Too beautiful to ignore...

Okay, I know I said I wouldn't just keep posting videos all the time, but this is far to beautiful to ignore...



(Thanks to the wonderful Cindy Kent for drawing my attention to this one)

Does God love you?

Many thanks to the fantastic @Undercovernun for drawing my attention to this brilliant chart.

Answer the questions to discover whether God loves you...

(Chart courtesy of I Love Charts).

Contraception - The Protestant View

Okay, I know this blog is getting a bit too video-oriented, but I don't have time for much else at the mo' and sometimes I can't resist.

More in-depth blog posting coming soon, I promise.

But in the meantime, (and in tribute to this week's announcement by the Pope about condoms) it's time for something completely different:

(adult content)

O. Dear. Lord.

You know what, Christians? If there's a good hollywood formula, don't mess with it just to shoehorn Jesus in. Don't create your own rubbish version. People will only hate you for it.

What would you say if you had just 1 minute with Cameron & Clegg?

These guys are making some serious decisions that will affect our communities, jobs, economy, healthcare, charities...you name it.

So the Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the United Reformed Church are asking people what they would say if they had their minute with our leaders in their My Minute campaign. Already we've had videos from award-winning comedian Milton Jones, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and our very own Revd John Wesley (aka Mark Topping).

So here's what I'd say...




What would you do with your minute? You can find advice for making your own video here.

This is embarrassingly familiar...

While it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one that does this, this video makes me realise that I need to take my prayer life much more seriously...

'What scares you, Jon?' 'Authors missing their deadlines.'

If there's one thing I can blame my big bro Jon for, it's my love of sci-fi. Admittedly, I'm not as fanatical as Jon - he's manged to turn his passion into his career. Not only is he Editor-in-Chief of Abaddon Books and Solaris Books, which publish sci-fi, fantasy and horror novels, last year he also published his first novel - The Call of Kerberos.

All this seems tremendously cool if, like me, you're more than just a little bit geeky.

So, here's in interview with Jon at the 2010 World Horror Convention in Brighton...

The answer to fixing Jewish-Methodist relations...

...or at least a very nice shot at it.

Having initially thought that coming back to 'normal work' from Methodist Conference (see below) would give me time to take a breather, this week has shown me just how wrong I frequently am. Since returning from the Conference on Thursday, my colleagues and I have essentially been responding to the reactions to the Conference's decision to boycott goods from illegal Israeli settlements.

Many of these have been positive, some have been very negative (but respectful and measured in tone). A few have been downright rude, offensive and inconsiderate. All of the responses I have received have been heartfelt and genuine.

But journalist Marcus Dysch of the Jewish Chronicle wins the prize for the most innovative and positive solution to a decision that has shaken Jewish-Methodist relations - swapping Panini football stickers. Despite Marcus' grave concerns about the decision taken by the Conference, he's determined to keep some perspective on the issue:

"The everyday reality of life for Methodists, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and people of all religions is not motions and boycotts, protests and complaints, conferences and politics. Rather it is friendly cooperation, a sense of being people of faith in a world where increasingly people are not religious, and small acts of kindness... such as the swapping of football stickers."

Even though it is critical of the decision taken by the Conference, this is simply the nicest, most positive response I've seen so far.

I haven't just been watching telly...promise

There are lots of reasons for my sporadic postings on this blog... tiredness, laziness, computer fatigue...

But the one I cite most often (usually to myself, when having the 'must keep blogging' internal dialogue) is work. Working for the Methodist Church in Britain is a joy and a delight, but it also keeps me rather darn busy.

So, just to prove I've not just been sitting on my backside in front of Holby City (okay, I have a bit), here's a taster of what I've been up to over the last couple of weeks.

Methodist Conference is the big event of the year in my work calendar, and on Thursday I returned home from 10 days at this year's Conference in Portsmouth. The Conference was interesting, challenging and hard work.

We inducted our new President and Vice President, elected next year's, celebrated 150 years of Methodist Chaplaincy to the armed forces, talked about reducing the Church's carbon footprint, were blessed by a visit from the Archbishop of Canterbury, discussed whether to boycott goods from illegal Israeli settlements, confirmed plans for a new Methodist hymn collection and agreed to produce advice on cohabitation. (Most of these news releases were written by my brilliant colleague Karen).

