It has been a rather extraodinary week here at St Mary’s.
Last Friday evening we had our Epiphany Eucharist, which was very much what we do – a full on Choral Mass: Haydn’s little organ mass, a sermon on theophany from my colleague the Vice Provost and all the usual works. The thurible was flying, the Nicene Creed was recited and the hymns were belted out. So far so normal. If there was any controversy on the evening it was over the tune that I’d picked for Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning, which may have taken some people by surprise.
One of the features of local life in Glasgow in recent years is growing friendship amongst people of different faiths. The Vice Provost and I have been invited to a number of religious celebrations of other faith communities. We’ve been getting to know different Muslim groups locally and learning about their differences and been invited to splendid Eid banquets. We’ve eaten fabulously at the new Sikh gurwara along with Nicola Sturgeon the First Minister and enjoyed visiting the local Hindu temple. One of the increasing things in the interfaith arena is that festivals give great opportunities for people to learn new things about those who differ from them. They are usually fun and often have food and people are genuinely interested in sharing their faith at such events.
So it was that a number of years ago we invited one of our Muslim friends to read from the Qur’an at our Nine Lessons and Carols service at Christmas – it was a passage about the Virgin birth and people were fascinated at a time when we celebrate the coming of Christ to hear from the tradition of our neighours who also honour Christ but who do not accept the Christian doctrines and who follow the Muslim faith.
So succesful was this was it was done again a couple of years ago – in a packed church at a service with the bishop – this time the passage being chanted by a Shia leader. The consequences were the same – dialogue and great interest and an enormous amount of good will.
And so last week as we were reflecting on the arrival of the mysterious Magi at Bethlehem we again asked local Muslim friends if they would like to be present. Again there was a recitation and again there was a huge amount of interest amongst those present. The gospel was proclaimed, the preacher preached and the Eucharist was celebrated. Our Muslim friends were interested in what we do and had a number of questions afterwards. There was particular interest amongst the musicians as to the way arabic recitation works and one or two technical conversations about similarities between psalm pointing and Qur’anic recitation.
It was regarded locally as a good event – the kind of thing that St Mary’s does well. We’re pretty strong on midweek festivals and I always feel a joy at being able to get over a hundred people out for a midweek choral mass.
Having a recitation from the Qur’an in a Christian cathedral in worship is not a new thing. I’m aware of a time in the early 1990s when St Giles’s Cathedral in Edinburgh (ie Church of Scotland) hosted an event at which there was Islamic prayer within the cathedral. In 1991 at St Mungo’s Cathedral there was a service at which there was a recitation from the Qur’an which involved local church leaders including Archbishop Tom Winning and the then Moderator of the Church of Scotland.
Recitations from the Qur’an in Christians worship are unusual but not unknown. I’m aware of one in Liverpool Cathedral and at other events within the Church of England at civic services and within the context of number of university chaplaincies. No-one pretends that Muslims and Christians believe the same things. We know that Muslims don’t believe in the divinity of Christ – that’s a known and accepted fact. It isn’t surprising.
But how many Christians know that Muslims believe in the Virgin birth and how many have heard that from the Qur’anic tradition?
And that kind of thing is worth knowing.
So it has indeed come as something of a surprise to find accounts of last week’s service appearing online and stirring up the most most incredible pot of hatred I’ve ever encountered. (And I’m a veteran of the sex wars amongst Anglicans).
We’ve received Islamophobic and other hate filled messages so graphic and some of them so obscene that we eventually called the police, whom I have to say have been excellent at supporting us.
There are theological puzzles to wrestle with of course.
This same Qur’anic reading has been given before in services and no outcry has happened. Is it because this is in a cathedral run by a gay man? Is it because the recitation was given by a young woman?
Clearly those things are factors as they feature in some of the abuse.
There have been humorous moments amidst this storm too.
