Song for the week

I chose Slade's "Far,Far Away" because it takes me back to an exciting time in my youth. I saw them many years later and they sure knew how to work a crowd.

Going down Sodom Way - A Second sermon for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Sodom and Gomorrah - the stuff of legend in the annals of Hellfire preaching. After all this is the Biblical story of God’s ferocious judgement on homosexuals. Indeed, our words sodomy and sodomite come from this very story.

But is it possible that we have misunderstood this story. For a moment let’s look back at the story. Let’s go back before the Scripture that we have heard this evening. For at the beginning of the 18th Chapter of Genesis, we find Abraham sat by his ten beside the oaks of Mamre. He looks up and finds before him three men. He doesn’t know them but being a Middle Eastern man, Abraham welcomes them into his home and provides them with water whilst Sarah cooks up a feast. This is the hospitality which will be in the mind of the writer of Hebrews when writing;

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained strangers without knowing it.”

As hospitality is enjoyed by the three guests, Abraham and Sarah are rewarded with some good news. Old as they are, they will receive the blessing of a son from whom will come a mighty Kingdom. More than that, as a result of this

“All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.”

But now comes an ominous turn. Two of the guests who are identified as angels, set off for the town of Sodom whilst the third guest who is revealed as the Lord tells Abraham that he too will go to Sodom to see if it is as wretched a place as it has been reported as being.

CONTINUED

Prayer as a means of change - A sermon for the ninth Sunday after Pentecost

A boy in a small village for some reason best known to himself took to attending the weekly Prayer Meeting at the local Methodist church. Each week, the regulars would welcome him warmly when he arrived, always a few minutes late. Each week, he would listen to the prayers but never contribute himself. That is until a few weeks before Christmas when to everyone’s amazement he prayed out loud;

“Dear God, please give me a bike for Christmas so that I can get things from the shops for Mum.”

And week after week, he repeated that same prayer.

Now Christmas was drawing close and the faithful men and women at the prayer meeting began to get concerned. What would be the affect on the boy’s faith if at Christmas, there was no bike. So they got together and each of them put some money into a jar. To their joy, they found that the money they had given would go half way towards the boy getting the type of bike that he had told them he wanted. So they put the money in an envelope and delivered it to the boy’s home just a week before Christmas.

Christmas came and went. The New Year arrived and at the first gathering of the Prayer Meeting in the New Year, the people wondered what the boy’s response would be. Sure enough, the boy arrived a few minutes into the meeting and in no time they got their answer as he prayed;

“Dear God, thank you for giving the money for me to have a new bike. Only, next time, please don’t give it to the Methodists as they nicked half of it.”

What do we expect from prayer.

CONTINUED

Meet my favourite blog!

Yes, have a look at the new Methodist Recorder blog.

The spirit of John Wesley is well and truly alive!

Methodist blogs weekly roundup

Here it is. Thanks to Allan Bevere

Who pays for those weapons, Mr Bishop?

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children....This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from an iron cross."

Dwight Eisenhower 1953

Meanwhile the Bishop of Carlisle endorses this theft by blessing a nuclear submarine. You can read his astonishing defence of this total abication of moral principle.

It seems that the Bishop is quite happy to make a stand against men who love each other whilst happily endorsing the means by which they kill each other and as Eisenhower noted take part in "a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed"

Pass the sick bag!

Time to speak for Delara Darabi and the other victims of Tehran's tryanny

I spend much of my time on this blog drawing attention to destructive interpretations of Christianity. I amke no apology for this as I feel that as a Christian, I need to be about putting my won house on order before battling with others.

On occasions I have drawn attention to the evil use of capital punishment in the US where the enthusiasm for this solution by George W Bush undermines the teaching of Christ.

However,today I feel I must return to the question of Iran. Not so long ago I drew attention to the threat of execution hanging over Delara Darabi. Her youth (17 at the time of the events for which she has been sentenced) and the serious questioning as to her guilt, makes this a case for clemency. Once more I encourage people to sign the Amnesty International petition on her behalf.

I also draw readers attention to the Save Delara website.


I would encourage people to read of another disturbing case of injustice with the sentencing of 17 year old Reza Alinejad to death. Please read the disturbing facts of his case and sign a petition to spare his life.

I find the use of capital punishment in Iran to be deeply disturbing. I ask you to read news section of the Save Delara Campaign and you will find further evidence of a justice system which is without the essential Islamic qualities of justice and mercy. Read for example of Mosleh Zamani who faces execution because as a 17year old he fell in love with a 24 year old woman. And please sign a petition on his behalf.

In my Circuit, I am known for having a generally positive attitude towards Islam. I believe that there is much that beautiful in the Islamic faith and I hold the Prophet to merit great respect. I believe that he moved Arabia to be a much kinder and more just place than it had preciously been. Biographies written by Karen Armstrong and Tariq Ramadan have reinforced this view. However, I cannot deny that some countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq have committed the foulest of atrocities in the name of Islam. What they do is nothing short of rebellion against Allah whom they claim to worship.

If tempted to think that these punishment are not carried out, please read this report of a man being stoned for adultery in the past fortnight. This punishment can only be seen as barbaric. I have recently seen the video of a stoning in Iran and it repelled me to the very depths of my being. For what I watched was a lynch mob of evil men acting as agents of the Iranian state.

President Ahmadinejad may know how to turn on the charm as with the recent release of British sailors. But if he is truly a man of God and not a fascist thug, he must stop these barbarities of the Iranian state. Bestial acts can not be excused because they are in the name of God. On the contrary, the very blasphemy of the claim, calls for them to be condemned all the more loudly. After all, these deeds deny the affirmation that God is loving.

