Letters
from 5 to 11 July 2010
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We
suspected as much
We in Europe have
made very profitable use of the Vacancy Center. None of our clergy are
the usual suspects.
Thank you
again for all you do.
PS: Yes,
we do run an ad in the Church Times as well. One. Which costs GBP 150.00.
Pierre Whalon
Bishop, Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
Paris, FRANCE
bishop@tec-europe.org
12 July 2010
“Malay
is one of the major languages of South East Asia....”
Well indeed. And the ministry of religious affairs in Malaysia recently ordered that
churches destroy all Bahasa Melayu Bibles, service books and hymnals
that refer to Allah as “Allah.” The courts overturned that
decision and it occasioned bombing of churches by Islamist Malays: only
Muslims in their view are allowed to call God "God."
(Muslim Malays
are, mind you, only slightly better than half of the population of Malaysia).
Malay-speaking
Christians had been wondering in that case just what they should call
him: one is minded of “Our father who art in heaven, Harold be
thy name.” (Is that James Joyce? Or was that "Hail Mary, full of
grease, the lard is with thee"? One never knows with irreverent Irish
efforts at shocking the faithful: we most of us have a pretty good sense
of humour and are quite unshockable, are we not?)
Arabic-speaking
Christians are bemused-to-outraged when they hear of it: “Well,
excuse me! We were calling Allah ‘Allah’ before Islam was
even thought of!”
A broad-minded
Saudi friend asks, "Just what god do the Jews worship? (And come to think
of it, why do so many Israelis look just like us?)" (Well, Allah, actually,...and
think about it....) "Really?! What about the Christians?" (Allah too,
in point of fact.) "I am astounded!" (Well, think about it further....)
There is no
god but The God, they say, and all very well: we can certainly easily
go along with that. But I with greatest respect believe we go them one
better: "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God...and thy neighbour as
thyself."
Mac Robb
Holy Trinity Fortitude Valley
Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
mac.robb@gmail.com
12 July 2010
No one Older
Need Apply?
It was with
more than normal interest that I read about the vacancies in your Vacancies
Center. As a priest who is currently employed as a RN, which was my first
vocation brought to fruition, I have apparently made the unpardonable
sin of working outside the parish for too long now that I feel God's
call, quite strongly, I might add, to return to full time priestly ministry.
I find this situation more than ironic since we live, thankfully, in
a time when the ministry of the laity is taken with all the seriousness
that it most certainly deserves. However, it does seem that when a priest
takes it perhaps a bit too seriously, doors are closed... no, never opened.
The noise is deafening from this side.
What I perceive
as an unwillingness to consider seriously someone in my position may
be an indication that the emergent church movement is right on target
when it says that we simply must stop doing the same old things the same
old way. There is a sound piece of advice from the addiction and mental
health field in which I work... "If you do the things you've always done,
you'll always get the things you've got." Certainly our beloved church
is continuing to get more of the same; to wit, fewer disciples in love
with Jesus, fewer lives striving for holy discipline who are thus equipped
to make a real difference in someone else's life and, if God wills, many
other lives, and fewer people who understand the central fact of everyone's
existence - that God is love - written in bold and capitalized letters
on the Cross.
I do believe
that we may have misplaced our emphasis. Priesthood is not a profession
among many in competition for status, recognition and expertise, but
it is a wonderful vocation that calls forth the best in many, many people
who are privileged to preach, teach, counsel, guide, pray and celebrate
the sacraments of our redemption for those we are called to serve according
to the gifts we have been given. As priests, we are called to assist
others in opening up new worlds of truth, meaning, and love in the myriad
ways that is possible. As Fr. Robert Hovda put it, we are to be "strong,
loving and wise."
Well, it seems
that I have said more than I started out to say and have rambled on about
something that wasn't directly expressed in your lead article. In any
case, thank you for the opportunity. You are always a welcome guest on
Sunday night.
Fr. Carlton
Kelley
The Episcopal Church
Richmond, Indiana, USA
cfkblh@yahoo.com
13 July 2010
Earlier letters
We launched our 'Letters to AO' section on 11
May 2003. All published letters are in our archives.
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