• Public Opinion and Same-Sex Marriage – John Curtice

    A while ago we had a real treat at St Mary’s. Prof John Curtice gave a talk about public opinion and same-sex marriage. It was one of those forums which was very special for those who were there. There simply isn’t anyone who knows how to read and interpret public opinion as John can and it was great to see him in action.

    It was also one of the first forum meetings which I videoed. Unfortunately, the talk that John gave was fantastic but the audio on the video was terrible. Lots of people tried to listen but some were quite disappointed. For that reason, I was delighted that John agreed to give a similar, though slightly updated, talk to the diocesan synod that we held here in the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway on 1 March 2014. Once again, John was gracious enough to allow it to be videoed and this time the audio is tip-top, thanks to Kennedy Fraser’s work on the sound-desk.

    This can be posted freely. I suspect that it may help far more people in the church get their heads around where public opinion lies on this question than were at the synod the other week. Do share and use on other blogs and diocesan websites. And take a look – it is well worth putting aside half an hour to watch.

    Now the question for the day, is – in what ways does public opinion matter when the churches make their minds up about same-sex marriage?

16 responses to “General Convention Press Briefing”

  1. kelvin Avatar

    People who run cathedrals in the Scottish Episcopal Church are called Provosts, in England and in the US and in much of the rest of the Anglican world they are called Deans.

    For a while, old cathedrals in England had Deans and new cathedrals had Provosts. They made them all deans a few years ago.

    In Scotland we also use the word Provost for the civic leader who would be called a Mayor in a lot of other places.

    Deans in Anglican Dioceses in Scotland are similar to Archdeacons in England or Canons to the Ordinary in the states.

  2. susan s. Avatar
    susan s.

    Thanks… So is calling you a dean a forgivable sin? Is it a step up or down for a provost to become a dean?

  3. kelvin Avatar

    Calling me a dean is an understadable mistake. If hierarchy matters, I rank behind the bishop and the dean at diocesan functions. I rank behind the bishop alone at cathedral functions.

    Usually I find that such hierarchical niceties have been worked out as a result of disputes of rather a long time ago.

  4. susan s. Avatar
    susan s.

    Thanks, again. I enjoy reading your blog.

  5. brad evans Avatar
    brad evans

    “Evangelical Faith, Apostolic Orders(?)-Increasingly Irrelevant Organization”

  6. kelvin Avatar

    Bless you, Brad.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Quick Link – Lansdowne Blog

    Roy Henderson, the minister from Lansdowne Parish Church, just along the way from St Mary’s has just started blogging. He can be found here: http://greatwesternspire.blogspot.com/

  • The Gallant Forty-twa

    Ten years ago, I was a curate in St Ninian’s Cathedral in Perth. Indeed, I was the Precentor there at a time when their musical life was a little in the doldrums. One of the things about being in Perth was getting to know a little about the local regiment, the Black Watch. St Ninian’s…

  • I'm Back & Blogging Again

    Right, I’m back in the saddle and back online after a good conference in Oxford and a couple of weeks of holiday. Let me just pause to welcome any readers who find themselves here from the link on the Church Times blog. I’m surprised that it has not been easier to identify more people blogging…

  • We are invited doon the watter

    Those who are part of the Scottish Episcopal Church blogging community (ie bloggers and those who comment) are invited doon the watter on 17 May 2008 for Bloggers and Bluebells with Kimberly who writes Wonderful Exchange. Looks fun. Those who lurk have only to comment to be part of the party. De-lurk, de-lurk whoever you…