A parish church in the Diocese of Durham has been criticised for “being ashamed of the gospel” after saying it would cover crosses and other sacred images in order to host Islamic prayers and an Iftar meal for the local Muslim community.
The Church of St Matthew and St Luke, Darlington, also agreed to provide separate worship space so men and women could offer segregated worship.
Muslim representatives met with Vicar Revd Lissa Scott and agreed to set apart two small rooms for Muslim ladies to pray and clear one aisle of chairs in the church’s sanctuary for Muslim men to offer worship, according to the minutes of the meeting held on May 9.
The first set of minutes also recorded the group’s decision to “cover Christian crosses/photographs in small rooms for ladies to say prayers,” a lay source from Celebrating Communities, Darlington, told Rebel Priest.
However, the Venerable Rick Simpson, Archdeacon of Auckland, refused to give permission for Muslim prayer in the main body of the church.
Local councillor Gerald Lee emailed the group the next day to inform them of this development suggesting that the Muslims “revert to using the two rooms that we inspected—one for the males and one for the ladies.”
“Gathering with Muslims in a Christian Church is an important step in bringing communities together so we do hope that you can see the importance of this event for everyone and compromise a little by using what our church has to offer,” he added.
Following the Archdeacon’s intervention, a revised version of the minutes was issued with the note to cover the crosses and images deleted. “Please note that this letter and attachment supercedes (sic) the one I sent to everyone yesterday,” Mr Lee’s email stated.
Sources described Vicar Lissa Scott as a “liberal” who uses “gimmicks like Café Church to offer a gospel-less diet of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.”
The parish website advertises ‘Meditation, Mindfulness, Relation’ sessions which “have their basis in Buddhism, so now she’s saying we can sample a bit of Islam too,” a local told Rebel Priest. “What does the gospel have to do with being ‘calmer, more aware of your body, mind, and feelings in the present moment, and more able to relax,’” he asked, quoting the website.
“Jesus warned that one of the conditions of not being banished from eternity, was that we were not to “not be ashamed” of him,” Bishop Gavin Ashenden said. “Covering the cross or any Christian symbol to placate those who reject Him is in fact a most serious betrayal,” he lamented.
“Christians who out of a misplaced generosity are more faithful to the Mohammed’s requirements than to Jesus’ claims risk being separated from God for ever. They will have to choose between Mohammed and Jesus,” he added.
London Assembly Member David Kurten said it was “preposterous” to cover up crosses to not offend Muslims. “Muslims, or people from other faiths should be welcomed to churches so they can hear the message of salvation through Christ.”
But for “so-called Christian leaders to give over a Christian church to a Muslim religious event and then to cover up Christian symbols is a disgrace,” he maintained.
“Christian leaders are called to ‘not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ,’ but these ones are hell-bent on contorting themselves every way they can in order to accommodate every perceived demand of every minority, while they neglect and offend their own faith and their own people. They are not fit for purpose,” he added.
However, local councillor Gerald Lee has called the event “a big and wonderful step to help reduce barriers between our Darlington people.”
Meanwhile, Durham Cathedral sent out a second email confirming it would be participating in the Gay Pride Parade on May 26 and invited staff and volunteers to join.
Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, who named former Conservative MP Enoch Powell to Scotland Yard as part of a paedophile ring with links to ‘ritual satanic abuse,’ has remained silent on his Cathedral’s participation in the Pride March.
As in the case of accusations against Bishop George Bell, no evidence emerged to support these claims. Nevertheless, the Bishop of Durham did not apologise to the Powell family for any distress he may have caused them.
“My great great uncle was Handley C. G. Moule, Bishop of Durham, a hundred years ago,” scientist Dr Andrew Bosanquet wrote to Bishop Butler, saying that he and Bishop Moule’s relatives were “deeply saddened by the stand of the present Durham Cathedral authorities in so openly supporting Gay Pride. We believe that Bishop Handley Moule would have been adamantly against this.”
Bishop Butler did not respond to the letter.
The Iftar meal and Muslim prayers will go ahead on June 2 in the parish.
I am so sad that Britain is no longer a Christian nation.
I take it that two Durhams are mentioned here? The one in New Zealand and the one in Northern England?
I do confuse easily, but it is confusing.
I think this particular story is England. Auckland (in addition to the city in NZ) is a region within the diocese of Durham (England). The Bishop of Durham’s one time home was Auckland Castle (perhaps still is, but I remember hearing that it was rather expensive to keep up, and so bishops were given something more modest)
Ah. Yes, the Auckland bit confused me.
“Muslim representatives met with Vicar Revd Lissa.” I stopped right there. Female priestette – TLDR.
The Muslim ritual prayers are explicitly anti-Christian, declaring that God “has no companion” and that Muhammad was God’s ultimate messenger. A Christian church could host an iftar, a friendly meal, AFTER Muslim prayers have been said elsewhere.
The cathedral should extend more interfaith outreach and invite the Muslims to march alongside them in the Gay Pride Parade.
