Black British archbishop symbolically cut up his clerical collar on Sunday and vowed not to wear one again until Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe steps down from power.
“We need the world to unite against Mugabe and his regime,” said John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, pulling out a pair of scissors and making the dramatic gesture during a live television interview.
The gesture came as Mugabe was accused of undermining the image of Africa during a summit of European and African leaders in Lisbon this weekend. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has boycotted the meeting.
Sentamu noted that, as a bishop, his stiff white collar “is what I wear to identify myself, that I’m a clergyman.
Even sillier than his last stunt of lving in a tent in York Cathedral.
How did the English end up with this man as their 2 in C?
I can’t help thinking he should be back ministering in his native Uganda – except that he’s out of step with them with his soft focus, incoherent liberalism and intemperate attacks on evangelicals.
Now he’s just become a figure of fun. Who’s going to wear canonicals in York now?
#1
You may consider Archbishop Sentamu too fuzzy in his theology, but can’t we all agree that the people of Zimbabwe deserve every statement in their defense that they can get? I also find much of what Desmond Tutu says distasteful, but if he’s willing to hold his government’s feet to the fire regarding Robert Mugabwe, all power to him. We need statements from the African community, both domestic and expatriate, if the reflexive support for leaders of the liberation struggle, regardless of how they treat their people today, is to be broken. What other practical gesture to you suggest that Archbishop Sentamu make?
My point is it wasn’t a practical gesture, it was an odd stunt.
A really practical gesture would be sending 200 mercenaries, who could overthrow Uncle Bob in a weekend. But that ain’t going to happen – no oil in Zimbabwe.
Well I’m sure that will change things!
# 1, 3 the Gordian
Jeremy Bonner wrote:
The Gordian replied:
Are you suggesting that Sentamu send “200 mercenaries”? If that’s not what you are suggesting, (and I don’t think you are suggesting that) then you haven’t answered Jeremy’s question. So I ask, along with Jeremy, what should Sentamu do? Should he just ignore the situation? Certainly as an Anglican (if you are), you appreciate ‘the symbolic’.
By the way, how are we to interpret your
What has that got to do with whatever he does, silly or not. Such a non sequitur makes me wonder whether, if Archbishop Rowan was the subject, you would say that he “should be back ministering in his native (Wales)â€
Just so you know, that statement could be interpreted as racist. If that was not your intention, I suggest you expand on it or amend it.
I’m not the Gordian, but tearing up his collar does seem rather silly, not because I don’t appreciate symbolic acts, but because this one doesn’t seem connected to the situation in Zimbabwe. It is his clerical status which gives him a platform to speak. Tearing up the symbol of that status seems counter-productive. His staying in a tent at least had some reference to the persons displaced in the Middle East conflicts.
A practical act from the arch-episcopal throne would be to call on the Anglican bishops of Zimbabwe to join with the Catholic bishops in opposing Mugabe. A little solidarity might do some good.
Here is the BBC online report. url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7135087.stmn url
From it you can watch the event.
Silly, silly symbolic acts. Almost as silly as walking around, say, with a yoke on your neck.
# 8: No, it is nothing like Jeremiah’s acted parable – which wasn’t silly.
# 5: I have long wished that Mugabe was overthrown. But nobody will do anything practical to help Zimbabwe’s dying people.
“Just so you know, that statement could be interpreted as racist.”
Oh you post(past)moderns, you are so 1990s!
#9,
So why is Abp. Sentamu’s symbolic action not like Jeremiah’s? The “prophet” Hannaniah certainly thought the latter was being pretty silly.
Frankly, if he had simply issued a statement condemning Mugabe and calling on other church leaders to do the same, you would have attacked him as giving only empty words.
I wish Sentamu had cut his collar in protest of the unGodly and unChristian acts and teachings of his fellow bishops and priests in the Church of England, TEc, etc.
I disagree with Mugabe in about everything he does and says. I will support every reasonable and effective effort to get him out of power.
However, it is sadly lamentable that Sentamu is using the cutting of his clerical collar to protest Mugabe. The bishop needs to know that he is worse than Mr. Mugabe, considering the fact of Bishop Sentamu’s destruction of Anglican Christianity and the abandonement of the flock under his charge. Bishop Sentamu assists the Enemy of Christ as he wrecks the church through false theology and the promotion of unbiblical acts and teachings in the CoE and the AC.
By Mugabe’s actions, thousands are starving and dying. By Sentamu’s teachings, actions and inactions (things said and things left unsaid), the eternal destiny of millions are at risk.
My advice to Sentamu: Physician heal thyself; speak the truth to thyself, and then to Mugabe, and then your words and the cutting of your collar will mean something.
Not until then.
It might be a stunt, but the Archbishop of York is right.
Zimbawbe is one of the countries that needs a right-wing military coup, but won’t get it.
# 9 said:
“Oh you post(past)moderns, you are so 1990s!”
Don’t know/care about “post(past) modern”. I am not as learned as you are, perhaps, but If you disagree that it might be considered racist, the least you could do is engage my point, not throw out some erudite(?) oblique ‘one-liner’.
# 10: I’m not sure Hananiah thought that. He got Jeremiah’s point alright.
# 13: OK, I was a bit offhand. What I meant was that touchy people and postmoderns (mis)interpret things any way they like – regardless of what a speaker actually means or the historic rules of language. For the record, I really doubt that I am a racist and noone has ever implied or said that about me. And do you in any case know what ‘race’ I am? Beware of easy assumptions! What I do suspect is that an inverted, politically motivated racism led to Sentamu being appointed to his post. From what I have read (on the internet) of his sermons and talks, there is no great profundity or coherence in his thought, but rather a good deal of incoherence admixed with platitudes. I can’t believe he was the best the CofE could come up with – and I have read (again, on the internet) that a lot of people in England share that view. I understand that Sentamu left Uganda to escape Idi Amin, but I’m not sure he really understands England and its people (but then, neither do I).
But I don’t suppose he’d it well into orthodox, evangelical Uganda now either, with its well educated bishops.
#14
Don’t really want to continue this off-track conversation, but only for clarification .
“I really doubt that I am a racist and noone has ever implied or said that about me. And do you in any case know what ‘race’ I am?”
I didn’t say [b]you[/b] were racist I said [b]your statement[/b] could be considered that way.
[i] Please return to discussing the original post. [/i].
-Elf Lady
Wild charges of racism that are clearly so off the mark are sooo tiresome and say more about the one making the charge than the supposed offender.
By the way, I have a wonderful Ugandan bishop and have had the privilidge of spending time in his company and that of ABP Orombie.