eChurch Christian Blog

Christian Bloggers (myself included) need to heed this message also:

H/T

Near Emmaus

For all my friends who will be proclaiming the Scriptures to the people of God around the world here is a quote from the great preacher John Chrysostom that I hope you can take with you to your pulpit:

Let, therefore, the man who undertakes the strain of teaching never give heed to the good opinion of the outside world, nor be dejected in soul on account of such persons; but laboring at his sermons so that he may please God, (For let this alone be his rule and determination, in discharging this best kind of workmanship, not acclamation, nor good opinions,) if, indeed, he be praised by men, let him not repudiate their applause, and when his hearers do not offer this, let him not seek it, let him not be grieved. For a sufficient consolation in his labors, and one greater than all, is when he is able to be conscious of arranging and ordering his teaching with a view to pleasing God. (On the Priesthood, or. 5.7)

It is God who you must please. You should neither seek nor reject the praise of your congregation. These will shift from one weekend to the next. What is important is that you can say, before God, you prepared your message for His glory.

I confess that sometimes I’m not a huge fan of the police for differing reasons, but I really do like Matt Baggott.

He is the president of the Christian Police Association and last last August was unveiled as Northern Ireland’s new chief constable, which let’s face it, is not the easiest job in the world.

This guy is so refreshingly open and honest about his faith, which is a real breath of fresh air for someone in such a high profile public position.

Anyway, just noticed this from the Press Association a couple of minutes ago:-

Northern Ireland’s chief constable claims that God had called him to the region’s top policing job.

Matt Baggott, who is a born-again Christian, said he felt his entire 33-year career in the police had been mapped out for him by a higher power.

In a candid interview about his deeply held beliefs, the 51-year-old father of three explained how much his faith had influenced he and his wife’s joint decision that he should apply to take over from the outgoing Sir Hugh Orde last year.

And this from the BBC

Talking about his decision to take the PSNI job, the chief constable said he felt he had been “very strongly pulled” to Northern Ireland.

“I have a very strong Christian faith where I have never planned anything in my 33 years of policing.

“When I’m more open to what I believe is meant to happen, the circumstances have always worked around me.

“When I’ve tried to push the pace myself then sometimes the door is shut.”

He denied he saw the job as a stepping stone to a more prestigious job.

“I don’t see this as a career move. I believe that as chief constable I’m meant to be here at this moment – how that works out is a question for others to shape and work with me on.

“But yes my faith has been a determining factor in me coming here as chief constable.”

He added: “My ambition is to do the best job I can here as chief constable of the people of Northern Ireland.”

Mr Baggott said that despite the difficulties of policing in Northern Ireland, he was enjoying the job.

“It’s a massive privilege to be here. We’ve settled really well here, we’ve made lots of friends already.

“I wouldn’t describe it as a quagmire… I would describe it as a place that I’ve found to be hungry for change.”

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Top man!

Indeed!

Original Source: CrummyChurchSigns

Thorough analysis over at Solomonia looking at the Obama administration’s recent “strategy” in dealing with Israel.

Is Israel a Banana Republic with a Banana History? Obama Seems to Think So.

Could the people who have been complaining about the “timing” of the Israeli announcement of 1600 new Jerusalem apartments — which includes pundits on both left and right — please now adjust their commentary? We’ve now found that the Obama Administration is continuing to hammer the Israelis over, not the timing of the announcement, but the substance of Jews building living space. I supposed there’s something positive in that. It’s illuminating, liberating even. Let’s get down to substance and skip the cosmetics and the diplomatic dance. Good! Unfortunately, what it says about the direction the Obama Administration is taking is nothing good.

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And more on this theme from Prof. Barry Rubin:

The Palestinian Authority Walks Out of Talks with a Big Smile on Its Face

In 1994, Israel asserted, and the PLO accepted, that construction would continue on existing Jewish settlements. For the next 15 years, negotiations were never stopped by that building.

In January 2009, the Palestinian Authority (PA) stopped negotiations because Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip and Israel defended itself. Of course, Hamas is also the PA’s enemy and the PA would be delighted if Israel destroyed that group. But for public relations’ purposes, the PA had to pretend inter-Palestinian solidarity.

