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  1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649</id><updated>2024-04-17T07:52:02.488+01:00</updated><category term="Buckinghamshire"/><category term="humour"/><category term="fun"/><category term="silly"/><category term="Church of England"/><category term="family"/><category term="film"/><category term="Anglican Communion"/><category term="Ecclesiology"/><category term="media"/><category term="Lambeth conference"/><category term="Education"/><category term="Parish Ministry"/><category term="Social responsibility"/><category term="faith"/><category 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Address"/><category term="Star Wars"/><category term="Statius"/><category term="Stephen Cotterell"/><category term="Stephen Fry"/><category term="Stephen Glover"/><category term="Stephen Than Myint Oo"/><category term="Steve Bushell"/><category term="Steve Coogan"/><category term="Steve Hollinghurst"/><category term="Steve Whitmore"/><category term="Steven Johnson"/><category term="Steven Spielberg"/><category term="Stoke Poges"/><category term="Stomp"/><category term="Stone"/><category term="Stowe School"/><category term="Street Kids Direct"/><category term="Stroke"/><category term="Style"/><category term="Suburbia"/><category term="Suicide"/><category term="Supermarkets"/><category term="Susan Grenfield"/><category term="Susannah Constantine"/><category term="Susannah Herschel"/><category term="Susie Simpson"/><category term="Swami Jeff"/><category term="Sydney"/><category term="T-Mobile"/><category term="Tableau"/><category term="Taliban"/><category term="Tamar"/><category term="Taplow"/><category term="Target Setting"/><category term="Tax"/><category term="Teach for America"/><category term="Teacher"/><category term="Tear Fund"/><category term="Technical Support"/><category term="Teddy Kennedy"/><category term="Teenagers"/><category term="Tefal water heater"/><category term="Teilhard de Chardin"/><category term="Temple"/><category term="Terriers"/><category term="Terry Brown"/><category term="Terry Pratchett"/><category term="Thabo Makgoba"/><category term="The Big Snit"/><category term="The Boat that Rocked"/><category term="The Choice"/><category term="The Crypt Café"/><category term="The Ghost Map"/><category term="The IT Crowd"/><category term="The International"/><category term="The Joneses"/><category term="The Mysteries"/><category term="The Time Traveler’s wife"/><category term="Theatre"/><category term="Theme Parks"/><category term="Theo Hobson"/><category term="Thilo Sarrazin"/><category term="Thomas E. Ricks"/><category term="Thomas Friedman"/><category term="Thomas L Friedman"/><category term="Thomas Traherne"/><category term="Thunderbirds"/><category term="Tickford Park School"/><category term="Tilda Swinton"/><category term="Tim Butlin"/><category term="Tim Chesterton"/><category term="Tim Davies"/><category term="Tim Ennis"/><category term="Tim Harper"/><category term="Tim Norwood"/><category term="Times Square"/><category term="Timothy Garton Ash"/><category term="Tina Stirling"/><category term="Titanic"/><category term="Tom Ford"/><category term="Tom Tykwer"/><category term="Tom&#39;s Shoes"/><category term="Tony Baldry MP"/><category term="Tony Jordan"/><category term="Tony Robinson"/><category term="Tony Zinni"/><category term="Tools"/><category term="Top Cat"/><category term="Toronto"/><category term="Tower Hamlets"/><category term="Trabant"/><category term="Tractarians"/><category term="Trafalgar Day"/><category term="Tragedy"/><category term="Trail of Hope"/><category term="Trailfinders"/><category term="Trampoline"/><category term="Transfiguration"/><category term="Transition culture"/><category term="Transport"/><category term="Treadmills"/><category term="Trinny Woodall"/><category term="Trump Tower"/><category term="Tudors"/><category term="Turtles"/><category term="Turville"/><category term="Turweston"/><category term="Type"/><category term="Typealyzer"/><category term="U. A. Fanthorpe"/><category term="URC"/><category term="US Senate"/><category term="Uganda"/><category term="Ulster Covenant"/><category term="Underground"/><category term="Valentine"/><category term="Vanessa Hidary"/><category term="Vaxjo"/><category term="Venice Beach"/><category term="Via Dolorosa"/><category term="Victoria and Albert Museum"/><category term="Vimeo"/><category term="Viral Marketing"/><category term="Virgin Atlantic"/><category term="Virgin Birth"/><category term="Vremen"/><category term="W. E. Gladstone"/><category term="WATCH"/><category term="WMD"/><category term="Waddesdon"/><category term="WalMart"/><category term="Waldensians"/><category term="Wales"/><category term="Wallace and Gromit"/><category term="War on terror"/><category term="Wargrave"/><category term="Water Eaton"/><category term="Wealth"/><category term="Weather"/><category term="Welsh Revival"/><category term="Wendell Berry"/><category term="Wendy Kopp"/><category term="West Bank"/><category term="Westminster"/><category term="Westminster Abbey"/><category term="Whitsun"/><category term="Wiliam Stringfellow"/><category term="Will Adam"/><category term="William Barclay"/><category term="William Cowper"/><category term="William Mills"/><category term="Windows"/><category term="Winton Marsalis"/><category term="Wisdom"/><category term="Woburn"/><category term="Woodhill"/><category term="Wordle"/><category term="Work and Family"/><category term="Work-life balance"/><category term="Working time"/><category term="World of Warcraft"/><category term="World population"/><category term="Wotton Underwood"/><category term="Wunjo Guitars"/><category term="X-factor"/><category term="Xavier Beauvoir"/><category term="Yad Vashem"/><category term="Yoga"/><category term="Yom  haShoah"/><category term="York Minster"/><category term="Zopa"/><category term="absolutism"/><category term="ading"/><category term="anger"/><category term="anonymous letters"/><category term="baroque art"/><category term="bread"/><category term="canism"/><category term="charity"/><category term="cinnovation"/><category term="clock"/><category term="coke and mentos"/><category term="cuts"/><category term="determinism"/><category term="e-readers"/><category term="frogs"/><category term="future"/><category term="gossip"/><category term="grief"/><category term="hasidism"/><category term="hayden Chistensen"/><category term="holy toast"/><category term="human nature"/><category term="iBible"/><category term="iPad"/><category term="iPod"/><category term="idolatry"/><category term="illness"/><category term="iris Murdoch"/><category term="jet lag"/><category term="martyrdom"/><category term="meditation"/><category term="meetings"/><category term="melodrama"/><category term="mentos and coke"/><category term="mindfreak"/><category term="neanderthals"/><category term="neighbourhood"/><category term="news"/><category term="odd"/><category term="openness"/><category term="organisational theory"/><category term="passion play"/><category term="personal trust"/><category term="printing"/><category term="quality and Human Rights Commission"/><category term="red Letter Christianity"/><category term="revolution"/><category term="riots"/><category term="road deaths"/><category term="sacrifice"/><category term="saints"/><category term="seeing"/><category term="sixties"/><category term="slander"/><category term="spiritual fruit"/><category term="stamps"/><category term="stress"/><category term="talking cat"/><category term="terence Blanchard"/><category term="the Soloist"/><category term="traffic"/><category term="transparency"/><category term="turkeys"/><category term="voting systems"/><category term="walking on water"/><category term="whales"/><category term="wildlife"/><category term="wom"/><category term="words"/><category term="ython"/><title type='text'>Bishop Alan’s Blog</title><subtitle type='html'>working notes of the Church of England Bishop of Buckingham —&#xa;life, ministry, leadership, justice, hope, history, humor, film, Buckinghamshire, UK,</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default?redirect=false'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25&amp;redirect=false'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>1075</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-5157093311480518176</id><published>2017-02-16T09:24:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2017-02-16T17:12:07.670+00:00</updated><title type='text'>Back to the Holy Drawing Board, with some relief</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  2. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  3. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  4. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkqIbvUiOpgFFnzZ11WmKoPLojfSsONA0gll7sYO8gxUhAdswN9oTI2EGv_lTyRMdB6a14o_KgfzLCpQa19GP7b3i2N2es7pGryyOAiPUVVZI4fgdRYRJpROD-7IsOLbQfWnTUhdDXDg/s1600/turn_again.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkqIbvUiOpgFFnzZ11WmKoPLojfSsONA0gll7sYO8gxUhAdswN9oTI2EGv_lTyRMdB6a14o_KgfzLCpQa19GP7b3i2N2es7pGryyOAiPUVVZI4fgdRYRJpROD-7IsOLbQfWnTUhdDXDg/s320/turn_again.jpg&quot; width=&quot;175&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;For a conventional set up like the Church of England General Synod, all its structures loaded for deference, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2017/feb/16/the-clergy-has-moved-on-its-the-bishops-who-are-out-of-touch?CMP=share_btn_fb&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;yesterday&#39;s result&lt;/a&gt; was something of a shock to the system.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  5. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  6. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;Many episcopal colleagues may feel disappointed that the clergy did not buy a report laying down C of E&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt; policy for the world before it had even been to synod.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  7. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  8. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;This kind of bloody nose may stir memories of the Anglican Covenant project — another &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;disastrous and ecclesiologically inept&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt; attempt to make doctrine through lawyers that backfired.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  9. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  10. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;But every failure brings opportunity...&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  11. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;This one gives us a chance to follow up the Shared Conversations, which were generally good and constructive, properly.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  12. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  13. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;A fair and effective follow-up report will&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  14. &lt;br /&gt;
  15. &lt;ol style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  16. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;reflect truly what actually happened in the shared conversations, instead of being heavily loaded towards doing nothing politely. A lifetime of steering round difficulties rather than facing them may not fit us for an hour such as this, but the best way out is through. If the Church of England can make it through to a place of mutual respect and understanding, evidence from churches the other side of the Atlantic that have done this is that it can lead to great spiritual and community flourishing. Perpetuate the stale debates as they have been framed these past 40 years, and we&#39;re stuck with where we are.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  17. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;include someone openly LGBTI in its composition group — 2 if there are two strong advocates of the &quot;Living Out&quot; position which, let&#39;s face it, is an extreme and unusual niche point of view that should be heard with the respect it deserves, but not given a veto over the result compared to overwhelming majority views among LGBTI people&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  18. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;It will include in its author group, alongside others, somebody who has actually begun to think through and articulate theology and Bible interpretation to affirm the possibility of gay people marrying. A group exclusively composed of people who have never thought such a thing might seriously be possible, or are profoundly hostile to the very notion, cannot map out how to deal with the reality around us, as it’s now shaping up.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  19. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;Understand the difference between a canon and the creed. It will use the traditional approach to marriage of the Church in England before 1950s new model indissolubilism, and the Higton Motion of 1987. The Doctrine Commission of 1922-38 would make a better starting point than either of these.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  20. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;Realise that you can&#39;t make your effective theology entirely through lawyers. Lawyers are the last people you consult, to give legal effect to what you have decided to do, not the first people you use to shape your theological options.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  21. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;Expunge the almost certainly unwitting Jewish / Gentile replacement theology in one paragraph that articulates this damaging approach to NT Scripture.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  22. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;Look forward to our real missional context over the next 10 years, not simply try to draw together an answer out of the wrangling of the past 20.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  23. &lt;/ol&gt;
  24. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;What about Bishops?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  25. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;This reverse for the approach the house of bishops took is an invitation to renew episcopal ministry — We need Bishops who are confident about the possibilities and limits of their role, and able, more positively, to work according to the ordinal, as servants and enablers of the people of God in their mission.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  26. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;The idea, so beloved of Caiaphas, that we can resolve differences by continuing to throw a minority under the bus, but doing it politely, if you please, is a busted flush.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  27. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;Bishops are not called to be nannies, old school boarding headmasters, elite experts, or a cabinet of politicians trying to manage and fix a crisis.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  28. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;True collegiality can only be founded on the reality of the people involved, the truth that sets people free, missional and pastoral alignment, and mutual respect. It does not come from political gamesmanship, groupthink and manipulation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  29. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;I think pretty much all the bishops &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #1d2129;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;know this, really. If we climbed down from various high horses, as clergy have had to do since the end of the great ages of deference, we would be better bishops, and our work would enable, not inhibit, the flourishing of the whole people of God.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  30. &lt;div class=&quot;&quot; data-block=&quot;true&quot; data-editor=&quot;4tr5d&quot; data-offset-key=&quot;brr68-0-0&quot; style=&quot;color: #1d2129; font-family: &#39;San Francisco&#39;, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &#39;.SFNSText-Regular&#39;, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;
  31. &lt;div class=&quot;_1mf _1mj&quot; data-offset-key=&quot;brr68-0-0&quot; style=&quot;direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;&quot;&gt;
  32. &lt;span data-offset-key=&quot;brr68-0-0&quot; style=&quot;font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  33. &lt;/div&gt;
  34. &lt;/div&gt;
  35. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/5157093311480518176/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=5157093311480518176&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/5157093311480518176'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/5157093311480518176'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2017/02/back-to-holy-drawing-board-with-some.html' title='Back to the Holy Drawing Board, with some relief'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkqIbvUiOpgFFnzZ11WmKoPLojfSsONA0gll7sYO8gxUhAdswN9oTI2EGv_lTyRMdB6a14o_KgfzLCpQa19GP7b3i2N2es7pGryyOAiPUVVZI4fgdRYRJpROD-7IsOLbQfWnTUhdDXDg/s72-c/turn_again.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-7125868169356802835</id><published>2017-01-27T13:13:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2017-01-27T13:13:41.765+00:00</updated><title type='text'>How to Get Home in the Fog</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  36. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 20.5px; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;
  37. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZSm5Orskx1uEGSl3AUY_HlPKdBieAvEFOPNbL6SxlX7Et2rybbZqJb1Glmt1R9ivCdDRyLMlKmHUYxmYhk-KV0KnD-9rN4wdCfscf1xbpcX6gHbB7l1tl4sQUE2LJF_f2BK2niUvgWo/s1600/covert6.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZSm5Orskx1uEGSl3AUY_HlPKdBieAvEFOPNbL6SxlX7Et2rybbZqJb1Glmt1R9ivCdDRyLMlKmHUYxmYhk-KV0KnD-9rN4wdCfscf1xbpcX6gHbB7l1tl4sQUE2LJF_f2BK2niUvgWo/s320/covert6.jpg&quot; width=&quot;211&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;I always wonder what horses think about a coachman.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  38. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 20.5px; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;
  39. &lt;b&gt;I imagine that they think him stupid, unjust, particular about unnecessary trifles, and always checking them needlessly.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  40. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 20.5px; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;
  41. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  42. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 20.5px; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;
  43. &lt;b&gt;But his business is to get the coach along without upsetting it. He is on the box &amp;amp; he sees more than anybody else. He is not responsible for the obstacles in the road and if he could regulate all the traffic he could make things easy all round.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  44. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 20.5px; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;
  45. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  46. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 20.5px; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;
  47. &lt;b&gt;But alas he is limited to the obscure &amp;amp; ignoble duty of steering his own vehicle to the best of his power.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  48. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 16.5px; line-height: normal; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;
  49. &lt;i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  50. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 16.5px; line-height: normal; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;
  51. &lt;i&gt;Bishop of London to Fr Henry Westall, 3 April 1900.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  52. &lt;br /&gt;
  53. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  54. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSxJjOKj_h9VTioDopQQUGhExBsskhvQIOic7Ex6goAecf1EqpTp-OCzFfIcZVnBrC_XNjJrh6nEkfVrEFtF7WHUveQi3Qt-y0UbI_jFXv8x29YAvZAaijlEm_0yS_30EsC8Rkw1xyUc/s1600/st-cuthberts-stone-carvers-under-mrs-dalton-k69-201-copy.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;179&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSxJjOKj_h9VTioDopQQUGhExBsskhvQIOic7Ex6goAecf1EqpTp-OCzFfIcZVnBrC_XNjJrh6nEkfVrEFtF7WHUveQi3Qt-y0UbI_jFXv8x29YAvZAaijlEm_0yS_30EsC8Rkw1xyUc/s320/st-cuthberts-stone-carvers-under-mrs-dalton-k69-201-copy.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  55. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 20.5px; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;
  56. &lt;b&gt;“True, My Lord,” Mr Westall might have replied, “but in a fog the coachman, from his box, sees no further than anyone else can, while the horses (poor unreasoning beasts) can at least feel the solid ground under their feet,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  57. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 20.5px; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;
  58. &lt;b&gt;and sometimes their instinct will lead them safely home.”&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  59. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 16.5px; line-height: normal; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;
  60. W.Scott, &quot;An &#39;advanced&#39; view of the &#39;Church Crisis&#39;&quot;&lt;/div&gt;
  61. &lt;div class=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;
  62. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times; font-size: 16.5px; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Nineteenth Century&lt;/i&gt;, April 1901, p 692.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  63. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  64. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/7125868169356802835/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=7125868169356802835&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/7125868169356802835'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/7125868169356802835'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-to-get-home-in-fog.html' title='How to Get Home in the Fog'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZSm5Orskx1uEGSl3AUY_HlPKdBieAvEFOPNbL6SxlX7Et2rybbZqJb1Glmt1R9ivCdDRyLMlKmHUYxmYhk-KV0KnD-9rN4wdCfscf1xbpcX6gHbB7l1tl4sQUE2LJF_f2BK2niUvgWo/s72-c/covert6.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-1272823892055253675</id><published>2016-01-17T10:56:00.004+00:00</published><updated>2016-01-25T03:31:47.373+00:00</updated><title type='text'>Washington Post</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  65. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHrNvS24Y9StzSYagX6F6jNgZclkqryZRL5JFOs4Do0_uwU7pz0SVLOSDwqHjreMk_HYY-ANCqHaf9DKT8jQydZth_GbJ0xy_nY4hGspkSmf2YobvvVM4PKL8rPiFW_Sbzf4fNQFLAdc/s1600/Jefferson_Memorial_Washington_DC.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHrNvS24Y9StzSYagX6F6jNgZclkqryZRL5JFOs4Do0_uwU7pz0SVLOSDwqHjreMk_HYY-ANCqHaf9DKT8jQydZth_GbJ0xy_nY4hGspkSmf2YobvvVM4PKL8rPiFW_Sbzf4fNQFLAdc/s200/Jefferson_Memorial_Washington_DC.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This morning Ed Stourton interviewed &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cathedral.org/staff/PE-5EADO-3T0018.shtml&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde&lt;/a&gt; of Washington DC on the BBC &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06w6t88&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;R4 Sunday programme&lt;/a&gt;. Both for its content, and as a case study clear radio interviews, I commend it for study:&lt;br /&gt;
  66. &lt;br /&gt;
  67. &lt;div&gt;
  68. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  69. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;ES&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Anglican primates have reaffirmed their determination to walk together after their Canterbury meeting this week, but the Episcopal Church in the United States will have to walk a few steps behind everyone else for a while. It’s been sent to administrative and doctrinal Coventry for three years for endorsing gay marriage.&lt;br /&gt;
  70. &lt;br /&gt;
  71. The Rt Revd Mariann Edgar Budde is the Bishop of Washington DC,&lt;br /&gt;
  72. and she gave me her reaction:&lt;br /&gt;
  73. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  74. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  75. +MB &amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;We were expecting this reaction because all the warning signals in all the pre conversations had indicated that many in the broader communion wanted the American church to be sanctioned in some way. And I would just want to say we are unified. I am personally so proud and grateful for the leadership of our presiding bishop, Michael Curry.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  76. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  77. &amp;nbsp; ES&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;I was gong to ask about him. Do you think he fought your corner hard enough?&lt;/div&gt;
  78. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  79. +MB &amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;Oh my goodness! Well, fighting isn’t the way Bishop Michael Curry works. As he said he was gong into these talks as a Christian, as a member of this body coming in with his whole heart and with clarity about the good discerning of our church. He was clear, he was passionate, he was appropriately humble, in the sense that he was not seeking to disrespect anyone but wanting to stand, as he said so well, stand among them as a brother in the faith, and yet very clear, very firm, that the place where we as Episcopalian Christians have come to in our own discerning is solid and is not going to change.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  80. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  81. &amp;nbsp; ES&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;You’ve anticipated my question! Will it change?&lt;/div&gt;
  82. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  83. +MB &amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;No we are not all of one mind in this side of Christendom, as is true in any other part of the church, but this process for us led to a very solid consensus among the breadth of the Episcopal church that this is where God was calling us to be. The consequences in the communion are difficult, but we have a real understanding of our relationships in the communion being much deeper and much more personal than the governing bodies, or the leadership bodies of the primates, which are consultative and fraternal but not constitutionally binding.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  84. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  85. &amp;nbsp; ES &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;If you are as settled as you say you are in your view on this question, that means that this is just a breathing space, doesn’t it? That this is going to come back and that the arguments will not have gone away?&lt;/div&gt;
  86. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  87. +MB&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Well, three years is a long time. A lot can happen in three years, witness the changes in our country in the secular realm around issues of marriage and inclusion. So I make no predictions, but I am completely confident that what will not happen is any movement backward in the official position of the Episcopal Church vis à vis our understanding of marriage and the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people in the life of our Church.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  88. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  89. &amp;nbsp; ES &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;And as you speak today, do you still feel part of the Anglican Communion?&lt;/div&gt;