It is also necessary for progressives to realise that not everyone who opposes imperalism, is a friend. Few things sadden me more than to see the growing friendship between Hugo Chavez and Ahmadinejad. The values of opposing the dominance of corporate capital may involve having to form tactical alliances. But that is a different thing from the sort of embrace that is currently going on between the two men. Progressive politics can never see the man behind the torturing, hanging cranes of Iran, as other than barbaric figure to be reviled.

Surely, Christians and Muslims need to find projects around which to make common cause. Opposition to the state sponsored injustices of Iran would surely be one such project.

Spiritual diaorrhea

I find this video containing a talk by American fundamentalist John Haggee deeply disturbing. Whilst it is every bit as fruitcake as the offerings of David Icke, what worries me is that it does violence to the Bible and more than that it presents not a Christian interpretation but what Walter Wink sees as the non Christian wordlview of the "myth of redemptive violence.







To make all of this more disturbing, Haggee seems to have the ear of prominent US politicians including some of whom might be future occupants of the White House or of influence in a future administration. This is a reminder that destructive religion including that which arises within Christianity, must be named and cast out.

HAT TIP: Bartholomew's Notes on Religion

George Galloway and a dishonourable debate at the House of Shame

I am often critical of George Galloway. I would not get as close to the Muslim association of Britain as he has. I am of the belief that Salman Rushdie was much more wronged than wronging. And I support a genuine two party outcome to the Israel/Palestinian dispute which is not a dispute with one party being all right and one party being all wrong. And certainly, I do not share his sorrow at the fall of the Soviet Union or his less than critical approach to Castro

However, I was disgusted at the suspension of George Galloway by the the dishonourable members of the House of Commons. I would recommend anyone to read Galloway's speech before the hanging court of Westminster.

The apologists for war chose to condemn Galloway on remarkably weak evidence. These bloodsoaked functionaries seemed much more concerned with Galloway's meetings with Saddam Hussein and the possible lack of ethical conduct by one contributor to the Miriam Trust than with the fact that Tory Government gave Saddam's regime credits during the time when his worst atrocities were being carried out and that Rumsfeld and co were cheerleaders in the Iran War if not much more. One of the Tory attack dogs named Robathan behaved in a manner of the most snide of playground bullies.

Frankly I am unhappy with all of the major financers of the Miriam Trust. Not only Zureikat concerns me but so does for example the King of Saudi Arabia, a state which unlike Mr Blair, I totally deplore for its callous acts of inhumanity. Yet, the background to this project was not just sanctions which were brutal albeit exploited by Saddam, but the drift to war on the part of the principle free, corporate political establishment in London. To oppose the war that was from the very beginning cold blooded murder and which has been exploited by other bloody figures for their agendas, I would have taken money from just about anywhere.

Still there was no chance of a proper hearing last night. The three right wing parties all obsessed with corporate culture, intended no fair hearing. Indeed, we saw them as one, just as when they applauded the Prince of Death, Tony Blair, on his final performance at Prime Minster's Questions.

And then, there was a lamentable performance by Speaker Martin. In the past, Speakers defended the rights of dissident MPs. Not so Speaker Martin. His main concern seemed to be to protect a committee of MPs from proper scrutiny. It is a legitimate point that they had brought their own agendas into the the hearings. At least, it is legitimate that the point be made and then assessed. But no!. Speaker Martin continues to hold in the face of all available evidence that we are governed by a party system of honourable people. Rubbish, I say! Let us be clear. The three political parties take money from dubious sources with barely a nod and a wink. Even the last Liberal Democrat election campaign was financed by a man now in prison for fraud,whose sources did not concern them very much. And as for the armies of New Labour, let George Galloway have the final word;

I shall develop that argument later. Suffice, for the moment, to say this. The police found a document with a list of secret lenders to the Labour party, every single one of whom was nominated either for a “K” or for what Lord Levy described as a “big P”. This Parliament is stuffed full of political parties who were in turn stuffed full of secret loans and donations from millionaires or billionaires. None of the parties here—all three of them are culpable, a matter to which I shall return—ever asked the millionaires and billionaires who gave and lent them money where they got the money from. I am tempted to give just one example. Richard Desmond is a substantial benefactor to the Labour party. Did the treasurer of the Labour party ask Richard Desmond from which part of his considerable wealth he was donating handsomely to new Labour’s coffers? Did the treasurer of the Labour party—I apologise to the right hon. and learned Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman) for the language that I am about to use—ask if Mr. Desmond was giving from the profits of “Spunk-Loving Sluts”, “Asian Babes”, XXX pornographic television, or the profits of the Daily Star—

Oh yes, the hypocrisy of the dishonourable House reeks to the very heavens.

So once more, the House of Commons is revealed as a home for a political system which wouldn't know honour if it bit them on the leg. And once more, we see that the political casualties of the war are not its now justified opponents but those who either out of conviction or a desire to save their own tawdry careers, collaborated in sending the rockets of death through the homes of those whom they could dehumanise.

I begun by saying that George Galloway is in many ways a flawed character who illuminting as he is on talk radio, has often backed wrong judgements. Yet I notice that the Dishonourable House cared not an iota about forged documents that attempted to besmirch him or even some nasty allegations in the investigation. An Honourable House would have cared about these things. A Dishonourable House and a Dishonourable Speaker behaved as ever dishonourably yesterday with a Dishonourable Leader of the House Hariet Harman who jumped on the anti war bandwagon to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and off again within hours, moved the motion of treachery.

