What is in Kelvin's Head?

The Questions

18/04/2015
I’ve just done one of those Knowing Me, Knowing You sessions that I do from time to time that allow members of the congregation to get to know me a bit and ask any questions about who I am and where I come from.

I asked the group for permission to share the questions. Here’s what they asked me.
- How did you get from the Salvation Army to the Scottish Episcopal Church?
- Why were you into politics and why did you leave it behind?
- How has the congregation changed and why?
- What was your curacy like? Were you really in charge of a cathedral when you were a curate?
- Is there a God shaped hole in everyone?
- Do you have a boyfriend?
- Where in Yorkshire do you come from?
- Where in Scotland do you come from?
- Did you come here as Provost?
- What do you mean when you say you hated your training?
- What are the good points and the bad points of being Provost of St Mary’s?
- How do have you used the Maths and Computing skills you got in your first degree?
- Do you want a new cat?
- Where are you going next? And when?
- Do you believe in Predestination?
- Is there space for more razzmataz at St Mary’s?
- Salvation Army vs High Church. Is it very different?
- Prayer? How do you pray?
- How do Bishops and Provosts get on?
- What’s a Canon?
- How do you relax?
- What did Chaplaincy work teach you?
- Where would you like to work?
- Where have you been overseas?
- What TV do you like?
- What’s the difference between the role and the person?
Great questions and as always a really interesting session. I think a lot of congregations would like their rector to do an any questions session from time to time. It is always worthwhile.

Want the answers?

I’m repeating it in September.

52 responses to “Inclusive Language – again”

ryan

11/10/2010

Kelvin – that cracked me almost as much as your last tweet on the left of your blog ;-)!

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Jimmy

11/10/2010

Ryan, although you address your comment to Kelvin like I am not there. I assume you are referring to my poem, I can assure you that it does not crack me up watching you making any opinion you may have untenable.

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1. kelvin
  
  11/10/2010
  
  No Jimmy – I think Ryan was indeed referring to my last comment, above.
  
  Reply
Jimmy

11/10/2010

Thank you Kelvin and Sorry Ryan.

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ryan

11/10/2010

No worries! Was indeed referring to the v.amusing coming out day tweets at the side.

I’m not sure there’s ever existed anyone, anywhere,at any time, of whom it could be said that *all* their opinions are ‘untenable’, so such rhetoric is dehumanising at best. Apropos nothing, I was moved to google the poetic stylings of the great David Brent. Who needs Auden? 😉
http://murfinsandburglars.com/2009/04/14/bad-poetry-for-tuesday-david-brent-edition/

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Peter

12/10/2010

Kelvin; no, I think it distracts. It simp;ly reminds us that this is how your mind works: you make connections and delight in that sort of word-play. However, to sharpen up my point. Thank you for helping me to realise that, for some, ‘family’ is not a positive word in the way in which I experience it. For my part, this willl mean that I will be more careful about its use when others might feel excluded (and therefore hurt). Mutatis mutandi can you accept that I feel offended by what seems to be merely a casual linking between family and the f word? These are sensitive areas, but sensibilities are by no means confined to those who find family a painful or unhelpful concept.

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Simon

29/10/2010

I am slightly nervous aboaut the alternatives to the 1982 Liturgy, not because I don’t share the inclusive sentiments expressed above (I do). I fear that, as so often in the history of the church, the steps we take to avoid one kind of mistake in the way we talk about God can lead us into another. The avoidance of pronouns as a measure to achieve inclusivity produces inelegant, strained and stilted English. How would it be if one were to use it in day-to-day speech? ‘I saw John this morning. I asked John’s how John’s health was. John said that John was over his flu, and hoped to be back at work on Monday’. This may not in itself seem to be a problem. But in fact, what very quickly happens when we adopt this idiom in addressing/expressing God, is that the very idea of a personal God begins to recede. My basic instinct is that the church’s language of pulbic prayer is properly anchored in that of the scriptures. There are dangers in departing from this. The perceived problem (rightly perceived) is perhaps better tackled by good teaching about the nature of God, than by linguistic contortions that produce stilted prayers, and possibly a less real and vivid idea of God.

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Melissa

15/11/2013

About the family imagery – another reason to drop it in church is for the sake ones who, like me, do actually have the signifying family relationships.

There is too much pressure on day to day life with children when that life is forced to serve as some kind of example or testimony or witness to the world – or more likely one’s church friends – about the nature of God.

I think it sours love because in that kind of scheme loving children is more fundamentally a means to an end.

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