eChurch Blog

Sometimes I come across something that is simply intriguing in its own right and causes me to reflect on our brave new world; this is one those times.

If we are lucky we are given the opportunity to consider the phsyical aspects of our death; our body and our goods etc, but what about our digital life?

Well, Life Insurance Finder have a detailed guide on how to prepare our Facebook profile and other social media accounts in the event of our death. They recommend the creation of a digital will and the nomination of a digital executor.

Here’s some of the issues at stake:

You might not know what happens when you die but you can control what happens online!

You are filling the internet with status updates, image and video creating new digital dilemmas such as:

Whether you want to live forever online?

How to protect your privacy after death?

How to maintain your digital legacy?

Who to appoint as your digital executor?

Whether You Would Want to Be Digitally Resurrected

Live forever online and digital ressurection!

There’s even been ‘Digital Death Day‘ conferences, to explore options for dealing with online profiles after death; I kid ye not.

Check out the links; it makes for fascinating reading.

These are a few random thoughts on the fly and another blog post within which I raise questions and ultimately answer nothing.

Although the sources I pick up on in this post are US focused, I think they have relevance here in the UK.

Timothy Dalrymple highlights a piece in The Weekly Standard written by Fred Barnes, which explores the reasons underlying the success of the US pro-life movement, and in doing so he cites this interesting quote:

Foes of gay rights are now seen by the press as fighting the bad war, roughly analogous to Vietnam. Pro-lifers are waging the good war, like World War II. “You get much less grief fighting against abortion than you do fighting to preserve traditional marriage,” says Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.

Timothy Dalrymple picks up on this article and continues the ‘good war / bad war analogy’ (which was his idea originally) and says:

In World War 2, “the good war,” the allies fought on behalf of innocents and on behalf of civilization.  The urgency and import of our intervention was clear.  In Vietnam, we fought to arrest the expansion of communism into Southeast Asia, and it proved increasingly difficult to establish a clear connection between our actions and saved lives.  Wherever communism went, it brought hardships, systematic suppression of human rights, and often mass slaughter of counter-revolutionaries.  A strong case could be made for our actions there, but that case lacked the moral clarity of World War 2.

[....]

The idealism of the movement is striking.  At one point in the video David French, a Patheos blogger, tells the students at a massive pro-life gathering: “You are a defender of the defenseless.  You want the unwanted.  This is who you are.  This is what you do.”  That’s a tremendously powerful — and appealing — message.  There’s no assault upon the motives of the abortive mother.  There’s no denigration of women and their freedom.  There’s a crystal-clear focus on the protection of the innocent and the vulnerable, along with a belief that protecting innocent life trumps all other concerns.  Moreover, a powerful pro-life argument can be made with no reference whatsoever to the Judeo-Christian scriptures.  With reference to genetics, biology and ethics, the case is just as lucid for the unbeliever as for the believer.

Contrast that with the gay marriage debate.  It’s tough to construct an argument against gay marriage without appealing for justification to scripture.  It’s not impossible.  One can appeal to natural law, but few who are not already committed to natural law will find this persuasive.  And one can make the argument that the legal sanctioning of same-sex marriage (1) further deteriorates the institution of marriage and (2) harms the children whom marriage protects, but the first part is abstract and theoretical and the second part is difficult to demonstrate conclusively.  Both sides can cite studies.  So gay marriage appears to be “victimless.”  To be clear, I’m not saying these arguments fail from a logical point of view.  I think these arguments are correct.  I’m saying instead that they fail to persuade the majority, since the case is complex, the water is muddied, and there are strong countervailing cultural winds.  Unless you are convinced on religious grounds that same-sex relationships are sinful and therefore inherently destructive — for the gay couple, for children they might raise, and for a society build on the marital unit — you’re unlikely to oppose same-sex marriage.

From these comments – which I’m sure articulate things of which we are all more than familiar with – it’s not hard to see how easily ‘anti-gay marriage’ proponents can be cast as waging a ‘bad war’.

Timothy Dalrymple goes on to say how much more socially acceptable it is to question the morality of abortion; than question the morality of same-sex marriage. In fact, it would seem that in the US, if one publicly criticises same-sex marriage, it is entirely possible to jeopardise your academic career in the process. He notes the difficulty in getting folk to write critically on the subject of same-sex marriage, due to the risks involved.

It is certainly true that if you wish to raise ire and controversy on your blog, then you simply have to articulate criticism of same-sex marriage. Although I follow many more traditional / conservative / orthodox Christian blogs than liberal, it strikes me that the vast majority of blogging on same-sex marriage is done by those sympathetic with the cause. I’m left wondering if the traditional / conservative / orthodox bloggers are fearful of the response should they write critically of same-sex marriage.