Then came President Barack Obama who demanded a stop to all construction on settlements in 2009. Israel finally complied but announced that it would keep building in east Jerusalem. The United States accepted that arrangement and even highly praised Israel’s policy as a major concession.

But the PA refused to return to negotiations. Why, because the construction offended it? No, because the PA’s radical forces don’t want to make a peace deal because they believe they can win total victory and destroy Israel. The more moderate forces are too weak to make a deal because of Hamas and their own radicals, though they also have some problems with mutual compromise.

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Previous posts on Tony Blair’s “Faith”: here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

As it happens, I think that Tony Blair and Rick Warren make a fine couple. Rick with his formulaic business approach to faith and Tony with his politically correct brand of faith/s.

Truth is, if Tony really wants to do something worthwhile, then he should find a way to protect the dwindling Christians in Iraq, who have been decimated as a result of his invasion.

In the seven years since the Iraq War was launched, 2,000 Christians have been murdered and 600,000 have fled Iraq, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. 44% of Iraqi refugees are Christians, and many of the 600,000 Christians who remain are internally displaced persons who have had to flee their homes.

How about putting your talents, connections, ego, influence, power and money into this little problem Tony.

Guardian:

Former prime minister builds network of Christian allies as he prepares to launch a religious ‘offensive’ in North America

Tony Blair is preparing to launch a “faith offensive” across the United States over the next year, after building up relationships with a network of influential religious leaders and faith organisations.

With Afghanistan and Iraq casting a shadow over his popularity at home in Britain, Blair’s focus has increasingly shifted across the Atlantic, to where the nexus of faith and power is immutable and he is feted like a rock star.

According to the annual accounts of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, a UK-based charity that promotes cohesion between the major faiths, the foundation is to develop a US arm that will pursue a host of faith-based projects. The accounts show that his foundation has an impressive – and, in at least one case, controversial – set of faith contacts. Sitting on some £4.5m in funds as of April last year, mostly gathered through donations, it is now well placed to make its voice heard.

The foundation’s advisory council of religious leaders includes Rick Warren, powerful founder of the California-based Saddleback church. It attracts congregations of nearly 20,000 and is reportedly one of the largest in the US. Warren, who has addressed the UN and the World Economic Forum in Davos, has been named one of the “15 world leaders who matter most” and one of the “100 most influential people in the world”.

His influence was confirmed in December 2008 when Barack Obama chose him to give the invocation at his presidential inauguration. But the decision angered many liberals, who see Warren as an opponent of gay rights and abortion on demand; a prominent alliance with Warren is likely to attract similar attacks on the former British prime minister.

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I’m posting this one as I feel this is an important clarification on some recent news media confusion:-

Damian Thompson – Telegraph

Catholic fury over The Times’s coverage of Pope Benedict XVI

There is international outrage in Catholic circles over a headline in The Times this morning that many people regard as utterly misleading and part of the newspaper’s reliably biased coverage (reinforced by vicious cartoons) of anything to do with Pope Benedict XVI.

The headline, over a story by Richard Owen, reads: “Pope knew priest was paedophile but allowed him to continue with ministry.” A universally admired Catholic journalist contacted me this morning and accused The Times of (and I am toning this down for legal reasons) an extremely serious error of judgment.

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Further Internet Links:

SCRUB ALERT: The Times reopens its bear-baiting pit

Guardian: Pope being set up over Munich sex abuse case, says Vatican – Benedict XVI’s spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, suggests ‘tenacious’ plot to implicate pontiff in cover-up

Catholic News Agency: Vatican: Pope was ‘completely extraneous’ to Munich sex abuse decision

BBC – The Vatican has denounced attempts to link Pope Benedict XVI to a child abuse scandal in his native Germany. Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said there had been “aggressive” efforts to involve the Pope, but added: “It’s clear that these attempts have failed.”

The hermeneutic of continuity – Disgraceful attack on the Holy Father in the Times

Auntie Joanna – Ignorant and prejudiced…

Catholic Register – Pope Benedict Transferred Paedophile? That’s the message that some in the media are rapidly trying to spin.

The following article from the Telegraph is majoring on the fact that the Home Office has been accused of discriminating against police Christian groups in favour of a Muslim police group, however, the real issue for me is whether religious groups should receive government funding at all.