My concern is not the political career of George Galloway. My concern is about the quality of democracy. Well, my growing impression that it is but a charade with the current three parties whose only real difference is the speed at which they will drop to their knees at a corporate donor, leaves me with only one way of protest. My electoral registration form will be returned in a month or two's time with the message that I have no wish to be a part of the games of deceit. It will achieve nothing other than to be a sign of the contempt I feel for the farce.

Touch of Jesus

Richard Hall is in cracking form with this post about the healing anger of Jesus.

He reminds us that Jesus feels anger at exclusion such as that experienced by the leper in Mark 1: 40 - 45. He also reminds us that the compassionate act that follows restores the man to inclusion. And this I suggest along with Richard, is an important part of our calling today.

That Harry Potter film

On Wednesday night before packing, I was taken to see the latest Harry Potter film - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." I hoped to write a review but sadly I kept falling asleep. My credibility with my two youngsters is now totally shattered.

Still at least I now know how members of my congregations feel!

Back from the floods

Got back from my journey away at about 8.25am on Saturday morning. Having flown back to Birmingham sharing in a funeral of a fine old gent from the Isle of Man, I got caught up in the problem of the floods. At first the railway authorities seemed incapable of offering any guidance and I am sure many went to hotels in despair. Eventually, they did engage with us albeit with empty promises for some time. These were delivered in a manner that made Comic Ali appear convincing. Still in the end, they got the help of some taxi drivers. I was in a group that went to Exeter. The journey was awful with hard, low seats - in my case facing out at the back. We saw some real signs of devastation. Thankfully due to the rather feisty driving of our taxi driver, we managed after several turning backs and diversions way of the normal route, to get back to Exeter. He was quite a hero!

I have some gripes with the railway authoroties at Birmingham and Virgin for their poor communication. The manner of the Birnmigham police suggested that a week at a Charm School somewhere in their training, would be a good thing!

Still, I am lucky. Having missed a complete nights's sleep after two nights in which the task before me, interruped my sleep, I am now getting over my tiredness.

Sadly, the images on the News show that for many a nightmare experience is far from over. They need all the help they can get and should be very much in our prayers.

Ultimately, there will be lessons to learn. The reality of climate change is becoming ver clearer and will need to be reflected in public policy. It is also to be hoped that new housing on flood plains will be minimal and flood defences will be a major priority.

Song for the week

A great classic by "The Jam" - "A town called malice."

Brings back memories of when I was a student in Southampton.

Enjoy!

Sermon Sites

I have now linked to my sermon sites. The 2005/06 site needs to have sermons added which i will do sometime.

I do not understand the gap between sites on link. It doesn't show on my template. Any ideas?

Sisters - A sermon for the eighth Sunday after Pentecost

There is an old story in which three women arrive at the Pearly Gates. One is a Roman Catholic, another is a Baptist and the third is a Methodist. Before deciding whether to let them in, St Peter says to them;

“I will need to see proof that you’re worthy of admission.”

The Roman Catholic holds up her rosary and is waved through. Next the Baptist holds up her Bible and is also waved through. The Methodist hands St Peter a dish and says;

“Don’t burn your tongue on the casserole.”

Yes, meeting the needs of our stomachs seems to be an important part of Methodist identity. Not for nothing does the Superintendent Minister of the Bideford Methodist Circuit, tell incoming ministers that the most important decision they will face is what to eat with their clotted cream. For Methodism is often like an army marching on its stomachs.

From our Bible reading, I guess that Martha would be inclined to identify with Methodism. We find her busy with the tasks that come from having a guest in the home. What these tasks were, we are not told but I can imagine her as being hard at work with whatever was the Palestinian equivalent of the casserole dish.

CONTINUED

On travels

Blogging has been light because I have had much work to squeeze in before I go on a journey tomorrow to share in leading the funeral of an old friend. I will not be back until Friday night. On Saturday, I will be in Cornwall to see my son rowing, visit my father on his birthday and hopefully get back here for a music event.

Blogging today will be either light or non existent. Now back to that sermon!

Gordon Brown - what is the truth?

Some valid observations and plenty of nonsense. Last 30 seconds is quite entertaining.

Perhaps in a few months, there will be some worthwhile analysis.

Song for the week

Pretty naff lyrics but I still have a soft spot for T Rex's "Children of the Revolution.

Beyond traditionalism - A second sermon for the seventh Sunday after Pentecost

I do not know what the word “tradition” means to you. For me the word conjures up conflicting responses.

You see, tradition can be a good thing. It reminds us of things that have gone before us . We do not have to reinvent the wheel for we are the heirs to a lot that has hapened before we were born. We inherit a story of our community, our country and its institutions albeit often in a somewhat doctored form. We inherit values and customs which are thought to be helpful for right conduct and for harmony

It is similar within the church. We treasure a tradition which goes back to the Scriptures and which has developed through the Apostles and 2,000 years of church history. Within Methodism, at times it seems as of we have a cult of veneration of the Wesley brothers with even now candidates for the office of local preacher and the ordained ministry being examined on what are now rather dated sermons by John Wesley.

CONTINUED

Methodist blogs weekly roundup

Yes another Methodist blogs weekly roundup for your delectation!

Thanks as always to Allan Bevere

The Good Samaritan - A sermon for the seventh Sunday after Pentecost

It’s a big question. One of the experts in the Law of Israel, asks Jesus;

“Teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Too often today, we interpret those words as a request for information as to how to have life beyond death. And indeed there is an element of that in the question. But what we too often miss out on in our “Me, me me” world, is that “eternal life” would have been understood as being not just about continued existence beyond the grave, but as being about a quality of life in the present - a quality of life that is about sharing in the life of God. It is about being all that God would have us be in this world as much as beyond.

