Err...Cultural violence?

This new poster campaign has me worried.

If this point of view catches on, then maybe I’ll have to peel off the labels I’ve superglued to my children’s foreheads, which will be painful for everyone.

These people are immensely stupid, and arrogant. To suggest that one does cultural violence to one’s child by exposing him or her to religion is very close to nutty. My children are exposed to various cultural influences, from Black History Month at school to crass jokes on Childrens BBC. So what if a bit of God is in...

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For all the saints

Rowan Williams used All Saints Day to reassure his Rome-tempted Anglo-Catholic brethren with a couple of sermons about saints. In both he mentioned St Therese, in approving terms of course. In his sermon at All Saints Margaret Street he also mentioned a couple of other official Roman Catholic saints.

The concept of sainthood is an excellent illustration of the muddle at the heart of Anglicanism. It is clear proof that this church cannot move on from its Roman roots, it can never ‘get over’ this, as one talks of someone getting over...

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Thank God for Libby

There’s an excellent piece by Libby Purves in The Times today.

The key sentence is this: “faith and power are not good bedfellows, and I for one am always glad to see religion kicked out of bed by a secular state.”

The point is that no practically no other Christian writer is saying this sort of thing. For institutional orthodoxy, and the snooty fear of secular liberalism, is more dominant than ever – in theology and religious comment. (This is largely because really liberal Anglicanism is a spent force, a dead...

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A careful believer

Is David Cameron religious? In the course of his interview with the Evening Standard he provides a clear glimpse of his attitude to religion. He sees it as something that should be advocated with the utmost care, if votes are not to be squandered.

He is asked if faith in God is important to him. "If you are asking, do I drop to my knees and pray for guidance, no. But do I have faith and is it important, yes. My own faith is there, it's not always the rock that perhaps...

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Staging hell

I’ve just seen this fascinating Times article on a reinvention of the medieval morality play by American evangelicals.

In the run-up to Halloween, some churches put on ‘hell house’ plays for teenagers, acted by slightly older teenagers. They are not scary fun, but dramatic sermons about the consequences of sinful lifestyles, intended to terrify.

I have mixed feelings about this. I object to the moralism of the message, and to the attempt to scare kids into piety, but I like the medium. It is nice to know that theatre retains its superior power...

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A stylistic difference

The key difference between the C of E and Roman Catholicism, it struck me on Thursday, is that the former is deeply marked by liberal guilt. Or, to put it less pejoratively, it is marked by liberal qualms about various aspects of organised religion. Not all of the C of E can be characterised thus, but a major part of it. It is central to Anglican identity. Of course it is closely related to post-imperial liberal guilt. The established church almost has to share in this.
 
This struck me after listening to Thought for the Day, delivered...

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