Church of England Newspaper 20-12-13

PLANS ARE being discussed to fast-
track the first woman appointed a

bishop to take a seat in the House of
Lords.
The dramatic move was revealed by
the Bishop of Leicester in a debate about
the number of peers sitting in the cham-
ber.
The Rt Rev Tim Stevens said: More
immediately, we have begun to explore
the possibility of modification to the
Bishoprics Act, which governs the suc-
cession of Lords spiritual after a vacancy,
in order to make it possible for women
who may be ordained as bishops in the
next few years to be fast-tracked to this
Bench.
But he warned that measures need to
be taken soon to cut the number of peers
in the House of Lords or there is a dan-
ger of serious dysfunction.
But Bishop Tim Stevens, who is con-
venor of the bishops in the Upper House,
warned that any reduction in size needed
to maintain true and impartial accounta-
bility and to represent the breadth and
diversity of civil society and intellectual
life.
At present there are more than 800
peers who could in theory attend the
House.
And in a Lords debate on the size of
the House, Bishop Stevens said: Any
reduction in numbers will need to have
regard to the proportion of independent
Members as the pressure for political
appointees continues to mount.
We will see nothing but serious dys-
function if these principles are not given
effect soon.
The coalition agreement appears to
enshrine the doctrine that membership
of this House should reflect the propor-
tions of votes cast at the 2010 election.
Unless there is change, and if this doc-
trine continues to obtain, we all know
that the consequence will rapidly
become unmanageable.
If the suspicion is to be allayed that
the necessary limited reforms of this
House are being frustrated in order to
create the conditions for more radical
reform, surely we need to proceed to
action soon.
This House is not, and never has
been, a Chamber embodying the doc-
trine of proportional representation
our character, purpose and raison dtre
lie elsewhere.
At present there are 26 places for Bish-
ops in the House of Lords and Bishop
Stevens said the Church had indicated a
willingness to work with the Govern-
ment to cut that number in a proportion-
ally reduced House.
Bishop Stevens, who was a member of
the cross-party group scrutinising
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Cleggs ulti-
mately doomed Bill on Lords reform,
said: I cannot remember a single wit-
ness to that committee, or a single mem-
ber of it, arguing that the present size of
this House is optimal.
What we do here is of vital impor-
tance to the nation.
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ENGLAND
Newspaper
The teenage
soldiers
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A happy and holy
Christmas to all
our readers, advertisers
and contributors!
Our next edition will be published
on 3 January, 2014
GIRL GUIDES in a
church-based troop have
been threatened with
expulsion from the move-
ment for refusing to drop
God from their tradi-
tional promise.
The 37th Newcastle
Guide Unit at Jesmond
Parish Church received a
letter last Friday warning
them that they must
adopt the new promise
to be true to myself and
to develop my beliefs or
be expelled.
Glynnis Mackie, who
has led the troop for
more than 25 years,
described the new
pledge as a fridge mag-
net promise that doesnt
mean anything. There-
are more than 100 girls
in Rainbows, Brownies,
Guides and Rangers in
the Unit.
The only thing we
want for the girls is for
them to have a choice,
said Mrs Mackie. This
surprisingly aggressive
letter says that we will
not use the new promise
and that simply isnt true.
We would use this new
form of words but we
want the children to have
the choice to say the old
promise if they want to.
This is the first sub-
stantial change in the
103-year history of the
Girl Guides. The change
they propose wasnt hon-
estly investigated and we
couldnt appeal the deci-
sion.
Girl Guidings Chief
Commissioner of the
North East has told the
group their membership
will end on 31 December
unless they adopt the
new promise.
They are trying to
force us out of Girl Guid-
ing with no process and
with only three weeks
notice.
Guides ordered to drop God
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www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 News
BIRMINGHAM
Carols reworked
Last week, staff and students of
the Queens Foundation for
Ecumenical Theological
Education went to the crowded
city centre and sang Christmas
songs. New words were given
to carols inviting people to give
more and buy less, and poking
fun at the big corporations and
credit card companies. So,
Angels from the realms of
glory became Bankers from
the realms of money .
Passersby were given chocolate
coins and leaflets describing
what the singing was about.
YORK
York loves St Lucy
A Swedish tradition came to
York Minster for the first time
last night (19 December), with
a service to mark the feast of
Saint Lucy Sankta Lucia
forming part of the cathedrals
Advent programme. The
atmospheric service saw York
Minster being lit by candles,
with a candlelit procession led
by a young girl wearing a
crown of candles to represent
St Lucy, a young Sicilian girl
who died a martyrs death in
the early fourth century.
NORTHUMBERLAND
Lindisfarne
reworked
A new piece of music, inspired
by The Lindisfarne Gospels
and the island where they were
created, has been written by
renowned musician Alistair
Anderson, commissioned by
the Rev Paul Collins, vicar of St
Marys Church, Holy Island, to
create the work to honour the
ancient manuscript going on
display in Durham this year.
Entitled A Lindisfarne Gospel,
it weaves flowing melodies on
fiddles, Northumbrian pipes,
harp, concertina and cello into
musical textures that reflect the
complex intertwining designs
of the Gospels.
SOUTHWARK
New church dedicated
On Saturday 7 December the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev
Christopher Chessun, dedicated the new St Hughs church
building in Bermondsey. The new church was full to overflowing
as the Bishop led the congregation in thanksgiving and
dedicated the building to the glory of God. It will serve as the
place where people will gather for worship and as a base for
mission and engagement with the local community.
CHESTER
Carols in the pub
Anyone over 18 years old is
invited to attend a special
church service... in a pub.
Monday 23 December sees St
Lukes church in Huntington,
Chester, lead drinkers and
diners in some traditional Carol
Singing, hosted by the Rake &
Pikel in Chester Road. From
8.30-9.00pm, customers can join
in singing traditional carols.
This will be the third year that
Beer and Carols has taken
place. John Cheek of St Lukes
said: Drinkers can pop-in for a
quick drink, and sing along.
LONDON
Club is Ace
On 12 December, Archbishop
Justin visited a CUF-supported
project Ace of Clubs, in
Clapham, which provides meals
to vulnerable people and beds
for those sleeping rough and
recorded his Christmas
address for the BBC,
mentioning Church Urban
Fund along the way. This will
be broadcast on New Years
Day. This will be his first
appearance. It can be watched
on BBC One at 12:40pm, or
later on BBC Two, at 5:20pm on
the same day.
PETERBOROUGH
Media opportunities
The media offers the Church
huge opportunities and
challenges, says the Rev
Richard Coles, broadcaster and
vicar of Finedon, speaking to
curates recently about the
media and social media. He told
them the patron of
broadcasters is St Gabriel and
the saint protecting television is
St Clare of Assisi, but Richard
argues that John the Baptist
should be the guiding figure for
Christians in the media. John
was a disturbing figure, said
Richard.
DUDLEY
New Bishop named
The Queen has approved the nomination of
the Rev Canon Graham Barham Usher,
BSc, MA, Rector and Lecturer of Hexham
(Newcastle), to the Suffragan See of
Dudley (Worcester), in succession to the Rt
Rev David Stuart Walker, MA, on his
translation to Manchester.
The new bishop is married to Rachel, who
is a GP, with two children of school age.
His interests include hill walking, drawing,
writing and the company of his friends.
LONDON
Fossil-free nativity
The steps of St Pauls Cathedral, London
saw a new twist on the Nativity on Saturday
14 December with the staging of a Fossil
Free Nativity play. In celebration of the
Church of Englands willingness to
consider disinvesting from fossil fuel, a
group of Christians, activists and friends
performed the Fossil Free Nativity in
front of St Pauls Cathedral supported by
angels from the SPEAK Network. This time
Joseph fits solar panels, Gabriel travels by
public transport and King Herod is flanked
by his advisers BP and EDF.
THE
CHURCHIN
ENGLAND
2
Salisbury
SALISBURY
Choristers wanted
Auditions for School Years 3 and 4
to join Salisbury Cathedral Choir
will be held on Saturday 18 January
(boys) and Saturday 1 February
(girls). David Halls, Director of
Music, said: Becoming a cathedral
chorister is a great opportunity for a
musically talented child and the
auditions are always an exciting
time as we look to the future of the
choir. I am particularly keen to
attract boys and girls from the local
community and diocese.
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 News 3
Virgin births are a
modern phenomenon
EastEnglish Bible proves a success
A website to make the Bible more accessible
for non-native English speakers has enjoyed
huge success in 2013.
The site, www.easyenglish.info, clocked up
four million visitors from more than 200 coun-
tries this year.
The EasyEnglish version of the Bible and
commentaries uses a vocabulary of just 1,200
words for those who have learned English as a
second language.
Simple rules, including using one topic per
paragraph and no passive verbs, split infinitives,
idioms, rhetorical questions or ambiguous pro-
nouns, were devised by volunteers who worked
from home on the project.
Starting 20 years ago, the EasyEnglish proj-
ect is part of MissionAssist, formerly Wycliffe
Associates, which offers a range of free servic-
es to overseas mission workers.
More responses to Pilling
Comments are continuing to be made on the
Report of the House of Bishops Working Group
on Sexuality chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling.
The Council of Bishops of the traditionalist
Anglo-Catholic Society of St Wilfred and St
Hilda have released a statement saying that the
report is an important piece of work which
deserves careful consideration.
The statement notes that the report proposed
no change of doctrine and that its practical
recommendations remain, at this stage, recom-
mendations to the House of Bishops.
The LGB and T Anglican Coalition welcomed
the recognition of theological diversity, the
denunciation of homophobia, the call for fur-
ther discussion and recommendations that
could make it easier for clergy to bless partner-
ships publicly.
It regrets that no clear definition of homopho-
bia is offered and expressed disappointment
that the report does not really consider the
position of transgender people in the church.
We are also disappointed that no liturgy of
thanksgiving or blessing is proposed, said a
statement from the Coalition, but overall we
are thankful for the working partys effort. We
trust and hope that the report may move the
Church of England forward.
The Global South of the Anglican Commun-
ion, which represents the viewpoint of those
associated with Gafcon, has expressed serious
concern about the report. In its statement,
Global South said the church of Christ should
not in any way be homophobic but it also says
the Pilling report raises issues about the rela-
tionship of the church to its context.
Will the Church of England allow society to
shape its faith and practice in such a way in
order to be acceptable by society or will the
Church of England recognise that its distinctive
mission is to transform socie-
ty?
The Global South state-
ment, which can be found on
its website, warns that if the
recommendations of the
Report are accepted the
Church of England will go
down the same road as the
Episcopal Church in the US.
It said the dissenting view
written by the Bishop of
Birkenhead captures well
our position. The statement
is signed by the Bishop of
Egypt and the Archbishop of
Mauritius.
INBRIEF
By Amaris Cole
THE BIRTH of Jesus to the Virgin Mary
is being recounted in schools and church-
es across the country, but a study sug-
gests virgin births are also a modern-day
phenomenon.
The British Medical Journal is reporting
that US researchers have identified a number
of pregnancies reported by virgins since the
mid-1990s among a large group of young
adults in America.
Asexual reproduction is seen in the animal
kingdom in creatures such a pit vipers, boa
constrictors, sharks and Komodo dragons, but
little attention has been given to the evidence
of virgin pregnancy in humans.
Researchers at The University of North Car-
olina examined the incidence of pregnancy
before sexual intercourse reported by a repre-
sentative group of US adolescents and young
adults.
The scientists confidentially interviewed
7,870 women multiple times over a 14-year
period between adolescence and adulthood, as
part of a larger sexual health survey.
Each interview asked participants to report
on their history of intercourse, use of assisted
reproductive technology, and pregnancy histo-
ry, along with age, importance of religion and
presence of chastity vow.
Parents of the respondents were also asked
how much they spoke to their child about sex
or birth control.
Of the sample of 7,879 women, 0.5 per cent
consistently affirmed their status as virgins
and did not use assisted reproductive technol-
ogy, yet reported a virgin birth.
Of this group, 31 per cent have signed
chastity pledges.
More of this group gave birth to boys, 60 per
cent, or found they were with child during
Advent.
The authors of the report point out that self-
reported measures of potentially sensitive top-
ics are subject to some degree of respondent
bias and misclassification, but add that careful-
ly designed questions and state of the art tech-
nology was used.
Nevertheless, they conclude that around
0.5 per cent of women affirmed their status as
virgins and did not use assisted reproductive
technology, yet reported virgin births.
The reports authors add: Reporting dates
of pregnancy and sexual initiation consistent
with virgin pregnancy was associated with cul-
tural mores highly valuing virginity, specifical-
ly signing chastity pledges.
Have you heard of British missionaries who
went to the ends of the earth to share the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Do you have the same desire to serve God in
an extreme mission adventure?
Bishops David Parsons and Darren McCartney are
seeking such people who are inspired to consider a
similar call to ministry. They cant offer you riches or an easy life,
but for such a time as this, when many reject biblical authority they
can offer communities in the Canadian Arctic who are seeking bible
believing clergy to teach, pastor and make disciples.
The Arctic Bishops will visit the UK during February 2014.