  90. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  91. +MB&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Oh most certainly. The Anglican Communion is not determined by hierarchy. It’s this extraordinary network of relationships, deep and profound relationships across the world, that are based in common mission. You cannot [over]estimate how deeply connected the American Church feels to our brothers and sisters across the world. As the archbishop said, there are consequences for decisions made in one church. We accept those consequences, and as consequences go this is relatively mild. Our broader concern is for gay and lesbian people and members of churches around the world who are in a much more vulnerable place than any of us can imagine.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  92. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  93. &amp;nbsp; ES &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Did the archbishop of Canterbury’s apology for the hurt caused to gay and lesbian people in the past convince you, and gay and lesbian members of the Episcopal Church?&lt;/div&gt;
  94. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  95. +MB&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Well, I can’t speak for others. I believe the archbishop was sincere in his apology. As I said it reminds me of very awkward statements that we, during our years of discerning our positions on gay and lesbians, we would say things very similar on our journey through this process. We tried to carve out a place of love and unconditional acceptance for gay and lesbian people and yet deny them their god-given identity as full members of the church. And yet the discrepancy between such words and actions can only be tolerated for so long, and then you must change your church to reflect the desire that you have for that pain to be addressed appropriately.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  96. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  97. &amp;nbsp; ES &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;So what you’re saying quite politely to the archbishop of Canterbury is “you’re just a bit behind, you’ll catch us up in the end?”&lt;/div&gt;
  98. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-left: 34px; text-indent: -34px;&quot;&gt;
  99. +MB&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;This is an insight that we have come to, and we recognise it as similar to insights we came to regarding the role of women in leadership in the church, regarding our teachings in terms of the full inclusion of divorced persons in the church, certainly in our ongoing struggles with racial reconciliation. So this pattern, this process of change, and further opening the doors of our church is familiar to us. Not to be arrogant about that but simply we say that this is the truth that we claim as revealed to us. And as our presiding bishop has said we feel it’s our vocation to stand firm, and stay in communion, and stay in relationship, but to be clear about who we are and what we believe God has asked us to do.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  100. &lt;/div&gt;
  101. &lt;/div&gt;
  102. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/1272823892055253675/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=1272823892055253675&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/1272823892055253675'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/1272823892055253675'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2016/01/washington-post.html' title='Washington Post'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHrNvS24Y9StzSYagX6F6jNgZclkqryZRL5JFOs4Do0_uwU7pz0SVLOSDwqHjreMk_HYY-ANCqHaf9DKT8jQydZth_GbJ0xy_nY4hGspkSmf2YobvvVM4PKL8rPiFW_Sbzf4fNQFLAdc/s72-c/Jefferson_Memorial_Washington_DC.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-4402525658970619836</id><published>2016-01-15T14:48:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2016-01-15T15:05:33.510+00:00</updated><title type='text'>Samaritan Trouble</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  103. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwl3TnWA3vDvsiSsI33kVCkhyg3g2gMNn6LlQ5aLgMATHhn2UQj61NQaDZSttaxJ2hxY3TtYAuFnPHsXo03OEuvdpl7KusL5rhMOnveGjW1zNURKhrkfQezOH9PvcuQQsGQIRhw_ba60/s1600/arrival-of-the-good-samaritan-at-the-inn.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwl3TnWA3vDvsiSsI33kVCkhyg3g2gMNn6LlQ5aLgMATHhn2UQj61NQaDZSttaxJ2hxY3TtYAuFnPHsXo03OEuvdpl7KusL5rhMOnveGjW1zNURKhrkfQezOH9PvcuQQsGQIRhw_ba60/s200/arrival-of-the-good-samaritan-at-the-inn.jpg&quot; title=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;161&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;It was a hot day, and the Levite and Priest were delighted to find a country inn at a bend in the road where they could stop for a drink. It was cool and shady, and a great place for a bit of Temple talk on the way up to Jerusalem.&lt;br /&gt;
  104. &lt;br /&gt;
  105. Supping up, they saw two figures coming up the road — a traveller and his donkey, and on the donkey was what looked like a heap of bloody rags, but, they could see as the ensemble drew closer, was actually the unconscious body of a man who had fallen among thieves back along the way.&lt;br /&gt;
  106. &lt;br /&gt;
  107. “We must have passed him on the road. Thank God we&#39;re safe! &amp;nbsp;But however did we miss him?” asked the Priest.&lt;br /&gt;
  108. “I was praying a Psalm of Ascents” said the Levite.&lt;br /&gt;
  109. “I was working up a speech for the Sanhedrin,” said the Priest. “well at least he got picked up”&lt;br /&gt;
  110. “I know,” said the Levite. “But look who by! A Bloody Samaritan! — Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire?”&lt;br /&gt;
  111. “Now, now,” said the Priest. “But look, the silly man’s put the filthy beggar on his donkey, like one of us. And he&#39;s given him his purse. He doesn&#39;t even know where he’s been. I ask you!”&lt;br /&gt;
  112. “And now they&#39;re stopping here!” said the Levite. “By the Beard of Abraham! Time for us to move on!”&lt;br /&gt;
  113. “I don’t drink in Samaritan Taverns, that’s for sure,” said the Priest, “That fool of an Innkeeper seems to think those dogs are equal to real children of Abraham. Not that Publicans ever were that hot on Real Theology.”&lt;br /&gt;
  114. &lt;br /&gt;
  115. So the two Holy Men moved on, with a mental note to get the Innkeeper’s licence checked, and an AOB warning to the rest of the Sanhedrin to drink somewhere else for the next three years.&lt;br /&gt;
  116. &lt;br /&gt;
  117. After all, they agreed, with Palestine Secularising the way it is these days, they had to do something to show that there is a God in Israel...&lt;/div&gt;
  118. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/4402525658970619836/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=4402525658970619836&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/4402525658970619836'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/4402525658970619836'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2016/01/samaritan-trouble.html' title='Samaritan Trouble'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwl3TnWA3vDvsiSsI33kVCkhyg3g2gMNn6LlQ5aLgMATHhn2UQj61NQaDZSttaxJ2hxY3TtYAuFnPHsXo03OEuvdpl7KusL5rhMOnveGjW1zNURKhrkfQezOH9PvcuQQsGQIRhw_ba60/s72-c/arrival-of-the-good-samaritan-at-the-inn.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-595506788578966416</id><published>2016-01-13T10:27:00.002+00:00</published><updated>2016-01-13T10:27:56.983+00:00</updated><title type='text'>Take Your Protein Packs &amp; Put your Helmets On</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  119. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  120. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpGbmBRMDSlBnn4kCMzFlYCZZ11psRkB4l9R4meiH6UGL2cD6cTPGWJ9dHuddUy4wCfVCrdLizGrW7R8IeCGJO_F6J_is7EQDoN6-_W8uZ2DqpOI-8javZfKY556mqabReerDNCF8zLg/s1600/ground_control_to_major_tom_by_ironshrinemaiden.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpGbmBRMDSlBnn4kCMzFlYCZZ11psRkB4l9R4meiH6UGL2cD6cTPGWJ9dHuddUy4wCfVCrdLizGrW7R8IeCGJO_F6J_is7EQDoN6-_W8uZ2DqpOI-8javZfKY556mqabReerDNCF8zLg/s200/ground_control_to_major_tom_by_ironshrinemaiden.jpg&quot; width=&quot;193&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  121. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;Who could have guessed that the &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.primates2016.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Anglican Primates’ Meeting&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt; in Canterbury, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.anglicancommunion.org/structures/instruments-of-communion/primates-meeting.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;“a week of leisurely thought, prayer and deep consultation&lt;/a&gt;”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #404040;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;would be rolled off the front page by David Bowie&#39;s death?&amp;nbsp;C’est la vie.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  122. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #404040;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  123. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #404040;&quot;&gt;But&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #404040; font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;here, for the record, is my Sunday interview about the letter I signed at&amp;nbsp;the weekend (with 3,000+ others) with Antony Bushfield on Premier Christian Radio. I&#39;ve mildly edited it for print...&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  124. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #404040; font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  125. &lt;br /&gt;
  126. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 56.6px; text-indent: -56.7px;&quot;&gt;
  127. AB&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Bishop tell us first of all why you decided to put your name to this letter?&lt;/div&gt;
  128. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  129. AW&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;It seems to me that for many years Anglicans have been talking about homosexuality. Strangely, perhaps, even if you go back 20 years we&#39;ve always been agreed that discrimination against gay people is wrong. We are all made in God&#39;s image. We can certainly have discussions about theology and homosexuality but the infinite value to God of every human being really is not negotiable for Christians. Yet, after talking about this for many years, we look around the world and terrible things go on aimed at gay people. Very often, to our shame, they involve religious people including Christians and Muslims in particular. What we&#39;re saying is it&#39;s time to get real about this, and to stop offering just good intentions. Paul said this in one of his letters — we know what’s right but we don’t necessarily do it. And what we are saying to our brothers the Primates in the Anglican Communion (brothers, because they are all actually male) is that this really is time now for action. That’s not just for saying sorry, and we got it wrong, and we really like you (whatever we say about you we really like you). Really, that&#39;s not good enough. We’ve got to take action to stop some of the dreadful things going on around the world aimed at LGBT people&lt;/div&gt;
  130. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  131. AB&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;You mentioned gay people are treated as second-class citizens. Do you think that refers to the UK as well as perhaps parts of Africa?&lt;/div&gt;
  132. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  133. AW&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Yes, absolutely. I know of a very good gay ordinand who, plainly, God has been calling to a form of authorised ministry but he’s absolutely stuck in our system because the system itself discriminates against him. If he tells the truth about himself he may not go forward with the process and what he says when I discuss it with him is “look, this is to do with God’s plan for my life. I don&#39;t want to go forward with that on a false prospectus.’ Obviously if he lied he’d be fine, but he’s not willing to do that. He’s not willing to lie before God and before the church. He wants me fully accountable and the present system doesn&#39;t really provide for people like that. You’ve either got to stop pedal things are go “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” in various ways and be lucky in where you happen to come from. It shouldn’t be like that. We ought to be able to see the grace of God in people&#39;s lives without skewing because of any aspect of who they are, whether it’s disability, race, gender or, of course, sexual orientation.&lt;/div&gt;
  134. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  135. AB&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Bishop I wonder if you have any insight into what Justin Welby or John Sentamu might feel about this issue because they have spoken about gay marriage but they haven’t nailed their colours to the mast specifically. Do you have any insight on what they might be feeling?&lt;/div&gt;
  136. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  137. AW&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;I don&#39;t know much about the Archbishop of York — it’s a long way from here to York. I do know there are various things about Archbishop Justin that are really quite important. One is that he is a world citizen in the sense that he&#39;s been all over the world and he’s worked in some of the nastiest most difficult places both as a Christian leader and also in his life before ordination. So that’s a big plus. Secondly, actually, Archbishop Justin has always been unambiguous about the need not to discriminate against people. He’s actually very clear about that. He was saying in the autumn, at a large Evangelical Church in Oxford, that in the church we have sometimes got this deeply wrong. We&#39;ve sometimes treated gay people as though they were subhuman or inhuman, and we need to do something about that. So I don&#39;t think our letter will fall on entirely deaf ears. And finally the other thing about Archbishop Justin is that he has a special gift in terms of reconciliation. He’s said that’s got to be one of the themes of his time as Archbishop of Canterbury. So I can&#39;t give you any insider information, but I can say that I think some of the thing’s that we’re saying are close to his heart and we want to support him to do the things that he needs to do to provide leadership in the situation we now find ourselves.&lt;/div&gt;
  138. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  139. AB&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Bishop would you accept that the best message could lead to the breakup of the global Anglican Communion and in your opinion would that be something that perhaps needs to happen so you can reform the church here in terms the way gay people are treated. Would you accept that may be a consequence?&lt;/div&gt;
  140. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  141. AW&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Well I think you’ve got to ask yourself “what is the global Anglican Communion anyway?” People talk as though it was like Apple Computer, as though Justin was sitting in a big chair stroking a white fluffy cat and saying “Good Evening, Mr Bond.” It’s a Church not an Evil Empire! And actually it&#39;s a church where each national expression of Anglicanism has its own integrity and its own independence. It’s not like the British Empire but all run from Lambeth. People sometimes get that wrong. Actually there is no church police, as in Monty Python. We don&#39;t have a church police because we&#39;re not that sort of an organisation. Leadership in the church is not about forcing your will on people. It’s servant leadership modelled on what we see in Jesus. He came to serve not to be served. So when people say, “why doesn&#39;t the global Anglican church get itself into a single position on this?” it isn’t going to happen because the cultures of the world we’re right now are very diverse on this question. We bring those cultures into the ways we read the Bible. We bring those cultures and the people we are into our feelings about one another. You&#39;re not going to find a single line that will satisfy or express what everybody is about with gay people.&lt;/div&gt;
  142. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  143. AB&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;That being said, though, Bishop, I imagine the majority of churchgoing Christians, young people, those who just go and say their prayers at night&amp;nbsp; if they see on the news maybe on Wednesday that these primates have walked out of these talks because of the gay issue, that sends out a pretty bad message in terms of what you’re hoping can come out of this, doesn’t it?&lt;/div&gt;
  144. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  145. AW&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Well it does. I once had a phone call, as a Bishop, from someone who had walked out of a church council meeting in high dudgeon, and they&#39;d forgotten that they were actually in their own house. So they found themselves in their front garden at 11 o&#39;clock at night without a key to get back in again. So they phoned the Bishop… I feel rather sorry for that person. When you&#39;ve walked out, what you do next? What are you walking into? Wouldn’t it be better to stay and talk? Jesus brings together heaven and earth — everything reconciled in him, says Paul. Don&#39;t you think we could try that way instead of all the showboating politics and stuff that goes on in the world? I&#39;d like to feel that we could, and I hope and pray that we can this week.&lt;/div&gt;
  146. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  147. AB&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Finally Bishop, if nothing comes out of this meeting it turns out to be a bit of a damp squib for gay Christians how will they feel come Friday afternoon?&lt;/div&gt;
  148. &lt;br /&gt;
  149. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin-left: 28.3px; text-indent: -28.4px;&quot;&gt;
  150. AW&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-tab-span&quot; style=&quot;white-space: pre;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Well, I think gay Christians have really been through the wringer in England over the last 30 or 40 years because people talk about but they don&#39;t talk with them as equals in Christ and I would hope that even though our letter may not entirely transform the church it will be a step towards the full acceptance of our Lesbian and Gay Christian sisters and brothers as equal sharers in the Christian enterprise with us as fellow disciples, as people whom we are equal with in the sight of God and if it expresses that central conviction, then I think it would have been a good thing.&lt;/div&gt;
  151. &lt;span style=&quot;color: #404040; font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  152. &lt;br /&gt;
  153. &lt;div style=&quot;-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 56.6px; text-indent: -56.7px;&quot;&gt;
  154. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: medium;&quot;&gt;And here, just for the record, are some interesting tips from the Great Man himself:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  155. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  156. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: 18px;&quot;&gt;“Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them.”&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  157. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  158. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w4voo5MQtf8eVjm9_VeWR-4BPwl4Dv7CZqZug-7Bz3eWoRBMAVen7Fp_oYRKF2RpeCv0NPW-HlcSuWKi7ol-fpSDtY10b0xxyloG8yvXLEgyDsS0WCj7EwEyC7KBqIwZOWp1L8FmCPE/s1600/ground_control_to_major_tom_by_ironshrinemaiden.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w4voo5MQtf8eVjm9_VeWR-4BPwl4Dv7CZqZug-7Bz3eWoRBMAVen7Fp_oYRKF2RpeCv0NPW-HlcSuWKi7ol-fpSDtY10b0xxyloG8yvXLEgyDsS0WCj7EwEyC7KBqIwZOWp1L8FmCPE/s200/ground_control_to_major_tom_by_ironshrinemaiden.jpg&quot; width=&quot;193&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: 18px;&quot;&gt;“I&#39;m always amazed that people take what I say seriously. I don&#39;t even take what I am seriously.”&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  159. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  160. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: 18px;&quot;&gt;“The only real failure is trying to second-guess the taste of an audience. Nothing comes out of that except a kind of inward humiliation.”&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  161. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  162. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: 18px;&quot;&gt;“Confront a corpse at least once. The absolute absence of life is the most disturbing and challenging confrontation you will ever have.”&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  163. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  164. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: 18px;&quot;&gt;“There&#39;s a terror in knowing what the world is about.”&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  165. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  166. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: source_sans_prolight; font-size: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;“Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming.”&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  167. &lt;/div&gt;
  168. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/595506788578966416/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=595506788578966416&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/595506788578966416'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/595506788578966416'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2016/01/take-your-protein-packs-put-your.html' title='Take Your Protein Packs &amp; Put your Helmets On'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpGbmBRMDSlBnn4kCMzFlYCZZ11psRkB4l9R4meiH6UGL2cD6cTPGWJ9dHuddUy4wCfVCrdLizGrW7R8IeCGJO_F6J_is7EQDoN6-_W8uZ2DqpOI-8javZfKY556mqabReerDNCF8zLg/s72-c/ground_control_to_major_tom_by_ironshrinemaiden.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-6962912243011847567</id><published>2014-09-30T07:59:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2014-09-30T07:59:04.177+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Bishops"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="clergy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="College of Bishops"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Homosexuality"/><title type='text'>Ins and Outs and Same-Sex Marriage </title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  169. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  170. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-UAt0YNUu0OxaysvQg_GvaJ0H5aDQpsw1PgNefrUJhvvFWoaUo8pwivtcWn1cbwFXSN2lbDt61Zy5cNNXlirvY4EoYl_d5L3heJssmHb1ze__c-Sd80PR7BW3JAO8TScBToWZuJm9tc/s1600/81ixmfjZBTL.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-UAt0YNUu0OxaysvQg_GvaJ0H5aDQpsw1PgNefrUJhvvFWoaUo8pwivtcWn1cbwFXSN2lbDt61Zy5cNNXlirvY4EoYl_d5L3heJssmHb1ze__c-Sd80PR7BW3JAO8TScBToWZuJm9tc/s1600/81ixmfjZBTL.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; width=&quot;125&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  171. Thanks to those who have told me they have missed this blog. Now that same sex marriage is a reality in this country, I have been off writing a book to help resource a Christian response to its challenges and possibiities. It&#39;s an attempt to work out some scientific, moral, Biblical, legal, historical, cultural and missional positives now that gay people can marry.&lt;br /&gt;
  172. &lt;br /&gt;
  173. The church has arrived at another round of shared conversations. In my optimistic moments I&#39;d like to think that after thirty years of going round and round in circles about sexuality we could be getting somewhere. I wanted to produce something grounded in Scripture,
  174. tradition and reason, to capture the possibilities as they appear right now.&lt;br /&gt;
  175. &lt;br /&gt;
  176. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  177. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUj5fSEc7Jx_9kLfQ0_TSJ1tIdWMZVoNjG245B11V2LCVgDp1-naCecOnvYJ09BH6CvBlzv2RLW79-8I6OLioewhwdKXw20BqSCVcqMGAfLBvHYobqshoM6H6-b4bEspue8YAsetHYTLk/s1600/escher.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUj5fSEc7Jx_9kLfQ0_TSJ1tIdWMZVoNjG245B11V2LCVgDp1-naCecOnvYJ09BH6CvBlzv2RLW79-8I6OLioewhwdKXw20BqSCVcqMGAfLBvHYobqshoM6H6-b4bEspue8YAsetHYTLk/s1600/escher.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  178. In my less optimistic moments I wonder why we are so uniquely hung up about sexuality. When I was ordained the Church was a comparatively compassionate and safe place for all. The end of “Don&#39;t Ask Don&#39;t Tell” has got us to a place where things are actually worse for gay clergy. Every ten years or so of the 35 I have been ordained we have held portentous conversations and listening exercises but nobody seems to heard anything and as the pattern repeats, everyone else has moved on. One wag recently quoted me Proverbs 26:11 about this — &quot;As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools return to their folly.&quot; We really do have to punch our way out of this paper bag this time.&lt;br /&gt;
  179. &lt;br /&gt;
  180. Meanwhile, in publication week I experience a phenomenon all preachers do — In the course of your killer sermon on the Trinity you tell a joke about something that happened to you in Croydon high street and all anyone wants to talk to you about afterwards is Croydon. In the book I articulated the drearily obvious and well known fact that a fair number of bishops in the past and present have been, in fact, gay. These people have particular vulnerabilities. This has inaugurated a furious spat on twitter with Peter Ould I have no integrity if I don&#39;t report all names to him forthwith. Curiously he&#39;s also written a piece pointing out the wrongness and futility of outing bishops, so I&#39;ve no idea why he&#39;s so angry with me for not doing it. So here, for the record, is why I don&#39;t and won&#39;t out people.&lt;br /&gt;
  181. &lt;br /&gt;
  182. What matters to me is the fact that bishops have a range of sexual orientations including gay, not which bishops have what. Which particular bishops are Saggitarian, left-handed or red-haired? I know not in detail, neither do I care. I can, however, understand that curiosity about this is greater than it would be for a group of people who did not set themselves up as professionally straight whilst behaving in discriminatory ways towards gay people. Why not, someone asked me, just put everyone out of their misery and name names?&lt;br /&gt;
  183. &lt;br /&gt;
  184. (1) Me no expert. I have not undertaken detailed postgraduate research about bishops&#39; sexuality. I have had all kinds of conversations with all kinds of people, including bishops, often on terms that exclude leaking personal information about this or anything else. There are journalists out there with far better and more accurate information than mine which is anecdotal and incidental. But I long for the day we are grown up enough for this to be a non-subject. Let&#39;s make it now.&lt;br /&gt;
  185. &lt;br /&gt;
  186. (2) On a Meta level, Outing legitimates assumptions I believe are profoundly wrong. It assumes there&#39;s something wrong with being gay. It belongs to the world in which I grew up, of shame and guilt. If being gay is not an objective disorder and there&#39;s nothing to be ashamed of, its rationale collapses, inviting the response &quot;your point being...&quot;&lt;br /&gt;
  187. &lt;br /&gt;
  188. (3) Peoples&#39; Sexual identity and orientation is a significant part of who they are — that&#39;s the basis for my argument that the Church needs to stop being ambiguous about the full human dignity of gay people. If this is true it is always abusive to disrespect anyone&#39;s right to hold their own identity. In a world where people take responsibility for their own feelings and identities, outing is out.&lt;br /&gt;
  189. &lt;br /&gt;
  190. (4) Time was a story about a high court judge, military officer or MP who was gay would have been big potatoes, but those days are gone except for bishops. We set ourselves up for this kind of prurience. The remedy lies in our own hands. As long as the House of Bishops continues to victimise gay clergy and ordinands, we have a problem.&lt;br /&gt;
