A brilliant church?

While web surfing the other day I noticed a google ad on the right hand side of my screen which made me sigh. The ad was for a large (numerically speaking) church in Manchester who we'll refer to here as "Holly Church Manchester". So what narked me? The heading! "A Brilliant Church". Since when was church called to be "brilliant"? This stinks of show language. Churches surely should be diverse, fragile and journeying people who are community together. I don't think we are called to be brilliant but real!

A complete hash?

It seems to me that many Christian organisations and church denominations have made a complete hash of the sexuality discussion and as a result have brought about division that in my opinion could have been avoided.

Whatever our individual take on the discussion it seems to me that we have to acknowledge that there will always be a different viewpoint to our own out there. The mistake I think many denominations and organisations (where a mixture of viewpoint exist) have made is to baton down to a viewpoint on either side of the debate. As a result this has meant that the subject of sexuality has been elevated to be an issue bigger than it need be (I am not by that suggesting that this is not an important area for discussion, but that it can be a dominating and divisive topic if a strong statement is felt necessary).

Is it not possible that we could consider this a secondary issue which we might just have to agree to disagree on? As a secondary issue, could it not be possible that individuals can come to their own conclusions with out the need for a hierarchical mandate? Could it not be that each individual church minister can decide where they stand while respecting others with the same freedom to decide. Could those who would want to be involved in blessing same sex relationships be allowed to do so while allowing others to refrain from involvement if that is the conclusion they have come to. In short do we need one-size fits all hierarchical mandates on this one. Can we not just be civil about this? (if you'll pardon the expression).

"You Got it!"

Last week I was speaking to someone in Levenshulme who is part of our community groups. She wouldn't say she was a person of faith but our conversation showed that faith is so much wider than the limited boundaries we Christians often place upon it.

I spoke of our desire to be an inclusive and non-judgemental church. The response came: "Well yes that's kinda the Jesus model". And I thought, "You got it!" - Shame so many of us self labelling "Christians" seem to miss that one!

May we learn more and more what it means to be inclusive church valuing all as people lovingly made in the image of God's self.

Stakes are high

BBC news says today: "The UK may have to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 90% by 2050 so the aviation sector can continue to grow". Am I missing something, surely the idea is that the aviation sector shouldn't grow? The report continues, "The failure of aviation to play its full part could mean that the rest of the economy has to reduce its emissions by 90% instead of 80%". A higher target for household and industry carbon reduction can only be good, but the aviation industry can not be allowed to fail on their target - The stakes are too high and we know that air travel contributes highly to the issue of global warming. As someone blogging who likes flying and admittably does fly, I wonder whether the time has come to re-think our attitude to flying, particularly on short distance cheap flights? If the demand isn't there then maybe the airlines will need to rethink. Off now to turn a few lights and items on standby off!!!!!!

"trendy-arty-liberal"

"A new style of liberal Christianity is slowly emerging. Because it is not a coherent movement with a bullet-point agenda it gets ignored, but it could almost be seen as a new wing of the church. It is most simply summed up in a pejorative way: trendy-arty-liberal. To put it more positively, this new style of Christianity is defined by a confidence that contemporary culture is a resource rather than a threat". Theo Hobson, reporting in the Guardian newspaper, reflecting on Greenbelt Festival.

Some call it Post-Evangelical, some call it progressive theology, some don't like to box it. The Guardian refer to it as trendy-arty-liberal. A growing number of Christians it seems to me are uncomfortable with both the Evangelical and the Liberal classic theological viewpoints and seek a third way (or may be several ways). Sadly many still find little support or understanding from churches in their neighbourhood and rely on Greenbelt as an annual fix. I wonder what a network of Greenbelt value churches might look like and how they might be significant to so many disillusioned by the still growing judgemental beliefs held in the name of Christianity, or is that me just being judgemental too?

Godly Bishop

Greenbelt is already proving good this year. Interesting conversation, comedy and music. The festival has received a fair amount of criticism from the conservative wing of the church this year over the invite to Bishop Gene Robinson. Sometimes you can really just sense the presence of God in people. Having heard him speak at Greenbelt today, I can say that Gene is a very humble, thoughtful, Godly man. As a Christian I believe in a God whose love is inclusive and accepting of all. I thank Greenbelt for bringing this God ordained Bishop to Cheltenham.

The Politics of "na na na na na nah!"

I am fed up of politicians and political parties putting each other down. Do you know what I mean? Your party hasn't done this... Your party has done that...na na na na na nah! It's particularly come up recently over the NHS put downs. I am as cross by our politicians seeing it as an opportunity to dig at another party as I am by the right wing Americans who are too naive to know better anyway. If my children acted in this way to each other I'd have them standing against a wall to a count of ten or sending them to their room to consider their attitude. While I'm at it... Does anyone else hate it when local political party fliers constantly put down other parties... "The conservatives haven't achieved this", "The Lib Dems have made a mess of that", "Labour has ignored the other" etc etc. I'm waiting to vote for the party that just tells me (truthfully) what they plan to do without putting other parties down. I'm ready to vote for the party whose flyer says "x party has done the best they were able and if elected this is how we would build upon it". Anyone else ready to vote for them too?