On Palm Sunday, Bishop Sarah reflected that because we cannot make the outward journey of Holy Week, the inner journey is more necessary than ever. Yesterday we saw the number of deaths in London rise to 1482. There was the grave warning that if we did not take the call for social distancing seriously, we are still three weeks off the peak of the virus.
We know that those working in our London hospitals are under ever-increasing pressure as they put their lives on the line for ours. It feels like we are already walking in the wilderness of Good Friday.
You may have seen the misleading headline in the Telegraph today, ‘Vicars told to ignore guidelines banning them from their own churches ahead of Easter service’. You all know this is not correct, and we want to remind you that church buildings remain closed in the Diocese of London.
The College of Bishops here in Diocese of London had taken the decision that:
“Because there are a very few churches in London Diocese where the church is accessible by an internal door from the clergy home, or can be accessed from the clergy home without leaving the curtilage of the church, we will encourage those – and only those – clergy to pray in their churches privately and to consider whether they could live stream their services from within the church building.”
However, this advice, which we published before the Archbishops’ latest direction, appears to be being used cynically by some, either to say we are ignoring guidelines from the Archbishops and Bishops in other dioceses, or to push the boundaries of the guidelines. This was never the intention. So, whilst it is painful to ask, we are asking the limited numbers of you to whom the above applied, to stop all live streaming from your church buildings for the time being.
It feels extremely hard to ask this of you, this week of all weeks. But you will know that some people believe that being in our churches to stream, even if it is accessed by a door in your home, is encouraging others to want to travel to their church, and for others to ask for churches to be open to the public. We would not want to be seen to encourage any laxity in the requirement to stay indoors except for designated reasons, because this will save lives, and protect the NHS.
We know this will be difficult for some and we want to thank you for all that you are doing, for the sacrifices you are making, along with the many others in the country at the moment, and for the way in which many have creatively streamed worship from your own homes. Beyond the cross, there is resurrection, as we journey together.
The London College of Bishops (7 April 2020)
Replace Richard Chartres, a great bishop, in the Diocese of London, by a mediocre female bishop, Sarah Mullaly, mostly because she is a woman. Done. To replace John Sentamu, already enough bad, by a openly liberal pro-homosexuality bishop, Stephen Cotrell. Done. The Church of England seems to be on the path for self-destruction.
They are pathetic. Our ancestors in Christ would rightly be ashamed.
I am surprised that most conservative bishops and clergy in the Church of England seems to be reluctant in endorsing GAFCON.
Liberals and leftists like these characters are having a field day all around the world presently. They are reveling in the opportunity to live out all of their authoritarian and totalitarian fantasies.
In my opinion that’s what you get when a part time, part time trained non entity gets promoted to be a Bishop because she’s successful in secular management
Thanks be to God that Jesus Christ did not slink off to a safe space when he faced the horrible consequences of following His Father.
The Evil One is taking notes here. This abdication of the Priestly role by clergy and their cowardly leaders all over the world will cause consequences to be visited on the Church for decades to come.
Wormwood would be giddy writing letters back to his college professors of what he has stumbled onto.
The leadership (and I use that word rather loosely in this case) of the Church of England is beyond parody, it is a serious liability.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, in defensive mode, as usual, appears on a video to give his four pathetic reasons why churches should be closed- consisting of empty symbolism and virtue signalising, mainly summed up in the cardinal principle ‘We have to set an example’. Yes, and what an example! Mrs Smith can take her life in her hands to do the essential work of being on the check -out of the local supermarket( and for this we are truly thankful), but a minister cannot enter his Church building either to stream a service or minister to two or three who are gathered at a social distance in Christ’s name. Neither, are they now allowed to be at the bedside of some poor soul who is seriously ill or dying. This is monstrous. The message being sent is clear- clergy are cowards and the church an irrelevance. What the secularists have been telling us for over a century is now being admitted by the Muppet Show called the House of Bishops- religion is to be privatised and not be allowed anywhere near the public arena. And given that we have two incompetents in Welby and Cottrell, a jolly good things that is too.
The commands these two men have given to their clergy are like that of two generals telling their troops during time of war that they ought to set an example to the civilian population who rightly are in their air raid shelters by joining them. That is not what soldiers do! And neither is it what clergy do. It is a matter of historical fact (see Rodney Stark-the Rise of Christianity) that one of the main reasons Christianity eventually triumphed over the paganism of Rome was that they stayed behind to care for the sick when a city was struck by a plague, while the pagans cleared off. The Church of England leadership are now demanding their clergy act like pagans.
