Virtual Methodist

Just a few headings this week, because each of the items is big in itself: FEMALE ROLE MODELS: this is one of those weeks when I am glad I have 2 sons - although, as I have discussed with a number of people this week the model of masculinity we offer, particularly within NI and within the church, leaves much to be desired... But the unpleasant public spat between Miley Cyrus and Sinead O'Connor left a lot to be desired... Why did Ms. O'Connor do this via public letter if it was out of concern for Miley? And what was going through Miley Cyrus' head when she dragged up the mental health of Sinead and Amanda Bynes? Annie Lennox also weighed in , without naming names. There are worrying things about the eroticizing of female self-image. There are those who would say that this is part of a trend in society that includes the body image that girls are exposed to in Barbies and Disney Princesses - leading to the controversy over the makeover for Brave's Princess Merida ,...

This is a veritable landfill site of linkdumps this morning... Read them all and you could be still sitting here tomorrow. So I'll just group them under appropriate (?) headings and keep my comments to the minimum: HOMOSEXUALITY & SAME SEX-MARRIAGE In the week that has seen England and Wales make the first legislative steps towards the recognition of same-sex marriage there have been a number of stories that have caught my eye... An article by Alice Arnold on her relationship with TV sports presenter Clare Balding, and why the term "marriage" is important to them... A piece by Michael Bird , prompted by an "ex-gay" conversion story and the response to it, asking how those who advocate "Queer Theology" (an unhelpful term I believe), relate to those who call themselves "ex-gays"... In response to the same story Scot McKnight points to some research that suggests that such conversions are not only real but produce statistically...

As I said yesterday I've stayed broadly silent for the past fortnight on the events in Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown Connecticut, first because I'm an outsider and second I don't believe that engaging in polemic in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy is helpful to anyone... But, as you may imagine, I am not devoid of opinions... So, let me put my cards on the table... Whilst I am commenting from a distance, I do live in a land which has known more than its fair share of gun related deaths, but have also witnessed the work of police and street-workers seeking to address gun-crime in gang-ridden Providence, RI , the adjacent state to Newtown. As such I cannot, for the life of me, understand why intelligent politicians cannot find a way of respecting the historic aims of the second amendment to the US Constitution (because God forbid you would want to change such a holy document), whilst protecting society at large, including children, from people having easy acce...

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." Matthew 27:46-47 (ANIV) We all go through dark days... some deeper and darker than others... even the most righteous. Jesus himself cried on the cross "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" quoting the Psalmist. There have been whole twisted theologies pinned on this one line (not to mention a few controversial hymn lyrics), and it is a potent point in the passion narrative... But I think it is telling that those standing nearby misunderstood Jesus' quotation of the Hebrew for an appeal to the prophet Elijah... either they weren't very familiar with their Psalms in general, or else this is not a Psalm that they heard much in synagogue... I suspect the latter... That then, as now, there was a reluctance t...

A very brief supplement this week as 1) there hasn't been much that has caught my attention on t'internet this week 2) life has been a little hectic... First, I'm one who frequently has complained about the lack of sportsmanship within the round ball variety of football, but not only was I encouraged by the positive response to the condition of Fabrice Muamba following his neear fatal collapse in an FA Cup game (and thankfully this week we hear that Muamba is out of hospital ) but especially by this story concerning IFA minnows Dungannon Swifts ... It was so newsworthy that I actually picked up the story in Scotland, probably the first time that the Swifts have made the national news, and all for the right reasons. Second, and finally, Kim Fabricius once again offers us his wit and wisdom with more Doodlings over on Faith and Theology - plenty there to stimulate, wind-up and/or amuse (delete as applicable.) Shalom

I've written a couple of pieces on chaplaincy recently ( here and here ) and so it was interesting to have this piece on hospice chaplaincy brought to my attention by a former intern. Meanwhile, reflections on Fabrice Muamba and his ongoing recovery have continued in various corners of the interweb, but the most interesting for me was Kevin Hargaden's comments on the ill-conceived  challenge of a group of cross-party MPs to ASA ban on advertising faith-healing . Their particular crusade (and I use that word advisedly) is part of the developing war between conservative Christians and militant secularists... Hardly a day goes by without coming across a link concerning the "persecution" of Christians in secularist Britain, usually via the Daily Mail or the Christian Institute/Voice and featuring some quote or other by George Carey, or, on the other hand, some campaign by Dicky Dawkins and his merry band of fundamentalist atheists. Indeed I could include many of...

In this season where we celebrate the incarnation, of the one who was said to come "full of grace and truth" is it any wonder there are a number of commentators who are suggesting that some look on Julian Assange, the editor in chief of Wikileaks as a pseudo-messiah? Don't think that Jesus was accused of sexual assault, but he was accused of associating with some dodgy people, was imprisoned on trumped up charges and executed as an enemy of the state. Is Julian Assange a tireless champion of freedom of speech, a self-seeking sociopath, an IT terrorist, or a post-modernist messiah? Or is he just a very naughty boy? Most of the "disclosures" on the recent ambassadorial cables told us things that anyone in the chattering classes had already uninformed opinions about... Israel and Saudi Arabia want the US to bomb Iran - you don't say! Sarkozy is short and Berlusconi is an old letch - never! The Americans think British soldiers in Afghanistan are useless - amazin...