To set up an appointment with one of them
please contact the
Rev. Canon R. J. Tonkin,
39 Shackerdale Road, Wigston, Leicester, LE18 1BQ
Tel: 0116 281 2517.
For a complete profile of the Diocese
please contact debra@arcticnet.org.
A CALL TO
CANADIAN
ARCTIC MINISTRY
Bishop: pressure on assisted dying will grow
THE STRENGTH of feeling in favour of allowing
terminally ill people to be helped to commit sui-
cide is strong and likely to get stronger, the Bish-
op of Chester has admitted.
Bishop Peter Forster said he was still against assisted
suicide, but needed to acknowledge the state of public
opinion on the matter.
In a House of Lords debate he said: For a society that
has now embraced abortion by choice, the move to
assisted suicide by choice might seem, in moral terms,
rather a modest step.
I am surprised that this connection is not made more
often.
Whether one accepts that parallel or not, and what-
ever one makes of the parallel, I believe that the wider
social context is crucial to our debates on this subject.
Choice always has a context, and the context of our
society has changed and is changing. I need to acknowl-
edge that.
Bishop Forster said he remained personally
opposed to changing the law but questioned how he
could prevent others with a different view from mak-
ing their choices on the basis of a change in the law.
He told peers: It is a somewhat open question but I
think I am still persuaded that in order to sustain justice
for the vulnerable in our competitive and individualistic
society - the context in which we are discussing this
matter - there would have to be very powerful bulwarks
in the law to prevent the exploitation of the weak and
vulnerable.
He said that even with the safeguards proposed in a
draft bill put forward by Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the
former Lord Chancellor, changes in the law tend to
create their own momentum, as has been well illustrat-
ed with what has happened with abortion.
He added: For me, that is where the problem will lie
if a change in the law is based too much on the notions
of choice and autonomy.
If you accept assisted suicide fundamentally on the
basis of autonomous choice, how can you simply leave
it to a very restricted group who are believed to be ter-
minally ill? Logically, one day or another, sooner or
later, it would have to be extended.
That leads me to my current conclusion: that the
risks inherent in legalising assisted suicide still out-
weigh the benefits that might accrue.
In the same debate, the Bishop of Sheffield made his
maiden speech.
Bishop Steven Croft told peers: It is particularly
poignant for me to contribute to this debate on patient
choice at the end of life as my own father is very seri-
ously ill.
Over the last few days I have been involved in a num-
ber of conversations with medical staff and my close
family about the questions before us today.
I am sure that these conversations are familiar to
many.
THE BISHOP of Birmingham has
called for the Government to speed
up the process of capping interest
rates on payday loans.
Ministers have agreed to instruct the
new Financial Conduct Authority to
bring in a limit on the total charges com-
panies such as Wonga can impose.
The Government has set a deadline of
January 2015, but Bishop David
Urquhart backed an amendment to the
Financial Service (Banking Reform) Bill
to bring that date forward to October
next year.
He said there was a risk of people hav-
ing yet another Christmas borrowing at
too great a cost and risk to their own
future and that of their family.
He added: Local charities, churches
and the faith groups are responding to
the Governments approach to tackling
this global financial crisis.
However, the slow timetable - several
years before all this is implemented - is a
completely different timetable from that
of someone who has no resources, who
has no back-up and who is looking for
food tomorrow.
The amendment was defeated by 163
votes to 100 despite Bishop Urquharts
support.
At question time in the Lords, the Bish-
op of Truro asked whether the Govern-
ment would introduce a real-time
database of pay day loans.
Bishop Tim Thornton said it would
ensure that the proposed Financial Con-
duct Authority rules can be properly
monitored and enforced.
He said in particular it would avoid
the problem - a special one at this time of
year - of people being able to take out
multiple loans from different companies
at the same time.
Treasury spokesman Lord Newby said
a real-time database was one of the
things the FCA would look at.
In some of the countries and US states
where they have effective caps on the
cost of payday loans, such systems have
been seen to work efficiently and be very
effective, he said.
LAMBETH PALACE issued a brief
statement after Archbishop Justin
Welby met with senior representa-
tives of the energy industry last
week.
The Archbishop of Canterbury today
welcomed a small group of senior repre-
sentatives from the energy industry to
hear their perspectives on social respon-
sibility around the energy supply sec-
tor, the statement read. This is one of a
number of private meetings hosted by
Archbishop Justin in order to draw on
the experience of people in different
areas of life.
The meeting took place only a few
weeks after the Archbishop criticised
price rises. It is understood that four of
the big six energy companies were rep-
resented by chief executives at the meet-
ing. Bosses of Scottish Power and SSE
could not make it but SSE have made an
open invitation to the Archbishop to
meet with their staff.
A source at Lambeth Palace told the
BBC that the meeting was warm and
open and lasted for almost an hour.
In an interview with the Mail on Sun-
day after British Gas announced price
increases, the Archbishop said the
impact on people, particularly on low
incomes, is going to be really severe this
winter, and the companies have to justify
fully what they are doing.
Ed Miliband launched the debate on
energy prices when he promised a
future Labour government would freeze
them for 20 months. Criticising the poli-
cy, Angel Gurria, secretary of the Organ-
isation for Economic Cooperation and
Development, said a freeze in prices
would drive away investment.
Critics say a fall in investment will
make it difficult to open new sources of
energy and could lead to power short-
ages and blackouts.
Archbishop
meets with
energy bosses
THE BISHOP of Truro has joined in with House of Lords
tributes to Nelson Mandela.
Bishop Tim Thornton praised the humility and dignity of
the former South African president.
During an hour-long session of tributes in the Lords, Bishop
Thornton said: In matters of faith, although he was baptised
into the Methodist Church and went to a Christian school, he
believed that religion was a deeply personal and private affair,
yet the way that he lived out his faith by challenging unjust
structures, and then through public service, was an example to
all of us.
He believed in the old African proverb that we are people
through other people and that only by recognising the humani-
ty in others do we ourselves become truly human. It was this
reconciling message that Mandela lived out daily.
Bishop Thornton said Mandela had helped the world to
understand forgiveness and healing.
He added: He fought a racist power structure
but, when he gained legitimate political power, he
did not answer racism with racism.
He said, We are not anti-white but against
white supremacy. He was a living testament to
integrity and dignitya courageous man who
sacrificed his freedom for the elimination of racial
oppression.
Bishop praises humility and dignity of Nelson Mandela
Call for cap on payday loans
THE CHURCH of the Province of
Central Africa has postponed
action to split the church into three
national provinces, voting to put
the Kunonga years behind them
and work towards unity and heal-
ing.
Approximately 100 bishops, clergy
and lay delegates from Botswana,
Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe met in
Lusaka from 27 November to 1 Decem-
ber under the theme Going Forward
Together in Unity and Prayer in the
provinces first synod since 2007.
Speaking to ACNS before the start of
the meeting, Archbishop Albert
Chama stated: The six turbulent years
that we have gone through since the
last Synod require us all to move on in
solidarity and in a very prayerful man-
ner. God has seen us this far and he
will lead us through.
The September 2007 session held in
the southern Malawi town of
Mangochi was marked by
debates over homosexuality,
the Episcopal Church of the
USA, Robert Mugabe and
the aspirations of the nation-
al churches. The province
was also without an arch-
bishop and a number of dio-
ceses were without bishops.
The then bishop of Harare,
Dr Nolbert Kunonga,
attempted to capitalize on
the power vacuum within the
Church and sought to enlist
the province as an ally of
Zimbabwes President
Robert Mugabe. Unable to
force the subordination of
the province to the govern-
ment of Zimbabwe, Dr
Kunonga told the Harare
Herald the province had
been dissolved, initiating six
years of litigation.
In his presidential address
last week Archbishop
Chama reported on the successful con-
clusion of the Kunonga schism, with
the Zimbabwe courts returning all of
the assets seized by Dr Kunonga. How-
ever, the fight had damaged the
church, burdening it with $200,000 of
unpaid legal fees in the Diocese of
Harare and $180,000 in the Diocese of
Manicaland.
However the Bishop of Masvingo,
the Rt Rev Godfrey Tawonevzi on 9
December told overseas supporters
Dr Kunongas allies had not halted
their actions in his diocese. Kunonga
loyalists, with the help of local police
and government officials, were hold-
ing on to a number of churches and
schools in defiance of court orders.
Debate over dividing the CPCA into
national provinces did not have the
politically charged atmosphere of
2007, participants told The Church of
England Newspaper.
Exodus of New Zealand Anglicans reported
By George Conger
THE NUMBER of New Zealand Anglicans has fall-
en by 17 per cent over the past seven years, giving
the Anglican Church of Aotearoa/Polynesia the
distinction of being the fastest declining member
of the Anglican Communion.
Census data on Religious Affiliation released on 10
December by Statistics New Zealand reported Angli-
cans had lost their top spot as the countrys largest
denomination a position held since census figures on
religion were first tabulated in New Zealand and are
now second to the Roman Catholic Church in terms of
membership.
The number of Catholics fell from 508,812 in the 2006
census to 491,421 in 2013, but this total left that Church
with approximately 40,000 more members than the
Anglican Church. During the same period Anglicans in
New Zealand declined from 554,925 to 459,771, or 17
per cent. The Episcopal Church of the USA, divided by
schisms and litigation, declined by 12 per cent during
the same period, from 2,154,572 to 1,894,181 members.
The number of those reporting no religion
remained the largest category of respondent with the
2006 number of 1.297 million rising to 1.635 million in
2013, climbing from 32.2 per cent to 38.6 per cent of the
population. In 1956 more than 90 per cent of New
Zealanders identified themselves as Christian.
In his Advent letter to the church, Archbishop Phillip
Richardson wrote the census figures contains few sur-
prises. Not even the decline in Anglican affiliation
should catch us unawares. These trends liberate us
from notions of self-importance and turn us back to our
fundamental calling.
He added that they also situate our Church more on
the margins of our society, where we really belong.
My immediate response, then, is thankfulness to
God that we are being refined, called to repentance and
to a refocusing of our mission, he said, adding that fol-
lowing Jesus has always been fundamentally counter-
cultural.
And the Church has always been most authentically
the Body of Christ when it is salt and leaven rather than
the religious dimension of modern society.
Our Church may be smaller numerically, but we may
also be more authentically Christs Church as we recov-
er our saltiness and become real leaven, Archbishop
Richardson said.
PRIORY AUTOMOTIVE WISH ALL READERS
"A MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR"
The team at Priory Automotive would like to take
this opportunity to pass on the compliments of
the season to all readers. They would also like
to thank the customers who took delivery of their
new car from Priory, and helped to make this year
so successful. They know from their feedback
just how happy they all are, and Priory promise
to keep up the good work in the coming year, no
short cuts on quality, no compromise on customer
satisfaction, just great cars, at great prices from a
knowledgeable and friendly team.
Should be looking to change your car next year,
remember the name Priory, and give them a call.
PRIORY AUTOMOTIVE TeI: 0114 2559696
www.prioryautomotive.com
Dalit campaigners hit with water cannon
POLICE IN New Delhi
used water cannons and
truncheons to stop a
march on parliament in
support of Dalit rights
by Christian leaders last
week.
After breaking the
marchers line with jets of
water on 11 December,
police wielding lathis
(canes) waded into the
crowded marching on Par-
liament Street after they
refused to disburse.
The march began at Jan-
tar Mantar and headed
towards Parliament House
in defiance of a ban on
protests along Parliament
Street. Police arrested the
Roman Catholic Archbish-
op of Delhi, Anil Couto, the
General Secretary of the
Church of North India,
Alwin Masih, and a num-
ber of clergy, nuns and
activists. Several clergy
were injured in the attack.
The march had been
organized by Christian
leaders to call for an end to
the statutory discrimina-
tion against Dalit Chris-
tians and Muslims. Under
Indian law Hindu, Sikh and
Buddhist Dalits, or
Untouchables, are eligible
for special government
benefits and preferences.
However, Christian and
Muslim Dalits are
not eligible for the
subsidies as the gov-
ernment has held
that once an
Untouchable
becomes a Christian
or Muslim, he is
freed from caste dis-
crimination a
stance disputed by
Christian and Mus-
lim leaders.
After his release
from jail Archbishop
Couto said: Govern-
ment after govern-
ment have been turning a
deaf ear to the demand of
Christians. Now they are
going to the extent of bru-
tally beating up our priests
and nuns and now arrest-
ing us too.
Fr Ajay Singh, a Catholic
priest who was at the
march, said: The Prime
Ministers apology must be
followed by action.
The CEN offices will be
closed from Friday
20th December until
2nd January 2014
Church puts unity
aims in focus
FuithfuI
Sheep
Ministries
TimeIy ibIe Teuching
in un Age of
Confusion und ChuIIenge
www,fsmins,org
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Letters 6
Out of step?
Sir, The Pilling review warns:
The Church increasingly
out of step with the wider soci-
ety. Really? Whats new about
that? Christmas underlines it
every year. I dont hear voices
suggesting we should give up
celebrating the virgin birth of
Jesus, or proclaiming that he
is one with Almighty God, or
telling everyone that those
who receive him will become
children of God - just because
we are out of step with wider
society.
