Geoffrey Rowell writes in The Times that The example of Jesus points the way to a meaningful pattern of prayer.
Also, Michael Binyon writes about York’s local hero — the first Christian emperor. ( Yorkshire Post news report here.)
In the Guardian Nicholas Buxton, a participant in the BBC’s Monastery series, now an ordinand at Cambridge, writes Face to Faith.
Also, Karen Higginbottom writes about graduates who don’t want to enter the corporate world finding their true calling in religion, in Keeping the faith.
Christopher Howse in the Telegraph writes about Archbishop Milingo in Zambian archbishop reclaims Korean bride.
This week’s Church Times has Jonathan Bartley writing that Christians are in denial on faith hate.
75 CommentsStuart Kenworthy an American priest serving as a military chaplain in Iraq has written about this experience: Dispatches from the Iraqi desert.
Pete Tobias who is a Liberal Jewish rabbi, has written in Face to Faith in the Guardian that “We must acknowledge that ‘scripture’ was written by fallible humans if we are to solve the Middle East’s troubles.”
Louise Mitchell writes in The Times about interfaith work: ‘Do unto others’ is only the first step on a long and gruelling journey.
Alan Webster writes in The Times about ecumenism in France: French priests put the cordiale into the entente.
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about an RH Benson novel in The palm trees of Armageddon.
Last week’s Church Times had this article by Marilyn McCord Adams: Waiting on others can stifle prophetic action.
7 CommentsTheo Hobson has written Sowing the seeds of change on commentisfree.
Michael Bordeaux writes in The Times about The religious maelstrom of modern Russia.
Also Jonathan Sacks writes that Bonds of friendship will prevail over those who seek to divide us.
Richard Frith writes in the Guardian about the Mission to Seafarers.
16 CommentsThe Times has Stephen Plant writing on If faiths are to parley they first have to get into each other’s good books, and also Conal Gregory writes about the York Mystery Plays in A marvellous quarry of medieval devotion.
Face to Faith in the Guardian is by Shaunaka Rishi Das and is about Hinduism.
The Guardian also has some letters to the editor, also here. There were more letters in The Times too.
Last week, the Church Times carried an extract from the Gore Lecture given by Peter Selby. The full text of the lecture is on the Westminster Abbey website. The title was: Structures of Disdain – and how they might be redeemed.
6 CommentsLast week I linked an article from Ekklesia about marriage. Nobody here commented at all. So first, here is another item a week old, which is a discussion of that on last week’s BBC Sunday radio programme:
Marriage
Under draft legislation to be debated by the church of England’s General Synod next month, couples should be able to marry in any church they like if they can show they have a connection with it.
The religious think tank Ekklesia suggests that the Church and society should go further. It suggests serious consideration should be given to the abolition of legal marriage and its replacement by a variety of civil partnerships through which couples could specify the type of legal commitment they wished to make to one another.
The Dean of Wakefield, The Very Reverend George Nairn-Briggs, sat on the working party which drafted the proposals to relax the rules on where couples can marry. He and Jonathan Bartley, director of Ekklesia, discuss these controversial proposals.
Listen (7m 4s)
This week, Geoffrey Rowell writes in The Times: The Church must not sway to the siren voice of postmodern culture
In the Guardian Face to Faith is written from a Quaker perspective by David Bryant.
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about A helping hand from St John [the Baptist].
13 CommentsGiles Fraser writes about Hegel for the Guardian in Face to Faith that “Dialectical Anglicanism has many problems, foremost among them the damage to its champion – Rowan Williams.”
Another philosophy tutorial in The Times by John Cottingham Philosophers are finding fresh meanings in truth, beauty and goodness.
Christopher Howse in the Guardian has Gay divisions make Anglicans glum.
Giles Fraser again, this time in the Church Times: Why fervour makes me feel sick.
The Tablet has another editorial about the Church of England, Our friends’ problems.
At Ekklesia Simon Barrow and Jonathan Bartley have strong opinions about marriage: What future for marriage?
4 CommentsUpdated Monday
This is published later than usual, apologies.
The Tablet has an editorial about Women Bishops in the CofE: Kasper’s forthright warning.
The same journal published this interview with Linda Woodhead: Holistic spirit.
Christopher Howse writes about dogs in church.
The Archbishop of Southeast Asia, John Chew expressed his opinions to Ruth Gledhill in Anglicans look south for unity in diversity.
Two newspaper reports on Sunday refer to a speech by Lord Carey, expressing his opinion.
