Huffington Post has two articles about a new translation of the Bible: ‘The Voice’: New Bible Translation Focuses On Dialogue by Bob Smietana and Taking ‘Jesus Christ’ Out of the Bible by Christian Piatt.
Theo Hobson writes in The Guardian Can liberal Christians please stop banging on about gayness?
Also in The Guardian Andrew Brown writes about The persistence of superstition in an irreligious Britain.
As regards Theo Hobson’s interesting piece I think he makes a fundamental error – gay issues have got their star billing from the opponents – the rest of the Church is just getting on with it, and without loud voices would continue to do so. I do though think that there are other issues that liberals do need to work on and give equal billing. Two things important to me are to understand the impact and consequences of evolution (which conservatives either oppose or brush over) and discoveries about the Bible. Both of these things are glorious and wonderful inheritances… Read more »
I think Theo Hobson’s analysis is correct. At one point in post-war Anglicanism liberalism was defined by education. To judge solely by this website,the all-pervasive issues are homosexual ‘rights’ and revelling in the defeat of the Covenant. Not much else leaps to mind.
Craig Nelson writes interestingly on Theo Hobson’s rather ragged thinking. As one involved in the “movement” I agree that we were at best a marginal concern in the minds of most and it was the decision of the radcons to make homosexuality a defining issue that catapulted us into the centre field. Our analysis at the time was that the radical right would have preferred to see rollback on women’s rights but that the consensus was they were too late. I’m talking here not just about churchy politics. Reading the article through I felt Theo needed to grow up a… Read more »
The straight world is so narcissistic, all it wants to hear and see reflected is itself ! And by god, do we have to hear it constantly all through each and every day. The straight world is oblivious of its privileges which it blithely takes for granted. But one kiss on a soap or a bit of exuberance at a carnival and all self-righteous hell brakes loose! It’s such BS. And the straight world is so mean – denying marriage and other benefits to loving couples. Not to mention that men who loved each other were subject to the full… Read more »
Theo Hobson’s article does raise some good points, but his basic premise is flawed. ‘Liberal’ Christianity is based on the liberality of Christ, which got him into trouble with his hypocritical macho contemporaries among the scribes and Pharisees. For his ‘Liberality’, Jesus was crucified. When we examine the causes with which Jesus identified, we find the emancipation of women was a major. Also his fight against hypocrisy was another. I’m pretty sure that he would have been considered to be a radical protester against the ‘status quo’ of male-dominated legalism. At the heart of the current controversies in the Anglican… Read more »