Of Course, I Could Be Wrong...

STOLEN FROM SADSISTA

2012-01-31T13:12:00.002Z

NOT ALL TOTAL IMMERSION BAPTISTSARE WET BETWEEN THE EARS

2012-01-31T11:19:00.001Z

From CHARLOTTE OBSERVER:

North Carolina already has a law against same-sex marriage. But it will be the last Southern state to vote on putting the ban into its constitution. Last week, groups continued lining up on both sides. Money has poured in from out of state. Some 30 states have voted on a similar amendment; all have passed.

For 20 minutes at the 11 a.m. service at Myers Park Baptist, last Sunday, the Rev. Steve Shoemaker gave a sermon he called "The Opposite of Love." In it he made his case for North Carolina to break from the pack. He said the amendment contradicts Baptist root doctrine of personal and religious freedom. He also argued that it contradicts North Carolina's long tradition for individual liberties (the state wouldn't sign the Constitution until the Bill of Rights was added).

On a day when the lyrics of the hymns and the words of the Scripture readings spoke of loving and accepting your neighbor, Shoemaker said the amendment "reinforces cruel and harmful attitudes about gay people and their families," and "builds discrimination into the fundamental legal document of our state."

"I am troubled when religious people seek to turn their interpretation of their sacred scriptures into civil law," he said, part of a sermon that drew a round of applause at its close. "The tyranny of a religious majority can turn a democracy into a theocracy. A religious institution should define 'holy matrimony' for its members. It is another thing to encode their interpretation of scripture into the law of the land."

MAFIA THREATENS PRIEST

2012-01-31T11:09:00.001Z

From THE MAIL:

Mobsters have dumped the severed head of a pig on the doorstep of a brave crime fighting priest, it emerged yesterday.

Father Ennio Stamile made the grim discovery as he left his house for morning Mass and it was the second time he had been targeted after his car was vandalised last week. Detectives are convinced he is being singled out after he started to regularly condemn the criminal activities of the local mafia known as the 'Ndrangheta during his weekly parish sermons.

The bloodied animal head was found with a piece of cloth stuffed in its mouth outside Father Stamile's home in Cetraro near Cosenza in southern Italy and it is the mob's trademark way of intimidation and convincing people to stop talking.

Father Stamile said: 'Despite all that is happening I will continue my battle against organised crime.'

For putting his life on the line in the battle against evil,
Father Ennio is OCICBW...'s

BRICK OF THE DAY

We also pray that God will protect him.

YOU'RE NOT WORTH IT

2012-01-31T10:27:00.000Z

From MERCURY NEWS:

Without a new kidney, Jesus Navarro will die. He has a willing donor (his wife) and private insurance to pay for the transplant. But he faces what may be an insurmountable hurdle in the race to save his life: He is an illegal immigrant.

Administrators at UC San Francisco Medical Center are refusing to transplant a kidney from Navarro's wife, saying there is no guarantee he will receive adequate follow-up care, given his uncertain status.

I can't see what the surgeons' problem is here. The donated kidney is coming from the sick man's wife. She would not be donating it to anybody else so it's not a matter of who would be the best recipient of the kidney. Therefore, the surgeons appear to be asking if it is worth their time to do the surgery.

CHRIST CENTRED

2012-01-31T09:32:00.000Z

"Religion is man searching for God.
Christianity is God searching for man."

For an interview with the author of this poem, Jeff Bethke,
check out THE WASHINGTON TIMES.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

2012-01-30T23:00:00.001Z

You have a choice tonight. You can either listen to the beautiful music or just gaze at the beautiful album cover. Of course, you could do both but be careful, too much of a good thing is not always good for you.

American tenor Michael Slattery makes his ATMA recording debut on La Nef’s latest offering, Dowland in Dublin. Slattery, Sylvain Bergeron and Seán Dagher worked together on these new arrangements of Dowland’s well-known airs, giving them a simple, Celtic flavor. In selecting the music for this project they decided to focus on the lighter-hearted side of Dowland, who is best known for his beautiful if sombre songs.

