tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.comments2023-04-27T10:53:04.081+00:00DriftwoodHeather Cracknellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09795727807441076882noreply@blogger.comBlogger453125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-51455882373175780392018-01-03T15:21:42.382+00:002018-01-03T15:21:42.382+00:00Just read this Heather; only a year late. It's...Just read this Heather; only a year late. It's wonderful. Takes me back to teaching John's Gospel but thrilling to see the connections you make and the faith building ideas you lead people to. Where are you and what are you doing now? lots of love Rosie <br />Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10292616054698770071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-19670344084260313512014-11-01T08:37:41.429+00:002014-11-01T08:37:41.429+00:00You've got it right. Evil has been downgraded...You've got it right. Evil has been downgraded in the public imagination by the image portrayed in things like Hallowe'en and the general depiction on evil characters as anti-hero's in some forms of social media, games and films etc. Evil is as Evil does, and while I don't subscribe to the image of the Devil as he is depicted commonly, I do subscribe to an entity, opposed to God and his light and goodness, always presenting in false ways, wanting to fill the void between light with his darkness.<br /><br />Our choices allow evil to take root. Small things as well as larger, sinful things allow evil to become an acceptable part of life, as you document here. The depiction of disfigurement as scary or the disabled in the same way, are pure evil, dressed up as 'a bit of fun' or otherwise.<br /><br />And evil is a persecutor of those groups of people, it's insidious poison pours into people's live, through political rhetoric for instance, where main stream politicians are content to use words too demonize the poor, the workless or the vulnerable in ways, which make them offenders (not victims) in the eyes of the population. When I hear or read terms such as 'feckless' or 'scrounger' or 'benefit cheat' applied across the board to whole groups of people I know that evil is alive, well and flourishing in the political classes, probably much more than in the general population. When whole groups of people are labelled to score political points, I literally see poison dripping from the lips of those speaking :(<br /><br />Prayer isn't enough. Christian (and other faith) voices need to be raised in noisy protest against the victimization and persecution that such rhetoric represents. I will never vote tory, liberal or labour again and UKIP might as well be the NAZI party in my personal opinion. Options are limited, but at least the Greens have some semblance of integrity and a socialist agenda which is ethical and accords very will with many Christian principles.UKViewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18114944341930758335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-36897725225108643512010-03-08T13:39:06.000+00:002010-03-08T13:39:06.000+00:00Loving your blog lately Heather, not that I didn&#...Loving your blog lately Heather, not that I didn't love it before, just today I've got several tabs open for further reading from your last week's worth of interesting links!I identify with the bit you wrote about studying the Bible acedemically, just the term I spent doing Old Testament study at uni began to shake my understanding - although you perhaps have the advangtage that you're studying within a Christian framework rather than secular? (makes me wonder how outdated/uneducated the general church's understanding of the Bible is as two of the lecturers I had were Christians yet they seemed so sure of their proof about things that seemed at odds with what my church at the time taught).Lauranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-35203173851536130332010-03-08T14:28:24.000+00:002010-03-08T14:28:24.000+00:00<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"&g...<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>Thanks for your comment, Laura. I'm glad you're finding things as interesting as I am!</div><div><br></div><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div> <div style="width: 600px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;" class="PosterousEmail"></div></div></body></html>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-50830149424960842722010-07-13T11:14:08.000+00:002010-07-13T11:14:08.000+00:00Thank you for this insight. As a (male) ordinand, ...Thank you for this insight. As a (male) ordinand, I cannot, of course fully understand what it's like from a female perspective. I hope and pray that the necessary legislation will proceed with the minimum of interuptions. The church would be a poorer place without women in ordained ministry.Michael Smithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-22646469001036801442010-07-13T12:54:50.000+00:002010-07-13T12:54:50.000+00:00<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"&g...