Jonathan Clatworthy writes for Modern Church about Bishops and inspirers.
Jennifer Levitz writes in The Wall Street Journal that Churches Take a Stand on Pews, Replacing Them With Chairs.
Watts & Co, the well known London ecclesiastical suppliers, are on a church crawl round London Underground’s Circle Line, starting at St James’s Park. Going clockwise they have reached Edgware Road; the full list is here.
Stanley Hauerwas explains How to write a theological sentence for ABC Religion and Ethics.
Richard Chapman writes that The C of E goes looking for ‘God-doing’ at the party conferences – and comes away impressed on Gillan Scott’s God & Politics in the UK blog.
Giles Fraser writes for The Guardian about Darkness as my constant companion.
Madeleine Davies writes for the Church Times about A new way to be a pilgrim.
Giles Fraser – you are a tonic to many of us – and your inherent integrity shines through what you write – please don’t change. Like Colin Slee and others before him you give us a reason not to give up on the church – tempting as it is. I am very grateful for what you give us. Thank you.
Pews v Chairs – a practical view. Our schools fit 8 children on a pew. 6 adults is the max. We have school Christmas services coming up. Our local schools struggle to fit in (some are now taking nearly 100 pupils more than two years ago). We have some nice chairs. That tends to be the least occupied part of the church on a Sunday morning. Not decisive, I know, but interesting.
Giles Fraser – thank you. Your words are honest and real. God helps me too, in a big way.
Jonathan Clatworthy has got his finger on an important point. There are now almost no bishops today who have not been appointed simply to be a ‘safe pair of hands’. Bishops shouldn’t be managers, but that’s what they now are and although they are always extremely busy they aren’t much good at it.
re Pews, chairs and practicalities. We just move all the chairs to the side when primary schools come in and then they sit on the floor. We can fit about 200 on chairs, but 400 children (plus adults around the sides on chairs) in this way. Added bodies help to heat the church! And no, they are not modern easily stacked chairs – but it can be done
I remember visiting churches in Poiters several decades ago and being entranced by the light and space within, no pews and chairs neatly stacked out of the eyeline. Medieval pews aside, churches nearly always look better without them – most of our English church pews are bog-standard Victorian – and there is a space which can be adapted for many different uses. Last night we cleared the chairs and had a wonderful Harvest Supper!!
re Jonathan Clatworthy’s article on ‘Bishops and Inspirers’: Anyone who met with Bishop John Robinson – as I had the privilege of doing when he visited St. John’s Theological College in Auckland, New Zealand, where I was a student and Assistant Chaplain at Mount Eden Prison – could not help but be impressed by his thoughtful openness to people (especially budding theologs) who asked him questions about his intentions and motivation in writing his epic book ‘Honest to God’, that had caused a storm in the Church of England at the times of its publication. He was a typical example… Read more »
re; Watts Church Crawl.
I could hardly believe what I was reading. An anglo catholic priest who liked dressing up. Who ever heard of such a thing!