  191. &lt;br /&gt;
  192. People have asked about the process of shared conversations last week. We were encouraged the share the experience, but of course, to respect the confidences of others by not attributing anything.&lt;br /&gt;
  193. &lt;br /&gt;
  194. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  195. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjK19k22kL4b17uIUvsGOUWXUS1fbmUc_4ogpI0Q_LTRUjjSX96S8fTUwq_fTmYanbDOOzBqUz1LrhCCYZtkMuz9DDZT8bbfL_QA_OVHQCpzLWDD9zW-YUS1V27HfhOQrZoHslA3l5O78/s1600/pieter-van-miereveld-the-anatomy-lesson-of-doctor-willem-van-der-meer-in-delft.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjK19k22kL4b17uIUvsGOUWXUS1fbmUc_4ogpI0Q_LTRUjjSX96S8fTUwq_fTmYanbDOOzBqUz1LrhCCYZtkMuz9DDZT8bbfL_QA_OVHQCpzLWDD9zW-YUS1V27HfhOQrZoHslA3l5O78/s1600/pieter-van-miereveld-the-anatomy-lesson-of-doctor-willem-van-der-meer-in-delft.jpg&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  196. The facilitation was excellent and the bishops, individually and in threes, as honest and engaging as any people you might hope to meet. Facilitation was state-of-the-art. En masse, however, the story was different. The oddest part was where four professionally gay (but not in too angular a way) people were lined up to present their stories to 110 professionally un-gay people, as though the human beings involved were some kind of other species. That geometry felt ultimately dishonest and degrading to everyone involved. It doesn&#39;t matter the slightest who is who, but the professional pretence that no bishop is gay reproduces in the room the reason the Church, almost alone among public institutions these days, is so stuck about this.&lt;br /&gt;
  197. &lt;br /&gt;
  198. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  199. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVkPB1n5CRHA5UMiUZv9CWvfnUV4chLiKyg0mKOBF7JZiXEZcE-ZG2ZsycNh6kTyk_TaUD4H4GeBUtvGqbBu1jFYyUeuxfKXOs5-CvIw0d__dC_ICh2rZLmdLITZPtdz0WVa9AGM6Js8/s1600/aspentwoman.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVkPB1n5CRHA5UMiUZv9CWvfnUV4chLiKyg0mKOBF7JZiXEZcE-ZG2ZsycNh6kTyk_TaUD4H4GeBUtvGqbBu1jFYyUeuxfKXOs5-CvIw0d__dC_ICh2rZLmdLITZPtdz0WVa9AGM6Js8/s1600/aspentwoman.jpg&quot; height=&quot;146&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  200. Many drew attention to the cognitive dissonance between pastoral practice and theory right now. One or two even used the obvious &quot;H&quot; word. The Church must be do better if we are to fulfil our overriding mission to bring the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and make him known to those in our care. Right now what&#39;s on offer is rather like one of those time share or bank adverts where the small print at the bottom says “Terms and restrictions Apply.” The love of God is bigger than this. You may say it was ever thus. Jesus walked into the room and outcasts were healed, whilst the scribes and pharisees sat at the back being snide about his disregard of the small print and plotting how to get rid of him. I know where I belong in that scene, and where the Church should be. Right now we&#39;ve got this wrong, and we have to change. We have to follow Christ, not Caiaphas.&lt;br /&gt;
  201. &lt;br /&gt;
  202. If shared conversations are to bear fruit we bishops require a higher degree of corporate truthfulness than we have achieved yet. But if we did achieve it, and the individual truthfulness I experienced at times in Market Bosworth was a great sign of hope, what other good results might come for the Church and, perhaps, the peace and salvation of the world?&lt;br /&gt;
  203. &lt;br /&gt;
  204. &lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;amp;OneJS=1&amp;amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;amp;MarketPlace=GB&amp;amp;source=ac&amp;amp;ref=qf_sp_asin_til&amp;amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;amp;tracking_id=httpbishopala-21&amp;amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;amp;region=GB&amp;amp;placement=0232531250&amp;amp;asins=0232531250&amp;amp;linkId=XPQEFLK3QU7SGXV3&amp;amp;show_border=true&amp;amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&quot; style=&quot;height: 240px; width: 120px;&quot;&gt;
  205. &lt;/iframe&gt;
  206. &lt;/div&gt;
  207. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/6962912243011847567/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=6962912243011847567&amp;isPopup=true' title='71 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/6962912243011847567'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/6962912243011847567'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2014/09/ins-and-outs-and-same-sex-marriage.html' title='Ins and Outs and Same-Sex Marriage '/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-UAt0YNUu0OxaysvQg_GvaJ0H5aDQpsw1PgNefrUJhvvFWoaUo8pwivtcWn1cbwFXSN2lbDt61Zy5cNNXlirvY4EoYl_d5L3heJssmHb1ze__c-Sd80PR7BW3JAO8TScBToWZuJm9tc/s72-c/81ixmfjZBTL.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>71</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-5593255286049247021</id><published>2014-02-28T16:03:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2014-02-28T23:27:02.973+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Arun Arora"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church history"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Deceased Wife&#39;s Sister Act"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Divorce"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Linda Woodhead"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage equality"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Same Sex Marriage"/><title type='text'>Who&#39;s fooling who about history?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  208. &lt;div class=&quot;tr_bq&quot; style=&quot;margin-bottom: 5px;&quot;&gt;
  209. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5ckM-71yVTSXFo3Ek2OMZXLA2_0GzFvbeZXhKtrKnPrW7LZz1oVTKudC6tQevve8IUNjFyKDSYlGPO6pgtTleKb4L_mOBBOWIf-yWSgRFXVVRz966FhvKERR-7izNCeQIPrDnCE5bps/s1600/Whofoolswho.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; font-family: Georgia, &#39;Times New Roman&#39;, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5ckM-71yVTSXFo3Ek2OMZXLA2_0GzFvbeZXhKtrKnPrW7LZz1oVTKudC6tQevve8IUNjFyKDSYlGPO6pgtTleKb4L_mOBBOWIf-yWSgRFXVVRz966FhvKERR-7izNCeQIPrDnCE5bps/s1600/Whofoolswho.jpg&quot; height=&quot;161&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;I wrote today to fellow bishops, along with many academic colleagues more skilled in the field than me, to see if they might care to correct a foolish&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;historical&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;howler in the&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;understanding that informed their recent letter on same-sex marriage.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  210. &lt;div style=&quot;margin-bottom: 5px;&quot;&gt;
  211. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;It&amp;nbsp;seems to me vastly unfair on those who struggled against Deceased Wife&#39;s Sister marriages between 1842 and 1907 to suggest that a marriage setup that potentially breaches Leviticus 18:18&amp;nbsp;should be a minor matter of “accidents” whilst one that potentially breaches Leviticus 18:24 should be a&amp;nbsp;fundamental matter of “substance.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  212. &lt;div style=&quot;margin-bottom: 5px;&quot;&gt;
  213. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpLQKWOz6_uhNMpiWjAfaWR36VgwK6oa7mFJO4jLTu0BQR3gH-fXTCh3IjZ994C9Q35636sSVNbL1cZA1s8iS68ta1ZcO-s-EAadx6DMbgjKU72k554bSARXHHmhtOJDcRnXHpqNR2PY/s1600/Queen-of-Hearts-Shouts-at-Alice-from-Alice-in-Wonderland.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpLQKWOz6_uhNMpiWjAfaWR36VgwK6oa7mFJO4jLTu0BQR3gH-fXTCh3IjZ994C9Q35636sSVNbL1cZA1s8iS68ta1ZcO-s-EAadx6DMbgjKU72k554bSARXHHmhtOJDcRnXHpqNR2PY/s1600/Queen-of-Hearts-Shouts-at-Alice-from-Alice-in-Wonderland.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; width=&quot;168&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, &#39;Times New Roman&#39;, serif;&quot;&gt;What really intrigues me about the whole rhetoric of &quot;redefinition&quot; (as developed by the&amp;nbsp;Moral Majority on the West Coast in the 1990&#39;s) is how appealing it is to those who don&#39;t want to allow gay people to marry, but how completely foolish and ineffective it has been with everyone else.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  214. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, &#39;Times New Roman&#39;, serif;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Not only did it pancake seriously in both houses of the UK parliament, but all the right wing websites that swore to carry on the struggle for ever, even lie down in the road in front of the bulldozers, after the legislation went through last year seem to have packed up and gone home. I wonder why?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  215. &lt;br /&gt;
  216. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  217. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;27&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt; February 2014&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  218. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  219. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, &#39;Times New Roman&#39;, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Dear Bishop,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, &#39;Times New Roman&#39;, serif; letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  220. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  221. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Error in the Bishops Guidance on Same Sex Marriages&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  222. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  223. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;We write to alert you to the fact that an important statement in the Bishops Pastoral Guidance on Same Sex Marriages issued on 14th February is wrong.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The guidance claims that: &quot;There will, for the first time, be a divergence between the general understanding and definition of marriage in England as enshrined in law and the doctrine of marriage held by the Church of England and reflected in the Canons and the Book of Common Prayer.&quot; - House of Bishops, 14th Feb 2014, Appendix, para 9.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  224. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  225. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;This is inaccurate. Civil law and church teaching have diverged before, on at least two occasions. The first was in relation to the marriage to a deceased wife&#39;s sister, the second in relation to the remarriage of divorcees.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;There has been a robust discussion of this topic between experts on ecclesiastical history, law and sociology which Dr Scot Peterson summarises &lt;a href=&quot;http://scotmpeterson.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/generalizations-just-so-stories-and-marriage-law-and-doctrine/&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;here&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;We are all in agreement that the statement in the Bishops Guidance is mistaken and misleading. Since it forms an important part of the case which is being made, we felt it was right to draw the mistake to your attention. We respectfully ask that it be corrected.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  226. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  227. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Our attempts to resolve this matter by writing to Mr Arora and Mr Fittall have failed. There is growing concern amongst the academic community about the situation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  228. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  229. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Looking to the future, some of us are anxious to improve channels of communication with the Church, so that our research and scholarship can be used constructively. If you would be interested in a meeting to discuss this issue, we would be very grateful if you would reply to Professor Woodhead.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  230. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  231. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Yours truly,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  232. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  233. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Callum Brown FRSE, University of Glasgow&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  234. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  235. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Arthur Burns, King’s College London&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  236. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  237. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Revd Dr Mark Chapman, Ripon College Cuddesdon&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  238. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  239. &lt;i style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Grace Davie, University of Exeter&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  240. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  241. &lt;i style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Revd Duncan Dormor, St John&#39;s College, University of Cambridge&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  242. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  243. &lt;i style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Kenneth Fincham, University of Kent&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  244. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  245. &lt;i style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Sarah Foot, Christ Church, University of Oxford&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  246. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  247. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Dr Matthew Guest, University of Durham&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  248. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  249. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Revd Dr Carolyn Hammond, Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge (member of FAOC)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  250. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  251. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Gerard Loughlin, University of Durham&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  252. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  253. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Elizabeth MacFarlane, St John&#39;s College, University of Oxford&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  254. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  255. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Revd Dr Judith Maltby, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  256. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  257. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Iain McLean FBA, Nuffield College, Oxford&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  258. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  259. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch FBA, Saint Cross College, University of Oxford&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  260. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  261. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Revd Professor David Martin&amp;nbsp; FBA, London School of Economics&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  262. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  263. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Dr Charlotte Methuen, University of Glasgow (member FAOC)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  264. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  265. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Revd Dr Jeremy Morris, King’s College, University of Cambridge&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  266. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  267. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Dr Scot Peterson, Balliol College, University of Oxford&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  268. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  269. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Alec Ryrie, University of Durham&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  270. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  271. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Revd Dr Robert Tobin, Oriel College, University of Oxford&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  272. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  273. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Revd Dr William Whyte, St John’s College Oxford&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  274. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  275. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  276. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  277. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0.0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor John Wolffe, The Open University, President of the Ecclesiastical History Society&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  278. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  279. &lt;span style=&quot;letter-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Professor Linda Woodhead, University of Lancaster&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  280. &lt;/div&gt;
  281. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/5593255286049247021/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=5593255286049247021&amp;isPopup=true' title='88 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/5593255286049247021'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/5593255286049247021'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2014/02/whos-fooling-who-about-history.html' title='Who&#39;s fooling who about history?'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5ckM-71yVTSXFo3Ek2OMZXLA2_0GzFvbeZXhKtrKnPrW7LZz1oVTKudC6tQevve8IUNjFyKDSYlGPO6pgtTleKb4L_mOBBOWIf-yWSgRFXVVRz966FhvKERR-7izNCeQIPrDnCE5bps/s72-c/Whofoolswho.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>88</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-447857523209550167</id><published>2014-02-17T07:49:00.004+00:00</published><updated>2014-02-17T20:56:03.559+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="capital punishment"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Duelling"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Kwame Anthony Appiah"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Morality"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Progress"/><title type='text'>The Structure of Moral Revolutions</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  282. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  283. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi6UCJsQRGlKOhbBFYecsOPk6P4qVS18Y6Jcwfk484a5dKQM6NG9F3qvyRmnSVUJgTkTgtMwVCCgcnJiXI_tCMnB16XkiRwrr5f5bzKSGtmb0NSG2d1cGyfDpuzOClnL3PVsSXA67k54/s1600/Rosa.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi6UCJsQRGlKOhbBFYecsOPk6P4qVS18Y6Jcwfk484a5dKQM6NG9F3qvyRmnSVUJgTkTgtMwVCCgcnJiXI_tCMnB16XkiRwrr5f5bzKSGtmb0NSG2d1cGyfDpuzOClnL3PVsSXA67k54/s1600/Rosa.jpg&quot; height=&quot;395&quot; width=&quot;500&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  284. &lt;a href=&quot;http://appiah.net/biography/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Kwame Anthony Appiah&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is a Ghanaian Cambridge / Princeton historian who has examined how moral revolutions happen. He studied practices like duelling, slavery, and footbinding in China. Moral practice does not develop in straight lines, but by a process of subterranean build up followed by swift surface disruption. What seemed unthinkable suddenly, over a single generation, becomes the social norm.&lt;br /&gt;
  285. &lt;br /&gt;
  286. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0K99NvJ9wf_sMIEAkyI1bE9UXMjRczdgP96APL4YBIpA5JPp3_kjRFOg6SG257DUE4DSgJ4uC_T5NRWFsaxjIYCmN3YFMOCgmXVUJTU7ATeKLvw3H8RIn3XvkJcXm-u9QzDO_7HiR4g/s1600/pistols.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0K99NvJ9wf_sMIEAkyI1bE9UXMjRczdgP96APL4YBIpA5JPp3_kjRFOg6SG257DUE4DSgJ4uC_T5NRWFsaxjIYCmN3YFMOCgmXVUJTU7ATeKLvw3H8RIn3XvkJcXm-u9QzDO_7HiR4g/s1600/pistols.jpg&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; width=&quot;98&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Appiah’s key concept is Honour. In 1790’s England, the traditional honourable thing to do when gentlemen fell out seriously was to fight a duel. Very soon after 1800, all of a sudden, it wasn’t any more — the honourable thing became &lt;i&gt;not&lt;/i&gt; to fight a duel.&lt;br /&gt;
  287. &lt;br /&gt;
  288. Such changes are always led by small groups living out their beliefs. They survive and flourish, like eighteenth century Quakers and Evangelicals, by aligning their ideals and their lives. The more their powerful opponents try to bolster the status quo by pleading what “everybody knows” the more they make it plain that everybody does not know what their small group does any more. All others see is ambiguity, defensiveness and hypocrisy. From then on in, reiterating anti- arguments actually backfires and promotes change.&lt;br /&gt;
  289. &lt;br /&gt;
  290. A moral revolution throughout the developed world fits professor Appiah’s schema perfectly. It has normalised gay people, entitling them to respect and equal treatment.&amp;nbsp; Narrow changes in social attitudes to homosexuals are only a small part of a far broader mellowing in the way people see others, partly in reaction to the barbarities, cheapening of life and suffering experienced in the total wars of the twentieth century. These privilege respect, and the cherishing of human dignity.&lt;br /&gt;
  291. &lt;br /&gt;
  292. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  293. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbmDsn6SgrDi4iDRKcVCSO3VA2HDbdSbdiacXDTR7PqCrfgZ5Vhek8ivryBNikFJgpB8hSQB1L3fLo9mMYdYc03dSejmHv1FCckzT0qZnEXZnniB4gfaatXbvRHMIacDIzlx6XEKA8GE/s1600/Red-Pepper.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbmDsn6SgrDi4iDRKcVCSO3VA2HDbdSbdiacXDTR7PqCrfgZ5Vhek8ivryBNikFJgpB8hSQB1L3fLo9mMYdYc03dSejmHv1FCckzT0qZnEXZnniB4gfaatXbvRHMIacDIzlx6XEKA8GE/s1600/Red-Pepper.jpg&quot; height=&quot;157&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  294. Like every a moral revolution the process has deep roots. It touches many aspects of life, including capital punishment, child beating, sweated labour, racism, discrimination and violence against women. The assumption that gay people have a stunted capacity to give and receive love and to structure their households around permanent commitment, has collapsed for most people under 50. Articulations of the old morality suddenly appear outrageous, for moral reasons.&lt;br /&gt;
  295. &lt;br /&gt;
  296. Tragically, churches too often position themselves on the trailing edge of moral change — &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/aug/19/church-of-england-capital-punishment&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;1950&#39;s C of E bishops railed against the abolition of hanging&lt;/a&gt;, quoting the Bible and warning of social collapse. Now it&#39;s this. Often they are comfortable people with an enhanced sense of their own virtue who do not know personally the harshness that necessitates change. Jesus pointed out Pharisees can change, and longed for them to be born again, but it&#39;s a harder process. They have more face to lose.&lt;br /&gt;
  297. &lt;br /&gt;
  298. So what should everyone do? Professor Appiah:&lt;br /&gt;
  299. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  300. Create organizations which commit themselves to implementing the norm, not just as a norm of morality, but as a norm, as a convention of everyday life, as it were, as something you are going to live by, then you can be one of the key figures in... if you create such institutions, you can begin one of these revolutions.&amp;nbsp; And I think that in all of these sorts of cases—there was an anti-dueling society in England—in all of these cases it is very important to get people organized around the new norm and it’s kind of exciting to be in those societies because of the thing I said earlier, which is that you can see that you’re on the right side because other people, the people who are engaging in the old norm, the norm you’re challenging, already know in their hearts, in part of their hearts at least, that what they’re doing is objectionable in some way, that it’s causing unnecessary pain, that It’s denying people things they are entitled to.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  301. &lt;/div&gt;
  302. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/447857523209550167/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=447857523209550167&amp;isPopup=true' title='13 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/447857523209550167'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/447857523209550167'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-structure-of-moral-revolutions.html' title='The Structure of Moral Revolutions'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCi6UCJsQRGlKOhbBFYecsOPk6P4qVS18Y6Jcwfk484a5dKQM6NG9F3qvyRmnSVUJgTkTgtMwVCCgcnJiXI_tCMnB16XkiRwrr5f5bzKSGtmb0NSG2d1cGyfDpuzOClnL3PVsSXA67k54/s72-c/Rosa.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>13</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-2782606836566580732</id><published>2014-02-15T09:57:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2014-02-16T06:35:18.591+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="19th Century"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Bishops"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="clergy"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Clergy Discipline Measure"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage equality"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pilling Report"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Simon Butler"/><title type='text'>We come in Peace — Shoot to Kill?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  303. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  304. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaJ2PzjONRHraOyHHIrd3svWNqZ_VPrNw1Tjo_vX_yX8cSlzeCTo4WulV3tTq7_D9Nr66-D6dNeQTVbl0UndkG12EsD_B7Q2cUoRG9SaqsZnpckMu8shVqqKi9QtWKhtYMsR4OM9yuZk/s1600/Thin+Ice.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaJ2PzjONRHraOyHHIrd3svWNqZ_VPrNw1Tjo_vX_yX8cSlzeCTo4WulV3tTq7_D9Nr66-D6dNeQTVbl0UndkG12EsD_B7Q2cUoRG9SaqsZnpckMu8shVqqKi9QtWKhtYMsR4OM9yuZk/s1600/Thin+Ice.jpg&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; width=&quot;510&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  305. &lt;b&gt;SLIDING ON THIN ICE&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  306. John Tenniel, &lt;i&gt;Punch&lt;/i&gt; 1869&lt;br /&gt;
  307. It is understandable that the anonymous author of the latest &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2014/02/house-of-bishops-pastoral-guidance-on-same-sex-marriage.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;letter from House of Bishops&lt;/a&gt; (of which I am not a member), must, like &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1-Samuel-15-32/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Agag&lt;/a&gt;, “walk delicately.” Perhaps the best they could produce is what one early tweeter, retweeted by John Bingham of the &lt;i&gt;Daily Telegraph&lt;/i&gt;, called “a masterclass in doublespeak, obfuscation and internal contradiction.”&lt;br /&gt;
  308. &lt;br /&gt;
  309. The real issue was articulated by a member of the General Synod,&amp;nbsp; &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;Simon Butler, who asked the following question at its recent session:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  310. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  311. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;
