eChurch Blog

Telegraph:

The Archbishop of Canterbury has rebuked clergy who claim Christians are being persecuted in Britain, pointing out that churchgoers suffer far worse treatment abroad.

Dr Rowan Williams called on those who live in “comfortable environments” to keep their fears “in perspective” and not become obsessed by “the future of Church and society”.

He reminded them that Christians in countries such as Nigeria, Iraq, Egypt and Zimbabwe are facing “butchery and intimidation”, and are in desperate need of support.

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Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop – Christians need to “witness boldly and clearly”

In his ecumenical Easter Letter to fellow church leaders, the Archbishop of Canterbury urges those living in politically secure environments to offer practical support as well as prayers for suffering Christians around the world, particularly in Zimbabwe, Mosul, Egypt and Nigeria.

“We need to keep our own fears in perspective. It is all too easy to become consumed with anxiety about the future of the Church and society. We need to need to witness boldly and clearly but not with anger or fear; we need to show that we believe what we say about the Lordship of the Risen Christ and his faithfulness to the world he came to redeem”

Full text of the letter:

When St John tells us that the disciples met behind locked doors on the first Easter Day (John 20.19), he reminds us that being associated with Jesus Christ has never been easy or safe.  Today this is evident in a wide variety of situations – whether in the terrible communal violence afflicting parts of Nigeria, in the butchery and intimidation of Christians in Mosul in recent weeks, in the attacks on the Coptic faithful in Egypt, or in the continuing harassment of Anglican congregations in Zimbabwe.  As we mark the thirtieth anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador, we acknowledge that Christians will never be safe in a world of injustice and mindless fear, because Christians will always stand, as did Archbishop Romero, for the hope of a different world, in which the powerful have to let go of privilege and rediscover themselves as servants, and the poor are lifted up into joy and liberty.

This hope is rooted in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  His rising from the dead shows the world that death does not have the last word – whether the death of love, the death of security, even physical death itself.  On the first day of the week, the first day of the new creation, God walks once again in the garden and begins to re-shape the whole world of our experience and our possibilities;  the Second Adam wakes under the tree of the cross and promises fresh life, freedom and forgiveness, to the entire human world.

Wherever fear prevails, this promise will be seen as dangerous.  But people still have the courage to identify themselves as Christians because they know that the resurrection demonstrates that Jesus is beyond all human power and violence, that ‘all authority in heaven and on earth’ is given to him (Matthew 28.18).  The Christian may suffer and die witnessing to this truth, but death itself cannot extinguish the abiding power of Christ to transform and renew;  the martyr knows this and fixes his or her eyes on that joyful vision.

We who live in more comfortable environments need to bear two things in mind.  One is that fellow-Christians under pressure, living daily with threats and murders, need our prayers and tangible support – by personal contact, by continually reminding our governments and media of these things.  To a Christian experiencing these threats, it matters more than most of us could imagine simply to know that they are not alone and not forgotten.  But the second point to remember is that we need to keep our own fears in perspective.  It is all too easy, even in comfortable and relatively peaceful societies, for us to become consumed with anxiety about the future of Church and society.  We need to witness boldly and clearly but not with anger and fear;  we need to show that we believe what we say about the Lordship of the Risen Christ and his faithfulness to the world he came to redeem.

The world will not be saved by fear, but by hope and joy.  The miracle of the joy shown by martyrs and confessors of the faith is one of the most compelling testimonies to the gospel of Jesus.  In whatever way we can, we must seek to communicate this joy, however dark or uncertain the sky seems.  All authority belongs to Jesus, and into his wounded hands is placed the future of all things in heaven and earth.  To him be glory for ever.

Rowan Cantuar: +

Ekkelsia

Archbishop of Canterbury issues challenge over ‘persecution’ claims

In an apparent challenge to the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey and other Anglican bishops, the Archbishop of Canterbury has told church leaders to ‘keep their fears in perspective’ over alleged ‘persecution’.

In his ecumenical Easter Letter to fellow church leaders issued today (Wednesday 31st), Rowan Williams says that the response of Christians in the UK who are worried about the future should not be one of ‘anger or fear’.