Michael Slattery has appeared in opera houses around the world including Lincoln Center, Royal Festival Hall in London, Châtelet Theatre and the Staatsoper Berlin. A versatile artist, he has also been praised for his performance of traditional repertoire: "Michael Slattery has a stellar career ahead of him. It's a real joy to hear this traditional music... performed beautifully and idiomatically by such a talented and serious artist." (Gramophone)

MICHAEL'S WEBSITE

PURCHASE VIA MADPRIEST'S AMAZON STORE

HE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT

2012-01-30T13:12:00.000Z

When I was young, I was taught that the purpose of religion was to foster compassion through lovingkindness, to seek peace by example, to perform with human hands the work of angels.

Then I moved to the Holy Land.

Once, on the holiday of Lag B'Omer, which falls this Saturday night, children cast into bonfires images of Adolf Hitler and others who have preached and in some cases practiced the mass killing of Jews.

This year, ahead of the Saturday night observance, professed followers of Meir Kahane have openly boasted of preparing effigies of the American president for distribution and incineration in bonfires across the country. (Bradley Burston, HAARETZ)

SPINNING AN EVIL PAST

2012-01-30T13:04:00.000Z

"The Bulgarian Orthodox Church will come out stronger from its ordeals after the announcing of a number of senior clergy's affiliation with ex-communist secret services, said Plovdiv bishop Nikolay."

That is such a ridiculous and just plain wrong statement and yet it is one that church authorities blurt out regularly especially after they have been well and truly caught doing something naughty. The most obscene example of this spin in recent times has been when the Roman Catholic hierarchy has used it to try and deflect sympathy away from the victims of sexual abuse (at the hands of priests) and towards themselves.

But, no. When a church does evil it does not make it stronger. It just makes people (outside of the church, at least) think "What an evil bunch of bastards." You don't get over that rap very quickly and you certainly don't grow in strength with it hanging over your head.

Full story at NOVINITE.COM.

THE AFRICAN ATTITUDE

2012-01-30T12:53:00.000Z

Outgoing African Union chairman Tedoro Obiang Nguema, speaking before Ban's remarks were delivered, complained about the external criticism the continent receives.

"Africa should not be questioned with regards to democracy, human rights, governance and transparency in public administration," he told the summit.

Anyone who does will be accused of racism I expect.

Full story at YAHOO NEWS.

FORMER BRICK OF THE DAY GOES OUT FIGHTING

2012-01-30T12:47:00.000Z

Imagine being given a pair of boxing gloves by your congregation as your leaving present. I would be so proud.

Full story at THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD.

MORE FOREIGN INTERVENTION IN US POLITICS

2012-01-30T12:33:00.001Z

There are many things I admire about Roman Catholicism. Top of the list are its present day condemnations of both war and the death penalty. However, these fine principles somewhat emphasise the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic church. As far as I know members of this denomination are not called upon to refuse to pay their taxes even when part of their contributions will be spent on war and implementing the death penalty. In this they are no different to the vast majority of Christian denominations who take a "give unto Caesar" attitude. Where they do differ is in their willingness to ignore their "give unto Caesar" policy when it suits them.

I cannot see any reason why paying for healthcare that must include subsidised contraception, sterilisation and coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, when you oppose such things, is any different to paying taxes that include paying for war and executions which you similarly oppose. Yet, the Vatican's agents in the United Staes were forced to read the following letter out in all their parishes on Sunday.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The federal government, which claims to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just been dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people — the Catholic population — and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers,
including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees’ health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Obama Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Obama Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.