I would like to conclude by stretching the ‘good war / bad war’ analogy to breaking point and incorporate the theme of the ‘Just War’. If we are to view the battle between pro-traditional-marriage and pro-gay marriage as a war, then I wonder how Cathechism 2309 applies:

there must be serious prospects of success

Is there a prospect of success in thwarting the legitimisation and legalisation of ‘gay marriage’. I’ll admit I’m pessimistic.

If you Wiki ‘Just War’, within the criteria is Proportionality:

The anticipated benefits of waging a war must be proportionate to its expected evils or harms. This principle is also known as the principle of macro-proportionality, so as to distinguish it from the jus in bello principle of proportionality.

If a war is to be waged against same-sex marriage then the ‘evils or harms’ of such must be clearly articulated.

I was quite interested to note this comment also:

In modern terms, just war is waged in terms of self-defense, or in defense of another (with sufficient evidence).

As  Timothy Dalrymple noted, same-sex marriage can be pushed as victimless and so those that oppose this, are basically told that as this harms nobody; keep your nose out.

Hat-tip: Joe Carter

I had meant to press 81 on Freeview (BBC Parliament), but I accidentally pressed 71 (Cbeebies). What I found was a great deal more intelligent and mature than what I had been looking for.

SOURCE

Tarry with our Lord a while, using the distinctive Jesuit method of prayerful reading.  Pax Christi+

First Reading Romans 10:9-18

Gospel Acclamation  Matt 4:19

Gospel 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.

Please take a few moments of quiet and prayerful pondering on Scripture using the distinctive Jesuit method of prayerful reading.  Pax Christi+

First Reading Isaiah 11:1-10

Gospel Acclamation  Psalm 84:8

Gospel  Luke 10:21-24

Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,

World without end. Amen+.

Yesterday’s blogpost goes a little way in explaining. Please take a few moments of quiet and prayerful pondering on Scripture using the distinctive Jesuit method of prayerful reading.  Pax Christi+

The Presence of God

As I sit here, God is here.

Around me, in my sensations, in my thoughts and deep within me.

I pause for a moment and become aware of God’s life-giving presence

Freedom 

A thick and shapeless tree-trunk would never believe that it could become a statue, admired as a miracle of sculpture, and would never submit itself to the chisel of the sculptor, who sees by her genius what she can make of it.  (St Ignatius)

I ask for the grace to let myself be shaped by my loving Creator.

Consciousness

How I am really feeling? Light hearted? Heavy hearted?

I may be very much at peace, happy to be here.

Equally I may be frustrated, worried, or angry.

I acknowledge how I really am. It is the real me that the Lord loves.

The Word

God speaks to each one of us individually. I need to listen to what he is saying to me.

First Reading  Isaiah 2:1-5 

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Gospel Acclamation  cf Psalm 79:4

Gospel Reading  Matthew 8:5-11

When Jesus went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘my servant is lying at home paralysed, and in great pain.’ ‘I will come myself and cure him’ said Jesus. The centurion replied, ‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith like this. And I tell you that many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.’

Conversation

Do I notice myself reacting as I pray with the Word of God?

Do I feel challenged, comforted, angry?

Imagine Jesus sitting or standing by me, I speak out my feelings, as one trusted friend to another.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,

World without end. Amen+.

I thought I’d put this new ‘Christian sues employer’ article on, as it differs from most in that it brings Islam / Muslims into the mix.

Nohad Halawi was sacked from her job based in Heathrow Airport as a result of five Muslim colleagues complaining she was being anti-Islamic following a heated conversation in the store. Halawi is suing, claiming bullying and intimidation by ‘extremist’ Muslims espousing ‘fundamentalist’ Islam. To give Halawi her due, a petition signed by 28 colleagues, some of them Muslims, argued that she had been dismissed on the basis of “malicious lies”.

Andrea Minichiello Williams of the Christian Legal Centre is representing Mrs Halawi and states this is one of the most serious cases they’ve handled.

Apart from the claims of ‘creeping Islamic extremism’ (disturbing if true given the sensitive security location) I think we can get to the heart of the matter via this comment by Mrs Halawi:

“This is supposed to be a Christian country, but the law seems to be on the side of the Muslims.”

And this from the Christian Legal Centre:

……say it raises important legal issues and also questions over whether Muslims and Christians are treated differently by employers.

Anyway, we’ll see how this pans out; in the meantime you can read the details over on the Telegraph.

From Wifey

Today as well as being the First Sunday of Advent, it is also the start of the our new liturgical year.  Over the next few weeks with all the Christmas preparations, it can be a somewhat hectic time for most of us. During this period we are called to wait for Lord, and patience is needed. Yet when in the midst of the frenetic activity, patience is certainly not something I have in abundance.

So I thought I would start a series of posting the Scripture Readings during the Advent period from Universalis.  As St Paul says “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  So to take a few moments of quiet each morning to help sanctify the day, our activity and allow the Potter to renew us, to shape and mould us by the Sword of the Spirit whilst we patiently await our Lord.