The Rev Canon Michael
Christian-Edwards,
Lymington, Hants
No change please
Sir, I note on the front page of
your edition of 6 December
that there seems to be some
debate over the blessing/con-
secration of same-sex mar-
riages.
One may argue till the cows
come home about the doc-
trines we have already, but
that is no reason to change
them, just to seem to be up-to-
date. Was it not Chesterton
who warned us, more than
100 years ago, that the church
that cosied up to the spirit of
this age would be a widow in
the next?
Christianity is counter-cul-
tural, and will never be accept-
ed in the Vanity Fair in which
we now live and in some
ways, have always lived. Vani-
ty Fair is all about the image
you wish to project, but Chris-
tianity is about the reality of
who God is, and of our rela-
tionship with him through
Jesus Christ.
Therefore, no new doc-
trines, thank you!
Adrian Bull,
Guisborough, N Yorks
Pleasing God
Sir, I note with sadness that
the authors of the Pilling
Report have fallen into the
same trap as many politicians.
On page 1 of your 6 December
edition you quote from the
report the Church increas-
ingly out of step with the
wider society.
Christians are not called to
be in step with society. We
are called by God to proclaim
the truth to a society that is
out of step with God. I was
pleased to see that the Church
of Scotland, as you quote on
page 5, has decided that the
mainstream Christian belief
that marriage is between one
man and one woman is still
the correct definition. God did
not get it wrong when he
made us male and female,
with differing biological func-
tions.
St Paul wrote to the Chris-
tians at Rome, Do not con-
form any longer to the pattern
of this world, but be trans-
formed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what
Gods will is his good, pleas-
ing and perfect will, (Romans
12: 2).
We need to stop trying to
please Gods created beings
and start focusing on pleasing
the Creator God, because it is
to God that we are account-
able, not society.
Mrs Lesley Strutt,
Stoke sub Hamdon, Somerset
Christmas hits
Sir, you report on
www.churchnewspaper.com
that Christmas hits including
Christian songs such as
Mistletoe & Wine sung by Cliff
Richard and When a Child is
Born sung by Johnny Mathis,
have been banned in Costa
Coffee shops.
Our family love all Cliff
Richards Christmas songs,
which are so much a part of
the season, and they give at
least a taste of the Christian
message to non-Christians.
Their continued popularity
with the public all these years
later shows how good they
were. The coffee shop chain is
just trying to look cool.
For instance, it was trendy
some years ago to say that
Abba was rubbish & laugh at
them. Theyre not mocking
Abba now! The Mamma Mia
film with Abbas hits was a
huge success, as is the
Mamma Mia stage show in
Londons West End. Quality
music will outlast its critics!
I just wish Cliff would again
record a Christian Christmas
song if he were to find a really
good one.
A Wills,
Ruislip
Sad decision
Sir, It is with great sadness
that we hear that synod has
decided to press ahead with
the consecration of women to
the episcopate, I suppose it
was inevitable having already
gone away from the teaching
of scripture and ordained
women to the priesthood.
The latest book by some
much valued theologians as to
why scripture doesnt mean
what it says about womens
leadership was most uncon-
vincing, but synod has decid-
ed anyway. We must be
thankful that provision is
going to be made for those
who cannot accept women as
bishops and that the debate
and the decision was taken in
a spirit of love and harmony.
Men and women have been
created with differing gifts
and a man and a women
together living in love reflect
the personhood of God, with
man as leader and the woman
as helpmate there was harmo-
ny each bringing to bear on
their relationship their God
given gifts. That was to be
reflected in the church, but
sadly no longer in the C of E.
A big thank you to those on
synod who stood up for bibli-
cal truth and suffered the
brickbats and anger of those
who voted for women bishops
at the last synod they must
have felt very isolated. Their
stand will I think be most val-
ued by those who find they
cannot accept this decision.
The Rev D Phillips,
Olette, France
Moral questions
Sir, How would Mary P Roe
(letters, 13 November)
answer these points on the
case of the Bulls Christian
guesthouse?
First, if the same dwelling is
both family home and busi-
ness, the family home aspect
is the more important, and
rejection of this truth is exact-
ly where our society has failed
in the last 50 years. Proof: no
one ever died wishing theyd
spent more hours at work.
Second, has she any idea
how serious it is to require
someone to sin or to facilitate
an occasion for sin (as also
with midwives required to
supervise abortions), either in
fact or according to their own
perception?
Third, what possible
defence can there be for secu-
larisers with their genera-
tions appalling record on
family matters (massive rises
in divorce, fatherless children,
pre/extramarital intercourse)
then somehow claiming the
high ground over Christians, a
group who rank among the
best in these matters? Obvi-
ously theres none: the
reverse situation should hold,
with secularisers learning
from Christians.
Fourth, in any workplace,
school or community, the peo-
ple of conscience are the best
people. Were now being
asked to believe the very
opposite: that theyre instead
criminals. But goodness! dont
these devout elderly Chris-
tians look misfits when set
alongside real criminals? Lets
all please wake up: something
is badly wrong here. It will get
worse unless we resolve to
fight it at every step.
Dr Christopher Shell,
Hounslow
Varied opinions
Sir, With reference to Dr
Christopher Shells second
challenge (13 December), the
Rev Dr John Muddiman,
recently retired GB Caird Fel-
low in New Testament Studies
and co-editor of the Oxford
Bible Commentary, 2001, of
Mansfield College, Oxford
University, not only confirms
that there is a plurality of opin-
ion among New Testament
scholars on the key point of
whether the New Testament
is strongly opposed to homo-
sexual acts but also could
supply a bibliography of schol-
ars with different views on
these exegetical questions
and on the broader issue, if
that would help (I quote
him.)
Would Dr Shell like a copy
of such a bibliography?
Derrick Gierth,
Via email
Scholarship
Sir, To respond to all of Dr
Christopher Shells chal-
lenges would entail a lengthy
essay, much of which would
involve trampling already
well-trodden ground. May I,
therefore, take up just one of
his gauntlets?: to find a rep-
utable New Testament scholar
who did not understand St
The benefits of capitalism
Sir, Alan Storkeys article entitled A Prophetic Church
would have been a useful contribution to a balanced society
if only he could avoid an obsessive dislike for everyone who
is successful in life and capitalism in particular. What does
he want to replace capitalism with?
Humanity has tried virtually every other ism and all have
failed to cure us of our fundamental natures; self-centred
and when the spot itches that is where we scratch it. At least
with a capital structure we can exercise some constraints.
There is an 18th Century statement that The people of the
State have rights and they are right to exercise them. How-
ever the State has a mouth and a stomach with which to
swallow and digest them which it will surely do unless it is
restrained in the powers it possesses.
The assets of the state, which Alan tells us have been sur-
rendered to the capitalist system, were notorious for self-
interest and inefficiency, as indeed those still remaining in
state control show us all too frequently.
Without profit, as the State has discovered, we cannot bal-
ance our books and provide the taxes to run those essential
services that cannot be provided by the private sector. As
Christians do we want to be permanently in principled oppo-
sition - surely we need to be in the front line shaping and
influencing our society to be a changed people holding a
Faith that is exciting and alive.
Timothy Royle,
Donnington, Glos
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Letters continue on page 13
Andrew
White
Here in Baghdad we know nothing of the normal
festivities of Christmas. There are no normal fes-
tivities, centred around the giving and receiving
of gifts like in the West but there is one thing we
truly celebrate. We are faced by continued
tragedy here in Baghdad and the whole of Iraq.
Iraq may no longer be in the news but the vio-
lence and tragedy are getting greater by the day.
The violence has also recommenced towards the
Christians. Just this week a large number were
shot through the head.
The one thing though that we truly celebrate is
that Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely
love divine, love was born at Christmas, star and
angels gave the sign.
Here Christmas is such a time of celebration
and it has nothing to do with anything apart from
the birth of our Lord. It is
almost as if the worse the situa-
tion has become the more
important the celebration of
ones faith has become. As the
people always say here: When
you have lost everything Jesus
is all you have left. We may
have lost everything but the
one thing we have left is so
important to us all through the
year but especially at this time when we cele-
brate his coming.
The angels appearing at the news of our Lords
coming are so important to us. When the Angel
Gabriel appeared to Mary and when Gabriel
appeared to Joseph in a dream and when the
Angels appeared to shepherds watching the
sheep the Angel declared: Do not be afraid. We
hear the angels saying to us loudly and clearly do
not be afraid.
For us it is not a theoretical proclamation. We
are surrounded by fear. I stood up in church this
evening and looked at my dear people. It sudden-
ly struck me that there was not one family there
who had not had members of their family killed
in the terror and violence that surrounds us.
They have all been injured so badly by the ter-
ror and turmoil yet Christmas means to them
they are not ruled by fear. Fear can paralyse but
we have to move onwards and upwards. All the
time people here talk about the joy of Christmas,
the liberation of Christmas and the joy of this
time. The worship is extra joyful and extra tri-
umphant. It is in worship that real hope is found.
This is the love that came down at
Christmas. Therefore we:
Worship we the Godhead, Love
incarnate, love divine, Worship we
our Jesus, but wherewith for sacred
sign?
So it is in the love of our Jesus
that we are celebrating and rejoic-
ing this Christmas. We are not
depressed or sad, we are full of
joy, hope and happiness. Maybe if
you are to see the true meaning of Christmas
you need to come to the most dangerous place in
the world. For here we have already lost every-
thing and Jesus is our all and everything.
The final verse of Love Came Down at Christ-
mas says it all.
Love shall be our token
Love shall be yours and love be mine
Love to God and to all men
Love for plea and gift and sign...
Christ is the Light:
overcoming the darkness
It has been a bad year for institutions. The BBC has had an
annus horribilis, with the Savile revelations and others
show how unregulated privilege can turn really nasty, its
plutocratic pay levels and lack of regulation, let alone
ongoing grumbles about left-leaning bias.
The NHS continues to suffer deep reputational damage
as a flow of reports about bad patient care, negligence and
incompetence continue, and the Francis Report ignored.
Huge pensions and payoffs for failure remain endemic.
The EU and its Eurozone crisis continues on slow burn,
with some leading economists who supported the curren-
cy now changing their minds.
The free press is now technically no longer free, but
exists by permission of a royal charter and special condi-
tions, a development that shocked our American cousins
how could the Brits put the press under state control?
Our schools are apparently tumbling down the world
rankings, despite all the hype about academies and syl-
labus reform.
And then there is our Church of England with its new
Archbishop, an expert from the oil industry. Mr Cameron,
despite his apparently favourable view of the church given
in his Oxford lecture, has placed the heel of the state firm-
ly on its neck, so the Ministry of Culture Media and Sport
has decreed that clergy cannot legally conduct gay mar-
riages for now, but the Ministry can equally well reverse
that and make the practice legally compulsory. Our
church has not been in such danger of state control for a
long time, but we hear little or nothing from the House of
Bishops nor Lambeth Palace on this crucial issue.
Our universities have not had a great year in terms of
their world rankings, apart from the top six, and in terms
of their values their permission of segregated audiences to
appease extremist speakers is nothing short of outra-
geous.
The Armed forces have been fiercely cut back, no good
deed shall go unpunished here: we have no aircraft carri-
er to support our adventurous interventionist foreign poli-
cy, and seasoned soldiers are being sacked en masse,
famous regiments are being put to the sword. And our ser-
vicemen are now subjected to attack on our streets, as the
ghastly fate of Drummer Rigby revealed so horribly.
At home also slavery is making a considerable come-
back, including the indescribably sick phenomenon of sex
gangs grooming vulnerable girls, who are then accused
by the social workers and police of being sluts and not to
be believed, see the harrowing book Girl A, by a victim.
And yet, as the Apostle Paul says, we do not lose heart
[2 Cor 4:1]. Advent and Christmas speak of truth and jus-
tice ultimately triumphing, through the burning love of
Gods coming in Christ.
C
o
m
m
e
n
t
When you
have lost
everything
Jesus is all
you have left
Love Came Down at
Christmas in Baghdad
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Christmas viewing
Westminster Abbey can look forward to some useful
additional income from the BBC this Christmas and the
Dean, John Hall, can expect to see his fan club grow.
After the royal wedding and the visits of Pope Benedict
XVI and President Obama the Dean is getting used to
the media spotlight. This Christmas the BBC is
broadcasting the midnight Eucharist from the
Abbey with the Dean celebrating and preaching,
and the Christmas morning service with the
Dean preaching. Is the Dean becoming a rock
star? The BBC say the attraction of the Abbey
is not the Dean but the saving in cost by
filming both services in the same location. A
spokesperson for the Beeb even claimed this
was more cost effective for the licence
payer although that doesnt often seem to be
a consideration. Perhaps religion is a special
case. Archbishop Justin Welby is getting less
TV exposure than Dean Hall. He will deliver a
New Year message on the BBC but otherwise
is confined to old steam radio, giving Thought
for the Day on 30 January and talking about his
life and favourite Christmas music on Radio 3s
Private Passions.