So what does Jesus do? Well, firstly, he points the expert to the Law which he has studied.

“What is written in the Law? How do you read it?


CONTINUED

To bless or not to bless

Here is one to read about blessing same sex couples from Graham at Leaving Munster.

It makes its point better than I can.

Methodist blogs weekly roundup

Once more Allan Bevere has provided us with the Methodist blogs weekly roundup.

Whilst on his site, take a look a this post on Friday 13th. And read of the warm welcome that Allan and family have received at Allan's new church in Cambridge, Ohio. May there be many years of joy for the Bevere family at their new home.

Well done David

David Hallam has been included on the Political and Social Issues resource group of Methodism's Faith and Order Committee.

I would love to be a fly on the wall when he has a cup of tea with a lady named Rachel.

Voices from Iraq

War is Hellish as anyone with a modicum of sensitivity who has been caught up in warfare, will tell you. Accounts of the Somme and some of the battles of World war 2 remind us of that.

I guess that the war in Iraq is right up there in terms of Hellish experiences. See these accounts from American soldiers in Iraq to see that war can destroy the very soul of combatants.

I offer the words of three combatants;

I guess while I was there, the general attitude was, 'A dead Iraqi is just another dead Iraqi... You know, so what?'... [Only when we got home] in... meeting other veterans, it seems like the guilt really takes place, takes root, then."

Specialist Jeff Englehart, 26, of Grand Junction, Colorado, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry. In Baquba for a year beginning February 2004


"[The photo] was very graphic... They open the body bags of these prisoners that were shot in the head and [one soldier has] got a spoon. He's reaching in to scoop out some of his brain, looking at the camera and smiling."

Specialist Aidan Delgado, 25, of Sarasota, Florida, 320th Military Police Company. Deployed to Talil air base for one year beginning April 2003

A lot of guys really supported that whole concept that if they don't speak English and they have darker skin, they're not as human as us, so we can do what we want."

Specialist Josh Middleton, 23, of New York City, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division. Four-month tour in Baghdad and Mosul beginning December 2004


Now I know nothing of these three men or the others who are quoted in the article. They may have always been violent and filled with hatred of those who are different. Or it may just be that the extremities of being part of an occupation, has transformed them. I just can't help but feel that something within them has died and that they are as much casualties as those whom they have vented their violence upon and those who have returned in body bags.

My question is how having sent these men into Hell, can we help them to rediscover their own humanity and the greater human virtues.


ADDED COMMENT

In view of the comments made by a parent of a soldier, I feel I should make clear that those interviewed merit praise for revealing just what this war has done to some of their compatriots. It was them that I was referring to. It is frightening to think of the effects that this war is having on peoples' mental health. Of course some of those referred to may have had similar attitudes before the war but others are bearing a high price for the policies of the criminal in the White House.

It is time that we supported the soldiers in Iraq by getting them out as soon as is possible. It is also vital that those who are struggling with the effects of things they have experienced, get the best possible help.

Voice of a gambler

The Cambridge Evening News has a revealing article with a man whose life has been devastated by gambling.

In it Emile Grygar tells his story including this heartbreaking account of the effect on his daughter, Shelley;

"I didn't go to Shelley's marriage because I wasn't invited.

Apparently she had lots of counselling and anger management sessions, where she'd pretend a chair was me and shout at it. We still haven't truly walked the ghost of what I've done.

"When you are in the throes of gambling you're an animal. I hit her because I didn't know how to be a father. I can't remember a lot of what went on but apparently I also used to say I wasn't actually her father."

As for his addiction to gambling, he says;

"I'd get such an adrenaline rush just by walking into the bookies. I was consumed with gambling. I'd do it all day, surviving on a Mars bar and a coffee. For me and my mates, it was normal."

Like many gamblers, Emile found that whilst his family suffered from the consequences of his gambling, without it he was nothing and his marriage collapsed as his wife now found him boring. Today he lives very much in the last chance saloon and life is lived one day at a time. Whether, he can keep off the addiction he doesn't know.

"I think I was always destined to gamble. It's part of my make up. I know if I went back in now, it would be at the ferocity where I left off. Even now, I like living on the edge. I always want to bend the rules and not be beaten by the system."

I briefly gambled a few times over twenty years ago. Like Emile, I found it an exciting buzz. In my case, I was able to make the decision to walk away from the temptation. Had I had Ms Jowell and her roulette wheels putting temptation in my way, I am not so sure. That is why I feel the industry which has destroyed Emile's life and could threaten others of us who have somewhat addictive personalities, is fundamentally evil.

The growth in gambling is a threat to the abundance of life which Jesus points us to. If any reader is complacent, please read these facts with which the Cambridge Evening News concludes its article;


■ Between 2005 and 2006, more than £4 billion was spent on chips in British casinos.

■ The Lords blocked the proposal to build the UK's first super casino in Manchester earlier this year.

The super-casino would have had a minimum customer area of 5,000 square metres and up to 1,250 unlimited-jackpot slot machines.

■ More than 30,000 people called the GamCare HelpLine in 2006, an increase of more than a third on the year before. Gamblers aged between 26 and 35 constituted the largest single group of callers.

■ Over a fifth (13,939,498) of Britons visited a casino between 2005 and 2006.

■ Great Britain's turnover from gambling in 2003/04 was £53.4 billion, almost double the amount in 1999/2000.

■ Of 8,000 adults surveyed by the gambling commission over one year, 8.4 per cent admitted to remote gambling in the previous month.

Remote gambling includes betting via the Internet, Interactive television and from your mobile phone.

