++Canterbury learns from the U.S.A.'s Political elite

Hi Sarah.     Congratulations on changing the historical records regarding Paul Revere... I was wondering, can you advise me on how to go about doing something similar on this Colin Slee story?

Money with menaces; or 'how the Archdeacon learned from the mobsters'.

Image by Bashed via Flickr

A fundamental flaw in Diocesan relations with Parochial Church Councils is that they regularly fail, and at every level, to realise that the PCC is important and should be treated as an equal, respectfully and without condescension.

The PCC is a legal entity and the equal of the diocese, in law at the very least.  The parish share is so often presented as a demand by the diocese for money that must be paid by the PCC, ‘or else’.

This has lead, in so many places, to a climate of despair and has stifled mission more than anything else in the English National Church today.

Tell people that they have to pay, or else, and the response will be to fill them with fear, dread and insecurity.  Planning, foresight and joy will fly out the window faster than you can say, “Shit; the vicar’s retiring; we will never be given a replacement”!

Whilst the organisation of the New Testament Church was often beset by struggles and personality clashes, it did make it clear that giving money to Jerusalem was to aid those in need.

Now I don’t want to engage in any other comparison with the early church because the situations are very different, of course. However the fundamental point I am making is that our leaders, and especially those dealing with finance, have forgotten that the parish share is a voluntary gift, given to assist those less fortunate than themselves.

The drive to decentralise responsibility for accountability to a non legal entity, namely deaneries, in some diocese is adding to this misunderstanding because the outcome is often that finance comes to be understood as a ‘local’ matter.

Having the resources to sustain the Gospel is not a local matter; it is a national, in fact an international matter.

Whist the Church of England continues to promote the ‘quota’ as a ‘must pay’ issue then the possibility of us understanding the real need, both here and abroad, for adequate resources to proclaim the Good News is stifled. And Treasurers everywhere loose sleep, have bad marriages and die early.

To root out the language that demands and threatens and replace it with language that asks and explains would be a radical step.  It would engage with PCCs positively and enable us all to understand what the quota is about, in fact it might attract greater scrutiny of what the quota is spent on.  Get these bits right and I am certain that PCCs would seize the vision, make every joyful effort to pray for and to work for more resources and I am also certain that they would be blessed and find that they could, voluntarily, give more.

A church bound by ties that hurt

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My Dear Bishop

I can only apologies profusely for the manner in which you were treated last week at St Hilda’s.  I only heard about it today on my return from holiday and I was aghast.  I have read your letter and I fully agree with everything that you say there, the situation was indeed appalling and should never have been allowed to happen.  Rest assured that I will be taking the necessary steps to ensure that this sort of thing never happens again and I will also be reprimanding all those involved in this dreadful sequence of events, at least those who are under our jurisdiction and who can be found.

I am absolutely certain that our popularity throughout the diocese is assured and not in question whatsoever; I believe the perpetrators of the events that night were from another diocese altogether, and who knows, maybe a different province.  I agree that things were said that should not have been said and that there will need to be a good deal of fence mending.

May I set before you my thoughts having already made urgent enquiries concerning this debacle?  I believe that a group of young drunken agitators fooled the local parishioners at St Hilda’s gagged and tied up the real diocesan clergy who were due to be present at the evening’s installation service.  I believe that they then stripped the clergy and using their robes dressed up as our own diocesan clergy in order to gain entrance to the service.

Only this explanation works, for the shouts of ‘hypocrite’ and ‘two-faced bastard’ are hardly the words that real clergy would utter in public.

It is inconceivable that any of the church’s clergy would assault you and Adam in such a way.  I know them all personally and believe them to be meek and mild and usually very compliant in everything you tell them to do.  I do believe that some clergy, abroad I believe, can be uppity and obnoxious, rather ill mannered and intemperate.  It may have been they who did these dreadful things, or at least they who may have bribed local louts to do the whole thing.  The visiting North American delegates, currently on a friendly exchange with our neighbouring diocese, they could be behind it all.  Yes I believe they are indeed the true culprits.

