Teaser Tuesday - Jan 5

Teaser Tuesday
The rules are:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) 'teaser' sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title and author of the book that you’re getting your 'teaser' from .. that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

The leadership of the Western Church went on to build on that memory or claimed memory over a thousand years, to create one of Christianity's most noble and dangerous visions, the Roman papacy. Their building was literal, in the massive shape of the Basilica of St Peter above Peter's supposed grave site, a building which we will repeatedly encounter in Christian history.

I had to choose that teaser rather selectively the author indulges in some rather long sentences! The author is Diarmaid MacCulloch and this is 'A History of Christianity' - a substantial tome I got for Christmas and am currently enjoying even before we get to some of the lesser known and maybe more informative parts of the book. Here's Rowan WIlliams review laying out its strengths and shortcomings, I wouldn't want to meet Rowan in a supervision on the topic! (and an interesting typo in the author's name in the linked URL - blame the Guardian!

Coward on Cowards

Colin Coward's reaction to the Forward in Faith hypocricy of yesterday

I want to be a member of a church that is honest and truthful, open and loving, and properly faithful to Jesus Christ and all of God’s children, and I will now work and campaign with even greater resolve for a church in which women’s ministry is valued at all levels and LGBT who live with the highest commitment to love and fidelity can also live openly and truthfully. To hell with the Forward in Faith closet!

But go and read the original!

That Roman Offer

Nick Baines blogs powerfully on the subject:

The church exists for the sake of the world – not for the sake of the purity of the church.

I write as someone who, at times, has seriously considered the Roman option - though not for the reasons which many are now considering! (there, I bet that shocked some readers!)

Scargill forward planning

My intentions of twittering during Sunday's meeting were frustrated by being unable to see the wireless network and the Vodafone signal not being strong enough in that part of the building. As the Scargill movement doesn't yet have a report on the day let me put here some of the points from that meeting. These are, I hope, fairly literal transcriptions of various slides that were shown, any undue erroneous emphasis is, of course, entirely my fault!
First there's a list of the priorities and aspirations in the coming reassessment of the site:

• an improved reception
• better integration with the landscape
• making car parking, less central to the site
• more provision for camping (could hardly be less!)
  
• better dining facilities - where meetings happen
• DDA access - disabled access to all parts of the building
• more and better indoor gathering points
• improved IT especially to support teaching
• flexible training spaces
• improved bed accommodation
• the integration of community and their needs with that improved accommod - the community being closer to the guest areas (but still providing privacy).

Quite a list! And here were some keywords

• managing woodland
• demolition of community accom.! car parks can then be put in that area
• new building around pent and pent-ex
• walled garden greenhouse, work on existing bedrooms
• pasture zones
• chapel retaining other sympathetic uses
• merge of spartan and comfy spaces
• .. and outside spaces for spirituality

ok those were probably ideas! These are keywords

• timeless
• comtemporary
• of its place
• comfortable
• practical
• flexible
• simple
• uplifting

I think an encouraging and exciting day was had (and we won't mention the Spirit in the guise of bats circling over the meeting in the Chapel!)
Opportunities!

No surprise there

Nick Baines shows up the inconsistencies at the heart of the 'Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans':

Despite protestations of innocence, the scheming behind FCA does not give us confidence that dodgy behaviour will receive the same biblical or ethical scrutiny as is applied to questions of sexual behaviour.

I do wish that the Bishop of Chester with his apparent support for the bunch of FCA schismatics would take note. Why does this diocese make their bishops into such strange characters?

Covet the t-shirt!

A picture from this morning's Inclusive Church meeting in Macclesfield. A short meeting but thanks to Clare and Clive's enabling (and other people's interjections!!) lots to think about.

Currently, the Church's role seems to be to mete out bits of punishment to people.

Sorry about the fuzzy photo!

Inclusive Church Meeting in Macclesfield

.. some local news, foreigners can go to the Inclusive Church website and see if there's a meeting nearer them.
Sat 13th June - Church of the Resurrection, Upton Priory Macclesfield, speakers Clare Herbert and Clive Larsen. I'm intending to be there!

That's how it is

and may it remain so - uncomfortable as it is!

Firstly, the Church of England is perhaps the only church witnessing to the pain of holding together instead of taking the easy option and simply splitting and going where your mates are. It costs nothing to form yourself into a community of like-minded people among whom you won’t have to struggle with challenge or difference. But that is not the Church. Just like the first disciples of Jesus, our vocation is to follow Jesus together. Jesus did not give any of his disciples a veto over who else should or should not be called into the company of disciples.

Nick Baines bishop and Scouser - he must be ok, from my privileged position at the posh end of that bit of the Lancashire coast!