Sunday Telegraph Church has fallen apart since I was in charge, says Carey
Independent Carey blames successor for ‘strife’ dividing Anglicans
You can read his opinion in full here (the speech was delivered on 9 May).
Updated Monday morning
Two items related to the above:
Lord Carey has issued a statement complaining about the Sunday Telegraph report and
Stephen Bates has written about it in the Guardian with a wide range of persons quoted, in Oh dear. George is at it again.
Guardian Judith Maltby Face to Faith is about listening.
The Times Lavinia Byrne The Spirit is benign, subtle, toxic – and can be found in the back of a cab
Telegraph Christopher Howse The letters on the brick wall
And, from the Tablet an article by James Alison The wild ride
5 CommentsHere’s a column from the Northern Echo:
At Your Service: Giving succour to flocks of all kinds
In The Times Roderick Strange writes Forty days is an eternity which reminds us of a transcendent dimension. Also Sholto Byrnes reports on An agnostic happy to nurse the ‘vice’ of religion.
Stewart Dakers reflects in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column about Christian Aid Week.
The Telegraph has Christopher Howse writing on intercessory prayer in Sun for the wedding, please.
0 CommentsNo cinema reviews here.
In The Times Stephen Plant Hope for the hereafter nourishes the urge to live better in a grime present
In the Telegraph Christopher Howse The lives and souls of the nation
In the Guardian Alec Gilmore writes in Face to Faith about religious liberty.
In the Church Times Giles Fraser writes about The subtle sin of lay presidency
23 CommentsGeoffrey Rowell writes about dance: Let us ignore the mantras of modernity and dance the sacred dances.
Michael Binyon writes about a tent: London opens its desert tent of timelessness.
Christopher Howse writes about the Hidden life of Charterhouse.
Bob Holman writes about obituaries in Face to Faith.
Earlier in the week, following this news report, Simon Jenkins wrote about church buildings: The most important financial appeal I know is new roofs for old churches. This caused some letters in response today.
7 CommentsI refer of course to the ECUSA episcopal elections.
Back here in England, we have columns of opinion:
The Times Jonathan Sacks The Jewish tradition is firmly opposed to assisted dying.
This is the view of the Church of England (see also this page on What Can I Do?) and also see the remarks of the Bishop of St Albans. And if you agree you can sign up at Care NOT Killing.
Also in The Times we have Ian Hislop on Broad of church and broad of mind.
In the Telegraph Christopher Howse reports on a new opera about Thomas Becket in King’s friend and victim.
The Guardian has a Face to Faith column by Simon Rocker in which he argues in favour of state funding for faith schools.
Earlier in the week, the Guardian had a column by Giles Fraser titled God is the God of all about the relationship between the BNP and evangelical Christians. The Methodist Church website to which he refers can be found here.
Addendum some more detail on the BNP/Christian issue can be found here.
Bishop Basil of Sergievo writes in The Times that Christians should not be trying to escape from the material world.
Undaunted, Christopher Howse in the Telegraph writes about Suicide club to tropical island.
In the Guardian’s Face to Faith column, Julian Baggini writes that
Part of the problem with assessing how religious we are is that it is not clear what “being religious” means.
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times about Dealing with people who stop mission.
Robert Mickens in the Tablet reports on what Cardinal Martini has been saying in Clarion call on condoms.
0 CommentsThe Times today carries an article by Andrew Linzey entitled ‘The logic of all purity movements is to exclude’. The strapline reads Our correspondent suggests that Anglicans listen to the Holy Spirit, and not to the schismatic fundamentalists. No doubt TA readers will have something to say about this…
The Credo column is by Rod Strange, The doubt of Thomas was not a lack of faith but a deeper love.
In the Guardian the Face to Faith column is also critical of dogmatism. David Haslam writes that The risks of rigid methods of parenting have echoes in the dangers of the more dogmatic forms of religion.
Madeleine Bunting had a really interesting article on Friday about the Anglican church angles on The constitutional crisis we face when the Queen is gone.
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about Yorkshire’s own chosen Emperor. The exhibition to which he refers Constantine the Great has its own website here.
26 CommentsJane Williams has the Face to Faith column in Saturday’s Guardian.
And here is her husband’s Easter Message to his Diocese.
Andrew White writes the Credo column in The Times today: Faith makes for safety in Baghdad, the most dangerous parish in the world.
Christopher Howse writes on The tragic-comedy of Richard Sibthorp.
Charles Curran writes in the Tablet about Benedict XVI’s first year: From division to unity.