His message comes just a few days after a group of bishops, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, wrote to the Sunday Telegraph claiming that there had been “numerous dismissals of practising Christians from employment for reasons that are unacceptable in a civilised country.”

The claims, which have yet to be substantiated, were interpreted by the newspaper as calling “for an end to persecution of Christians in Britain.”

The former Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, has recently publicly alleged that Good Friday processions might be banned.

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A thoroughly sensible approach from Bishop Nick Baines (Reproduced here with kind permission).

Pullman’s punches

The great writer Philip Pullman was interviewed on the Jeremy Vine Show this afternoon (BBC Radio 2) and the piece can only be listened to for the next seven days – unfortunately. Pullman’s new book is published tomorrow and is called The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. Obviously, I haven’t read it, but I have read and heard enough to make me want to read it.

According to the interview, the novel basically attempts to distinguish between the Jesus of the Gospels and the Christ appropriated by the Church: the former was a good bloke, but the latter went astray and got it all wrong. Several things can be said about this:

1. This isn’t new thinking. Many twentieth-century theologians tried to make a similar distinction between the ‘Jesus of history’ and the ‘Christ of faith’. Of course, the distinction was arbitrary and often a convenient way of dealing with the difficult or inconvenient bits of the New Testament. So, the reaction by some Christians to the idea of Pullman’s book simply demonstrates that they are a bit behind on their theology.

2. The Church should not feel the need to hide from its history and especially from its mistakes. Pullman and others often do us a service by shining a light on us that can only be directed from outside the Church – illuminating our weaknesses and inconsistencies. What is the problem with this? The Church has a good theology of failure (and redemption) and shouldn’t be scared of being seen as it is and as it has been. OK, Pullman is a bit preoccupied with it and not all his critiques stand much scrutiny, but some of it does.

The interview was interesting, dealing with the nature of the Gospels, the status of the Bible and the mindset of those nutters who threaten Pullman with death. Pullman respects the Gospels and the biblical text, but sees them as works of human inventiveness. What disturbs him is not the witness they bear, but the use made of them (for reasons of power) by subsequent generations of Christians. He acknowledges the apologetic power of the inconsistencies in the Gospels – particularly in relation to the resurrection accounts – and recognises that unified narratives would have been the product of propaganda.

However, the subtleties of biblical literature are clearly lost on some of those who then called in to comment on these matters (as, again, George Pitcher points out):

‘The Bible is just fiction’ demonstrates a stupid ignorance of both (a) what fiction is and (b) what the Bible is. The Bible is made up of a range of different genres of literature and (as one example) poetry cannot be read in the same way as prophecy or a New Testament letter. To write off the whole ‘book’ as ‘fiction’ just proves that the contributor hasn’t bothered to read it as it is written.

‘The Bible cannot be questioned or re-written’ is simply sad. I agree that it can’t be re-written (it is what it is) any more than Hamlet can be re-written without it becoming a different play. But if the Bible has to be protected from scrutiny, debate, argument or challenge, then it isn’t worth reading in the first place. Pullman stated that ‘the Gospels do not belong to the Church’ – and he is right. Jesus made it clear anyway that he was for the world, fulfilling what had always been the vocation of Israel: to live and give his life in order that the world might see who and how God is (and respond accordingly). The Bible must be able to stand in the marketplace or it cannot be what it claims to be. Jesus (and the Gospels) cannot be caged by the Church.

‘We wouldn’t do this to the Quran’ simply exasperates me. Do we really think Christians should consider emulating the worst of Muslim extremism? As George Pitcher admirably and clearly explained in yesterday’s Telegraph, we shouldn’t confuse the woeful (and often silly) ignorance of secularists and some atheists with some bizarre and inappropriate notion of ‘persecution’.

