• 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

3 responses to “New Year Predictions 2017”

  1. FakePete Avatar

    I think you are underestmating Trump, he’s not going anywhere, and the Le Pen prediction seems very bold of you considering recent history…

    Thanks for writing your blog, happy New Year!

  2. David Allen Avatar
    David Allen

    #8 happened in the US about a year ago. The DC Madame’s little black book. I posted about it at Episcopal Cafe that meny clergymen were listed and I was lambasted for posting. That if their rector was on the list that wasn’t anyone’s concern but he and his wife.

    That’s either head in the sand or way too liberal for me.

    I’m not into facial hair either. Clean cuut & clean shaven is what I like.

  3. The Rev. Dr. C. Eric Funston Avatar

    I think you’re right about Trump and, in fact, i think he will be gone within the first year (the Republicans will figure out they can’t control him and will find a reason to impeach, or he’ll resign in a fit of pique). Don’t bet on beards leaving; mine’s certainly not going anywhere (I hate shaving!)

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