We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights. In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

And therefore, I would ask of you two things. First, as a community of faith we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored. Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible. Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience, to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty, and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Obama Administration’s decision.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
+Alexander K. Sample
Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample
Bishop of Marquette

It's one thing (using a very recent example) for an archbishop in England to publicly argue against a government policy but a completely different thing to organise mass opposition to it which is, in essence, just electoral blackmail. If the English government called on all Episcopalians in the United States to try and bring down a US administration there would, quite rightly, be one almighty stink about it with the offence being brought up at the United Nations (and possibly the US navy heading towards the UK at a great rate of knots). Why such a jealously independent nation would allow a tiny European princedom to corrupt their political process without even uttering a tiny whimper of protest is beyond me. I shall file it under the heading "Things I just don't get about Americans." It's a very big file.

NOT IN MY NAME

2012-01-30T11:09:00.000Z

According to Terry Sanderson at THE HUFFINGTON POST, The Church of England is forming a united front with the Roman Catholic Church in England, to try and stop the British government from legalising gay marriage.

Last Wednesday a committee of leading bishops of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales met to finalise details of a campaign against the Government's plans. Also at the meeting was the Church of England's Archbishops' Council secretary general, William Fittall.

It is a very weird feeling knowing that you belong to an organisation that is about to do something very evil. It's difficult to work out what to do about it. I am extremely embarrassed. Knowing that if I admit to someone outside of the church that I'm an Anglican priest they will pigeonhole me as someone who hates because it's traditional to hate and regard me as a hypocrite is enough to drive me to denying my faith three times before the cock crows.

BOAZ'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

2012-01-30T10:56:00.000Z

Our Australian friend left the following comment below my post "RETIRED CLERGY SUDDENLY BECOME EXPERTS ON PSYCHIATRY." I think it is one of the most brilliant comments my blog has ever received.

I imagine people go to psychotherapists distressed with all sorts unwanted this or that. Surely the "treatment" if we use that word is to help the person overcome their distress. Let's say they are distressed at having to enter a lift. One would hardly think the cure was to say "Well you don't go near any lifts again". Or to say "Yeah you're right, there shouldn't be such a thing as lifts. Why don't we try to get rid of them?' Surely the "treatment" lies in helping the person to a better adjustment to reality. Much harder to do, and requiring a deeper understanding of the person no doubt, than just saying, "Don't do it!"

FOR MY ARCHBISHOP

2012-01-30T00:39:00.001Z

PIG ATTACKS FOX

2012-01-30T00:29:00.002Z

Thanks to Themethatisme for finding this.

SILLY SAUSAGE

2012-01-30T00:24:00.000Z

Stolen from my Facebook friend Barbara's wall.

RETIRED CLERGY SUDDENLY BECOMEEXPERTS ON PSYCHIATRY

2012-01-29T17:38:00.000Z

From PINK PAPER:

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey and the former Bishop of Rochester, Rt Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali have leapt to the defence of a psychotherapist who is facing a ban by her professional body after trying to ‘cure’ a gay man of his homosexuality.

Lesley Pilkington, a practising Christian, awaits an appeal hearing on Wednesday against her suspension by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), after she was recorded using reparative therapy on undercover journalist Patrick Strudwick at her home in 2009.

In a letter to the BACP, the clergy argue: “Psychological care for those who are distressed by unwanted homosexual attractions has been shown to yield a range of beneficial client outcomes, especially in motivated clients ... Such therapy does not produce harm despite the Royal College of Psychiatrists and others maintaining the contrary.”

The BACP board concluded last year that Pilkington “had allowed her personal preconceived views about gay lifestyle and sexual orientation to affect her professional relationship in a way that was prejudicial.” It also described Pilkington’s methods as “reckless”, “disrespectful”, “dogmatic” and “unprofessional”.

COMMENT: Respect due to the god-complexed shrink - she did manage to cure the man of being an undercover journalist even though most experts believe that people are born journalistic and that there's nothing you can do to change them.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

2012-01-29T16:53:00.000Z

HOLY COMMUNION

29TH. JANUARY 2012

FOURTH SUNDAY

OF EPIPHANY

All are welcome to join me in taking communion.
There are no exceptions.

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

If you want to physically partake of communion you will require a small piece of bread and a small amount of drink (preferably made from grapes and containing alcohol). How you view the nature of this part of the service is completely up to you.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

Download via the MP3 icon below the player.