  312. My question requires a little context and a large amount of honesty.
  313. I’m gay; I don&#39;t have a vocation to celibacy and at the same time I&#39;ve
  314. always taken my baptismal and ordination vows with serious intent and
  315. with a sincere desire to model my life on the example of Christ &lt;i&gt;simul
  316. justus et peccator&lt;/i&gt;. Those who have selected me, ordained me and licensed
  317. me know all this. My parish know this too.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  318. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  319. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt; My question is
  320. this: at the end of the process of facilitated conversations will the
  321. College of Bishops tell me whether there is a place for people like me
  322. as licensed priests, deacons and bishops in the Church rather than
  323. persisting in the existing policy that encourages a massive dishonesty
  324. so corrosive to the gospel? For my personal spiritual health, for the
  325. flourishing of people like me as ministers of the gospel and for the
  326. health of the wider church I think we will all need to have a clear
  327. answer to that question..&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  328. &lt;br /&gt;
  329. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;Clarity will need to emerge, then. We haven&#39;t got it yet. Is the answer to Simon’s question, “yes”? Well, apparently so. Recommendation One of the Pilling report states “We warmly welcome and affirm the presence and ministry within the Church of gay and lesbian people, both lay and ordained.” Surely the existing policy, with all of the moral drawbacks Simon enumerates won&#39;t continue, then? Well, apparently it will. Abiding by traditional teaching is the watchword. The massive dishonesty of which Simon speaks was not intentional. It was the only way kind hearted people could maintain what they understood to be traditional teaching in the real world.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  330. &lt;br /&gt;
  331. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  332. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqFkyLgzCH24KUEPqXLZxjuK26kcQMmKYuAT8_RJRL_W5d0gA7SJLURBa69TYAvIZLUedUnOXTEK9mkfaMV_xwLJWGabJJkaKPokYqZWeYh2l-jPIa1PsluqAY0gU6Ec7SkVt_UVar9o/s1600/Sheep.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqFkyLgzCH24KUEPqXLZxjuK26kcQMmKYuAT8_RJRL_W5d0gA7SJLURBa69TYAvIZLUedUnOXTEK9mkfaMV_xwLJWGabJJkaKPokYqZWeYh2l-jPIa1PsluqAY0gU6Ec7SkVt_UVar9o/s1600/Sheep.jpg&quot; height=&quot;241&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  333. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;As it was in the disputes of the 1860’s the way things pan out will largely be settled by what people do, not&amp;nbsp; policy statements or sabre rattling. Whilst a great fan of facilitated discussions I am still fuzzy about exactly who will talk to whom about what and why. Also, if it is axiomatic that nothing will change, what exactly will the point be? We may be far gone in the hypocrisies of past years, but why add to them? Jesus had far more to say about hand wringing Pharisees than he did about gays.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  334. &lt;br /&gt;
  335. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;If facilitated conversations are to mean anything, it&#39;s important not to derail them by what bishops do to the people with whom they are supposed to be talking in a safe space. Whoever wrote the new document is plainly out of their depth. Even after twenty years of listening, nothing much has been heard and the watchword remains “Life, Jim, but not as we know it.” Captain Kirk’s next line was “We come in peace, Shoot to Kill.” Adopting that now will not facilitate honest or productive conversation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  336. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  337. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;But where do I want it to end, I am asked, and where are the Bishops really coming from if the chips are down? two quotations came across my desk, by sheer chance, this morning:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  338. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  339. &lt;span data-ft=&quot;{&amp;quot;tn&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;K&amp;quot;}&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;text_exposed_show&quot;&gt;One is from Sister Simone Campbell, a Roman Catholic Nun.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  340. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  341. The Catholic hierarchy has done very poorly at engaging the issues of
  342. sexuality, period—their own, or anybody else’s... what we need is a real spiritual renewal among our leadership
  343. because for me, following the gospel means be not afraid—welcome
  344. everyone, hug them, welcome them close, and live and love.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  345. &lt;br /&gt;
  346. &amp;nbsp;The other is the gospel for the Third Sunday before Lent, year A, on which I am preparing a homily for tomorrow morning. St Matthew 5, and verse 37:&lt;br /&gt;
  347. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  348. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  349. &lt;/div&gt;
  350. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/2782606836566580732/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=2782606836566580732&amp;isPopup=true' title='9 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/2782606836566580732'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/2782606836566580732'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2014/02/we-come-in-peace-shoot-to-kill.html' title='We come in Peace — Shoot to Kill?'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaJ2PzjONRHraOyHHIrd3svWNqZ_VPrNw1Tjo_vX_yX8cSlzeCTo4WulV3tTq7_D9Nr66-D6dNeQTVbl0UndkG12EsD_B7Q2cUoRG9SaqsZnpckMu8shVqqKi9QtWKhtYMsR4OM9yuZk/s72-c/Thin+Ice.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>9</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-7038489274002751101</id><published>2013-11-28T16:52:00.003+00:00</published><updated>2013-12-03T15:21:01.705+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church of England"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Homosexuality"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage equality"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pilling Report"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Same Sex Marriage"/><title type='text'>Resources for your very own Pilling Report Party</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  351. &lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  352. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  353. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo34OodmjbFbVZL5_ZkAQNtkrdyybcc1sClD9Lc6BQ_LHmLWAgVGg5_T_-ZeGo3nzf1tAi5n-dGkbv56HZBqDiSxHmUwSw9WN46XO7kflIB4uhGp18TzhZfmyNi2X0yTf1-94ShpmWWgU/s1600/conversation.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo34OodmjbFbVZL5_ZkAQNtkrdyybcc1sClD9Lc6BQ_LHmLWAgVGg5_T_-ZeGo3nzf1tAi5n-dGkbv56HZBqDiSxHmUwSw9WN46XO7kflIB4uhGp18TzhZfmyNi2X0yTf1-94ShpmWWgU/s200/conversation.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  354. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;This week brought a public meeting with m’learned friend Malcolm Duncan from Gold Hill Baptist Church for a public conversation with 280 people listening in. I welcome same-sex marriage in a way he can&#39;t, but we both enjoyed talking and agreed it was a helpful thing to do. We hoped that people might value listening in to a conversation that didn&#39;t pretend, piddle about or otherwise minimise the sharpness of our differences, but which also, people told us, conveyed our respect for each other as fellow ministers, with the Kingdom high on our hearts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  355. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;
  356. &lt;/div&gt;
  357. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;
  358. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  359. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;
  360. Then, out of the blue, came the &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1891063/pilling_report_gs_1929_web.pdf&quot;&gt;Pilling Report&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt; — a discussion document. Recent speculative flurries about what might be in it shows how profoundly wise it was simply to publish it. That way everyone, including the bishops, can have better information to go on when they discuss it.&lt;/div&gt;
  361. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;
  362. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  363. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;
  364. I have been asked by various people, however, for some resources to inform, enrich and enlarge intelligent conversations on this subject. Such conversations carry their own risks. It can exacerbate the problem when straight twosomes talk, even well-meaningly,&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;about&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;gay people rather than&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;with&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;them. I also realise how weird it seems to the majority of people younger than me who have sorted this subject and moved on that we are still talking about it at all. They feel as though they had strayed into a Saudi discussion of whether women should be allowed to drive.&lt;/div&gt;
  365. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;
  366. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  367. &lt;div style=&quot;font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;
  368. That said, I am trying to help us do what Pilling bids us do. With my two health warnings, out of several thousand possibilities, I commend a few books that provide intelligent ways into various aspects of the matter — I don&#39;t agree 100% with all or any of them, but they have worthwhile information about different dimensions of discussions based...&lt;/div&gt;
  369. &lt;div&gt;
  370. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  371. &lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  372. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Science&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  373. &lt;br /&gt;
  374. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;
  375. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNBCVf095NSRiL7o8geXhKjJTrT7Lk5ekPlDT63Lmv26VpBUwT02DJF9c1WT3Oj_ZNeC7VIfVhGCupu5cTiHWIpuvwYNPbeHXMZx1frHaszdhdVAd4x2eOupOMaZ5zFUCuDGqONd0CIg/s1600/51IGJpig4QL.jpg_323%25C3%2597500_pixels.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNBCVf095NSRiL7o8geXhKjJTrT7Lk5ekPlDT63Lmv26VpBUwT02DJF9c1WT3Oj_ZNeC7VIfVhGCupu5cTiHWIpuvwYNPbeHXMZx1frHaszdhdVAd4x2eOupOMaZ5zFUCuDGqONd0CIg/s320/51IGJpig4QL.jpg_323%25C3%2597500_pixels.jpg&quot; width=&quot;208&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiiWwa4GtFiEJRE9Fcqu7oBkto2SlSmYgjlxcEUFyEBoLQC5PfwA292o3GkV0jgLNzdXrq1Mi0AMNUD1JLYrVKJQ6OtqRHcZZbchcXArKJ11M6vS5LKkpMa_TeN2IcQj5E8aKOpIpD6Y/s320/51qXpHvpX_L.jpg_330%25C3%2597500_pixels.jpg&quot; title=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;210&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  376. &lt;br /&gt;
  377. &lt;br /&gt;
  378. &lt;br /&gt;
  379. &lt;br /&gt;
  380. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  381. &lt;/div&gt;
  382. &lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  383. &lt;b style=&quot;font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;Law&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  384. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdt_-JcqmC6sF58uGKAftydwhIjDlFjnLHf3J6-zCFksuP2L5GWO4dbLRRoB-RzUS2y3Wy1w3yPq2CA1E6eFJ_S_o-702Ch07qb7tKs4lN27RxpBSdMPcyyuJlBk4AB5rWzGrjeNOw8vQ/s1600/Legally_Married__Love_and_Law_in_the_UK_and_the_US__Amazon.co.uk__Scot_Peterson__Iain_McLean__Books.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdt_-JcqmC6sF58uGKAftydwhIjDlFjnLHf3J6-zCFksuP2L5GWO4dbLRRoB-RzUS2y3Wy1w3yPq2CA1E6eFJ_S_o-702Ch07qb7tKs4lN27RxpBSdMPcyyuJlBk4AB5rWzGrjeNOw8vQ/s320/Legally_Married__Love_and_Law_in_the_UK_and_the_US__Amazon.co.uk__Scot_Peterson__Iain_McLean__Books.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVonDmBTbgONcgJxtVJFb-pzxqs7G-c0NQ8gXME9bkyTjRk40iKwOe93D43onu351-K8YX6JE7AhdIlYfVF1k4U9whfXutdq5K079z6SsEh1SjpSXDUju9wkBdGGfbicbsENyB3Q_WBk/s1600/Debating_Same-Sex_Marriage__Point_Counterpoint___Amazon.co.uk__John_Corvino__Maggie_Gallagher__Books.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVonDmBTbgONcgJxtVJFb-pzxqs7G-c0NQ8gXME9bkyTjRk40iKwOe93D43onu351-K8YX6JE7AhdIlYfVF1k4U9whfXutdq5K079z6SsEh1SjpSXDUju9wkBdGGfbicbsENyB3Q_WBk/s320/Debating_Same-Sex_Marriage__Point_Counterpoint___Amazon.co.uk__John_Corvino__Maggie_Gallagher__Books.jpg&quot; width=&quot;212&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  385. &lt;br /&gt;
  386. &lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  387. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bible&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  388. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  389. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7-2lebJvAxQrtXlCNUhqIOAs5QX9wimovi8EcwWirdpcTj3xm8XB_nrcezimmFwA62_Ko7TcghzygliGvDf7-xKkjehvwGeRIk8bBQmDrMX6i-nT0kfGU71smKlQymwu_6k-S38Ek1w/s1600/Jesus__the_Bible__and_Homosexuality__Explode_the_Myths__Heal_the_Church_Revised__Expanded__Amazon.co.uk__Jack_Rogers__Books.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7-2lebJvAxQrtXlCNUhqIOAs5QX9wimovi8EcwWirdpcTj3xm8XB_nrcezimmFwA62_Ko7TcghzygliGvDf7-xKkjehvwGeRIk8bBQmDrMX6i-nT0kfGU71smKlQymwu_6k-S38Ek1w/s320/Jesus__the_Bible__and_Homosexuality__Explode_the_Myths__Heal_the_Church_Revised__Expanded__Amazon.co.uk__Jack_Rogers__Books.jpg&quot; width=&quot;211&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpZRRn-9AqYDCEOPawZCmHzkY7bCzIGBiXFK-dwN3nOc6fbMuA6YZjOqkDDmfsGtWeaDo7y1zlaykC-QxgMUkVwOi6h36rydV6UIF-Ask42pXtnb0GhSXnZBBT2PuE84kW8fELAropqY/s1600/%257BB5D61995-45BA-4977-97A6-FEF9D4E4DFD3%257DImg100.jpg__510%25C3%2597680_.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpZRRn-9AqYDCEOPawZCmHzkY7bCzIGBiXFK-dwN3nOc6fbMuA6YZjOqkDDmfsGtWeaDo7y1zlaykC-QxgMUkVwOi6h36rydV6UIF-Ask42pXtnb0GhSXnZBBT2PuE84kW8fELAropqY/s320/%257BB5D61995-45BA-4977-97A6-FEF9D4E4DFD3%257DImg100.jpg__510%25C3%2597680_.jpg&quot; width=&quot;209&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  390. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  391. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  392. &lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  393. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Theology&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  394. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  395. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnE6tsVvIBOf970p6uMAMESGXoXMS5W9UW-NVgP-aJp3rvFKSAkVcVc8Ox58EkGGQgfZe6CCgkKvrvd7LR3342_uaU1yis58flYdXOPueqIw_yqeAWj2GTZ3iqgYPqLn49-aQY5WkV6lI/s1600/81hNXqHvsyL._SL1360_.jpg_907%C3%971_360_pixels.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnE6tsVvIBOf970p6uMAMESGXoXMS5W9UW-NVgP-aJp3rvFKSAkVcVc8Ox58EkGGQgfZe6CCgkKvrvd7LR3342_uaU1yis58flYdXOPueqIw_yqeAWj2GTZ3iqgYPqLn49-aQY5WkV6lI/s320/81hNXqHvsyL._SL1360_.jpg_907%C3%971_360_pixels.jpg&quot; width=&quot;214&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cSRuD-iN-wOJ8S8NMNA3R8E47I-PS133CeTrJxgk9XV_NYxhUoBkKBMnsu6N-7Y73RzcUzGWCY0GtOWCaeig7_W9M7geshOtD1EtC73Ig0qJDUZgtpu8iR4bvChvLYZrEjZyqvskAKA/s1600/400000000000001100578_s4.jpg_333%25C3%2597500_pixels.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cSRuD-iN-wOJ8S8NMNA3R8E47I-PS133CeTrJxgk9XV_NYxhUoBkKBMnsu6N-7Y73RzcUzGWCY0GtOWCaeig7_W9M7geshOtD1EtC73Ig0qJDUZgtpu8iR4bvChvLYZrEjZyqvskAKA/s320/400000000000001100578_s4.jpg_333%25C3%2597500_pixels.jpg&quot; width=&quot;212&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  396. &lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  397. &lt;b style=&quot;font-size: x-large;&quot;&gt;Denominational&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Stories&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  398. &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vz6XhpNoVv7R9Pp44EGFauOnGYBe2Sj3qBjsiWHVSg_jGA3plv4kHv3-kPM-COeMThWsi9r2jQNVBgZMrrEFWL115la5_oFJ_hya6JLPHlW21v8IDNt5DpvRQ55z5w9KdT_UJGUIesk/s1600/71LorvB-wyL._SL1500_.jpg_990%C3%971_500_pixels.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vz6XhpNoVv7R9Pp44EGFauOnGYBe2Sj3qBjsiWHVSg_jGA3plv4kHv3-kPM-COeMThWsi9r2jQNVBgZMrrEFWL115la5_oFJ_hya6JLPHlW21v8IDNt5DpvRQ55z5w9KdT_UJGUIesk/s320/71LorvB-wyL._SL1500_.jpg_990%C3%971_500_pixels.jpg&quot; width=&quot;209&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_XvmJXLZLPKal_FdUeSLHMoBfO4LOaaPPRXsdDN540bT_M_FpbUZxVaTUBopsM0VMAJP8Q-oe2zq_S34hFvkX-5BYfjbaGpOOJMRES8rxFtyvIFyixAEx3x5TNHzKcqsF3WnJvqHA7k/s1600/Hassett.jpg__JPEG_Image__945%C2%A0%C3%97%C2%A01360_pixels__-_Scaled__51%25_.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_XvmJXLZLPKal_FdUeSLHMoBfO4LOaaPPRXsdDN540bT_M_FpbUZxVaTUBopsM0VMAJP8Q-oe2zq_S34hFvkX-5BYfjbaGpOOJMRES8rxFtyvIFyixAEx3x5TNHzKcqsF3WnJvqHA7k/s320/Hassett.jpg__JPEG_Image__945%C2%A0%C3%97%C2%A01360_pixels__-_Scaled__51%25_.jpg&quot; width=&quot;223&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  399. &lt;div class=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  400. &lt;h4 style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  401. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dialoguing in Church ...&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
  402. &lt;/div&gt;
  403. &lt;div class=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  404. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZW7xaV0Sn6aQq6rOdXyoEF2fUzgy9AY4Ir64ygyCPH_EJluwQjlbeb9QI5tn8uYqM9iZ2wugRt2EW3npQZXDDTlHDDeKr1Pn_GfLS3zQFeISf3UkCLYzXt4KtJsJ_wMqSFiQjVpZXjE/s1600/81OU3lvK3hL.jpg_1_609%C3%972_560_pixels.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZW7xaV0Sn6aQq6rOdXyoEF2fUzgy9AY4Ir64ygyCPH_EJluwQjlbeb9QI5tn8uYqM9iZ2wugRt2EW3npQZXDDTlHDDeKr1Pn_GfLS3zQFeISf3UkCLYzXt4KtJsJ_wMqSFiQjVpZXjE/s320/81OU3lvK3hL.jpg_1_609%C3%972_560_pixels.jpg&quot; width=&quot;198&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfP6ptybDbJpouvu4Gmw5lIlWetmXxJY9UTRkWqEJFEX62GXg7TzdetlUSlBJgIwuOjp_KxtHBRs3T8iOEAFZ2r7NSF6xQ1-GOUajvd_pdgXMmY86C4uSubvK4s3nyWy2RmNVPfqFWT0/s1600/9780819228734.jpg_333%25C3%2597500_pixels.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfP6ptybDbJpouvu4Gmw5lIlWetmXxJY9UTRkWqEJFEX62GXg7TzdetlUSlBJgIwuOjp_KxtHBRs3T8iOEAFZ2r7NSF6xQ1-GOUajvd_pdgXMmY86C4uSubvK4s3nyWy2RmNVPfqFWT0/s320/9780819228734.jpg_333%25C3%2597500_pixels.jpg&quot; width=&quot;214&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  405. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  406. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  407. &lt;/div&gt;
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  420. &lt;iframe src=&quot;http://rcm-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=httpbishopala-21&amp;o=2&amp;p=8&amp;l=as1&amp;asins=B00CUTOO9W&amp;ref=qf_sp_asin_til&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr&quot; style=&quot;width:120px;height:240px;&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
  421. &lt;iframe src=&quot;http://rcm-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=httpbishopala-21&amp;o=2&amp;p=8&amp;l=as1&amp;asins=0199931585&amp;ref=qf_sp_asin_til&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr&quot; style=&quot;width:120px;height:240px;&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
  422. &lt;iframe src=&quot;http://rcm-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=httpbishopala-21&amp;o=2&amp;p=8&amp;l=as1&amp;asins=B00ES244DK&amp;ref=qf_sp_asin_til&amp;fc1=000000&amp;IS2=1&amp;lt1=_blank&amp;m=amazon&amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;bc1=000000&amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;f=ifr&quot; style=&quot;width:120px;height:240px;&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
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  424. &lt;/div&gt;
  425. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/7038489274002751101/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=7038489274002751101&amp;isPopup=true' title='19 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/7038489274002751101'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/7038489274002751101'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/11/resources-for-your-very-own-pilling.html' title='Resources for your very own Pilling Report Party'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo34OodmjbFbVZL5_ZkAQNtkrdyybcc1sClD9Lc6BQ_LHmLWAgVGg5_T_-ZeGo3nzf1tAi5n-dGkbv56HZBqDiSxHmUwSw9WN46XO7kflIB4uhGp18TzhZfmyNi2X0yTf1-94ShpmWWgU/s72-c/conversation.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>19</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-7049883535052591286</id><published>2013-11-20T08:05:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2013-11-20T08:06:18.618+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Adam and Eve"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Art"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Islam"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="MK"/><title type='text'>Adam: starting at the very beginning</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  426. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1M9oheE0H7O_3Pt-hwT52roh845RoEr5UqHJ_sOENgi5ViaebgVyZX-DBzVlIvUzz7xeRrgDwdTcGV-4CNsCppuCpdxrY2TYzxDyHFF81Cr8oj20boTSQbhUzCjgPcjtfHlW30Sr3Bg/s1600/ADM_Spiritual_Art.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1M9oheE0H7O_3Pt-hwT52roh845RoEr5UqHJ_sOENgi5ViaebgVyZX-DBzVlIvUzz7xeRrgDwdTcGV-4CNsCppuCpdxrY2TYzxDyHFF81Cr8oj20boTSQbhUzCjgPcjtfHlW30Sr3Bg/s400/ADM_Spiritual_Art.jpg&quot; width=&quot;265&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;I am looking forward to being part of the launch this evening of a Spiritual Art exhibition at Silbury Gallery in MK, curated by my dear friend and brother Anouar Kassim. Last year we celebrated and explored Spirituality and Mathematics — this year &lt;b&gt;Adam&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
  427. &lt;br /&gt;
  428. Adam, whom Muslims think of as the first prophet, is the beginning. He defines the global scope of all the Abrahamic faiths. We are all of one flesh and blood int he final analysis. This is why sectarianism is never enough.&lt;br /&gt;
  429. &lt;br /&gt;
  430. Western Christians have so emphasised Genesis as a story about guilt, and perhaps missed the fact that it is more about shame, and flawed coming of age. Lose touch with this story and we lose touch with the tragic and paradoxical dimension of what it means to be human.&lt;br /&gt;
  431. &lt;br /&gt;
  432. Thinking about what is distinctive about the Christian vision of Adam brings to mind a hymn from &lt;i&gt;100 Hymns for Today&lt;/i&gt; (1969) by a man called Richard G. Jones. The language is that of forty years ago, but I&#39;m sorry it has consistently failed to make it into hymnbooks since — especially if it implies the English are just too Pelagian for this kind of thing. I hope not.&lt;br /&gt;
  433. &lt;br /&gt;
  434. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh860Uo2YM5Ogm3NfAk6mCPvJvfgEmGQ55jdDmJvMeegDdNY9ry-m162sqjjZQdTkF_T5WJkURD9b60323vTqxKkzcRZnISPRifZjN8USdePLc5GD8Pbp15OiZ8MQzg1Im9U8u-bqIr4wI/s1600/Lucas_Cranach_the_Elder_-_Adam_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;320&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh860Uo2YM5Ogm3NfAk6mCPvJvfgEmGQ55jdDmJvMeegDdNY9ry-m162sqjjZQdTkF_T5WJkURD9b60323vTqxKkzcRZnISPRifZjN8USdePLc5GD8Pbp15OiZ8MQzg1Im9U8u-bqIr4wI/s320/Lucas_Cranach_the_Elder_-_Adam_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg&quot; width=&quot;107&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;God who created this Eden of Earth,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  435. &lt;b&gt;Giving to Adam and Eve their fresh birth,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  436. &lt;b&gt;What have we done with that wonderful tree&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  437. &lt;b&gt;Lord forgive Adam, for Adam is me.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  438. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  439. &lt;b&gt;Adam ambitious desires to be wise,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  440. &lt;b&gt;casts out obedience and lusts with his eyes,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  441. &lt;b&gt;Grasps his sweet fruit, &quot;as God I shall be&quot;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  442. &lt;b&gt;Lord forgive Adam, for Adam is me.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  443. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  444. &lt;b&gt;Thirst after power is the sin of my shame,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  445. &lt;b&gt;Pride&#39;s ruthless thrust after status and fame,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  446. &lt;b&gt;Turning and stealing and cowering from thee,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  447. &lt;b&gt;Lord forgive Adam, for Adam is me.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  448. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  449. &lt;b&gt;Cursed is the earth through this cancerous crime,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  450. &lt;b&gt;Symbol of man through all passage of time,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  451. &lt;b&gt;Put it all right, Lord, let Adam be free:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  452. &lt;b&gt;Lord forgive Adam, for Adam is me.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  453. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  454. &lt;b&gt;Glory to God! What is this that I see?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  455. &lt;b&gt;Man made anew, second Adam is he,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  456. &lt;b&gt;Bleeding his love on another fine tree,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  457. &lt;b&gt;Lord forgive Adam, for Adam is me.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  458. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  459. &lt;b&gt;Rises that Adam the Master of death,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  460. &lt;b&gt;Pours out his spirit in glorious new breath;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  461. &lt;b&gt;Sheer Liberation! with him I am free!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  462. &lt;b&gt;Lives Second Adam, in mercy, in me.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  463. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/7049883535052591286/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=7049883535052591286&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/7049883535052591286'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/7049883535052591286'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/11/adam-starting-at-very-beginning.html' title='Adam: starting at the very beginning'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1M9oheE0H7O_3Pt-hwT52roh845RoEr5UqHJ_sOENgi5ViaebgVyZX-DBzVlIvUzz7xeRrgDwdTcGV-4CNsCppuCpdxrY2TYzxDyHFF81Cr8oj20boTSQbhUzCjgPcjtfHlW30Sr3Bg/s72-c/ADM_Spiritual_Art.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-534431732457922574</id><published>2013-08-03T15:39:00.001+01:00</published><updated>2013-08-04T12:49:45.456+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Buckinghamshire"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Economics"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Engineering"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Industry"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="John Milton"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Milton Keynes"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Railways"/><title type='text'>What price Engineering in a nation of shopkeepers?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  464. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  465. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RwbvFiVUggUq8ivz0CdcT_oDaT8eNQPPEcyDqBmttlV7TQ2MiPW1l8sbYknD86LPAyMFTFkxqn1MFL8hr-peHzobCNv9RbvEEj2Gvw8700y9m2Mf2HEElQpKOs4lRAcCLDw6nme03fM/s1600/John-Milton-9409395-1-402.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RwbvFiVUggUq8ivz0CdcT_oDaT8eNQPPEcyDqBmttlV7TQ2MiPW1l8sbYknD86LPAyMFTFkxqn1MFL8hr-peHzobCNv9RbvEEj2Gvw8700y9m2Mf2HEElQpKOs4lRAcCLDw6nme03fM/s200/John-Milton-9409395-1-402.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  466. &lt;div&gt;
