Hypocrisy in the House of Bishops

Firstly there is the ‘supposedly’ single bishop, who speaks out against ordaining gay people. Yet he himself is gay and is active on the gay internet scene, meeting men online to have affairs and ‘liaisons’ with.  He has hardly ever had a long term relationship, but has had numerous one night stands. As a parish priest he would not have countenanced marrying a couple who lived together before getting married and as a bishop speaks about the ideal of being celibate if not married.  Apparently he does not see his own behaviour as promiscuity because it is with men and not women.  He is known to sometimes resort to a little persuasion (some might say blackmail) if someone threatens to expose him and his behaviour. He is powerful and influential…

Then, there is the retired married bisexual bishop.  During his time as a suffragan and a diocesan bishop (and no doubt throughout his ministry) he had affairs with men… some of whom, his wife knew about.  Other senior clergy rallied round to protect him and colluded with his behaviour, including the ‘paying off’ of difficult ex boyfriends – no doubt from diocesan funds!   This bishop however, told his clergy they were not to ask him about blessing civil partnerships or gay relationships… and he let it be known through his chaplain that he would be most unhappy if any clergy raised the matter with him.  Come the clergy conference and other semi public events though he had no such hesitation about being ‘drapped’ across male clergy…

Finally, there is the bishop who promises the earth to PCCs, clergy and laity in his diocese alike. When it appears that he can’t deliver on these promises he blames others – the archdeacons, the diocesan staff, even his own family.  He claims expenses in a way that some may find suspicious and uses his bishop’s discretion fund with no sense of a transparent criteria.  He likes the finer things in life and is known to make extravagant demands as he travels the diocese. He preaches about honesty and holiness, being humble and self sacrificing…

Are these characters real you ask. Surely not, or there would be some evidence. People would speak out against this sort of behaviour.  Well, consider the bullying that goes on, the confidentiality clauses (gagging clauses) that are written into compromise agreements with staff, the old boys network of the House of Bishops, the threats, the intimidation, the manipulation… Are you so sure now, that these characters don’t really exist?

Challenge to you. Explain Christianity.

Christmas ball – Christianity (Photo credit: nabeel_yoosuf)

Why should anyone be a Christian?

What is the basic message that you would put to someone enquiring about the Christian Faith?

What are the essential pieces of information that one needs to convey the Christian faith?

Or is it something that is often socially and habitually acquired, perhaps from an early age.

Answers in comments please.a

 

The Church needs to Change

god (Photo credit: the|G|™)

If the church is to survive as a purposeful and positive factor in people’s lives then it is going to have to change radically.  The superstition and sectarianism that it has depended upon for generations must come to an end if it is to offer modern society a Gospel that is relevant and believable in a new age.  Essential truths about the nature of God must be decided upon with a new approach and old interpretations that are harmful, and in many scholarly places discredited, must be rooted out.

It is true that the church has moved away from much that it once taught and it no longer gives credibility to blatant discrimination of Government and economic policies; slavery, serfdom, fear and arrogance have been rejected at last.  Though not in every case, not for everyone.  We still promote traditions that are anti-gay and the church remains an establishment that holds secrets and shuns openness and truthfulness in its dealings with finance and morality.  It is flawed and often behaves in a way that Christ would condemn.

More fundamentally the attempt to include within itself a range of extreme values that are mutually opposed has resulted in a deeply divided house,  It needs to define what it holds as true and make those values known.  The church needs to be freed from the ill-conceived idea of unity and position itself clearly with the values that Christ taught.  It is time to reject the individualistic theories and interpretations that  those who are at its extreme ends hold as ‘essential to salvation’.

The church needs to be honest and admit when it is unsure, be humble and admit that it has, and continues to get things wrong.  The Church needs to confess its sinfulness and seek forgiveness, for example; when it is harsh and when it obscures the nature of God   from the eyes and ears of the people it is called to serve, when it presents instead a vision of God that lacks compassion and accessibility.

To hold on to a God, indeed a Gospel that is excluding of many and irrelevant to most is foolish and cannot be sustained, nor should it be.  To believe that access to God is reserved to itself alone is against the word of God and extremists who promote such a view are heretical and wrong.