Either way I cannot think that the clergy we have these days would do such a thing.

I do believe that the churchwarden’s might be in on this skulduggery.  If I may be candid.  Firstly, they were very impertinent about you telling them that their preferred candidate for the parish would not be suitable.  The younger warden did suggest in her letter that you might be prejudiced against Robert because he was openly Gay.  I recall having to visit her small house and drinking some herb tea concoction whilst listening to her going on and on about it all.  It was tedious and frankly boring but necessary I suppose.

We realise that Robert was a very popular young man and indeed he was very efficient and worked tirelessly, he did also turn the parish fiancés around but I believe that you were quite right not to make him incumbent.  It required, as you said yourself, a better educated man to fill the post.

In Cedric we had a very safe pair of hands, but I am very sorry about the way it turned out for him that night.  I hear that it is doubtful that he will ever set foot in the diocese ever again.

Suffice to say that a full enquiry is underway and soon the matter will be closed as you indicated in your phone message.

Myrtle and I are looking forward to you both visiting at our home next week.  Do you still hear from Felicity at all?

Kindest regards,

Peter

Mrs Botherington

"Whatever is the matter Father?"

"Bats, Mrs Botherington.  Bats in the belfry!"

Social Media Ministry

DONT YOU THINK YOU'RE TAKING THIS SOCIAL MEDIA MINISTRY IDEA TOO FAR ARCHBISHOP?

A very Inappropriate candidate

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My Dear Bishop

I have finished the series of interviews regarding Jason Christopher and his stated desire to be ordained.  I consider him to be a very inappropriate candidate and do not believe that he has a ‘calling’ to priestly ministry.

I have noted in detail, elsewhere, my concerns about Jason but I will summarise the substantial evidence for my prime concern here.

Firstly it is alarming that most of his friends appear to be male and that he is unmarried.  Jason further confided in me that he had visited prostitutes on many occasions but that he had never had sexual relations with any one of them.  This is a worry.

Jason also recounted a very perturbing act of lewdness.  He admitted that he had been kissed by a man, and that this was openly in a public place in full view of others.  It is not the conduct becoming of a person seeking Holy Orders and he also went on to reveal that he and the man in question fell out soon after the kiss.  This is typical of men who are sexually attracted to other men; they have regular spats and are continually fighting amongst themselves and falling out.

I understand further, from a letter that was passed to me anonymously that another man claimed that Jason ‘loved him’ and this kind of thing is deeply worrying.  If this sort of thing got into the press then the scandal would be most damaging.  It is something we should not countenance and it is not something we would have control over.

There are several other concerns about Jason that preclude him from suitability for ordination, not least his relationship with authority and tendency to be subversive.  He is far too outspoken and fails to realise the difficulties facing the Anglican Communion today, he would never achieve high office and would be a thorn in the side of us all were he ever to do so.

As far as his education is concerned, I note that he has not attended the best schools and failed to achieve a place at either university.

You will, by now, understand why I cannot recommend Mr Christopher as a suitable candidate for ordination.

On a personal note, may I express my heartfelt concern on hearing about your separation from Felicity?  It is a difficult time for you both, I realise, but I also know that Adam will continue to be a real support to you through this time.  I am delighted that he has been able to take time out of his busy schedule to be with you at the Palace and offer you his support.

Yours sincerely

Rev’d  P Giddings

Cissy

Christ's redemptive work and The Big Bible Project

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I wonder if we understand the business of Christ’s redemption.  I mean what do YOU believe, how does it all work for you?

For those who have been to theological college and so on there may be some ‘official’ version and sure, there are theological arguments that go along with this territory, but what I really am wondering about is what we think about Christ’s redemption of everything in ordinary terms.

I am not thinking here about the evangelically enthusiastic sermons that I believe is the regular diet at such churches or the deeply devotional and mysterious goings on in the Anglo-Catholic churches.  I mean in the ordinary ‘on the street’ sort of way.

