What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • News from around the Scottish Episcopal Church – March 2015

    United Lent Appeal

    The College of Bishops has launched a Lent Appeal to raise funds for the Scottish Episcopal Institute, the new body that is the successor to the troubled Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The Lent Appeal is to raise funds to enable full-time training for younger ordinands.

    The following prayer has been published by the bishops to go along with the appeal:

    Almighty God, giver of all good things,
    you showed your love for us by giving us your only Son:
    help us to show our love for you.
    Grant us this Lent
    the vision to see where you are at work in the world,
    the courage to join in that mission
    and the desire to give
    in support of those seeking to train
    within the Scottish Episcopal Institute.
    In the power of the Spirit
    we make our prayer
    through Jesus Christ
    our Lord.

    There are no details yet as to how full-time ordinands will be funded for in subsequent years if this appeal is successful.

    Visit of the Bishop of Zanzibar

    bish_zanz_2

    The Bishop of Zanzibar, the Rt Rev Michael Hafisd has been visiting the Diocese of Argyll and The Isles. Details of his visit are available on the diocesan website. There are more detailed reports and pictures in the Diocesan Newsletter.

    New Diocesan Council in Brechin

    The Diocese of Brechin is to consider proposals to establish a new Diocesan Council which would replace their current Administration Board and Mission and Ministry Board. Full details are available in their Diocesan Synod Papers.

    Lectured by the Rev Anne Dyer – forward notice

    The Rev Anne Dyer is giving four lectures looking at the use of the female form to depict and carry ideals of virtue and vice in the Christian tradition. Dates – 28 May, 4 June, 18 June, 25 June. Time – 2 – 4 pm. Location – Royal Overseas League, Princes Street, Edinburgh.

    Scottish Episcopal Church Provincial Youth Week

    The Glenalmond week this year will be 2 August 2015 to 8 August 2015

    Details here: http://www.scotland.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/glen15form.pdf

    The Buzz

    Earth Hour

    This year’s Earth Hour where people are asked to dim lights and use less power to highlight climate change issues takes place on 28 March 2015. Details of how churches can get involved are available from the Eco Congregation Website.

    People

    • The Rev Canon John Lindsay retires as Rector of St Adrian’s Gullane and St Baldred’s, North Berwick on 1 March 2015
    • The Rev Chucks Iwuagu has moved from St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow to take up a post in Haslemere near Guildford. (Farewell sermon here)

    Vacancies

     

     

     

     

     

10 responses to “Blogging”

  1. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    First, let me argue that Bishop Paul Marshall — who wrote that letter you cite — is not one of the great liberals of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. He is widely respected and regarded as a moderate. What he wrote in that letter is a frustration that many of us share: Why can the Archbishop meet privately with the most extreme conservatives of the Episcopal Church in the U.S., but consistently refuses to meet with our bishops assembled? I think that is a fair and valid question. I would urge folks to read Bishop Marshall’s whole letter and not just Ruth Gledhill’s biased “gloss” on it.

    I agree the overall tenor of dialogue on U.S. Episcopalians’ blogs is worrisome. But I do not believe it’s the “liberals” that have gone out of bounds. If you want to read true venom, go to Virtue Online or StandFirm.

    Reply
  2. David Avatar
    David

    It would be great to have a meet up and blether!

    Reply
  3. kelvin Avatar
    kelvin

    Thanks for the comments

    Lisa – it was precisely standfirm and virtueonline that I had in mind.

    You’re presuming that I don’t have sympathy for Paul Marshall. I have a great deal of sympathy for his position. I think he is angry. And I think he is right to be angry. I deliberately linked directly to his piece rather than Ruth Gledhill’s stuff about it, which people can find for themselves.

    Perhaps if I had written “Those of us with strong liberal convictions…” my own position would have been clearer.

    Reply
  4. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    Sociability good. (And arguably good for online interactions too – there are several notable folks whose adventures I read, whom I could happily put in a room together with a football and lock the door 😉

    Reply
  5. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    There comes a time to toss convention and start communicating. I have a tea party in mind.

    cheers

    Reply
  6. Raspberry Rabbit Avatar
    Raspberry Rabbit

    Kelvin, I think the whole blogging machine on the right in the U.S. has been set up for a good long while now. They’ve become proficient at it – the ‘blog storm’ if you like which sees itself quite self consciously as ‘generating’ public opinion for particular ends. The amount of support which ‘social conservatives’ will lend to religious conservatives as ‘deserving cousins’ allows those involved in the present TEC dispute access to an immense network.

    I agree with the first comment about Bishop Marshall being middle of the road and not particularly liberal.

    Reply
  7. Raspberry Rabbit Avatar
    Raspberry Rabbit

    Oh and with respect to SEC bloggers. A meeting might be a good idea

    Reply
  8. Dennis Avatar
    Dennis

    Kevin: Just discovered your blog through MadPriest’s blog. I’ll add you to my regular visits.

    It is exciting for me, an American far away from the Episcopal Church of Scotland, since I was confirmed at St Mary’s Glasgow back on Pentecost Sunday in 1988 – your church is where I became an Episcopalian – Fr John Turner was the chaplain at GU. Fr Malcolm was provost.

    How exciting. Glad to find your blog.

    Dennis

    The world of political blogs in the US isn’t really that bad. The most important blog in the US for political progressives is DailyKos (www.dailykos.com) – I’m over there quite a lot – worth watching – it has a lot of voice and influence in the US Democratic party for supporting and raising money for underdog candidates last year who happened to win.

    Reply
  9. Dennis Avatar
    Dennis

    make that Kelvin, not Kevin. sorry about that!

    Reply
  10. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    I’ve corresponded privately with Kelvin about this, but let me make a few comments here in public.

    I usually have to do my reading and writing on “things Anglican” after a full day at work. I regret to say that means I am sometimes too tired, and I miss the nuances. Which clearly happened in my public reply here. I apologize for that, and I apologize for making unwarranted assumptions about Kelvin’s stance.

    One of the things I am realizing is that we in the Anglican Communion really do not understand enough about each other’s cultures and ethos. Over here in the U.S., we are very much hoping that the churches in the U.K. (and a few other provinces) will allow us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling,” as St. Paul urged. I fear that our colonial past [of which most U.S. Episcopalians repent most sincerely] is working against us. We do not want to “export” our positions to others in the Communion; we don’t want to tell others they must do as we have done. We simply want the space in which to walk the path that seems right to us — and that path already has a 30-year history of prayerful discernment, both about the place of women in ordained ministry and about the place of gay men and lesbians in the Church and ordination.

    Unfortunately, in the larger U.S. culture now, both “liberal” and “moderate” are anathema. A very scary conservativism (verging on — dare I use the term? — fascism) is taking hold.

    When folks say the Episcopal Church is “bowing to popular culture,” they could not possibly be more wrong. “Popular culture” now in the U.S. is strongly capitalist, imperialist, nationalist, sexist, and anti-gay. Our church is “bucking” that tide, and we are paying a great price for what we truly believe to be a Spirit-led, prophetic witness.

    It remains to be seen whether others in the Anglican Communion will trust us to continue in this time of discernment.

    These are very, very hard times for all of us. And I hate how the positions are being polarized.

    At our church’s General Convention [Do you call it a synod?], several people spoke about how the “diverse center” had spoken. I hope and pray that the “diverse center” will find their voices in Tanzania.

    Reply

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