LET TIBER SWIMMERS LEASE THE BUILDINGS

Which does a Church of England diocese need more urgently - bunches of keys from vacated properties or an income stream?

The most practical solution Cranmer's Curate has heard so far for the avoiding of shameful TEC-style legal battles over the church property of Anglo-Catholics wanting to swim the Tiber: let them lease their church buildings and parsonages from dioceses.

Leasing does not solve the issue of how to maintain a Church of England presence in a parish where the church has joined the Roman Catholics. But at least the income can be used to fund Christ's ministry elsewhere in the diocese and/or be put towards the start-up costs of a new Anglican church plant in that parish.

Legal eagles in the youth group can advise on the practicalities of drawing up a lease agreement that would allow an Anglican fresh expression to share former parish church premises with a new Roman Catholic congregation.

Whilst on the topic of the impact of women's ordination on the Church of England, here is cc's letter in yesterday's Church Times on the new Bishop of Peterborough:

Sir, — The appointment of the Ven. Donald Allister as Bishop of Peterborough, with his public change of mind on the ordination of women, raises a pressing question for conservative Evangelicals wanting to serve Christ in the Church of England.

We believe that faithfulness to the scriptures (sic - your curate prefers to a use a capital S) calls for the upholding of male headship in the family and in the Church. But, despite the fact that our churches are often substantial net givers to dioceses, we find our position almost completely unrepre­sented in the House of Bishops.

Is it conceivable that a conservative Evangelical who has not changed his mind on the ordination of women could ever be appointed a diocesan bishop?

NOT ASHAMED TO CALL THEM BROTHERS

Cranmer's Curate has begun the sermon series on Hebrews and what a privilege it is to teach that wonderful part of God's Word. It is a daunting undertaking for such as cc, for it is a profound letter and quite complex in parts.

Your curate has been enormously helped by the Revd Alasdair Paine, minister of Christ Church Westbourne on the south coast. The youth group can access his sermons on Hebrews through the Sermons for the Soul section on the blog. Go to the downloads section of the Christ Church Westbourne web-site and then click on Morning Bible Teaching in the audio material. Scroll down through the past series to the one entitled 'Running the Race'. Even your curate managed the technology.

Alasdair is masterly on Hebrews 2 on which he preached two magnificent sermons - thoroughly rigorous in his handling of the text, and warm-hearted and accessible at the same time. What a happy combination for a local church setting.

It is so encouraging to be reminded that God Incarnate is not ashamed to call 'his brothers' those whom he has set apart for eternal salvation through his suffering and sacrifice for our sins (see Hebrews 2v10-12).

Even small-church preachers struggling to get away from journalese without falling into stodge.

TEN COMMANDMENTS VITAL FOR CLEAN MORAL CLIMATE

An essay on moral philosophy is not normally your curate's idea of fun. But Professor Simon Blackburn's 'In Defence of Moral Philosophy' in the latest Cambridge Alumni Magazine was a delight to read for its accessibility and relevance.

Without wishing to cause offence, cc has to be honest that he has found the Alumni magazine a bit too politically correct in recent years, and a tad self-important. The latest issue described the appointment of the first woman head porter as 'historic'.

Here are some selected highlights from Professor Blackburn's essay:

Who needs moral philosophy? Not 21st century man. Human behaviour is all in our genes (or, for the economists, in our inevitable selfishness)...But just as we need clean air, we need a clean moral climate - and one of the tasks of moral philosophy is to worry about whether we have it.

Margaret Thatcher's notorious remark...that there is no such thing as society, was believable because the ideology of the self-interested agent in eternal competition with others seemed in line with the theory of evolution by natural selection. Thatcher seems not to have taken the time to notice that language, money and law (the last two were especially dear to her government) were socially constructed and sustained. But then, the lady was not for pausing.

The danger lies in supposing that since nature has done it for us we can lie back and neglect children's moral educations. They will grow up with the right views just as they grow up with hair. My only comment about that is that I am glad to be old enough to hope not to be around when the experiment comes to fruition.

Clearly, the cleanest moral climate possible in a fallen world is one in which the Ten Commandments - with their vital function of revealing God's character of holiness and goodness and our need as sinful human beings of redemption by Christ - are known and honoured and taught to children.

Reading this essay prompted Cranmer's Curate to wonder, in the current moral climate, how many Anglican clergy are able to recite the Ten Commandments from memory in the correct order.

NO NEED FOR LAWYERS CRAWLING OVER CHURCH PROPERTY

The Church of England faces a choice over churches wanting to leave it whether to join the Roman Catholics or to form an orthodox Province in the UK: it can behave with pompous officiousness like TEC going to court over church property or it can deploy some generous lateral thinking for the sake of Christ’s mission.

The Bishop of Southwark’s recent comments in his presidential address to his diocesan synod, helpfully reported by Anglican Mainstream, about the practicalities of Anglo-Catholic parish churches going over to Rome are highly revealing. They show that the thoughts of the more managerially-inclined liberals in the hierarchy are already turning to the legalities.