Karen also wrote this excellent piece for the Guardian on the Israel Palestine debate.

I offered some reflections on Psalm 131 on the last day of Conference, which you can watch here.

The wonderful Church Mouse invited me to offer a round-up of Conference on his blog, which I rustled up on the way home, and you can read it here.

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The dark side of freedom of speech

The other day I was discussing the blog post below (30 March) with a friend. I was saying how right I thought Pullman was on the issue of freedom of speech, and was a little surprised when my friend responded that he was against the principle of freedom of speech and thinks there should be legislation against it.

His argument went along these lines...

"Freedom of speech may well not be of particular concern when you're criticising groups that can easily defend themselves, but what about groups who don't have that ability? What about those who have neither the mental nor physical capacity to stick up for themselves?"

What about, for example, those who suffer from Downs' Syndrome? Last week, as part of his stand-up routine, 'comedian' Frankie Boyle apparently devoted five minutes to mocking Down's Syndrome sufferers, picking on their speech, clothing and hairstyles. He was subsequently challenged by Sharon and Keiron Smith, a couple in the audience who are the parents of a daughter who suffers from Down's Syndrome. Sharon speaks about how it offended her on her blog, in a post entitled 'Punching me in the face would have been preferable'.

She says, "I wish that I had managed to explain to them all why i was upset, to tell them how wrong the stereotypes about Down syndrome are. I wanted to show them how proud i am of my daughter, to tell them about how well she is doing at mainstream school. To show them the hundreds of pictures I have of her, so that they can see how pretty she is, that she wears pretty clothes and that she does not have bad hair... I wanted to break through their prejudices and to show how wrong the stereotypes are."

Fair point - so why do people like Boyle and those who laugh at jokes about vulnerable people think it's okay to do so? And, perhaps more importantly, why do we as audiences allow them to get away with it, rather than challenging them, as the Smiths did at the time?

As an aside, I do wonder why Sharon Smith was so shocked by Boyle's comments, when he's well known for bad-taste jokes on subjects ranging from paedophilia to mental illness. She comments, "I know talentless comedians like Jimmy Carr have a history and reputation of poking fun at people with disabilities, but I never expected it from Frankie Boyle."

Unfortunately, this seems a little naive - Boyle is notorious for his bad-taste jokes. But I really admire Smith for responding to him at the time and for her openness about the issue on her blog - not everyone is will risk embarrassment to stand up for what they believe in.

So, having considered the matter in greater depth, I have become a little more convinced by my friend's argument. In a sense, it's not really Pullman's point he's contending with. Pullman is right that Christians who are offended by his book are mostly able to respond and can take up the right of reply by way of protest. But not everyone has that ability, as Boyle's comments demonstrate. If the Smiths had not challenged him, no one would have done so on behalf of those suffering from Down's Syndrome.

I'm not necessarily in favour of censorship, and to be honest, I just don't know what the answer to this problem may be. But as I sit here on the fence, I wonder if perhaps it's long overdue that those who do have the capacity to stand up for people who are vulnerable make a stronger commitment to do so.

My friend’s point is that people simply won’t take that responsibility, and that therefore we actually need legislation against freedom of speech. I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s certainly given me food for thought.

It just seems far too easy to claim that freedom of speech is a good in and of itself - as someone who works in the media world, I'm certainly sympathetic to this view, but I'm not sure it's true. Surely it's what we choose to that freedom for that counts? Perhaps it's time for people to start taking more responsibility for the things they say, rather than defending their prejudices by claiming the protection of free speech.

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The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

Well, I appear to have monumentally failed on the new year's resolution to blog more. There are quite a few blog posts swimming around in my head that haven't yet made it onto the computer, but hopefully I will have more time soon (ha ha ha). In the meantime (thanks to the Ship of Fools - @shipoffoolscom on Twitter) I stumbled across this video of Philip Pullman talking about free speech in the context of his latest book - 'The good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'.

I doubt I shall agree with what Mr Pullman has to say in his new book (though I shouldn't judge too hastily and I hope I'll get chance to read it), but on this issue I think he hits the nail right on the head.