A while back I posted in relation to a police Christian group and wrote:-

…..Interesting, although I am always slightly concerned when any Christian group receives funding from secular sources, especially governmental sources. I personally believe that all Christian groups should be funded from the Christian purse, even if they are providing a public service. Using public funds always adds fuel to the secularist fires and Christian funding eliminates any unwanted controlling  influences.

I am now awaiting the predictable comments on this, that tax payers are funding ‘magic’ within the policing world.

Personally I think this new “row” is another example reinforcing the argument against secular funding of ALL religious groups.

Telegraph:

The National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) received £90,000 in grant aid in the last two years while the

Christian Police Association (CPA) received just £15,000 in the last five, despite both groups having around 2,000 members.

And the CPA even disputed those figures insisting it has only been given £10,000 over the period.

Faith-based organisations can bid for Home Office grants either for specific projects or for general funding, with officials deciding which are successful.

Don Axcell, executive director of the CPA, said other requests for additional funding had been ignored.

He said: “As a Christian charity we have to rely on the public for funds as our requests for money from government are largely rejected or ignored. Our letters go unanswered.”

Alan Craig, leader of Christian Peoples Alliance, said: “This is yet another sign of Christianity being written off the agenda.

“Christians are constantly marginalised and discriminated against by the government, who are ignoring one of this country’s principle faiths.”

The CPA was handed £5,000 in 2004/05 and £10,000 last year, according to Home Office figures, but Mr Axcell insisted the only grant the group has received is the one last year.

That was to help widen its involvement with local church groups and encouraged members of the public to “adopt a cop” by praying for the safety of local officers.

In contrast, the NAMP was given grants of £45,000 last year and in 2008/09, listed only as general funding.

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Interesting observations in the Catholic Herald.

I’m glad the headline mentions climate change in relation to churches as recently I came across the term eco-theologian. This term was used in all seriousness on a so called Christian website. Now tell me that Anthropomorphic Global Warming is not a religion in its own right.

In my ‘umble opinion there is a troubling trend for some churches to breathe deeply of the prevailing “spirit of the age” and then throw the Scriptures away offer a “church” fully formed through the zeitgeist prism, in the naive hope that this will make them popular and appealing to the world. Of course it doesn’t work anyway, as these churches simply morph into irrelevant clouds without rain.

Catholic Herald

How often do we hear it said that parishes have got to “connect” more with their parishioners, give them what they want, make them feel involved, help them to participate? We are constantly told that the majority of Catholics apparently don’t want too much emphasis on sin or judgment but would rather that the Church was a welcoming place that emphasised the good in people and provided a community focus. I have no doubt at all that this is true if by “Catholics” is meant the existing parishioners who occupy and control most parishes in this country today. But in what sense are they the majority of Catholics, and what, if anything, is being done for the remainder who have chosen quite deliberately to absent themselves from this vision of Catholicism?

According to the latest statistics available, those baptised into the Catholic faith in this country number as many as five million people and yet of these a little more than 800,000 actually attend Mass in England and Wales, which includes all the recently arrived immigrants. Official statistics show that nearly a third of all those who attended Mass in 2005 were over 65 and this percentage is rising rapidly. If we consider the immigrant factor and then consider all those baptised as Catholics over the past 40 years it suggests that of those children baptised as Catholics in this country since 1965, as many as 90 per cent have abandoned the practice of their religion by adulthood. The stark reality is that parishes are dominated by ageing clergy and laity and the vision we have now is being shaped largely according to their tastes and preferences. They are of a generation that was brought up by a Church that imposed on them a keen sense of moral obligation to attend Mass. They simply want to make it as diverting and pleasant an experience as possible for themselves. Unlike these older parishioners younger Catholics feel no moral obligation to attend, and thus have simply voted with their feet. It is of these, the overwhelming majority of baptised Catholics in this country, that I ask the question, if Catholicism has become about giving the people what they want, why don’t they want it?

Perhaps the answer is that for religion of any type to have any place within a modern, pluralist society it can no longer rely on outdated cultural or tribal bonds which assume people will attend even if accommodated. The Catholic Church is no longer the primary, secondary or even tertiary means by which most younger people learn about the world or form their identities and cultural views. Consequently, for the Church to try to compete with the secular world in promoting modern music, climate change awareness, fair trade or gender equality is merely playing someone else’s tune badly. If today’s young Catholics want to know about climate change they inform themselves by going directly to the sources, not by listening to what Father says about it in his homily. By branching out into areas that are not its province religion soon loses its footing and ends up appearing ill-informed, struggling to catch up with the very secular society it is meant to be guiding – particularly if it falls in with the latest fad only for that fad to disappear or be exposed as misconceived.

