andygoodliff

Book Review: Like the Wideness of the Sea: Women Bishops and the Church of England by Maggi Dawn (DLT, 2013)

Maggi Dawn, Like the Wideness of the Sea: Women Bishops and the Church of England (DLT, 2013), 78pp.

It seems a long time ago, but actually only 3 and a bit months, since the General Synod of Church of England failed to vote in favour for women bishops. In that short space of time Maggi Dawn has written this response. It's short, readable, personal and powerful. I'm not a member of the Church of England, but the book deserves and demands a wider readership than those who are.

The first chapter makes the point that it is theologically a nonsense to affirm women as priests but to deny their possible recognition as Bishops. She offers a way forward in terms of a 'process of reception', a period of saying 'let's try this, with the open possibility that we may be wrong and so with space to reverse decision'. While I think this is a helpful way forward, a counter argument here might be that, it would be very hard to stop ordaining women as priests and bishops, once you had started ... in fact, it would be extremely damaging to in terms of the church's public image. She also suggests that there must be a way of accommodating the diversity of view in the church, although recognising that currently it is those against women in ministry who are protected, and not women ministers themselves, who, has the third chapter demonstrates, have experienced and suffered all too often appalling rudeness and more. 

The second chapter explores a spirituality of waiting, which can sometimes be a failure to overcome injustice and miss the fact that God is waiting for us. In short let's put waiting in its right place (Maggi has elsewhere talked about the importance of a waiting spirituality) and not use it as an excuse to defend a slowness that defies belief. 

The third chapter is the most raw and difficult to read. It is a story not heard enough.  Anyone who has had the privileged of being taught, led, or cared for by Maggi Dawn, must surely find it incredible to hear the abuse suffered. It makes me angry that this can be excused and overlooked. Her story is also, I'm sure, not unique. The Church of England is poorer for her absence. The Church of England is also the poorer for its failure to see women fulfil the role of bishop, its a denial of their gifts and vocation.

The book is best seen as a cry - a reasoned, powerful and passionate cry - that the Church of England decided for or against women in ministry. The current position being incoherent and damaging to all women priests. It is a cry that wants to continue to allow space for those who for reasons of conscience are unable to affirm women priests, but at the same time, see a culture change which enables women to flourish in a positive atmosphere, where their ministry is not continually being questioned or disparaged. 

Hopefully the Church of England has ears to hear, and other parts of the church, like the Baptists to whom I belong, recognise that many women ministers find themselves in a similar positions.

A final point is to say that Maggi Dawn is an excellent writer and theologian and here's hoping that it won't be too long before the next book.

 

 

Reading for Lent

Still time to pick up a book for Lent. Here's three recommendations - all available I think on kindle.

1. The Shape of Living by David Ford. This was the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent book way back in 1997, but has been recently reprinted by SCM with a new preface. (In the Preface, Ford says he writing a sequel of sorts called The Drama of Living). This is the book I am using for our Lent series at church. Ford explores our we cope with being overwhelmed - whether it is by people, desire, goodness, secrets, work, suffering or joy. He writes well, interacting all the way through with the poetry of his friend Michael O'Siadhail and scripture. He is trained as a theologian (Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge), but a theologian interested in how life is shaped by faith. My favourite bit in the book is his discussion of vocation - fantastic!

2. Barefoot Disciple by Stephen Cherry. This was the Archbishop of Canterbury' Lent book in 2011. These Lent books are sometimes hit and miss, but this is one of the hits. The whole book is an exploration of humility as a central virtue of the Christian life. Each chapter is shaped by narrative and reflection covering pride, grumbling, being childlike, becoming a stranger, generous living, a bodily spirituality.

3. Abiding by Ben Quash. This is this year's Archbishop of Canterbury' Lent book (the last chosen by Rowan Williams). It may not get the attention it deserves, because things like the Big Read (which are reading Rowan Williams' book on Narnia) and LoveLifeLiveLent, seem to have a higher profile. Taking the image of 'abiding' found in the Bible, and especially John's gospel, Quash, in conversation with culture (art, music, film, novel) and St. Benedict (amongst others), looks at what it means to abide in the body, in the mind, through care, in relationships, in exile, through wounds and the peace of God. It is a more demanding read than the other books above, but well worth the effort.

Of course other books would include Maggi Dawn's Giving It Up, Sam Wells, Power and Passion, and Rowan Williams' Christ on Trial.

Living Lent: 30 ways to love life and live lent

Right confession time. First, the phrase 'love life, live lent' is something the Church of England are using and which I'm borrowing. Second, lent of course is 40 days, but I got stuck on 30 (happy to recieve other ways to get me to 40). This is something I've put together for the church where I'm minister.

Lent begins this Wednesday.

1. Turn off phone, computer, tablet, tv for deliberate time slots – How did you use this unused time?

2. Walk the streets of your area – What and who do you notice?

3. Take a church certificate of excellence to a local public service/business you are grateful for (available from 17^th Feb)

4. Create a faith family tree, with all the different people who have encouraged, nurtured, helped you trust in God – Who are you encouraging and helping?

5. If you talk too much, try shutting up and listening – What did you hear?

6. Spend a week (or the whole of Lent), only buying food in walking distance from your home – What difference does this make?

7. Make time to make a note of where your food comes from during one week – How many miles does it have to travel?

8. Visit a church from a different tradition to your own – What did you enjoy?

9. Invite someone round for meal

10. Bake a Fairtrade™ cake to share with a group you belong to (recipes available from 17^th Feb or from here)

11. Make, send a thank you card to five people in your life you are grateful for – How often do we express gratitude for the everyday ways people are there for us?

12.  Make a donation to a charity that works in another part of the world – What makes you angry about poverty?

13.  Write a (polite) letter to your MP about something you care about

14.  Spend an evening exploring the http://www.rejesus.co.uk website – What did you learn, enjoy?

15.  Watch a film about the life of Jesus (the Miracle Maker is great or the BBC drama serial The Passion – both can be borrowed from the Goodliffs)

16.  Each day in Lent take time and make space to be quiet – start at 1 minute and try and get to 40 minutes by the end – How hard is it to do?

17.  Read a novel

18.  Do something you enjoyed as a child – go swimming, ride a bike, buy some sweets, climb a tree(!)

19.  Ask yourself what are you and God working on

20.  Read to a child, a parent, a friend your favourite stories from the gospels

21.  Take time to talk to someone who is homeless – find out their name, listen to their story – What surprised you?

22.  Spend time with someone who is at least thirty years young or older than you – How do they see the world?

23. Look back at your life where you took one road and not another – What helped you make your choice?

24. Plant something, watch it grow and ask yourself what do I need to grow in body, mind, spirit?

25. Learn a bible verse (some suggestions might be: Proverbs 3.5; Psalm 27.1; 1 John 4.16; 2 Corinthians 13.14; Galatians 5.22-23; Colossians 3.17)

26.  View (either by a trip to London or online) the National Galley’s Life of Christ tour: - Do these pictures help you see Jesus in a new light

27. Listen to and enjoy your favourite piece of music

28. Following the book Ten Letters: to be delivered in the event of my death by Chris Russell, write a letter to someone you love or know to be read in the event of your death – Was it easy or hard to write?

29. Have a go at some guerrilla gardening 

30. Take part in Christian Aid’s Count Your Blessings

Two New Contributions for the Conversation about Church and Homosexuality

Two pieces that are worth reading in the conversation about church and homosexuality.

The first is from Sam Wells on What Does the Identity of Being LGBT Add to the Identity of Being Christian?

and the second is a paper by Philip Blond and Roger Scruton on Marriage: Union for the Future or Contract for the Present