This is my first post, so be gentle, and please excuse the brevity, we are without the laptop for a day or so, and the tablet now has a cracked screen, so I am on my phone. I want this blog to be very interactive and a lot more than just a hasty message from an ailing Android (and his phone).
This morning an excited message from a friend reached me as I started to crawl out of bed, cursing the mosquito season as I did; my leg was obviously worth seconds to the little blighters.
The message from a friend read like this 'Look, a web post that reflects your feelings, you're not alone after all!'
Below is the article:
What surprised me was the clarity, the conciseness from a debut author, and the heartfelt comments, many of them, expressing dismay at the behavior of the Church of England.
I took the liberty to look up what the Bishop of Bath and Wells was doing, and it looks like he is trying to make up for the church's impotence during the recent crisis by doing a 'pilgrimage' round his diocese with cameras trained on him and the usual throwaway comments about prayers for nursing homes etc. Wouldn't Bishop Peter be better occupied by exorcising some of the evil which he is 'safeguarding' for the CofE? The hidden and massive elephant in the room?
A comment on the article caught my eye, about the clergy kneeling when there has been such an effort to remove pews so that people can't kneel to worship God. I feel that, I can't kneel without pews but I remember seeing the diocese circular in which clergy and laity were ordered to shame anyone who complained about the removal of pews.
Each week the press repeat without question or research, whatever they are told by the Church of England. False apology, shame, grief, repentance, pretences of caring, sharing, loving, with no foundation to it, as the vulnerable groups who are targeted for this PR soon find out if they contact the church about it. Every vulnerable and minority group has had the Archbishop feeding off them but the church doesn't change to meet their empty statements.
A large share of the PR is the Archbishop being ridiculous, he contradicts himself, he attacks his family, he repeats stunts that he has already been shamed over, until it is easy to wonder if his script writer hates him. But it is also clear to see that the stunts are driven by politics as well as the CofEs determination not to return to being regulated by the government because of their lack of diversity and ethics, also their determination not to lose their grip on schools, and of course, their public image. 'Desperate' describes them well.
No story by the CofE is ever followed up, and they rely on that. They recently used the Dominic Cummings situation to 'threaten' to withdraw from interference in government if he didn't resign, they realised their fatal error and conferred with their PR/disaster management firm and came up with some 'death threats' against female bishops and the matter died in silence.
The main CofE story in lockdown was not their work to help people, but how they were hiding their wealth in the Tower of London, not using it at one of the most critical situations in history to help the country.
More recently a huge smear campaign against the Dean of Oxford showed the power over the press again, and also highlighted how the Charity Commission who refuse to deal with the church when abuse victims contact them, are at the church's disposal and command for their needs.
I have extensive experience of the Anglican doings and I am relieved to be able to vent. However, until Wednesday I am relying on my phone, so please do offer advice, comments and support for my fledgling blog and if the little people don't exhaust us on Wednesday I hope to do a more comprehensive blog than a one finger on a phone screen gig as this is.
Yours in hope.
John
Hallo John. I'm glad you liked the comment by Alice today and her post generally reflects the tone and content of many other regular posts on TCW. In my view it is one of the best blogs, being as it states broadly representative of conservatives, but not of course the Cons party.
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of interest has your blog as an objective a general discussion of C of E matters or something else - i.e. suggestions and comments on how to reform the church?
I assume you are familiar with 'Apb. Cranmer's' blog?
Anyway whatever the intention, best wishes as you start this new venture.
Graham Wood
Hi Graham. Thank you for your good wishes. My apologies for a late response, I have been offline and without my laptop and I couldn't reply on the phone for some reason.
DeleteIt was a pleasant surprise to find TCW, it cheered me up, what an interesting site. I am fairly new to social media, and this blog is just a general discussion regarding the CofE and how they are 'veering'. I was Anglican and I know a number of hurt Anglicans of various kinds and I am finding the CofE situation alarming and worrying.
Yes, I know of 'Archbishop Cranmer' Blog, I can't hope to aspire to such wonderful photography and eloquent articles but I would like to add my voice to the debate nonetheless.
Hallo once again John and your comments noted. As an ex Anglican I too share your concerns about the C of E which I believe is well advanced (in the West and UK) in terminal decline. Thus as you infer there must be any number of Christians within Anglicanism who are also deeply alarmed by the present trends now accelerating into a Gadarene flight into doctrinal and practical chaos for any number of reasons and not least due to a desperate lack of true and spiritual leadership. The OT passage in Ezekiel 34 springs to mind in this context - so sad and unnecessary.
DeleteAs it happens I have written an article on the matter entitled 'Reform or Die' for TCW but I doubt Kathy Gyngell will publish! I can send you a copy in Word doc if you are inclined to read it. If so do let me know off this blog - (I am not on Twitter or F'book or any social media)
grahamwood32@yahoo.co.uk
Kind regards
Graham Wood
You might also like to investigate further the role of Paula Vennells who is an ordained Anglican priest and headed up the Post Office during the time of the Horizon computer scandal. Innocent postmasters and mistresses were unjustly accused of fraud when the fault lay within the Horizon system itself. Many lost their livelihoods, some were jailed while others committed suicide. All this time despite evidence emerging indicating serious problems with Horizon, she prosecuted the Post Office's case against these innocent victims with the zeal of Paul's pogrom to annihilate the Christians. Even when the case went to court and the claims of the defendants were upheld not a word of apology or remorse from La Vennells. To add insult to injury, on leaving the Post Office she was made a Dame. The money lenders have truly taken over!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your contribution. This matter is one I hadn't heard of but it sounds sadly familiar, I will have a look and see.
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