Friday 12 February 2010

Clergy Pensions - the good, the bad and the cowardly!

I am amazed at the responses (and lack of them) regarding the motion passed at the Synod yesterday. For those who avoided voting because they were frightened of backlash can I say, "You deserve all you get and before you blame liberals for the situation/s we find ourselves in, take a look at the specks in your own eyes!"

I am so sick and tired of the moronic curtain-twitchers who are enthralled by the sexual antics of others, tutting and shaking their heads and calling down fire and brimstone (and a Fred Phelps variety of sinful and  unredeemed goings on). They love to chew over every facet of homosexual lifestyle, relishing and savouring every drop of sin and yet apparently, even though they are great at penning letters and posturing, don't have the hutzpah  to make a stand in case the naughty children turn on them! THIS IS CALLED COWARDICE or as we Brit's used to call it - LACK OF MORAL FIBRE.

A quote from the Christian Post to demonstrate what I am speaking of:

"One Synod member, who asked to remain anonymous, said conservative Synod members had deliberately withheld from taking to the floor to speak against the motion for fear of reprisals. "They didn't dare to. There would have been screams of homophobia if anyone had dared oppose it," he said.

It was for a lack of admonishing that Eli's sons died and lost the Ark! Eli dies and Ichabod is brought into the world (read it in 1 Samuel chapter four). There was ample opportunity for 'noutheo' that is 'admonishment' and yet the cowards gathered their skirts and gave up the game!

If you're hoping for a D-Day to come after this Dunkirk experience you obviously have a great deal of faith but little understanding of what you have given up.

Moving on from the cowardly - let's look at the good. Already they are talking of withholding their contributions to the church coffers, for they realise that there is a component of every pound that they pay that goes to service pensions and the £360m deficit will be a lot greater when this ceases. And believe me, from what I am hearing and reading, cease they will. A quote:

"I am considering stopping my standing order to my Church, and possibly all ministry, but don't want to act without consideration. I think it is too far for me."

The problem is that the good will not want their good money used to support what they consider is bad. For them this is a bridge too far and not only insofar as their money is concerned!

And for the bad - I'll leave you to decide who the villains are in this piece. Those who promote and support practices that are contrary to Biblical entreaty? Those who are happy to see such going as on occur because they will strengthen the cause of breakaway 'ex-Anglican' groups? The cowards who claim that they are not bowed or cowed by the liberals and yet time and time again fail to make a stand?

We certainly know how to make a crisis out of what should have been a straightforward situation (and how to blame everyone else for the outcomes).

Mary might well be praying for us (as an RC priest told me today) but I'm betting jesus is weeping!

2 comments:

Helegant said...

This is not a direct rant at your views Vic, but you've prodded a nerve, not just for my life, but pastorally for people I care for, and I am getting more than a little tired of other people's moral certainties. I think I am becoming a liberal, and much of that change has been as a result of experience. If someone is only able to read the core messages of the Bible in a way that supports their existing views (and this is why this is not *aimed* at you) then I question that reading. The book is meant to challenge us and make us uncomfortable, and ultimately to change us. When we genuinely start to look after the weak, the powerless, the marginalised of our society and recognise that God's will is for *all* of humanity to be offered the opportunity to receive salvation, I may have more sympathy for the excluding views of those who are fortunate enough to be born into the white middle class male heterosexual affluent West and who are able to be so certain of God's will because it mirrors their own; and when actually, there is little sacrifice in involved in remaining as they are. Or maybe I won't. Peace.

Vic Van Den Bergh said...

Thanks for comments - didn't think rant was aimed at me and find large areas of convergence too!

pax