Christians are in danger of saying by their defensiveness that Christian faith and the Bible itself are so vulnerable that they must not be challenged and must be protected. As I have remarked in an article in the Easter edition of the Radio Times (no link available), we have no reason to be afraid of challenge or scrutiny – Christians need to be a little more confident and a little more intelligent in articulating their faith and their understanding of the story told by the Scriptures. As Pullman pointed out, a Christian notion of ‘inspiration’ is not the same as an Islamic one – but plenty of Christians treat the Bible as if it were.

The answer to Pullman is to write something better and more convincing – not to threaten him. Pullman is at least able and willing to have a reasonable and informed conversation with Christians – unlike some of the New Atheists he is often lumped in with.

Bishop Alan Wilson has an interesting ‘take’ on the interface between Christians and atheists in his comment on Peter Tatchell. Worth a look in conjunction with these observations on Christian confidence when in engagement with writers like Philip Pullman.

This should be an interesting programme, as long as it’s balanced.

Telegraph:

Nicky Campbell, the presenter of the corporation’s flagship programme for Holy Week, argues that Labour’s anti-discrimination legislation has led to clashes between religious conscience and equality for homosexuals.

He blames local authorities for rebranding Christmas celebrations as winter festivals because of a misguided belief that they are standing up for minority faiths.

Campbell, the Radio 5 Live presenter, also highlights the French and Russian revolutions as examples of what can happen when religion is pushed out of public life.

He concludes that although Christians do not face violence and suppression in Britain as they do abroad, their treatment can seem unfair in a modern democracy.

Campbell says: “So, are Christians being persecuted? No they’re not being tortured or killed like Christians in Pakistan and the Sudan.

“But a minority believes they are being sidelined and victimised. By the standards of a liberal society that can feel like persecution.”

However he adds that this may be a “source of strength” for churchgoers, who thrived in ancient Rome in the face of persecution.

The hour-long programme, called Are Christians Being Persecuted?, looks into widespread claims that the faith is being driven out of public life in Britain while its followers are being treated less fairly than minority groups.

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Here’s my recent take on UK Christian “persecution”:

eChurch – A survey conducted on behalf of Theos by ComRes found that 32 per cent of people believed religious freedoms have been eroded over the past ten years.

eChurch – Six prominent bishops and Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, describe the “discrimination” against churchgoers as “unacceptable in a civilised society”.

The Large Hadron Collider made history last night by taking two beams of protons and smashing them head on at just a whisper under the speed of light.

The physicists are rather excited:

“This is a huge step toward unraveling Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 1 – what happened in the beginning,” physicist Michio Kaku told The Associated Press.

“This is a Genesis machine. It’ll help to recreate the most glorious event in the history of the universe.”

[.....]

“This is the Jurassic Park for particle physicists,” said Phil Schewe, a spokesman for the American Institute of Physics. He called the collider a time machine. “Some of the particles they are making now or are about to make haven’t been around for 14 billion years.”

Wow!

OK I’ll be honest, it all goes a little over my head, but I did enjoy this Tweet from Xianity this morning:

SCIENCE: Researchers dumbfounded as God-particle casts Satan-particle out of Large Hadron Collider for all eternity.

Made me laugh anyway.

Cross-post by Joseph at the Rosh Pina Project. As this post relates to the Third Temple, check this out:

Israel National News – Hundreds of public buses traveling the streets of Jerusalem this Passover are bearing an advertisement calling for the immediate construction of the Third Temple top the contested Temple Mount.

The Israeli Far Right & The Third Temple

Interesting developments here on a school for Levite priests in Mitzpe Yericho.

This video was made in October 2009:

Note the first person speaking, Levi Chazan. We learn from JDL Canada that Chazan is the director of the English-speaking department of Yeshivat ha’Raayon haYehudi, the yeshiva established by the late Meir Kahane, founder of the now-outlawed Kach movement and hero of the Israeli Far Right. Chazan was speaking at a conference with members of Kahane’s family.

Note the spokesperson Baruch Marzel, self-proclaimed right-hand man to Kahane, who champions freeing the Rabin murderer Yigal Amir. Marzel is a former Kach spokesman who has dozens of convictions for nationalist-based criminal activities. We last met Marzel trying to convince Bar Rafaeli not to marry Leonardo di Caprio because he isn’t Jewish.