  467. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;In 1644 John Milton, made out a case in&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt; his &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagitica&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Areopagitica&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt; for freedom of speech. In passing, he observed great energy and potential in the English people:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  468. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  469. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;Lords and Commons of England, consider what nation it is whereof ye are, and whereof ye are the governors: a nation not slow and dull, but of a quick, ingenious, and piercing spirit, acute to invent, subtle and sinewy to discourse, not beneath the reach of any point the highest that human capacity can soar to.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  470. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  471. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  472. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisI35aTnAFZR3-bDjCafGuHFm5VMpD78X_z-PTREyNx0UKEyCYO_TMgH2hXy99NdvJkJE5HTH86Aq31LhS3vwaYffSq3XV6Adyq7ireqc3nLxe54rjCGIItrq7WF_0Crd2u4Nh1pULsvA/s1600/wolverton+works1996-7312_WOL_2022.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;149&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisI35aTnAFZR3-bDjCafGuHFm5VMpD78X_z-PTREyNx0UKEyCYO_TMgH2hXy99NdvJkJE5HTH86Aq31LhS3vwaYffSq3XV6Adyq7ireqc3nLxe54rjCGIItrq7WF_0Crd2u4Nh1pULsvA/s200/wolverton+works1996-7312_WOL_2022.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;Almost two hundred years later, as British engineering swept the world, Robert Stephenson&#39;s London and Birmingham Railway Company established its &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverton_railway_works&quot;&gt;engineering works halfway between the two cities at Wolverton in Buckinghamshire&lt;/a&gt;. In its day the works serviced and even built locomotives, some of which ended up in Australia, but its main task was the design and building of railway carriages, for which it was, in its day, the largest works in the world.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  473. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  474. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;Even after Dr Beeching&#39;s cuts, something of the former glory remains, operated by a company called &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.railcare.com/&quot;&gt;Railcare&lt;/a&gt; which boasts on its website&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  475. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  476. &lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
  477. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;considerable expertise in Vehicle and Component overhaul, Incident
  478. Repair and Spares and Logistics, Railcare offers customers a total Rolling Stock solution. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  479. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  480. &lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
  481. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDtTjS7wBG1HbBVRA2Aa_WDLfRH3IwuxH2gL-K_2mWZnPkZ4qdlA-8vz4Kazc7t4L7vRxGW-xNkPC6qn8yCKISo6SaMhkqEAa1LXsms7Dw17I2MapzuTF6ESK9yJuv5lgsjURFsauZbg/s1600/vultures.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;194&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDtTjS7wBG1HbBVRA2Aa_WDLfRH3IwuxH2gL-K_2mWZnPkZ4qdlA-8vz4Kazc7t4L7vRxGW-xNkPC6qn8yCKISo6SaMhkqEAa1LXsms7Dw17I2MapzuTF6ESK9yJuv5lgsjURFsauZbg/s200/vultures.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;The word &quot;solution,&quot; outside a chemical context, usually means Corporate Bullshit Bingo. Even with an order book rumoured to be full from October, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/community/community-news/treatment-of-wolverton-railcare-workers-is-inhuman-1-5351154&quot;&gt;the enterprise is now on the financial rocks&lt;/a&gt;, and on 31 July the accountants moved in.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  482. &lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
  483. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  484. &lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
  485. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;Next comes the butcher&#39;s bill, beginning with some 100 engineering jobs. It may be that productive activity can be saved in Wolv&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;erton, or it may be that Tesco&#39;s, having already taken over half the site, will end up with the rest. Who can tell?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  486. &lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
  487. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  488. &lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
  489. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;Four questions arise:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  490. &lt;ol style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  491. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;How much of an economy should manufacturing represent?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Somewhere in every advanced nation someone has to be making things in the real world. The almost complete destruction of British manufacturing industry in the past thirty years has been driven by the idea that wealth creation is fundamentally about manipulating money in ingenious ways, rather than producing tangible goods and services. Surely we can’t run the whole economy on smoke and mirrors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  492. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;What is the value of skilled labour?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When engineering jobs go, the the country loses &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;far more&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt; than simply manufacturing capacity. It degrades a whole economy to replace high value jobs with low paid low skill jobs, especially if these are temporary.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  493. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Lions led by donkeys?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When business is all about financial ingenuity not engineering capability, be very afraid.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;The god that has usually failed in the past fifty years is not engineering, but management. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  494. &lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;What’s the difference between spending and investment?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In an economy that seems to be constructed around debt, much of it lodged in a mortgage bubble that will burst the moment interest rates climb anywhere near their historic levels, it seems incredible that money cannot be found to invest in productive long term industry.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  495. &lt;/ol&gt;
  496. &lt;/div&gt;
  497. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;Milton’s vision gives way to a nightmare where a tiny number of well-heeled financial manipulators with associated drones and loan sharks bob around in a sea of temporary schemes, paupers (in or out of work) and former skilled workers, all up to their eyeballs in debt.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  498. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  499. &lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #000020; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;&gt;What sort of a future is that supposed to offer?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  500. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/534431732457922574/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=534431732457922574&amp;isPopup=true' title='14 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/534431732457922574'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/534431732457922574'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-price-engineering-in-nation-of.html' title='What price Engineering in a nation of shopkeepers?'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RwbvFiVUggUq8ivz0CdcT_oDaT8eNQPPEcyDqBmttlV7TQ2MiPW1l8sbYknD86LPAyMFTFkxqn1MFL8hr-peHzobCNv9RbvEEj2Gvw8700y9m2Mf2HEElQpKOs4lRAcCLDw6nme03fM/s72-c/John-Milton-9409395-1-402.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>14</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-1431464735951088779</id><published>2013-07-06T11:17:00.005+01:00</published><updated>2013-07-06T13:03:28.671+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Archbishop of Canterbury"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church of England"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="future"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="General Synod"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Renewal"/><title type='text'>On Waking up and Smelling Coffee</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  501. It’s hard to express the joy and relief, to those of us who often feel we live in the wilderness on such issues, of having an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2013/07/archbishop-issues-call-for-church-revolution.aspx&quot;&gt;Archbishop who has woken up and shows real signs of being able to smell coffee&lt;/a&gt;. His much loved and revered predecessor, a scholar and saint, seemed to live on his own ecclesiastical planet, a place of bendy syllogisms, poetry and occasional weightlessness.&lt;br /&gt;
  502. &lt;br /&gt;
  503. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgIeWVka9R3Pk_-UhD3284kGmWKox2WH7-2k5LnWZEyzTd7sqTWTCgqrhMKiEs2nAySG9QQ4NisrjVXpOHXy9SrgkdGJQY1FlEeYazdyrEnWVCKJflSmFF_atZX7KouXBmJNSR_JRVGE/s1600/ws_Flying_Spaghetti_Monster_1920x1200.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;125&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgIeWVka9R3Pk_-UhD3284kGmWKox2WH7-2k5LnWZEyzTd7sqTWTCgqrhMKiEs2nAySG9QQ4NisrjVXpOHXy9SrgkdGJQY1FlEeYazdyrEnWVCKJflSmFF_atZX7KouXBmJNSR_JRVGE/s200/ws_Flying_Spaghetti_Monster_1920x1200.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This produced an environment where it was a virtue for the Church to believe rather romantic stories about itself, for which synod became a massive recycling operation. Heavy in the air hung massive sententiousness about being the “National Church.” Its Nomenklatura shuffled around its hall of mirrors muttering to themselves mysterious self-referential Koans:&lt;br /&gt;
  504. &lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  505. &lt;li&gt;Everything must change but continue to feel the same&lt;/li&gt;
  506. &lt;li&gt;Theology was what really mattered, best done behind closed doors, and daily life was somewhere else&lt;/li&gt;
  507. &lt;li&gt;A Church that acted as the sole arbiter of its own attitudes and behaviour could engage in Evangelism &lt;/li&gt;
  508. &lt;li&gt;If everyone who looked out of the bubble and saw anything they shouldn&#39;t just shut up and switched off their computers it would all go away&lt;/li&gt;
  509. &lt;li&gt;You could listen to people without hearing anything to change your life &lt;/li&gt;
  510. &lt;li&gt;You could discriminate against gays and women without discriminating
  511. against gays and women as long as you always had and didn&#39;t mean to&lt;/li&gt;
  512. &lt;/ul&gt;
  513. To hear that it is absurd and impossible to pretend that nothing has changed is actually a massive relief. &lt;br /&gt;
  514. &lt;br /&gt;
  515. In the old world the Church saw itself as the National Trust for Morals, especially about sex, driven by fear, especially about loss of control, and a sense of its own entitlement. Good news was good news in a desultory “Eat up your Brussels Sprouts” kind of way.&lt;br /&gt;
  516. &lt;br /&gt;
  517. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  518. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cGz_LvUi1OwyJqkwD45bBK6HZJVUQaLSt7l6nAwqsFpL9p2zDw7EzvV51PtyDBxsdC45tfz39DK93-9RqP4Arpq629rn6r0MfeRIexpaBl8Antk9u9KgLCct_EY9ApuLktfZOoamGFU/s1600/althoff.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;155&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cGz_LvUi1OwyJqkwD45bBK6HZJVUQaLSt7l6nAwqsFpL9p2zDw7EzvV51PtyDBxsdC45tfz39DK93-9RqP4Arpq629rn6r0MfeRIexpaBl8Antk9u9KgLCct_EY9ApuLktfZOoamGFU/s200/althoff.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  519. Where we are going the Church looks more like a movement, fuelled by faith, that can carry its institutional burdens honestly and lightly and not be bound by them. This kind of a Church is free to see what it sees. Its message is good news, not good news / bad news. This makes it Evangelical in the best sense of the term — genuinely engaged with the real world in a transformational way.&lt;br /&gt;
  520. &lt;br /&gt;
  521. And the path to this new world, according to the parable of the prodigal son, is realism that leads to repentance, coming to its senses about itself, returning to the Father whose everlasting arms were always there underpinning everything. That leads to hope and, St Paul says, hope does not disappoint.&lt;br /&gt;
  522. &lt;br /&gt;
  523. What does such a world offer those who are most invested in the old thing, who indeed have drawn much of their sense of identity and value from it? If the Peace Train is in the station, why should they climb aboard? We do not have to feel bad but we do have to think different. If we want a future without sexism and homophobic bullying, all we have to do is stop practicing those things, practice resurrection instead, and we are free.&lt;br /&gt;
  524. &lt;br /&gt;
  525. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG-57Tgjq1xk8n96pOrD32VZCcSweHRZYFn4eb8X6n7H8Nn7C506-WS-vPWt-OgWh8Q70Saj8OvdYQsqBZa3JVOVIA8xFEBDTW_quklNSSAMzmbMFOdCf8F8nWSxNd_UmAvZDorksvZs/s1600/king_canute_443255.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG-57Tgjq1xk8n96pOrD32VZCcSweHRZYFn4eb8X6n7H8Nn7C506-WS-vPWt-OgWh8Q70Saj8OvdYQsqBZa3JVOVIA8xFEBDTW_quklNSSAMzmbMFOdCf8F8nWSxNd_UmAvZDorksvZs/s200/king_canute_443255.jpg&quot; width=&quot;155&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;We lose the whip hand, and the right to bully and hector people from the moral high ground. But we lost that anyway, years ago. What we gain is the dignity and loving respect that all are due. There is no shame in honest disagreement; but everybody’s ideas are subject to impact assessment from everybody else, mutually. Such a Church expresses unity held in tension between people whose outlooks are their own, not groupthink secured by manipulative mannerism.&lt;br /&gt;
  526. &lt;br /&gt;
  527. In fact, nobody is going to lock anyone up in the Tower of London for holding retro-conventional views about women or gay people — that’s another self-aggrandizing hysterical story that has been doing the rounds. But those views will lose their privileged status, and unless people who hold them work to develop a new kind of discourse that does not have to rely on fear, disgust and &lt;i&gt;autos da fé&lt;/i&gt;, they will find it increasingly difficult to be heard because of all the morally repellent white noise outsiders hear around their message. This would be a crying shame, because the world needs their wisdom and positive input across the spectrum of concerns, along with everyone else’s. &lt;br /&gt;
  528. &lt;br /&gt;
  529. Engaged or marooned on their own island? It&#39;s a stark choice, after the Indian summer for churchy solipsism in the past few years. However, in fact, the eternal God &lt;i&gt;is&lt;/i&gt; our refuge, all of us, and underneath are the everlasting arms.&lt;br /&gt;
  530. &lt;br /&gt;
  531. The only way to prove it is to act as though it were true, and step out in faith...&lt;/div&gt;
  532. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/1431464735951088779/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=1431464735951088779&amp;isPopup=true' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/1431464735951088779'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/1431464735951088779'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/07/on-waking-up-and-smelling-coffee.html' title='On Waking up and Smelling Coffee'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgIeWVka9R3Pk_-UhD3284kGmWKox2WH7-2k5LnWZEyzTd7sqTWTCgqrhMKiEs2nAySG9QQ4NisrjVXpOHXy9SrgkdGJQY1FlEeYazdyrEnWVCKJflSmFF_atZX7KouXBmJNSR_JRVGE/s72-c/ws_Flying_Spaghetti_Monster_1920x1200.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-734578109762734181</id><published>2013-07-05T08:02:00.003+01:00</published><updated>2013-07-06T05:57:57.083+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Bishops"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church of England"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Creation"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="General Synod"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="St Paul"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Unity"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Women"/><title type='text'>Genuine Unity — How to focus it</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  533. A bishop is called to be a focus of unity. But how?&lt;br /&gt;
  534. &lt;br /&gt;
  535. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARcYsZTM65xfSNfkKt_BgHFax-wkXdcR8L-fE1XnI0MSLSXCoS_QeaIfUHdE_c6h8B6XlIQURz2N2MCTokGkTBBo0vbtuDJeriYKXrOfn4lrMk0Ru77G6Ji_wjdNJkGs9kfb1tqrOuzo/s950/unity.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;133&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARcYsZTM65xfSNfkKt_BgHFax-wkXdcR8L-fE1XnI0MSLSXCoS_QeaIfUHdE_c6h8B6XlIQURz2N2MCTokGkTBBo0vbtuDJeriYKXrOfn4lrMk0Ru77G6Ji_wjdNJkGs9kfb1tqrOuzo/s200/unity.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Unity matters. Here’s the theory, according to St Paul. The whole created order is emerging into Unity through Christ whose death has reconciled everything and triggered a viral process of reconciliation that takes in every human dimension. the Church is a new people, the firsfruits of the whole creation. Nobody is left out. It takes a whole world to know Christ.&lt;br /&gt;
  536. &lt;br /&gt;
  537. Disunity is all in the mind. Some Christians believe gayness is within the purpose of creation; some against it. Much of our official history has taken the anti-gay line, and much of our unoffcial practice has behaved differently. Some believe in women’s senior leadership, some not. According to the last Archbishop, bishops could only be a focus of unity by resisting change in order to reassure traditionalists, in public anyway. The price of unity was rejecting gay people, largely paid by gay people. Ditto with women. They were to calm down and accept being diminished in ministry, as the price of unity.&lt;br /&gt;
  538. &lt;br /&gt;
  539. This policy has failed, on every level.&lt;br /&gt;
  540. &lt;br /&gt;
  541. The dwindling number of Traditionalists were not reassured and gay people continued to be diminished, patronised, bullied, and rejected. Meanwhile the Church became the only UK public body left allowed to discriminate against women in its senior leadership. What seemed even-handed was actually taking sides and has kludged up real dialogue, parking the issues in a siding, but guaranteeing an increasingly guilty and untenable paralysis. Meanwhile society got on with sorting both issues without the Church.&lt;br /&gt;
  542. &lt;br /&gt;
  543. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFk_SNKa7biuBa4GeA7bIarrS82f4Ou5TDvMKSDsSmgJKlKz0VIOuzlFQocJzJlapeeZnkA3hM-Msl7vsdjld6e9KUSflKyzKr6lie-O9ZTS0NhJplRvByX8jNivCr4fsOOM3_3OBde2U/s500/king_canute_443255.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFk_SNKa7biuBa4GeA7bIarrS82f4Ou5TDvMKSDsSmgJKlKz0VIOuzlFQocJzJlapeeZnkA3hM-Msl7vsdjld6e9KUSflKyzKr6lie-O9ZTS0NhJplRvByX8jNivCr4fsOOM3_3OBde2U/s200/king_canute_443255.jpg&quot; width=&quot;155&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Bishops sat on the fence for the sake of unity in the name of even handedness, trying to slow everything down and keep order. The result was disunity, frustration and chaos.&lt;br /&gt;
  544. &lt;br /&gt;
  545. In reality there was no fence to sit on. In effect, doing nothing was siding with the decreasing majority who believe gay people are wicked, stunted, sick or disabled, or the one that believed women were made by God for non-leadership roles.&lt;br /&gt;
  546. &lt;br /&gt;
  547. As the numbers who believe gay people are just people and women are equal grew and became a majority in England, even the Church of England, the game was up.&lt;br /&gt;
  548. &lt;br /&gt;
  549. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1KrFXUHRX2Ae5ROow_Lhv8hu9-g-wpWQcPZyybxbG_2v1-wg_lDE-7DQr5HFwAvj6ZZkynHom39Uh61yTLQeVbiMPqwY96dPtrT93S935AE9n0JtNDj8oefHUbPnA2k5qQ-4oQHvfYE/s270/Unityjam.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1KrFXUHRX2Ae5ROow_Lhv8hu9-g-wpWQcPZyybxbG_2v1-wg_lDE-7DQr5HFwAvj6ZZkynHom39Uh61yTLQeVbiMPqwY96dPtrT93S935AE9n0JtNDj8oefHUbPnA2k5qQ-4oQHvfYE/s200/Unityjam.jpg&quot; width=&quot;157&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;You can&#39;t build unity in a family by excluding any members of it. If your children fall out it is not even handed to ignore the one who&#39;s stepping out of line, to build fellow feeling between the others who aren&#39;t, sacrificing the black female, or gay member “for the sake of family unity.” Doing that actually destroys the family, not unites it. You can only parent a family on the supposition that all its members are equally valid. Thus Bishops, by trying to be nice to gays whilst siding with anti-gays have not been a focus of unity, but have actually stoked a bigger crisis over gay people in the church than was experienced in education, politics, the military, the law, commerce, or any other area of life.&lt;br /&gt;
  550. &lt;br /&gt;
  551. If bishops want to be real focuses of unity they have to stop trying to be nice, in effect siding with anti-gays. Both sides act out of conviction. Good. It&#39;s time to stop trying to calm everybody down and synthesize them. A working model is actually in the New Testament, and we need to wake up and follow it.&lt;br /&gt;
  552. &lt;br /&gt;
  553. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  554. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2Owhl05Lv0tnJWLjtwgLTwO2Kg4NTlrcyJOOX81MvkkRETtxRFGNiDzK0RlNPKMGeKzalTfNRTlnlQkgW_tFbKjhY_uTrJvfOAiv0IOjimvdprCPSKElw_l_gFJJf1fiUIJtt3ShgEc/s500/unityLamb-Chop.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;162&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2Owhl05Lv0tnJWLjtwgLTwO2Kg4NTlrcyJOOX81MvkkRETtxRFGNiDzK0RlNPKMGeKzalTfNRTlnlQkgW_tFbKjhY_uTrJvfOAiv0IOjimvdprCPSKElw_l_gFJJf1fiUIJtt3ShgEc/s200/unityLamb-Chop.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  555. Romans 14 deals with Meat sacrificed to idols. This mattered to early Christians not as animal lovers, but because meat came from pagan temples. Eating it was either subsidizing idolatrous cults or defying them by proving Christians were immune to their products. Eat or refuse, you couldn&#39;t do both simultaneously. The issue was black and white. If St Paul ate meat he sided with those who think their faith is strong because they eat meat. If he refuses he sides against them with those who refuse, on grounds of conscience. There is no middle ground.&lt;br /&gt;
  556. &lt;br /&gt;
  557. At this point St Paul could come running on, saying &quot;Calm down, dear! Nobody eat anything because that will upset the vegetarians! Let&#39;s all discuss what we all have to do before we can do anything! And then when we&#39;re ready to move, we must all move together!&quot;&lt;br /&gt;
  558. &lt;br /&gt;
  559. What St Paul recommends is the exact opposite. He tells every Christian&lt;br /&gt;
  560. &lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  561. &lt;li&gt;to be convinced in their own mind, each one personally.&lt;/li&gt;
  562. &lt;li&gt;to get on with doing whatever they do, meaty or veggie, 100%, but to do it for faith reasons, for Christ, not fear reasons. What comes from faith is faith.&lt;/li&gt;
  563. &lt;li&gt;When doing this produces passionate disagreement, to view it as an opportunity to accept the other as is and love them, not an opportunity to tribalise&lt;/li&gt;
  564. &lt;li&gt;To judge nobody else before the time&lt;/li&gt;
  565. &lt;li&gt;When people see you doing this, they will be amazed, and God will be glorified. Nobody has to pretend. Every particularity praises God&#39;s works, not its own, in its own language. Nothing is judged or synthesized before the time.&lt;/li&gt;
  566. &lt;/ul&gt;
  567. Fake Unity is basically about what&#39;s going on among the officers on the bridge. Its aim is keeping everyone as happy as possible. Driven by fear of everything falling apart, the captain becomes what Walt Disney called Mickey Mouse, &quot;a little guy trying his best.&quot;&amp;nbsp; Its aim is a world tamed and homogenised, where everybody calms down, and each particularity curbs its enthusiasms whilst every anomaly is synthesised out.&lt;br /&gt;
  568. &lt;br /&gt;
  569. Real unity is concerned with where the ship is going as well as how the ship is
  570. running. Its comes from the Cross, powered from within by a shedding of blood that
  571. bridges every contradiction in heaven and earth, even life and death.