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#PatRobertsonDoesn'tSpeakForMe

This is my first blog post in ages and the first of the new year, and I was wondering how best to kick off my new year's resolution to blog more frequently.

Thanks then to the lovely @WaltonAndy for suggesting that my first blog post of the year be concerning Pat Robertson's appalling comments about the tradgedy that struck Haiti on Tuesday.

Christian Today reports that during a broadcast of 'The 700 Club' on the Christian Broadcasting Network on Wednesday Robertson said that the enormous earthquake was the consequence of a curse on Haiti after its founding fathers made a 'pact to the Devil' in exchange for the country's independence from France.

I wish I were surprised. I wish we lived in a world where Christians didn't say this kind of thing after epic natural disasters. Obviously, the vast majority of Christians do not agree with Robertson and find his views not only offensive but entirely misrepresentative of the God of love and compassion.

But, loathsome as his views are, Pat Robertson is not the real problem here. I am certain that, had Robertson not come forward with this predictable rubbish, some other crazy Christian would have.

And in order to challenge views like those of Robertson, it takes more than an appeal to common sense. To simply dismiss Robertson's views is the easy way out, and in a way it treats them with the contempt they deserve. But I think there's a deeper issue that needs attention here. We cannot appeal to the standards of society to challenge those of Robertson's ilk, as these are not the terms on which they operate. Instead we must turn to serious theological engagement.

If, as Christians, we want to take the Bible seriously (and even a liberal like me hopes that we do) we have to deal with the less palatable images of God we find there. This particularly means that we need to engage with Old Testament texts like the Book of Judges in an open-minded way. If we fail to do so, we will never be able to challenge super-literalistic views of Robertson et al in a constructive way.

So, how do we marry the apparently vengeful, jealous God of the Old Testament with the loving Christ? And how do people of faith whose interpretations of the Bible are so far apart ever find a way to learn and grow together?

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Failing the feminism test?

Now, I consider myself a feminist inasmuch as I believe that men and women deserve equal rights, respect and legal protection (not to mention paypackets for doing the same job).

But I still want to look good from time to time. One day, I'd like to lose a few pounds, get a hairstyle that actually works and learn to dress to suit my shape. Being an ugly duck teenager didn't really do me any favours. I'd quite like to be a swan now, please.

But am I undermining my feminist values in the pursuit of a more conventionally attractive me?

Well, browsing through the daily papers this morning, I came across this....

'You can be beautiful and still be a feminist'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/you-can-be-beautiful--and-still-be--a-feminist-1821741.html

Here's an extract:

Jill Berry, president of the Girls' School Association, which represents nearly 200 independent schools, told its annual conference in Harrogate: "Girls can be highly intelligent and interested in being seen to be attractive – the two aren't mutually exclusive. Caring about physical appearance and fashion and wanting to feel good about how you look doesn't have to be a betrayal of some feminist ideal. I love new shoes but it doesn't make me shallow. Girls can have fun and be taken seriously at the same time."

My first response was, "Well, duh!". But this does highlight an important issue for me. In my experience, female friends will espouse exactly the same views that I feel define me as a feminist, but preface them with 'I'm not a feminist but...', as if being a feminist is THE most unattractive trait possible in a woman. How can we challenge that myth of hairy, unwashed, (manly?) feminism without being accused of selling-out? (I realise there are many male feminists too, and that they're probably perfectly happy to be manly...this is really about the female face of feminism).

I am not solely defined by my looks, nor should anyone be. But I do have a body of which I am not entirely ashamed. A body I would like to improve, for fitness as well as appearance. The way I physically appear is one way I present myself to the world and, feminist or not, I want that world to view me favourably. This is partly from insecurity, no doubt, and the desire to 'measure up' to societal norms.

But there can be a more positive side to this - about owning my physical presence as much as my spiritual and intellectual presence. About being comfortable in my own skin and honouring what God's given me by looking after it.

This shouldn't be an excuse for self-obsessive preening, for damaging and unachievable goal-setting, for judging people solely on appearance. And no one should EVER be made to feel that they are not good enough because of the way they look. Thin should not be king. Self respect, confidence and an ease with who and what you are is the goal.

Ummm.... did I just fail my GCSE in feminism?