This whole idiotic affair, on the one hand, may had been an initiative on Mrs Lissa Scott’s part, at the cost of the Gospel and Christian testimony, to put up a show to match that of bishopess Mrs Sarah Mullally’s at St. Paul’s London — a real sham.
I can almost imagine Saints Luke and Matthew (the Patron Saints of this parish), bewildered and shell-shocked, tearing their hair out in Heaven at this sham in the Darlington parish.
On the other hand, this is a public demonstration of how poorly this lady understands faith traditions and trained to lead a church. This is not her fault, but the error of those who are responsible in selecting, training and ordaining the right people to lead the church.
With this kind of news coming from the CoE one can say: the CoE is producing a whole bunch of shammers to lead dioceses and parishes who are ruining the church. It seems the inmates are running the asylum (the CoE) ???
Most modern clergy in the CofE have little or no training in the classics, the early church, Christian tradition or the bible, having trained on a half baked part time training school scheme. In my day, which was not that long ago, we had to study all that and either Hebrew or Greek on top. My current ordinand is using my old college notes and books to supplement his training which is all touchy feely and about management. At least he has me
and some retired clergy to supplement his training, and to help him get some kind of formation for ministry.
This is what you get Brother Justin when you dilute selection processes and pack out theological training with this SJW / PC nonsense; The blind leading the blind, so everyone ends up in the pit. How are the laity supposed to grow in faith and understanding when their leaders have so little theological training?
Sadly though this article does not surprise or shock. These “interfaith”events are becoming the norm. They really have no clue what they are doing.
One thing I can say, is that the sanctuary in my own church will never see this kind of thing as long as I am the Incumbent. Mind you these days, and with the increasing apostasy of the church, and pressure on the orthodox to leave, who knows how long I will be here!
Wholeheartedly, I agree on what you’d said, Fr K. When I went to seminary, in the first two years it was philosophy, then theology in the third year, and then the study of the languages of scripture for another year, and then two more years of the study of church history, patristics, homiletics, pastoral care and the rest. Came out of seminary reasonably formed in pastoral ministry and knowledgeable in theology, tradition, and above all, grounded in the faith gifted by God and imparted by our forefathers and mothers. (This is my humble equivalent to the theological education and training you’d received, Fr K.)
Today, in my estimation, experience and evidenced-based data — and, of course, by the standards set by the CoE and its spiritually bankrupt franchised provinces — nothing of the above are a prerequisite to apply for a job to head a parish or a diocese.
This seems to have come down to anyone — especially, feminists with a bit of experience in midwifing, waiterring, nursing, acting, politiking, and every other job under the sun, but a deeply committed Christian to the faith wanting to serve God and His people — applying for a job that had been posted at social welfare outlets.
Fr K, please join me in circulating the following Ad through your networks. ?
The position of the Archbishop of Canterbury (the CoE) will be advertised vacant soon. Faith, theological education, experience in pastoral care or anything related to the church is not required. If you’re interested, send us your CV beefed up on whatever you may have been doing in the past three months.
If you may not be considered for the position of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but considered fit to be a bishop, Archdeacon, dean or a vicar, please indicate your willingness to be offered these other positions at the request and invitation of the CoE.
Apply at to your nearest social welfare agency with a copy to Lambeth Palace.
I am sure you will see the humour in all that I’d said, and recognise the pain in my heart for the church. ???
True, but in the Anglo Catholic tradition the body and blood of Christ Is often housed in the sanctuary. So I do take issue with those who would deny the divinity of christ praying prayers to the contrary in its presence.
I wonder how Christian worship with the sexes segregated as a matter of principle would go down with the liberals and the politically-correct.
If you think that’s bad, the Anglican Church in Jerusalem has just hosted a Ramadan Iftar in the peace garden of St George’s in Jerusalem. Full details on the Diocese of Jerusalem website.
This is an afterthought to my comment some 13 hours ago on the sham of bishopess Mrs Sarah Mullally of London and parish priestess Mrs Lissa Scott of Darlington opening St Paul’s Cathedral London and the Church of St Matthew and St Luke’s Darlington for Iftar observances.
I don’t know whether any of you’d wondered, as I had surely have, whether these two ladies (and many others in the CoE who’d gone unreported) may had been trained for ministry and credentialed in theology in Madrasas and not in Christian Theological Seminaries?
Just wondering…., but not a too farfetched thought either, I guess..ha!!! ???
Some say that Jesus’ openness to everyone means that he was “inclusive,” meaning that everything and all that anyone does is acceptable and good. Of course, his actual teachings were extremely stringent. They ignore that.
If only the muslims had known centuries ago they could accomplish this with a smile and a nod. So much bloodshed could have been avoided! Just find a church with theology that is identical to islam and get the camel’s nose in the door. I’ve related how shocking it was to my 10th grade sensibilities in 1974 to see the “national” cathedral allow muslim prayers from their pulpit. Then as now the thought had to be “This is easier than we ever dreamed”. Which church in Britain will be first to have a minaret? Ribbon cutting by the archbishop and some 8th grade educated WIndsor?
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