Lots of Christians are meeting in groups as is their tradition during lent to discuss all sorts of things and much of it will be exciting and rewarding, but it’s not even that that I’m thinking of.

I’m thinking of the person who doesn’t go to church but considers her religion to be 'Church of England'.  What about the man who is a solid establishment man, a Freemason and a member of the local government, invited to grand Cathedral events but otherwise never goes to church, nonetheless a ‘Christian’ and a keen supporter of the church.
What do these people believe about Jesus?
Substantially, in the end it is about the Bible and about reading the Bible!  It is about understanding what we read in the context of community, and that just isn’t part of most people’s experience, here in the UK today.

What can you do about it?  Well I’m not sure but going to the Big Bible website can’t be a bad start!  http://bigbible.org.uk/
However this is only a beginning and in many ways it still doesn’t answer my question as the people I’m thinking of probably don’t know about the Big Bible project.  I still wonder what they believe about Christ’s redemptive work.

MrC

To Erika.

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OK I think I'm getting it, essentially you believe that God must treat us all the same and that His intervention, if any, must be equal in every way.  To suggest that God might not be 'impartial' would describe a God who is 'unfair'.  If that's it, then I can agree with you up to a point'.

However we are made in the image of God and have been given the attribute of consciousness and self determination (free will).  Our relationship with God, for me, is real and I am involved in how my relationship with God pans out.  If I sin, then I am further from God, as it were.  God loves me just the same, like the father of the prodigal son, but my sin doesn’t help.  In the same way that my love for God might lead me to ‘good works’ and that will draw me closer to him.  How we behave has a real effect on our relationship with God and on the quality of that relationship.

So we are all offered the same opportunity to be close to Him but we also have a choice in how we respond to His love.  We are indeed children of God but we are also able to choose to love or to reject Him, just like your children.  Without this possibility then we would be no higher than angels and the sacrifice of Christ would not have been necessary.

In the matter of prayer, or more specifically response to our prayer then I am unable to offer you either signs or arguments, as my original article was attempting to say, but I can offer some other thoughts in the light of your ‘hatred’ of the God I believe in.

The Bible is a notoriously difficult book insofar as we have to respond to ambiguity and contradiction that lies therein, however it is considered to be Holy and authoritative.  You and I have to read it and draw our own conclusions according to how we believe the Holy Spirit guides us.  If we also subscribe to membership of a particular ‘church’ then we may also owe some obedience to that Churches’ view of the Bible.  (This is perhaps a little contentious).

In my own understanding of the Bible and in line with general teaching regarding prayer by various Christian communities I believe that God does intervene in response to prayer.  I have no particular insight into how this works and why, as I have said earlier.

I don’t believe that this necessarily defines His action, in response to prayer as being unjust in relation to others.  Firstly situations are often so complex that reducing the argument to a comparison of ‘like with like’ is not, in my opinion, possible.  I guess I leave that to Him.

Secondly I don’t think that He started the ‘machine we call life’ and then left the building.  In other words I believe that He hears prayer and answers prayer in very real ways; ‘Give us this day our daily bread’.

Thirdly I believe that we are called to help one another.  To reject prayer as a way of assisting others through intercessions in the ways I have suggested is, in my opinion, to limit prayer and at worse turn it into a self indulgent therapy session.

Finally I believe that God intervenes directly in this world and has done so throughout generations, but most spectacularly in His incarnation and in the miracles that Jesus did, and of course the resurrection of Christ.  Essentially God made the world and takes an active and continual part in it, throughout time.  Why one blind man might be healed rather than another?  Well I do believe Jesus was asked a similar question.

However I do agree with you that if this were to be elitist and preferential then it would be wrong, however this is available to us all.  Paul gave thanks for those who ‘knew Jesus in their hearts’ but had never heard of Him, and I believe the Holy Spirit will go wherever it will.  I believe that God is there for every child, and if we choose to turn to Him then he will respond unreservedly with real and practical love. But if we do not turn to Him then we are missing out.  Our choice.