Papal star
One ecclesiastic who most definitely is a rock star is Pope Francis. Not
only does he grace the cover of Time as person of the year, he is also on
the cover of the New Yorker, which features a long article by the
American journalist James Carroll, a Catholic who normally belongs
to the ranks of the disaffected but who hails Francis for ending the
culture war in the Catholic Church. Whether the conservatives
who are having to get used to being the opposition agree is
another matter. The editorial staff of the Wall Street Journal
took comfort from the fact that it was Francis who won the
Time award and not the runner-up, Edward Snowden.
Another runner-up was Bashar Assad, which took some of
the glamour away from the award. Two other Popes have
been Times person of the year but it took John XXIII four
years to win the title and John Paul II all of 16 years. Francis
has shot to prominence in just nine months. Could the
praise lavished on Mandela and Francis be a sign of a lack
of heroes on the world stage? Once Obama inspired hope
but his star has grown dim as he has become embroiled
in party conflict at Washington and as his flag ship
healthcare measure has turned into an IT nightmare.
Whispering
T
h
e
Gallery
A taste of honey...
I read with some excitement (as Im sure many women
hoping to squeeze into a party dress for Christmas did)
- that its possible to drop a dress size for the party sea-
son just by having a spoonful of honey before bed (and
following some of the recipes) in a revolutionary new
diet: The Honey diet:
In an article in the Daily Mail it was claimed that
honey has a unique combination of natural sugars mak-
ing it a near-perfect weight-loss food. Journalist Louise
Atkinson writes that the honey diet triggers metabolic
changes ensuring you wont crave sugar. Theres no
calorie counting, no expensive diet foods, no starvation
plan. And you can easily lose up to 3lbs a week on the
programme.
Sounds too good to be true? Sadly thats because it
probably is. A response to that article came hot on the
heels from the highly respected nutritionist Zoe Har-
combe.
Zoe has studied the United States Department of Agri-
culture database, available on nutritiondata.com and
found some detailed statistics around honey. In a nut-
shell she found that honey has 304 calories (per 100
grams) but virtually all empty calories.
Zoe believes that there is nothing good about honey
from a nutritional point of view! She does point out that
two of the rules in The honey diet are sound: Dont eat
junk food and manage your unrefined carb intake and
thats it, so as she says - perhaps this isnt really a honey
diet merely a low carb diet?
So ladies its seems we might not drop that dress size
just by consuming honey but not all honey is equal, for
medicinal (if not weight loss) reasons you may wish to
Live Healthy! Live Happy!
Janey Lee Grace
check out the amazing honey from Lifemel. Im cur-
rently trialling the Energymel, naturally made by
bees that are fed on a specially prepared mixture of
natures herbs.
So I will be taking the Lifemel honey daily, I may
not be a dress size smaller but hopefully I will be
buzzing with energy by Christmas day.
www.lifemel.co.uk
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Comment 8
Selective views of Mandela
Over 1,800 people complained about what they saw as excessive coverage of
the death of Nelson Mandela and the Daily Mail estimated 100 BBC
programmes had been devoted to him, but despite extensive reporting very
little attention was given in the media to his religious background. Mandela was
rightly praised for promoting reconciliation but few asked whether he had been
influenced by his Methodist education. Obituaries failed to mention the role of
Christianity in his formation although Mandela himself made a point of praising
mission schools. He also expressed appreciation on several occasions for the
ministry he received in prison from Christian clergy, even writing to the
Anglican Archbishop to say how impressed he had been with members of the
Archbishops church. An obituary in the Daily Telegraph asserted, with no
supporting evidence, that Mandela did not follow in the faith of his devout
Methodist mother but there seems little doubt that the ethics of the gospel left a
profound mark on him. As veteran reporter Winnie Graham, who worked for
The Star, Johannesburgs main daily paper when Mandela was released in 1990,
puts it: The role played by clergy in the creation of the new South Africa and
Mandelas innate faith in God remains an untold, yet pivotal chapter in his
story.
Selfies at Christmas
Party leaders sent out Christmas cards featuring themselves and their families.
Nick Cleggs humorous effort easily won a poll for the favourite in The Guardian,
scoring 75 per cent as opposed to 17 per cent for Ed Miliband and nine per cent for
Cameron. Nick must be pleased there is one poll he can win but Giles Fraser had a
point when he complained that Christmas cards have become all about us. The wise
men and the shepherds went some time ago; then the reindeer and the robins
followed them; now we are left with ourselves. Fraser quoted AS Byatts chilling
observation that religion has gone away and left us with ourselves. Perhaps we
shouldnt be surprised that politicians spent time at a funeral taking a selfie. The
trend in Christmas cards will be hard to reverse but surely we can do something
about Royal Mails decision to abandon stamps on cards for bureaucratic printed
receipts. The years stamp collection featured a Coptic nativity icon by a
Hertfordshire-based iconographer called Fadi Mikhail but gone are the days when
friends or relatives in Australia or Canada could look forward to making additions
to their stamp collections at Christmas. As far as mail from the UK is concerned,
stamps are restricted to cards and letters. Not even calendars qualify. Its time to
rise up and protest.
The Churchs ticking
time bomb
Looking back on 2013, it is a year with few
redeeming features. I have no doubt that
many Britons will share my ambivalence
towards the year.
If theres one thing that the Labour
Party got right this year it is the cost of
living crisis. This has been a strange
recession in which it has been wages
rather than employment which have
taken a real hit. There is something
wrong with our society when so few jobs
pay a realistic wage. Far too many jobs
are being supplemented by the state. And
lets not forget that the Church of Eng-
land is a big offender in this respect. I
have spoken to many clergy who confess
that they simply could not survive espe-
cially with the costs of heating their tied
houses without tax credits and other
benefits.
Its time for the Church of England to
reduce its dependence on the State.
It was a year that saw marriage rede-
fined and the opposition to it fade away
not so much with a bang but a whimper.
Same-sex marriages will begin taking
place in Britain from March 2014. Lets
not pretend that the sky will fall in or that
the advent of gay marriage will have any
immediate negative outcome. It is the
long-term consequences that disturb me.
It derails any notion of complementarity
of the genders. It decouples marriage
from one of its main purposes procre-
ation. It is costly to children rather than
adults because it makes them secondary
to the interests of any couple straight or
gay - who simply wish to have a wedding
day.
And in spite of the governments con-
tention that this is about civil marriage
and does not have any impact on the
churches, David Cameron has left the
Church of England in possession of a tick-
ing time bomb. The moment that the first
clergy, and perhaps even bishops, con-
vert their civil partnerships to marriage
there will be crisis and division.
The year also latterly saw the death of
Nelson Mandela, the type of statesman Ill
doubt well see again in this day and age.
After over a quarter of a century of an
unjust prison sentence came forgiveness.
This was one of the most dramatic acts of
reconciliation any of us is likely to wit-
ness.
And so even I can look back on 2013
and feel some hope for the future.
The appointment of a new Archbishop
and Pope within days of each other her-
alds a brighter future for the churchs
mission. The Pope gives us hope not so
much that Roman Catholic doctrine will
undergo rightful change, but that the
Roman Catholic Church will act with a
greater humility and openness in future.
The signs are good.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is also
attempting to steer his church in a new
direction. The Church of England takes a
lot of turning around but a more outward
focus is needed after a period of navel-
gazing.
One thing the Church of England needs
to beware of is not to fall into the trap of
becoming the opposition to each and
every government cut. The sheer scale of
the states debt has prompted varying lev-
els of austerity throughout the world.
Where this austerity has been attempted
it is showing signs of working. Those who
defend ever-rising levels of debt-fuelled
spending to beat the recession have been
shown to be wholly wrong.
Andrew Carey
View from the Pew
Paul Richardson
Church and World
Altruism and the
human condition
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Comment 9
Typhoon Haiyan provoked a big
response from people in Britain. David
and Victoria Beckham donated clothes to
be sold in a local Red Cross shop, restau-
rants added 1to the bill to be sent to the
Philippines, and churches and schools
made collections.
By 20 November the Disasters Emer-
gency Committee was reporting that the
British public had raised 50m, a sum it
labelled an incredible response, and
said its agencies had been able to help
around 590,000 people. Donations to aid
agencies have continued in December
and many churches will be making spe-
cial Christmas collections.
The readiness to help people on the
other side of the planet must puzzle
believers in genetic determinism. It is
easy to show that altruism has survival
value within a small group. Richard
Dawkins has popularised the concept of
the selfish gene and tried to suggest
that genes should be seen as the primary
units of natural selection so that what
appears to be altruism is often a means
for ensuring the survival of the gene.
JBS Haldane once joked that he would
willingly die for two brothers or eight
cousins and set out the mathematics of
kin selection. Biologists later formalised
this in a rule known as Hamiltons rule.
Experiments with animals, most recently
with red squirrels, are said to have con-
firmed it. Researchers in the Yukon
found that mothers would adopt related
orphaned squirrel pups but not unrelat-
ed orphans. The mothers readiness to
adopt depended on the number of pups
she already had in her nest as well as on
the degree of relatedness.
Desperate attempts have been made to
picture altruism among human beings as
a survival mechanism. Robert Wright
has claimed that when we contribute to
disaster appeals it is because we have
been fooled by the media into thinking
that the victims we see on our television
screens are neighbours and this leads us
to calculate that if we send them aid they
will be ready to help us in turn when we
are in trouble.
For Wright altruism is selfishness
deceived. To do him justice, Richard
Dawkins has argued that although we
are born selfish we can improve. Let us
try to teach generosity and altruism,
because we are born selfish, he has
written. Let us understand what our
own selfish genes are up to because we
may then have at least the chance to
upset their designs, something no other
species has ever aspired to do.
What Dawkins does not explain is why
human beings aspire to improve on what
their genes are urging them to do. Altru-
ism is just one of many aspects of human
beings that evolutionary psychology and
other forms of materialist philosophy are
unable to explain. One of the most stimu-
lating works of Christian theology to
appear in 2013, The Experience of God
(Yale) by David Bentley Hart, examined
altruism as well as a number of other
cracks in the materialist worldview.
Another major assault of what he calls
the materialist neo-Darwinian concept of
nature has come from the distinguished
American philosopher, Thomas Nagel.
Nagel rocked the philosophical estab-
lishment last year with his book Mind
and Cosmos. His views are difficult for
fellow philosophers to dismiss as the
deluded thoughts of someone who has
found God because Nagel insists that he
remains an atheist.
For Hart and Nagel a materialist phi-
losophy that ascribes everything to phys-
ical causes has trouble explaining not
only altruism but other aspects of morali-
ty, as well as human consciousness and
the ability of human thinking to under-
stand and make sense of the world.
How is it, asks Hart, that organisms
programmed for survival occasionally
show themselves capable of extravagant
acts of self-abnegating generosity and
kindness or love that clearly have no ulte-
rior purpose within this world (for them
or their genes)?
Most of the people flocking into
churches this Christmas are not philoso-
phers. They will be only dimly aware of
the questions posed by Hart and Nagel
but they do sense that an attempt to
argue that science can explain every-
thing is misguided. They suspect that
there are more things in heaven and
earth than are dreamt of in the philoso-
phy of Richard Dawkins.
As Linda Woodhead has pointed out,
although younger people are turned off
by institutional religion the number of
atheists in the population is not dramati-
cally increasing. I suspect that there also
continues to be a good deal of popular
respect for the character and teaching of
Jesus Christ.
Christmas is one time in the year when
the churches have a chance to make con-
tact with people who for most of the year
never pass through the door. It is a time
to connect with the religious questions
and moral ideals that are present in many
members of the population. The Christ-
mas story strikes a chord because it
shows God not as a remote figure but as
one who identifies with ordinary human
existence. The message of peace on
earth resonates, as does the idea that
God loves the world.
Nostalgia and memories of the past
help shape the enthusiasm for Christmas
but it would be a mistake to ignore the
festivals role as a focus for spiritual aspi-
rations.
Universities and
segregation
I think Im less bothered by the policy
of segregation by Universities UK than
the fact that a quango like this needs to
say anything about the issue at all. The
fact is that local colleges and universi-
ties are fully capable of deciding on
their own practices for public meet-
ings. I doubt there is any great need
for segregated meetings in all but a
few places and those localities would
benefit from public debate. Such poli-
cies should not be handed out from on
high but need to be owned, as well as
operated, by academic institutions in
their own right.
A happy Christmas!
Finally, may I wish each and every
reader a wonderful Christmas and a
very happy and contented 2014.
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Feature 10
ANGLICAN LIFE
With a lifelong call to work for God
in Brazil and the backing of the
Church Mission Society, Faith Gor-
don planned to fly out last July to
start her mission. But, in tune with
the season of Advent, she is still
waiting. Here she shares the mix of
frustration, longing and hope
inspired by the nativity story.
It has been 30 years since God
called me to Brazil.
I was a schoolgirl sitting in
geography class when I knew that
I had to GO and everything that
I have done since has been prepa-
ration for this vision.
A degree in biological sciences,
a PhD in management. Even five years in China, where
I felt compelled to go and teach in 2005.
Two-and-a-half years ago, I started the application
process to become a CMS mission partner. I was
accepted, but am still held up by circumstances.
There were legal proceedings as I took on guardian-
ship of Vanessa, my daughter. God worked a miracle as
we were given permission to leave the UK with no
restrictions, so I sense that he is at work.