<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>Thanks Michael. It's good news for the body of Christ, it seems to me!<br><br>Heather</div><div><br></div></body></html>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-971350494248577982010-07-15T16:12:40.000+00:002010-07-15T16:12:40.000+00:00The weakness of your ecclesiology is very evident....The weakness of your ecclesiology is very evident.The Body of Christ is the whole Church and as the Bishops and General Synod said in 1992 the moves in ordination could only be perceived to be of the mind of Christ, whose paramount wish was unity, if there was general acceptance of the move within the CE, the Anglican Communion and the wider Catholic Church. As any Ordinand should know the Anglican Church does not have its own priethood. Ordination is into the priesthood of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, and while many Anglo-Catholics are not impossibilists - to label all Anglo-Catholics as totally against is naive - any move that does not have wider acceptance cannot be deemed to be of the mind of Christ. Is it not interesting that the only Anglican provinces which have moved to this are those in steep decline, and often acting out a wider agenda?Andrew Parkinsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-22180027540782056412010-07-15T17:36:56.000+00:002010-07-15T17:36:56.000+00:00<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"&g...<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>Thank you for your comment Andrew. I'm not sure we can say those streams/denominations that ordain women are in decline, the decline is truly more widespread than that (hence the need for inculturation of the gospel in our post-Christian, post-secular culture.)</div><div><br></div><div>I accept your point that it's not all Anglo-Catholics who are unwilling to accept women's ministry - although I've never met one. Perhaps you could point me to some good essays that summarise the traditional position, if you have time.</div><div><br></div><div>I agree that unity is desirable over being right, but I look back over the early development of theological views (Christology, trinity, pneumatology etc) and see that no decisions on what is orthodox belief has been unanimously agreed upon before the church moved forward on the basis of that doctrine. The difference being we no longer brand those who disagree with us heretics. So I think there is naivety in the conviction that unless we're unanimous we can't be discerning the mind of Christ.</div><div><br>Heather</div><div><br></div></body></html>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-246256451840388332010-07-15T22:24:34.000+00:002010-07-15T22:24:34.000+00:00There have been a lot of pixels spilled on this is...There have been a lot of pixels spilled on this issue over recent years on both sides of the argument. Here are some of mine???I am disappointed, Andrew, at your rather superior tone. I???m disappointed because I have met a number of Forward in Faith colleagues for whom I believe this is a matter of theological conviction rather than misogyny. I disagree profoundly with them but I respect the integrity of their position.I take issue with the view that only the FiF position takes the catholic nature of the church seriously. Is it not possible actually that the assertions people make have more to do with the apostolicity of the church than its universality? That universality, it seems to me, is hindered by an entirely male priesthood. Perhaps I am just displaying the weakness of my ecclesiology?And if it is about the apostolic inheritence, it seems to me that there is plenty of evidence that the earliest tradition included women presbyters and overseers. Of course patriarchy has attempted to erase that evidence. But it's still there nonetheless.I???m no essentialist. I endeavour (and fail) to treat each person as an individual, rather than making a pre-judgement based on their gender or any other aspect of their being. So I do not give regard to any statements about what women bring or what men bring to the priesthood and the church. It is about what each individual brings because of their unique personality and giftedness. But it seems to me a matter of #justice (a matter of supreme importance for the Judaeo-Christian prophetic tradition) that we do not deny the vocation of half of the population. (We don't allow children to be priests until they are older but that is to do with their maturity and capacity.)As Heather has so gently pointed out, the unanimity of the Church on previous doctrinal disputes is apparent only by donning rose-tinted spectacles.And besides, it seems to me, if we're talking about the mind of Christ, that in his earthly ministry, Jesus of Nazareth was much more shaped by the radical prophetic tradition than the institutional religious consensus. He didn't appear