisroleasapublicintellectual.Hehas
ChristopherCocksworthandincludesamongitsmembersBiggar’spredecessorat finishedgivingtheGiffordLecturesinScotlandandthisweekheislecturingat
Oxford,OliverO’Donovan.AsBiggarsays,thechurch’sofficialstanceonsexuality Harvard.Hiscolumnforthe‘SundayTelegraph’onclimatechangeattracted
hasmetwithincredulityanditneedstoexplainitsposition.Hedoesn’tthinkthe attentionfromBjornLomborginlastweek’s‘Spectator’.Lomborgdisagreed(no
FaithandOrderCommissionsucceedsinthistask.Biggar(whoonceservedon surprisethere).AnothernameshouldbeMaryMidgley,veteranphilosopherand
thestaffoftheevangelicalLatimerHouse)isnotafraidtostickhisneckout.He hammerofthescientismofDawkinsandDennettwhoat94hasjustbroughtout
hasincurredcriticismfromCambridgehistorianSirRichardEvansforsaying anewbook.
WorldWarIwasjustified.CongratulationstoGillforgettinghimtowritefor
‘Theology’.Thisisamagazinetowatch.
What Mozilla Means
Under suspension. TheculturewarsinAmericacanbebrutal.JustafterWorldVision
wasforcedtoreverseadecisiontohirepeopleinsame-sex
marriage,MozillaremovedBrendanEichasCEOafteritwas
Apopularjournalisthasdisappeared(atleastforatime)from‘The discoveredhehadmadea$1000contributiontoacampaignto
Tablet’.Noexplanationhasbeensuppliedbythemagazinebut defendtraditionalmarriageinCaliforniain2008. Itwas
Romecorrespondent,RobertMicklens,hasbeensuspendedfor predicablethatMelaniePhillipswouldattackthedecisionbut
makingoffensivecommentsaboutPopeBenedictXVIonface morenotablewascriticismofthemovefromalong-
book.ThecommentswerereportedbyDamianThompson,arch termsupporterofsamesexmarriage,theinfluential
foeofamagazinehehasdescribedas‘TheBitterPill’.Nodoubt gayjournalistAndrewSullivan.Accordingtolegal
aperiodofsilenceisinorderbutjustasBishopPete scholarRobertP.GeorgeMozillahasnowmadeits
Broadbentwasforgivenforhiscommentsontheroyal employmentpolicyclear.NoCatholics,evangelicals,
familythiscolumnhopesMicklenswillreturn. EasternOrthodox,OrthodoxJews,Mormonsor
MeanwhileanotherCatholicpaper,‘TheNational Muslimsneedapply.Thatis,iftheyabidebythe
eWhispering
CatholicReporter’hasobtainedascoopfromRome.Its officialteachingoftheirreligion.George,a
columnistThomasReasehastalkedtothemanwhoputs h Catholic,wantsthefollowersofthesereligionsto
Gallery
thePope’stweetsintoLatin.PopeFrancishasover3 T standtogetherinwhatissometimesdescribedas
millionfollowersinEnglishandover5millionin an‘ecumenismofthetrenches’.Georgecalls
Spanishbutjust232,000followhiminLatin.Latin’s Mozillaabullybutitseemsmorelikelytohave
abilitytosayagooddealinfewwordsmeansitisa beenfearofaboycottofFirefoxthatdrovethe
goodlanguagefortweeting.Thetranslatorsaysheis companytodropsomeonewhoplayedamajorrole
carefultomakesurethetweetsarenotjustaslavish indevelopingsomeofitsproducts.Thismight
translationbutproperlyLatin.Inotherwords,as prompttheoppositiontostartaboycottoftheir
Reasepointsout,heusesdynamicequivalence ownbutmoreeffectivemightbeagenuinely
translation,justwhatwasruledoutbyRomeforthe ecumenicalcampaignforfreedomofspeech,involving
newEnglishtranslationofthemass. aswidearangeofsupportersaspossible.
cceenn@@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr..ccoomm ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr @@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr
www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril11,2014 Comment 9
Illiberal liberalism?
