The Church does not have the exclusive right to define who should be allowed to get married, the equalities minister warns, as she suggests that religious groups have polarised the debate on gay marriage.
Lynne Featherstone directly challenges the role of the Church in the debate over homosexual weddings, saying it does not “own” marriage.
Read it all. Also, please peruse this BBC article as well.
“….the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.”
Really hit me hard this year–anyone else notice them?
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.
–Proverbs 27:1-2
You can check here and there. This is what stood out to me:
1414 Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, Chancellor of England, died.
1878 Thomas Edison received a U.S. patent for “an improvement in phonograph or speaking machines.”
1968 Damages are to be awarded under a settlement agreed in the High Court to 62 children born with deformities, after their mothers took the drug thalidomide during pregnancy.
1985 William Schroeder (d.1986) was the 1st artificial heart patient to leave [the] hospital. He spent 15 minutes outside Humana Hospital in Louisville, Ky.
What stands out to you?
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
–1 Timothy 3:14-16
This new George Carey has rather abandoned the careful diplomatic language he used as an archbishop to keep different church factions in the same pews, in favour of something more earthy and apocalyptic, reflecting his own evangelical background. “There are deep forces at work in Western society, hollowing out the values of Christianity and driving them to the margins”.
Among these forces, he has the judiciary firmly in his sights following a spate of recent rulings, which, he claims, have allowed equality to “trump” the freedom of the individual in matters of belief. “Judges,” he contends, “say that the law has no obligation to the Christian faith, but I say ‘rubbish’ to that. Historically there has been a great interlocking of Christianity with our laws in this country.”
I’m about as secular a former vicar and heterodox a Christian as you can get, but there are times when the secularists just make themselves look silly. Yesterday’s crazy judgment against Bideford Council is one such instance.
I mean, how uptight and sanctimonious do you have to be to want to prevent other people from starting the council meeting with prayers just because you’re a humanist?
Yes, if the majority of members want to abolish prayers, then fine, do away with them. And, yes, make it clear that attendance at prayers is not compulsory or even especially desirable. But this distinction between whether the prayers are said before the summoned meeting or as part of it is false.
The Obama administration and its allies see few, if any, viable options to end the carnage in Syria as President Bashar al-Assad’s forces continue their offensive against the opposition to his rule in what has become the uprising’s most violent month.
With no appetite for a military intervention, a flagging Arab League initiative and the failed effort to win a U.N. Security Council resolution, officials said the current situation could continue for months. Plans for an international “Friends of Syria” conference and stepped-up humanitarian aid are seen as unlikely to change the grim calculus on the ground.
“What frustrates .”‰.”‰. us is that there are no silver bullets here,” said a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “There are no good options.”
The Syrian city of Homs has come under renewed bombardment for the fifth day running – the heaviest so far, residents have told the BBC.
Activists say more than 40 people have died as a result of the new shelling, but this is difficult to verify.
The attacks come a day after President Bashar al-Assad promised the Russian foreign minister in Damascus that he would end violence and start dialogue.
Read it all and please join me in prayer for the people and situation in Syria.
Read it all, noting especially the final motion on the Independent Commission on Assisted Dying
Mrs Sarah Finch (London) moved:
‘That this Synod express its concern that the Independent Commission on Assisted Dying is insufficiently independent to be able to develop proposals which will properly protect the interests of vulnerable and disabled people.’
Following debate and amendment, the motion was carried in the following form:
‘That this Synod
a) express its concern that the Independent Commission on Assisted Dying was insufficiently independent to be able to develop proposals which will properly protect the interests of vulnerable and disabled people;
b) endorse the responses to the Commission on Assisted Dying referred to in paragraphs 7 and 8 of GS 1851B;
c) affirm the intrinsic value of every human life and express its support for the current law on assisted suicide as a means of contributing to a just and compassionate society in which vulnerable people are protected; and
d) celebrating the considerable improvement in the quality of care of the dying brought about by the hospice and palliative care movements and by the input of clinicians, clergy and others, encourage the Church’s continued involvement in the wider agenda of the care of those approaching the end of their lives and the support of those caring for them.’
In a full count of the Synod, there voted in favour 284, against none, with four abstaining.
Update: Riazat Butt did a liveblog of the proceedings–check it out.
However far Dr Sentamu has travelled, he still has probÂlems with applying the term “marriage” to any partÂnership other than a heterosexual one. He resists the idea that the state has the power to change the definition of the word, and he is right: Britain has no Académie Française to govern its language. But neither has the Church any control over a word that has, after all, been used figuratively for cenÂturies. As with the word “gay”, the Church has, ultimately, to go along with whatever definition of “marriage” emerges in general parlance.
More than 1,000 people across Wales have had their say about the future of the Church in Wales as part of a root and branch review.
They met the three members of the independent Review Group at public meetings held in each of the six dioceses in Wales in November and January.
The Review Group was commissioned by the Welsh bishops and the Standing Committee of the Governing Body last year to address fundamental questions about the role and structures of the Church in Wales as it approaches its centenary in 2020. It is chaired by Lord Richard Harries, former Bishop of Oxford, and also includes Professor Charles Handy former professor at the London Business School; and Professor Patricia Peattie, former Chair of the Episcopal Church in Scotland’s Standing Committee.
Bridgette Dunlap, a Fordham University law student, knew that the school’s health plan had to pay for birth control pills, in keeping with New York state law. What she did not find out until she was in an examining room, “in the paper dress,” was that the student health service ”” in keeping with Roman Catholic tenets ”” would simply refuse to prescribe them.
As a result, students have had to go to Planned Parenthood or private doctors to get prescriptions. Some, unable to afford the doctor visits, gave up birth control pills entirely. In November, Ms. Dunlap, 31, who was raised a Catholic and was educated at parochial schools, organized a one-day, off-campus clinic staffed by volunteer doctors who wrote prescriptions for dozens of women.
