What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Sunday Trading and the Churches

    Dear the Churches of England

    If you campaign against Sunday trading you are going to seem to the People of England to be as bad as you are. Campaign instead for the rights of shop workers of all religions who work at all times and the People of England might be more convinced. If you take on the Sunday trading thing you are going to lose anyway.

    Here in Scotland things have been much more liberal for a long time. We did have quite strict liquor laws which meant you couldn’t buy booze on a Sunday morning anywhere. This meant you couldn’t buy an emergency bottle of wine for communion on a Sunday morning in case it led to drunkenness, which always seemed to me to be a little odd. Even this law has been relaxed now.

    Seriously – the fight against Sunday trading isn’t one that churches can win and look sensible or fair. Please don’t make the rest of us look foolish.

    Remember the Sabbath day and what it was about and keep what it was about holy. It was about making sure workers got rest. It was about making sure there was time for leisure. It was about making sure that there were opportunities for worship. Churches should campaign for all those things. In multicultural Britain these things do not coalesce any more in the idea of one shared day off a week which is inevitably on a Sunday.

    Dear churches of England and the Church of England in particular – pick your battles wisely.

    Thank you for your attention.
    KELVIN

6 responses to “LGBT Booklist”

  1. Peter Ould Avatar
    Peter Ould

    Mario Bergner, “Setting Love in Order”

    Sorry, couldn’t resist…

    Reply
  2. Kimberly Avatar
    Kimberly

    Exile or Embrace , Mahon Siler. Not so much for LGBT as for those who need to hear stories and have no one to tell them. It’s about how a congregation worked through the process of how (and whether) to welcome gay people.

    James Alison’s Faith Beyond Resentment is equally important. I wonder if the chapter on the dynamics of exclusion shouldn’t be required reading for all Christians.

    Reply
  3. Ryan Dunne Avatar
    Ryan Dunne

    Thanks for that Kelvin. Post – exam (May 7th) I plan on reading some of them. I can’t help but giggle at the fact that “Know My Name:Gay Liberation Theology” is published by “John Knox Press” however; what would old John have thought of the Polo Lounge ;-)?

    Reply
  4. Graham Ward Avatar
    Graham Ward

    Not only relevant for addressing LGBT issues, Jack Spong’s The Sins of Scripture is also very useful.

    Reply
  5. Scott Rosenberg Avatar
    Scott Rosenberg

    I have recently very much enjoyed Richard Holloway’s Leaving Alexandria. Whilst not a book about gays and the Church it does touch on this issue on several occasions and I found it to be an engrossing read.

    Reply
  6. fr dougal Avatar
    fr dougal

    “Gift by Otherness” Wm countryman and MR Ritley is quite good.

    Reply

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