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Modern parables for a church tucked up in bed

I love elvis from KORE uk on Vimeo.

As a youth worker, I'm always looking for something a bit different - cool resources that might connect with our youth group on certain issues, inspiring them or encouraging them to think more deeply about something. So, I was chuffed to bits when I received the Kore press release last week.

This is what the Kore crew say about themselves:

In 2006, KORE was founded with a passion for the core of the gospel and the core of who Jesus calls us to be. The vision is to explore the heart and roots of our faith and to discover what the Kingdom of God looks like in our world.

KORE is a place for fresh ideas, new ways to engage and opportunities to join the discussion. Our website provides you with resources to download and use, inviting you to be challenged and inspired. We provide consultation to provoke thought and discussion, helping others to form and develop their own ideas.

KORE is an ever-growing community of people whose conversation and collaborative creativity shape and form what you see here. At our heart you will find a desire to engage with the world around us and a confession to not having all the answers. The journey of KORE is packed full of partnerships with others, both inside and outside the church.

I especially love their video content, which comes from a range of different filmakers around the world. Take some time to check out their Flicks section.

I Love Elvis is produced by the Kore team and can be found in the Shibboleth section - modern parables for a church tucked up in bed.

I'm also excited about what might come out of their new Voices concept. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My kinda atheist

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Michael Ruse, professor of philosophy and zoology at Florida State University, for his excellent piece on new atheism on Comment is Free, entitled Dawkins et al bring us into disrepute.

Here's a little taster:

"I don't have faith. I really don't. Rowan Williams does as do many of my fellow philosophers like Alvin Plantinga (a Protestant) and Ernan McMullin (a Catholic). I think they are wrong; they think I am wrong. But they are not stupid or bad or whatever. If I needed advice about everyday matters, I would turn without hesitation to these men."

I am so grateful for such an insightful piece, that challenges this ridiculous (and false) polarisation of atheist and religious world-views. Such a deliberately divisive world-view as that espoused by Dawkins et al can never be a route to better understanding and human growth.

So, more please, Professor Ruse!

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It's National Poetry Day!

Hurrah for poetry! Check out the National Poetry Day website here.

Here's a poem from my favourite poet (and good buddy) Paul Barrett.

During dinner break at work
I took a quiet and pleasant stroll
Into Sixteen sixty-eight.

The smell of timber still in air
I walked around an antiques fair
Along Westminster Bridge.

And shuffling in among the crowd
I bought a few old bits and things
From the Fifteenth Century.

I walked back to work,
Yesterday,
And sold them (promptly)
By auction (of course)
For a good few thousand pounds.

How very strange! (I now reflect)
That people don’t do things
Like this more often.

Why
Does
Everyone
Feel
So
Trapped?

Paul is an expert in Microsoft SharePoint, daddy to Zac, Luca & Lily-Rose and hubby to the fabulously gorgeous Katie. He is also author of the awesome and highly recommended book Time Ninety-Seven.

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nap tyme wiv jeesus

In tribute to Cookie, who had an operation on Friday and is feeling totally sorry for herself...

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

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The Friday Feelgood Playlist

Well, it's Friday, it's sunny, I've done a buttload of work this week and I'm feeling good! Bring on the weekend!

So here's my feelgood playlist - for the last 2 1/2 years, popping this on the iPod and pressing 'Shuffle' has been guaranteed to lift my day...

Dragostea Din Tei
O-Zone

Safety Dance
Men Without Hats

5 Minutes of Fame
BarlowGirl

Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)
Benny Goodman

Loosing Grip
Avril Lavigne

Slide
Goo Goo Dolls

Under Construction
Drew Copeland

Here it Goes Again
OK Go

Buck Rogers
Feeder

Opening Night
The Producers Soundtrack

Golden Touch
Razorlight

Hey Ya - a fine polemic on the breakdown of modern relationships and family values ;o)
OutKast

Hindi Sad Diamonds
Moulin Rouge Soundtrack

Hips Don't Lie
Shakira

Mandolin Mood
Sister Hazel

Too Many Miles
The Waiting

I Wanna Be a Producer
The Producers Soundtrack

Good Riddance
Green Day

Everything
Michael Buble


Interestingly, it's more the music and sing-a-bility that makes these tracks uplifting than the actual lyrics. hmmm....

