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Hallo again to all as we approach the beginning
of Lent.
I'll start arbitrarily with Australia, where the Sydney Morning Herald reported this
past Friday on the 'formula' by which women could become bishops in Australia by the end of the century. The next day, the paper had
a rather sobering feature about the Anglican Church in Australia. (Would the film Oscar and Lucinda be a pleasant
counterbalance to all this realism? I've not seen it, so can't answer. But the idea
of floating a glass church down rivers through the outback seems an appealing fantasy.)
Speaking of realism, in the UK the Churches Advertising Network has launched what
could be fairly called a controversial Easter Advertising Campaign, speaking
to the emotions stirred up at the time of the death of the Princess of Wales. Also
in England, you may recall last
week's news stories about the then-unreleased
preface to the 1998 Church of England Year Book. We have a detailed report on that preface from Simon Sarmiento (whose brisk
and complete summary of General Synod was,
alas, unlinked for a good part of last week, as I struggled with a computer problem.)
If you occasionally wonder whether earlier periods in our beloved Anglican Communion
were any less fraught with dispute and argument, a little time with some of the great Caroline theologians
(hard not to say 'divines') associated with the Diocese of Ely might convince you that it is not so. In a recent talk, the Bishop
of Portsmouth points out their strengths, foibles, and what they teach us today.
(And there are some marvellous portraits at the site,
as well.)
Should you find yourself in the UK or Australia, you'll most likely have arrived
by 'plane. You might be surprised, as I was, at just how many of the world's airports have chapels.
Have a look at the site maintained by the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains, and see where you can garner some moments for prayer, peace, and
quiet during those frantic preflight or between-flight times.
I mentioned Lent at the beginning of this letter. I don't have immediately to hand
particular Lenten links or resources. Should you find any in your Internet travels,
please let us know.
I thought it only fair that you be able to attach a face to the voice you 'hear'
in this letter each week. Thus a photo, taken
late this Sunday afternoon as I began the
weekly update of Anglicans Online. (It's now 2.15am and I don't look quite so fresh...)
See you next week.
Cynthia McFarland
cmcf@justus.anglican.org
Last updated: 22 February 1998
URL: http://anglican.org/online
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