It's about equality, stupid!

It is Whit Monday! Formerly a public holiday and remaining so in many Christian countries but no longer here in the United Kingdom where we have the Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May. Today sees the return to the Commons of the Marriage (Same-sex Couples) Bill which, I heard a government minister tell the nation on BBC Breakfast time this morning, is all about equality when she clearly does not understand the distinction between equality and sameness or uniformity. This desire to be inclusive has reached the ultimate absurdity reported here where the next coronation is to involve other faiths besides Christianity. No matter that Christianity is under attack around the world, one of the most sacred parts of our British Christian heritage is to be surrendered.

Also today, gnomes are to be allowed for the first time in the Chelsea Flower Show, and why not? Haven't they have been involved in the governance of church and state long enough to deserve equality of recognition with the floral displays that make the Chelsea Flower Show what it is?

Whitsun treat par excellence

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place" - not in Jerusalem on this occasion but in Swanbridge!

Swanbridge            Photo: Francis Frith

 Three years ago I searched for an image of a typical Whitsun treat. I found just one showing children paddling in a brook. Today I found a gem of a movie. The church is in Cardiff but the Whitsun treat was a trip along the South Wales coast to Swanbridge. Another check revealed that despite the headlined sharp decline in Christianity and advance of Islam, Clive Street Baptist Church is still active, holding their own against seven mosques in their area out of a total of 33 in Cardiff.

 The images in the film convey a different era. Note the orderly conduct. No pushing and shoving compared with today's 'me first' society when heads are bowed over mobile phones rather than in worship. Our churches must take some responsibility for this. Many have ditched the beauty of the old prayer book replacing it with modern, meaningless mumbo jumbo completely at variance with 'other worldly' worship in a vain attempt to be relevant to modern society. Damian Thompson here gives his take on the new detailed analysis of the 2011 census figures and how our attitude to religion has changed. In another wish to modernise, last year USPG changed their name to Us. The Anglican News Service praised the change with the catchy message: Years of traditional mission activity have helped us to realise that there is no ‘us and them’ only an ‘us’. 

This was picked up by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. When speaking at the launch, he praised the new name ‘Us’ as being a ‘wonderfully ambiguous and non-specific title’ which is suited to a world in which boundaries constantly shift because it is ‘very difficult to tell where “us” stops and “them” starts’. But it seems to me that there is a new 'them'; it is us, the so-called traditionalists. Acknowledging that the 'Us' launch took place on the day General Synod voted against women bishops, Us Chief Executive Janette O’Neill said: ‘We were concerned that our launch event would be over-shadowed by the sadness of many at the outcome of the vote. But, far from it, my sense was that the launch of Us – with our emphasis on inclusion – was a sign of hope for the future of the Church of England.’ 

Some hope! Commenting recently in his blog about General Synod vacancies The Ugely Vicar wrote "there has been an agenda: defeat the Anglican Covenant, get women bishops, get LGBT inclusion". 

Enjoy the treat. We will not see its like again.

For being a Christian...

... in Saudi Arabia this could be just part of the penalty. 

See reports here, here and here about a Lebanese man who was sentenced to six years in prison and 300 lashes for converting a Muslim woman to Christianity and a Saudi man who was sentenced to two years and 200 lashes for aiding her escape abroad. As severe as these penalties are they are relatively lenient when compared with the possible fatwa induced execution of those in Morocco who renounce Islam even though it is not a crime in that country.

Ideas of justice around the world can be brutal as this rough guide shows but where is the 'justice' in penalties for apostasy in the twenty-first century, especially when advocated in Great Britain? Each new report from around the world induces little reaction other than a shrug of the shoulders with gratitude that it does not happen here but elements of Sharia are increasingly common in this country with Muslims insisting that they have a right to bring up their children in accordance with their own beliefs while living in a Christian country, the exact opposite of what is allowed in Saudi Arabia where public Christian worship is banned and children are taught that Jews and the Christians are enemies of Muslim believers. 

In the video that follows, Richard Dawkins manages to strain an admission from Dr Mohamed Mukadam, the then Chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools, that in Islam  apostasy is dealt with by the death penalty but Dr Mukadam failed to see the connection in what happens in an Islamic country and what happens in Great Britain. The connection is the universal freedom of choice: 

"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 18

Bedroom tax tragedy

"Bedroom Tax victim commits suicide: Grandmother Stephanie Bottrill blames government in tragic note."  This is one of the saddest stories I have read lately. The Samaritans, quoted here, said: "Although a catalyst may appear to be obvious, suicide is never the result of a single factor or event and is likely to have several inter-related causes." Nevertheless this case highlights the difficulties experienced by vulnerable people in implementing what others regard as fair policies.

From Window Tax to Bedroom Tax, what might appear to be a bright idea to one is another's nightmare. The wealthy simply paid someone to brick up windows to avoid paying window tax but where do the poor get the money to knock down walls to make two bedrooms into one, even if they were allowed to? There is a real injustice here. 

What is so unreasonable about having a spare bedroom or two after your children have moved out? Do they not need somewhere to stay when they and their children visit, or is that a privilege reserved for the wealthy? And what if they are sick? It is far more cost effective to have a carer stay than fill a bed in our over-stretched hospitals. This scheme is sold as one of fairness but if a wealth tax is unfair because it could result in old ladies being forced out of their homes, how is it fairer that poor old ladies are forced out of theirs?

Stephanie Bottrill's neighbour said: “She spoke to us over the fence and said they’d offered her three places; one was a flat which was no good to her because of her condition, one was in Shirley and wasn’t near a bus stop, and another was in Alton, further away. I think, because she loved her garden, the thought of moving away from her friends and into something like a one-bed bungalow has had that effect.”

