This week’s instalment in Alan Wilson’s Guardian series on the BCP is The Book of Common Prayer, part 6: Fencing the table. “The BCP’s approach to eucharistic access was informed by seeing holy communion as the supreme instrument of inclusion.”
Susan McCarthy writes in The Guardian about Noah’s raven: whose flight of fancy? “The ‘tracks’ of Noah’s raven found in 1802 smack of slipshod Biblical literalism, but the slapdash historical research is worse.”
The Archbishop of York has given a lecture on Prison Reform, Restorative Justice and Community to the Prisoners Education Trust; full text here.
Andrew Brown asks in The Guardian What does prayer achieve? “If praying for someone else does them no good, what is the point of all those words and all that longing?”
Philip Goff writes in The Guardian that Stephen Hawking has not yet disproved God’s role in creation. “The existence of the universe cannot be explained by science alone.”
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times Sandwiched between gluttony and vanity.
Christopher Howse has been to Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and writes about his visit in the Telegraph: Sacred Mysteries: An appointment with an angel at Hagia Sophia.
Nick Baines writes about the local structures of the Church in Keeping our eye on the ball.
‘Its job is to agree in the truth of God’s holy word in unity and godly love. This is what the BCP means by the catholic church, not an exclusive denomination with its HQ in Rome.’
Yes, and beautifully expressed. We don’t want to lose sight of this amidst all the excitements of ‘Ordinariums’ and ‘sacramental assurance’. True assurance is expressed in, but not limited to, this Communion Service.
Bishop Nick Baines always has something meaty to say to us about (1) the Structures of the Church, and how they can help or hinder the Gospel message, and (2) the fact that our unity is found, basically, in how we relate to one another in the body of Christ, which, in itself, is one of the instruments of teaching on the subject of the relationship of God in Christ, with everyone. Would that nmore C.of E. bishops would come down to earth on this abiding reality – of how the Church actually works; not just the theory. The Church,… Read more »
I was touched by Andrew Brown’s article on prayer and the comments following it. Very thoughtful and creative. Some touch on spirituality and creativity.