He said that because there have been ‘some wild ideas’ going around leading to questions being asked of his office, he thought it ‘wise to seek a little legal advice on the implications there might be for the Diocese and its Parishes if any Priest or group of lay people wished to become Roman Catholics’.

The legal eagles came back with some comforting news: ‘No Priest or group of laity has the right to take church property with them when they change denominations, for a Diocese holds such property in trust for the mission and ministry of the Church of England to all the people of its parishes and this duty of care would continue.’

In the case of a parish church wanting to transfer to another denomination, a scheme under the Pastoral Measure, or specific legislation enacted for the purpose, would be needed and this could ‘only be done with the goodwill of the diocese’.

In the case of assets such as the church hall or other parish property, ‘appropriation to another denomination would almost certainly be a breach of trust and would not be possible without the co-operation of the Diocesan Board of Finance as Custodian Trustees and probably also the involvement of the Charity Commission’.

In the case of parsonage houses, these are governed by the Parsonages Measure and an incumbent ‘cannot alienate the parsonage without obtaining the authority required by law, again the Diocesan Board of Finance or the Church Commissioners’.

He concluded: ‘Of course in the months and years ahead much of this might well be crawled over by lawyers on all sides, but the general principles seem to be clear and we can all relax a little whilst the plot thickens.’

Bishop Butler is clearly very comforted by the legal difficulties confronting churches wanting to leave the institution. He also sounds very relaxed about the prospect of lawyers crawling all over our church property in the years to come. One would have thought that an organisation such as the Church of England experiencing serious numerical and financial decline would not want the grief, not to mention the expenditure, of such a prospect. Furthermore, reoccupying a parish church that wants to leave presents enormous practical difficulties for a diocese.

Whereas some generous lateral thinking by dioceses and the Church Commissioners could keep the lawyers at bay and avoid considerable trauma.

Here in Sheffield Diocese we already have an example of a new Anglican Evangelical church plant sharing premises with an existing Anglo-Catholic parish church. The existing church in Endcliffe, St Augustine's, has its service on Sunday morning; the new church - Christ Church Endcliffe, a plant from Christ Church Fulwood - meets in the afternoon.

If a parish church wants to go over to the Roman Catholics, then why not let them but come to an agreement about sharing premises in that kind of manner so that the Church of England can retain a presence in the community?

That would seem a much better way of serving, as Bishop Butler put it, ‘the mission and ministry of the Church of England to all the people of its parishes’.

After all, we are supposed to be a Church called to proclaim the living Christ to the nation, not an ailing property developer wanting to cling onto its emptying buildings.

CHRIST'S RULE NOT SUBJECT TO ELECTIVE DICTATORSHIP

Christian thanksgiving for Lord Waddington's free speech victory yes, but euphoria no, for today's House of Commons is tomorrow's House of Lords.

As Tony Blair said about the Pope, it's a generational thing.

As ideological products of the secular permissiveness of the 1960s, MPs voted by a significant majority to place freedom of sexual expression above freedom of religious expression. Tom Robinson's anthem 'Sing if you're glad to be gay' is a weightier expression of their spiritual and moral outlook than 'God save the Queen' (as the National Anthem encourages us to pray for the Monarch).

Eventually the secular permissives are bound to win the argument.

That is unlikely to leave Christians in the UK facing the kind of persecution our brothers and sisters in Islamic and Hindu countries face daily. Future persecution in the UK is likely to be patchy for the following reasons:

· Some police forces will be more assiduous in following up complaints of 'homophobic abuse', or in the case of criticisms of Islam, 'Islamophobia' than others. This will depend on factors such as the prominence of the homosexual or Muslim community in particular regions and the effectiveness of diversity indoctrination from one force to another.

· Some local councils will be more assiduous than others in following up complaints against Christians. Again that will depend on a variety of subjective factors in the minds of councillors and officials. Some will be more committed to the liberal British tradition of free speech than others; some more sympathetic to Judeo-Christian values. But a significant proportion will be committed political-correct ideologues who will be vigorous in rooting out the various manifestations of sin against PC.

· Unless there is a major political and social upheaval, a free press is likely to remain a feature of British society for some years to come. That means heavy-handed behaviour, such as the police investigation of the 67-year-old grandmother in Norwich, can therefore be put into the public domain. Media exposure can thus act as a deterrent.

So, whilst euphoria is not warranted following the Lords' victory, neither is paranoia about the future. Christ's sovereignty is not subject to elective dictatorship.

As the Apostle Peter exhorted his Christian readers facing persecution:

The end of all things is at hand; therefore keep sane and sober for your prayers (1 Peter 4v7 - RSV).

HYMNS FOR PERMISSIVE WORSHIP

The permissive society is very relaxed about drug abuse, encourages disregard for parental authority, and has a principled commitment to sexual promiscuity. But it is not very relaxed about Christians who criticise the permissive society.