I hope that this helps but I accept fully that this may not advance your understanding one jot, and for that matter it may simply reveal that I am foolish.

MrC

The Jews seek Signs and Greeks seek Argument.

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From time to time I don’t feel inspired and I think that I have nothing to say, in fact that’s how I’m feeling at the moment.  I was reading an article earlier that suggested that we should spend an hour, or half hour each day practicing being creative, no matter what, and perhaps that’s why I’m writing this article.

The truth is I feel deflated and I think it’s because of the dreadful news in Japan and for that matter the events recently in New Zealand, and on and on and on.

In an earlier post I alluded to MrC being involved in a national disaster and that is true, but somehow then I was able to do something and whilst I did suffer later, at the time I was active and ‘needed’, now I feel useless and saddened, deeply.  Perhaps I shouldn’t.

Lesley Fellows wrote an article about prayer, and I read it, it was okay but failed, for me, to accept that prayer does change things, ‘for real’, in a miraculous way if you like.  For me, prayer can, and does alter the laws of nature and does lead to ‘miracles’.  I’ve no idea when or how or why, but I believe it can.  For me it is an article of faith to believe that God can and does alter this sometimes machine like existence we call life.  For me this ‘truth’ is part of what the incarnation was and the resurrection continues to be about.

To pray to a god who cannot assist, cannot respond, is possibly personally edifying and maybe helpful for the health of the mind, but it is not adequate for me.

I saw a sign. It said “There is probably no God” and I thought, so it’s a matter of faith then.  The Jews seek Signs and Greeks seek argument.

MrC

A trip in the cathedral

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The intention to deceive is one that we live with in the UK constantly and it drives us to mistrust.  It is assumed today that you are a dishonest person here in the UK, at least by commerce and civil authorities a good deal of the time and it seems to me that it is an assumption that is gaining pace into other areas of our lives.

We have created a society that distrusts and so we have all sorts of checks and security information we need to remember, stuff our grandparents would have laughed at.  But then our world is a more complex one for us to live in and one that has given us international travel, the internet and greater wealth for many in the western world.

Yet in moments of crisis we were okay, at least then, when need was real and urgent we could be sure that people would put aside this mistrust and come to our aid.  Certainly that has been my experience, in helping out in a time of national disaster, that ordinary people have been generous and willing to help without question.

I said, ‘we were okay’ because today we could face mistrust in moments of trouble.  If you fall on the property of a cathedral, be aware that the apparent kindness of the designated first aider and her conspicuous over zealous reaction to a few bruises and scrapes, including the emergency blanket may be more to do with avoiding legal claims against the cathedral than concern for your injuries, or am I simply a mistrusting product of our age?

MrC

Did Jesus sell toys to the Romans?

Image via WikipediaI was wondering if Jesus sold toys to the Romans?

What I mean is that He was a carpenter’s son and so He might have helped His Dad out and had a go at making wooden toys.  He lived near the Decapolis, the towns that were multicultural and more integrated with Roman ways.  And so voilà; Did Jesus sell toys to the Romans?

Either way it sheds light on His ministry and a good deal on the content of the Bible.  For example, the towns of the Decapolis minted their own coinage and I guess they were proud of the fact that they could.  Being aware of this in Jesus’ background makes the passage concerning the question of whose image was on the coin more interesting.

Jesus’ exposure to the more ‘liberal’ society of the Decapolis might also shed light on His message of forgiveness and getting along with one another better.  It is an interesting thought that God’s arrangement of the incarnation at that moment and in that place produced the man, Jesus and it may be that the Decapolis went some way to form His character.

MrC

Rowan explains all about the Anglican covenant.

Do you remember?

Cover of Groucho Marx

Karl Marx, I believe, said that ‘religion was the opiate of the masses’, but today, I believe, BBC Radio 2 is that opiate.

Now this is a most outrageous comment for me to make as I don’t listen to radio 2, but I have an impression of radio 2.  For those who are outside the UK then I suggest you think of any radio station that is a mix of inane chat and eclectic music of the popular variety.  I imagine we all comment on things we only have an impression of in reality.