AAnnddrreeww CCaarreeyy
VViieeww ffrroomm tthhee PPeeww
Thescandaloftheforcedresig- almostroutine.InEurope,justa Edwards, the former Evangeli- ism who are in fact being the
nation of Brendan Eich, Chief few other prominent examples, calAllianceleader. judgmentalones.”
Executive Officer of the non- in 2004 a conservative catholic, In a recent BBC Question Given that there was little or minority really. For the most
profit internet company, Mozil- RoccoButtiglionewasforcedto Time broadcast, a Roman no demand for gay marriage part people are uncommitted,
la, because he once donated to withdraw his name as a nomi- Catholic woman advancing onlyfiveyearsago,itisstriking opposed or apathetic about
an anti-gay marriage campaign nee to the post of Justice Com- unpopular views on gay mar- how quickly support for gay issueslikegaymarriage.
has shocked many people on missioner of the European riage was rounded upon by an marriagehasbecomeapolitical- This is precisely why Chris-
bothsidesoftheAtlantic. Union. aggressive audience. She later ly-correct doctrine. But we tiansneedtocontinuetoengage
But this phenomenon of illib- The controversy focussed on described being told she ‘was sometimesneedremindingthat in the public square. Beyond
eral liberalism is nothing new. his conservative views on disgusting’ (www.caraolinefar- the chatterati, twitterati and theloudestvoicesattheshallow
After the passing of gay mar- homosexuality, marriage, and row.com|). She wrote: “As ever world of Question Time audi- end of public discourse, there
riage, a Stonewall spokesman the upbringing of children. The ironicallyenough,it’sthosewho ences, politicians and newspa- aremanymoreopenandintelli-
declared that the battle was not Times writer, Matthew Parris are accusing me of judgmental- per columnists is a pretty small gentpeopletoengagewith.
yet over: “We must use our said:“Isayenoughoftolerance.
All words and no action over militant athiests
skills and energy to make sure Idonottoleratereligioussuper-
homophobia, biphobia and stition, not when it refuses to
transphobiaareeradicatedfrom tolerateme.”
our schools, our streets, our Buttiglione later reflected on On a similar theme, Eric Pickles, the Communi- sphereofeducation.
sports fields, our workplaces, his own experiences of a witch ties Minister, is reported to have told intolerant But where I take issue with Eric Pickles is his
ourchurchesandourhomes.” huntthat“anewsofttotalitarian- atheiststo“getoverit”. contention that he stopped councils banning
These words give an indica- ism ... is advancing on the left.” He said: “I’ve stopped an attempt by militant prayers at the start of meetings. The Councils
tion of how the battle lines will He added: “It is an atheist, atheiststobancouncilshavingprayersatthestart which stopped prayers after a technical legal rul-
bedrawninfuturebutitwillnot Nihilistic religion – but it is a ofmeetingsiftheywish.We’reaChristiannation. ing have not reintroduced them. Furthermore,
do to ignore the fact that the religion that is obligatory for WehaveanEstablishedChurch.Getoverit.And the government which he represents has made
attempt to penalise traditional all.” don’t impose your politically correct intolerance great political capital out of warm rhetoric about
and conservative views are Ruth Kelly, the former Home onothers.” faith but have never backed their words with
already widely underway. In Secretary, was lambasted wide- Onthefaceofit,Picklesisabsolutelyrightthat actions. Last year, when four notorious cases
other parts of the world, the lybygayrightsgroupsandfem- the Church of England is established and by came before the European court in Strasbourg,
freeze on conservative appoint- inists for her membership of virtue of that fact, Christianity has a kind of pre- thegovernment’sownlawyersopposedtherights
mentsandthesackingsofpoliti- Opus Dei. A similar storm eminence in cultural celebrations etc. Christian of Christians to wear crosses and employees to
cally-incorrect heretics are greetedtheappointmentofJoel doctrineisalsoprivilegedinlaw,especiallyinthe havefreedomofconscienceonmarriage.
