In a hard-hitting article in The Tablet, Peter Selby, former Anglican Bishop of Worcester, warns that post coronavirus:
The CofE bishops will surely seem to have accepted the idea that Christianity is a matter for the domestic realm, that our cathedrals and parish churches are just optional when useful and available, no longer the eloquent signs of the consecration of our public life and public spaces. The conviction that the ministry of Word and Sacrament in the places of beauty set apart is an ‘essential work’ undertaken by ‘key workers’ will have become a wistful memory.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have been memorably characterised by Melvin Tinker, Vicar of St John’s, Newland, Hull, as ‘Muppet Bishops’. I remember the Muppet Show as very popular, whereas Justin Welby and John Sentamu have alienated people of all churchmanships.
There has been the unfounded besmirching of Bishop George Bell – dead for over sixty years – while recent safeguarding lapses remain unresolved.
The Primate of All England has deeply offended many of his flock by denigrating their Church as ‘deeply institutionally racist’.
When the CofE’s Independent Reviewer blatantly subverted solemn assurances on mutual flourishing in the case of St George’s, Headstone, Harrow, their Graces the archbishops failed to respond to a single point formally referred to them.
It is not long since their apology for having just re-affirmed basic Christian ethical teaching.
Justin Welby’s description, in a television interview, of the archbishops’ and bishops’ instruction to clergy not to pray in their own churches during the lockdown as no more than ‘guidance’ was another rapid retreat.
Bishop Peter Selby draws attention to many laity and clergy feeling let down by the CofE’s official response to the challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Anglican bishops chose to go beyond government advice and declare church buildings closed for private prayer or even for clergy to livestream worship. While Mass is being livestreamed from Catholic churches, Anglican clergy have had to do so from their homes.
The Telegraph, however, has drawn attention to clergy – Melvin Tinker among them – who are in revolt ‘out of good conscience over and against the craven fear of the Muppet Bishops’.
The practice of parochial clergy insuring themselves for legal cover in the event of disciplinary action is increasing. The legal status of the ‘guidance’ dispensed as commands by the Established Church’s archbishops and bishops is, ultimately, determined by the courts. It will be interesting to see whether bishops still stridently forbidding their clergy to pray in church have the stomach for a fight, or the constitution of glove puppets.
Muppet Bishops? Seems most fitting……….my apologies to the Muppets.
Hmmm….I thought “Muppet bishops” quite appropriate. But then it occurred to me that makes us “Statler and Waldorf”- the 2 old guys in the balcony making smart-aleck remarks…..
Now, when do we get “Muppet Anglican Unscripted” with Muppet George and Muppet Kevin?
I wonder if George and Kevin are going to comment this week on Anglican Unscripted on Selby’s article, also Giles Fraser’s piece and the letter in The Times about church closure with hundreds of clergy signatories. A lot of discontent, evidently, in the C of E.
I’d also like to see a bit of journalistic exposure of the individuals who have been responsible for packing the House of Bishops in the Church of England with Muppets. Not until those individuals are held to account, and then sacked, can we expect anything other than more of the same. Although some of us might say that, in human terms, it’s now too late to pull the CofE back from its parlous state.
Bishops and Archbishops in the C of E cannot ban their clergy from their churches as the authority rests with the PCC and churchwardens; another case of bishops trying to bully us into thinking they have all power – they don’t, and if they did try taking a vicar to task with a CDM, they would have to back down and admit they can only advise. We are only required to obey our bishops over all things lawful and canonical – it’s time they confessed their unlawful and uncanonical demands…
going into our places of worship is not unlawful, so we are not committing an unlawful act, so stand up and be lawful…..
I still prefer C S Lewis’ phrase, which seems to capture succinctly the current occupants – ‘men without chests’. One could perhaps substitute ‘backbone’ for ‘chests’, but either will do. What it all amounts to is a shameful lack of inspirational leadership when it was most needed. Some may blame the sacred cow of ‘collegiality’ but the people of this country are not stupid: the bishops have lost any respect they may once have had but that for clergy and their congregations has undoubtedly soared over the same period. Perhaps the problem lies in the system of selection, prescripted as it is by a number of ‘strange’ constraints. We know they fear ‘populist’ elections from amongst hose who have produced ‘fruit’ rather than books or memberships of committees and synods but at least that way we would stand a better chance of leaders who actually know how to lead and had demonstrated results.
The damage has already been done when the churches closed at the moment of perceived greatest need.
The fact that the epidemic and the response are both fake is no excuse, since a discerning and honest Christian should have known this, from the blatant and incoherent dishonesty of the authorities. But even if the plague was genuine, all the more reason why churches needed to stay open and active.
Having failed their flock, the only legitimate path would be a full admission of sin and explicit repentance, lacking which serious Christians will know that lies and cowardice are institutionally established in the CofE.