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Letters from 20 to 26 July 2009

Like all letters to the editor everywhere, these letters are the opinions of the writers and not Anglicans Online. We publish letters that we think will be of interest to our readers, whether we agree with them or not. If you'd like to write a letter of your own, click here.

A not so distant mirror

What a masterfully written front page story. The letter moves from the interesting story of St Mark’s battle over bells to a current application which is written so that it can easily be applied to those who find themselves on either side of the current Anglican Communion difficulties. This was one more example of why I like AO; no hate filled words, no vitriol, just a mirror held up so that we can each see ourselves.

Ch Steven Rindahl
Memorial Chapel, Ft Jackson, SC
Columbia, South Carolina, USA
20 July 2009

(Editor: Blush. Thank you for your kind words.)

Made to be broken

Thank you!

Thank you for the link to Fr. Mullen's sermon of the 19th July. To paraphrase an old wedding ceremony line - what God has broken man had best leave that way!

Lyle Clark
Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity, Saranac Lake, NY
Tupper Lake, Franklin Cty, New York, USA
lyleclark@verizon.net
24 July 2009

It's how the light gets in

The problem with modern 'bells' in our communities, is that their equivalent now emanates from automobiles, even with windows closed, and are shared with - or rather foisted upon - all those around, not as a sense of community, but apart from it, and sound angry and rejecting. Now if we could regain a sense of community - sound being one aspect - what else might we see? So

"Ring them bells, ye heathen
From the city that dreams,
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
Cross the valleys and streams,
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world's on its side
And time is running backwards
And so is the bride.
-- (Bob Dylan)

[If I may say, the entire lyrics are worth it -- in my middle aged bald-headed opinion].

WJ Arnold PhD
St Mark's
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CANADA
26 July 2009

(Editor: We remember fondly a cartoon from a New Yorker in the 1970s. A young thug with a large boom box on his shoulder has accosted a businessman in the street, saying 'Give me your wallet or I will turn up the volume.' Give us bells.)

Earlier letters

We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.