Michael Ainsworth’s post is a refreshing expedition into the world of railways, trivial pursuit questions, and general miscellaneous anecdotes. (I always feel sorry for poor Huskisson – getting killed on what should have been such a joyful day was a bit of a bummer.) On the subject of information overload, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve settled into my train seat. I’ve opened my book. And then it begins: some hapless announcer who seems to love her/his own voice, droning on about stuff from tickets, to refreshments, to upgrading to first, to short platforms, to connections, to luggage etc. A bit… Read more »
Anne Mellanby
8 years ago
Two days before the Church Times published Darrell Hannah’s interesting and important article on robust engagement with the fossil fuel companies (15 April), the largest coal mining company in the world, Peabody Coal, went bankrupt. At least five other large coal companies have have also filed for bankruptcy in the last couple of years. It is surely only a matter of time before the oil companies go the same way. We now all understand that we must dramatically reduce our consumption of oil or suffer such climate change that the world economy will collapse anyhow. There is thus a compelling… Read more »
Father David
8 years ago
Interesting article on Clergy and railways. Many Anglican clerics do indeed seem to prefer the smell of Steam trains to that of heavenly incense. It also seems to me that some years ago we imposed upon ourselves a kind of Beeching style wound when we encouraged younger potential ordinands to go away and get experience of “the real world”. After nearly 40 years in the ordained ministry, having been ordained at 25 years of age, I have had plenty of experience of the so called real world within the parochial ministry. Now that the signals are down and those reaching… Read more »
Kate
8 years ago
The transcendent difficulty with making a case for moral investment by a church is that it is morally dubious whether a church should retain sufficient liquid assets for investment in shares to arise in the first place.
Steve Lusk
8 years ago
Two thoughts:
On church and steam, no discussion is complete without a nod to The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953).
On investments, St. Ambrose was right: “It is a better thing to save souls for the Lord than to save treasures. The Church possesses gold, not to hoard, but to scatter abroad to aid the unfortunate.”
John Wall
8 years ago
Jim Grover’s piece in the Guardian is a fascinating account of how observation can lead to engagement and eventually to involvement and commitment.
Plus, the photographs are compelling.
How wonderful to learn of a congregation that an outsider would find “full of faith, kindness, generosity of spirit, care and consideration for each other,” a congregation that demonstrates “the positive differences that the church can make in a local community, and the value of community that the church can offer to those who seek it.”
Thanks to Jim Grover, and best wishes for his career in photography!
Rod, as an Albertan (albeit a left-leaning one!) I thank you for your nuanced approach to the issue of fossil fuels. Terry Leer’s article was very good too (he was the rector of All Saints’, Fort McMurray for many years, so he knows what he’s talking about in terms of the effect on faithful Anglican Christians who work in the oil patch). I shake my head at the delegates to ACC in Lusaka passing motions about fossil fuels. How did they get to Lusaka, for crying out loud? By sailboat? I fully agree that we need to focus our efforts… Read more »
Kate
8 years ago
«“Robust engagement” that is worthy of the name should include challenging oil and gas multinationals to make real reductions in carbon emissions now;» says Darrell Hannah Maybe. But does such an argument belong in Church Times? I think not when stated as an imperative rather than a discussion. Essentially green arguments like this are issues of intergenerational responsibility. There is a strong moral case for interhenerational responsibility but the Biblical case is not straightforward if doing so might cause disadvantage to impoverished people today. There is also at least a degree of tension about planning for the next generation if… Read more »
Michael Ainsworth’s post is a refreshing expedition into the world of railways, trivial pursuit questions, and general miscellaneous anecdotes. (I always feel sorry for poor Huskisson – getting killed on what should have been such a joyful day was a bit of a bummer.) On the subject of information overload, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve settled into my train seat. I’ve opened my book. And then it begins: some hapless announcer who seems to love her/his own voice, droning on about stuff from tickets, to refreshments, to upgrading to first, to short platforms, to connections, to luggage etc. A bit… Read more »
Two days before the Church Times published Darrell Hannah’s interesting and important article on robust engagement with the fossil fuel companies (15 April), the largest coal mining company in the world, Peabody Coal, went bankrupt. At least five other large coal companies have have also filed for bankruptcy in the last couple of years. It is surely only a matter of time before the oil companies go the same way. We now all understand that we must dramatically reduce our consumption of oil or suffer such climate change that the world economy will collapse anyhow. There is thus a compelling… Read more »
Interesting article on Clergy and railways. Many Anglican clerics do indeed seem to prefer the smell of Steam trains to that of heavenly incense. It also seems to me that some years ago we imposed upon ourselves a kind of Beeching style wound when we encouraged younger potential ordinands to go away and get experience of “the real world”. After nearly 40 years in the ordained ministry, having been ordained at 25 years of age, I have had plenty of experience of the so called real world within the parochial ministry. Now that the signals are down and those reaching… Read more »
The transcendent difficulty with making a case for moral investment by a church is that it is morally dubious whether a church should retain sufficient liquid assets for investment in shares to arise in the first place.
Two thoughts:
On church and steam, no discussion is complete without a nod to The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953).
On investments, St. Ambrose was right: “It is a better thing to save souls for the Lord than to save treasures. The Church possesses gold, not to hoard, but to scatter abroad to aid the unfortunate.”
Jim Grover’s piece in the Guardian is a fascinating account of how observation can lead to engagement and eventually to involvement and commitment.
Plus, the photographs are compelling.
How wonderful to learn of a congregation that an outsider would find “full of faith, kindness, generosity of spirit, care and consideration for each other,” a congregation that demonstrates “the positive differences that the church can make in a local community, and the value of community that the church can offer to those who seek it.”
Thanks to Jim Grover, and best wishes for his career in photography!
Rod, as an Albertan (albeit a left-leaning one!) I thank you for your nuanced approach to the issue of fossil fuels. Terry Leer’s article was very good too (he was the rector of All Saints’, Fort McMurray for many years, so he knows what he’s talking about in terms of the effect on faithful Anglican Christians who work in the oil patch). I shake my head at the delegates to ACC in Lusaka passing motions about fossil fuels. How did they get to Lusaka, for crying out loud? By sailboat? I fully agree that we need to focus our efforts… Read more »
«“Robust engagement” that is worthy of the name should include challenging oil and gas multinationals to make real reductions in carbon emissions now;» says Darrell Hannah Maybe. But does such an argument belong in Church Times? I think not when stated as an imperative rather than a discussion. Essentially green arguments like this are issues of intergenerational responsibility. There is a strong moral case for interhenerational responsibility but the Biblical case is not straightforward if doing so might cause disadvantage to impoverished people today. There is also at least a degree of tension about planning for the next generation if… Read more »