One of the complaints was “It is all very well them allowing Muslims into church but why won’t they marry gay couples?” which clearly came from someone who doesn’t know much about us. Another complained about the event at which Muslims were in church by saying, “It is all very well doing this but Muslims would never come to church you know” rather ignoring that the whole point was that a handful of Muslims had done so.
Those who came heard a confident Christian community proclaim their faith in Christ in no uncertain terms. We say the Nicene Creed at St Mary’s and we believe it. Indeed, I sometimes have to tell people that I say it without my fingers crossed. Our proclamation of the divinity of Christ is at the centre of every Eucharist that takes place every Sunday. And so is the greeting of peace which we offer to one another. Peace be with you. Shalom. Salaam.
One of our Muslim friends who was present last week wrote online:
It was an educational experience to have been present at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Glasgow, in a service for the Epiphany… The service expounded on Christian tenets and the story of the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem; proving to be a rewarding and insightful exploration of Christian belief.
Elsewhere the same Muslim friends said recently:
Our warm wishes extend to all who are celebrating Christmas. At this time where the birth of Jesus the Son of Mary is remembered, revered and loved by both Christians and Muslims, [we] came together with Christian congregations in Edinburgh and Glasgow in respect and to strengthen relations and understanding between our faiths. We pray to Allah the Almighty for peace across the world, the lights of wisdom and guidance, global compassion, and hope for those bereft of hope. Our thanks extend to the Most Reverend Leo Cushley, Archbishop and Metropolitan of St Andrews & Edinburgh, the Rt Rev. Dr John Armes, Bishop of Edinburgh, (St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh) the Rev. Calum MacLeod, Minster of St Giles’ Cathedral, the Rev. Neil Galbraith, Minister of Cathcart Old Parish Church, and the Rev. Tembu Rongong, Rector of St James’ and St Philip’s Churches.
And there are happy pics of Muslim folk in church at Christmas alongside their Christian neighbours.
This is becoming normal for us and it matters.
Frankly, we think it is a good thing that Muslims are coming to church and hearing us proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
Here in Glasgow we have our history of religious conflict. When Muslims new to the city are asked, “Aye, but are you a protestant Muslim or a catholic Muslim?” it is both funny and not so funny.
But I rejoice in the fact that at least sometimes our interfaith encounters are real and life changing.
The truth is, people confident in their faith can often learn most from one another. We are confident in our Christian faith and enjoy sharing it.
The most perceptive comment this week came from someone who knows me well. “This is just absurd – St Mary’s doesn’t do syncretism it does hospitality”.
That’s it in a nutshell. We don’t do syncretism, we do hospitality.
Syncretism means the amalgamation of different religions or cultures. We simply are not in that business when we do our interfaith work. We hold fast to Christian orthodoxy and we welcome those who come in peace.
For the record, no-one amongst the several Church of England folk and the single Scottish Episopal priest who originally wrote about this online and triggered the deluge of abuse that we have received bothered to contact us to check the context of what happened.
Also, for the record, a significant amount that you can read about this issue online is inaccurate or simply untrue.
And finally also for the record, Police Scotland have responded to this in a way that I can only describe as superb. They assure me that intolerance and prejudice will not be tolerated in Scotland. To put it simply, I thank God for them and their work.
And to have the last word about the service itself, the tune we used for Brightest and Best was the correct one. No arguments.
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Oh dear, still not convinced by the Brightest and Best tune.
The rest of the sorry storm in a teacup- decidedly not the brightest and best we humans can manage.
I’m very surprised at the outrage. Surely people with a Christian faith aren’t intimidated by somoene not agreeing with them? If that is what the church is – a place where people have to agree with each other – then it is not the church of the Apostles.
But, the BIG question – which tune did you use?
I used the correct tune.
You see, there may indeed be issues where somethign I don’t agree with should not be chanted in church…
I’m hoping your correct interpretation of the use of tunes does not pertend to the inappropriate use of Bach.
More importantly, anyone putting down “From the Eastern Mountains” to any tune other than King’s Western should not be in charge of a hymn book.