Below are some pointers from the rich and distinctive prayer method of the Irish Jesuits for prayerful reading of the Scriptures, to help and encourage us to fill each day with spiritual growth and inspiration.

The Presence of God

As I sit here, God is here.

Around me, in my sensations, in my thoughts and deep within me.

I pause for a moment and become aware of God’s life-giving presence

Freedom 

A thick and shapeless tree-trunk would never believe that it could become a statue, admired as a miracle of sculpture, and would never submit itself to the chisel of the sculptor, who sees by her genius what she can make of it.  (St Ignatius)

I ask for the grace to let myself be shaped by my loving Creator.

Consciousness

How I am really feeling? Light hearted? Heavy hearted?

I may be very much at peace, happy to be here.

Equally I may be frustrated, worried, or angry.

I acknowledge how I really am. It is the real me that the Lord loves.

The Word

God speaks to each one of us individually. I need to listen to what he is saying to me.

(Please read the Scripture slowly,  before moving to the next step of conversation).

Conversation

Do I notice myself reacting as I pray with the Word of God?

Do I feel challenged, comforted, angry?

Imagine Jesus sitting or standing by me, I speak out my feelings, as one trusted friend to another.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,

World without end. Amen+.

First Sunday of Advent 27th November

Come Let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.

First Reading Isaiah 63:16-17, 64:1, 3-8

You, Lord, yourself are our Father,
‘Our Redeemer’ is your ancient name.
Why, Lord, leave us to stray from your ways
and harden our hearts against fearing you?
Return, for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your inheritance.
Oh, that you would tear the heavens open and come down!
– at your Presence the mountains would melt.
No ear has heard,
no eye has seen
any god but you act like this
for those who trust him.
You guide those who act with integrity
and keep your ways in mind.
You were angry when we were sinners;
we had long been rebels against you.
We were all like men unclean,
all that integrity of ours like filthy clothing.
We have all withered like leaves
and our sins blew us away like the wind.
No one invoked your name
or roused himself to catch hold of you.
For you hid your face from us
and gave us up to the power of our sins.
And yet, Lord, you are our Father;
we the clay, you the potter,
we are all the work of your hand.

Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.
I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.

Gospel Acclamation Psalm 84:8

Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
Alleluia!

The Gospel Mark 13:33-37

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own task; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn; if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!’

Readings for 1st week of Advent

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday 

Saturday

 2nd Sunday of Advent

Usually I link to British Religion in Numbers, but this article is packed through with interesting info relating to Church newspapers and so I will take advantage of their ‘Creative Commons’ in this instance:

The Baptist Times, Britain’s longest-running weekly Free Church newspaper, is to cease publication of both print and digital editions at the end of this year, its directors have announced recently. Falling circulation and advertising revenue have been blamed. The paper will be ‘replaced’ by the new BT Online website which the Baptist Union of Great Britain will launch next spring.

The Baptist Times first appeared on 24 January 1855 under the name of The Freeman. Despite the abolition of newspaper stamp duty the same year, it was slow to establish itself, with an initial circulation of only 2,000 copies, perhaps due to the relative success of pan-Free Church newspapers such as The Nonconformist (established in 1841) and, later (from 1886), The British Weekly.

With effect from the issue of 24 February 1899 The Freeman changed its name to The Baptist Times and Freeman, shortened to The Baptist Times from 10 September 1925 onwards. By the latter date, it had also incorporated a rival denominational newspaper, The Baptist, published between 10 January 1873 and 29 September 1910.

Peak circulation of The Baptist Times is reported as 35,000, but numbers have fallen steadily over recent decades, in line with the declining fortunes of the newspaper industry more generally.

Circulation data in successive editions of the UK Christian Handbook reveal that sales of The Baptist Times held steady at 15,000 in the 1980s, then drifted downwards, to 13,000 in 1991, 12,000 in 1993, 11,000 in 1995, 10,000 in 1997, 9,000 in 2001, and 8,000 in 2006.

Current circulation of The Baptist Times is said to be only 5,000, albeit readership is estimated at several times this figure (although the 24,000 cited by Wikipedia is probably out of date).

The ageing of Baptist worshippers (by a mean of seven years between the 1979 and 2005 English church censuses) will partly account for the fall in circulation. Even though Baptists have held on to the younger age cohorts better than the Methodists and United Reformed Church, the young are not necessarily avid newspaper readers.

Combined subscribers and readers of The Baptist Times must clearly constitute a very small minority of the 135,000 members of the Baptist Union and of the unknown number of non-member attenders at Baptist churches.

This perhaps says something about the extent to which Baptists, and adherents of the Free Churches more generally, identify themselves as part of a national denomination, as opposed to a local place of worship.

