What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Candidates for the Sin Against the Holy Ghost

    People sometimes ask me (and no doubt other clergy) what the sin against the Holy Ghost actually is – the one which cannot be forgiven.

    Mark 3:28-29
    Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
    But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

    Now, there is a great deal of confusion about this, but I think I have narrowed down the possibilities.

    I’m pretty sure that it is one of the following:

27 responses to “Can you backdate a marriage?”

  1. Colin Backhouse Avatar
    Colin Backhouse

    If a man and woman from England were married in a Church in the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with a proper ordained anglican minister can that marriage be registered and recognised retrospectively back in england?

    Reply
    1. Kelvin Avatar
      Kelvin

      I doubt it, but I’m not a lawyer so I don’t know.

      Reply
  2. Stephen Clark Avatar
    Stephen Clark

    Am interested to note that the Register in your post seems to be of the Commonwealth of Australia…we are now happily within the marriage equality fold (after a tortuous process).
    At lunch recently with a fellow priest we both agreed that while the laws of Australia may have changed, neither of us (he 70+ and I, 65) will live to see The Anglican Church of Australia allowing marriage equality; being as we are totally bullied by the GAFCON politics of the 4 or 5 Evangelical Dioceses led by the Diocese of Sydney (I would suggest that they are happy to call everyone to scriptural fidelity…whilst the first to breach the call to NOT call sisters and brothers to the secular courts…and then to bring the blessed Owen Dowling to the secular courts…because he chose to ordain women!.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Postcard to Rowan

    Dear Rowan, wondered whether it had occurred to you that if you give an interview in one country, these days, it will probably be picked up in another country. Take this interview that you’ve given to the Telegraph this weekend. Did you have any regrets? Oh yes, not going to the USA to deal with…

  • Deaconings and Priestings

    I’m sadly unable to be in St Mary’s this weekend for one of the most significant moments in the year – five people are being ordained at a special service on Saturday afternoon. These are moments that people remember for the whole of their lives. My exuberant good wishes to all those being ordained. Some…

  • Installation/Institution

    For the next three months, I’m on sabbatical from St Mary’s, enjoying the freedom that Bishop Gregor and the congregation have given me to think and reflect and grow. The last formal thing that I did as Provost of St Mary’s before sabbatical time started was to go to the start of a new ministry…

  • Online reading

    Here’s some on-line reading. The Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church published an essay earlier this year on Marriage and Human Intimacy. This is available now online for the first time along with the other previous essays which they have written. There was a mini-brouhaha on twitter when one or two people actually read…