I was thinking, last night, that if I had read half the books I possess then I would be a clever cat indeed, except that the ones I have read I hardly remember in any sort of detail.  Yet I will believe that I know something of Karl Marx and for that matter Groucho Marx, because I’ve read about them at some point in my life.

The truth is my memory isn’t that good and I am often surprised when I revisit a book and find that my ‘hero’ in it wasn’t all that good or that someone I thought was a villain, in fact did some good things after all.

For you it will be different, perhaps you remember most that you read or hear or see, but I’m guessing your more like me, forgetful and possessing a rather unreliable memory.

Well here’s the punch line.  It’s like that with the Bible and the things inside, so it’s a good idea to read it again, now and then.  Perhaps if we did then we might find more that we can agree on than that which divides us.

MrC

Prayers are needed in Little Piddle in East Yorkshire. They are hoping for Broadband this year!

Image via WikipediaHere in Little Piddle, East Yorkshire, there hasn’t been any Broadband since the days when it all began.  For years now the people of Piddle have had to forgo the pleasures of the Internet and  have , instead, taken up clog dancing and home wine making to while away the hours.  “Time weighs heavily” said a near neighbour of Mrs Pringle.  The distress of the people of Piddle is dreadful and something MUST be done about things here.

The Local councillor has been on the phone about the matter many times but he says he has been thwarted by the powers that be who ask him to send them a picture of the village by email. “You can’t send a decent image though the Internet” said Mr Tinsley “my camera wont let me do little files so what can we do about it?  If only the powers that be would let us have that Broadband then everything would be great” he said today.

The local vicar, Doreen, has been asked to see if she can do something for the villagers and quick as a flash she put on a service of hope for everyone. “It was wonderful”, said Doreen “I’ve never seen the church so full.”  When asked if it has helped at all Vicar Doreen said” yes it has brought us all closer together.”  The village church is a small church that nestles in the valley beside Little Piddle, and herein lies the villages predicament.

According to the Powers that be, Little Piddle is in too deep a valley for UK Broadband to work.  A spokesperson for the Powers that be said “ if only Piddle wasn’t in such a deep valley then we could get the Broadband working but as it is there's nothing we can do to help the people of Piddle”.

A wealthy local has offered to fill the valley in a bit with the leftovers from his business but it is felt that this would take too long, some say that the local scrap dealer is a bit mad anyway and that he does not always have the needs of the Villagers in the forefront of his mind.

All may not be lost however for the people of Piddle as a wind farm is being planned for one of the hills in Piddle and it is thought that this will help residents to consider moving to another area where Broadband is readily available.

Mr Greasebee, of Greater Piddle, a  large town some three miles distant, says that he and his community would welcome the people of Little Piddle and explained that there was plenty of council accommodation in his Town and that the people of Little Piddle would be given top priority.

Tonight there is to be a public meeting in the Village Hall here in Little Piddle and the matter is to be put to the vote.  The local postmistress, however, believes that nothing will be decided as it is unlikely to attract many people.  When asked why, the Postmistress replied, “Nobody really wants this Broadband modern thing here anyhow, its just something for us to moan about”.

Will the people of Piddle move to Greater Piddle, will the valley become a car dump, will the powers that be come up with a way round the valley being too deep?   We cannot at this stage know how things will turn out, but for now, keep praying for the people of Little Piddle!

This article has nothing to do with Little Piddle a hamlet in Piddletown parish, Dorsetshire, near Piddletown.

The Naked Archdeacon.

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There are many clergy serving the Church of England today who live in trepidation.  I cannot believe that this is an acceptable situation.

In 1975 The Naked Civil Servant, a 1975 TV film based on the 1968 autobiography by the gay icon Quentin Crisp, was broadcast on independent television here in England.  It was regarded as the fourth most successful British programme ever broadcast by the British Film Institute in 2000.