Now is the time to revolt. The Government has said that church building may be used by ministers to stream services if done sensibly. Hospitals are asking for help in caring for the sick spiritually. Out of good conscience over and against the craven fear of the Bishops, clergy are to carry out their duties under God and blow a proverbial raspberry in the direction of Lambeth and Chelmsford.
Welby should resign and Cottrell withdraw from his appointment. The good clergy and lay folk of the C of E deserve better than these.
Replying to Mr Lopresti’s (a Conservative MP, no less) tweet pleaseding with the Government to allow churches to open over Easter , this Bishop of Chelmsford Stephen Cottrell said: “The thing is this: in order to buy food I have to go to the supermarket (unless I am fortunate enough to be able to get it delivered) but God always does a door-to-door service – from God’s heart straight to my heart, wherever I am.” So that lets me off the hook! I no longer need to PROCLAIM the Gospel. I can leave God to do that?
One can only assume that Cottrell will not complain when after this is all over, Church attendance continues to nose dive because some people will draw the obvious conclusion- who needs to go to church, I can stay at home meet God in my kitchen, because he does ‘door to door service’ his heart to mine. We can also all save ourselves lots of money by not giving to support nincompoops like Cottrell, spend it on Tesco’s delivery service instead.
I see that my recent comment has been quietly removed. One of the reasons I can’t support hierarchical churches is that the adherents thereof seem to respect the position rather than the qualifications of the holder. A man holding the position of bishop can be a pederast or abuser, but because he also has a title, congregants pay homage. Why is that?
To me, it depends on whether or not the pederasty or abuse has been proven.
I don’t think that’s the issue Moderator. I think the issue is that of all groups the Christian Church should be the most transparent and quickest to admit its failings. If our loyalty was indeed to the God of Truth we too would admit when we had fallen down, and our critics would know that we actually practice what we profess to believe..
I’m a Christian not an Anglican, but as this is the UK the Church of England still remains the official voice of Christendom. And that despite its wonkyness, insipidity, and “Anything goes” winsomeness Along with a new found passion for the gifts of the kitchen,please watch out for the forthcoming Anglican version of ‘The Great British Fakeoff’!
So if you have read thus far you will imagine my genuine delight when I read this article..
‘Now is the time to revolt’: Vicars threaten to defy Justin Welby’s orders to shut over Easter (as Archbishop of Canterbury leads service from his kitchen)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8209647/Nows-time-revolt-Row-vicars-threaten-defy-Justin-Welbys-orders-shut-Easter.html
I do so hope they will, because there are a wonderful lot of humble and sincere clergy out there who care passionately for their congregations. Let’s see our Lord Jesus glorified this Easter; let’s see the shepherds defy an Archbishop who is more concerned for Health & Safety than he is Holy Week!
The official voice of Christendom in UK, theoretically but in practise, I doubt it very much. There are more practising Roman Catholics than Anglicans these days and the Roman Catholic Church is the leading denomination in pro-life causes. Roman Catholics also tend to be more outspoken on these matters.
I have to say I ‘fessed up to one of the moderators that my comment was perhaps too unkind even if heartfelt. The Lord reminded me that like Bambi’s Thumper, “If you can’t think of anything nice to say about someone, it’s best to say nothin’ atall…” :0(
Danny, I hope they revolt as well. This was just too much. Ban large gatherings, to include church services? Okay, we’re talking about a virus that we know is contagious before the host has symptoms, and God knows what other traits it has consistent with a bioweapon.
But to ban lone clergy going into their buildings to stream content over the internet? What is the point of that? Setting an example? The only example that set is that the Church is unnecessary.
Sell the buildings afterwards if they are so unnecessary to the Gospel. Maybe they can be bought by people who want to get serious about spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.
It is a tragedy Christians cannot even enter a church to pray, observing whatever distance decreed by the panicked state. Supermarkets and pharmacies are open to supply the body but the mental and spiritual anguish felt by so many is suffered alone or in the road. Yesterday I stood outside the shuttered St Pancras parish church and realised God was in the street with the homeless and the pigeons and I was looking at an empty tower of the winds.
Well put, Aidan.
Indeed poetic. As I understood it the Government did not demand the shutting of churches?