What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Advert – Canon Missioner

    There’s a post advertised in the Church Times this week that it seems appropriate to highlight here too. We’re advertising for a new Canon Missioner for the diocese. This person will have a liturgical base in St Mary’s so as well as going out and about in the diocese, will be taking part in things here too. The primary task is to support the bishop in his role as leader of mission in the diocese. One of the things that the person will be working on is connecting the cathedral and the rest of the diocese together.

    It is quite an exciting job opportunity. Details will be in the Church Times for three weeks and the closing date is the end of the month.

    Here’s the advert:

    Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway

    Canon Missioner

    A full time, three year, clergy appointment is required for the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway in the Scottish Episcopal Church, line managed by the Diocesan Bishop, reporting to Diocesan Council and the Bishop’s Staff Group.

    The principal duties will be to support the Diocesan Bishop’s role as leader of mission and be responsible for organising education, training and development for those in licensed and authorised ministry in the Diocese. You will give oversight for Continuing Ministry Development and Ministry Development Review. In the tasks necessary for numerical growth you will motivate clergy and others to identify and encourage mission and growth opportunities with the congregations of the Diocese as they develop their Mission Action Planning. You will have regular liturgical involvement with St. Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow.

    An application pack giving full details is available from: The Office Manager, Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway, 5 St. Vincent Place Glasgow
    Tel: 0141 221 5720 or by Email: to office@glasgow.anglican.org

    Completed application forms including a CV, are invited by 31st January 2015

4 responses to “Book Review”

  1. Peter O Avatar
    Peter O

    I think you miss the point of the book Kelvin. It’s meant to be a guide to listening to *all* sides of the debate, not just those you agree with. That’s what makes the last section so good, because it forces us to deal realistically not just with the genuine evidence on the causality of homosexuality, but also the fact that some people *do* see remarkable change in their sexual orientation (and that others don’t).

    I wrote my own review here.

    Reply
  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    We were not called by the last Lambeth Conference to listen to all sides in the debate.

    Reply
  3. ryan Avatar
    ryan

    Ruth Gledhill has posted a PDF of the whole thing, for those interested:
    http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/files/Final.pdf

    Reply
  4. Rosemary Avatar
    Rosemary

    I’ve now read the ‘scientific’ section – thanks for the link ryan – and I thought it was mixed. I thought Glynn Harrison made a serious attempt at dispassion. I think it is a fair point that any person must decide their own priorities, and the final argument must be between theologies, not sciences. I was not so impressed by David de Pomerai – though one could hardly quarrel with his conclusion that we simply do not know exactly what makes one person homosexual and the next heterosexual. However his whole argument was bedevilled by assumptions that, e.g. homosexual men will be more effeminate than straight ones. Anecdotal evidence instantly produces examples where it is the straight male siblings who are drama queens and run from spiders, while gay ones take it all in their stride.

    It must be accepted that both gay and straight people live with voluntary or enforced celibacy with no ill effects – and that some people can change their sexual orientation and live happily with the change. What I found truly heart rending were the desperate attempts and the high cost to those who actually did succeed in changing orientation – however much Harrison denies the skin colour analogy, it reminded me painfully of those endless jars of skin lightener which encrust Sri Lankan chemists, where beauty is measured in skin tone. Because whether or not genetic, orientation is not a simple free choice. But I suppose the answer would be: ‘And what is?’

    The final point, though, is always the same. Is Christianity a religion of an authoritative book, or an authoritative Person?

    Reply

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