Holding on to privilege and establishment is contrary to the way that Christ taught us and rejecting that which it believes is embarrassing or it believes is damaging to its own survival is to also reject the God who scandalised His own people by hanging on a cross, rejected and despised.

Maybe it is time for all Christians to review what the Gospel tells us about the nature of God in our world.  Perhaps it is a time for all denominations to be humbled by the story of Christ and revisit their thinking and divest themselves of fondly held beliefs that are unhelpful and contradictory.

Re thinking the Gospel is not a novel idea, it has always been part of what we are as Church and history testifies to this, as do the writings of the New Testament themselves.  Change can be threatening but seeking a true understanding of the nature of God may demand change from each and every one of us.

I am tired of hearing the pomposity of fundamentalists in the church and the certitude of so many clerics, especially the most senior of our church.  There are those who twitter without thinking and I guess they live their lives in much the same way, but feel themselves right and justified by habitually adopting narrow thinking and by holding onto personal creeds that are far from what Christ taught us.

Somewhere in the Church of England there has to be a renaissance.  It is time for change and an abandonment of the shackles of tradition.  It is time for good people to  speak out and be heard, it is time to be open to new thinking and looking at Christ with new eyes.  It is time to cast off the bonds of slavery to the past and look seriously at what is relevant to God’s relationship with His people.

TODD AKIN : Conservative Evangelicalism

, member of the United States House of Representatives. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Politicians, in the USA, following the lead of Todd Akin, are now able to quote research that has found that the body of those who suffer from an attack of Conservative Evangelicalism has a natural ability to defend itself by closing down parts of the brains function, such as compassion, reason and common sense, enabling the victim to resist the inevitable madness that follows.  Unfortunately the Brain will remain in this state unless treated.

MrC

Sentamu’s shame: not one of mine but excellent!

Not one of mine but follow this link ( Press Officers; send you threats to ship of fools please)

http://www.ship-of-fools.com/features/2012/dear_john.html

Moving on……

Moving Day (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Faithful followers of this blog know that MrC has poked fun at a lot of people and occasionally pointed out some really bad behaviour by others.  I am not without sin either and it is not a perfect blog by any means.

Still, defending those who are oppressed by others, exposing bullying by senior clerics, these are things we are all required to do, sinners or not, and each and everyone of us will, if we submit to to following Christ and walking the way of the Cross, offering ourselves for the betterment of others, we will all be redeemed, even Bishops and Archbishops.

We are all equal, we are all created by God and we will all be judged by Him.  How far we come to know Him here on earth and live according to His will, as best we can; indeed how far we are able to forgive, may be the deciding factor in how far we are able to live with Him in heaven.

MrC

 

Kerron has a huge cross to bear, Mr sentamu!

Mr Catolick’s blog has made  Kerron Cross (Mr Sentamu’s Publicity spin doctor) to find out a bit about him go here.

I am surprised that a one time socialist should be offended by MrC’s jesting and support for women and LGBT folk.  He clearly doesn’t attend General Synod nor is he aware of the shenanigans that has gone on at CNC meetings and Mr Sentamu’s widely reported vote rigging in the urinals of Lambeth Palace, but I’m sure he is an otherwise good guy.  He also was a supporter of Gordon Brown.  Hmmmmm

Decimation of church Budget: Your church under Mr Sentamu

Under Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and William Fittall, Secretary General of the General Synod, of the Church of England the reneged promised support for children and youth of the nation earlier this year by slashing staffing at church house has been a severe retreat from mission and support for the church of tomorrow.  This type of policy will result in more cuts for you to look forward to.

Under Mr Sentamu’s predicted ascendency to the Archbishopric of Canterbury the picture here warns of further cuts, as a result of the inevitable conservative reactionary stance alienating the denomination from the people.  The inevitable continued collapse of the church’s relevance to the people they purport to serve  will result in the support of the fabric of churches throughout England failing further.  Maybe then the people will sit up and take notice.

 

Archbishop Sentamu Addresses Christian Liberal Group ‘Changing Attitudes’

Archbishop Sentamu Addresses Christian Liberal Group ‘Changing Attitudes’

 

NewsDosh, A PDF Newsheet.

Hello ladies and Gentlemen, here is today’s offering.  I have put it in a PDF format and so if you click on the link below you can see it.  I hope that it doesn’t offend too much.

newsdosh

 

MrC