In the modern, free market global village the Catholic religion needs to ask itself what it is for. If it still takes seriously the God whom it claims to serve then it is still under that solemn mandate it received to present to the world that great secret it was initiated into all those years ago. This is that God exists, He has created and sustains all things, and in revealing Himself he calls all people to a relationship of faith and love; humanity is broken and God is the remedy; and the most profound human need is the need for God.

Catholicism needs to start preaching supernatural faith and repentance again and not merely reflecting the material world back at itself. If God is presented as no more than merely our own creation or self-image, and we are not understood as humans who in our very nature lack something vital to ourselves without Him, we will never succeed in attracting new people because they will simply fail to see the point of it – because there is no point to it.

We live in a society obsessed with physical beauty, perfection and material happiness and modern people are constantly showing themselves to be prepared to apply themselves even to harsh disciplines like dieting and working out in gyms to strive for these ideals. Yet at the same time we have unprecedented suicide rates and mental illness, particularly among the young. People have enough self-affirmation from the media – they are even told to buy shampoo because they’re “worth it” – and yet they clearly often don’t feel that way in their transitory relationships or in the loneliness of their individualism. Coming to a Catholic church, where they are told to rejoice because they are the “Easter people”, is not going to challenge the pub, nightclub or health spa as an experience of joy as they understand the word. If the Church can only succeed in showing them that the gulf in their life is not a car or house or cosmetic surgery and that joy is not mere sentimentality then it has a chance.

The Church already has a tried and tested remedy for this, which is, paradoxically, what many of the current churchgoers and their clergy have wanted to excise: that by encouraging people to acknowledge and confront their own sinfulness and striving to overcome it through prayer and the sacraments they will slowly and immeasurably fill this gulf with grace. For this, the Church must turn back to prayer and place God, and not itself, at the centre of this prayer. At the same time it should re-emphasise that suffering and pain are not best papered over with folksy communal singing and hand-shaking any more than they are by narcotics or recreational sex. This suffering and pain should be placed at the feet of Him whose very presence hides in the tabernacle and the image of whose physically broken humanity hangs in every church, pleading and bleeding to heal our spiritually broken humanity with an unrequited love that, if only more people could discover, they might return and share with others.

Dominic Scarborough is a lay Catholic from the south of England. A qualified barrister and former Civil Service Principal, he has a degree in Modern History from Magdalen College, Oxford. He is a regular commentator in the press and on the internet on Catholic affairs

UPDATE: This one caught Damian Thompson’s eye as well:-

Telegraph – Advice to priests: shut up about climate change, talk about sin

I simply found this one from the BBC intriguing. Imagine this scheme in the UK and the shock and dismay when prison inmates discovered that time actually moves slower in some churches than in prison

BBC

Georgian monasteries offer to take in prisoners

Officials in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia have announced a scheme to let prisoners shorten their jail terms by spending time in a monastery instead.

The scheme for petty criminals has been proposed by the country’s Orthodox Church and government officials.

It comes as prisoner numbers in Georgia continue to rise and so too does the popularity of the Church.

It is unclear how many prisoners will be allowed to become monks or if they have any choice in the matter.

Overcrowding

To say that the Orthodox Church plays an important and influential role in Georgia is an understatement.

Some 80% of its population are said to be Orthodox Christians and its leaders have at times played a part in politics.

Now the Church has gone a step further by directly offering to help reform certain criminals by handing them a cassock and allowing them to serve out their sentence as monks.

In a joint statement, officials from the prisons ministry and the Church said they would work together to select the convicts they thought would benefit most from spending time in a monastery.

They said the purpose was to liberalise the criminal justice system, but the reality is that prisoner numbers are rising fast in Georgia.

A report last year by a penal reform organisation said the incarceration rate had risen by 300% since 2004 and that jails were badly overcrowded.

A senior cleric told the BBC he believed the Church played a positive role in society and that the scheme could work.

