Helen King sharedconversations The indecent Virgin
Trevor Thurston-Smith The Pensive Pilgrim Schools, Sex, Parents and Churches
Michael Higgins Church Times A threat to cathedrals’ collegiality and independence
“The General Synod should be wary of the Working Group report’s more far-reaching recommendations”
Rupert Shortt Church Times Does religion do more harm than good?
“Rupert Shortt weighs up the evidence in a new book. Here is an extract”
Another excellent and really honest article from Trevor. He is absolutely right in his analysis about the effect of emotive language in the discussions and the difficulties that people experience. His final point is the one that gives me hope, because it shows that way that education can be so effective in helping our young people see diversity as normal.
I join Michael Higgins in his wariness of the Cathedral Working Group’s recommendations to change the relationship between deans and residentially canons. This is the church copying a secular management hierarchy from which the business world, which invented it, is now in full retreat.
Agreed, James. It is this dimension of changed relationships within Chapter that will prove to be the nemesis of this particular piece of Welby-inspired reform, not least because everyone can see how it is both a knee-jerk reaction to Peterborough, as well as an attempt by the ‘God Squad’ to get their hands on the C of E’s growth area. It will cash-out with a significant drop in quality clergy applying for residentiary canonries. I have been told of two vacancies recently where there was a paucity in quality candidates. This could be why. Who wants to go and do… Read more »
The strong men in charge will have their way. They were brought up in a business milieu that is now, as James says, passé. Even academia has moved on somewhat from that model, but not the CoE. As regards a knee-jerk reaction to Peterborough, MM, I suspect that that’s spot on too, Not just P’boro though: Exeter was said to be in bother, and even Durham – despite its historic wealth from land once rich in fossil fuels (allegedy). What I see when I visit cathedrals (which I can hardly bear to do these days) are vanity projects and half-hearted… Read more »