thedeepchurchproject

“I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3. 8 Sermon for Proper 22 Year A Exodus 20. 1-20 ‘Ten Commandments’ Philippians 3.4b-14 – I count as Loss Matthew 21. 33-46 – Parable of the Tenants of the Vineyard In 2004, the then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw participated in a debate about the inclusion or otherwise of the Judeo-Christian roots in the new constitution of the EU. The constitution, drafted by former French president Giscard d’Estaing referred only in passing to cultural, religious and humanist inheritances. At a meeting of foreign ministers, Straw told reporters, aware of the feeling of Muslims that it would be insensitive to make reference to one religious tradition at the exclusion of another.   The inclusion of ‘God’ and ‘Christianity’ never came, even with the intervention of the philosopher pope Saint John Paul II. Could it be that at that moment something of a new quasi-religion, a sec...

Yesterday a terminally ill man took me aside after a church service and said to me, "You preached at my son's wedding and I've never expected a sermon like that. You created a bridge between science and religion.  Being a man who has struggled with this issue I wanted to walk across that very bridge."  Now, I know that some of you will say that preaching like this is opportunism. I recall as a teenager a visiting preacher who came to our church at Midnight and did a thumping homily on Jesus saves.  It came over as if he was 'pushing' Jesus like a manic salesman. Not very Anglican! This was not what I did. What I did was not dissimilar to the talk that Dr. Michael Lloyd, the Principal of Wycliffe Hall gave to us at the Diocesan Clergy Conference back in September. He urged us as preachers and teachers to firmly park our cars on the war of ideas that involves the culture and the Gospel. Fundamental to this was the concept of love. Perhaps, this now b...

Are you unsettled by the chanting of Oh Jeremy Corbyn to White Stripes? I know I am.  I suppose you have admire the political genius of it all AND it is not as indigestible as the last adoption of a pop song by "New" Labour - 'Things Can Only Get Better' (by D:Ream).  It's very very catchy and I can imagine that even dear old Jacob Rees-Mogg has found himself whistling it, even if in ridicule.  Yet, this troubles me. This because I cannot help wonder when does such adulation begin to border on worship and a personality cult? What does this adulation do to the psyche of a person in high office? It cannot be good for the ego? Furthermore, what I do not understand with Jeremy Corbyn is why he has allowed this to go on? He must be aware of the pitfalls. How does he square this mass singing of his name with his supposed humble exterior? What astonishes me is that in this video clip his understated response is to talk of this as  'very touching'.  L...

Some schools have decided to ditch 'Before Christ' and 'Anno Domini' for the more politically correct Before Common Era and, yes you've guessed it... Common Era.  This includes East Sussex Educational Authority. History teachers are informing classes that BCE and CE are now be to be the norm so as not to offend non-Christians. I wonder what happens when a student in conscience refuses to adhere to this?  In all my years of ministry, I have yet to find this constituency of disgruntled masses. The same goes for the corny relabelling of Christmas to 'Winterfest'. I have certainly not met an Iman or Rabbi who protested about this... quite the reverse. Are you the reader upset by AD and BC? If it is so upsetting why not fix year zero to another date and be truly neutral? A whole list comes to mind from Union of Crowns (1603) to the founding of the European Parliament (1952). Maybe we will reset the caldendar to something akin to Star Trek...star date 231643....