Pierre Whalon Huffington Post 40 Years Ago, Women!
Sara Miles Episcopal Café The problem with the Bible
Rowan Williams The Christian Century In the place of Jesus: Insights from Origen on prayer
Christopher Howse Sacred Mysteries column in The Telegraph Classical basilica in rural Kent
That’s an interesting article by Sara Miles. We’re not apart from the world, we’re in it. And all of us have such a mixture of motives, but somewhere within us is God, encouraging and sustaining us, to grow and incline or hearts towards love, in an opening up to who God is, within us. I don’t view the Bible as a rule book, but as an openness and encounter with the living God, expressed by fallible humans like ourselves. My own Carmelite practice teaches me to not seek to ‘know’ so much as to open up by way of ‘not… Read more »
Thanks for the article from Sarah Miles, with the stories included in her piece. As for the bible, for those of us for whom it is scripture, its important to respect it, wrestle with it, be attentive to the different kinds of literature and the many and distant cultural voices within it. Part of doing so is respecting the limitations of scripture, not trying to make it say more than it does, not letting it confirm our prejudices, not allowing it to let us off the hook as responsible autonomous beings. Noticed there is wry comment, posted under Miles’ piece… Read more »
Sara Miles has got the Bible about right, I think. What impressed me, too, about her writing is that the secular is right in there as part of God’s love and care. Nice one Sara.
Thanks to Pierre Whalon for that theological analysis of the Philadelphia 11. This is also the 70th anniversary of the ordination of Li Tim Oi by the Bishop of Hong Kong and of course 20 years since the first ordinations of women in the C-of-E (better late than never), as well as (finally…) the vote for women bishops in the C-of-E. A lot to celebrate this year.
Interesting discussion of Origen on prayer by Rowan Williams, especially its advocacy of prayer as a way of “growing into the kind of humanity that Christ shows us.” I wonder how long it will be — if ever — before Williams’ voice will regain in such matters the authority he squandered during his time as Archbishop of Canterbury. The cowardice he displayed in his treatment of Jeffrey John, not to mention his bungled handling of Gene Robinson’s consecration as Bishop of New Hampshire and the farce of the Covenant, hardly begin to display signs of the “humanity that Christ shows… Read more »