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

3 responses to “Blogging”

  1. Avatar
    Kelvin

    Re: Blogging
    I'm sure there will be a blogging Bishop in the not too distant future –  o­ne who has a thing about  blogging hats – and the blogging head to fit!

    Blogging is brave though-  might even be brave enough to try it some time

    Reply
  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Re: Blogging
    From an ECUSA perspective, I suspect that it would be much easier for a blogger to become a bishop than for a bishop to become a blogger. If a bishop hasn’t developed the discipline of writing regularly for an audience before becoming bishop, s/he’ll have a hard time starting it amidst all of the other demands of the office. On the other hand, I can see a longtime blogger being elected bishop of a diocese in part because the people of the diocese feel they know the blogger better than other non-blogging candidates. Of course, that could also be a liability. In my own experience of blogging, I know that I sometimes say things that are less polished or considered on my blog than I’d say in an academic paper or a sermon. If delegates electing a bishop are comparing one candidates’ blog to other candidates’ paper publications, they may judge the blogger more harshly, especially if they’re not familiar with Internet conventions.

    BTW, I really enjoy your blog. I first got to know Anglicanism when I was living in Scotland, and I was confirmed at St. John’s Edinburgh when +Neville Chamberlain was rector. I miss Scotland and the church there a great deal, and appreciate being able to visit via thurible.net.

    Reply
  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Re: Blogging
    On LiveJournal we post rather then blog – although it’s the same thing, I know… – so perhps one day we might have a Posting Pope?!!

    (and I still find it scary and exciting that people across the globe read my daily ramblings)

    Reply

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