Of course, Messianic Jews – being holy cohenim already – have no need for another Temple. God has not commanded us to construct another Temple, instead he has given us Yeshua, who alone became our atonement. Consequentially, we are part of the new priestly order of Melchizedek. We do not need another temple: we read in Hebrews 9 how Yeshua accomplished far more for us than the Temple ever could.

Agenzia Fides

A 3-year-old Christian child died after a bomb attack on a Christian home in Mosul. This is what Fides sources in Mosul said, noting that “there is still fear amongst the Christian community.” The attack was made against the house of Ramzy Balbole, a painter with a wife and three children. A bomb was placed near his house and exploded on the morning of Saturday, March 27, injuring his wife and three children and causing severe damage to housing. The injured were taken to the hospital, but the little child died as a result of injury. “Yet another event to mourn in this Holy Week in the Christian community of Mosul. Christians are under attack and, like Simon of Cyrene, are helping Christ to carry the Cross, sharing in his Passion,” note the sources of Fides.

“We are waiting for better times. The faithful are terrified. But the word of the day is ‘hope,’ always and in every circumstance,” Fides was told in an interview with Archbishop George Casmoussa, Syrian Catholic Archbishop of the city. “We will celebrate Easter in this situation of suffering and fear. Our churches will not be crowded, as they would usually be, as many Christian families have fled the city and many faithful will remain at home for fear of attacks. But, they continue to hope in God, in Jesus Christ, in His Resurrection, as He leads us as Iraqi Christians to rise with Him. We continue to pray for the future of peace in our country,” Archbishop Casmoussa told Fides.

“Given the recent political developments, we are hoping now in a strong government whose only plan is to bring peace and justice to Iraq. We want a government that defends the interests of religious, ethnic or political factions, seeking the common good of the country, because Iraq belongs to everyone,” said the Archbishop. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/3/2010)

Cross-post by James F McGrath

Lately I’ve been wondering what would happen if conservative Christians kept the same notion of a Bible that was verbally inspired, in which God determined precisely what it should contain in every detail, but also took seriously the fact that the Bible contains what appear to be differences of viewpoint, discrepancies, and in some cases apparently irreconcilable contradictions. What if one also approached this matter with the assumption that God is honest, loving, and considerate?

Perhaps, rather than assuming that the difficulties are in the Bible to test our willingness to switch off the minds God gave us, and take a leap of faith (or of gullibility), it could be assumed instead that the difficulties are there to be taken seriously, to teach us.

What we’d end up with is a Bible that can serve fundamentalists’ kindergarten-level needs, but can also help readers get beyond kindergarten, even force us beyond it when the time was right, when we were old enough mentally and spiritually to read carefully and notice details.

But instead, what has happened is that some loud and unruly children who found the new and challenging things being taught in first grade too much to bear, went back and took over the kindergarten, and told those in it that the Principal wants them to stay there, and that those who leave kindergarten because they come to find it unsatisfying or problematic are backsliding. And alas, many identify Christianity itself with the loud voices of these unruly, overgrown kindergarten kids. But what if God has providentially placed in the Bible clues that are meant to lead you to eventually realize that what God wants from you is precisely what the loud voices of fundamentalism condemn: taking responsibility for your own actions, for your moral judgments, and learning to live with uncertainty, yet not without faith?

My appeal to fundamentalists is this: try approaching the Bible as though you actually believe what you claim to: (1) that God is honest, (2) that God means for you to study the Bible carefully and in detail, and (3) that God put everything that is in the Bible there for a reason.

Maybe it will enable you to finally stop repeating kindergarten and graduate to first grade. Eventually you’ll face some spiritually tough years, spiritual ‘adolescence.’ But spiritual maturity and adulthood await you on the other side, and if you’re willing to be honest about doubts and questions, there are many, many Christians who will help you. In spite of what you’ve heard, there are a lot of teachers, resources, friends, and interesting experiences God has in store for you beyond the comfort of kindergarten.

You probably don’t want to merely play with blocks your whole life (although LEGOs never stop being fun). Why settle for the spiritual equivalent of doing just that?