But I guess he is preparing me for another miracle,
one that requires more participation than mine alone!
A house called Hope
The House of Hope lives up to its name in a community
of 10,000 people: a favela called the Carolinas, built on a
swamp on the fringes of Recife in north-east Brazil.
It has grown over the last 16 years, since it was set up
by Bishop Miguel Uchoa, of the Church of the Holy
Spirit, and his wife.
The House of Hopes workers care daily for 128 chil-
dren, whose parents often work long hours those who
are lucky enough to have a job.
For decades, public schools have only provided three-
to-four hours teaching a day. Young people leave school
unprepared to enter a workplace that demands a higher
skill level. Unemployment often leads them to start tak-
ing drugs, while to meet the need for qualified workers
there has been an influx of migrants from other parts of
Brazil and Spain. Living costs have risen and made life
harder.
When I visited the Carolinas in May, I noticed that
there was open sewage running in channels that flood-
ed into the streets after short periods of torrential rain-
fall. I admit that there were times when I
walked very gingerly!
In such situations, diseases such as Lep-
tospirosis (which can lead to kidney and liver
failure) flourish transmitted to humans
through animal urine in contaminated water
that comes into contact with the skin.
People who live in these streets are queu-
ing up to use the House of Hope its waiting
list has over 300 names. As well as childcare,
it offers classes for young mothers, some as
young as 13, and sports classes for adoles-
cents.
When there is work from the Bio Fairtrade
company, set up by the president of the
House of Hope, then some women are
employed for short periods and produce craft
goods. There are services in the small chapel
and classes on evangelism.
It is a place that children can attend to keep them
away from local drug dealers and traffickers.
However, the same lack of skills that contributes to
local unemployment is also hampering the develop-
ment of the House of Hope.
Dreams of hope
There is much more scope to meet the
needs of the 10,000 inhabitants of local
favelas. The House of Hope requires
someone to help with the direction of the
project. This is where I fit in, with the
skills that I bring and the ability to think
and plan how to develop people and proj-
ects.
I have many dreams.
I dream of a library the land is already
available, but we need to build a building
and then stock it with books! If this hap-
pens, the House of Hope will be able to
develop an afterschool literacy pro-
gramme for children and young people
rather than leaving them to get into trou-
ble.
I dream of training programmes for adults, in order to
help them start their own businesses or to enter the
workplace on a more equal footing with those moving
into the region.
I dream of expanding the work of the Bio Fairtrade
company that employs some of the women. It currently
only supplies two companies in the Netherlands and so
between contracts its 200 workers need to find alterna-
tive employment.
I dream of helping people start low-technology busi-
nesses, for example a bakery, or a hair or nail salon,
which they could use to generate income.
And I dream of helping the Holy Spirit Churchs 300
young people to become more involved in local mission.
Heart full of hope
Im fired up with passion for how the work might grow
and serve more people.
Yet Im struggling to raise the funds needed to sup-
port me and Vanessa in the surprisingly expensive town
of Recife.
I applied for a job in Recife to help support myself
and was offered it. But by July the paperwork had not
come through.
I felt like every direction I turned was being blocked.
I became despondent. If this desire to go to Brazil had
been from God, surely it would have happened already!
I spoke to a senior leader of my home church who
gave me the simple advice to spend time with God.
I read the Bible and prayed. I listened to sermons. I
wrote to prayer ministries asking them to pray for me.
And I applied for another
job.
The story of the Nativi-
ty spoke powerfully to me
through one sermon. Just
because Mary was high-
ly favoured and the Lord
was with her (Luke 1:28),
it did not mean that all
went smoothly.
Joseph wanted to leave
her when he found out
she was pregnant. When
Joseph agreed to marry
she had to travel to Beth-
lehem where her baby
was laid in the animals
feeding trough. She then
had to flee to Egypt and
live as a refugee with a
small child for several years, to escape the infanticide
that was occurring. But the bishop preaching the ser-
mon said, God had a plan! It was all his orchestration.
Newly encouraged, I see how we should give God
thanks for his no and wait, as well as his yes.
As I continue preparing to go to Brazil, God is still
working his purposes out slowly and to his timetable
and not mine.
Making the most of the important anniversaries
Mark Burkill,
Latimer Trust
The anniversaries that are celebrated, at
least in the media, tell us a lot about our
culture and our view of the world. In
2012 it was the 100th anniversary of the
sinking of the Titanic rather than the
350th anniversary of the Restoration
Prayer Book that was celebrated. This
year it has been the publication of Jane
Austens Pride and Prejudice in 1813 and
the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther
Kings I have a dream speech that have
hit the headlines. Interestingly the
anniversary of Kennedys assassination
has not been marked as prominently as
one might have expected. But we cer-
tainly did not make much of William
Grimshaw (died 1763) or John Venn
(died 1813) or the publication of the 39
Articles (1563). And in 2014 we can be
sure that it will be the 100th anniversary
of the outbreak of World War I rather
than the death of John Calvin in 1564 or
the 300th anniversary of George White-
fields birth that will be noted.
The anniversaries that are noted by
our opinion formers and cultural elite do
not reflect a Christian perspective on his-
tory and world events. Yet we know well
that the number 2014 for the coming
year reflects the Christian understanding
that the God of the Bible lies behind the
order and regularity of our world. The
year is a year AD and this is testimony to
the view that the birth of Jesus Christ is a
key event in the history of our world.
Frustratingly for some the Lord has
ordained that the precise year of the
birth and death of Jesus cannot be
pinned down with sufficient accuracy for
significant anniversaries to be celebrat-
ed. Yet the significance of Jesus Christ
used to be underlined within our culture
in another way.
Long ago Christians built an annual
calendar that was designed to remind us
of the significance of the life of Jesus
Christ. It starts with Advent Sunday,
which looks forward to the return of the
Lord Jesus Christ to bring this present
age to an end. It includes Christmas and
Easter, celebrating the birth and death of
Jesus. But there are also lesser-known
days such as Ascension Day and Pente-
cost or WhitSunday.
In the past special holidays were linked
to these events which this annual calen-
dar celebrated. In some continental
countries they still are.
However a self-consciously secular
annual calendar is being developed
nowadays. During 2014 you may find it
instructive to note the way the Google
home page appears each day. I wonder if
you have noticed how the special days of
this new calendar are focussed on New
Years Day, Valentines Day, Mothers
Day, Halloween, Remembrance Day and
so on. Some might include others like
May Day, Midsummer, Harvest, Holo-
caust Memorial Day. These days are cel-
ebrated with greater enthusiasm with
each passing year, even as the Christian
events are forgotten.
But the strange thing is that Christmas
appears prominently in both the Chris-
tian and the secular calendar. This
reflects the fact that we have a choice in
the way we celebrate Christmas. We can
use Christmas to rejoice in the birth of
Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. Or
we can use Christmas to rejoice in the
fact that it is a time for parties, presents
and self-indulgence. Our culture cannot
quite make up its mind.
Surely it is a Christian responsibility to
be somewhat restrained in the marking
of the events within the new secular cal-
endar on the one hand and to celebrate
with enthusiasm and joy the great events
of our Saviours life instead on the other.
It is not too difficult to do this at Christ-
mas. The real challenge comes at other
times of the year.
Mark Burkill is the Chair of Trustees of
the Latimer Trust
Sure of her call: Faith and
daughter Vanessa.
Faith with Bishop Miguel, who started
the House of Hope, and Taciana,
one of the employees.
By Amaris Cole
In one of the Holy Lands oldest cities,
home to the Tomb of Patriarchs and
once the trade hub of the region, lies a
long, deserted street. Houses, three sto-
ries high, stand empty in the midday
sun, with shops boarded up and left to
crumble.
The tourist centre can be seen at the
top of the street, with coach-loads of
tourists filing up to the Cave of Mach-
pelah, where the remains of Abraham,
Jacob, Sarah and Rebecca are believed to
rest, but few of the pilgrims venture
along this road.
Those that do are met by posters
informing them that this Arabicmarket
was closed down for the safety of the set-
tlers, following The Second Intifada in
September 2000.
This is a sterile street, one of many in
the Palestinian Authority where Pales-
tinians are not allowed to walk or drive. If
they are foundhere, they are arrested.
I am walking with Avihai Stollar, a 28-
year-old Israeli who served in an infantry
unit of the army in the West Bank from
2001 2004.
Avihai shows me a photograph of this
street in the 1990s. The two hardly com-
pare. The image shows a mass of cars,
shoppers, market traders and life, but
the reality today is dereliction, enforced
by barbed wire and welded-shut shop
doors.
The centre of Hebron is under Israeli
rule, despite being in the heart of the
West Bank.
There are an estimated 700 Jewish set-
tlers in the City, and that number is
matched by soldiers, which Israel
believes is necessary to
keep them safe.
Every time a new family
moves into the area, the mil-
itary presence increases.
Avihai grew up 25km from
the West Bank, but never
visited until he was enlisted.
He is not alone.
I went to meet Navad
Bigelman, a student of 25
who left the army in 2010,
after a period of serving in
Hebron.
Navad was raised by liber-
al parents, who taught him to question
the occupation.
Despite this, he told me: I never knew
what that occupation really was, I had no
idea what was happening 15 minutes
from my house. Military service is com-
pulsory for all Israelis, but Navads
upbringing meant he tried to be a good
soldier, even though he was ideological-
ly opposed to it.
This optimism soon wore off, though.
An occupation to control millions of peo-
ple cannot be done nicely, he explained.
A key part of Navads work was map-
ping houses. This is about
reminding them that we are
here and we are not going
anywhere. Palestinians who
are known to be unrelated to
any kind of violence or terror-
ism are turned out of their
houses in the middle of the
night by a unit of soldiers.
There was no intelligence,
but you just search. You take
everything out and then put it
back in. We were also told we
dont really care about the
house we are mapping, we
just want to make our presence felt.
We want the neighbours to hear. Its
happening every day, every week for 40
years.
A family can be visited twice, three
times a year. Every time the unit
changes they do it all over again.
At the beginning of the night, Navad
said he tried to wipe his feet before
entering the house, and was careful with
the furniture.
But by the fourth house you dont
care, he admitted. After four weeks in
Hebron you really dont care about any-
thing. I think the biggest problem is you
become so numb. You dont care about
the Palestinians, you dont care about
the settlers. You want to finish your task
to go back to sleep.
While Navad was in the army, he
decided to speak out.
Breaking the Silence is a charity work-
ing to get soldiers stories heard by those
in Israel and beyond.
While he made no secret of the fact he
was giving his testimony, it was not
something he promoted.
Its hard to be against something all
your friends are doing, he explained to
me, whether you agree or not.
Navad said: The best thing for Israel
is for no one to talk about the occupation,
and in many ways the government suc-
ceed. But this needs to change, he
believes, urging soldiers to say weve
been here, weve done it, because youve
sent us.
While studying at university, he also
collects testimonies of fellow soldiers.
Although he has heard hundreds, he
says he is still shocked when he hears
what goes on.
We control four million people - two
and a half million in the West Bank and a
million and a half in the Gaza Strip.
Israel needs to know what her army is
doing, the former soldier said. [Israelis]
do not know about things happening 20
minutes from their house, he claimed.
We forget to ask questions.
But Breaking the Silence is trying to
end this, to increase the discourse in an
attempt to make people understand their
Governments actions.
The charity, which works with Chris-
tian Aid, was formed in 2004 when a
group of soldiers with one month of serv-
ice left decided to put a mirror in front of
Israeli people.
So far, they have interviewed 900 sol-
diers from nearly every unit that serves
in the occupied territories today.
The ability of the soldiers to handle the
responsibility given to them worries the
charity.
Avihai voiced his concern for the mil-
lions of people controlled by 19-year-old
soldiers.
If he has just had a fight with his girl-
friend on the phone, he is angry and he
wants to take it out on something.
This frustration will be taken out on
Palestinians waiting at the checkpoint, or
by spending as long as possible inspect-
ing an ambulance on its way to an emer-
gency.
A soldier has the power to override
the Supreme Court whenever he likes,
and it happens. The Supreme Court
rules it illegal for Palestinians to wait to
pass through the military check points,
but it is not unheard of for soldiers to
keep hundreds of civilians waiting while
they play on their phone, have a coffee or
cigarette, or even in one extreme case,
Palestinians were kept waiting while a
couple had sex in the booth.
We cant keep saying this is not sys-
tematic when it is happening all the time.
Its an inseparable part, he added. As
long as there is military control this phe-
nomenon will take place.
I visited Qualandyia checkpoint while
in the Palestinian Authority, one of the
regions busiest.
Thousands of workers queue here
from 5am to go to work each day, hold-
ing their packed lunches. Many I spoke
to waited over an hour to pass through
the metal cages and have their identifica-
tion cards checked before they could
proceed into Jerusalem.
Breaking the Silences aim is not pure-
ly academic. While they collect testi-
monies and write reports about the
situation in the occupied territories, the
former soldiers who form the group
believe it is their duty to tell these truths.
I do not know how to solve all of the
core issues but I believe that we can skip
a step on the way there. Navad hopes
the military control will soon end.
But with tensions remaining as fraught
as ever, and no signs of imminent change
from the countrys politicians, can peace
ever be achieved?
