The week has passed . . . and a new lies open before us!

And so many things to leave one sighing!

More than once this week I have had to listen to some silly person telling me how 'The Church' needs to embrace society's attitudes and values on something or other. If we do this then we will be so popular that everyone will flock in to 'The Church' and we will no longer be in decline. Actually let's be a bit honest about this and recognise the fact that not only will the decline increase but we will also be apostate too! Mind you, seems that the fact that we are disfellowshipped by other groupings wouldn't cause much sadness, after all they are all hard-line orthodox fascists aren't they?

Moving on I am beginning to tire of those who would like to see laws passed to prevent people offending those of a Muslim persuasion. My angst (and resultant ire)  at those who call for laws to protect the sensibilities of this particular faith group is increased only by those who claim that this will not affect civil liberties or the right to hold views. As long as you don't publish, speak them or in any way make them know. Meanwhile (of course), Christianity and what we believe and how we regard God, Jesus, Bible, commandments and such are all still going to be fair game. Nah, don't think this is right and to have politicians offering money to those who murder those who offend just adds up to portray Islam in ways that do it no kindness at all - certainly not the Islamic believers I know anyway!

Then we come to the Cleric of the Year competition (AKA the Crown Nominations Commission and the hunt for a new Archbishop of Canterbury). Looking at the candidates I would have to say that I would rather have someone who is nearer to street level and the man (or woman should she be travelling ) on the Clapham omnibus. Rowan is brilliant and that's been much of the problem. We don't need an establishment figure (mind you - have a look see the education records of the pointyhat brigade and you'll see that establishment is the norm), what we need is more of a Carey than a Williams and therefore I'd like to See Chris Cocksworth or Graham James in the role. Don't need Slough Comprehensive and Oxbridge to reach those who form the rank and file of our denomination. Sentamu would be a fun choice as he'd put the cat among the pigeons for sure.

And of course between Milliband (the ?????? at the end of the universe?) and Clegg I have come to realise that I'm never going to be able to waste my vote on either of them for oh so many reasons that it makes my head spin. Wonder if the other brother will do better when they lose the muppet prince and will Clegg return to Grommit and his Stinking Bishop (not a CNC reference) when the Lib Dems wake up and smell the fact that a party in power they most certainly aren't. Mind you - doesn't leave me many voting choices does it?

So here we are - Sunday finished (almost nine pm) and a new week in prospect with so many lonely and hurting people, so many with needs medical, psychiatric, financial, funereal and evangelistic to be met. So much variety and so many opportunities to bring the risen Christ into the realities of those who are still far off (couldn't do that if I looked, lived and believed as the world does - could I?). So much praying to be done and so many pages of Bible and theology, philosophy, history and more besides.

How I love this calling business and how I love the prospect of seeking the image of the invisible God made visible in the people before me and the excellent news that Christ is Risen!

Hallelujah?

Church - Looking like the world!

I have had a rather interesting conversation regarding 'the Church' being more accessible and acceptable to those outside it. Their claim is that the more we become welcoming and accepting the more it will grow. They used as their evidence to support this the changes made in the Episcopalian church which they claim is now inclusive and therefore more acceptable to those outside who no longer find it to be 'phobic' or fundamental. They tell me that this is the way that Church will grow!

Now I had to admit that the more we move ourselves from the old values and standards in terms of lifestyle, attitudes and actions, the more we look like the world and remove the 'counter-cultural' elements that have been the hallmark of the Church since the Old Testament origins *when of course it was Judaism); not only that but the orthodoxy that once existed is lost. The end result of this is not an open and growing Church but a liberal, revisionist and declining one.

Now my viewpoint caused a bit of a kerfuffle as what the other person heard was something akin to the Phelps-like attitudes of Westboro, which was neither intent nor reality. What I heard from the other person was that anything goes and that we should realise that the Bible has to be re-written to work in the society we now live in - the old needs to be put off and new attitudes and requirements need to be added. Inclusive Church is a growing Church because everyone can come in!

Now I don't like Church when it excludes people, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (not mine but Paul's words - Romans 3) and all are welcome because Christ died for them (NT everywhere). I believe that there are certain things that are contrary to that which the Bible calls us to be and do and that these things are consistent and should not be erased in the name of inclusive popularity. I also struggle with those who wish to use the Eucharist as a weapon as much as I do with those who consider universalism and all gods leading to the one true God!

To try and explain the folly in the belief that looking like the world and being 'more acceptable' and inclusive brings people into Church I turned to some statistics (thanks to Not Another Episcopal Church Blog) relating to the Episcopalian Church;

Net Change in Active Membership from Prior Year

       2006             2007         2008       2009         2010
     -50,804        -37,823     -59,457    -51,949    -54,436

ASA
       2006            2007         2008       2009         2010
    765,326       727,822    705,257   682,963    657,831

Change in ASA from Prior Year
       2006             2007         2008       2009         2010
     -21,945        -37,504     -22,565    -22,294    -25,132

So I'll let the figures explain what I was trying to say yesterday. Being 'inclusive' such that we look like the world is not the way to grow church numbers (thinking here of Episcopalian and CofE) - we need to be preaching the Gospel, living the Gospel and remain counter-cultural - why bother to come into a place that's the same as the place you are leaving?

I think the numbers reflect this quite well, don't you?

Pax