Download podcast via iTUNES

MP3 File

NOBODY EXPECTS THE DORKINS INQUISITION

2012-01-28T17:39:00.000Z

From CHRISTIAN TODAY:

Richard Dawkins has dismissed plans to build a £1m atheist monument in London. The plans have been put forward by atheist Alain de Botton, who said: “You can build a temple to anything that’s positive and good. Because of Richard Dawkins, atheism has become known as a destructive force, but there are lots of people who don’t believe but aren’t aggressive towards religions.” he said.

Dawkins dismissed the project as a waste of money.

“Atheists don’t need temples. There are better things to spend this kind of money on. You could improve secular education and build non-religious schools which teach rational, sceptical, critical thinking,” he said.

COMMENT: It really is a shame for Comrade Dorkins that the iron curtain has gone and Russia has embraced capitalism and crime with more gusto than the American Mafia. He would have fitted in so well in a Stalinist state. They would have probably put him in charge of education. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that he would have preferred to have been head of the KGB.

NEW PRAYER BOOK HAILED AS "QUITE GOOD"

2012-01-28T09:44:00.001Z

This is my new project which I am hoping will make my fortune. It's a monthly, downloadable resource providing prayers, intercessions, acclamations, biddings and blessings for use in the eucharistic services of the church.

Each issue will contain material for every Sunday and every principal feast during the month.

All the material is strongly linked to the gospel reading of the day based on the Common Lectionary. It is a truly international and ecumenical resource but it also provides extra material for national peculiarities such as Mothering Sunday in England.

I have tried to reflect, in a modern way, the words and meter of our traditional prayer books. I have also made sure that the new words will fit seamlessly into all orders of service so that congregations will not be confused or worried about changes and innovation.

For a sample copy of the material for the
Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary

CLICK HERE

Please feel free to print it and use it. It's already formatted for A4 paper in nice large print so even oldies with poor eyesight, like me, can read it easily in church.

The cost of each monthly issue is only £2.49 (just less than $4.00 U.S.). It is available by monthly subscription but you can cancel your subscription at any time - there is no minimum subscription period. Payment is via PayPal but you do not need a PayPal account of your own to subscribe. Subscribers will be sent each new issue approximately one month before the month covered.

So, for the first issue of NEW WORDS FOR HOLY COMMUNION by Jonathan Hagger (that's me) which covers the month of March 2012 just click on the subscription button below and follow the instructions. Your copy for the month will then be sent direct to you by email.

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

I am self promoting this project to begin with and so I need as much publicity for it as possible. Please help me by advertising this new venture on your blogs and recommending it all over the social network sites you belong to. Also, download the sample, print it out and shove it under the nose of anybody you know who is responsible for eucharistic worship in their churches, asking them to consider a subscription.

I would love to be able to finance my online ministry myself and I am hoping and praying that this new project will help me achieve this goal.

MUST TRY HARDER

2012-01-28T09:31:00.002Z

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

2012-01-28T09:19:00.000Z

Anita Mathias' post, "Why I am no longer a Catholic" at DREAMING BENEATH THE SPIRES is well worth reading as is Father Christian's brilliant exposition of the birth narratives, posted at GAFCON, in which he proves conclusively that God made a mistake. You know, if God had only created Father Christian first, rather than that wet hen-pecked excuse for a man, Adam, I'm sure we wouldn't be living in the cesspit of liberal relativism in which we now find ourselves.

JOKE OF THE DAY

2012-01-28T08:47:00.001Z

For a brilliant "there was a psychiatrist and a proctologist" joke check out SAINTLY RAMBLINGS.

THE QUIET ASSASSIN

2012-01-28T08:25:00.005Z

Because the archbishop of Canterbury lives in London and in my country London is given priority in all things, I think people often forget that the Church of England has two archbishops. The one in York traditionally rubber stamps the particular campaigns of the one in Lambeth. If they can't you end up with situations such as the relatively recent resignation of an archbishop of York who didn't want to undermine his "senior colleague" by being a really decent Christian pastor, loved by many, who happened to be gay.