I mention this film because it was a pivotal moment in changing English attitudes towards people who are gay.  It has not transformed every person in England and I am certain that sections of our society are as oppressive towards gay people today as much as they were in 1975.  However we are living in a society that is largely comfortable with people’s sexuality and we are a much more liberal society as a result.

However the truth is that gay clergy live under the rule of that section of English society that remains oppressive towards gay people, the Church of England establishment.

Whatever theological or ethical stance a person may take on the issue of sexuality the truth is that a person who is both gay and a member of the Clergy here in England will be prejudiced against preferment if he or she makes public their private sexual life.

Parishioners, on the other hand, are far more in touch with the ‘pulse’ of the nation and perhaps the nature of God.  Having a 'vicar' at all is the concern of the average church goer today and irrelevant complications of worrying about their sexual orientation is simply not an issue.  The Anglican God, here in England, is understood by the people to be a loving and inclusive God.  The Church of England establishment, on the other hand, is seen as excluding and conservative and more in tune with avoiding mis-perceived 'scandal'.  The Anglo-Catholic wing has not had a problem with clergy sexuality for generations.

The possibility of becoming a Bishop in the Church of England if one is openly gay is reduced.  Men and Women serving in the Church of England live in fear that to disclose the truth of their sexual orientation would be to end their hopes of preferment!

The matter of sexual orientation is a non-issue for the vast majority of people in England.  It is entirely possible that the appointment of a gay man as a Bishop would in fact endear the church to the people of England.

The Naked Civil Servant  was broadcast a long time ago, Jim’ll Fix it and The Good Life premièred that year and soon after ‘queer bashing’ began to give way to to ‘paki bashing’.  The Church of England establishment remains living in a world that only has four TV channels and appears still to be using a ‘Gestetner’ for all its photocopying needs.


This is a very rough and ready calculation but one that might give food for thought.  Surveys seem to conclude that around 6% of the population are not heterosexual and that would mean that there are approximately 450 non-heterosexual clergy serving today, and of them about 20 are senior clergy, including Bishops.

Gene is not the only Gay Bishop.

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I listened to the radio and heard of a dead Bishop.

From the BBC…

“The Right Reverend Derek Rawcliffe was an openly gay Bishop who has died aged 89.

In March 1995 the Right Reverend Derek Rawcliffe discussed his homosexuality on Newsnight and, in doing so, became the first openly gay Church of England bishop. Rawcliffe had spent more than 30 years working on islands in the south Pacific and had been awarded the OBE for his services. In the 1980s he transferred to a very different diocese when he was appointed Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway.

John Wilson spoke to the BBC’s former religious affairs correspondent Ted Harrison.

Derek Rawcliffe was born 8 July 1921 and died 1 February 2011.”

In July the guardian reported that

 “Dr Jeffrey John, the dean of St Albans, was in the running for the senior position at Southwark until his name was leaked, enabling conservative clerics to stop the appointment. An embattled Williams has now launched an inquiry at Lambeth Palace to find out who divulged the name.

The archbishop was appalled that John's name was disclosed in a successful attempt to derail his candidacy, exactly seven years after he was forced to stand down as the prospective bishop of Reading following a previous outcry by conservative evangelicals against John's sexuality. Fingers are being pointed at the same evangelical hardliners who orchestrated the 2003 campaign.”

The matter of appointing Bishops has another significant focus for men like Dr John which is that prospective Bishops are, canonically required to be seen as a ‘focus for unity’.
In August 2010 Thinking Anglican’s were able to report that....

“Mr Brett then asked Mr Fittall a supplementary question:

Within the procedure for appointing bishops, what is the understanding of what it means to be a focus of unity in a diocese.

Mr Fittall replied:

That’s a very good question and it’s a phrase that I think is allowed to speak for itself. It is a canonical requirement that a bishop should be a focus of unity. And it is for the judgment, in the case of a suffragan bishop, of the diocesan bishop, advised by those who support him in that process. And in the case of diocesan appointments it is for the judgment of the Crown Nominations Commission. And those making appointments have to take account of a wide range of considerations, including statements made by the House of Bishops. It is at the end of the day a judgment.”