If you asked Americans 50 years ago if
they had a black president they would
laugh in your face, Nadav said.
Everything changes in the end, for
better or for worse.
Healing in this Holy Land is the
theme of this years Christian Aid Christ-
mas appeal.
For more information or to make a
donation, visit christianaid.org.uk/chris-
tmas or call 0207 523 2493.
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Feature 11
Concern
for the
millions
controlled
by 19-
year-old
soldiers
The main street
in Hebron
today, compared
to the 1990s
Former Israeli soldier Avihai Soldier in Hebron and Jewish settlers
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www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Register 12
Day 354 Zephaniah 3, Psalm
132, Mark 10
Day 355 Haggai 1-2, Psalm
133, Mark 11
Day 356 Enjoy hearing the
Scriptures read aloud in church
Day 357 Zechariah 1-2, Psalm
134, Mark 12
135, Mark 13
136, Mark 14
137, Mark 15
138, Mark 16
Day 362 Zechariah 11-12,
Psalm 139, Luke 1
Day 363 Enjoy hearing the
Scriptures read aloud in church
Day 364 Zechariah 13-14,
Psalm 140, Luke 2
Day 365 Malachi 1-4, Psalm
141, Luke 3
New Bishop of Bath and
Wells
The Rt Rev Peter Hancock,
Bishop of Basingstoke in the
Diocese of Winchester, has
been appointed as the next
Bishop of Bath & Wells.
New Bishop of Dudley
The Rev Canon Graham
Usher,
Rector and Lecturer of Hexham
Abbey (Newcastle), is to be the
next Bishop of Dudley.
The Rev Charlotte Bridget
Bannister-Parker,
Assoc Clergy (NSM) Oxford St
Mary the Virgin with St Cross
(Oxford), to be Assoc Clergy
(NSM) Summertown (Oxford).
The Rev Patricia Frances
Mary Bhutta,
SSM Asst C in Training,
Benefice of Cumnor, Abingdon
Deanery (Oxford) to be House
for Duty (Assoc Priest), Alder-
maston and Woolhampton
(Oxford).
The Rev John Trevor Bir-
beck,
R of Rawmarsh with Parkgate
and Asst C of Greasbrough St
Mary (Sheffield), to be also
Asst C of Kimberworth and
Kimberworth Park (Sheffield).
The Rev Debra (Deb) Buck-
ley,
Asst C (Balsall Heath, St Paul
and Edgbaston, St Mary & St
Ambrose), (Birmingham), to be
V, Smethwick Old Church,
(Birmingham).
The Rev Dr Ian Carter,
Anglican Chap Team Leader
with Salford Royal NHS Foun-
dation Trust, is to become P-i-C
of All Saints Hamer and P-i-C of
Christ Church Healey (Man-
chester).
The Rev Dr Paula Clif ford,
C in Training Oxford St Giles,
St Philip, St John and PTO
Dorchester (Oxford), to be C in
Training, Akeman Benefice
(Oxford).
The Rev Anthony Collier,
previously Honorary Asst C of
Shirley, St John now holds the
Bishop of Southwarks Permis-
sion to Officiate (Southwark).
The Rev Bryan Corke,
Asst C NSM at St Clement Urm-
ston has become, in addition,
Asst C NSM at Christ Church
Davyhulme (Manchester).
The Rev Peter Huw Davies,
R (Oxford), to be R, Sandy (St
Albans).
The Rev Mark Dean,
Chap and Interfaith Adviser to
the University of the Arts, now
also holds the Bishop of South-
warks Permission to Officiate
(Southwark).
The Rev Catherine Dobson,
Asst C of Rothwell with Orton,
Rushton w Glendon & Pipewell,
Loddington and Thorpe Malsor
has been appointed R of The
Coastal Group of Parishes (Nor-
wich).
The Rev Canon Peter
Doores,
who holds the Bishops Permis-
sion to Officiate, has been
appointed Clergy Retirement
Officer for the Archdeaconry of
Bournemouth (Winchester).
The Rev Cath Faulkner,
P-i-C NSM at St Clement Urm-
ston has become, in addition,
Asst C NSM at Christ Church
Davyhulme until 10 August
2014 (Manchester).
The Rev Jenny Fennell,
P-i-C, Welwyn Garden City (St
Albans), to be Incumbent (V),
Welwyn Garden City (St
Albans).
The Rev John Gayford,
Has been given Permission to
Officiate (Southwark).
The Rev Edward Bryan
Green,
Team V - Cherwell Valley
Benefice (Oxford), to be V,
Leavesden All Saints (St
Albans).
The Rev Jane Holmes,
P-i-C of the Gayton Benefice has
been appointed to a new (addi-
tional) position, P-i-C of Cong-
ham, Grimston and Roydon
(Norwich).
The Reve Ren Jarrett,
The Rev Michael Adrian
Jones,
who currently holds the Bish-
ops Permission to Officiate and
is working as the Administrative
Asst in the Deans office as
Bishops Policy Adviser and
Chap (Leicester).
The Rev Sharon Vernie
Kaye,
Team V, Moor Allerton and
Shadwell Team (Ripon and
Leeds), to be also Acting Asst
AD of Allerton up to Easter
2014 (same diocese).
The Rev David Lunn,
has been appointed Asst Priest
of Great and Little Billing
(Peterborough).
The Rev Chris Moorsom,
To be Canon Precentor of
Derby Cathedral.
The Rev Francis (Frog) Ian
Lance Orr-Ewing,
PtO Oxford, to be NSM (Assoc
clergy) Beaconsfield (Oxford).
The Rev David Owen
Team Vicar in the Droitwich
Spa Team Ministry and P-i-C of
Salwarpe with Hindlip & Martin
Hussingtree, is to be R, Chet
Valley benefice (Norwich).
The Rev Paul Oxley,
PtO Oxford, to be NSM Assoc
Clergy, Milton Keynes
(Oxford).
The Rev Andrew Pearse,
retired Priest with Permission
to Officiate (York), to be House
for Duty Priest, Knaresborough
Team Ministry (Ripon and
Leeds).
The Rev Julie Frances Rams-
bottom,
R, Finchampstead and Califor-
nia, Sonning Deanery (Oxford),
to be AD (Sonning) (Oxford).
The Reverend Dr Peter
Anthony Rowe,
has been appointed Assoc V of
Maidstone, St Michael and All
Angels (Canterbury).
The Rev Felicity Mary-
Louise Scroggie,
Incumbent, Sudbury, St
Andrew London), to be Team R,
Kidlington with Hampton Poyle,
(Oxford).
The Rev Louise Seear,
presently Asst C in the North
Lambeth Team Ministry is to be
commissioned as also Chap to
Kings College Hospital NHS
Foundation Trust.
The Rev Howard Smith,
The Rev Jonathan Smithurst,
V, Everton, Mattersey, Clay-
worth and Gringley-on-the-Hill
Benefice and AD of Bassetlaw
& Bawtry (Southwell and Not-
tingham), to be P-i-C in the
Attenborough Benefice, in the
same Diocese.
The Rev Timothy Storey,
R at Blandford Forum and
Langton Long (Salisbury),
appointed to the Team Rectory
of Central Telford, (Lichfield).
The Rev Andrew Nigel
Thomas,
Stipendiary Asst C in Training,
The Benefice of the Cookhams,
Maidenhead & Windsor Dean-
ery, to be Chap to HM Forces
(Royal Navy).
The Rev Elizabeth Thomson,
Team V of Whitney, Diocese of
Oxford, has been appointed
Canon Missioner of Derby
Cathedral, Diocese of Derby.
The Rev Michelle Thomp-
son,
licensed as Asst Chap (part
time) of Wrightington, Wigan
and Leigh NSH Foundation
Trust.
The Rev Rachel Thompson,
Assoc Priest of Kirk Hallam,
(Derby), has been appointed
non-stipendiary Deanery Mis-
sioner in the Erewash Deanery
in the same diocese.
The Rev Richard Thompson,
Chap of HMP Hollesley Bay and
YOI Warren Hill in the St
Edmundsbury and Ipswich dio-
cese has been appointed Chap
at HMP Peterborough.
The Rev Jane Warhurst,
Incumbent of Toxteth (St Bede)
(St Clement) (Liverpool), is to
become Incumbent of St John
the Baptist Irlam which is part
of the Irlam and Cadishead
Group Ministry. She will, in
addition, undertake the role of
Ecumenical Officer in the Dio-
cese (Manchester).
The Rev Anne White,
Asst C in the Benefice of the
Western Parishes in Guernsey
(Winchester), has been appoint-
ed House for Duty Priest at Ald-
brough and Mappleton with
Goxhill and Withernwick
(York).
The Rev Lyn Sharon Wort-
ley,
P-i-C, Greasbrough St Mary
(Sheffield), to be also Asst C of
Kimberworth and Kimber-
worth Park and Asst C of Raw-
marsh with Parkgate
(Sheffield).
The Rev Toby Christopher
Wright,
Team R Witney Benefice
(Oxford), in addition to be AD,
Witney (Oxford).
The Rev Richard George
Zair,
P-i-C Marcham with Garford &
P-i-C, Shippon, Abingdon Dean-
ery (Oxford) in addition to be
AD, Abingdon (Oxford).
The Rev David Fergus,
Priest-in-Charge of Kirk Hallam,
(Derby), will retire with effect
from 26th February, 2014.
The Rev Canon David Jen-
nings,
R of the Benefice of Burbage,
cum Aston Flamville, will be
retiring with effect from 31
March 2014. David will retain
his role as Canon Theologian at
Leicester Cathedral.
The Rev Donald Jones,
V Nuneaton St Nicolas & PiC
Weddington & Caldecote, to
retire.
The Rev Paul Such,
Incumbent: Coventry St. John
the Baptist, to retire.
The Rev Simon Wilson,
County Ecumenical Officer,
Norfolk and Waveney Churches
Together. Social and Communi-
ty Concerns Co-ordinator, Dio-
cese of Norwich. Chap, Norfolk
and Fire Rescue Service, has
resigned due to ill health
The Rev Nigella Youngs-
Dunnett,
Self Supporting Asst C (known
as Asst Priest), The Alde River
Benefice (St Edmundsbury and
Ipswich), to retire with effect
from 12 December 2013.
The Rev Derek Edwin Peet,
who had the Bishops Permis-
sion to Officiate, died on 3
December 2013 (Ripon and
Leeds).
Friday 20 December. Psalm 89: 1-7, Ruth 3. Yewa (form.
Egbado) - (Lagos, Nigeria): The Rt Rev Simeon Adebola
Saturday 21 December. Psalm 71:3-8, Ruth 4: 1-end. Yirol -
(Sudan): The Rt Rev Daniel Deng Abil
Sunday 22 December. Advent 4. Psalm 19: 7-end, Rev. 5.
Yokohama - (Japan): The Rt Rev Laurence Yutaka Minabe
Monday 23 December. Psalm 85: 7-end, Rev. 10: 1-11. Yola -
(Jos, Nigeria): The Rt Rev Markus Ibrahm
Tuesday 24 December. Christmas Eve. Psalm 96: 1,10-end,
Rev. 12: 7-12. York - (York, England): The Most Rev John Sen-
tamu; York Beverley: The Rt Rev Martyn Jarrett; York Hull:
The Rt Rev Richard Frith; York Selby: The Rt Rev Martin Wal-
lace; York Whitby: Vacant
Wednesday 25 December. Christmas Day - Nativity of our
Lord. Psalm 89: 19-end, Isa. 65: 17-25. Ysabel - (Melanesia):
The Rt Rev Richard Naramana
Thursday 26 December. Psalm 98, Isa. 55: 1-5. Yukon -
(British Colombia & the Yukon, Canada): The Rt Rev Larry
David Robertson
Friday 27 December. Psalm 85, Isa. 55: 6-13. Zaria - (Kaduna,
Nigeria): The Rt Rev Cornelius Salifu Bello, Zaki-Biam - (Abuja,
Nigeria): The Rt Rev Benjamin Vager
Saturday 28 December. Holy Innocents. Psalm 2, Isa. 56: 1-
5. Zanzibar - (Tanzania): The Rt Rev Michael Hafidh
Sunday 29 December. Psalm 116: 12-end, Isa. 57: 14-21. Lake
Rukwa - (Tanzania): The Rt Rev Mathayo Kasagara
Monday 30 December. Psalm 96: 1-4, Isa. 58: 6-12. Zonkwa -
(Abuja, Nigeria): The Rt Rev Praises Omole-Ekun
Tuesday 31 December. New Years Eve. Psalm 96: 7-10, Phil.
1: 1-11. Zululand - (Southern Africa): The Rt Rev Dino Gabriel
THE 2013
BIBLE CHALLENGE
APPOINTMENTS
RETIREMENTS &
RESIGNATIONS
DEATHS
ANGLICAN CYCLE OF PRAYER
Subscribe to the CEN in
the Apple Newsstand
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Letters & Feature 13
Facing the Modern
The Portrait in Vienna 1900
National Gallery London (until 12
January)
There are still some days left before this
unique exhibition closes: I urge readers
to see it. For it stretches far broader than
the year 1900. Most of the pictures were
not painted in that year, which has been
chosen, so to speak, as the turn of the
century pivot preceded by more
conventional 19th century portraiture.