  572. Its aim is a world reconciled, not homogenised, where every particularity believes and does what it does to the utmost and so becomes fully itself in a new, emergent, diverse, chorus of praise to God.&lt;br /&gt;
  573. &lt;br /&gt;
  574. The coming days, for the General Synod, could be make up your mind time between these two visions of unity, cheesy or real. At last.&lt;/div&gt;
  575. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/734578109762734181/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=734578109762734181&amp;isPopup=true' title='30 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/734578109762734181'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/734578109762734181'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/07/genuine-unity-how-to-focus-it.html' title='Genuine Unity — How to focus it'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARcYsZTM65xfSNfkKt_BgHFax-wkXdcR8L-fE1XnI0MSLSXCoS_QeaIfUHdE_c6h8B6XlIQURz2N2MCTokGkTBBo0vbtuDJeriYKXrOfn4lrMk0Ru77G6Ji_wjdNJkGs9kfb1tqrOuzo/s72-c/unity.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>30</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-428664775269901263</id><published>2013-06-03T07:09:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2013-06-03T07:23:23.418+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Establishment"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="House of Lords"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Iain McLean"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage equality"/><title type='text'>Perils of the Aristocracy: A Political Scientist Writes...</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  576. &lt;div class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  577. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  578. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyno38g43jQs59b_7ydg1a3kcLJ2E8Ne9vngolqFgk7PAWPAwVpnT8YyAohBESMi_-jg_R13Dur5nDUagbj_1dJdpcmHi0uHxhMZrKD25sp2WscGQTMx_dkfN5rsShDqoznXaOCwcrCY0/s1600/brave+Iolanthe2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;138&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyno38g43jQs59b_7ydg1a3kcLJ2E8Ne9vngolqFgk7PAWPAwVpnT8YyAohBESMi_-jg_R13Dur5nDUagbj_1dJdpcmHi0uHxhMZrKD25sp2WscGQTMx_dkfN5rsShDqoznXaOCwcrCY0/s200/brave+Iolanthe2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  579. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Where does the Lords debate on equal marriage leave Lord bishops? The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10094600/Bishops-under-pressure-to-abstain-in-gay-marriage-vote.html&quot;&gt;Telegraph reckons&lt;/a&gt; that “top officials” have told them to stay away on Tuesday, to avoid a constitutional showdown on the subject:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  580. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  581. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Officials in Church House are said to have urged bishops to limit their numbers to around six at the most for the controversial debate. It is thought that up to 10 of them could defy the advice and vote against the bill.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  582. &lt;div style=&quot;background-color: white; color: #282828; line-height: 1.48em; padding: 0px 0px 0.7em;&quot;&gt;
  583. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;This may well be sage advice. An interesting analysis of the constitutional implications came my way recently from an impeccable source, Dr &lt;b&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/index.php/profile/iain-mclean.html&quot;&gt;Iain McLean, Professor of Politics at Oxford University, Fellow of Nuffield College, and Vice President for Public Policy of the British Academy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  584. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  585. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;There are reports that the Lords Spiritual, or some of them, will support Lord Dear’s “fatal motion” to deny the Bill a second reading. This would be disastrous to the mission of the Church of England. The Bishop of Leicester, as Convener of the Lords Spiritual, should do all in his power to ensure that at least a majority of the bishops present do not support the fatal motion.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  586. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  587. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Tim Stevens, who has led the bishops in the House of Lords on the issue, said: &quot;We clearly cannot support the Bill because it is contrary to the Church&#39;s historic teaching on the nature of marriage.&quot; He said, however, that he would want to recognise &quot;that the Government has done a great deal to accommodate some of the Church&#39;s concerns, and to make it clear that individual clergy cannot be proceeded against by anybody&quot;. &quot;Hard work&quot; had been done &quot;to ensure that the Canons of the Church of England will not contravene the civil law of England&quot;…. Bishop Stevens said that the House did not traditionally take a vote at this stage, but that this might happen. Individual bishops would then have to decide how to vote (Church Times 24.05.13)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  588. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  589. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Bishops of Leicester and Chester have put their names down to speak in the debate, as have Lord Carey of Clifton and Lord Harries of Pentregarth.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  590. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  591. &lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 1.48em;&quot;&gt;Six reasons why supporting the fatal motion would be disastrous for the C of E’s mission.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 1.48em;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  592. &lt;ol style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;line-height: 1.48em;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;
  593.  
  594. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;
  595. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The core proposal is to allow same-sex civil marriage. The elected house of Parliament supports this by a majority of 2 to 1. The people support it by a stable majority. Although religious people are less supportive than non-religious people, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.brin.ac.uk/news/2013/marriage-same-sex-couples-bill/&quot;&gt;Anglicans are close to evenly divided&lt;/a&gt;. The unelected house needs to move very cautiously in the face of these figures. The statutory regime for civil marriage in England &amp;amp; Wales was created in 1753 and has been changed numerous times, with civil divorce being permitted since 1857. The civil marriage regime is not a creature of canon law, despite a recent mistaken claim by the Archbishop of York.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  596. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Success of the fatal motion would violate the religious freedom of those who in conscience wish to solemnize same-sex weddings: currently the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Unitarians, Liberal Judaism and Reform Judaism. All of these have suffered from religious discrimination in the past. British Quakers came to unity in 2009 in support of same-sex marriage in Meetings according to the usage of Friends. The Quaker method relies on discernment of the inner Light, not on majority rule. If there is not unity as to the leadings of the Light, Quakers do not take a position. Their position on this matter should therefore be given considerable deference. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.quaker.org.uk/sites/default/files/We-are-but-witnesses.pdf&quot;&gt;An explanation of the Quaker theology behind it is here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  597. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;As the bishop of Leicester’s reported remarks acknowledge, the Government has put very substantial protections in place for the religious freedom of those whose conscience does not permit them to approve of or take part in same-sex religious weddings. If the fatal motion succeeds, the Lords Spiritual will have no further opportunity to improve the protection of conscientious objectors because the bill will be enacted under the Parliament Act without Lords’ consent (see below).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  598. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;The Church of England often states that the role of the Lords Spiritual is to provide a religious perspective on current moral issues. But on this subject religious opinion is divided. See above; also &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.salisbury.anglican.org/news/bishop-restates&quot;&gt;the recent letter&amp;nbsp;from the Bishop of Salisbury to Lord Alli&lt;/a&gt;. When religious opinion is divided, the only proper course for a religious representative in the legislature is to plead for freedom of conscience. That must mean, equally, the freedom of Quakers to conduct same-sex marriages, and the freedom of Anglicans to refuse to conduct them.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  599. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;Opposition to the will of the Commons (on this matter, and on the matter of women bishops) imperils the future right of bishops to sit in the legislature. If the bishops, or their convener, support the Dear motion, it is extremely likely that a proposal to remove them from the legislature will be in both the Labour and the Liberal Democrat General Election manifestos for 2015.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  600. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;&quot;&gt;If carried, the Dear motion will lead only to the Commons’ use of the Parliament Act 1949 to pass the Bill without Lords’ consent. Even if the Prime Minister does not want to invoke the Parliament Act, there is a sufficient majority in the Commons to ensure that it will be invoked if needed. The Lords Spiritual should consider what happened in 1832 and in 1911.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  601. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;
  602. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 1.48em;&quot;&gt;
  603. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  604. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Heeding Professor McLean’s advice, however sensible, will annoy irreconcilables who want the Bishops to be the last ditch against the destruction of civilisation. It will at least prevent a situation where the bishops run the whole establishment onto the rocks in the name of a policy many of them didn&#39;t really believe in anyway, but were too afraid to say. It&#39;s a historic dilemma.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  605. &lt;div&gt;
  606. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;
  607. &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Premium Members of the English&amp;nbsp;aristocracy&amp;nbsp;have faced Gay Juggernauts with equanimity in the past, and lived to tell the tale:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  608. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  609. &lt;iframe allowfullscreen=&#39;allowfullscreen&#39; webkitallowfullscreen=&#39;webkitallowfullscreen&#39; mozallowfullscreen=&#39;mozallowfullscreen&#39; width=&#39;530&#39; height=&#39;430&#39; src=&#39;https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxN_mnhQ7k5KiD9qVg01R8qwHtO8EaWLh3EmCxgCwlNHdGrt5KfVR_UYdgUNqCDCoUQYGv0JEZelYY059xPKw&#39; class=&#39;b-hbp-video b-uploaded&#39; frameborder=&#39;0&#39;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  610. &lt;div&gt;
  611. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  612. &lt;/div&gt;
  613. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/428664775269901263/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=428664775269901263&amp;isPopup=true' title='11 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/428664775269901263'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/428664775269901263'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/06/perils-of-aristocracy-political.html' title='Perils of the Aristocracy: A Political Scientist Writes...'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyno38g43jQs59b_7ydg1a3kcLJ2E8Ne9vngolqFgk7PAWPAwVpnT8YyAohBESMi_-jg_R13Dur5nDUagbj_1dJdpcmHi0uHxhMZrKD25sp2WscGQTMx_dkfN5rsShDqoznXaOCwcrCY0/s72-c/brave+Iolanthe2.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>11</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-6569948752064292219</id><published>2013-05-25T21:35:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2013-05-30T15:08:42.581+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage equality"/><title type='text'>Letter to a Saloon Bar Moralist</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  614. Thank you for your letter. The more people apply their first principles to this question, the closer we will come to a way forward so thank you for trying. I am sure many people, especially those of a certain age will share it instinctively, driven by a primal feeling of disgust about gay sex.&lt;br /&gt;
  615. &lt;br /&gt;
  616. What I am finding also, however, is that your views appear anything but natural to vast numbers of people who simply see gay people as people, not defined by their sexual practices. The opposite answer is as clear to them, as yours is to you and the minority of my correspondents your letter represents. &lt;br /&gt;
  617. &lt;br /&gt;
  618. So what are we to do?&lt;br /&gt;
  619. &lt;br /&gt;
  620. 1. Please note that I have said absolutely nothing about sexual practice. The honourable expression of the sexual dimension of our lives is a challenge to everyone, gay or straight, I would add, regardless of where we find ourselves on the various scales that define what we call orientation, with their various fluidities and rigidities. It is a fact that every population ever has contained, among others, a small minority whose orientation is irreducibly homosexual. We have tried criminalising them, especially since the 1880&#39;s, treating them as mad, or bad, or deformed, or inverted, or, stunted. We have chemically castrated them, locked them up, exiled them, even, in some Muslim countries stoned them. None of this makes ay difference to the basic biological fact of the matter which is a given, and a part of the way God made us. Full stop. The question is how would a holy relationship be between members of this tiny minority?&lt;br /&gt;
  621. &lt;br /&gt;
  622. 2. Please notice that &quot;Love your neighbour as yourself&quot; is not the same thing as &quot;go and sin freely.&quot; It is, however, the cornerstone of both Jesus&#39; and St Paul&#39;s teaching and neither you nor I are free to cast it aside because of our feelings of sexual disgust.&lt;br /&gt;
  623. &lt;br /&gt;
  624. 3. Jesus also taught us to beware the leaven of the Pharisees within and among ourselves. Indeed, whilst he said absolutely nothing about what we call homosexuality (hardly surprising, since the concept was not defined until 1892) he said an enormous amount about using the law to lay burdens on others harder than they could bear, not treating others as you would have them treat you, failing to see the human being in need for the child of God they are, erecting the small matters of the law into crucial shibboleths that confound the purpose of the law, thinking that searching the scriptures in itself will bring life, supposing that people were made for the sabbath not the sabbath for people, and so I could go on. St John tells us that it is futile to think that we are loving the God we have never seen, if we do not love towards the person we have seen.&lt;br /&gt;
  625. &lt;br /&gt;
  626. 4. Jesus also taught that by its fruits you know the good of anything. Our commission is to be good news to the whole creation, not Pharisees. Our conventional silence and implicit condemnation based on disgust has borne fruits of depression, hypocrisy, self-loathing and even suicide. It cannot be good enough, against the basic duty of love to which Jesus calls his disciples.&lt;br /&gt;
  627. &lt;br /&gt;
  628. 5. There is no single biblical concept of marriage. There are seven in the Hebrew Scriptures alone, including some that are far from ours (like 1 man and 700 women). Indeed there actually is no root in Hebrew that expresses the concept of &quot;marriage&quot; as we know it. People &quot;take&quot; or &quot;procure&quot; their women according to the custom and definition of the context. Similarly there is no link between marriage and procreation which, in the Hebrew Scriptures, as in the rest of life, can happen entirely separately. What is judged is not the definitions of their marriages but people&#39;s behaviour within them. We have to work with the Bible we&#39;ve got, not the one we would have written, given our own prejudices.&lt;br /&gt;
  629. &lt;br /&gt;
  630. What I do find is that many people who begin with a saloon bar approach find that when they try to apply it to real people they love in their own circle of friends and families, its inadequacies soon reveal themselves for Pharisaic cant. An ethic that cannot be applied to people you actually love is sub-Christian by the standards of the Good Samaritan. The sermon on the mount is not a discussion starter, but a way of life. We all have to try and engage with it, as Nelson said in another context, more closely!&lt;br /&gt;
  631. &lt;br /&gt;
  632. With every good wish and blessing,&lt;br /&gt;
  633. &lt;br /&gt;
  634. +Alan&lt;br /&gt;
  635. &lt;br /&gt;
  636. The Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson&lt;br /&gt;
  637. Bishop of Buckingham&lt;br /&gt;
  638. &lt;br /&gt;
  639. 01494 862173&lt;br /&gt;
  640. http://www.bishopalan.com&lt;br /&gt;
  641. &lt;br /&gt;
  642. &quot;People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed&quot; — Samuel Johnson&lt;/div&gt;
  643. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/6569948752064292219/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=6569948752064292219&amp;isPopup=true' title='5 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/6569948752064292219'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/6569948752064292219'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/05/letter-to-saloon-bar-moralist.html' title='Letter to a Saloon Bar Moralist'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><thr:total>5</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-6162655675911990095</id><published>2013-05-24T09:23:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2013-05-25T10:59:14.618+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="1920&#39;s"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Gatsby"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage equality"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Scott Fitzgerald"/><title type='text'>Redefining Marriage (1925)</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  644. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  645. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lh4jNMwn13__uMsnIRHUe_lCpnDi_FFY__D7GnzrJuALNLmuInZY3YAchCTb3DwDE6QyKS6TXanXurnY6Q1JOr6_EvXnGxwZjaiGsvqrXvJvqLqtHbFYkMRtZ09b5Ovw8S0QHAVOeNQ/s1600/1925marriage.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lh4jNMwn13__uMsnIRHUe_lCpnDi_FFY__D7GnzrJuALNLmuInZY3YAchCTb3DwDE6QyKS6TXanXurnY6Q1JOr6_EvXnGxwZjaiGsvqrXvJvqLqtHbFYkMRtZ09b5Ovw8S0QHAVOeNQ/s1600/1925marriage.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  646. &lt;br /&gt;
  647. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  648. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/6162655675911990095/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=6162655675911990095&amp;isPopup=true' title='29 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/6162655675911990095'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/6162655675911990095'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/05/redefining-marriage-1925_24.html' title='Redefining Marriage (1925)'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lh4jNMwn13__uMsnIRHUe_lCpnDi_FFY__D7GnzrJuALNLmuInZY3YAchCTb3DwDE6QyKS6TXanXurnY6Q1JOr6_EvXnGxwZjaiGsvqrXvJvqLqtHbFYkMRtZ09b5Ovw8S0QHAVOeNQ/s72-c/1925marriage.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>29</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-4560229059198865134</id><published>2013-05-19T10:51:00.003+01:00</published><updated>2013-05-19T10:52:38.629+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Equality"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pentecost"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pharisees"/><title type='text'>Pentecost: Fire lights on Babel Tower</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  649. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  650. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxtI0RAVxulI-Hc-Uyi0Jn7SUHGCRF_PJG3XsEWYka-D-ZHUOwIEN9Sc0s1vT-EVZ7dR5u2_Qbvbf4DIIulLJXk0yQfpSe31-CtsiRK6sNUuUdJVS6GmMGywVCAuzFJvcvqHFIa2Z0pU/s1600/brueghel-tower-of-babel-1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;162&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxtI0RAVxulI-Hc-Uyi0Jn7SUHGCRF_PJG3XsEWYka-D-ZHUOwIEN9Sc0s1vT-EVZ7dR5u2_Qbvbf4DIIulLJXk0yQfpSe31-CtsiRK6sNUuUdJVS6GmMGywVCAuzFJvcvqHFIa2Z0pU/s200/brueghel-tower-of-babel-1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  651. &lt;i&gt;Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs...&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  652. &lt;div&gt;
  653. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  654. &lt;div&gt;
  655. What emerges from Acts 2 is the original Multinational — founded on absolute Equality, universal in scope, affirming particularity, non-Imperialistic (but welcoming to Roman tourists like anyone else), minimally and functionally hierarchical but inwardly driven by the Spirit. What’s wrong with that?&lt;/div&gt;
  656. &lt;div&gt;
  657. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  658. &lt;div&gt;
  659. Sadly this simple vision conflicts with some dirty little habits:&lt;/div&gt;
  660. &lt;div&gt;
  661. &lt;ul style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
  662. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Inequality&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;usually expressed as the feeling of entitlement you find in racists, bigots and sexual predators of all stripes, mild and strong, ancient and modern. It’s all about power, not sex.&lt;/li&gt;
  663. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Narrow Tribalism&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;even the corruption of the Pentecostal Community into a tribe. The idea was that all instincts of particularity that used to express themselves over and against each other should become a symphony of disparates. The Church’s calling was to transcend tribalism, not become a specialist faith group that revels in its habits and routines and, literally, idolises its particularity.&lt;/li&gt;
  664. &lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Homogenisation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;because birds of a feather flock together. The herd instinct turns in on itself and opts for safety in numbers, the tyranny of the tidy-minded, groupthink and doubletalk. The Institution takes itself far to seriously. The Sprit is subjected to the letter of the law, bureaucratised and neutered&lt;/li&gt;
  665. &lt;/ul&gt;
  666. &lt;/div&gt;
  667. &lt;div&gt;
  668. Perhaps the big crises the Church faces are not intractable issues in themselves, but the inevitable result of losing touch with its roots. The outward and inward predicaments the Church faces often draw out instinctive pragmatic love, especially at street level. Difference is no more than an invitation to love even enemies.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  669. &lt;div&gt;
  670. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  671. &lt;div&gt;
  672. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  673. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVQKy5rUK2rqzD3WH-oBt81tEUVqGSnzlGzJeb4fcFPBYhJtKHzVY0slsQvrzsMR2SVaFf359pubGEhsaUBDT9Fxq5LIVBVD7DsOaGCHI9npj4QMoo6mvi_2HKrJtgD06poGBp9wtRuY/s1600/Breughel_-_Gleichnis_von_den_Blinden.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVQKy5rUK2rqzD3WH-oBt81tEUVqGSnzlGzJeb4fcFPBYhJtKHzVY0slsQvrzsMR2SVaFf359pubGEhsaUBDT9Fxq5LIVBVD7DsOaGCHI9npj4QMoo6mvi_2HKrJtgD06poGBp9wtRuY/s200/Breughel_-_Gleichnis_von_den_Blinden.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  674. Sadly, the same predicaments also produce flashes of inequality, bigotry and discrimination, imperialism, institutional inertia, complacency and self-obsession.&amp;nbsp;Beware the leaven of the&amp;nbsp;Pharisees&amp;nbsp;says Jesus. “Be watchful of yourselves, whitewashed tombs, brood of vipers!”&lt;/div&gt;
  675. &lt;div&gt;
  676. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  677. &lt;div&gt;
  678. We can&#39;t fix the problems beyond us, but we can attend to the rot within us and among us. Then, in the light of such repentance, we could look outward in the light of all we had learnt and, in Wendell Berry’s unforgettable phrase, Practice Resurrection. Who knows? Engaging and transformative vision could go viral as it did on the streets of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
  679. &lt;div&gt;
  680. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  681. &lt;div&gt;
  682. Starting here. Couldn’t it?&lt;/div&gt;
  683. &lt;/div&gt;