Woah, that is some debt!

The FreeThinker

THE Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, is well known for featuring live animals at its annual “Glory of Christmas” pageants.

But, after last year’s show, the church – founded by televangelist Robert H Schuller – now finds itself deep in dung, and unable to pay its suppliers.

Administrators have sent an e-mail to businesses which provided services for the pageant, informing them that the church is having “severe financial difficulties” and can’t afford to pay them now.

A meeting between suppliers and church is set for next week.

The church is in debt to the tune of a staggering $55 million. Earlier this year it ordered major layoffs, cut the number of stations airing its “Hour of Power” broadcasts, and sold property to stay afloat.

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I’m saying nothing:

Pink News:

An American street preacher who told shoppers in Glasgow that gays would go to hell has been fined £1,000.

Shawn Holes, 47, from New York state, was on a tour of the UK with colleagues when he was arrested in Glasgow city centre on March 18th.

He was charged with breaching the peace for the comments.

When asked about his views on homosexuality, Holes said: “Homosexuals are deserving of the wrath of God – and so are all other sinners – and they are going to a place called hell.”

He said that while preaching, a number of gay couples stopped to listen and asked him about his views, which he said seemed like a “set-up”.

Holes said that he admitted the charge because he wanted to get back to the US quickly to see his wife and his father, who is in a hospice.

He said he only expected to be fined around £100.

A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church told the Scotsman: “We supported [hate crime] legislation but it is very difficult to see how this man can be charged for expressing a religious conviction.

“The facts of this case show his statement was clearly his religious belief.

“Yes, it is strong language he has used, but it is obviously a religious conviction and not a form of discrimination.”

UPDATE: Peter Tatchell has just commented on this case over at Harry’s Place:

Freedom of speech must be defended… even for homophobes

The conviction and £1,000 fine imposed on a homophobic Christian street preacher in Glasgow must be condemned an attack on free speech and a heavy-handed, excessive response to homophobia. Shawn Holes, an American Baptist evangelist touring Britain, was fined £1,000 for telling passers-by in Glasgow city centre:

“Homosexuals are deserving of the wrath of God – and so are all other sinners – and they are going to a place called hell.”

In court, he admitted breaching the peace on 18 March by “uttering homophobic remarks” that were “aggravated by religious prejudice”.

Mr Holes is obviously homophobic and should not be insulting people with his anti-gay tirades. He should be challenged and people should protest against his intolerance. However, in a democratic, free society it is wrong to prosecute him. Criminalisation is not appropriate.

The price of freedom of speech is that we sometimes have to put up with opinions that are objectionable and offensive.

Just as people should have the right to criticise religion, people of faith should have the right to criticise homosexuality. Only incitements to violence should be illegal.

Mr Holes’s £1,000 fine is totally disproportionate. Even people who commit robberies and violent assaults sometimes get off with lighter penalties. This prosecution was heavy-handed and an inappropriate use of the law.

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On the subject of freedom of speech, this short YouTube video of Phillip Pullman (Author of: The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ) has been popping up everywhere this morning: (Hat-Tip MediaWatchWatch)

Fair enough….

This headline caught my eye:

Tom Cruise ‘wants to help Church in US’

I was obviously intrigued to find out more as I understand that Tom Cruise is a Scientologist. This is the beginning of the article from Digital Spy:

Tom Cruise has reportedly decided that he wants to help Charlotte Church develop her career in the US.

Not quite what I expected.

As I have news feeding in to my PC based on the keyword “Church”, I get to know a disturbing amount about Charlotte Church, her life, career, weight, diet, the pub in her garden, the fact that she made an emergency call to the coastguards because she lost the dingy off the back of her yacht…..you get the point.

Anyway, I normally ignore any news that comes in relating to Scientology, and so here are the most recent headlines I could find:

CNN – Morning Buzz: The Church of Scientology: A history of violence

Daily Mail – Scientologists make their followers ‘work as slave labour’, according to lawsuits by two former members

Perhaps Charlotte Church should think twice before accepting any help from Mr Cruise.