Surely, it is time to fight back!

Kindergarten politics in Sedgefield

The video below shows unsavoury conduct by the Labour Party in Sedgefield. Were it my children so behaving, they could look forward to being grounded for a week or two. What is shown is a total contempt for the democratic process. I am sure that there are times when the other political parties act like morons but it disturbs me that we have had a Prime Minister for the past 10 years who surrounds himself with the sort of cretins on show here. Frankly, the more I see of the corporate obsessed major parties who agree on nearly everything but compete as to who can behave in the most mindless way, the more tempted I am to refuse to be on the electoral roll for next year. Quite bluntly, my democratic message is that none of them deserve the encouragement of my vote. Anyway, here it is;




As Jim Royle would say;

"Democracy - my arse!"

And so much for the respect agenda that the former member for Sedgefield used to witter on about!

Two cheers for closure of arms trade cheerleader

Good news from The Guardian suggests that we may soon see the closure of that in house chammpion of the arms industry the Defence Export Services Organisation.

It has been crazy that a public agency has for years been helping to promote arms sales often to thoroughly repugnant regimes with bad human rights records. Therefore the signs that the Government are ready to close this conspiracy down can only be good news.

What effect it will have on the arms industry is unclear. The litmus test as to the real substance of the new policy will be seen in whether Mr Brown will proceed with the £20billion saleof 72 aircaft fighters to the decapitators and amputators of the House of Saud which is due to be ratified in the autumn. Another litmus test concerns whether the British Government will remove export credits from the arms industry.

An ethical policy will need to offend whores of death such as BAE Systems. Frankly, their share price will suffer and jobs will be lost. Hopefully, skills of employees will be used in a life enhancing manner rather than as an agency of death. It is a price that must be paid if we are as a nation to have any integrity.

So, today's report are a good start. Let's not ease up. On this matter, half way houses are insufficient. We want and need the earth!

Arms trade invades Eden

This video comes from a spurce concerned that 3 of the 6 trustees in the Eden Trust have been or are bordroom figures in companies that make the weapons that kill. Here is further information.

As an opponent of the arms trade, I will not be visiting the Eden Project anymore despite having been a keen supporter of the project in the past. It has been dirtied for Eden has been invaded by those who threaten us with Armageddon.

Julian of Norwich on God's parenthood.

As truly as God is our Father, so truly is God our Mother, and he revealed that in everything, and especially in these sweet words where he says: I am he, that is to say, I am he, the power and goodness of fatherhood; I am he, the wisdom and the lovingness of Motherhood; I am he, the light and the grace which is all blessed love; I am he, Trinity; I am he, the unity; I am he, the great supreme goodness of every kind of thing; I am he who makes you to love; I am he who makes you to long; I am he, the endless fulfilment of all true desires. For where the soul is highest, noblest, most honourable, still it is lowest, meekest, mildest.

... From this it follows that truly as God is our Father, so truly God is our Mother. Our Father wills, Our Mother works, our good Lord the Holy Spirit confirms. And therefore it is our part to love our God in whom we have our being, reverently thanking and praising him for our creation, mightily praying to our Mother for mercy and pity and to our Lord the Holy Spirit for help and grace. For in these three is all our life: nature, mercy and grace, of which we have mildness, patience and pity ...

I like those words that demonstrate God's parenthood to be complete, encompassing that which we see as fatherhood and that which we see as motherhood. Beautiful words!

That smoking ban

Yesterday, being my day off, My wife and myself went off on our travels. Having been to Launceston, we stopped off back in Holsworthy for our lunch. The food in the pub was not as hood as when we last ate there several months ago. But that didn't matter much at all. What struck us was how fresh the air was. We felt so glad at the ban on smoking in such places. So for once in my life I am grateful to MPs who pushed for this ban - even if my threat to break wind in reprisal at smokers, is now redundant.

A good reflection of modern Britain?

A nation of snitches!. I reckon that there's a lot of revenge involved. Oh well, back to George Orwell's 1984. Not so much fantasy, I guess.

Song for the week

Tonight I feel very raw and so at times like this, I find this Coldplay song, "Fix you" very much in my mind;



Hope you like the Dr Who video. It sums up my current state of mind all too well.

Gambling - time to fight back

David Hallam is not a man to be found hanging around bookies. In fact he is a passionate opponent to an industry that prospers due to the gullibility of its consumers.

Today he tells the story of a financial consultant who has been sent to prison for 20 months as a result of fraudulent activity to finance his gambling debts. It is yet another wretched story.

Too often we talk of sin interms of sex and looking a dodgy mages etc. Increasingly I think that sin is about the things that cause harm to other people. Not all so called sexual sin does that. Yet gambling most certanly wrecks the lives of gamblers and their families. Without those who get sucked in, the whole industry would collapse.

I live in a town with significant social and economic deprivation. We are up there with the places that are traditionally associated with having an underclass. Yet, we have two sparkling betting shops in our town. Every day as I pass them I find myself snarling. The urge for a bit of vandalism is rather high within me. For I know of people in this town who chase a dream to find a way into a good life yet as the gambling bug hits them, they are denied the knowledge that statistically the probablity is that they are buying their way into a nightmare. And to think that the likes of Tessa Jowell want gambling to be socially acceptable

I am very much in favour of non violent civil disobedience against the expansion of gambling. I would never personally go with criminal damage against these places but for the life of me I can't think of a single good reason to discourage any who feel so led.

So please Mr Brown stop the gambling expansion. And please Methodism, let's take a risk or two in making the most provocative stand possible.

A sermon well worth the read

An outstanding sermon on creation by the one and only Mad Priest.