1 Commentcommentisfree is the Guardian’s new collective group blog. Madeleine Bunting and Andrew Brown have just had an exchange of views there:
In Sugar or saccharine? Madeleine asks:
What role does religion play for societies and individuals? And is it a good thing?
In Stronger stuff Andrew replies that
Madeleine Bunting is mistaken. Religious is neither sugar nor saccharine, but good old nineteenth century opium.
Giles Fraser wrote a column on Thursday Resurgent religion has done away with the country vicar. This has provoked many website comments and some letters in the paper (scroll down) on Friday. The Guardian carried a Good Friday editorial Fight the good fight. which refers to the above article, and concludes thus:
…Religious liberals support the values of the modern secular state. They oppose racism and homophobia, they advocate the separation of church and state, they promote tolerance. This is why the current tension in the Anglican church should matter to everyone. If Rowan Williams were to decide that the Anglican Communion could only be saved by a lurch to conservatism, liberal secularism would be one of the losers. It may be that only 2 million regularly go to church, but three-quarters of Britons still regard themselves as Christian. The fight for women bishops and gay clergy is part of the wider fight for equality and tolerance throughout society. Religious liberals and defenders of the secular are fighting on the same side. In these pages yesterday, the vicar of Putney, Giles Fraser, called for liberals to rediscover their fight. So too must the defenders of secularism.
Rowan Williams broadcast this Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 on Good Friday.
Mark Sisk Bishop of New York preached this sermon earlier in the week at the diocesan Chrism Mass: What then is the spirit of our age?
The Times also had a leader on Good Friday. So did the Telegraph : Truth brings all honest people into an alliance.
On Ekklesia Simon Barrow has How Easter brings regime change.
This week in the Church Times Giles Fraser has The limits of silence at the cross.
1 CommentChristopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about how dreadful publishers are in using quotes from book reviews out of context. Read Now I know how theatre critics feel.
In The Times Jonathan Sacks writes about Next year in Jerusalem – teaching children the story of their people.
Bryan Appleyard wrote an article in the New Statesman entitled Religion: who needs it?
Lucy Winkett preached a sermon recently at St Mary Islington on Confession and Absolution.
The Guardian’s Face to Faith column is by Theo Hobson.
1 CommentApologies to anyone who noticed this weekly feature was omitted last Saturday when I was on holiday. The most significant article it would have contained was the Guardian Face to Faith written by Marilyn McCord Adams that carried this strap Liberal Anglicans should not sacrifice their beliefs in order to hold on to church unity at all costs.
During the week Madeleine Bunting wrote a Guardian column Why the intelligent design lobby thanks God for Richard Dawkins. Today, the Face to Faith column is written by Colin Sedgwick and is about why Trying to be hilarious by being hurtful to other people or by being crude is really no laughing matter.
Over at The Times Jonathan Romain wonders how Moses would have coped with the duplicity of the internet age in Electronic false prophets tell lies in His name. Geoffrey Rowell writes that Christian Communion celebrates love in the midst of Man’s betrayal.
Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about An elephant in the Tower.
The BBC Sunday radio programme had a splendid 5 minute piece by Diarmaid MacCulloch on the 450th anniversary of the death of Thomas Cranmer. Listen here (Real audio).
7 CommentsFace to Faith in today’s Guardian is written by Jonathan Romain and considers prostitution in Hebrew scripture.
Diarmaid MacCulloch reviews a new book by Karen Armstrong in The axis of goodness.
The same book is also reviewed today in the Independent by Peter Stanford.
Stephen Plant writes in The Times Credo column Let all churches enjoy the feedom to teach.
There is also an extract from the new book by Edward Stourton in From the Cold War to the Council: the making of a Polish Pope and this sidebar.
Christopher Howse write in the Telegraph about the new winner of the Templeton prize, John Barrow in Space means not dread but life.
1 CommentFrom The Times:
The Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali talks to Michael Binyon about Muslim and Christian relations Missionary faiths need reciprocity and detente.
Roderick Strange writes the Credo column, Temptation offers short cuts to happiness, but it is actually corroding us.
In the Guardian Fred Sedgwick writes the Face to Faith column: If we pray with brutal honesty, we might find God, and the ‘acute peace beyond the unendurable’.
Also Karen Armstrong writes a column that argues: We can defuse this tension between competing conceptions of the sacred.
Christopher Howse in his Telegraph column retells the story of Sexual politics at Lake Malawi, quoting from the Church Times.
0 Comments