15 April 2012
07 April 2012
Wright For Archbishop?
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has resigned his post. A fair number of evangelical Anglicans are noticeably happy about this, and some are suggesting that the New Testament scholar (and ex-bishop) Tom Wright would make a much better AoC than Williams managed to be.
Recently, Wright referred to international Anglicanism as "a slow-moving train crash", so perhaps he will be the fellow to put it together again. However, Wright is a key proponent of the controversial "New Perspective on Paul", so the support of all evangelical Anglicans is certainly not guaranteed...
Recently, Wright referred to international Anglicanism as "a slow-moving train crash", so perhaps he will be the fellow to put it together again. However, Wright is a key proponent of the controversial "New Perspective on Paul", so the support of all evangelical Anglicans is certainly not guaranteed...
06 April 2012
Schori's Easter Message
This is the Easter 2012 Message from the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Apart from Schori's worthwhile desire to improve the lives of poor people, this piece should win a Guinness Book of Records award for the bishop who uttered the most wishy-washy, pseudo-pagan, sub-christological drivel:
"One of my favorite Easter hymns is about greenness. 'Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain'. It goes on to talk about love coming again. It's a reminder to me of how centered our Easter images are in the Northern hemisphere. We talk about greenness and new life and life springing forth from the earth when we talk about resurrection. I often wonder what Easter images come in the Southern hemisphere, and I think that church in the south has something to teach us about that.
I was in Japan a month or so ago, and visiting the area of Japan that was so affected by the tsunami and the aftermath of the earthquake. The earth there is – was at that point – largely colorless, brown, in the middle of winter. No greenness. But at the same time the work of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Japanese church in that part of Japan, has brought a great deal of new life, life abundant for people who have been devastated and displaced, who are still mourning their loss of loved ones, the loss of their homes and employment.
New life comes in many forms, even in seasons that seem fairly wintry.
As we began Lent, I asked you to think about the Millennium Development Goals and our work in Lent as a re-focusing of our lives. I’m delighted to be able to tell you that the UN report this last year has shown some significant accomplishment in a couple of those goals, particularly in terms of lowering the rates of the worst poverty, and in achieving better access to drinking water and better access to primary education. We actually might reach those goals by 2015. That leaves a number of other goals as well as what moves beyond the goals to full access for all people to abundant life.
In this Easter season I would encourage you to look at where you are finding new life and resurrection, where life abundant and love incarnate is springing up in your lives and the lives of your communities. There is indeed greenness, whatever the season. Give thanks for Easter. Give thanks for Resurrection. Give thanks for the presence of God incarnate in our midst."
"One of my favorite Easter hymns is about greenness. 'Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain'. It goes on to talk about love coming again. It's a reminder to me of how centered our Easter images are in the Northern hemisphere. We talk about greenness and new life and life springing forth from the earth when we talk about resurrection. I often wonder what Easter images come in the Southern hemisphere, and I think that church in the south has something to teach us about that.
I was in Japan a month or so ago, and visiting the area of Japan that was so affected by the tsunami and the aftermath of the earthquake. The earth there is – was at that point – largely colorless, brown, in the middle of winter. No greenness. But at the same time the work of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Japanese church in that part of Japan, has brought a great deal of new life, life abundant for people who have been devastated and displaced, who are still mourning their loss of loved ones, the loss of their homes and employment.
New life comes in many forms, even in seasons that seem fairly wintry.
As we began Lent, I asked you to think about the Millennium Development Goals and our work in Lent as a re-focusing of our lives. I’m delighted to be able to tell you that the UN report this last year has shown some significant accomplishment in a couple of those goals, particularly in terms of lowering the rates of the worst poverty, and in achieving better access to drinking water and better access to primary education. We actually might reach those goals by 2015. That leaves a number of other goals as well as what moves beyond the goals to full access for all people to abundant life.
In this Easter season I would encourage you to look at where you are finding new life and resurrection, where life abundant and love incarnate is springing up in your lives and the lives of your communities. There is indeed greenness, whatever the season. Give thanks for Easter. Give thanks for Resurrection. Give thanks for the presence of God incarnate in our midst."
05 April 2012
Out of the Tomb
The New Testament scholar (and ex-bishop) Tom Wright, who was interviewed on 30 March at the Christian.co.uk website, said:
"Anyone who is in any sense a Christian cannot with any consistency believe that Jesus stayed dead. I have friends and colleagues who I know to be praying Christians who worship regularly and lead lives of practical Christian love and service but who really struggle with the bodily resurrection. I would say that looks like a muddled Christian who needs to be put straight. Of course some of them would say exactly that about me!"
"But if you say Jesus died and nothing happened but the disciples had some interesting ideas, then you have cut off the branch on which all classic Christianity is sitting. This generation needs to wake up, smell the coffee and realise serious Christianity begins when Jesus comes out of the tomb on Easter morning. This is not a nice optional extra for those who like believing in funny things."
Skeptics and atheists deny the bodily resurrection of Christ yet a fair number of them insist that such a resurrection is crucial to the viability of Christianity. So Christopher Hitchens: "I would say that if you don't believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, that he rose again from the dead, and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven you're really not in any meaningful sense a Christian".
It is the ever-so-trendy clergymen who often believe that spiritualising or denying Christ's resurrection does not affect their Christianity in any significant way...
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