Therefore, John Sentamu's anti-racist/pro-sexist outburst in the Telegraph this week can be regarded as a definite policy statement as far as the upper hierarchy of the Church of England is concerned. It is also another nail in the coffin of the intellectual reputation of the church and will be seen by many as typical of the double-think of an institution that regularly calls for freedom for some oppressed peoples whilst publicly putting the boot into oppressed groups who happen to be hated by members of the currently sexy cause célèbre.

From THE BBC:

Dr John Sentamu, has told the Daily Telegraph that marriage must be between a man and a woman. He also said the Church should do more to avoid its leadership being mainly white and middle class.

He said "I don't think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is. It is set in tradition and history and you can't just (change it) overnight, no matter how powerful you are. We've seen dictators do it in different contexts and I don't want to redefine very clear social structures that have been in existence for a long time and then overnight the state believes it could go in a particular way."

But Dr Sentamu said the Church would not stand idly by if the government sought to allow same-sex marriages to be on a par with traditional couplings.

He said: "If you genuinely would like the registration of civil partnerships to happen in a more general way, most people will say they can see the drift. But if you begin to call those marriage, you're trying to change the English language. That does not mean you diminish, condemn, criticise, patronise any same-sex relationships because that is not what the debate is about."

The archbishop said: "The Church has always stood out - Jesus actually was the odd man out. I'd rather stick with Jesus than be popular because it looks odd."

Dr Sentamu also said both black parishioners and white working class churchgoers were poorly represented in the Anglican church.

"Heaven is not going to be full of just black people, just working-class people, just middle-class people, it's going to be, in the words of Desmond Tutu, a rainbow people of God in all its diversity," he added.

How somebody can come out with that last statement at the same time as overtly displaying bigotry towards certain "rainbow people of God" is beyond my understanding.

GEORGE CLOONEY SAYS "LET'S FACE IT,MADPRIEST WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG"

2012-01-27T20:50:00.003Z

Erm? Wasn't that pretty much what I said - about a couple of years ago?

Being a Democrat president is like trying to run a shop with all the shop assistants telling everyone who comes in that the products you sell are all crap.

Thanks to my mate, John over on Facebook, for finding this graphic.

Thanks to me for the snark and gloating.

LOUD FRIDAY

2012-01-27T18:28:00.003Z

Now this is good. The group is called The Bandoliers, and their debut album, from which these tracks are taken, is entitled "Prove Yourself." It's all brand new but very much connected in spirit to the classic rock of the early seventies. The musicians are a talented bunch and the singer can, well, sing. He has a voice that reminds me of Paul Rogers. It doesn't have that strangulated, screechy quality that became popular with hard rock singers in the late seventies and early eighties. I'm not a massive fan of heavy rock but this I like a lot.

BAND'S WEBSITE (Free download available)

PURCHASE VIA MADPRIEST'S AMAZON STORE

NEW WORDS FOR HOLY COMMUNIONOFFICIAL LAUNCH

2012-01-27T11:30:00.003Z

HERE IT IS!

My new project.

A monthly, downloadable resource providing prayers, intercessions, acclamations, biddings and blessings for use in the eucharistic services of the church.

Each issue will contain material for every Sunday and every principal feast during the month.

All the material is strongly linked to the gospel reading of the day based on the Common Lectionary. It is a truly international and ecumenical resource but it also provides extra material for national peculiarities such as Mothering Sunday in England.

I have tried to reflect, in a modern way, the words and meter of our traditional prayer books. I have also made sure that the new words will fit seamlessly into all orders of service so that congregations will not be confused or worried about changes and innovation.

For a sample copy of the material for the
Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary

CLICK HERE

Please feel free to print it and use it. It's already formatted for A4 paper in nice large print so even oldies with poor eyesight, like me, can read it easily in church.