  684. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/4560229059198865134/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=4560229059198865134&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/4560229059198865134'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/4560229059198865134'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/05/pentecost-fire-lights-on-babel-tower.html' title='Pentecost: Fire lights on Babel Tower'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxtI0RAVxulI-Hc-Uyi0Jn7SUHGCRF_PJG3XsEWYka-D-ZHUOwIEN9Sc0s1vT-EVZ7dR5u2_Qbvbf4DIIulLJXk0yQfpSe31-CtsiRK6sNUuUdJVS6GmMGywVCAuzFJvcvqHFIa2Z0pU/s72-c/brueghel-tower-of-babel-1.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-2810666754701905770</id><published>2013-04-13T10:02:00.003+01:00</published><updated>2013-05-25T11:00:19.293+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage equality"/><title type='text'>Kismet</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  685. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  686. &lt;/div&gt;
  687. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  688. &lt;/div&gt;
  689. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  690. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WIU94R_t9f9R-_AF859GuO1q4YddsLvqf3Gl0pyEYiNMhxcnCy-nVbZlFSq3D9PBUq8ODDxU_k-hkCXPcAbSEMcHHFLlmZaVRccDTrJibz5mw1c-QXmxjtQp9chxHBu9bnQRKLxowpo/s1600/SillyMatilda.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WIU94R_t9f9R-_AF859GuO1q4YddsLvqf3Gl0pyEYiNMhxcnCy-nVbZlFSq3D9PBUq8ODDxU_k-hkCXPcAbSEMcHHFLlmZaVRccDTrJibz5mw1c-QXmxjtQp9chxHBu9bnQRKLxowpo/s1600/SillyMatilda.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  691. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  692. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  693. 2014: Oh dear, Oh dear. We failed to heed &lt;a href=&quot;http://bishopalan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/gay-marriage-must-try-harder.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;the warning the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England gave us&lt;/a&gt;, and now look what’s happening&lt;/div&gt;
  694. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/2810666754701905770/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=2810666754701905770&amp;isPopup=true' title='6 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/2810666754701905770'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/2810666754701905770'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/04/kismet.html' title='Kismet'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WIU94R_t9f9R-_AF859GuO1q4YddsLvqf3Gl0pyEYiNMhxcnCy-nVbZlFSq3D9PBUq8ODDxU_k-hkCXPcAbSEMcHHFLlmZaVRccDTrJibz5mw1c-QXmxjtQp9chxHBu9bnQRKLxowpo/s72-c/SillyMatilda.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>6</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-8545159387807800319</id><published>2013-04-10T07:14:00.000+01:00</published><updated>2013-04-12T08:28:22.368+01:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="gay marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="General Synod"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="marriage equality"/><title type='text'>Gay Marriage: Must Try Harder</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  695. The Lion has Roared. The faith and order commission of the General Synod, no less&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1715479/faoc%20marriage%20doc.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;, has uttered its mind on marriage equality&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
  696. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  697. Marriage is the faithful committed permanent and legally sanctioned relationship between a man and a woman central to the stability and health of human society&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  698. What would happen if we simply substituted &quot;between two people&quot;?&lt;br /&gt;
  699. &lt;br /&gt;
  700. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBClyGgCocVE7HB4tfPpTSeu8uJZ6JXuypSJSz53sco6uawIqvlfeQlXNsDnNobEcORjsZQh5diB8O1dI2lUrtOiv3jjECGdZ1R-OgooQiT3tO5JI2zPf7DaIXj_eNcGZyJ7jalwd5EGs/s1600/renemagritte-the-son-of-man-1964.jpg&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBClyGgCocVE7HB4tfPpTSeu8uJZ6JXuypSJSz53sco6uawIqvlfeQlXNsDnNobEcORjsZQh5diB8O1dI2lUrtOiv3jjECGdZ1R-OgooQiT3tO5JI2zPf7DaIXj_eNcGZyJ7jalwd5EGs/s200/renemagritte-the-son-of-man-1964.jpg&quot; width=&quot;142&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Well, very little has happened, actually, in jurisdictions that have done that.&lt;br /&gt;
  701. &lt;br /&gt;
  702. Belgium remains, after ten years, a drably conventional place, where people are married and given in marriage.&lt;br /&gt;
  703. &lt;br /&gt;
  704. In Belgium, Gay people are not forced to marry people of the opposite sex and pretend to be what they are not. A small number of them choose a life of marital commitment together. Er, that’s it.&lt;br /&gt;
  705. &lt;br /&gt;
  706. But apparently this is what will happen in the UK:&lt;br /&gt;
  707. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  708. When marriage is spoken of unclearly or misleadingly it distorts the way couples try to conduct their relationships and makes for frustration and disappointment. The reality of marriage between one man and one woman will not disappear as a result of any legislative change, for God has given us this gift and it will remain part of our&amp;nbsp; created human endowment. The disciplines of living in it may become more difficult to acquire and the path to fulfillment in marriage and in other relationships more difficult to find.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  709. Really? How would that be? Has anyone ever met any couple to whom this happened?&lt;br /&gt;
  710. &lt;br /&gt;
  711. I agree that broadening access to marriage to include gay people and abolishing the unclarity inherent in forcing them to pretend to be heterosexual in order to get married can only reduce confusion, frustration and disappointment all round.&lt;br /&gt;
  712. &lt;br /&gt;
  713. Nobody is proposing gay relationships should be substituted for straight ones, merely treated equally.&lt;br /&gt;
  714. &lt;br /&gt;
  715. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  716. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgook55UJLpe12lVROsitRkD3ihQ-n_tc2vEPSi9KjKAoue4lboYbPqp0qdVjuIyHsVJUwHTpExNM5QAtluOqygcSbP23ZZzOecUTXgjSiF-LvV2nafN53dYqSmdYnd8MliwuS4L9Jhk/s1600/escher_convex.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;168&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgook55UJLpe12lVROsitRkD3ihQ-n_tc2vEPSi9KjKAoue4lboYbPqp0qdVjuIyHsVJUwHTpExNM5QAtluOqygcSbP23ZZzOecUTXgjSiF-LvV2nafN53dYqSmdYnd8MliwuS4L9Jhk/s200/escher_convex.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  717. Paragraph 8 is pure waffle:&lt;br /&gt;
  718. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  719. The marvelous ordering of the created world has not lost its force for a generation made more aware than before by discoveries in physics and biology of the dynamic unfolding of the universe, the interplay between innovation and constancy, variation and intelligibility.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  720. If the author of paragraph 26 which states “persons are not asexual” were to explore discoveries in biology they would learn
  721. that a tiny proportion, up to 1% of the population are, actually,
  722. asexual.&lt;br /&gt;
  723. &lt;br /&gt;
  724. Paragraph 29 makes a clear and helpful claim that&lt;br /&gt;
  725. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  726. In God&#39;s image we bring spiritual creativity to our natural endowment without denying or overthrowing it.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  727. One would expect the author to recognise that for some people their natural endowment is gay. Someone in favour of equal marriage would agree. But hang on, the report goes on to imply that only heterosexuality is, actually, natural.&lt;br /&gt;
  728. &lt;br /&gt;
  729. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  730. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFUjNrQh_2m5gyC3LCqgi4d8tVbBX3JtHpI_n0fow4KTDDuf7oinKQ4zxSYJKgU4TqIjR5ThlJE-OX3-GhvkcjzJAC3V-kTu18tJhzQoTOLQXl_NYgtUOm4qndKblPEbya-LROKin0qU/s1600/dvd-et-splsh.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFUjNrQh_2m5gyC3LCqgi4d8tVbBX3JtHpI_n0fow4KTDDuf7oinKQ4zxSYJKgU4TqIjR5ThlJE-OX3-GhvkcjzJAC3V-kTu18tJhzQoTOLQXl_NYgtUOm4qndKblPEbya-LROKin0qU/s200/dvd-et-splsh.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  731. This is the crux of the argument and exposes its genteel homophobic assumptions. If gayness may be regarded, as a matter of fact, as part of the natural order, the whole argument of this paper works in the opposite direction to what it intended. It does not speak for all Christians, as it claims to, because many Christians do not regard gay people as in any way inferior.&lt;br /&gt;
  732. The conviction they are equal arises from primary gospel values.&lt;br /&gt;
  733. &lt;br /&gt;
  734. Whilst agreeing with 95% of what is said in this report about marriage, the whole thing unravels as an argument against marriage equality the moment one accepts that gay people are not freaks, crooks, or straight people being naughty. If you believe they are any or all of these things, most of its arguments stack up against equal marriage. If you don’t, they actually stack up in favour. &lt;br /&gt;
  735. &lt;br /&gt;
  736. I recently met a Lesbian in church who was telling me that her worst experience of Church had been when it posed as the source of some cheesy form of pastoral care whilst continuing its essentially homophobic stance towards her personally.&lt;br /&gt;
  737. &lt;br /&gt;
  738. Thus I quake in my boots when I read in the accompanying &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2013/04/men-and-women-in-marriage-%E2%80%93-new-document-from-faith-and-order-commission.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;press release&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
  739. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  740. this report also underlines the role of the Church in seeking to provide care, prayer, and compassion for those who, for whatever reason, are unable to receive the gift of marriage in the form that the Church has understood it and continues to uphold.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  741. Many of my gay friends will find this tendentious statement wildly patronising and offensive. Offers of comfort from the very people whose homophobia caused the pain in the first place will not be received easily. If the Church wants to provide compassion, it can stop talking about gay people and start talking with them. It can demonstrate the genuinness of its care by ceasing to belittle and patronise them and start taking them seriously. If it wants to pray with them, this institution which cheerfully blesses nuclear submarines, hamsters and buckets of cement can start blessing their often stunning relationships.&lt;br /&gt;
  742. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  743. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBClyGgCocVE7HB4tfPpTSeu8uJZ6JXuypSJSz53sco6uawIqvlfeQlXNsDnNobEcORjsZQh5diB8O1dI2lUrtOiv3jjECGdZ1R-OgooQiT3tO5JI2zPf7DaIXj_eNcGZyJ7jalwd5EGs/s1600/renemagritte-the-son-of-man-1964.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  744. &lt;/div&gt;
  745. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/8545159387807800319/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=8545159387807800319&amp;isPopup=true' title='39 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/8545159387807800319'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/8545159387807800319'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/04/gay-marriage-must-try-harder.html' title='Gay Marriage: Must Try Harder'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBClyGgCocVE7HB4tfPpTSeu8uJZ6JXuypSJSz53sco6uawIqvlfeQlXNsDnNobEcORjsZQh5diB8O1dI2lUrtOiv3jjECGdZ1R-OgooQiT3tO5JI2zPf7DaIXj_eNcGZyJ7jalwd5EGs/s72-c/renemagritte-the-son-of-man-1964.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>39</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-1373535572138848772</id><published>2013-03-30T13:08:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2013-03-30T16:11:45.104+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Culture"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Fundamentalism"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Lord Carey"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Persecuted Christians"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="UK"/><title type='text'>Persecution, Paranoia and Pluralism for Pot-Plants</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  746. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  747. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcgPEs6g_UUcfudFd5L2DNh6ag6QOJo78Ek5JUOXRBWfNGP8QiJYVXcWRJ2EB2LlujfpUsgCEiyaVIaIPqGg3vxqeGiDwT7W_N2rYeWq0by_9l1IjVXcqU2xL6JAnGjvD35c4lRBqZeg/s1600/Lord-Carey-009.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;120&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcgPEs6g_UUcfudFd5L2DNh6ag6QOJo78Ek5JUOXRBWfNGP8QiJYVXcWRJ2EB2LlujfpUsgCEiyaVIaIPqGg3vxqeGiDwT7W_N2rYeWq0by_9l1IjVXcqU2xL6JAnGjvD35c4lRBqZeg/s200/Lord-Carey-009.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  748. Holy Saturday brings what the &lt;i&gt;Daily Mail&lt;/i&gt; calls &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2301310/Cameron-accused-betraying-Christians-Astonishing-Easter-attack-PM-Archbishop-Canterbury.html?ITO=1490&amp;amp;ns_mchannel=rss&amp;amp;ns_campaign=1490&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;an Astonishing attack on the Prime Minister by Lord Carey&lt;/a&gt;. I was not astonished. The timing is plainly the &lt;i&gt;Daily Mail’s&lt;/i&gt;, to embarrass the government as much as possible. Apparently two thirds of Christians now feel they are a persecuted minority — or at least they did fifteen months ago when the fieldwork for this survey was conducted.&lt;br /&gt;
  749. &lt;br /&gt;
  750. Since almost 60% of the population self-identified as Christians in the 2011 census, it&#39;s hard to see how the basic maths of this notion could possibly be substantiated. There are Christians in some parts of Africa and the Muslim world, for example, who actually do experience persecution. This does not consist of some politicians, including Christian politicians, disagreeing with them, but losing jobs, homes and freedom. Any comparison with them seems, to put it mildly, tacky.&lt;br /&gt;
  751. &lt;br /&gt;
  752. Apparently UK persecution consists of having to tolerate the fact that many people don’t share their narrow interpretation of the Bible, including many if not most other Christians.&lt;br /&gt;
  753. &lt;br /&gt;
  754. So what basis could there be for the factually tendentious feeling that Christians are persecuted in the UK? Perhaps top-shelf reactionary religion, in itself, can engender its own nightmares. I turned to the memoirs of Frank Schaeffer, talking about the anxieties of his Fundamentalist childhood:&lt;br /&gt;
  755. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  756. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVha1fn0B8p-vQdj9_QerNWcLyA8beLOPO2G1j_Txvb6EeQGkQKokhnbkkCm2K1NXKyMOzRRyE3Hocwu-BC597nxwEPtAd0Wz7v8sH4u_DrBGOpyhai9RRFEjDwGuoZqFBgS7m9mYvrI/s1600/Paranoia-2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;191&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVha1fn0B8p-vQdj9_QerNWcLyA8beLOPO2G1j_Txvb6EeQGkQKokhnbkkCm2K1NXKyMOzRRyE3Hocwu-BC597nxwEPtAd0Wz7v8sH4u_DrBGOpyhai9RRFEjDwGuoZqFBgS7m9mYvrI/s200/Paranoia-2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;We Schaeffers never compromised. At times it seemed that only God knew how important we were, how right, how pure. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  757. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  758. But isolation and rejection by “The World” only confirmed our self-importance. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  759. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  760. The sense of being like the tribes of Israel wandering the desert, with enemies on all sides, was the underlying reality of my childhood. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  761. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  762. I think it was shared by my three sisters... Susan took grim satisfaction at the looming damnation of just about everyone but us. Debby wept and redoubled her efforts. Priscilla got nervous and threw up. I hid.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  763. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv26BAjiIX73ncx7hjJ90lkUbPIaqyLPsRWY3LDKpsFWu2jVb7ReRcOP9ltc72XmcgVWizBj-lA_Bq7naFeXUpF_MN6b5gZZOLscMqizhvpydB_uin5RhPyLNuMcA6Yl_MM2xt0q7NZmI/s1600/Prophet_Jonah.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv26BAjiIX73ncx7hjJ90lkUbPIaqyLPsRWY3LDKpsFWu2jVb7ReRcOP9ltc72XmcgVWizBj-lA_Bq7naFeXUpF_MN6b5gZZOLscMqizhvpydB_uin5RhPyLNuMcA6Yl_MM2xt0q7NZmI/s200/Prophet_Jonah.jpg&quot; width=&quot;167&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Conservative Christians are people of high integrity and seriousness. I believe them when they say they do experience&amp;nbsp; marginalisation. In the good old days their&amp;nbsp; social mores, backed by the criminal law and psychiatric practice, absolutely ruled the roost.&lt;br /&gt;
  764. &lt;br /&gt;
  765. Cultural development since 1945, for better or worse, has left many conventionally minded Christians dazed and confused. A character in John Osborne’s &lt;i&gt;Look Back in Anger&lt;/i&gt; says of her father — “Poor Daddy. He’s a pot-plant left over from the Edwardian high summer who can’t understand why the sun isn’t shining any more.”&lt;br /&gt;
  766. &lt;br /&gt;
  767. Where does this marginalisation leave them? basically in the same position as the rest of the population.&amp;nbsp; Conservative Christians have a right to hold and express their views and be heard with respect like anyone else. That does not require everyone else to agree with them. Some people, most people, including other Christians, may well disagree with them. Nor does their right to be heard give them moral high ground from which to curtail the rights and dignities of others. They simply have to take their chances with everybody else,a nd be judged on the merits of their case.&lt;br /&gt;
  768. &lt;br /&gt;
  769. That is not persecution. It’s reality. It’s Democracy.&lt;/div&gt;
  770. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/1373535572138848772/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=1373535572138848772&amp;isPopup=true' title='6 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/1373535572138848772'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/1373535572138848772'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/03/persecution-paranoia-and-pluralism.html' title='Persecution, Paranoia and Pluralism for Pot-Plants'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcgPEs6g_UUcfudFd5L2DNh6ag6QOJo78Ek5JUOXRBWfNGP8QiJYVXcWRJ2EB2LlujfpUsgCEiyaVIaIPqGg3vxqeGiDwT7W_N2rYeWq0by_9l1IjVXcqU2xL6JAnGjvD35c4lRBqZeg/s72-c/Lord-Carey-009.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>6</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-445885616040502502</id><published>2013-03-29T12:41:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2013-03-29T12:44:16.229+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="faith"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Good Friday"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Jesus"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Rachel Mann"/><title type='text'>Good Friday: Into the Vortex</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  771. &lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; src=&quot;http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=httpbishopala-21&amp;amp;l=as2&amp;amp;o=2&amp;amp;a=1849522413&quot; style=&quot;border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;&quot; width=&quot;1&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  772. &lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  773. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAgDiRwrvvkS9e13TXwIT_UxNyToxRcQ1Hc_bjgvFbeZmJLtCYCNBGoLdgeQyoxGJ7wUfIHtFGF4vZdpmY-Y4leeHM5GDjjwTyiQohUr5z0Qk_PrQnEwUz9htfjCpYacMtmXaU0SWxMg/s1600/Rooftop+Easter+Carrying+the+Cross.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;183&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAgDiRwrvvkS9e13TXwIT_UxNyToxRcQ1Hc_bjgvFbeZmJLtCYCNBGoLdgeQyoxGJ7wUfIHtFGF4vZdpmY-Y4leeHM5GDjjwTyiQohUr5z0Qk_PrQnEwUz9htfjCpYacMtmXaU0SWxMg/s200/Rooftop+Easter+Carrying+the+Cross.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Good Friday. As he leaves the upper room, the Gospels suggest, Christ allows himself to fall into a swirling vortex of cause and effect over which nobody can have an&lt;br /&gt;
  774. y control. The King of the Jews gives himself up into the hands of his enemies. He surrenders to an overwhelming chain of events.&lt;br /&gt;
  775. The disciples, the priests, the procurator, the soldiers all think at different times that they are driving the story, but they are wrong. Nobody fetches up in this story where they want to be, but the faith says that everybody ends up where they need to be.&lt;br /&gt;
  776. &lt;br /&gt;
  777. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1849522413/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;camp=1634&amp;amp;creative=6738&amp;amp;creativeASIN=1849522413&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;tag=httpbishopala-21&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=1849522413&amp;amp;Format=_SL110_&amp;amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;amp;MarketPlace=GB&amp;amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;amp;WS=1&amp;amp;tag=httpbishopala-21&quot; width=&quot;126&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Good Friday is a good day to explore Rachel Mann’s new book, &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.rachelmann.co.uk/pp005.shtml&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Dazzling Darkness&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. It’s beautifully written, easy to read but not an easy read. Rachel bears profound personal testimony to her adventures, struggles and falls on the edge of gender, identity, and illness. She tells the story with severe realism. She embraces faith in community not as the resolution of all doubts and loss, but as a state of being lost and found all at once, work in progress.&amp;nbsp; Her narrative does not blink at the tragic dimension of living on the outside, but embraces it in the hope of a better resurrection.&lt;br /&gt;
  778. &lt;br /&gt;
  779. The edge, the liminal zone, is where that resurrection happens — not the reversal of death, because the most identifiable thing about Jesus’ risen body are the scars, the marks of embracing not evading death, of having been sucked into the vortex and out another side that is infinite.&lt;br /&gt;
  780. &lt;br /&gt;
  781. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  782. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1hnDBSlAEIzD1TZ6ol7ZNQY4RlzthpaS60qcJXXMYIcb1X2qn4a0R4lCEOuisU8YjYjnkBIA_g5CoZYm3Zr_mw3SrqOFeaJ6TnNZ8nCzgYUNeuJaIwRJ7rKUZ9ZU4IO6YE7uJ-9G5b0/s1600/American-Gothic-Christmas--65314.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1hnDBSlAEIzD1TZ6ol7ZNQY4RlzthpaS60qcJXXMYIcb1X2qn4a0R4lCEOuisU8YjYjnkBIA_g5CoZYm3Zr_mw3SrqOFeaJ6TnNZ8nCzgYUNeuJaIwRJ7rKUZ9ZU4IO6YE7uJ-9G5b0/s200/American-Gothic-Christmas--65314.jpg&quot; width=&quot;162&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  783. It may be that what makes organised institutions of faith difficult for so many people today is not their eternal tendency to take themselves too seriously — something Jesus experienced, at whose hands he suffered. That’s always been part of the mix.&lt;br /&gt;
  784. &lt;br /&gt;
  785. But the punters have rumbled the fact that neat, Pooterish, God-in-a-box Moralism, however convinced it may be of its own consistency and worth, is a poor substitute for life in all its fulness. Part of that fulness is loss, pain and uncertainty, as well as hope, beauty and joy.&lt;br /&gt;
  786. &lt;br /&gt;
  787. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHysQ2Ft83TW2waOqTCa69Q_mjpbZx3J76HqlqNnGZO-_BquFHOpku1s6UqQXZCz90LJGyfhE3T9Lq3orLBiI5QobABX3ubqcQ9RGarvV52WYEt8eoVWthNJlVu553pd7ZbTnOzgjoZgc/s1600/the-mission-robert-de-niro-jeremy-irons1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHysQ2Ft83TW2waOqTCa69Q_mjpbZx3J76HqlqNnGZO-_BquFHOpku1s6UqQXZCz90LJGyfhE3T9Lq3orLBiI5QobABX3ubqcQ9RGarvV52WYEt8eoVWthNJlVu553pd7ZbTnOzgjoZgc/s200/the-mission-robert-de-niro-jeremy-irons1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;147&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This is a book to read and re-read. I have a bad habit of underlining potentially helpful sections of
  788. books I read on the Kindle. I found myself underlining most of some
  789. chapters of this one. Rachel’s a poet as well as a philosopher by
  790. instinct and training, and it shows. So I leave the last word for today &lt;br /&gt;
  791. to her:&lt;br /&gt;
  792. &lt;blockquote class=&quot;tr_bq&quot;&gt;
  793. In Jesus Christ, God embraces human life and shows us — in the dark night of rejection, of unjust violence, of the loss of his friends as they run away, and most particularly in the Cross — the mystery of hope and love. And most of all of forgiveness....&lt;br /&gt;
  794. If the Christian life is about participating in the Divine Comedy, the actual living of it so often has the character of tragedy. And in the tragedy lie the pity, the hope, the weight, and, sometimes, the beauty.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  795. &lt;/div&gt;
  796. &lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=httpbishopala-21&amp;amp;o=2&amp;amp;p=8&amp;amp;l=as1&amp;amp;asins=1849522413&amp;amp;ref=qf_sp_asin_til&amp;amp;fc1=000000&amp;amp;IS2=1&amp;amp;lt1=_blank&amp;amp;m=amazon&amp;amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;amp;bc1=000000&amp;amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;amp;f=ifr&quot; style=&quot;height: 240px; width: 120px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
  797.  