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Greenbelt 2009 - highs and lows

Okay, so I'm a little behind the rest of the world in getting my thoughts on this year's Greenbelt into words, and for my official review of the festival you'll have to read this week's Methodist Recorder.

So I thought instead I'd just offer my highlights and lowlights and let my hubby's pictures tell the story.

Highlights

* Lounging in the sunshine

* Visiting the smiling faces on the Methodist Church stand in G-Source

* Maggie Dawn's challenge to give up our false impressions of God

* My big bro Jon waxing lyrical about comic books and Dr Who (below)

* Beer n hymns

* Sixpence None the Richer performing their new material

Sixpence None the Richer lead singer Leigh Nash

* The launch of TheMediaNet - a network for Christians working in the media (check it out!)

* Spending time with lovely hubby Jim Drew (who took all these photos)

Lowlights

* Sunday morning worship (politically charged and positively dire - check out the Greenbelt blog for the criticisms)

* Freezing my butt off in the tent on Friday night

* Missing all the cool stuff scheduled for Monday (especially awesome fantasy author Jasper Fford)

* Sixpence None the Richer performing their old material. Some things are best left in the past.

___

All in all, though, I had a ruddy good time.
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PS. Apologies to all for being a terribly sporadic blogger.

The $64 million dollar question

Following my post last week, readers probably wouldn't think twice about firmly placing me in the 'Liberal Anglican' camp, and indeed that's the way I have often defined my religious leanings. But Ruth Gledhill's article in Tuesday's Times has given me food for thought...

The article states that groups of liberal anglicans are planning some kind of takeover of General Synod at the quinquennial elections next year, in order to the steer the church into some kind of bright new liberal future...hmmm....

The statement from the groups is worth a read, and rather than focusing on liberal dominance at General Synod, it speaks of seeking to forge links between local churches that that are like minded. But for me it raises that enduring Christian problem ... the question of unity between people of radically different perspectives (and I'm certain it's not exclusively an Anglican issue).

So, here comes the $64 million dollar question - how do we - as a people of different theologies, beliefs and concerns - live, worship learn and grow together? Can we?

And a supplementary question for the bonus prize...

If we prize unity as highly as we seem to be claiming in the hallowed CofE, why does no one really seem to know what Anglican unity might look like?

Answers on a postcard please...

These are really difficult questions for me, especially in light of last week's Blackburn Cathedral story. It is painful to me that there are members of the Church who do not share my joy over the recognition of women's ministry (among other theological, scriptural and moral issues). I feel that I have a duty to actively seek out common ground with such people, even though I may sometimes find their views personally offensive, and I would hope they feel some duty to seek common ground with me. And it strikes me that the motivation for such pursuits must never primarily be so that I can 'win them over' to my perspective or vice versa.

Croatian theologian Mirsolav Volf has some very important things to say about identity and engagement with the 'other' that I feel are relevant here, but rather than try to do him justice I shall simply recommend his excellent book Exclusion & Embrace. One of his key points is that in engaging with the 'other', the move to shape them in your own likeness (rather than in the shared pursuit of learning from one another) is essentially an act of violence. It violates the integrity of the human person. How can I constructively communicate with those with whom I disagree in that kind of context?

Another question on this imaginary dialogue... how (for example) might I recognise their pain over the ordination of women, whilst remaining true to my own interpretation of the gospel? How can we balance our own integrity on key issues against the call to recognise, affirm and rejoice in others?

Many, many questions...

I might claim to value unity, but more often than not I feel that it would be great if everyone agreed with me... no arguments, no discussions, just perfect harmony.... or perhaps not. My theology says 'yes' to unity, but so often my heart says 'no'.

It is abundantly clear that in the formulation of Church law, policy and practice we will never be able to please everyone. In fact, in a sense it's not about pleasing anyone at all - it is about pursuing holiness and scriptural integrity whilst also seeking to honour our corporate identity as the body of Christ.

And it's not just Rowan Williams' job to hold the Anglican church together. We all have responsibilities in whatever capacity we hold - worshipper, priest, dissenting voice.

This will certainly be playing on my mind in the coming weeks...

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