Doing a little joined up thinking then I wonder if The Right Reverend Derek Rawcliffe or indeed Dr. John would stand any chance of becoming a Bishop today?  Has anything changed or would the church hide behind canonical requirement?

Of course the Church of England embraces gay Bishops, even those with partners.  It is because these particular people choose not to be open about their sexuality and their relationships that the Church of England finds them acceptable.

As to the phrase ‘focus of unity’, I think that does not help one jot.  Many Bishops are appointed who were not a ‘focus for unity’ for various groups within diocese, and clearly they are not barred from preferment.

Mr. Fittalls’ words are ringing in my ears. “It is at the end of the day a judgment.”  Yes Mr Fittall, but whose judgement?

Related articles

• Gay English bishop Derek Rawcliffe dies at 89 (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• The Right Reverend Derek Rawcliffe (telegraph.co.uk)

If who was Archbishop of Canterbury?

If Mr Sentimoo, the archbishop of York were the Archbishop of Canterbury, would the proposed powers of the Anglican covenant look as comfortable as they might today?

Given the bullying of Synod by Sentimoo that I have witnessed over the last two years and the blatant cow-towing of the chair of synod to him, the acquiescence of the establishment in his abuse of position over the Anglican Covenant that he opposes, then the powers that the Anglican Covenant would put in his hands could cause serious harm and deep division for people who did not agree with him.

If Bishops are prepared to stoop to bullying tactics and are insensitive to the feelings of others, as many are, can we truly put more power in their hands?  Transparency in our relationships is essential and equality must be what we strive for.  The hierarchical structure of the Anglican covenant is our potential downfall and it will, if adopted, bring unhappiness and injustice to people of integrity and faith.

I believe in God.

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I am beginning to wonder how well I know the world of twitter, face book and blogging and concluding,’ not very well’.  I thought that the idea of having a national record of Diocesan Synod reports concerning the debate on the Anglican covenant would be met with enthusiasm and vigour.  It was, of course, by two people, so I am wrong it seems.

In the last 24 hours I have heard that a prominent lay member of a local church is not interested in the Anglican covenant because it won’t have any impact on the local church, so any hope of making inroads into her cerebral wonderland is lost forever and this otherwise sane woman won't be on her own in taking that stance.

To add to my malaise I have received further insights into the wicked workings of deputy Bishops being utterly insensitive, rude unsafe unchristian and indeed quite mad.

I could easily err on the side of desperation, and occasionally I do, but on the whole I don’t.  The reason is simple.  I believe in God and it is in God that I have faith and in God I trust.  As a Catholic I have, in the past, had a high regard for the Church and particularly my own Church of England.  Today I do not have that high regard, not in the ‘established and managed church’ sense.

I am learning that to love God does not mean giving blind obedience to the Church and certainly not to the management thereof.  For me a change in perspective has happened and I am forced to reassess my understanding of God, and indeed my understanding, in part, of the nature of God and certainly His method of working in the world today.

The Anglican Covenant will go one way or another, the deplorable actions of management in the church will continue unrecorded though much talked about in Diocesan Houses and the like.  I will read our Bible and reassess my relationship with God, my creator.

Mr C

Reporting the Anglican Covenant 'debate' in Diocesan Synods.

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It is said that the oxygen of democracy is the media.  Yesterday I suggested that the oxygen of synodical democracy in the Church of England was both stale and a little fetid at times.

I also suggested that the matter of the ‘Anglican Covenant’ as a debate at Deanery level was being quashed by some Bishops by making the issue one of approval rather than debate at Diocesan Synods.

My evidence for this is anecdotal.  I would hope that each Anglican Diocesan Synod might have a reporter, which could be anyone, who would be willing to post a report of their diocesan debate on that one issue so that it might be published here on the www and available for all to read.

Perhaps this is already being done?  Any thoughts?  Mr CatOLick would be happy to host the reports if necessary.