See also opinion on Living in Love and Faith here; I’ve been adding to this daily.
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Nourishing and enriching our innate goodness and love
Paul Wilkinson Church Times Threat that is keeping our solicitors busy
“The pandemic has spurred greater numbers to consider leaving their affairs in good order”
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Safeguarding Complaint against Archbishop Welby dismissed
Jayne Ozanne PinkNews The Church of England is ‘deaf to the cries’ of the LGBT+ people it is harming. Its recent actions have proven that
“Of course Welby was cleared. Why? Because once again the CofE is marking its own homework, the investigation was conducted by the CofE. There is no way they will find him guilty of anything…because reputation is much more important than victims. Always has been, always will be. Why wasn’t the investigation conducted by someone outside of, and totally independent of, the church? Because the church wouldnt dare allow it in case the truth were exposed” ~ Revd Matthew Ineson Heads must now roll, and it is up to us to demand it. It can’t be the Supreme Head of the… Read more »
My comment above relates to Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Safeguarding Complaint against Archbishop Welby dismissed
“Indeed, I think it is immoral, inexcusable, and cowardly” – Jayne Ozanne I agree with Jayne that the LLF process is “immoral, inexcusable and cowardly” for failing to put an end to the suffering of LGBTI+ people. Some people stepped aside once they saw what was happening and deserve praise for doing so. All those who didn’t or who support LLF now should be ashamed of themselves. I think what is most abhorrent is that LLF portrays it as a conflict of ideas. It isn’t. It is a battle between traditional ideas and the suffering of LGBTI people. Jayne makes… Read more »
I find the assertion in Jayne’s piece of legal restraint on religious freedom a very dangerous one with all sorts of unintended consequences likely. This is not how to change the church teaching.
I suspect that at least some of those who administered beatings at Iwerne thought them necessary to make boys have sound Christian beliefs, but it was abuse and we recognise that – religious freedom doesn’t come into it.
Why should we treat conversion therapy any differently than we would beatings? It is a form of abuse and we should treat it as such.
What people other than John Smyth administered beatings to boys who attended the Iwerne camps as you suggest, please?
In his book Godless Morality, Richard Holloway said that making moral decisions was easy when you had a choice between two things, one morally good, and one bad. The problem came when you have to decide between two things, both of which are held to be morally good, but which are mutually incompatible. Religious freedom is a moral good, but the protection of people from harm is also a moral good. What do you do when people demand the religious freedom to do things which cause actual harm to others, when the two moral goods contend with each other? A… Read more »
Thank you Simon. Much more eloquently (and eruditely) put than my clumsy effort.
I would think it obvious from the Gospels and Christ’s example, that Christian love can never countenance physical or mental cruelty to another person.
Rather like the importunate widow the victims of the safeguarding scandals will get justice eventually. Surely Luther Pendragon ought to be advising the CofE accordingly. The victims shouldn’t have to fight every step of the way, but the fight only compounds the damage to the Church’s battered reputation. I don’t see what the CofE gains from stalling on this issue.
Wishing I had the faith in the CofE that the importunate widow had in Jesus …
I too wonder what the CofE’s ‘managers’ or ‘leaders’ think they are gaining from the expensive ‘reputation managers’ that they are paying for at other people’s expense of many kinds and no kindness. Long overdue for a serious ‘reset’.
The importunate (or ‘persistent and vexatious’, as Church functionaries like to label survivors) widow kept bothering an unjust judge until he eventually heard her case. She didn’t need faith, she just needed righteous indignation and staying power. Which makes it a great parable for survivors and other victims of injustice – and, as Dean says, a warning to the Church.
Janet, I love the stories of gutsy women in the gospels. One of my tutors at Durham Professor Ann Loades wrote a book Searching for Lost Coins, though I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember if she cited the parable of the importunate widow. In my preaching I always tried to reference these lost coins in Scripture.