King’s Western is indeed the correct tune for From the Eastern Mountains.
We sang it to Cuddesdon here which was unusual but nice.
From a distance, I’m slightly bewildered by the response to this particular moment, when it seems likes it’s publicly part of your very being at St M’s. I can’t imagine how much more painful it is in person, but I take heart in all this that we can still agree and disagree on the best hymn tunes.
King’s Weston, not Western!
I am delighted that you used Willan’s matchless Stella Orientis! My current parish is the only one I have ever been to that does not.
Which tune did you use for Brightest and Best to provoke such controversy? In any case, thank you for your inclination to hospitality and for your clarity now.
Thanks for your comments Sarah. I used a tune simply called Brightest and Best which comes from the Salvation Army which is the organisation I grew up in.
We won’t always use that tune but it did give me a little joy to hear it used again.
(Not this one, as it happens though this is also a great tune for the same words that is used by the Salvation Army – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwYTgHdhMks – I can hum along the baritone part)
I rarely comment but often read your blog. What a week! People never fail to surprise/disappoint me, those who have responded with hate. I have no words for those except a very slow saddened shake of the head. However you yourself, you have my admiration.
Thanks Lesley. One of the nice things about this week has been receiving comments from people that I rarely hear from and in some cases knew better a long time ago offering support.
Great to hear from you and thanks for making the exception and posting this time.
I am another who follows but rarely/never (?) comments. I am particularly heartened by the words of hospitality, holding fast to what we believe and welcoming those who come in peace. Open hearts and spiritual integrity are not incompatible but essential companions.
Kelvin, thanks for taking the time to offer your perspective on this. But I hope you will extend your hospitality to someone who wants to ask some reasonable questions about this.
First, it is good that you have made the time here—but odd that you said to me that you did not have time to actually address the substantive issues, and that neither has anyone in the diocese had time to do so. This seems odd when there are some important issues at stake.
Second, you refer to ‘several Church of England folk and the single Scottish Episopal priest’ and I presume you include me in this. It is not true that we failed to check the facts; Peter Ould who wrote the guest piece was very careful to do the homework. And in correspondence I invited you to inform me of any factual errors, which I would immediately correct. You offered none.
Thirdly, I think it is appalling that anyone should respond with abuse; I don’t condone that in any way, and the post I hosted was factual and respectful. You now appear to be apportioning blame for abuse to those of us who reported and asked questions, which seems to me to be disingenuous. You appear to have removed the YouTube video of the recording, so others cannot themselves check the facts, and you refused to answer when you were asked about the misleading translation which did not match the recitation, and in doing so hid the key verses which were problematic. You refused to comment when asked about precisely this by the BBC.
Lastly, you claim that your approach is not ‘syncretistic’, but SEC’s own statement argues that: ‘Increasingly, some see religious identity not just in terms of belonging to one denomination or faith tradition: rather, it is discovered through the process of engagement with different faiths, ‘picking and mixing’ in ways that have not previously been seen.’ Including this problematic reading from the Qur’an appears to many to be just such a ‘pick and mix’ approach—whose Greek term is ‘syncretism’.
Many feel that this incident raises questions that need answering, not just within SEC but within the Anglican Communion. Simply avoiding them, as you do here, will not make them go away. I look forward to a follow-up post which engages as respectfully and clearly as my original post has done. You comment below: ‘I change my mind sometimes – especially when persuaded of something by someone in debate. Try me and see.’ I am taking you at your word.
Briefly
I can only repeat that no-one contacted me before publishing what they did to establish what actually happened during the whole of the service, neither you nor Peter Ould nor Bishop Nazir Ali.
As is the way with blogging, I address the things I’m interested in as and when I want to respond to them.
I have not removed any video from youtube. Neither I nor St Mary’s has posted any youtube videos in over a year and nor have I removed any youtube videos nor asked for them to be removed. I am puzzled as to why you should make such a claim.