The cost of each monthly issue is only £2.49 (just less than $4.00 U.S.). It is available by monthly subscription but you can cancel your subscription at any time - there is no minimum subscription period. Payment is via PayPal but you do not need a PayPal account of your own to subscribe. Subscribers will be sent each new issue approximately one month before the month covered.

So, for the first issue of NEW WORDS FOR HOLY COMMUNION by Jonathan Hagger (that's me) which covers the month of March 2012 just click on the subscription button below and follow the instructions. Your copy for the month will then be sent direct to you by email.

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

I am self promoting this project to begin with and so I need as much publicity for it as possible. Please help me by advertising this new venture on your blogs and recommending it all over the social network sites you belong to. Also, download the sample, print it out and shove it under the nose of anybody you know who is responsible for eucharistic worship in their churches, asking them to consider a subscription.

I would love to be able to finance my online ministry myself and I am hoping and praying that this new project will help me achieve this goal.

PAUL(A)'S BEAUTY TIP FOR TODAY

2012-01-26T23:53:00.000Z

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

UGANDAN GAY HERO REMEMBERED

2012-01-26T15:57:00.000Z

From NEWS24:

Ugandan gay rights activists braved hostility and stigma Thursday as they gathered to commemorate the first anniversary of the murder of their fellow campaigner David Kato.

"We are here to celebrate and thank God for our beloved friend and human rights activist David Kato," former Anglican bishop and gay rights campaigner Christopher Senyonjo told a crowd of around 100 activists and family members.

Gay rights activists speaking at the event called Kato, 46 at the time of his death, "the godfather" of the Ugandan gay movement and said that his passing had left a large void in the life of the country's gay community.

"He always looked out for all of us even at times when we thought it was too difficult," Frank Mugisha, director of SMUG, said at the function in central Kampala.

Kato's family members at the event spoke of the support that they had received from campaigners both in Uganda and the international community following his death

"It is not easy when a loved one dies but thanks to all the friends inside and outside Uganda who worked with David ... when I get down they lift me up and help me," said Nalongo Kisule, Kato's mother.

COMMENT: So, please, no talk of going it alone. As you can see from this article it is incredibly important that we view our fight for justice as a world war, not a local skirmish. The haters do just that and there would be nothing they would like better than the good guys leaving them to it in Africa and Asia. And if we let them dictate the agenda there will be hangings. We know that. They have shown the world that is exactly what they want to happen.

THERE'S A BETTER HOME A-WAITING IN THE SKY

2012-01-26T14:55:00.000Z

JOHNNY OTIS

Singer, composer, arranger,
producer, vibraphonist
and percussionist

Godfather of Rhythm and Blues

December 28, 1921
- January 17, 2012

SYL JOHNSON

Singer, guitarist,
harmonica player

July 1, 1936 -
January 17, 2012

WALTER GAINES

Singer

Died 17th. January 2012

LARRY BUTLER

Keyboardist, singer,
songwriter and producer

March 26, 1942 -
January 20, 2012

WINSTON RILEY

Singer and producer

1946 - January 19, 2012

TERRY DOLAN

Singer and guitarist

1943 - January 15, 2012

AL URBAN

Singer and guitarist

March 1, 1935 -
January 18, 2012

JOHN LEVY

Double-bassist

April 11, 1912 -
January 20, 2012

HENRY DAVIS

Bassist, flautist,
keyboardist and singer

Died January 18, 2012

ERROL SCORCHER

Singer and Deejay

1956 - January 19, 2012

LEROY TAYLOR

Bassist

December 19, 1944 -
January 17, 2012

Willie And The Hand Jive - Johnny Otis
Different Strokes - Syl Johnson
The Bells - Originals (Walter Gaines)
Everyday I Have To Cry - The Gentrys (Larry Butler)
You Don't Care - Techniques (Winston Riley)
Ain't Livin' Long Like This - Terry And The Pirates (Terry Dolan)
Lookin' For Money - Al Urban
September In The Rain - George Shearing Quintet (John Levy)
Back In Love Again - L.T.D. (Henry Davis)
Roach In A De Corner - Errol Scorcher
K-Jee - Nite-Liters (Leroy Taylor)
Ain't Nothin' Shakin' - Johnny Otis
Double Barrel (written by Winston Riley) - Dave And Ansil Collins
Is It Because I'm Black - Syl Johnson