Many Catholic colleges decline to prescribe or cover birth control, citing religious reasons. Now they are under pressure to change. This month the Obama administration, citing the medical case for birth control, made a politically charged decision that the new health care law requires insurance plans at Catholic institutions to cover birth control without co-payments for employees, and that may be extended to students. But Catholic organizations are resisting the rule, saying it would force them to violate their beliefs and finance behavior that betrays Catholic teachings.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by accepting his gifts; he died, but through his faith he is still speaking. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
–Hebrews 11:1-6
Novak Djokovic cemented his place at the top of men’s tennis by outlasting Rafael Nadal in a five-set epic to retain his Australian Open title.
The world number one edged a gripping battle with the second seed 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 in five hours 53 minutes to win his fifth Grand Slam.
Djokovic, who also beat the Spaniard in their previous six meetings, has now triumphed at the last three majors.
But this might be the sweetest of them all for so many reasons….
Both the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies made opening remarks to the Council, along with CEO Bishop Sauls. (Bishop Jefferts Schori’s remarks were not made from a prepared text, but are summarized in this ENS article.) Reading between the lines of each, and translating the Presiding Bishop’s earlier prepared remarks about coming changes in structure, which may be viewed here, it is clear that the heads of the Church are not of one mind about how to deal with the challenges which it faces in the twenty-first century.
And those challenges are significant and substantial. They are summarized graphically in a presentation to the Council (zip file download is at this link) by Kirk Hadaway, who is the church official in charge of congregational research, and by Matthew Price, of the Church Pension Fund. Among other facts shown, 72% of Episcopal congregations were in financial stress as of 2010 (compared to 58% of other denominations for the same year) — the highest level in the past decade, by far.
(Note that I decided to research these numbers based on the preceding post about the diocese–KSH).
According to the U.S.Census Bureau’s figures, Roanoke, the see city of the diocese, has grown in population from 94,911 in 2000 to 97,032 in 2010. This represents a population growth of approximately 2.2% in this time frame.
According to Episcopal Church statistics, the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia went from Average Sunday Attendance (or ASA) of 5,311 in 2000 to 4,266 in 2010. This represents a decline of 19.7% during this decade.
Please note that if you go to the link toward the end of this sentence and enter “Southwestern Virginia” as the name of the diocese and then “View Diocese Chart” underneath on the left you can see in pictorial form some of the data from 2000-2010.
The earth, O LORD, is full of thy steadfast love; teach me thy statutes! Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according to thy word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in thy commandments.
–Psalm 119:64-66
In another nod to the church’s origins, Sunday’s sermon was delivered by the Lord Bishop of London Richard J.C. Chartres, who conducted last year’s royal wedding and will lead services during this year’s Diamond Jubilee in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and the London Olympic Games.
The church was originally established in 1712 under the spiritual guidance of the Bishop of London, according to the parish newsletter.
In a reception after the service, Chartres said he would bring a report of the tricentennial celebration personally to the queen.
Like many Roman Catholic men who feel called to the priesthood, the Rev. Jim Hearne wrestled with whether ordination was right for him.
The youngest of seven in an Irish Catholic family, he saw the joy of family life firsthand and never could quite extinguish the desire to one day have children of his own. But spurred to help stem the priest shortage and strengthen the integrity of the cloth, Hearne donned a priest’s collar in 2005 at age 25.
Now he wonders if his six years in the pulpit as “Father Jim” might have been preparation to become Jim, the father. After a six-month leave of absence from St. Giles Roman Catholic Church in Oak Park, Ill., Hearne has decided he will not return to the pulpit, but he will stay in the pews and pray to one day start a family of his own.
Equal marriage is a social experiment of yet unknown proportions. No wonder we are confused. Most of our social scripts””from romance novels, fairy tales, movies, the advice that we gleaned from our parents and grandparents””are based on older forms of marriage that placed little value on emotional intimacy, sexual compatibility, shared (as opposed to specialized) skills and interests, or equal decision making.
Consider that it was only in the late 18th century that society began to approve of love as a primary consideration in the choice of a spouse. Only in the early 20th century did mutual sexual satisfaction become an accepted goal of marriage….
An altar from the shuttered St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jersey City has turned up on eBay, for sale by a New York importer at a nearly $50,000 price tag.
The eight-foot-high altar has an inscription on the bottom in memory of Edward F.C. Young, a banker and power broker who was one of the most influential people in Jersey City at the end of the 19th Century.
Make me to know thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long.
–Psalm 25:4-5
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created. And he established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds which cannot be passed. Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD!
–Psalm 148
Have you heard about the quarterback who won the Heisman trophy and led his University of Florida Gators to a national championship? The multisport athlete, Florida’s USA Today Football Player of the Year as a high-schooler? The son of a pastor who always put his faith before football, even while playing in the National Football League?
Of course we’re talking about Danny Wuerffel, who has served as a powerful role model for a certain Denver Broncos quarterback currently making news.
Mr. Wuerffel and Tim Tebow didn’t know each other well growing up 13 years apart, but Mr. Tebow’s parents made it a point to introduce the two more than a decade ago, while Mr. Wuerffel was still playing at Florida.
Food security and climate change were singled out as the key subjects for global advocacy, with commitments also for the Anglican Alliance to support regional advocacy on migrants and refugees, and peace-building in countries affected by conflict.
Relief is the third pillar of the Alliance’s work. The Anglican Alliance has been mandated to support communities affected by all types of conflict, natural and conflict-related. And it should help develop Anglican expertise in supporting people with disabilities in emergencies.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
–Ephesians 6:10-12
To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, upright, holy, and self-controlled; he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.
–Titus 1:4-9