Though the Vienna Secession group,
founded in 1897, was to have such a
profound impact, not only in the visual
arts but also in architecture including
one great church and the buildings of
Vienna itself its most startling
innovations in figure painting were to
come in the years 1900-1918.
The world is most familiar now with
the mannered, symbolist work of Gustav
Klimt. His powerful The Kiss (1908-9)
is the best known. It glows with gold-leaf,
as do many other of his works, like the
erotic Danae (1907). Neither are to be
seen in this exhibition. That signature
gold leaf is sparse here too.
What is fascinating is to see how Klimt
(1862-1918) developed from a superb
representational portrait painter (he also
painted splendid frescos) into an utterly
individual, unmistakable style which was
all his own.
His works here, as with all the other
portraits, are set in the social and
historical background of Vienna. The
guest curator of the exhibition, Dr Emma
Blackshaw, is Associate Professor,
History of Art and Visual Culture at the
University of Plymouth.
Talking to her recently she
emphasised that each room of the
exhibition has a theme, starting with the
early 19th century. Then the modern
early 20th century: Egon Schieles self-
portrait, himself, his wife, his child,
naked (with modesty) is the stunning
introduction to the Family and the Child.
Here too come Oskar Kokoschka (who
lived long, unlike Schiele, and became a
British subject) Klimt and Arnold
Schnberg whose portraits break as
much with tradition as his 12-tone
technique in his music. Then there are
artists self-portraits.
There follows a larger intellectual
frame: for Vienna in the mid-19th
century was Europes fourth largest city,
and immigrants poured in from all over
the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which
covered much of central Europe. The
Habsburg dynasty following 1815
presided over an authoritarian
government much based on an
aristocracy. Viennas upper
middle class at that time took
refuge in being non-political,
turning its interest to the arts
and domesticity the
Biedermeier period. We see
such portraits.
But from mid-century, there
was a relaxation. The regime
became more liberal, and from
the late 1860s in what had
been a very Roman Catholic
empire at the top, Protestants,
Orthodox Christians, Jews
and even latterly Muslims
were embraced by the state.
In Vienna, the Jews became
an important component of its
people.
Having your portrait painted
was a step upwards in middle
class social mobility. For these New
Viennese to have this from Klimt, the
most expensive of all the artists, was an
additional badge of arrival to high
circles.
Edmund de Waal, author of The Hare
with Amber Eyes, which chronicles his
Jewish familys rise, contributes an
introduction to the book of the
exhibition. See our illustration. (The face
on its cover is Egon Schiele by himself).
If you cant get to the exhibition,
consider buying it.
Graham Gendall Norton
Call 020 7222 8663 or email us at subs@churchnewspaper.com for details
Pauls comments on homosexual
relationships (homosexuality was
not a concept anyone would have
recognised at that time) as unequiv-
ocal condemnation.
This brought to my mind Profes-
sor C Kingsley Barrett, whose aca-
demic and confessional credentials
have never been questioned, cast a
somewhat different light on the text
in his lectures on the letter to the
Romans, which I believe did not con-
tradict his authoritative commen-
tary, although I can no longer
consult that book, having had to
downsize my library some years
ago.
His exegesis of chapter 1 was that
a significant strand of Pauls objec-
tion (within its context) was that
whereas heterosexual attraction
could be regarded as the embryonic
form of being drawn towards, to
admire and even to worship the
Other - a creature who is different
from oneself and could, with Gods
grace, lead to worship of God, the
supreme Other, homosexual attrac-
tion was a manifestation of worship-
ping ones own image and was
therefore idolatrous.
Of course, this observation is rele-
vant only if one holds, as I do not,
that the final and definitive word on
any subject is to be found in the con-
temporary details of St Pauls writ-
ing rather than in the words and
example of our Lord himself. And
even then, is it necessary for us to
believe that the illness we know as
epilepsy is no illness but a sign of
demonic possession or that all men
are highly fertile and only women
can be infertile?
It would seem to follow that we
should, since Jesus did not depart
from these beliefs in his lifetime, as
a fully human incarnation of our cre-
ator God who had to live, learn and
understand the world around him in
the same way as his peers?
This discussion is a good example
of why we are required to use all our
God-given curiosity to search for
knowledge, and not cover our eyes
and stuff cotton wool in our ears
before preparing to proclaim the
Good News to our neighbours. If
Moses had not pursued his curiosity
with regard to the burning bush, the
Old Testament would have been a
very short document indeed.
Mary P Roe,
Bicester, Oxon
Letters continued
from page 6
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Sunday 14
Then Mary said, Here I am,
the servant of the Lord; let it be
to me according to your word,
(Luke 1:38).
How much do you value
your reputation? Your freedom
of choice? Your home com-
forts? A life that is safe? These
are all good things in them-
selves and it would be hard to
choose to give them up not
knowing what would replace
them. But that is what Mary,
the mother of Jesus did when
she said Yes to God through
his angelic messenger.
We have sanitised so much
of the Christmas story by turn-
ing it into cute nativity scenes
that it is easy to overlook the
darker side of Gods coming
into the world and the cost
involved for many of those
who played their part in it.
For Mary the cost began
many months beforehand
when she was visited by the
angel and heard that God had
chosen her to bear his son.
She could not have taken in
the full implications of what
she was being asked and had
she been able to do so, she
may have shrunk from ever
giving her assent. As it was
she said Yes and her obedi-
ence has been an example of
costly commitment to the
Gospel for multitudes ever
since.
Yet Mary was not interested
in being at the centre of the
drama of the Incarnation and
would not want the spotlight to
be on her. Only once in the
Gospels does she seem to
overstep the mark when she
and Jesus brothers tried to
interfere in Jesus ministry
(Mk 18:31-4). For the most
part she was content for her
contribution to the Gospel
story to be hidden.
As a mother to the young
Jesus her influence would
have been great, but we are
not told about that. We do see
her, however, at the foot of the
cross keeping watch (Jn 19:25)
and we see her again fleetingly
following the Ascension as she
joined the believers in con-
stant prayer while they await-
ed the coming of the Holy
Spirit (Acts 1:14). In both
cases it was a role that did not
involve any privileged knowl-
edge of how things would turn
out. Mary was simply in the
right place: keeping company
with Jesus at the cross and
praying constantly. Both situa-
tions involved waiting in faith.
In both cases the focus was
elsewhere.
The fourth Sunday in Advent
appropriately focuses on Mary
as we come very close to the
Christmas event itself. From
this vantage point we may, like
she did, look away from our-
selves to the birth of the Sav-
iour of the world. Like her
also, we may pause and keep
all these things and ponder
them in our hearts. The word
for pondered means to turn
them over and over, savour
them, let them drop deeply
into our being till they become
part of us. By doing so we give
wonder a chance and in won-
dering at the birth of the Sav-
iour as a helpless baby, we will
surely find ourselves giving
glory to God by worshipping
him not only with our lips but
also with our lives.
Sunday 29 December 2013 - 1st Sunday of
Christmas
Isaiah 63:7-9,
Hebrews 2:10-18,
Matthew 2:13-23
The readings this week remind us that Christmas is
about God himself graciously coming among us, not just
to identify with us or bless us in the abstract, but to die,
as planned.
Isaiah rejoices in the presence of God with his people,
and in all his gracious and mighty works for them. His
steadfast love to his people meant that he could not
remain at a distance or refuse to get involved in their suf-
ferings and struggles. He shows them favour, not
because they deserve it, but according to his mercy.
They are his people, his children, and so sending a mere
messenger or angel to help them would not be entirely
sufficient. He must come himself.
As astonishing as that is, God goes further. He lifted
them up and carried them a sustaining love and care
that shows an ongoing concern for those he aspires to
lift up, out of their sin and sorrow. The plans of this
covenant-keeping God are not thwarted by either his
enemies strength or his peoples transgressions. Isaiah
has already announced that one is coming who will bear
the iniquities of his people, and be punished in their
place, and yet triumph over death to see the light of life
(Isaiah 52-53).
Right on cue, the shadow of death falls over the nativi-
ty in Matthew 2, but it proves no obstacle to the fulfil-
ment of Gods purposes. The devil planned to strike the
heel of Immanuel, and kill him. Yet the time had not yet
come for him to serve through suffering. A baby is too
passive to be a willing sacrifice for sin, so if the Christ-
child had died it would not be so clear that God was at
work to save. Yet Herod did all he could to destroy the
baby who threatened his power. A messenger or angel
was sent to warn Joseph, and a timely escape was exe-
cuted instead, fulfilling Scripture in the process, which
cannot help but point to this child.
The devil does not give up so easily. His agent is
incensed by the failure of his plan, and so unleashes all
the forces at his disposal. The innocent children inno-
cent, at the very least, because they are not guilty of
being the Messiah! are slaughtered. Yet none of this
falls outside the providence of God, whose prophet Jere-
miah foresaw what would happen. When the threat from
Herod is over, the path seems clear for a homecoming;
but even then, Herods son might have threatened the
return of The Son from Egypt. Yet God knows, and God
provides: warning in a dream and again fulfilling the
prophets.
Hebrews 2 can reflect on the work of the covenant-
keeping God from the other side of the cross and resur-
rection. The author sees clearly that Gods plan was to
lift up his children, and to bring them to glory. The
necessity of the Christmas is brought out in verse 14:
the pioneer of salvation would have to go through death
in order to destroy the one who brought down that veil
upon the world. And so the immortal, invisible God
who alone can save, as Isaiah said needed to take the
blood and flesh that his children possess, so he might
die for them. He took flesh to taste death, that his peo-
ple, his family, might be atoned for and live.
Through his suffering, they are sanctified. Through
his death they are released from the fear of death that
held them in slavery all their lives and caused them to
resort to religious and superstitious protectionism. Now
they have a saviour God who gets his hands dirty, and
out of mercy acts as both faithful high priest and willing
victim. In the distress of temptation and testing, only one
who has been perfected through suffering himself is
adequate to lift us up and carry us home.
God so loved, that he gave his Son
It came upon the midnight clear
My song is love unknown
We hail thy presence glorious
Jesus, friend of sinners
SUNDAY SERVICE
HYMN SUGGESTIONS
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Sunday 5 January 2014 - Christmas 2 /
Epiphany
Isaiah 60:1-6,
Ephesians 3:1-12,
Matthew 2:1-12
This week we rejoice in the good news that Jesus is
truly light for the world, including Gentiles.
The traditional story for Epiphany is Matthew 2:1-12,
although strangely we had verses 13-23 as last weeks
Gospel reading! Matthews narrative is of course some-
what different to our standard nativity play version: we
are not told how many wise men from the East came to
find the new born king of the Jews, we often assume
it was three because they gave three gifts (though
some in the East today believe it was as many as
dozen); we are not told they came on camels (or one
in a taxi, one in car, one on his scooter as the sacrile-
gious hymn I learned in childhood has it!); we are not
told their names (medieval inventions); they probably
came up to two years after Jesus birth (see verse 16),
rather than two minutes after the shepherds; and we
are not told here that they were kings.
What is important, however, is the significance of
this episode. For Matthew (the only Evangelist to
report on the visit of the Magi) this revolves, as always,
around the fulfilment of
the Scriptures. Herod
is afraid when he hears
they have come to find
a new king, and all
Jerusalem with him,
because they realise
there is now a threat to
their corrupt regime.
They ascertain from
the prophecy of Micah
that the Messiah (for
who else could com-
mand his own star?
Numbers 24:17) would
be born in Davids
birthplace, in Bethle-
hem (Micah 5:2). No
longer in a stable but a
house (verse 11), they
meet the Lord and his
blessed mother, and
hand over their precious gifts. There is no end of spec-
ulation about their significance, but they may point to
the kingly (gold), and priestly (frankincense) ministry
of the child, while myrrh is sometimes thought to be
the kind of sap or ointment that would have been used
to anoint a dead body a foreshadowing of Christs
salvific death.
With Isaiah 60 in mind, Matthews story can be seen
with even more colour. When the light of Israel comes,
the LORD and his glory will shine on the whole world,
even those who dwell in the darkness of the Gentile
world. The nations shall come to that light, even kings
to the brightness of your dawn. This may be a
prophetic indication that the tradition of royal magi is
not so fictitious after all. Or it may project a longer-
term view of how far the gospel will penetrate in its
centuries long expansion, from Emperor Constantine
to Queen Elizabeth II and other monarchs who profess
to follow the servant king. Camels from the East
appear in verse 6 along with gold and frankincense, so
it is not hard to see the appropriateness of this reading
alongside Matthew 2, which also features the note of
thrilling joy and wonder at what the LORD has done, as
unbelief is turned to worship of the one true God.
Paul too reflects on this theme with excitement, with
a view to our encouragement (Ephesians 3:13). The
key is in verse 6, where we hear that through the
gospel the Gentiles share the inheritance, the body,
and the promise in Christ. All the nations of the world
were promised blessing through Abraham (Genesis
12), and in Christ that hope of the ages is fulfilled. But
Paul sees this achievement against an even bigger can-
vas in verse 10, where he tells us that through the
church united in Christ, Gods multi-faceted wisdom is
declared in the heavenly places to the angelic rulers
and authorities. This expansive, cosmic vision is
intended to strengthen the hearts of believers, even in
the midst of the suffering and persecution that always
seem to accompany the fulfilment of Gods purposes in
history.