I can confirm that I am not someone who sees my own religious identity in any pick and mix way. Indeed those involved with me in ecumenical encounters often know that to their frustration.
Kelvin, a very sensitive piece. Only this morning I chanced upon an article by Peter Ould about an incident at my former church. His “fact-checking” then was as partial and ill-informed then as now. At our Advent carol service we had a recitation of a piece by that well-known Ancient Greek “syncretist” Horace. I really cannot see the difference between that unremarkable choice of non-canonical literature and yours. Except, of course, that no-one today is an Ancient Greek-ophobe.
One year at an Anglican Church in British Columbia, for Lent we invited each week representatives from different faiths to talk about their beliefs and practices, and to answer questions. The Sikhs came and wrapped my head in a turban, the Moslems came and prayed, and so on. It was informative and enlightening. It helped to dispel a little of the shadow of fear that attaches to those different from us that lurks instinctively deep within human nature. It is, in my believe, one of the shadows that Christ came to lighten. The internet has made possible many good things, but its dark side is that it has enabled spite, hatred and bigotry to be expressed without the consequences of face-to-face communication. I know that you’re not easily intimidated, so it is a bit of a shock to realise just how nasty the trolls must have been. Sending prayers for your ministry and your resolute, persistent faith.
We too – like many other ordinary Anglican parish churches, I imagine – have invited our Muslim neighbours to attend church, and been invited by them to attend the Mosque. We have read the scriptures of both faiths together and had many discussions about our respective doctrines. Thankfully without attracting anything like the negative attention which I have been sorry to see coming your way online over the last few days. I have always found sharing worship with friends of another faith to be a very enriching experience which has, if anything, helped me to become more clear and confident in my own Christian faith.
I find it astonishing that there are those who feel “threatened” merely by the idea of hearing someone else’s sacred texts read out loud. To be honest, such fear does not seem to me to be the hallmark of a confident and mature faith, but rather to reveal something of the insecurity of the complainant.
I long for the day when everyone of every faith will be sufficiently confident in their own beliefs to be interested in, rather than fearful of, the beliefs of others (and the lion shall lie down with the lamb!).
Your experience this week reminds me of the joyful moment when a Palm Sunday procession was interrupted by a few Muslim teenagers shouting “Salaam alaikum” to which all responded – much to their surprise – “and also with you”!
Liebster Immanuel: what else? http://www.ccel.org/cceh/0010/001031a.pdf
Those who first tread the rocky path over the mountains will have a difficult time, for the path is rough and irregular. The next ones who walk that way will find it a little easier—and the next still smoother—until eventually the path over the mountain will be no more than an easy and restful stroll—thanks entirely to that first courageous and daring band!
Hi Kelvin,
Can you please explain why the printed order of service stops at verse 33, and yet the actual recital included verses 34-6 of Sura 19 which include denial that the Creator God has a son? How did this discrepancy arise between the printed order of service and what actually happened?
Many thanks.
Thanks for your question. I can’t explain that as I don’t know the answer and it might not be possible for me to get an answer to that question. However, I don’t think anyone was being malicious or trying to get one over the Christians.
Indeed, I have found all involved in this service to have been gracious and kind to one another throughout all this.
The text that was printed in the service sheet is what we expected to be read- Sura Maryam 19 verses 16-33. I don’t have Arabic and given how difficult it was for me to acquire appalling Hebrew, I am unlikely ever to attempt to learn.
I won’t be publishing any further questions or responses in connection with this as I’ve said above all that I know and am likely to know.
If I may Father K, I also covered this section of the Quran in an Episcopal Cafe story. I also chose to stop the reading at verse 33. However, it is my understanding that for Muslims, the full reading is usually verses 16 – 36, which is the complete version of the Quranic Nativity. Your guest, in all likelyhood, read what she is accustomed to reading as the full story, innocently not realizing that whomever chose the portion to be printed had cut it off early. I can’t see any ill intent there, but then again, I don’t go looking for the worst about an event or a person as a matter of course.