Nick Baines writes about The real news.
Giles Fraser writes in The Guardian that Despite the conservatives, churchgoers are inspired by Gene Robinson. “Though the gay bishop is retiring early, some day the Anglican church hierarchy will see homophobia as an evil.”
Alan Wilson writes about the Anglican Covenant in Right solution, wrong problem? and about Equalities and discrimination 101.
Jeremy Fletcher asks Is the Church of England a Coffee Chain?
William Oddie writes in the Catholic Herald that The Ordinariate will help reconnect the English Church to its medieval roots. “The Catholic Church in England has lost a precious tradition: of ministering to everyone living within the parish boundary.”
Philip Ritchie responds to the article on Fresh Expressions by Giles Fraser that we linked to last week: All FX’d Up.
This week’s Church Times article by Giles Fraser is A perfect harmony may jar.
And finally, in The Guardian: From the archive, 9 November 1960: An armchair lesson in sermonship.
RE Giles Fraser’s comment on +Gene Robinson:
The election and consecration of Gene Robinson meant a lot to me and to a lot of other people. The press focused on his opposition, but there were a lot of people in and outside the Church who were deeply affected by his becoming bishop.
For many people, this was the very first time that they seriously considered the Church to be something other than just another form of police force or collection agency.
“What I dislike about the Anglican Covenant is not just that it is institutionalised homophobia, but that it is animated by a dangerous dream of perfect togetherness. The Covenant is an attack on traditional Anglican pluralism. Its architects think it is pluralism that got us into this mess we are in. If only we all thought roughly the same, they muse. What they do not see is that the cure is so much worse than the presenting problem. – Revd.Dr.Giles Fraser, in the Church times – Giles reminds me of the prescription of a pain-killer that can actually cause more… Read more »
Mr Oddie’s article contains (half of) the insight that both the Church of England and the Church of Rome are minority churched in their lands. With 20th century Ecumenism this has caused a slight confusion in the Church of Sweden, which has always been (and remains) a majority church…
The good thing about Gene Robinson retiring is that it demonstrates that he does not believe that the solution has to come through him or his own works. He does not cling to positions of office or power, and relies on faith in God that the bigger picture will be revealed and reformations rolled out, independently of his own efforts. Better that that bishops who arrange extenstions to retirement ages so that they can cling to office. Better that than chuch officers who are not only uninterested in the bigger picture, but actively move to thwart or reverse reformations. God… Read more »
William Oddie does write some tosh. When will he face the fact that the Ordinariate will be atiny side show, with a disproportionate number of former clergy.
“What makes Catholics suspicious is, if Broadhurst and his ilk were so convinced of their Catholicism, what has taken them so long to convert? They could have done so at any time. It would have been arduous, conceivably long, possibly lonely, maybe even difficult and certainly low-profile, but it would have had an integrity which seems lacking now that they have had so long to get used to the single issue motivating them now: the ordination of women as bishops, so long after they were first consecrated priests.” – Stephen Bates, Guardian – In Jeremy Fletcher’s article on this thread,… Read more »
“There is no doubt in my mind that Robinson has been a prophet in the Anglican communion, recalling the church to its best instincts of inclusion and commitment to those who are excluded and marginalised. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, rich nor poor, black nor white, gay nor straight. Some day this will be as obvious to the church as the fact that slavery is evil. But the forces of reaction remain strong and are getting stronger.”
I second that.
OoooH! one of those rare moments when I agree with everything in a RIW posting.