Culture & Society
Renewing Communion: A queering of unity and colonialism
The Rev'd Dr. Charlie Bell summarises: The Anglican Communion as a trans-national and interdependent community of Christians is facing potential catastrophe. The Communion remains a creature of colonialism, both in the way it lives out its mission and in its structures. At the heart of the Communion’s breakdown in koinonia has been the ‘possibility’ of same-sex or same-gender love, something made somehow distinct and, as a result, problematised. This article considers the underlying complex dynamics of colonisation and the ongoing refusal of the Anglican Communion to engage in reflexive practice. The opportunity of redemption through queerness is identified, and the barriers to such a journey of hope in the Communion both engaged with and challenged. Similarly, the appeal to ‘unity’ is confronted and itself disrupted. Finally, the intrinsic relationship between decolonisation and queerness is identified and celebrated as a key to a healthy future for what it means to be Anglican. ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE
Lived Mission in 21st Century Britain – Ecumenical and Postcolonial Perspectives
The Rev'd Dr. Adrian Hough in his review of 'Lived Mission in 21st Century Britain - Ecumenical and Post Colonial Perspectives' writes: This is a good book; indeed, this is a very good book and an important book. If more people were to read it than ever will and if they were to then act upon what they had read, British Society would be improved and our churches would be more vibrant and effective at sharing the Good News that God has for everyone. As the existence of editors implies, this is actually a book of essays, fifteen in all, together with an introduction and a concluding discussion. The authors come from a wide range of backgrounds and denominations (although there are rather more men than women) and they were all asked to address the subject of Mission as a lived experience. In case the reader was unaware of the distinction, the editors also make it clear that Mission is not the same as Evangelism nor is it explicitly about evangelism. ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE
“From Pakistan to the UK: A Christian Woman’s Journey of Faith, Perseverance, and Renewal”
Sabeeta Mushtaq writes of her faith journey: ... I was born and raised in Pakistan, a Muslim country, into a Catholic Christian family. Growing up as a religious minority in a society where Islam is the dominant faith was a unique experience that came with its own set of challenges and blessings. Despite facing discrimination and social barriers, my faith and upbringing instilled in me a keen sense of purpose and determination that propelled me forward. My early education was in Pakistan, where I worked hard to excel in my studies despite the obstacles. As a Christian in a Muslim-majority country, I encountered moments of marginalization, but I refused to let those experiences define or limit me. Instead, they fuelled my resolve to not only succeed but to advocate for others in similar situations. ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE
Woke Wars
The Editor, The Rev'd Dr. Nicholas Henderson writes in his Editorial: The etymology of the adjective ‘woke’ is interesting, not least as the word seems central to the so-called culture wars currently ranging in the United States and in many other countries, including the United Kingdom. ...
RELIGION & SECULARISM – a reflection
The Rt Rev'd Dr. Keerthisiri Fernando writes: There is an impression today that in Britain many sociologists studying religion are preoccupied with debates on secularisation, modernism and postmodernism theories, to prove or disprove the significance of religion in modern British society. This has been happening in the context of some conflict between religion and secularisation. ...
The frog in the pan – reflections on the ‘culture of church’
Bishop Robert Paterson writes: “Increasingly, the culture of ‘church’, particularly in those churches that are old and hard of hearing, is alien to most people. Most people do not customarily gather on Sunday mornings to sing in chorus with others, handling books (let alone several of them), sitting on wooden benches in cool buildings, ...
Open Letter on Assisted Dying 27th September 2023
Rabbi Jonathan Romain (Chair - Dignity in Dying) writes an Open Letter: Dear colleagues, If you have not already come across them, I thought you might like to see two news items: ...
The rise and rise of autocracy
The Editor - The Rev'd Dr. Nicholas Henderson writes: Democracy is the de jure status of the world with only Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Brunei, Afghanistan and the Vatican not claiming that system. The question must therefore arise as to what democracy really is? ...
Addressing God … Guest Editorial
Guest Editor, Michael Collins writes: It has been well observed that fidelity to tradition must be a creative fidelity. That prompts me as an historian to reflect on what tradition really is and how it comes to be. This question is of fundamental importance to those Anglicans especially who locate themselves in the catholic wing of the Church, since Tradition along with the Bible and Reason, serves as one of the sources of Anglican theology supplementary to Scripture and hence to teaching and practice. Thus, we must ask what we are being faithful to, and what is its character? To what extent is Tradition a product of history and thus in principle mutable, and to what extent is it a source of revelation independent of the Bible? For many catholic-inclined Anglicans, the Bible indeed, rather than an ahistorical deposit, is itself part of Tradition. Anglicans assert that Tradition cannot be in conflict with Scripture and if it appears to be must be reconciled with Scripture or corrected by Scripture. That position in turn invites the question of what we take Scripture to be because at the root of all these discussions is the human quest for certainty in religion and hence of the locus of authority. ...
‘In God we Trust’ – Editorial, Easter 2023
The Editor,The Rev'd Dr. Nicholas Henderson writes in the Easter Editorial: ‘In God we Trust’– a phrase that appears on American banknotes and coinage – was first approved by Congress in 1864 during the American Civil War. The provenance of the phrase isn’t biblical but comes rather from the American National Anthem, a stanza at the end of the fourth and final rarely sung verse: “And this be our motto: In God is our trust. And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” The anthem is itself an exposition of a poem ‘The Defence of Fort McHenry’ by Frances Scott Key during the War of 1812 against the British. It seems today that the banknote rather than the motto has elicited more faith than a sinking conventional religious affiliation and patriotism. ...