  798. &lt;br /&gt;
  799. Note 1: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freakingnews.com/American-Gothic-Christmas-Pictures-74345.asp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;American Gothic Christmas&lt;/a&gt; by GarRobMil of the Independents&lt;br /&gt;
  800. &lt;br /&gt;
  801. Note 2: Kindle users need to download Rachel&#39;s book as a MobiPocket edition from &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ionabooks.com/2429-9781849522434-Dazzling-Darkness-Downloadable-book.html?keyword=rachel+mann&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;here&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, then transfer it directly by wire (i.e. as a private publication) to their reader. &lt;/div&gt;
  802. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/445885616040502502/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=445885616040502502&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/445885616040502502'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/445885616040502502'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/03/good-friday-into-vortex.html' title='Good Friday: Into the Vortex'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAgDiRwrvvkS9e13TXwIT_UxNyToxRcQ1Hc_bjgvFbeZmJLtCYCNBGoLdgeQyoxGJ7wUfIHtFGF4vZdpmY-Y4leeHM5GDjjwTyiQohUr5z0Qk_PrQnEwUz9htfjCpYacMtmXaU0SWxMg/s72-c/Rooftop+Easter+Carrying+the+Cross.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-7310758874300829039</id><published>2013-03-29T11:04:00.003+00:00</published><updated>2013-03-29T11:06:57.971+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Church Music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="J. S Bach"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Music"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Passion Music"/><title type='text'>Good Friday Music: Sung Text in Context</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  803. &lt;img alt=&quot;&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;1&quot; src=&quot;http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=httpbishopala-21&amp;amp;l=as2&amp;amp;o=2&amp;amp;a=B009G7WUOM&quot; style=&quot;border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;&quot; width=&quot;1&quot; /&gt;
  804.  
  805. &lt;br /&gt;
  806. &lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  807. One Big Plug from a serendipitous holy week: John Butt’s Dunedin Consort Bach St John Passion, just published, represents a significant trend in the presentation of passion music.&lt;br /&gt;
  808. &lt;br /&gt;
  809. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009G7WUOM/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;camp=1634&amp;amp;creative=6738&amp;amp;creativeASIN=B009G7WUOM&amp;amp;linkCode=as2&amp;amp;tag=httpbishopala-21&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;http://ws.assoc-amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;amp;ASIN=B009G7WUOM&amp;amp;Format=_SL110_&amp;amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;amp;MarketPlace=GB&amp;amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;amp;WS=1&amp;amp;tag=httpbishopala-21&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This recording recreates the Passion as liturgy, not concert performance. It draws together organ pieces, supplemental congregational singing, collects and responses, and even &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dunedin-consort.org.uk/john-passion-extra-content-sermon-and-intercession-summary-by-john-butt/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;a sermon from 1720 downloadable from the publisher&#39;s website&lt;/a&gt;. Recordings on original instruments have a potential for their own silly fundamentalism. If anyone wants to give me a concert Steinway for Easter I won&#39;t be putting it on the fire. Great music works in all kinds of media. There is a whole voodoo of pitch and temperament that is best avoided by all except professors of the subject.&lt;br /&gt;
  810. &lt;br /&gt;
  811. A whole liturgical approach does, however, invite anyone with a heart to feel afresh the impact of the whole text in context. I was stunned to hear the dark and stormy opening chorus &lt;span class=&quot;st&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;(Herr, unser Herrscher, dessen Ruhm in allen Landen herrlich ist!)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt; framed, astonishingly, by Buxtehude’s F Sharp Minor prelude (BuxWV 146). It works. &lt;br /&gt;
  812. &lt;br /&gt;
  813. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk4whyQYHqdm01SGKtLcx-6i-Bm0FFnMFnwdgzQ1yio2sxvrSPtsKTIpmYEtDKZLevDqv8-inL9YxHsArHp-K0HgMLQ_0XwfJKaabnLv6lsGEx9sf_y3xBPo7sPfk3nEwGwW-nTxD3Zg/s1600/Leipzig_Nikolaikirche_um_1850-edit.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;133&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk4whyQYHqdm01SGKtLcx-6i-Bm0FFnMFnwdgzQ1yio2sxvrSPtsKTIpmYEtDKZLevDqv8-inL9YxHsArHp-K0HgMLQ_0XwfJKaabnLv6lsGEx9sf_y3xBPo7sPfk3nEwGwW-nTxD3Zg/s200/Leipzig_Nikolaikirche_um_1850-edit.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;This approach requires small consorts and choirs on something like an eighteenth century scale. Doing this not only makes runs more
  814. nimble and passionate, but sings on various levels. Soloists’ recitative tells the tale. Arias provide relief, interpreting and inviting possible responses. Choruses play group roles and provide reaction
  815. shots. Single line chorales represent the congregations at Leipzig in
  816. the 1720’s, marking major points of transition and a frame on
  817. which to hang the whole and tie it together.&lt;br /&gt;
  818. &lt;br /&gt;
  819. The point of listening to a Passion is to be drawn, mentally and spiritually, to the different roles in the drama, entering each to some extent. We are fleeing confused disciples, we are Peter the Impulsive,&amp;nbsp; Judas the Betrayer, Caiaphas the professional holy Joe, Pilate, the overpromoted Coward. We play all these parts at different times in different contexts. All call for Grace. Each, in the course of the drama, meet Christ&#39;s searching understanding compassion. The possibility of that meeting is also potential for healing and hope.&lt;br /&gt;
  820. &lt;br /&gt;
  821. Why not this year? Why not me? Why not you?&lt;/div&gt;
  822. &lt;iframe frameborder=&quot;0&quot; marginheight=&quot;0&quot; marginwidth=&quot;0&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; src=&quot;http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=httpbishopala-21&amp;amp;o=2&amp;amp;p=8&amp;amp;l=as1&amp;amp;asins=B009G7WUOM&amp;amp;ref=tf_til&amp;amp;fc1=000000&amp;amp;IS2=1&amp;amp;lt1=_blank&amp;amp;m=amazon&amp;amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;amp;bc1=000000&amp;amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;amp;f=ifr&quot; style=&quot;height: 240px; width: 120px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
  823.  
  824.  
  825. &lt;/div&gt;
  826. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/7310758874300829039/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=7310758874300829039&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/7310758874300829039'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/7310758874300829039'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/03/good-friday-music-sung-text-in-context.html' title='Good Friday Music: Sung Text in Context'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqk4whyQYHqdm01SGKtLcx-6i-Bm0FFnMFnwdgzQ1yio2sxvrSPtsKTIpmYEtDKZLevDqv8-inL9YxHsArHp-K0HgMLQ_0XwfJKaabnLv6lsGEx9sf_y3xBPo7sPfk3nEwGwW-nTxD3Zg/s72-c/Leipzig_Nikolaikirche_um_1850-edit.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-430378051120181609</id><published>2013-03-14T08:52:00.000+00:00</published><updated>2013-03-14T09:30:40.847+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Leadership"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pope"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Pope Francis"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Roman Catholic Church"/><title type='text'>Frankie and Benny — Popes, Profs and Pragmatics.</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  827. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrc307zq85PSsDuHTsYA7R0jBFxMfBPagHpDZDboFy5ROMMltN-zSahyWBYH6eIB07Bd7KOEcFbz1dayhZJGcrY_mnXnYJhIvacBBMpytXbEoiFcsV3f13NIhyYTF5xd43rnUqJLiVjc/s1600/pope_francis.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;133&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrc307zq85PSsDuHTsYA7R0jBFxMfBPagHpDZDboFy5ROMMltN-zSahyWBYH6eIB07Bd7KOEcFbz1dayhZJGcrY_mnXnYJhIvacBBMpytXbEoiFcsV3f13NIhyYTF5xd43rnUqJLiVjc/s200/pope_francis.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Hope springs eternal in Rome, with prayers and good wishes from around the world. I felt a big flutter of positive energy, watching Pope Francis’ first hour in his new job. He seemed immensely calm but warm, centred in the moment and modest. I can’t imagine him in Mister Punch Prada gear, a plus point for me and future Vatican tourists who might otherwise not be able to tell which man in a white cassock was which.&lt;br /&gt;
  828. &lt;br /&gt;
  829. It looks as though there will be no confusing them. Circumstantially, people feel more at ease with an all-rounder. Historians may look out for signs of transition from the rule of an intellectual to that of a perfectly educated and intelligent man who seems confident, relaxed and centred in the moment.&lt;br /&gt;
  830. &lt;br /&gt;
  831. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  832. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAry4z77RHO7GZSEM5p7pQnfugRwdASFXO6zmmQqpA2MNYC0PQiLYrP4As92DMgRI2qc96cSSxuzUJkvZE0yTmsBP11rg6gyzoXj9XN4NpggYrW2F8XtEo2M9L_iZ86PtTsdqwF5vuQqI/s1600/big.brain.alien.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;151&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAry4z77RHO7GZSEM5p7pQnfugRwdASFXO6zmmQqpA2MNYC0PQiLYrP4As92DMgRI2qc96cSSxuzUJkvZE0yTmsBP11rg6gyzoXj9XN4NpggYrW2F8XtEo2M9L_iZ86PtTsdqwF5vuQqI/s200/big.brain.alien.jpg&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  833. Intellectual giants always, usually unintentionally, intimidate others. Nobody loves a Big Brain Alien. More significantly, Intellectuals inhabit a large room stocked with big ideas, that can become their primary reality.&lt;br /&gt;
  834. To someone with a powerful electric screwdriver every protusion is a screw. This can deliver quick results with some protrusions, but others, like nails and boils, remain stubbornly resistant.&lt;br /&gt;
  835. &lt;br /&gt;
  836. Intellectual giants see the progress of the world as the evolution of big ideas. A process of syllogism, thesis, antithesis, synthesis, drives their big brainy world, the one that really matters. Other people start from the other end and deal with their in-trays in more pedestrian but effective ways. Things move on because they were dealt with, and everyone else feels life is more than an eternal seminar group.&lt;br /&gt;
  837. &lt;br /&gt;
  838. To intellectual giants, issues arising from changing sexual mores are challenges to sources of authority, revisionist mountains made of molehills, waves beating against the rocks of the eternal shore. The progress of civilisation is at stake. To a priest struggling with imposed celibacy, or a young lad contemplating hanging himself from very shame, all the Big Ideas around this mean nothing, nor to the millions whose gut instincts drive them, often unwittingly, one way or the other. Failure to see this whole picture holistically makes the puzzle impossible.&lt;br /&gt;
  839. &lt;br /&gt;
  840. It would not surprise me if the new Pope&#39;s dogmatic beliefs were basically to the right in terms of issues, but I would expect him to be less imprisoned by them. A leader with a strong sense of pragmatic reality and faith that is concrete rather than abstract, shrewd rather than subtle, could do much good. The honeymoon will be over soon enough.&lt;br /&gt;
  841. &lt;br /&gt;
  842. I’m trying to enjoy it hopefully, and the parallel process that is unfolding in the Church of England...&lt;/div&gt;
  843. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/430378051120181609/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=430378051120181609&amp;isPopup=true' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/430378051120181609'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/430378051120181609'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/03/frankie-and-benny-popes-and-pragmatics.html' title='Frankie and Benny — Popes, Profs and Pragmatics.'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrc307zq85PSsDuHTsYA7R0jBFxMfBPagHpDZDboFy5ROMMltN-zSahyWBYH6eIB07Bd7KOEcFbz1dayhZJGcrY_mnXnYJhIvacBBMpytXbEoiFcsV3f13NIhyYTF5xd43rnUqJLiVjc/s72-c/pope_francis.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7132206171945839649.post-2278637458709849193</id><published>2013-03-11T14:34:00.001+00:00</published><updated>2013-03-13T08:11:34.056+00:00</updated><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Benefits"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Economics"/><category scheme="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#" term="Justice"/><title type='text'>Cyril says: Beware Percentages, my Son</title><content type='html'>&lt;div dir=&quot;ltr&quot; style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; trbidi=&quot;on&quot;&gt;
  844. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
  845. &lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1mOG4XrOwueRGSHypvs0r6lhBUCySVxaDBuDeH2oZjUMdXo4G7XAVonx0xYrrAy5oNjkZ7RqG4FpmxjqnDmJHMYIJBvq9EGHAOP2Fwf5k1Jqa4VwZ97ZVZEvl9YUublDF31jzj5f6T8/s1600/sacrifice-poster.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1mOG4XrOwueRGSHypvs0r6lhBUCySVxaDBuDeH2oZjUMdXo4G7XAVonx0xYrrAy5oNjkZ7RqG4FpmxjqnDmJHMYIJBvq9EGHAOP2Fwf5k1Jqa4VwZ97ZVZEvl9YUublDF31jzj5f6T8/s200/sacrifice-poster.jpg&quot; width=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  846. Cyril Badger, wily Reading parishioner (RIP1989) once warned me about the dangers of income comparisons based on percentages. Back in the sixties, said Cyril, it suited everyone to pretend percentages were the best way to rate pay increases. Managers liked them because they were simple and worked across the board. Trades Union leaders liked them because they appeared fair but preserved differentials.&lt;br /&gt;
  847. &lt;br /&gt;
  848. The fact is, said Cyril, you can only understand any percentage if you ask “... of what?”&lt;br /&gt;
  849. &lt;br /&gt;
  850. So let&#39;s just apply the Cyril test to the concept of fairness proposed by the government.&lt;br /&gt;
  851. &lt;br /&gt;
  852. Let&#39;s imagine you&#39;re a cabinet minister with an income of £134,565. You spend modestly on heating and food every year and “fair” austerity conditions are applied to you — a 1% pay rise every year, in the face of 4% rises in basics. This year you spend £14,000 on food and heating (bear in mind you have more than one property to heat) with £120,565 for everything else, including tax. After five years your income is £140,028, and Inflation has raised your spending on food and heat to £16,378. This leaves £123, 650 for everything else — actually, just over a 2% rise in spending money! O Joy! And if that&#39;s not enough, you can easily increase your earnings with non-exec directorships and other casual earnings.&lt;br /&gt;
  853. &lt;br /&gt;
  854. Let’s apply the same calculation to a single parent on minimum wage with two children and top up benefits. This produces £12,000 a year, of which she spends £1,100 on heat and £7,800 on food. This leaves £3,100 for everything else. Now apply “fairness.” After five years she has £12,487 of income, spending, £10,411 for essentials, leaving £2,075 for everything else. Oh dear. That’s a cut of 30% in money available for everything else.&lt;br /&gt;
  855. &lt;br /&gt;
  856. Finally, consider a pensioner couple with a very small private pension funded from savings. Now they live on £8,000 a year, spending £750 on heating and £2,800 on food. This leaves £4,550 for the rest, including rent. Let’s apply a bit of “fairness.” After five years on the same assumptions, their income is £8,324, with £877 to spend on heating and £3,275 on food. This leaves £4,171 for everything else, a 10% cut.&lt;br /&gt;
  857. &lt;br /&gt;
  858. So, right off the back of the envelope, fair is fair. But it&#39;s a lot more fair if you&#39;re a Tory minister where tightening the belt involves limiting yourself to a 2% rise in spending money. It’s less fair if you&#39;re a pensioner couple facing a 10% cut, or a mother of two facing a 30% cut. Of course it will affect your children. How could it not?&lt;br /&gt;
  859. &lt;br /&gt;
  860. The reasons bishops have said what they have is Maths, not Marxism. Go figure. I&#39;d love to see a better model than the back of my envelope including housing costs, if anyone out there knows of one...&lt;br /&gt;
  861. &lt;br /&gt;
  862. As to the feckless poor hypothesis, kudos to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21625446&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed Churches&lt;/a&gt; for producing a report, the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/truthandliesaboutpoverty/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Lies we tell ourselves&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; that introduces a note of reality to the discussion.&lt;/div&gt;
  863. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/feeds/2278637458709849193/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7132206171945839649&amp;postID=2278637458709849193&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/2278637458709849193'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/7132206171945839649/posts/default/2278637458709849193'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2013/03/cyril-says-beware-percentages-my-son.html' title='Cyril says: Beware Percentages, my Son'/><author><name>Bishop Alan Wilson</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='30' height='32' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhiU2Co0rkKpOl9BKG0HmNKsuwMfSJXXkBqYGoreJ2GCUEuc6qBGE3tS67bMdT4eU5ljvDYf82dB8NeAwgNXPHnv0wCycNVzVcJHM9eF2Is9-jtme_tlC38Mlm_VNqA/s220/Daddypic.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1mOG4XrOwueRGSHypvs0r6lhBUCySVxaDBuDeH2oZjUMdXo4G7XAVonx0xYrrAy5oNjkZ7RqG4FpmxjqnDmJHMYIJBvq9EGHAOP2Fwf5k1Jqa4VwZ97ZVZEvl9YUublDF31jzj5f6T8/s72-c/sacrifice-poster.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry></feed>

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