The challenge of
forgiveness
PPaauull RRiicchhaarrddssoonn
CChhuurrcchh aanndd WWoorrlldd
Forgiveness, a major theme in the holy week celebra- Nazi war criminals. The holocaust poses difficult ques- SeeninthislightitisnotthatGodwillnotforgiveus
tions, gets mixed reviews in the secular world. When tions about forgiveness. So does child abuse. This is a until we forgive each other; it is more that bitter and
NelsonMandeladied,commentatorswerequicktohail themeofaseriesofnovelsbyEdwardStAubyn.Patrick divided hearts prevent us receiving the healing and
thewayhislackofbitternessandreadinesstoreachout Melrose,acentralcharacterinthenovels,isabusedas wholenessthatforgivenessismeanttobring.
tothewhitecommunitybroughtreconciliationtoSouth ayoungchildbyhisfather. TheblackAmericantheologianJDeotisRobertsputs
AfricaalthoughfewtracedthistoChristianinfluencein ‘Neither revenge nor forgiveness can change what this well when he told members of the Black Power
hislife. happened’,hemuses.‘They’resideshows,ofwhichfor- movementthattherecanbenofreedomwithoutrecon-
Onotheroccasionsforgivenessiscriticisedforletting giveness is the least attractive because it represents a ciliation. Hatred binds you to the one you hate, he
peoplewhodowrongoffthehooktooeasily.InSimon collaboration with one’s persecutors. I don’t suppose warned:ittakescontrolofyourmindandheart.There
Wiesenthal’s autobiographical work The Sunflower he thatforgivenesswasuppermostinthemindsofpeople isnoliberationwithoutreconciliation.
tellshowwhenhewasworkinginahospitalforwound- whowerebeingnailedtothecrossuntilJesus,ifnotthe None of this make forgiveness easier. Like Simon
edGermansoldiersduringWorldWarIIanuntookhim first man with a Christ complex still the most success- Wiesenthal many people expect to see remorse before
toseeKarl,aseverelywoundedanddyingsoldier.Karl ful, wafted onto the scene. Presumably those who offeringforgivenessalthoughsometimesitistheactof
wantedtoseekforgivenessfromaJewforhavingbeen enjoyedinflictingcrueltycouldhardlybelievetheirluck forgiveness that actually leads to real repentance.
aNaziandforoncehavinggunneddownaJewishfami- andsetaboutpopularisingthesuperstitionthatvictims Nonethelessthereisthedangerthatforgivenesswillbe
ly. couldonlyachievepeacebyforgivingthem’. offered too easily and the offender will never feel gen-
He was covered in bandages and could barely speak Asked how he might eventually find freedom, uine sorrow. What is sometimes appropriate is a sign
butwasunabletogetthefacesoftheJewishfamilyhe Patrick’s replies simply: ‘Search me’. Many victims that the victim is ready to forgive if there can be gen-
hadshotoutofhismind.Hehadsufferedhiswoundsin echo Patrick’s words. They find it difficult to forgive uinereconciliation.
a battle in which he could not bring himself to shoot abusers who took advantage of their weakness, know- Forgiveness can never mean pretending that evil or
anotherJewishfamily.Ashehesitatedashellexploded ingthatmanystillfeelnoremorse. injusticehasnottakenplace.Thereisaplacefortruth-
besideshim. Forgiveness can be hard and yet there is no getting ful judgement about what has happened and for anger
Wiesenthal listened to the confession in silence. He round the fact that Jesus made it an imperative for his andresentment,althoughthesefeelingsshouldalsobe
hadnodoubtsaboutKarl’ssincerityandwasmovedby followers.Hiswordstohisfollowersthattheremustbe accompaniedbyadesiretobefreeofthem.
what he heard but was unable to speak words of for- no upper limit on their readiness to forgive (‘seventy L Gregory Jones has suggested that forgiveness is a
giveness.HeheardKarloutandthenlefttheroom. times seven’) can sound frighteningly difficult until we crafttobelearntandthatonewaytodothisisbystudy-
After the war Wiesenthal visited Karl’s mother who graspwhatJesusmeansbyforgiveness. ing stories of forgiveness, seeing why reconciliation
confirmedthathersonhadbeenspeakingthetruthand Asonecommentatorputsit(inratheroff-puttinglan- tookplaceandwhateffectsithad.Inmanypartsofthe
was genuinely sorry for his actions. Wiesenthal wrote guage), he sees it as less ‘a static juridical concept of world where there has been conflict and violence the
that he was never able to decide whether he was right expunging a record of transgression than a dynamic, healing of memories is now an important aspect of
or wrong to withhold forgiveness from Karl, although social-psychological experience of being released from Christianmission.