DON'T BLAME MADPRIEST, BLAME THAT VERY NAUGHTY VICAR FROM SUFFOLK'S BROTHER

2012-01-26T10:46:00.000Z

On his 74th birthday, a man got a gift certificate from his wife. The certificate paid for a visit to a medicine man living on a nearby reservation who was rumoured to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction. After being persuaded, he drove to the reservation, handed his certificate to the medicine man and wondered what he was in for. The old man handed a potion to him, and with a grip on his shoulder, he warned, "This is a powerful medicine. You take only a teaspoonful and then say '1-2-3.' When you do, you will become more potent than you have ever been in your life and you can perform as long as you want."

The man was encouraged. As he walked away, he turned and asked, "How do I stop the medicine from working?"

"Your partner must say '1-2-3-4,'" he responded, "but when she does, the medicine will not work again until the next full moon."

He was very eager to see if it worked so he went home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine and then invited his wife to join him in the bedroom. When she came in, he took off his clothes and said, "1-2-3!"

Immediately, he was the manliest of men. His wife was excited and began throwing off her clothes and then she asked “What was the 1-2-3 for?”

And that, boys and girls, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition, because we could end up with a dangling participle.

BLESSED ASSURANCE PASTORNICKED FOR SOLICITING

2012-01-26T10:32:00.000Z

From TAMPA BAY ONLINE:

Polk County Sheriff's Office vice detectives arrested four men, including a pastor and a retired Canadian police officer, during an undercover operation today at Peace River Park in the Homeland area. Detectives said after they made contact with the men, the suspects exposed themselves and/or asked them to perform sex acts on them.

Among those arrested was Matthew Preston Clark, 33, of Bartow, who told detectives he is senior pastor at the Blessed Assurance Temple, 1245 S. McAdoo Ave, Bartow. He was charged with soliciting a lewd act.

Always first with the news, OCICBW... has managed to track down a video of young Matt Clark in the very act of making lewd suggestions to his congregation in the middle of a Sunday morning service. The man is incorrigible.

TO THE MANOR BORN

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000Z

From THE WASHINGTON POST:

Sounds like the right man for the job.

SAYING POO TO A MOOSE

2012-01-26T09:09:00.001Z

From THE LOCAL (Norway):

With train drivers exasperated at running over so many of the helpless beasts, the National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket) is looking at ways to slash the number of animal collisions on the country’s rail network. Noting that elk dislike human scents, a lecturer at Hedmark University College has put forward a pungent solution.

“Open the toilet tanks on the stretches most frequented by elk and let human urine and excrement scare the elk away,” he told newspaper Østlendingen.

From 2000 to 2009, a 20-kilometre stretch between Koppang and Reda saw the railroad deaths of 288 elk, or moose as the animals are known in North America.

COLD ENOUGH TO FREEZE YOUR NIPS OFF

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000Z

From THE LOCAL (Norway):

With the annual topless tobogganing world championships just two months away, the competition’s Norwegian organisers believe it’s time for the sport to get its own national arena.

“Ski jumpers have Holmenkollen and track and field athletes have Bislett. Our hill facilities should be the national arena for naked tobogganists,” championship architect Sten Hansen told national broadcaster NRK.

Hansen, the self-styled “topless general”, expects the number of participants and spectators to set new records when the tobogganists disrobe for this year’s competition on March 17th. For the first time, the competition will include categories for the fastest women and men, as well as a special mention for the best winter body.

COMMENT: Best winter body?! At last! A competition I stand some chance of winning.

OCICBW... readers wanting to enter this year's contest should, in the first instance, send their application forms through to me along with a photograph clearly showing their credentials. I will then pass them on to Sten. Honest.

