Church

  • The Church shouldn’t accept false rebuke

    It’s obvious that African nations are trying their luck once more on The Church of England after a torrid time of heightened protest activity. The false claims of slavery reparations (which can never be paid out) are yet another attempt to make British people the most hated on earth, alongside criminals and the convicted population. The force of such blind hatred is making some feel life in this world is hopeless after all.

    The random accusations have found their way to every church in the country, making children wonder why things happen and causing adults to question their own links to the past. 

    The fact is none of us are really to blame for slavery now, and England is not guilty of it at all. We all know of the severity of African scams as they’re pushed against people and the black community in the UK frequently reviews the latest efforts to warn people. “This is a thin argument, and doesn’t bear any weight against us,” a community leader said to an audience in a meeting I was also in somewhere in London. He said afterwards his success rate in saving “community members” from scams from his home country was “one hundred percent”.

    A shot of Lambeth Palace, in London, as seen from the front.

    The Church of England has a good internal communications network that endeavours to achieve the same thing. Because of its standing it attracts unsavoury types worldwide who try to leverage value out of anything they can get at. Their activity to stop this type of criminal activity is relentless, but the slavery issue has driven them to the edge in its one-sidedness.

    The empathetic output of their church congregations is at historic levels, and legal minds think this is the reason for it. Despots in Africa are known to research widely to find gaps in law work or political discourse. This feeds into their electronic commands to soldiers, who are almost disciples in their dedication to the detail of what they’re asked to do. The deviance out of this is mind boggling.

    But more so, in a troubling European context where stating your case matters more than ever, the Church shouldn’t accept false rebuke. Their argument to existence is much improved from its previous position, and while people suggest apology improves moral standing, a false appeal to common judgement actually loses respect.

  • Is the new Archbishop Dame Sarah Mullally?

    The Church of England has a leadership crisis. It occurs at every level. The ‘local’ Parishes are starved of real guidance. The centralised structures are gimmicky. It’s believed many clergy are unsupportive of the membership.

    This is a story I’ve found everywhere in the UK that I’ve stopped to talk to people about it. They aren’t unhappy with God. Their only problem is with his Church.

    The appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally will reassure some, and satisfy others. The express wishes of her leadership will no doubt embolden many to see faith in a new light. Her technical knowhow of people in groups is also a bonus for the club.

    However, the spread of a message is what’s needed now. The Bible is everywhere, in our times, but the spoken doctrine and pastoral care is in short supply. This may be something she can bring to the table, but will it get any further?

  • The characters that shape us

    The religious life of the country is more shaped by people than we often like to say. The refrain in evangelical circles that only Jesus matters is only true in ecstasy. The reality is people shape our modes and opinions. We use them to help our context.

    Fmr. Archbishop Rowan Williams

    Former Archbishop Rowan Williams is responsible in part for popularising the notable characters that make English religious practice stronger. He draws on them for our own time because similar virtues are needed as the same vices are around.

    The standout characters that shaped early Anglicanism still ring true today, as do a growing number of ‘modern’ saints who writ large our sense of injustice, and exhaustion in the world. They frame our tumultuous times completely.

  • Pope attends Inauguration mass

    Pope Leo XIV has attended a “Mass of the Inauguration of the Pontificate” in Vatican City. It marks a formal start to his role as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

    Pope Leo XIV embracing his brother

    His appointment by Conclave vote has sparked controversy due to his American roots. He’s not considered inside the close circles of its hierarchy.

  • The divide in Church and culture is a separation of parts

    The anti-Church league are present in UK society. In our culture it’s expected to have a view on it, and in politics it usually comes up as a problem.

    The same can be said elsewhere in the English-speaking world, where thoughts have grown up alongside Priests as much as prophets of secular warning.

    It’s driven by those who have an antipathy to the interruptions that such considerations bring in their daily life.

    This is not just a Sunday value but a principles-based way of thought and life that affects their thinking. It doesn’t easily – or helpfully – define the issues that preoccupy other minds, like war, injustice, and poverty.

    The substance of religious practice doesn’t change much either, and other matters are pushed to the fringes. In our time, there’s not a lot of room left to go around.

    There’s a multitude of concerns that each one of us have to consider before a religion even has a chance. The purpose of opposing institutional forms of spiritual belief and practice is not so clear, though.

    These provide places for others to pursue their own changes. The trouble is if it crosses paths in secular realms, like Parliaments and Courts. This is a conflict zone of misunderstanding and constant beat and retreat.

    There are hostile ‘forces’ on either side, however, and one may have the megaphone while the other has a pulpit at other times. The tones are the same on either side.

  • On a corner, finding religion

    Looking for a church? Look no further, they’re everywhere. It’s uncommon not to see a Christian place of worship somewhere.

    Fulham Broadway Methodist Church

    So perhaps the question has a deeper nuance under the surface.

    It may be the type of church that’s a crucial factor for many people. It’s a choice those with a pre-existing background in religion have to consider.

    It may have been a particular childhood Sunday school, or a youth group that had a distinctive feel.

    Exterior Seating
    Noticeboard

    It’s usually a specific denomination that comes back to mind, after a time away.

    The reminders bring it back to memory that faith and spirituality also have a physical home.