CAMERA

The Presbyterian Church (USA), which has lost approximately 1 million members over the past 25 years, is preparing to debate a number of resolutions regarding Israeli policies at the church’s upcoming General Assembly. One resolution calls for the church to convict Israel of the crime of “apartheid” while others call on the church to rebuke Caterpillar for continuing to sell products to Israel.

The information delegates will use to inform their decision comes from a number of sources which ominously enough, have exhibited a troubling hostility toward Israel. For example, the Israel/Palestine Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA), has hosted a blog which linked to an obviously anti-Semitic video titled “I AM ISRAEL” that accused Israel of controlling American foreign policy.

While IPMN’s website attracted some negative attention to the PC(USA), it will soon become a sideshow to another controversy after the publication of a lengthy report by the denomination’s Middle East Study Committee, created by a vote of the General Assembly in 2008.

This report, which includes a historical analysis that demonizes Zionism, omits important information about Arab violence against Jews in the first half of the 20^th century also includes a letter to American Jews that seeks to undermine the legitimacy of mainstream Jewish leaders in the U.S.

Jewish leaders in the U.S. have responded with anger, as have some members of the denomination. Below is a roundup of useful links relating to the PC(USA)’s deliberations.

Breaking Down the Walls: Report of the Middle East Study Committee to the 219^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). March 5, 2010. This is the full report. Smaller sections of the report can be found here.

“Presbyterian report affirms Israel’s right to exist, criticizes occupation of Palestinian lands,” Courier-Journal.com (Louisville), March 5, 2010.

“Jewish Group: PC(USA)’s Israel Proposals Will Damage Relations,” Christian Post, Feb. 23, 2010.

“An unholy campaign: Presbyterian Church elders are poised to defame Israel,” New York Daily News, March 7, 2010.

“Gearing Up for Another Season of Anti-Zionism in the PC(USA),” Snapshots, (CAMERA’s blog), Feb. 20 2010.

“Middle East study team nears release of its final report,” Presbyterian News Service, Feb. 2, 2009. This article, published before the report was released, provides interesting detail about the committee’s deliberations regarding Israel’s right to exist.

Readers should also visit Viola Larson’s blog, “Naming His Grace.” Larson has numerous posts related to the PC(USA)’s stance on Israel. She has addressed the issue here, here and here. (There are numerous posts on this issue at this blog.)

For historical background about the PC(USA)’s animus toward Israel, read “Pride and Prejudice: The Presbyterian Divestment Story,” by Will Spotts, a former member of the PC(USA). Spotts left the denomination in part because of the church’s animus toward Israel.

Numerous CAMERA articles about the PC(USA) can be found here.

From the Institute on Religion & Democracy:

Church groups centered on Middle East peace are marking the time of Lent with criticism of Israel. A season of penance and fasting traditionally associated with preparing for Easter, Lent is being promoted as a time to single out Israel as aggressor.

Lenten reflections issued by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) direct attention to Israel’s alleged sins and portray Israel as solely responsible for the Arab-Israeli conflict. CMEP-provided materials do not encourage the same level of attention or understanding to the role Israel’s Arab and Muslim adversaries have played in contributing to the continued existence Arab-Israeli conflict.

Agencies of mainline Protestant churches including the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ are all members of CMEP, as are some Eastern Orthodox and Catholic groups.

One CMEP reflection written by an executive of the United Church of Christ reads “In Israel and Palestine, Israeli settlements, the separation barrier, conditions of refugees, and myriad aspects of occupation–as well as destabilizing and debilitating violence–diminish hope and dehumanize people.”

Direct references to Israel such as settlements and the separation barrier are contrasted with diffuse and vague references to “destabilizing and debilitating violence” – not direct naming of those groups responsible.

IRD President Mark Tooley commented:

“It is ironic that a sober season centered on personal disciplines and penance would be appropriated by some church groups as a time to attack others.

“As is sadly typical, Middle East church groups heap criticism upon Israel while largely ignoring the transgressions of neighboring Arab governments and the Palestinians.

“Few have an interest in the ongoing miseries of Egypt’s persecuted Coptic Christian population, while the economic embargo of Hamas-dominated Gaza is viewed as an intolerable evil.

“Groups like Churches for Middle East Peace seem determined to put Israel as well as fish into the frying pan this Lent.”

