Before I go any further, I had better point out that I am fully aware that it’s a bit rich of me to criticise clergy for recycling sermons when I referred to their obsession with all things ecological in my last column for the Church of England Newspaper. But I can guarantee I won’t do it again, whereas I doubt they could make the same promise.
Anyway, as I was saying, if you look at the website that lists all the press releases put out by Church House during 2009, the words climate (nine times) and environment (eight) crop up more times than God (six), Bible (four) or Jesus (two).
If they’re not ordering you to count your carbon or urging you to pray for the planet, they’re telling you much more than you ever wanted to know about compost toilets.
And not just in England!
I blame the Homilies myself.
#2:I would that more churches on both sides of the water “recycle” the Homilies. It’d be much better than some of the drivel I’ve been subjected to.
If you have no Message, you have to come up with something to fill up the time.
I once knew an Army chaplain who occasionally used the book “My Favorite Sermons.” I wonder if it’s still in print?