Would you want to leave your house and garden for a one bedroom property, if one could be found, in a different community, and expect your family to find hotel accommodation when visiting or caring in times of illness? I wouldn't. An Englishman's home used to be his castle. Now it is dependent on status. This has all the makings of the coalition's Poll Tax.

Dean of Llandaff resigns - Part 2

Regardless of one's views on the ordination of women it is very sad that the new Dean of Llandaff's dream appointment turned sour in such a short space of time but that has not stopped commentators such as those on Thinking Anglicans making political capital out of the resignation, the reason for which is unknown. This sad situation was not helped by Church in Wales 'sources' making the claim: "Church in Wales sources have told WalesOnline that Dean Henderson had had “a “difficult time” since her appointment, with some clergy resenting the appointment of a woman." Women clergy are present at all levels in the Church in Wales other than bishop which failed to gain the approval of their Governing Body. See the Diocese of Llandaff here and here. 

The media have strung together bits and pieces from the initial story to put their own spin on it. The Sun highlights the row about chorister fees [since denied by the CinW - Ed] while The Times in its online preview states "No explanation was given, but Llandaff is known as an Anglo-Catholic heartland and Church sources indicated that as a woman she might have had a difficult time."  That Llandaff is known as an Anglo-Catholic heartland will come as a surprise to many including the Archbishop who has done more than most to change the Church in Wales into a club for like-minded liberals.

It is reported in the Church Times that a spokeswoman for the Church in Wales said that Dr Morgan would be making no further comment. Given his track record, if resentment at the appointment of a woman were the reason, on past performance he would have made considerable capital out of the situation so his silence suggests that he is somehow implicated. 

The May edition of the Llandaff Parish magazine, The Bell, lists 29 recommendations for action on the sustainability of the Cathedral and its development. Reading through the recommendations there is a suggestion of years of neglect with Dean Henderson being the fall guy. To the recommendations she added her own areas of importance: "excellence of worship, good all age Christian education, support and training for staff and the exploration of the riches that are present in our archives and on site. I also see a great deal of opportunity to develop our musical and artistic life and to be in partnership with schools, colleges and universities" which makes one wonder if anyone at a senior level has done anything other than pursue a political agenda in recent years.  

The recommendations listed in The Bell and in the Church in Wales Review (Recommendation VIII) emphasise the importance of Cathedrals as centres of excellence. The Archbishop has constantly pushed for Llandaff to be the Archiepiscopal See. To put this in perspective figures issued recently show that Llandaff Cathedral with Epstein's Majestas and £1.5 million organ attracts around 40,000 visitors a year. By contrast as a place of pilgrimage St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire attracts 262,000 visitors!

Janet Henderson's farewell sermon in St Mary's Richmond in January this year makes interesting reading in retrospect, particularly these quotes: "Or maybe God does speak to us directly, just occasionally. Perhaps when we are very far away from God or in great distress."..." There is nothing we can do to make God speak to us. We can only expect and hope that God might. We can hold ourselves open to hear and to act on what we hear." ... "You can always recognise a person who listens and talks with God. You can always tell a church where lots of the members are engaged in doing this." - Or not?

Postscript

This interesting comment from a Llandaff parishioner has appeared on the Thinking Anglicans site:

"Former Dean Janet was welcomed by the parishioners at Llandaff - it's a parish church as well as a cathedral - and many were impressed by her personal warmth and commonsense approach.

Her resignation has stunned many, but the gender issues claimed in statements by "Church sources" are probably not the main cause of this. There are intransigent problems with Llandaff that have arisen since 2000, due to previous appointments. Keith Kimber's comments are singularly ill-informed, since the congregation - contrary to his picture of "rampant congregationalism" - actually have very little say in the running of the place.

Any institution that lives wildly beyond its means and invests in white elephants whilst ignoring the pastoral needs of its congregation - and its wider mission - deserves to fail. It is probable that Janet recognised this at a very early stage. Regrettably, we will now be denied her vision and energy. However she quickly realised the unfortunate truth of Llandaff's parlous position and we will now have to fend for ourselves.

Posted by: Landavian on Saturday, 11 May 2013 at 10:49pm BST"

Dean of Llandaff resigns

A Press Release from the Church in Wales has announced the shock resignation of the new Dean of Llandaff after only two months in the post, hardly enough time for the paint to dry on the Deanery walls. The fact that the Archbishop has asked the Archdeacon of Llandaff, the Venerable Peggy Jackson to "have necessary oversight of the Cathedral on his behalf, until a new Dean is appointed" appears to contradict the assertion here that  some clergy resented the appointment of a woman.

From the Dales to Wales must rank as one of the saddest journeys in the Church in Wales' history. If it were true that some clergy resented the appointment of a woman, why appoint a woman to be temporary Dean in her place? The Archbishop could have resumed his role as temporary Dean if a problem were perceived in not appointing the senior Chapter member to the post. The real problem is Dr Morgan himself. I understand that Dean Henderson is not the first import to find her position impossible, the exceptions being the Archdeacon herself and the Ass Bishop, apparently in a world of his own with most of the clergy content to leave him there. On the other hand 'Peggy pilot' is said to be likeable and competent but the ordination of women is not about 'can' but 'should'. What Dean Henderson may not have realised is that ministry in Wales is all about the Archbishop's 'Ministry of Women' which  has more to do with politics than the Gospel.

A rumour circulating in Llandaff has the Ass Bishop taking up the soon to be vacant post of Bishop of Monmouth leaving the way open for ++ Barry to appoint the first female Bishop as Assistant Bishop in Llandaff if he can persuade the Governing Body to do his bidding. Even if that had a shred of truth it should be a dead duck now. 

It will be interesting to see what further details emerge.

He ascended into heaven

Pietro Perugino 1496-98 The Ascension of Christ

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11