Private thoughts:
I was away recently, lecturing in US, when we Brits announced that we preferred not to have lady bishops, after all. This news item was hotly followed by some Members of Parliament saying that, if the church wanted in this way to demonstrate how out of touch they really are with world opinions and standards, they would not be listening seriously anymore to the church's views on gay marriage.
I heard a comedian on the radio ask, "What's all the fuss about? We never listened to male bishops anyway, why should we ever listen to female ones?"
We ought to be thoroughly ashamed of ourselves. Surely it is an absolute disgrace that the only messages the general public hear coming out of the church are these self-thrashing noises about bishop gender and same sex marriage and that sort of thing?
Why isn't the general public hearing the noises we ought to be making? Where is our message to the world?
Some years ago a Marketing Consultancy was employed by one diocese to tell them what they had that no other faith or secular humanistic form actually had. In other words, what unique aspect could be most easily marketed? They reported that Christianity has one thing that no one else possesses – hope.
Is this a public noise we have ever heard? Do we on the pews even know this aspect of our faith very well or are we condemned to only hearing pathetic, out-of-date arguments about comparative irrelevances?
Wake up, church! Where are you? Christ has died, Christ is risen and Christ is working still!
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Sent by Revd Mike Endicott from:
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Forge House, Clomendy Rd, Old Cwmbran, Torfaen, Wales UK. NP44 3LS
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