Two pieces from The Spectator:
Rod Dreher The Benedict option “Believers must find new, more radical ways to practise their faith.”
and in response
Matthew Parris Why I admire the Church of England “Some disapprove of the church’s frequent accommodations with secular society. I do not.”
Paul Bayes ViaMedia.News A Moment in the Tangle
Two pieces from ABC Religion and Ethics:
Stanley Hauerwas Naming God: The Burning Bush, the Cross and the Hiddenness of the Revealed God
Richard B Hays What Is Handed Over: Maundy Thursday, Memory and the Gospel
Peter Ould looks at a recent ComRes poll poll for Psephizo Do Christians really not believe in the Resurrection?
Richard Coles New Statesman Brexiteers and Remainers alike could learn from the life of Jesus
Alison Ray British Library Medieval manuscripts blog A hunt for medieval Easter eggs — including a 15th-century recipe for an imitation egg
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian The modern pilgrims retracing Britain’s ancient routes
Have I missed something here? Those concerned to reassure us that Britain is still a Christian country cite the result of surveys showing that fair majority of respondents affirm that the are indeed Christian, regardless of whether they attend a place of worship regularly or not. Now, in his critique of the recent BBC poll, Mr Ould is removing the large proportion of respondents who say they don’t attend a place of worship regularly in an attempt to show that Christians do overwhelming believe in the resurrection. Since we also know that regular attendance at a place of worship is… Read more »
Richard Coles’ piece has a spot-on analysis.
But most of all I feel touched by his experience of hearing Ephesians read aloud, and how his heart embraced it, leading to a break-through in his understanding – both intellectual and affective.
I am helped.
Richard, I wouldn’t try and speak for Peter Ould, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he, like many evangelicals, fully acknowledges that Christianity has slipped into minority status, and is in the re-evangelization of England camp.
The “England’s a Christian country” line is usually used by establishment Christians like Welby when they need to block some law or policy that rolls back Christian norms, whether it’s heterosexual marriage, or the ban on euthanasia.
For all my disagreements with evangelicals, I readily acknowledge that they’re skeptical of Christendom, nominal religion, and the corrupting effect that state has on church.
I think many of us can tell that Bishop Paul has honestly struggled a lot with the tensions around human sexuality in our Church, and I think he has been more open and frank about his feelings than some other leaders. As a matter of disclosure, Bishop Paul is *not* one of the 41 bishops I’ve had conversations with, but I appreciate his forthright admission of feeling and struggle about the whole business. Where I find the cutting edge of his position – and its arguable problems – is that he seems pretty clearly to want more affirmation of LGBT… Read more »