Barbara Smoker has written an open letter to the National Secular Society as follows:

In all the media coverage on the character of John Venables [one of the murderers of Jamie Bulger] I have yet to read or hear any mention of the fact that he and his co-murderer were, at the time of their horrific crime in 1993, attending a CofE primary school where, instead of receiving moral education, they were fed violent, vindictive bible stories.

What a despicable and unfounded comment and yet the NSS felt happy to include this in their e-mailshot.

My friend Polycarp has posted his “Friday Question”:-

What is the proper way to read the bible?

Be sure to pop over and share your thoughts.

George Pitcher over at the Telegraph shares his thoughts on the news that Ministers have ruled out banning teachers who are members of he BNP.

The BNP are predictably eminently jubilant with this news and have said:

The Maurice Smith review ruling that teachers may be members of the British National Party means that democracy has “just survived another leftist totalitarian onslaught on our basic freedoms,” said Nick Griffin MEP.

“This is a commonsense decision, as classrooms should be places of learning and not far left indoctrination centres,” Mr Griffin said.

George Pitcher also takes a positive stance on this news:

It is entirely sensible that ministers have ruled out a ban on teachers being members of the BNP. I’ve always been embarrassed that the Church of England’s Synod voted to prevent its clergy joining Nick Griffin’s party. There is, apparently, one retired clergyman somewhere who’s a member and the action seemed out of all proportion. Let the BNP argue its case and we can see how ridiculous it is. And, like it or not, it’s a legally constituted political party.

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I concur.

No matter what your view on the BNP, they are, whether we like it or not, a legal political entity in the UK and for ministers to have prescribed a ban on teachers being members of the BNP, would have been a profoundly dangerous move and an overt assault on our democracy and liberties.

Notice George Pitcher also mentions this:

I’ve always been embarrassed that the Church of England’s Synod voted to prevent its clergy joining Nick Griffin’s party.

Again, I concur. It is fruitless and counter-productive to simply impose “bans” on folks joining a specific political party and allows parties such as the BNP to portray themselves as persecuted at the hands of powerful and ruthless aggressors.

Leaders in the church have to learn to articulate a persuasive and factual case as to why they believe Christian folk should not align themselves with the BNP.

I have often posted on the BNP in order to counter their claims to represent British Christianity, and you can find my recent post on this below:

Why there’s Nothing British about the BNP’s (British National Party) “Christian values”

The Spitoon have just posted on this one and make some salient points:

No Banning for BNP Teachers

The “religion and society think-tank” Ekklesia is heavily promoting a campaign called Power2010, which is an initiative to urge Church of England bishops to take a lead in reforming the House of Lords.

Just for clarification purposes, this “reforming” would effectively banish Bishops from the House of Lords. Ekklesia are pushing for an ‘all elected’ second chamber, and are opposed to the “special positions” reserved for Bishops.

These are the 5 principles for reform that they advocate:

people of faith participate alongside others in public life through civic action, free debate and good example – not through special reserved places and exemptions

members of the second chamber are elected, publicly accountable and recallable – not based on the appointed status and privilege for a few

legislation is scrutinised for its impact on the most vulnerable in society – not primarily the rich and powerful

membership is open to independent and minority elected voices – not dominated by the big party machines

Parliamentary business is discussed and voted upon in ways that encourage common action, co-operation and understanding of differences – rather than division and confrontation.

The reality well known by most commentators, is that if the House of Lords becomes an elected chamber, then we would see an end to Bishops in the house of Lords, as in reality they would not be able to garnish enough support.

As you can imagine the Bristish Humanist Association are fully behind this campaign also.

Some time ago I received a request to post something about an upcoming debate relating to the issue of the existence of Bishops within the House of Lords, which I did:

Should the bishops be evicted from the House of Lords? A parliamentary debate on the future of the Lords Spiritual

In this debate, arguing that Bishops should be evicted from the House of Lords was Polly Toynbee, President of the British Humanist Association; and Jonathan Bartley, Co-director, Ekklesia.

I wasn’t particularly flattering towards Jonathan Bartley in my post and he kindly took the time to comment, here is a snippet:-

I said:

….it saddens me terribly to watch such an influential figure as you, join forces with groups that are actively opposed to Christianity, such as the humanists.

Jonathan responded:

I am not aware that I have “joined forces” with anyone. I am however prepared to work with people where I believe they are working with, and toward truth.