How else does one explain the fact that a generation of politicians who grew up in the permissive society have just voted to remove a free speech safeguard which protects Christians' freedom to comment on sexual ethics?

As Christian Concern for our Nation reports:

At the beginning of this week, the House of Commons voted by a majority of 197 to remove Lord Waddington’s free speech safeguard. Lord Waddington’s clause is a just and reasonable one, which protects Christians’ freedom to comment on sexual ethics.

Without this protection, Christians are more likely to be investigated by the police for “inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation” if they state the Biblical position on homosexual practice. Police investigation is very frightening and intimidating, particularly as the maximum penalty for this offence, when in force, would be imprisonment of up to 7 years.

The Bill is back for debate and vote today (11th November) in the House of Lords and may return tomorrow.

The recent case of a 67 year-old Christian grandmother subjected to a police investigation after she wrote to her Council objecting to a parade promoting homosexuality, demonstrates the need for clarity on the face of the law in this area.

The moral priorities of the permissive society are hardly surprising when you consider its hymnody. The following lyrics for permissive singing in public worhip were penned in the 1960s:

Smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot' (The Beatles - I am the Walrus).

Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize what you don't understand Your sons and daughters are beyond your command (Bob Dylan - The Times They are A-Changin').

I met a gin soaked, bar-room queen in Memphis, She tried to take me upstairs for a ride. She had to heave me right across her shoulder 'Cause I just can't seem to drink you off my mind (The Rolling Stones - Honky Tonk Woman).

Before these hymns were written and used in public worship, Britain was a low-crime society. In the mid-1950s, around 11,000 violent crimes against the person were recorded annually. Currently in the Naughties, violent crimes against the person are annually over 1 million.

Christians over Advent will be singing this in their public worship:

Every eye shall now behold him Robed in Dreadful Majesty; Those who set at naught and sold him, Pierced and nailed him to the Tree, deeply wailing, shall the True Messiah see (Charles Wesley - Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending).

But for how much longer will the permissives-in-charge allow us to sing it?

THE VALUE OF A 9 TILL 6 FOR POTENTIAL MINISTERS

Cranmer's Curate has written an open letter to his old friend Vaughan Roberts, Rector of St Ebbe's in Oxford, and chairman of the 9:38 network, which runs conferences for those considering full-time Christian ministry. It may be of interest to the youth group:

Dear Vaughan, Letters that begin with a commendation can create a sense of foreboding for what is coming next. But I am an unashamed fan of the 9:38 network and its conferences for those considering full-time ministry. The two young men who have served here in Oughtibridge as youth volunteers have hugely benefited from your conferences and input. And besides this is not a critical letter but one wanting to explore a particular issue facing those whom we are wanting to encourage into full-time Christian ministry.

It relates to the value of secular work prior to going forward for full-time ministry. One perspective on this that appears to be strongly stressed in Sydney Diocese and in its ministry training strategy, and appears to have gained some currency here, is that the determinative factor is the Bible’s teaching on work, not our experience of it. Therefore, an individual does not need to have had experience of the secular workplace in order to be able to teach on it.

It is helpful to be reminded that as disciples of Christ we need to uphold biblical truths that will be outside and beyond our individual experience and indeed hold on to biblical promises even and especially when our experience seems to deny them. But this perspective as a 'one-liner' to a young potential minister carries the danger of foreclosing an issue that ought to be properly explored.

The value of secular work experience before going forward for full-time ministry in Christ’s service would seem to include the following:

· It does provide experience of working in a non-Christian environment where you have to relate to non-Christian bosses and colleagues. That is the situation most working Christians find themselves in. Whilst there are particular pressures for us in ministry, we are to a large degree cocooned from the pressures of the contemporary workplace. Surely some experience of that is hugely helpful for ministry.

· Experience of combining secular work with church volunteerism is surely also very helpful. Having to commute, work and do Christian service on top of that is something many whom we serve in our congregations experience week in, week out. Whilst large churches can rely on staff teams that are funded by working members of the congregation, smaller churches serving local communities do rely overwhelmingly on volunteers. If a minister understands the experience of being a church volunteer, then surely it helps them to be more sensitive and understanding of the pressures on Christian people in our congregations.

· A more realistic approach in poorer countries where the Sydney strategy of encouraging the best university graduates into full-time ministry in order to plant churches may be being applied. Many university graduates in South Africa for example have families reliant on their financial support, which would not generally be the case in more affluent countries where stipendiary ministry can more easily be sustained.

Certainly, the idea that one size fits all and that all ministers have to have done a substantial stint of secular work should be repudiated. There are very effective ministers, who are good leaders and sensitive to people’s situations, who went forward for Christian ministry upon graduating. But the question here is what is generally best for the workers being sent out into Christ's harvest field.

Warmly in Christ,

Julian