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St. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH NEWSLETTER
Autumn 2008 No 71
AM I BOVVER'D
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Most of us recognise those words from the Catherine Tate show, used by the young
female character to deal with whatever situation she faces; words that in fact
mean she is really very bothered! Though I’ve been trying to make the most of
what we British optimistically call the simmer, I too have been dealing with a
few issues which on one level I want to say ‘am I bovver’d’ whilst knowing I am
very bothered and what is more I can’t keep my thoughts and feelings to myself.
First I am very bothered about the Church of England’s decision to go ahead
with women bishops; I am bothered because the unilateral move jeopardises for me
the Church of England’s creedal claim to be part of ‘one holy catholic and
Apostolic Church’ and will only cause further disunity. My opposition to women
bishops has never been about discrimination or my lack of desire for gender
equality, which I strongly believe in, rather its because I don’t think that the
Church of England has the right to tamper with this fundamental building block
that forms the ministry and maintains the unity of the church. Jesus was always
ready to fly in the face of convention, some of his closest companions were
women and yet he chose men to be the apostles, the first bishops; surely he must
have had his reasons?
And what about the Lambeth Conference and gay bishops? Yes I am bothered, but
not as much as I am about women bishops. There have always been gay bishops just
as there have always been gay human beings, perhaps that’s why Jesus doesn’t say
anything about it in the gospels even if its mentioned elsewhere in the
scriptures. What bothers me a lot however is an openly gay American bishop who
seems to be promoting his own sexuality as some kind of life style choice, which
puts his brother bishops in Africa and elsewhere in a very awkward position when
homosexuality is a criminal offence. I have a lot of sympathy with their
criticism of our liberalism and what they see as the arrogance of our bishops in
the West whose desire to impose their liberal views seems to be just another form
of imperial colonisation.
And so to the real world where the Christian gospel is really lived and
proclaimed. Like others I have been really bothered about knife crime. I know
the figures tell us that there are no more stabbings than there were ten years
ago – But what really worries me is that what is going on seems to be part of
some elaborate game played out by gangs and individuals imitating the world of
computer fantasy, a fantasy in which death is just part of a game where
opponents spring back to life. I don’t think they realise death is for real,
there’s no coming back however many pictures or kind words appear on face book!
Life is difficult to handle for many of our youngsters, I don’t think some of us
realise how hard it is trying to grow up and make your way in a society whose
institutions and structure and codes of behaviour have been undermined and
weakened in the pursuit of so called freedom and political correctness and a
culture of ‘self’. A culture which leaves many more and more frustrated because
they can’t have what they want and so turn to reality numbing drugs to blot out
negative feelings about themselves. Am I bothered, yes I am. Sometimes it all
looks hopeless, but I remain hopeful, hopeful because I go on believing in a God
who loves each of us and loves his church and somehow through his marvellous
workings all is moving towards the fulfilment of his purpose and will and our
ultimate good.
Your friend and priest,
Father Keith
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