How the C of E is engaging with social media; November vote on women bishops; Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali launches latest book; Lives of the Improbable Saints; Media review – Two views on the Church of England permitting celebrity-style weddings; Children distributing Communion change backed by bishop; People who agree to donate their organs could be given NHS priority; Vatican asked to remove Savile’s knighthood
How the C of E is engaging with social media
Song of Praise yesterday was on the theme “ Future Church”. Jayne Lutwyche of BBC Religion and Ethics has posted a report on the C of E and social media, excerpts of which follow:
Faced with falling congregations, the Church of England is finding digital engagement via Twitter, Facebook and blogging sites a powerful and important part of its ministry and mission.
Sister Elizabeth Pio based in Southsea, Portsmouth, is the Anglican nun behind @bethanysister -which has attracted a followership of over 1300. She uses the site as an electronic notice board, sharing spiritual insights and prayers as well as her take on current affairs and even football matches.
We try not to make it too churchy or too preachy because that’s not where people are in the everyday. We try and make it almost like a magazine,” she told BBC Songs of Praise….
…Church of England web-pioneer the Right Reverend Nick Baines, Bishop of Bradford is equally undeterred by the bullies. He’s suffered his fair share of abuse online, but is committed to spreading the e-word.
“Anyone who ‘puts it out there’ will invite the abuse that characterises the instant-comment medium of the internet.” he explained.
“However, we have to develop a thick skin and the ability to distinguish between what is a genuine point of objection and what is simply projected abuse. I deal with it by being a grown-up.”
Bishop Baines has been running his own blog Musings of a restless bishop since 2008 and is a regular user of micro-blogging site Twitter.
For complete report, go to:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19992285
November vote on women bishops
Reuters has a comprehensive report – The Church of England is to vote on November 20 on whether to allow the ordination of women bishops, the culmination of more than 10 years of debate on one of the most divisive issues within the Anglican community.
Women already serve as bishops in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, but the Church of England, the mother church for the world’s 80 million Anglicans, has struggled to reconcile the dispute between reformers and traditionalists on whether to allow them in England.
The vote in the Church’s General Synod is expected to be close, but there is reason to believe the proposed legislation will gain the two-thirds majority it needs to pass, said William Fittall, Secretary General to the Synod.
“The expectation in the Church of England and outside the Church is this is going to go through…(but) the arithmetic is tight,” Fittall said in a media briefing.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has expressed his strong backing for allowing female bishops, but has underlined the need to respect more traditional views also.
The proposed legislation makes provision for parishes which for theological reasons object to senior women clergy.
“Our challenge has been and still is to try and make it good news even for those within our fellowship who have conscientious doubts,” Williams said in an essay this month.
More at:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/26/uk-religion-anglicans-idUKBRE89P0US20121026
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali launches latest book
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali launched his new book last week at All Souls church, Langham Place, situated opposite the BBC’s New Broadcasting House in central London.
In Triple Jeopardy for the West: Aggressive Secularism, Radical Islamism and Multiculturalism, Bishop Michael argues that these three seemingly diverse pressures are a profound threat to British life.
He makes the case for Christianity as the foundation which can provide the equality, justice and freedom currently sought by our society.
The book launch was attended by a number of journalists and was followed by a question and answer session with Bishop Michael about the book.
He said: “There are a number of dangers that are facing the Western world. We are seeing more and more examples of aggressive secularism not only in the press but actually in legislation where Christian conscience, for instance, is not being adequately recognised.
“I think what I’m after in the end is a renewal of the Judaeo-Christian tradition in the West. Not just in terms of people’s personal faith… but in terms of public policy and in how the West sees its destiny.”
Triple Jeopardy for the West is published by Bloomsbury and is available from all major book sellers.
Launch and Interview with Bishop Nazir-Ali at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruAC9UL43zY&feature=youtu.be
Lives of the Improbable Saints
From St Fillan of Munster, patron saint of the mentally ill, who read by the light of his miraculously glowing arm, to Santa Lucia, who tore out her eyes to dismiss the lascivious attentions of her would-be husband, a new book is offering amusing and bemusing insights into the miscellany of Christian saints throughout the ages.
Which saintly infant struggled from the womb saying, ‘I am a Christian’ three times?
Which French saint annoyed a dragon so much by dancing around in front of it that it eventually strangled itself? Whose river-bank preaching in Italy was so persuasive that the fish rose to the surface and tried to join in the hymns? Which saintly virgin gives her name to a particularly testing bend of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit? And whose saintly British remains are hidden in a location so secret that it is only known by 12 monks who whisper the secret to a chosen successor on their deathbed?
You will be able to find the answer to all of these questions in Lives of the Improbable Saints, the new book by Radio 4 presenter and former The Communards member, Richard
Coles.
He sheds light on some of the lesser known saints from around the world spanning the first to 20th century.
As he uncovered more about these fascinating figures, he took to his Facebook and Twitter pages to share his discoveries.
To his surprise, he was not alone in his curiosity over the saints, and his musings sparked a considerable amount of interest among his followers.
The stories of nearly 200 saints are summarised in the book, accompanied by witty illustrations from Ted Harrison.
They include the patron saint of finding a parking space and a patron saint of horse vets.
Richard says he was drawn to “not the A list saints, but the Bs, Cs and beyond”.
“Stories of such strangeness, comedy, cruelty and surprise that I found them quite fascinating,” he adds.
MEDIA REVIEW
Two views on the Church of England permitting celebrity-style weddings
1. Enter a church and you should hear echoes of eternity – not the Sugababes
Daily Mail – Peter Hitchens writes – I think the Church of England has just committed suicide. Its decision to allow grotesque, overblown weddings in its churches is an act so desperate and hopeless that I fear there is no return. Beneath the ancient arches of our parish churches we shall …
http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2012/10/enter-a-church-and-you-should-hear-echoes-of-eternity-not-the-sugababes.html
2. Better a Posh and Becks style wedding than none at all
Daily Mail – Sandra Parsons writes – Hands have been held up in horror at the prospect of — gasp! — such common behaviour being allowed in church. But actually, I think the dusty old C of E — which often strives so pathetically to be trendy — is right: anything that encourages couples to get married in church has to be better than the alternative, which is marrying elsewhere or not at all.
Children distributing Communion change backed by bishop
This is Nottingham – The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham has backed a plan for the Church of England to relax its rules to encourage the involvement of children in distributing Holy Communion at services. The Church of England’s general assembly, the General Synod, is …
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Communion-change-backed-bishop/story-17192441-detail/story.html
People who agree to donate their organs could be given NHS priority
Telegraph – The idea, floated by NHS Blood and Transplant, last night met a backlash from the Church of England and patients’ groups, who say such a change would mean doctors treating two patients differently – something which would undermine medical ethics.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9637922/People-who-agree-to-donate-their-organs-could-be-given-NHS-priority.html
Vatican asked to remove Savile’s knighthood
AFP – The leader of Catholic Church of England and Wales has asked the Vatican whether the papal knighthood given to disgraced British television star Jimmy Savile can be posthumously removed, a spokesman said on Saturday. Vincent Nichols, the …
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hRBB-WAo0kK57_pfuLNxCD_S_rAw?docId=CNG.c0cfccd792e03000acf35b2ac4e95769.461