With the demise of The Baptist Times, the mantle of the longest-running weekly Free Church newspaper passes to The Methodist Recorder, now celebrating its 150th anniversary (although it had a range of Methodist competitor titles until 1937).

The Methodist Recorder is currently claiming a weekly circulation of 22,000 copies and a readership of 100,000 (the latter equivalent to about two-fifths of the Church’s membership or rather less than one-fifth of all names on the community roll in 2010).

Another ‘Free Church’ which still publishes weekly newspapers is the Salvation Army, which boasts no fewer than three: The War Cry (with a circulation of 53,000), The Salvationist (20,000), and Kids Alive! (a comic, 20,000).

Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends has published The Friend since 1843 (initially as a monthly, but weekly from 1892), but this is really a magazine. The interdenominational The British Weekly (latterly known as Christian Week) eventually closed in 1991, with its last-known circulation as 12,500.

The Church of England is covered by two weekly newspapers, Church Times (which sells 27,500 copies) and Church of England Newspaper (8,200). The Roman Catholics in England and Wales are served by The Universe (55,000), Catholic Times (26,500), The Tablet (22,100), and the Catholic Herald (22,000) with its sister title Scottish Catholic Observer (18,000).

Circulation figures in the preceding three paragraphs are taken from the table on p. 223 of the 2009/10 edition of the UK Christian Handbook, which also includes details for a range of less than weekly publications. Almost certainly, most circulations will have declined in the more than two years which have elapsed since this volume was printed.

The following is written by Wifey for the benefit of folk like me that are endeavouring to learn and engage with the Catholic Advent traditions:

In our home the start of Advent is an exciting time, as I decorate the hall and the kitchen, in greenery, pine cones, red berries and bows, even my beloved Icons are decorated.

This morning I made our Advent wreath, this year I decided on traditional colours for our Wreath of purple (for penance), a singular pink for the third Sunday (for joy, and our Lady). And a white central one for Christmas.

We will light our Advent wreath each evening for prayers and our meal.

I thought I would give a little explanation and information for those not familiar with this catholic tradition.  As it is a lovely way to remember the reason for the season, and to help prepare us to receive our Lord and Saviour afresh at His birth.

An Advent wreath was traditionally used in the home, but are now used universally in Church as well.  It consists of  4 candles with an optional 5th candle, and a ring or circular shape of evergreen. Red ribbons or berries, can be used to represent the blood of Christ.

The ring or circular is a symbol of eternity, and a reminder that God has no beginning nor end. The evergreen is a symbol of eternal life and a reminder that God is unchangeable, and that the Gospel is ever new.

These are the traditions colours used.

First Candle Colour: Purple;  Theme: Hope – lit at the First Sunday in Advent.

Second Candle Colour: Purple Theme: Love  – lit at the  Second Sunday in Advent

Third Candle Colour Pink: Theme: Joy –   lit at the Third Sunday in Advent

Fourth Candle Colour: Purple Theme: Peace -  lit at the Fourth Sunday in Advent

Optional Centre Candle Colour : White Theme: Christmas – lit on Christmas Day

Perhaps many have their own readings and prayers that are used with the Advent Wreath each Sunday.  One can use the Mass readings and contemporaneous prayers, even adding hymns, carols, or other spoken prayers. These are what we used for each Sunday last year, and will be using again this year.

On the first Sunday in Advent

Light one purple candle

Read Isaiah 60:2-3

Prayer:

LORD God, we light this candle to thank you for your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. We who have sat in darkness have seen a great light, the light of Jesus Christ, our salvation. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus’ name, because he lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen+

On the second Sunday in Advent

Light two purple candles

Read Mark 1:4

Prayer:

LORD God, we light this candle to thank you for your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is the way. We who like sheep have gone astray have found the way to you through Jesus Christ. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus’ name, because he lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen+

On the third Sunday in Advent

Light two purple and the pink candles

Read Isaiah 35:10

Prayer

LORD God, we light this candle to thank you for your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who brings us great joy. We who have walked in the shadow of the valley of death have found life in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus’ name, because he lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen+

On the fourth Sunday in Advent

Light the pink and all the purple candles

Read Isaiah 9:6-7

Prayer:

LORD God, we light this candle to thank you for your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace. We who live in discord and strife have found peace in the promise of eternal life, through Jesus Christ. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus’ name, because he lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen+

On Christmas Eve after sundown

Light all the coloured candles and the white candle

Read Luke 1:68-79 and Luke 2:1-20

Prayer:

We praise you, Father God, because on this day, your Word became flesh in our Savior Jesus Christ, was born of a woman, and walked among us as a man. Help us to imitate your incarnation, by manifesting our faith in our conduct as well as in our speech. To you, O Lord, we give our honor, praise, worship, and love, in the most holy and precious name of the One who is born today; because He lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen+