eChurch Blog

This is a superb and timely message and isn’t it amazing that this was said in 1941 and has supreme relevance this very day.

The more things change….and yes, I am referring to myself….

Cross-post CyberBrethren

“Isn’t it the case that we all – and I include myself here – complain so often about the sermon without ever asking whether the real basis for our discontent doesn’t perhaps lie within ourselves? When a hearer gets nothing from a sermon it is not always the sermon or the preacher that is to blame. Listening to sermons is like work, or better yet an art that one must learn. Fruitful listening requires a measure of Christian formation and spiritual receptivity that few seem to possess anymore (in fact, I dare say that I have only seen it today in ‘simple’ people, in farmers and labourers in country areas). The lack of this formation cannot be compensated for by the thundering rhetoric or the emotional eloquence which most people seem to expect nowadays from preachers if they are to stay alert.”

From Hermann Sasse, ‘Concerning the Hearing of God’s Word’, a sermon preached in Erlangen, Germany on Rogate Sunday, 18th May, 1941 (Text: James 1:22-27)[trans. M.A. Henderson].

Recently the ASA sent a poll to its members concerning origins. Roughly half responded. The ASA is a fellowship of professional scientists and technologists who are Christians. The American Geophysical Union did a similar poll concerning global warming and found a huge difference of opinion between climatologists and petroleum engineers with 97% of climatologists affirming anthropogenic global warming and only 47% of the petroleum engineers. This got me thinking. Is there a similar kind of effect in our poll?

First here is how the results came in for the membership as a whole:

With 2/3 of our members accepting evolution of humans it’s probably pretty surprising to your average church goer. Is it the evil secular universities that Expelled railed against? We can look and see how the answers differed for those who attended secular or Christian universities.

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Today (July 10th) marks the 501st anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, and Jim West will be furnishing us with:

…..all the Calvin quotes and trivia you could hope for.

In the meantime, perhaps you will join me for a beer in celebration…..

…..if you’re predestined to.

H/T

An important piece in the Guardian today by Bishop Nick Baines, following the media frenzy over Jeffrey John, which I hope is widely read to the shame of many.

Guardian:

So, the Dean of St Albans has been “blocked” from becoming the next Bishop of Southwark. Really? Well, the Telegraph has confidently told us so – so we might as well remove our brains and take their word for it. Or not.

What is amazing about this whole story is not just the shameful behaviour of the leaker (who has sworn an oath of confidentiality), but the credulity of many people who have responded (look, for example, at Thinking Anglicans) is depressing. They have accepted the details and language of the story without thinking. And, predictably, the usual suspects from the extremes of the Church were ready with their quotes of indignation and threat.

The Telegraph story last Sunday stated that the candidate concerned was on the shortlist; was the “understood to be the favoured candidate” and suggested that the process was only about him: would he or would he not be appointed? Readers were clearly intended to make certain uncritical leaps of logic that defied the realities of the process. Apparently, being on the shortlist meant that the named candidate was likely to get the appointment; so, if he was not appointed, it could only be that he was deliberately blocked by the Archbishop of Canterbury; oh, and the reason for the “block” could only be the candidate’s sexuality.

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Update: Bishop Nick Baines has posted his Media literacy: lesson 2, which is well worth a read.

Media literacy: Lesson 1 can be found here.

Hmm, interesting media observations from Biased BBC this morning:

The BBC loves the ongoing conflict with the Anglican Church. On the one had, it presents the forces of liberal enlightenment who seek to have Gay Bishops and Woman Priests, and on the other there are those dreadful stick-in-the-mud “traditionalists.” You can always tell which side the BBC is on and it keeps nibbling at this issue, always portraying those who would seek to maintain Anglican scriptural traditions as the problem.

Cross-post Joel – The Church of Jesus Christ:

A FURIOUS clergyman has slammed Scotland’s oldest uni for giving a top professor role to an “anti-gay” bishop.
Bishop of Durham Dr Tom Wright, who famously opposed the ordination of gay churchmen, starts his post at St Andrews’ School of Divinity in September.

Read more: here

I would like to note that this is my ‘hopeful’ academic home for the next few years… I should officially know, or rather officially be able to say, in a few days.

(ht)

N.T. Wright, for whatever you think of his opinion here, should have the right to his opinion. Wright is not calling for the heads of homosexuals, nor for their exclusion from civil rights secured in society, only that his church upholds the values it says it does. We should have the freedom of conscience, regardless of what they may entertain.

The failure to entertain common sense came with Bishop Wright comparing the actions of the Episcopalian Church which ordained a gay bishop to that of George W. Bush‘s invasion of Iraq:

“George Bush said he was going to invade Iraq. Everyone told him not to because there would be consequences, but he did it anyway.

“The Americans floated the balloon in 2003 when they consecrated Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. They knew exactly what they were doing then and they know exactly what they are doing now. They knew it would be unacceptable to the majority of the Communion. They are doing exactly as they please.”

He continued: “Either the rest of the world caves in or someone has to stand up to them.”

You will have to excuse me if ordaining a gay man is not the same thing as invading a sovereign country, killing untold numbers of people and forever damaging the international reputation of the United States of America. The EC church did as it pleased and could have been excommunicated or whatever if Canterbury had the gumption to do so. As far as I know, Gene Robinson has not killed anyone. I’ll do the research, but I am pretty sure I can say that for a fact.

No, Bishop Wright was not wrong to express his disdain for the ordination – that was his right, of course, of conscience and speech. I guess, as well, he had a right to say the other thing too. Just one was really, really, really uninformed and fear-mongering.

With that said, I hope that I can get and interview with Wright when, I mean if of course, I am over at St. Andrews.

Further Link:

Biblicus Semitae – St Andrews University Criticised for Hiring Dr NT Wright

Hat-tip Solomonia.

You can view my guest post on this topic over at Harry’s Place:

Sadly, this was inevitable….

TheJC

The Board of Deputies has broken off all contact with the leadership of the Methodist Church following its endorsement of a report deeply critical of Israel.

A spokesperson for the Board said: “There cannot be any engagement with the leadership of the Methodist Church until such a time that we see signs of a change in their stance.”

But both sides vowed to continue interfaith work at a local level, encouraging members of Methodist and Jewish communities to maintain regular dialogue.

The Board said Methodists from across the country had contacted deputies to express distress and discomfort with the report.

Following the endorsement of the motion at last week’s Methodist conference, the Board and the Jewish Leadership Council said the Church should “hang its head in shame” for passing the policy calling for a boycott of goods from “illegal” Israeli settlements in the West Bank and blaming Israeli occupation for hindering the peace process.

Attempts had been made to convince the Church to re-think its stance.

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There are only a special, predestined, tiny chosen group, who will get this joke, which comes courtesy of Rev Mark Stevens….

Did you hear about the Calvinist who fell down a flight of stairs?

He got up, dusted himself off and declared, “Boy, I’m glad that’s over!“

….And sadly I found it really very funny…..

Tim Kimberley over at the Parchment and Pen blog, is featuring a series based on the top ten Biblical discoveries in archaeology.

As promised, I intend to link to them from here, and so here is the second offering, at number nine on the list:

Top Ten Biblical Discoveries in Archaeology – #9 Jehu’s Tribute to Shalmaneser III