I do not drive a wedge between sacred and secular and believe that all people who are made in God’s image, have a sense of what is right and wrong. I do not agree with humanists on many things, but where I see them working for justice and equality, which are to me eternal Christian values which resonate with the character of God, and they know what they are because of God (whether they recognise it or not) I will encourage them in that, and debate and discuss with them.

On reflection, as I observe Ekklesia’s preoccupation in ridding the House of Lords of Bishops, I would say that Ekklesia are in fact very much about driving a wedge between sacred and secular.

This Power2010 campaign encourages participants to email the Bishops and they provide a convenient form on their website, with a fully customisable message and every Bishops email address already inserted for you.

Ekklesia have just posted that they are thrilled with the uptake of 20,000 emails sent to the bishops in one day.

In terms of the validity of a campaign strategy of this nature, I am in agreement with a commentator on Twitter who noted the following:-

Not keen on these mass-auto email all the MPs / MEPs / Bishops at once scripts. Smacks of spam techniques.

and

….I’m sure the bishops can handle it! – Missing the point. a) Does it work? b) Do we want click-box politics?

Indeed.

Overall I confess that I am somewhat uncomfortable with Ekklesia’s determination to eradicate Bishops from the house of Lords, and I am certainly uncomfortable with their choice of bedfellows, and I am uncomfortable with their current campaign technique, namely, overwhelming Bishops email inboxes.

I know many will disagree with me, but there you go.

National Post

This new decade has gotten off to a rough start for Christians living in the Islamic world. Just this week, hundreds of Nigerian Christians were killed by Muslims, though the religious dimension of that event is disputed. Just yesterday, in Manshera, Pakistan, suspected Islamists attacked the World Vision office, killing at least five people using bombs, hand grenades and guns. World Vision is the world’s largest Christian overseas relief and development agency, and its employees murdered yesterday — all Pakistanis — were assisting those still suffering from the Kashmir earthquake in 2005.

There was a massacre of Christians in Mosul, Iraq, on Jan. 2, and targeted killings of Christians throughout January and February. The “targeted killing” is an especially effective form of anti-Christian terror. A Christian — either a man or woman will do — is simply grabbed off the street by Islamists while walking to work or school, killed and the body dumped. No one can feel safe. When a Christian leaves home in the morning, he does not know if he will be killed that day solely for being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

There was a targeted killing of a Christian businessman on Jan. 17, the very day the city of Mosul received its new Catholic archbishop, Emil Shimoun Nona. Why the need for a new archbishop for Mosul? Islamists murdered the last one, Paulos Faraj Rahho, just two years ago.

Amid the general decline of Christians in the Middle East, the breakdown of order in Iraq has allowed Islamists to unleash constant violence against Iraq’s Christians. The goal is to drive Christians out from lands in which they have worshipped God since the early Christian centuries.

The figures show the general trend, and the acceleration due to recent violent persecution by Islamist bandits, unrestrained by the Iraq security forces. In 1932, Christians were 20% of the Iraqi population. By 1979, when Saddam came to power, they were 10%. After the first Iraq War in 1991, they were down to 5%. Since 2003 and the second Iraq War they are fewer than 3% and dropping rapidly.

There were some one million Iraqi Christians in 2003, and it is estimated that over half have fled since. Those who remain in Iraq have often fled their homes in the cities to live in the north, without homes or jobs. Hundreds of thousands have fled into neighbouring countries — Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey.

Even if the slaughter was to stop, most of these people could not return home safely. In order to flee Iraq without being killed en route, many Christian refugees have to pay for protection — a nasty combination of religious persecution, organized crime and rapacious banditry. The refugee family likely has no home, no property, no car — nothing to return to. All of it has been given over to the extortion racket, often with an explicit proviso that if the Christian family seeks to return, all will be killed.

It appears that little can be done to stop the Islamist drive to de-Christianize Iraq. But something can be done for some Iraqi Christians, and Canada is leading the way.

In February 2009, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney increased from 1,200 to 2,500 the annual number of privately sponsored refugees that Canada would accept for three years through the Damascus office, where the largest number of Iraqi refugees are. In addition to the privately sponsored places, there are 1,400 annual places in the government-assisted resettlement program for Damascus. Such places are not for Christians alone, but are an undeniable help to Christians seeking refuge.