Lee Gatiss is Director of Church Society and Editor of the
NIV Proclamation Bible
Joy to the world!
At the name of Jesus
Lord, the light of your love
The Lord is my light (or Psalm 27)
We have a gospel to proclaim
HYMN SUGGESTIONS
SUNDAY SERVICE
www.churchnewspaper.com Friday December 20/27, 2013 Reviews 15
Exhibition celebrates the era of Elizabeth I
Promoting The Hobbit: The Deso-
lation of Smaug (cert.12A), Mar-
tin Freeman said: We expect the
audience to pick up where we left
off, and remember the names of
13 dwarves. No chance its so
long since the first episode (The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
that other than Bilbo Baggins
(Freeman) and Gandalf (Ian
McKellen) and maybe Orlando
Bloom as Legolas the elf, I could
have done with a reminder of
who everyone was, or even a
story so far.
Then I remembered the inter-
minable opening scene of last
years first episode of this three-
part epic based on Tolkiens orig-
inal 300 pages, and thought
better of it. Its nearly another
three hours as it is.
When we left off in An Unex-
pected Journey, Bilbo and the
dwarves had been rescued from
certain death by eagles. The
eagles dumped them on a cliff
rather than deliver them all the
way to the Lonely Mountain,
where, as a taster for episode
two, we saw a dragon awake.
This is the long journey, so long,
to get there.
I warn you now there are two
hours of CGI battles and stuff
before we even get to meet the
dragon, Smaug. Apparently in
appendix E to Lord of the Rings,
Tolkien said the au should be
pronounced as in loud, and this is
what we call research, so director
Peter Jackson can claim some
authenticity.
Whether that extends to cast-
ing Benedict Cumberbatch to be
the voice and motion-capture
model for Smaug may be another
matter for conversations with
Bilbo (Freeman) you need to
blank out Holmes and Watson,
their other famous pairing. And I
couldnt work out why Bilbo kept
taking the ring on and off in now-
you-see-me, now-you-dont teas-
ing of the grumpy dragon keep
the ring on and stay invisible
would be the idea, surely.
Then you have to remember
that its all a prequel to LOTR and
half the stuff is to fit in with that,
though with dwarves climbing
out a river into a house through
its privy, and Stephen Fry as the
Master of Laketown (surely
based on Boris Johnson), its
hard to know what to take seri-
ously. Given that Tolkien bor-
rowed from Beowulf for his
dragon, we could really have
used Bilbo impersonating Ray
Winstone in the motion-capture
animation of Beowulf and saying,
My name is Baggins, and I am
here to fight your monsta.
The violence is bloodless but
having a decapitated head come
at you in 3D may not be to every-
ones taste. The CGI orcs dont
really work either they dont
look right (is it the high frame
rate that makes it look like its
all just a bit fast?) and they really
are pitiful opponents when up
against just a couple of elves.
This is definitely one for the
LOTR fans, though giant spiders
that all sound like Gollum is a
plus, and dwarves in barrels
going down rapids was quite
good fun. And locking Gandalf in
a suspended cage worked for me.
Steve Parish
Elizabeth I & Her People
National Portrait Gallery, London
By Brian Cooper
Standing almost life-size on a huge map of England,
its southern counties below her feet, Queen Elizabeth
I proudly identifies with the land and people she
rules. Near this commanding 1592 portrait by Marcus
Gheeraerts the Younger, fashionable nobles and
wealthy merchants, lively musicians and busy food
vendors, are imaged strutting and busily working in
Joris Hoefnagels atmospheric 1570 vision of a Fete at
Bermondsey.
These opening images of monarch and populace at
once capture the scope of National Portrait Gallerys
fresh-angle exhibition Elizabeth I and Her People,
revealing a thrusting Protestant middle class as key
dynamic in her Golden Age.
Royal portraits of course were vitally important to
sustain Elizabeths mystique: on display in universi-
ties and town halls as well as great country houses,
they projected her image as a focus of national devo-
tion and unity. Those on show, including the Cam-
bridge and big-scale Hardwick Hall ones, merit close
study - of her elaborately jewelled power dressing
costumes, their symbolism (pendant pearl and
ermine signify her as Virgin Queen), and her no non-
sense gaze. Visual fantasies, such as Isaac Olivers
curious Elizabeth I and the Three Goddesses, (1590),
helped create the Gloriana cult.
Her court is here, too - self-consciously posing
around her in the 1603 Procession Portrait, oddly
revealed in the study of senior adviser Lord Burghley
on his pet mule, and - with
hint of realpolitik - that of
black-garbed powerful
Thomas Howard, Duke of
Norfolk, executed for trea-
son.
The scope of Elizabethan
society quickly widens to
reveal rising, self-made men.
Explorer Sir Walter Raleigh,
painted by an unknown Eng-
lish artist in Armada year,
declares his devotion to Eliz-
abeth with moon rays pearls
on his white doublet, for she
was his moon goddess.
Fellow seaman Sir Martin
Frobisher, who navigated via
Greenland to Canada seek-
ing passage to China, by contrast is shown holding a
pistol. Such famed Elizabethans prelude Mr
Symonds of County Norfolk hawking in the country
with his dogs, exemplifying the rising squirearchy;
entrepreneur Sir Thomas Gresham, who lived both in
London and Antwerp and financed setting-up the
Stock Exchange; Gamaliel Pie, an aptly named meat
wholesaler, and prosperous Welsh cloth merchant
Gawen Goodman proclaiming his Protestant piety by
the inscription Jesus is my love.
Englands Protestant identity being confirmed and
strengthened under Elizabeth is a key theme. Jacques
Wittewronghele of Londons Dutch Reformed
Church, was among many who fled Catholic persecu-
tion in the Low Countries: his portrait features a skull
and clock, symbols of mortality.
Immigrants to Elizabethan Eng-
land brought enterprise: his son
set up a London brewery. Of spe-
cial interest is the dramatic study
of the Rev Henry Birdie, Protes-
tant minister and educationist in
Norwich, preaching at his
lectern. Significantly, the small
portrait of Catholic priest Grego-
ry Martin gives no hint of his
vocation.
The selection of Protestant
personal prayer books on dis-
play recalls such became popular
across all classes in late 16th-
century England, while the 1568
Bishops Bible, finely produced
with 124 illustrations, signified a
conservative Anglicanism rather than the radical
Protestant trend.
An England dominated by a female monarch saw
other powerful women. The Countess of Shrewsbury
- Bess of Hardwick - one of the richest women in the
realm, is imaged resplendent in peach headdress and
fur gown. At another social level, a nurse carefully
holds a well-dressed child fixing our gaze. Physicians,
artists and writers complete this fascinating portrait
survey of rising Elizabethans - whose successors
made the 17th-century English Revolution.
Elizabeth I and Her People is at National Portrait
Gallery, London, until 5 January 2014. Admission:
13.50; Concessions.
For my Christmas treat, a
new print of Cinema Par-
adiso is making the rounds.
Its 25 years since the origi-
nal came out, and anyone
with half a care for the best
of cinema should take the
chance to see it on the big
screen.
Giuseppe Tornatores
story tells of a successful
film director coming home
for the funeral of the pro-
jectionist from his local cin-
ema where he grew up and
gained his love for film. His
own love life is part of the
background, but its that
sense of wonder captured
in his face as a child that
has become one of the
great movie images.
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Happy Christmas! The big day is just a few Advent calendar chocolates away.
Hopefully you are more organised than I am. The tree isnt up, the presents
arent bought, let alone wrapped, and the Quality Street tin is my main food
source. In short, I am in the midst of Christmas Chaos. The remedy? Some
cracking Christmas television. So snuggle up in a festive knitwear and put
down the Sellotape and scissors. This is must-see TV.
If you have any topics you would like us to cover in the New Year, get
in touch. Send an email to amaris.cole@churchnewspaper.com.
FREE CEN ONLINE FOR ALL STUDENTS! Email your course details to subs@churchnewspaper.com
The fi rst cor rect entry drawn wi l l wi n a book of the Edi tor s choi ce.
Send your entry to Crossword Number 879, The Church of Engl and Newspaper,
14 Great Col l ege Street, Westmi nster , London, SW1P 3RX by next Fri day
Name
Addr ess
Post Code
PRIZE CROSSWORD No. 879 by Axe
Across
5 Carmelite mendicant preachers
(11)
7 Valley where David fought
Goliath [1 Sam] (4)
8 Hebrew minor prophet and OT
book (8)
9 Iconic name God gave to Jacob
and his descendants [Gen] (6)
11 This is why I speak to them in parables:
Though ------, they do not see,
[Matt/NIV] (6)
12 Isn't this the David they sang about in
their ------ ...? [1 Sam/NIV] (6)
15 Where Absalom fled after he killed
Amnon [2 Sam] (6)
17 Then he -------- a torch to every pair of
tails... [Judg/NIV] (8)
18 Son of Adam and Eve after whose birth
Adam lived another 800 years [Gen] (4)
19 York and Canterbury are examples of
this (11)
Down
1 Father of King Saul [1 Sam] (4)
2 Place where Jacob dreamed of a stair-
case to Heaven [Gen] (6)
3 The Twelve ------ of 9? (6)
4 He reveals the deep thing of --------...
[Job/NIV] (8)
5 Isaac reopened the ----- that had been
dug in the time of his father Abra-
ham... [Gen/NIV] (5)
6 Does it please you to oppress me, to ----
- the work of your hands...? [Job/NIV]
(5)
10 Those who practise self denial as a spir-
itual discipline, eg the Essenes (8)
13 We set out from the ----- Canal to go to
Jerusalem [Ezra/NIV] (5)
14 Ecclesiastical councils (6)
15 Hebrew leader who delivered Israel
from the Midianites [Judg] (6)
16 ...you will find a colt... ----- it and bring it
here [Luke/NIV] (5)
18 Son of Noah, ancestor of both Jews and
Arabs and the language group still spo-
ken [Gen] (4)
Solution to last weeks crossword
Across: 6 Naboth, 8 Isaiah, 9 Divers, 10 Midian, 11
Gath, 13 Believer, 15 Parmenas, 17 Heed, 18
Adorns, 20 Oracle, 22 Anchor, 23 Shebna.
Down: 1 Haji, 2 Joseph, 3 Firm, 4 Candle, 5
Gadarene, 7 Heshbon, 12 Abandons, 14 Lessons,
16 Martha, 17 Heaven, 19 Sore, 21 Lent.
COLLEGE STREET
SW1
CITY OF WESTMINSTER
Carols From Kings
A classic. Carols From Kings returns on
Christmas Eve. A solo chorister stands in the
candlelit, fan-vaulted splendour of the Chapel of
Kings College, Cambridge and sings Once In
Royal Davids City and for many people,
Christmas truly begins. This traditional and much-
loved celebration of the birth of Christ is a
glorious feast of Christmas words and music,
telling the story of the Nativity.
WATCH WITH: Granny. It will make her
Christmas.
Tuesday, 24 December on BBC TWO at 6.15pm.
Jane Eyre
BBC Two premieres Cary Fukunagas classic take
on romantic drama Jane Eyre for the Christmas
period. Jane Eyre is the classic love story written
by Charlotte Bront, which has proven to be one
of the worlds most popular books for over 160
years. After being orphaned at the age of 10 and
living a misplaced life, a teenage Jane (Mia
Wasikowska) arrives to work as a governess at the
grand Thornfield Hall where a brooding and
private Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender)
is master.
WATCH WITH: A hot chocolate and a warm
blanket.
Monday, 23 December on BBC TWO from 8:30 to
10:20 pm.
Downton Abbey Christmas special
Obviously. This years festive episode rejoins the
Crawley family and their servants six months on
from the end of series four. The two-hour special
introduces us to their previously unseen London
residence, Grantham House, as they prepare to
present Rose to the King and Queen at
Buckingham Palace as part of her coming out.
Coras mother, Martha Levinson, is back from
New York and this time shes brought her
nightmarish son Harold and both make quite an
impression with Londons high rollers.
WATCH WITH: A straight back and an
impeccable accent. A Lady/Gentleman never
slouches.
The Christmas special will air on ITV on
Wednesday 25 December at 8:30pm.
Doctor Who Christmas Special
And now its time for one last bow, like all your
other selves. Elevens hour is over now,
the clock is striking twelves. Its here. The long-
awaited regeneration of Matt Smith and for the
first time Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels and
the Silence have come together. Good to know the
Doctor will be having a busy Christmas, like the
rest of us. The episodes official teaser reads: The
Doctor must sacrifice everything to save a town
called Christmas from the Time Lords greatest
enemies. A change is going to come, and Silence
will fall Cue thousands of excited Whovians.
WATCH WITH: The whole family. Make room on
the sofa for your brother and do your best to
tolerate your sisters continual questions.
The Time of the Doctor will air on Christmas Day at
7.30pm on BBC One.

Church of England Newspaper 20-12-13

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