to have a lot of time for the latter. I suppose some might say that is all about his disputes with the Jewish authorities and doesn't apply to the Church that bears his name. That, it seems to me, is to miss the point of the gospels entirely. Jesus' critique of the religious is for his followers as much as for his opponents. The judgement of God begins with the household of the faithful. He doesn't wait for the ???ecclesiastical??? authorities to be persuaded of his view. He acts unilaterally and takes the consequences (being fitted up and murdered).Of course it is always very suspect to put one's self in the place of Christ and the other in the place of the pharisee. That too is to miss the point of the gospels.But I believe that alongside Christ's passion for the unity of his Church, he also expresses God's overwhelming passion for justice. And that's what I think this is about. Not an uncritical adoption of a secular 'equal opps' agenda but about the justice of Christ's Church embracing all her members sacramentally. After all, the first to hold the body of Christ (both at his birth and at his death) was a woman and the first apostle (the first to be sent as a witness to the resurrection) was also a woman. So in both its presbyteral and episcopal modes, the gospels imply the ordained ministry of women, having even a primacy over that of men.Discuss???Mark Rodelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-44783176539910819082012-03-29T20:53:48.000+00:002012-03-29T20:53:48.000+00:00Thank you for your article, really effective piece...Thank you for your article, really effective piece of writing.tiendanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-50307145461849285892011-07-15T08:42:32.000+00:002011-07-15T08:42:32.000+00:00may I just encourage you .... that time for reflec...may I just encourage you .... that time for reflection is as you rightly say is crucial. It becomes a habit after a little bit of discipline so keep at it or you may be sucked in to the structures.I'm excited to follow your journey ..... go wellAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-75544455122426461732010-02-25T14:21:06.000+00:002010-02-25T14:21:06.000+00:00me too!me too!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-12566765083219164382010-03-03T13:00:57.000+00:002010-03-03T13:00:57.000+00:00Thanks for that, never did understand where I was ...Thanks for that, never did understand where I was politically (although obviously the test isn't 100% accurate and conclusive!), but I ended up similar to you.helen_sparklesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-84065578798819698862012-02-19T17:10:58.000+00:002012-02-19T17:10:58.000+00:00I'm interested in the concept of Pioneer Minis...I'm interested in the concept of Pioneer Ministry in terms of working outside the constraints of normal church and the possibilities that it brings to make peoples lives better, even if they don't end up in a normal parish.It's about risk taking, which in our safe pews, can seem dangerous, but to me is exciting. When I asked about Pioneer Ministry, my DDO said that due to age, and other constraints it wasn't an option for everyone. Settling for Parochial Ministry is my only option, but I can see that with some imagination and scope from an incumbent, that exploration of new forms of outreach, will be possible within a parish situation - or at least I hope so.UKViewernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-48931681710260034102012-02-19T18:50:37.000+00:002012-02-19T18:50:37.000+00:00Hi UKViewer, lots of people I know who are really ...Hi UKViewer, lots of people I know who are really keen to be creative and are passionate about connecting with people outside the church blossom in parochial ministry, and God knows we need missional priests in every setting! So don't be discouraged, and in the end, the church is bigger than the DDO's imagination... thankfully ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-9218465607580918252012-02-19T19:22:40.000+00:002012-02-19T19:22:40.000+00:00Thanks for your kind words. In the end, I am 62, ...Thanks for your kind words. In the end, I am 62, so the Church is actually taking a risk with me. So, I'm thankful for that. But sometimes I wonder about vision and DDO's being constrained by their setting and even perhaps the grip of their Diocesan Bishop on what he wants for the diocese.My benefice does do stuff on outreach, but it's constrained by the pressures of running 5 churches and not as many people coming forward to volunteer as we need to fully develop new initiatives. Our Curate has been an inspiration, but it's obvious that she is quite tied by the constraints placed on her by the situation. I think that her next ministry, will be one to watch and to be excited about.We do have diocesan initiatives, one run by the Church Army in a new housing development on a village site is really good, and is setting a marker for other initiatives. But our