Yet refugees have to be sponsored and helped once they arrive in a strange land. Canadian Christian churches had extensive refugee sponsorship programs during the Cold War to accommodate those fleeing communist persecution. Over the years, those programs atrophied, as happily there were fewer Christians fleeing religious persecution. Now with the rise of the Islamist threat, those networks have to be reconstituted. It is not an easy task, but an impressive lead is being taken by Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto, whose city will likely be a principal place of resettlement. He has been encouraging his fellow Catholic bishops to intensify their efforts as well, and similar initiatives are being encouraged in other Christian communities.

The possible end of the Christian presence in Iraq — the land of Abraham — is an unspeakable sadness. Writing about this two years ago, I prayed that “fearsome justice” would be visited upon those who slaughter our fellow Christians in Iraq. That does not appear to be imminent. So while justice is delayed in Iraq, solidarity and charity in Canada is the best we can do.

I only want to highlight the BBC headline for this one:-

BBC – Atheists meet in Melbourne to celebrate lack of faith

Is this not hilariously paradoxical?

Today we are seeing headlines like this one:-

Daily Mail – Celibacy to blame for sex abuse cases, says cardinal tipped for papacy

National Post – Cardinal claims celibacy linked to sex abuse

I’ve been informed that these headlines are misleading and that Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said no such thing:

Catholic Culture:

Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said that the broadening sex-abuse scandal indicates a need to re-think the training that priests receive. The Austrian prelate called for a thorough and “unflinching” discussion of the possible causes for sexual abuse by Catholic priests. No topics should be taboo during that discussion, the cardinal said; he called for a frank evaluation of how priests have handled the consequences of the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s, and analysis of how priests are trained for a life of celibacy.

Several English newspapers reported that Cardinal Schönborn had said that priestly celibacy is the root cause of the sex-abuse problem. He did not. Nor did he call for an end to clerical celibacy. As spokesman for the Vienna archdiocese, responding to these interpretations of the cardinal’s statement, issued a clarification that Cardinal Schönbron “did not call into question celibacy in any way.” His focus was on how young men are prepared to live with that discipline.

In Rome the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, confirmed that Church leaders are not planning any change in the rule of priestly celibacy, which he described as “a gift from the Holy Spirit.”

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiga, asked whether he saw a connection between celibacy and abuse, replied: ‘I don’t understand how there can be a link.” Archbishop Gerhard Mueller of Regensberg, Germany, was even more dismissive, saying that any claim to see a connection was “nonsense.”

Link to Catholic News Agency:-

After media outlets misinterpreted an article by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn to say that he is questioning the Church’s rule of priestly celibacy, several high ranking churchmen have spoken out in praise of celibacy as a gift. They also dismissed the idea that celibacy is connected to pedophilia.

The Times has a good piece on this:-

Cardinal Schönborn says celibacy partly to blame for clerical sex abuse

Perhaps Rowan should read this.

Cross-post from Anglican Samizdat:

From here:

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that despite believing Israel has a right to defend itself, he is “baffled and angry” at some of its methods.

Dr Rowan Williams spoke in conversation with Times editor James Harding in front of more than 200 people at a JC-sponsored event organised by the Board of Deputies on Wednesday.

Less than 15 minutes into the 90- minute discussion, Mr Harding asked Dr Williams to face the “elephant in the room” and reveal his views on Israel.

“The state of Israel is a legitimate state,” the archbishop said. “It has a right to exist and right to defend itself. The very fact that Israel makes so much of its status as a democratic state leaves me baffled and sometimes angry at what seems like collusion with unauthorised parties. I want to hear a legal defence of settlements and I am yet to hear it.

“Unless there is a way of representing the settlements as legitimate self-defence I remain very disturbed about that, along with many.”

Rowan would undoubtedly be much happier if Israel would engage Hamas – who don’t seem to make Rowan angry at all – in Indaba sessions, holy listening and telling stories; then, at least everyone would be baffled.

Cross-post from Solomonia:

Received from a reader:

[This] is written by an acquaintance of mine, and older woman who is Catholic. Who somehow got roped into attending something that from her description sounds like some Friends of Sabeel meeting. And she came away very upset, disappointed and confused. She wrote down her thoughts and sent them to me. I would like to see them out there…

Happy to oblige…