hewastroubledbythenumberofGermansputontrial thedeleteriouseffectsofguiltandsinfulbehaviourand Ofcourse,aswellaslearningtoforgivewealsohave
after the war who showed no remorse for their actions restoring broken relations between human beings and tolearntoacceptforgivenessandthat,too,canbevery
and he determined to devote his life to tracking down Godandamongthemselves’. hard.
cceenn@@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr..ccoomm ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr @@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr
10 www.churchnewspaper.com FridayApril11,2014 Obituary
ImetJohnfirstthroughhiswritings,whileIwasavicar perceived to be somewhat melancholic and ill-at-ease,
in Oldham. Get into the Bible (1994) was a brilliant John’ssharphumourandacuteobservationswereseen
overview of the Bible, from first creation to new cre- attheirbestinthepulpitorlecture-room.Nowonderhe
ation, and introduced many to Biblical theology at its was appreciated most by those who were taught by
best.Itwas1998,whenImovedtobeanincumbentin him.
Chelmsforddiocese,thatIfirstmetthelankyJohnface- Bishop Stephen Cottrell of Chelmsford commended
to-face.Itwasthebeginningofalastingfriendshipand him as ‘such a faithful servant of the Gospel’. Bishop
partnership in the ‘proclamation and defence of the Pete Broadbent of Willesden wrote of John having ‘a
gospel’.IcanthinkoffewpeopleIhavecometorespect fine mind and a gift for articulating the Gospel in his
morethanJohn. blog’andbeing‘oneofthoserareconservativeevangel-
The occasion was a few evangelical incumbents talk- icalsintheCofEwhoactuallyappearstohavegrasped
ing over a recent diocesan lay conference. It had been strategicactionandforesight’.
well-organised and drew large numbers, only “it could As CABC, John partnered and led in so many other
have been so much better and beneficial to the laity,” initiatives.ChelmsfordFellowshipofConfessingAngli-
saidJohn.“IfonlyithadhadtheBibleatitscentre.I’ve cans (CFCA, originally CAM – Chelmsford Anglican
a good mind to offer a similar residential conference Mainstream) endeavours to bring conservative and
where we put the teaching of the Bible at the heart of charismatic evangelicals and traditional Catholics
ourdiocese.” togetherincommonAnglicanorthodoxy.
And that was the seed that bore fruit in the Chelms- JohnservedontheeditorialboardofNew Directions
ford Anglican Bible Conference. Now in its 14th con- for many years and was high-profile in trying to get
secutive year and attracting over 350 regularly, CABC evangelical parishes to go for ‘Resolution C’ while still
has been an inspiration and oasis at the heart of this available. John was instrumental in reviving the Dioce-
dioceseandhasgainedunashamedEpiscopalsupport. sanEvangelicalAssociation(CDEA)andaleadinginde-
It aims to give lay people joy and confidence in under- pendentlightinReformChelmsford.
standing,handlingandusingtheBible. John was his own man. He could annoy his more
Onthatafternoon,John’sfriendsknewthathewasa Calvinistcolleaguesinhisunderstandingoftherelation
visionary and a thinker, but that he would not have a of Law and Gospel and of gospel freedom. He could
cluehowtoorganizetheproverbialinabrewery.Sowe never sign the Reform Covenant as such because he
formed the committee, and CABC launched in 2000. focusedthelanguageof‘headship’inmarriage,notini-
Alwayswithafirst-classexpositorandinthecontextof John Richardson (1950-2014) tiallyinministry.HisargumentagainstWomenBishops
praise and prayer, there would be four talks giving an wasessentiallythattheinnovationwouldatitsbestcon-
PPaayyiinngg ttrriibbuuttee ttoo tthhee UUgglleeyy VViiccaarr
overview and introduction to a book or theme of the favourite,or What God has made clean–“ifwecaneat fuseandatitsworstunderminetheuniquecallingand
Bible, with further testimonies and illustrations of the prawns, why is gay sex wrong?” (2003), and others on complementarityofmarriage.NothingdoneinChurch
power and value of the Scriptures in shaping and driv- theCrossofChristorLawandGrace. should confuse or compromise what happened in the
ingtheChristianlifeinindividualsorchurches. His five talks on God and Marriage at the St Peter’s home.