It is provocative and full of challenging thoughts. It doesn't matter if you agree with all he has to say. I just say it is well worth reading.

If that is madness, give me madness every day of the week

Women

Over at Connexions, there is this fabulous skit by Kim Fabricius on one of those subjects that interest me - women! It is a reminder of just how liberating is the example of Jesus

PETER: Eh . . . Jesus . . .

JESUS: Yes, Peter . . . ?

PETER: Eh . . . er . . . um . . .

JESUS: Come on, lad, spit it out!

PETER: Eh . . . um . . . er . . .

JESUS: So it’s sex, is it?

PETER: How did you know that?

JESUS: An educated guess. Sex and money - what else to people worry about? Have you tried the agony aunt in the Nazareth News?

PETER: No, Jesus, it’s not that kind of sex problem.

JESUS: So, then, what is the problem?

PETER: You, Jesus, you’re the problem. The tax collectors you party with - we can tolerate them. The little street kids you play footie with - they get on our nerves, but we can put up with them too. But all these women! You’re going too far, Jesus; you’re giving them “ideas”.

JESUS: “Ideas”, Peter?

PETER: That Samaritan woman, for instance, the one at the well. Rabbis aren’t even supposed to speak to women in public, yet there you were, in broad daylight, talking with her - talking religion with her! What will people think?

JESUS: You mean when will people think! So you don’t like women theologians, Peter. Anything else?

PETER: That Canaanite woman. First you insult her - you called her a “dog”. And quite right - we all know what “Canaanites” are like. But then you go and heal her little brat. You’d think you were feeling guilty or something.

JESUS: Or something. She exposed a prejudice. She broke down a barrier. And she wouldn’t take “No” for an answer when it came to the health of her daughter. So you don’t like determined women who will stand up for what is right and make any sacrifice for their children. What else, Peter?

PETER: That woman who suffered from . . . from . . .

JESUS: BLEEDING?

PETER: Not so loud, Jesus! Have you no shame?

JESUS: None whatsoever. But that woman with the . . . “haemorrhage” . . .

PETER: Yes, Jesus - she almost touched your hand. That’s disgusting! And Mary of Bethany - you let her wash your feet - and wipe them with her hair. That’s obscene! And as for Mary Magdalene . . .

JESUS: Been reading the tabloids have we, Peter?

PETER: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

JESUS: And where there’s fire, look for an arsonist. Come off it, Peter. This isn’t really about women at all, is it? It’s about power, control, jobs for the boys and all that.

PETER: Well, we were here first: God created Adam, then Eve.

JESUS: Perhaps he was only practicing, or didn’t get it quite right the first time.

PETER: But you agree that God is a “he” then?

JESUS: Don’t be ridiculous, Peter: God is not gendered. “He” is a manner of speaking.

PETER: But women are unreliable, Jesus. You can’t trust them. When the chips are down, they’ll leave you in the lurch.

JESUS: Quite unlike your rock-like self, of course.

PETER: Of course!

JESUS: You and the boys will be last at the cross and first at the tomb.

PETER: Absolutely! [Suddenly looking perplexed] Cross? Tomb? You’ve lost me, Jesus.

JESUS: There’s a first! But never mind, Peter. Besides, there’s no time to explain now. Didn’t you say you were supposed to be meeting your wife at eleven? It’s quarter past.

PETER: [Looking at his wrist sun-dial and exiting in haste] Oh my gosh! Ruth is going to kill me!

JESUS: [Calling after him] Peter! . . . Hey, Peter! . . . [Turning to the congregation] There goes your “new male”: a mind like concrete - thoroughly mixed up and permanently set!

The Bible they never taught me at Sunday School

Sarah Dylan Breuer is a real treasure even if she rather likes U2 Eucharists. Anyhow she has been posting about the Scripture verses they don't teach you in Sunday School.

Anyhow here are her 10 hot choices;

1/. "You will vomit up the little you have eaten, and you will waste your pleasant words" (Proverbs 23:8).

2/. "Happy shall be they who take your little ones / and dash them against the rock!" (Psalm 137:9)

3/. "Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection" (James 4:9).

4/. "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26).

5/."... with his blood now completely drained from him, he tore out his entrails, took them in both hands, and hurled them at the crowd, calling upon the Lord of life and spirit to give them back to him again. This was the manner of his death." (2 Maccabees 14:46 -- it's from the Apocrypha, but hey, that's useful for teaching, right?)

6/. "Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you" (James 5:1).

7/. "I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!" (Galatians 5:12)

8/. "They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken." (1 Kings 22:38)

9/. "If you are overstuffed with food, get up to vomit, and you will have relief" (Ecclesiasticus 31:21 -- another inspirational gem from the Apocrypha)

10/. "A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead." (Acts 20:9 -- and let that be a lesson to preachers who go on too long!)


I have preached on No 4 and often refer to No 7. But some of them would certainly represent a challenge. Still, perhaps we need to wrestle with the unlovely verses of Scripture rather than ignore them.

Any other verses to add to the list?

No sermon

This weekend I am preaching at neither of the services with which I am involved. Therefore, there will be no addition to the Sermon blog.

Patiotism and the Sun just don't mix

Soft porn rag The Sun is working up quite a thing about flying the Union flag as a rejection of terrorism. Various celebrities are being chased to join in. Doubtless any who refuse to do as the totalitarians demand, will be castigated.

Well I have never beeen one to fly the flag ( not even the Cornish one) as a believer that scoundrel tnd to take cover in patriotism. I certainly do not need to do so to show my objection to terrorism. I am opposed to all violence against innocent people whether it be called war or terrorism. If only the Sun was capable of taking a stand against war rather than acting like an adolescent cheerleader whenever the call to arms is made!