benefice needs to do stuff to draw in the wider community for our five rural villages. My Vicar say that I am an evangelist (not sure if it's a compliment or criticism) about this, but if I don't get through BAP, perhaps we'll look again at my doing something on those lines rather than being stuck in a continuous rut of churches and services.UKViewernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-51176178765486950522012-02-22T11:02:57.000+00:002012-02-22T11:02:57.000+00:00Nice InformationNice InformationSubhakar Raonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-28111674430045353822012-05-18T17:33:11.000+00:002012-05-18T17:33:11.000+00:00ISTM that a fair few DDOs / Bishops have a fair fe...ISTM that a fair few DDOs / Bishops have a fair few misgivings about pioneer ministry...oh that it were easily described and shouted about far more often!i've really appreciated reading your thoughts so farwondering aloudnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-90201989823319858122012-05-18T18:28:50.000+00:002012-05-18T18:28:50.000+00:00I'm glad its been helpful for you, Wondering A...I'm glad its been helpful for you, Wondering Aloud :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-36758544137071218332012-05-18T18:54:16.000+00:002012-05-18T18:54:16.000+00:00It was interesting that at BAP, I met a Lay Pionee...It was interesting that at BAP, I met a Lay Pioneer candidate, who has been leading a Church Plant for four years. He is now going forward to a normal training and curacy and parochial ministry.I didn't get to the reasons for this, but I wonder at the waste of gifts and leadership he undoubtedly possesses in his current role. Surely a Pioneer Training Stream with a Pioneer Curacy would serve the Church better?When you are asked for your vision of parochial ministry in say 10 years time, I was challenged to answer as I hadn't really thought through the implications. Perhaps it will become clearer to me in the future, as it develops.UKViewernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-51505513352630756542011-03-25T15:04:58.000+00:002011-03-25T15:04:58.000+00:00I have come back to this quote over and over again...I have come back to this quote over and over again during the last two and a half years.Keep it, and read it now and again to remind yourself .... it's liberating!exciting times ahead for you :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-67947381173785085882011-03-30T18:57:58.000+00:002011-03-30T18:57:58.000+00:00Thank you Rob. It felt liberating discovering it f...Thank you Rob. It felt liberating discovering it for the first time. I will need to hang on to it, for sure. Do you know where the quote comes from?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-55322812124551166122011-03-30T19:16:54.000+00:002011-03-30T19:16:54.000+00:00lots of places say it's Romero, and I thought ...lots of places say it's Romero, and I thought so - but recently been told apparently written by Bishop Ken Untener in 1979 for Cardinal Dearden - but most of google says Romero so I'm sticking therebottom of this page:http://shairationgco.multiply.com/journal/item/1/Bishop_Romeros_Prayer_never_fail_to_put_me_in_the_right_place_whenever_i_forget...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-83137349484711711012010-03-31T10:20:09.000+00:002010-03-31T10:20:09.000+00:00Coming from the other end of the Anglican candle, ...Coming from the other end of the Anglican candle, but having slid up and down a bit I can appreciate how you feel. But some of the times I have felt most open to God have been through music. Not always; a long walk in creation or gazing at my new born has done it too. Choral music, though, does give a vobabulary and communality that these others can't. So is music transformative? I think it can; a chink of heaven we can experience and build on. And if a set of worship songs move us in the same way as secular music, isn't that God given too? I look to the day I can raise my voice with the heavenly host as I do in earthly worship.Lucynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9226939.post-8051959352693606872010-03-31T10:36:35.000+00:002010-03-31T10:36:35.000+00:00Thanks Lucy, I'd agree that music can give us ...Thanks Lucy, I'd agree that music can give us a 'chink of heaven', I guess I'm left without really knowing what we sing for: to make ourselves feel better? to lift us out of ourselves? to join in with heaven's song (I like that one, hadn't thought of it that way til your comment), to join us to others? All of which are good things, I'm just not sure that they change us. I love choral music (although I haven't experienced it in worship much) and have had some great spiritual experiences when listening to music, its just that I'm unclear about why we put so much emphasis on singing in church, when most of the time it doesn't have a lasting affect on us. But maybe that doesn't matter??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com