High-pointshavebeenJohnLennoxonGenesis,Don (Harold Wood) weekend last September were extraor- Perhaps John’s most visionary and strategic writing
Carson on John, and (in anticipation later this year) dinary for their cosmic and cultural breadth and his was A Strategy that changes the Denomination – Angli-
Dale Ralph Davis on Joshua. John himself chaired the breath-taking,butwittyandcannyasides. can Evangelicals, the Conversion of England, and the
day in his own inimitable laconic style, almost a drawl, John’s earlier years were shaped in part by Anglo- Transformation of the Anglican Church (2011,
unlesshewasthespeaker,ashewasontwomemorable Catholic traditions, and he never lost his love and pas- www.lulu.com). Drawing on William Temple’s posthu-
years on the Pentateuch and Revelation, when he sion for the Church’s health and calling. But his mousreportin1945 TowardstheConversionofEngland
becameenergizedandpassionate. theological grounding was evangelical. It was first out- and on the Kenyan Bishop of Taita Taveta, Samson
John was a gifted teacher in the local church or fur- linedatStJohn’sTheologicalCollege,Nottingham,and Mwaluda’s Reorienting a Church for Accelerated
ther afield. He was in demand for church weekends, later,afterthetypicallymixedAnglicanexperienceofa Growth, John challenged Anglican evangelicals to lay
conferences, and synods. As a Chaplain in North Lon- confusingcuracyandanunhappyforayintoincumben- asidetheirdivisionsandpositionsandtoworktogether
donfor16yearsandfrom2000imaginativelycalledby cy, crucially galvanized and cemented by a ‘first-class’ todevelopastrategythatchangesthewholedenomina-
the then Vicar of Henham and Elsenham with Ugley, yearatMooreCollege,Sydney. tion into an instrument for evangelism and bends the
DickFarr,toapostthatgavetimeforresearch,writing John’s thinking and motivation never looked back as Churchtothegreattaskof(re)-evangelisingthenation.
andteaching,John’sgiftsblossomed. he wrestled with Scripture and its application to the ThiscameoffthebackofwhatJohnmostenjoyedset-
His students on The East Anglia Ministry (TEAM) pressures on life and faith in the world and in the tingupin2011–anannualconferencetotrainupanew
courselovedhisworkonWisdomliteratureandhissar- Church. He was a champion of orthodox doctrine and generationofyoungerclergywhowouldbeevangelical
donicthrow-awayquestionsorimages. practice, but his undoubted conservatism was never and Anglican by conviction (JAEC – Junior Anglican
He penned further incisive booklets on Bible books partisanorshrill. Evangelical Clergy, known affectionately simply as
orissues:God,Sex&Marriagein1Corinthians7(1995, His mind was incisive and distinctive, disciple of no ‘Jake’).
1998) – utterly captivating from a potentially eccentric man or stable, but illuminating and visionary in ‘the John already had very many fans of his regular and
bachelor, or Revelation Unwrapped (1996) – John’s faith once delivered to the saints’. Temperamentally compulsive blog as ‘The Ugley Vicar’. JAEC began to
plan for succession. But
Johnhasnowgone.Hedied
suddenly on 31 March in
the aftermath of an emer-
gencyoperationtoremovea
brain tumour, and succes-
sionisuncertain.
He leaves Alison, his wife
of less than six years, and a
generation of friends and
colleaguesbereftofpartner-
ship in life and love and in
the gospel. But, for John, it
is ‘gone home’ to his rest
and reward, a faithful ser-
vantofChrist,ofthegospel,
and of the Church, and an
inspiring teacher of the
grace of God and of the
faith, hope and love of
Christ.
TheRevCanonDavid
Banting,VicarofStPeter’s,
HaroldWood
cceenn@@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr..ccoomm ffaacceebbooookk..ccoomm//cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr @@cchhuurrcchhnneewwssppaappeerr