But what most concerns me at this moment is the hypocrisy of the Sun. How dare they speak about what is the patriotic thing to do. After all they are not British owned. The truth is that the Sun is owned by an Australian who chose to switch to US citizenship for business reasons. Of all people, they are least qualified to speak of patriotism.

The time to take them seriously is when their owner bothers to contribute an equal share of his earnings to the British Exchequer as his readers pay. Until then, this campaign is one that shows contempt for their readers.

Still, if you want to know what level of intelligence they attricute to their readers here is today's insulting rubbish about a lad romping with a cow

Planet earth calling you

Why not sign the Live Earth pledge?.

And here it is;

I PLEDGE:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;

2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"

3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;

4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;

5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;

6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,

7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.


But can we please move to people power rather than always depending on multi millionaire popstars who jet around the world yet see themselves as somehow suited to lecture the rest of us on our responsibilities!

Is capitalism the only show in town?

Simon Barrow asks if capitalism is the only show in town.

He draws attention to Heino Falcke who was a dissident in the days of tge so called German Democratic Republic. Falcke says;

"Today, capital at the international level needs to be integrated within a social framework. That's not possible within the neo-liberal principles that are in force today."

Indeed the question today is whether it is possible for capitalism to have a human face. Given its absurd tendency to grotescue inequalities, I am doubtful. After all in Britain we have the spectrum of multi millionaire venture capitalists paying a lower proportion of their income in taxation than their cleaners and this under a Labour Government!

If such inequality of wealth and indeed power is the reality under capitalism, then for the sake of humanity I hope the answer to Mr Barrow's question is a resounding NO!

Meister Eckhart on desire

Man never desires anything so earnestly
as God desires to bring a man to Himself,
that he may know Him.

Breaking the cycle of violence - our calling!

A story of misplaced revenge appears on Osama Saeed's blog. Apparently someone rammed their car into a shop owned by an Asian in what appears to be a copycat revenge for the terrorist attack on Glasgow aiport.

I found the last two paragraphs particularly pertinent;

There's been some debate about foreign policy this week. It would be worth reflecting that if this is how out of control someone or some people in Glasgow get after the Glasgow Airport incident, then how would some in Iraq react to the destruction there, not to mention the loss of some 650,000 lives?

It should go without saying, but this kind of misplaced vengeance doesn't get us anywhere. I hope arrests take place quickly regarding this. The people of Riddrie though are no more to blame for what's happened here than the Muslim community are for what happened at the airport.

Given that some of the suspects came from areas that have experienced much violence in recent times, I can not help but feel reminded that violence breeds violence. Those who attacked the Asian shop sought to respond to violence with retaliatory violence.

The far from easy question is how do we break the cycle of violence. Or are we prepared to accept ever increasing cycles of violence?

I think the principles of what we need to do are clear in regard to those questions. Putting them into affect is more difficult.

Rejoice!

Alan Johnston is freed today.

This is good news. Johnston's reports from Gaza have radiated humanity for the people there. He has been a true friend of the people of Gaza.

Tonight is a night to celebrate a rare piece of good news from Gaza!

Blog rating

Mingle²

Blitz humour

Bad taste but made me smile.


HAT TIP Chicken Yoghurt

Voices of sanity in aftermath of terrorism plots

A couple of interesting articles relating to recent terrorist acts is to be fund in The Independent.

Johann Hari reminds us that the groups that visit violence upon us do not only dislike us because of thw worst acts of our leaders but equally because of the positive features of our society. Hari who regularly receives threatening mail of jihadists, comments that such abuse always seems to refer to his homosexuality. Sexual freedom is particular area of hatred by such groups. He has a real point here. Often people like me refer to intolerance regarding homosexuality from the Christian right. We need to bear in mind that such intolerance pales into insignificance when contrasted with groups such as the Taliban who seem to be admired by those who threaten violence in the name of Islam. That is the same Taliban who also butchered people in Afghanistan for the crime of being adulterers or women who showed their faces in public.

Hari has much to say about bad religion. He expresses particular concern at Saudi influence in mosques and Islamic schools. Certainly the Saudi regime represents a particularly brutish parody of Islam. Its leaders are the routine practitioners of decapitation and amputation. They are the regime which encourages anti semitism and treat women badly. Why we sell weapons to these gangsters is a mystery to me!

Hari argues that Saudi money to fundamentalise Islam should be kept out. Instead he argues we should be supporting Muslim womens' groups which dare to challenge those who in a life denying way degrade the role of women.

I think Hari's case in this is absolutely right.

Now Hari also deal with the quation of why people become terrorists. He struggles on the matter of foreign policy. He was a supporter of the Iraq war although his position seems to have changed. I think he now concedes that the war had a radicalising effect which may have driven some of the alienated into the hands of the people of violence. To me, this is patenly obvious. But and it is a big but, the architects of violence are not practising their dark arts because of Iraq. They are in the game of creating a clash of civilisations and for them Iraq was an opportunity to draw others into their web.

It is to be hoped that foreign policy under Brown will seem more even handed to Muslims. But, on the matters of a free society that values diversity, there can be no compromise at all!

And finally, I recommned this article by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. In her article she, as a Muslim, expresses her anger at recent events in the forthright manner we have come to expect of her. The passion of her article is very moving. Her essential message is that sane, ordinary Muslims must stand up and be counted. I hope her message is taken on board by those who are tempted to excuse the men of violence.

