We Might Still Get the 2/3rds in the House of Bishops

The Island Parson

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada will meet in July 2016 in Richmond Hill, just north of Toronto. General Synod includes all active bishops in the church, the Primate and various officers of General Synod, and lay and clergy delegates from each of the 29 dioceses, one territory, religious orders, and the military ordinariate (i.e. chaplains serving with the Canadian Armed Forces). General Synod meets once every three years, and serves as the governing body of the very decentralized confederation known as the Anglican Church of Canada. I am one of the clergy delegates from the Diocese of British Columbia (i.e. Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands) elected at the last Diocesan Synod; we’ll be sending three clergy, three laity, a youth delegate and our Bishop to Richmond Hill.

The General Synod will be considering a motion to amend the marriage canon to explicitly allow for the…

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Homosexuality, Depression, And the Church

S. Bradford Long

Depression has always been a part of my life – it has always been lurking in closets and under beds for me – but 2014 was the year it decided to come out in full force and pin me to the ground. My world – a world once teeming with social connections, creativity, and activity – collapsed in on itself. It was as if the atmosphere of my vibrant little world was sucked out by a passing planet, and I was left fighting for life.

I am a gay Christian, raised in the conservative, Evangical Christian world. As a teenager and young adult, I grew up in the ex-gay world, where even just the identity of gay was considered sinful. After many years of struggle, I eventually came to an affirming position on homosexuality in 2013 at the age of 24. I also wrote a blog, called Sacred Tension, which engaged…

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unexpectedly political values | redemption

the blog of kevin

When you believe anyone and everyone is loved by God, and he would willingly adopt them into his family; when you know Jesus saw nobody as beyond hope; when his very name means ‘the Lord saves’; then, hope; then, redemption.   

Good theory. For good people. In practice? Let’s think politics. Justice. Hope for the convicted criminal? Redemption for the perpetual reoffender stuck in HMP Revolving Door? Aren’t they just criminals?

Is the addict who reoffends to steal for drugs a criminal by nature? No. They are addicted. Take away the addiction, they no longer need to steal. For example.

Redemption means we see cause, not just effect; a victim, not just perpetrator; a son, not just a criminal. Out-working redemption theology in political practice, this means not consistently criminalising. It means early intervention. It means good long-term support. Proper probation.

Speak ‘son, not ‘criminal’. Or daughter, of course. 

This isn’t going soft on…

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i am nothing

I like Kevin’s blog. Considerable wisdom in a young man.

the blog of kevin

I am nothing
I am just me
I have no divine right to speak for you
or to you
I have no pedestal I can call home
Though some would try and barricade me on one
And have me live their faith for them
I am nothing
I am just me
I have no certificate of authenticity
Or qualification
I have nothing from my ordination that sets me apart from anyone 
I am nothing
I am just me
I have no power residing in my fingertips
I cannot command holiness to appear at will
I cannot pray in a way that bypasses the queue
I am not owed any favours by God and
I cannot command him with my whispers
I am nothing
I am just me
Anything else I appear to be
Any power
Any wisdom
Any heroic tendencies
And that recurring pedestal of owning holiness
Anything I appear to be
That is beyond anyone…

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why are religious people so easily offended?

I find Kevin’s thoughts always worth reading but this one is particularly helpful.

the blog of kevin

I don’t like being described as religious. But when religious-inspired catastrophe happens, I find myself guilty-by-association. Us God-botherers with our irrational beliefs and Kalashnikovs. Justify yourself and your medieval sensibilities!, I hear the secularist voices shout.

It’s crap. I can’t explain why some people kill others. But perhaps I can give a glimpse into why “we” – religious types – get offended, and can react all out of proportion. This is not to justify it, but to give an insight into it.  

To outsiders, non-believers, religious belief seems like a moral or ethical decision. A choice, that can be questioned and debated without any real challenge to our core being. When I studied theology at university with mostly non-religious people, to them questions about God and belief were an interesting exploration of human character; to me, sometimes an assault on my very being. An assault I willingly put myself through, because I wanted…

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a christmas theology of political power

I have been following Kevin’s blog for Some time now and greatly appreciate the depth and thoughtfulness of his reflections. I would share it on Facebook but can’t figure out how to do it. Can anyone help with that?

the blog of kevin

The Christmas story is a sledgehammer to the politics of domination and self-protection. The Chancellor’s Christmas Budget Autumn Statement, along with A Theology of the Autumn Statement, got me thinking about this.

There is a theology that lies behind everything we do. Everything we do stands on the foundation of what we believe about God, and what we believe God believes about us. So in politics, where different beliefs about God or not-God or many gods permeates through each MP, the policies that they choose to support cannot help but be affected by their theology. And by implication, they represent us, so their theology represents ours. 

I believe there is a dangerous narrative running through our politics and media that deeply challenges a Christian theology. A narrative of power, of blame, of self-protection and short-term thinking. Christian theology – and more importantly, Christians – are flawed and broken and get it wrong…

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banishment, statelessness and the cost of love

the blog of kevin

Love may cover a multitude of sins, but wouldn’t prison be better? Or if not prison, the good old days of banishment, when sinners were cast out of the city walls to fend for themselves. Guilty or not guilty, being suspected was enough to pacify the mob. Send them out! Scapegoats, if you like, carrying the sins and fears of the community on their backs. Out of sight, out of mind.

The struggle against fundamentalist jihadists is a real problem for our liberal democracy. Many are genuinely reaching the end of their liberal tether of benevolence and free speech. Deeply and firmly held beliefs about a god other than Economy terrify the policy-makers and the tabloids and therefore everyone else. So if someone sets out to destroy – or even challenge – the way that we live, increasingly the reaction is as fundamentalist and those we are ‘against’.

Just look at the reaction to the

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Looking up

While I was trying to be attentive to beauty in the ordinary, hence noticing the sidewalks, I also realized that there is still beauty to be attended to in things which most agree are beautiful. Mountains in the distance, a brilliant yellow flowered tree shading the walk, palm trees lining the roadway, and people working out in the public sports park.

Sidewalks

As I attend to being more vigilant about noticing beauty, I realized I was walking on it.  Sidewalks here are works of art.  But in their functionality they tend to become dirty and stained.  Much like us.  Then I notice the men and women who scrub the walks in front of their shops and realize that they have become metaphors for God.  We are created for beauty and function but get messed up and God in Christ comes with soapy water to scrub us clean again.  It’s all love and renewal And therefore death like birth is a new beginning.