Two voices with much good sense in what they argue. I hope they are heard clearly both in the Muslim community and beyond.

At present the British Government has been well balanced in its response. I hope that they engage in a positive way on the issues raised by Hari and Brown. We need to avoid becoming an US and THEM society. For if we do not live well together, we may well die together.

Rev Warnock goes to Blackpool

Dave Warnock is off on his travels today.

No, he is not the next entrant in the Big Brother House - more's the shame! Instead he is off to the pre-ordination retreat before being ordained at the Mthodist Conference in Blackpool.

This blog wishes him every blessing and confidently expects him to be a blessing to many others

Song for the week

This week it is Neil Diamod's "Cracklin Rosie." I still remember hearing this song on the 518 bus from Truro to Redruth whilst feeling totslly besotted with a girl who seemed incredibly cool. I couldn't take my eyes of her.

Aagh! Those were the days. And I still love this song.

Keep your eyes on the road - A sermon for 5th Sunday after Pentecost

Back seat drivers - don’t you love them! Well I am married to such a person. When I am in the driver’s seat, as my head begins to move around with my eyes looking at things to either side of the car, I am regularly given the abrupt message;

“Keep your eyes on the road!”

Now it goes without saying that I respond to this with a sharp retort followed by the moodiest silence that I can muster.

And yet (don’t let her know that I have admitted this) I have to concede that she is normally right. For the danger with my attention span being at a level of an under developed amoeba is that my drifting across the road may eventually put myself and others at mortal risk.

“Keep your eyes on the road!”

You know, it’s a bit like that with our following Jesus. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we are called on to give up our capacity for rational thinking or in any way to become Christian automatons. No way! But it does suggest that we have to develop a sense of focus as we live out our spiritual lives.


Continued

Bishop blesses nuclear submarine

Perhaps the Bishop of Carlisle, Graham Dow, should instead of blaming a liberalisation of laws regarding gay people as a cause of floods, look closer to home when a certain Bishop of Carlisle did the blessing of a nuclear submarine only a few weeks ago.

I still reject his brutal view of a God who acts arbitrarily. But I ask which is more contrary to the revealed will of God - fair play for gay people or sanctifying a potential instrument of mass murder?

Not a difficult question!

That crazy Bishop again!

The best reason I know for joining up with the Church of England, Mad Priest is also on to the case of the Bishop of Carlisle's suggesting that recent floods were the result of God geeting even with the British Government over its pro gay policies (that is taking steps on road to treating gay people equally with heterosexuals). He provides the following ditty supplied by one of his readers which relates to the fact that in the San Francisco earthquake whilst a number of churches were destroyed, the whiskey distillery remained intact;

"Some say that God did spank the town
For being over-frisky.
So why did he burn the churches down,
and save McCarthy's whisky?"

Humour is indeed the only way to deal with the Bishop's misrepresentation of God.

Digby the chameleon - courtesy of Gordon

So new Trade minister Digby Jones was negotiating with the Tories under Michael Howard with a view to being a spokesman for the either by getting a peerage or a safe seat in the Commons.

Well, now he is a minister in a Labour Government even if he resolutley refuses to pay for a membership card.

This big tent politics really worries me. I don't want everyone in one tent (except perhaps during an all out war). My understanding of democracy is that a left party is joined by people of that view and puts a left prgramme to the people. and the game goes with the right, liberals, greens etc. Sometimes the result of an election requires a deal be made but hopefully people remain true to their convictions. Of course, advice is taken by people of other persuasions. It has always been so but they don't need to join the tent.

Anyhow,I wonder if you remember those videos "Dave the Chameleon" which the Labour Party put out to get across the message that David Cameron changed his colours with ease. Well, now we have Digby the Chameleon!

Mr Brown must be proud of himself.

Bishops make me despair

A report in today's Sunday Telegraph tells that some Bishops see recent floods as literally an act of God.

One Bishop, Graham Dow the Bishop of Carlisle, is claimed to agrue that the floods are in part a judgement on what he sees as pro gay sex laws. Now leaving aside the matter that the British Government has only sought to treat people equally and not to discriminate on the basis of sexuality as with race, this claim leaves me baffled. I cannot help but feel that waging war is far more likely to be offensive to God than daring allow people to be protected from discrimination on the basis of whom they sleep with.

Dow is quoted as saying:

This is a strong and definite judgment because the world has been arrogant in going its own way.We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as the environmental damage that we have caused

Now I have no doubt that environmental neglect increases the danger of extreme weather. I believe that it is important to emphasise with renewed zeal the Biblical view that the earth is not ours to do with as we please but is ours to care for with loving stewardship. But this is a long way from suggesting that God is the architect of the floods which are continuing to cause such suffering.

Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, is quoted as saying;

"People no longer see natural disasters as an act of God. However, we are now reaping what we have sown. If we live in a profligate way then there are going to be consequences." God is exposing us to the truth of what we have done."

Once more in the final sentence we find the notion that God may well be visiting calamities upon us. And this concerns me.

My concern is to emphasise that God is a God of love. It is dangerous when we turn God into a hitman to support our agendas howver sincerely we hold them. It raise the issue of why God didn't flood Germany after the Nuremburg Laws which are far more ungodly than anything emanating from the British Government's sex policies.

To me the danger in this stuff (I hope the Telegraph has got it wrong) is that these views reduce Christianity to a form of voodoo folk religion. In short, they are views that have the potential to undermine Christian belief.

I trust that these Bishops will doswon the views attributed to them. Otherwise, they would seem to be doing Richard Dawkins' work in suggesting that Christianity is a virus, a favour.

Sadly, Christianity is more effectively undermined from within than from without!