GOD KILLS 77 NORWEGIANS

2012-01-26T08:48:00.000Z

At an open meeting organised last week by the local branch of the Christian Democrats in Sarpsborg, south-eastern Norway, the writer, Per Haakonsen, claimed that last July's massacre of seventy seven children at Utøya was God's punishment for Norway's poor diplomatic relationship with Israel. He further suggested that an oil rig disaster in 1980 was due to God getting cross because Norway was refusing to sell oil to Israel.

You see, my American friends, your country doesn't have a monopoly on hate-filled nutters spouting nonsense.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

2012-01-26T08:08:00.000Z

Check out the post, "Andrew’s journey through church discipline at Mars Hill," at BENE DICTION BLOGS ON. It's all about what happens when you encourage one man's sexual pathology (in this case the man is Mark Driscoll) to dominate (forgive the pun) a church community. Personally, I can see very little difference between attending Driscoll's pseudo-church and visitting a dominatrix, other than the fact that the dominatrix would be more fun and less expensive.

THE RETURN OF WHERE DOES HE FIND THEM?

2012-01-25T23:39:00.001Z

I am so, so sorry.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

2012-01-25T13:34:00.000Z

HOLY COMMUNION

WEDNESDAY

25TH. JANUARY 2012

THE CONVERSION

OF PAUL

All are welcome to join me in taking communion.
There are no exceptions.

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

Download via the MP3 icon below the player.

Download podcast via iTUNES

MP3 File

ON THE FEAST DAY OFTHE CONVERSION OF PAUL

2012-01-25T13:24:00.002Z

CAREY INSISTS POOR SHOULD PAYFOR THE MISTAKES OF THE RICH

2012-01-25T08:08:00.000Z

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, attacked the bishops in the House of Lords yesterday for spearheading the derailment of the governments attempt to reduce welfare spending. Basically, he insisted that such reform was necessary if the UK is to reduce its national deficit.

Well, it certainly is one way of tackling the problem but it hardly seems fair and it certainly isn't Christian.

Times are tough in Blighty at the moment and your average citizen is coping with their reduced circumstances by buying less luxuries. Instead they are using their incomes to provide the necessities of life for their families and for themselves. This is eminently sensible and what people always do when money is short.

Surely then, this is what we should be doing as a nation. In other words, we should not be affecting anybody's ability to provide themselves with the necessities of life but should be paying off the deficit out of the nation's disposable income. To put it even more simply, we should be taxing the disposable income of the rich and not loading further financial burdens onto the already poor.

However, having said that, I do believe that something needs to be done about our welfare system as it encourages poor people to make long term mistakes, detrimental to society at large, for short term benefit. For example, if you are poor and have no foreseeable opportunities to get out of poverty, then, with our welfare system as it is at the moment, it is a good idea to have as many children as possible and avoid paid employment at all costs. By doing this you will be helped to find accommodation which will be paid for by the welfare services and given money for each child you have. For young people this is especially attractive as we basically ignore the problems poor, young, single people face financially and, even more so, their housing problems. Nobody is going to get rich exploiting the welfare system in this way but you can remove yourself from absolute destitution.

People like Carey think that we should force people into being more procreatively responsible by removing the carrot and thumping them with the stick. Maybe this would work but, again, it is hardly fair. We just end up making a miserable situation even more miserable for millions of people.

Any reduction in welfare provision must be accompanied by real opportunity to earn a decent wage. It is my belief that the best way out of recession is to take money from those with disposable income and use it to create real jobs that will benefit society in the long term. For example, the infrastructures of the UK are in a pitiful state. We have one of the worst transport systems in the world and we have virtually no manufacturing industry whatsoever. If I was in charge I would immediately instigate a massive programme of railway construction. I would prepare the country for the effects of climate change by investing in the water industry. I would follow Germany's lead in actively promoting renewable energy. Not only would such schemes provide employment in the short term it would also mean that when the current crisis is over the UK would have a firm basis from which to compete economically with the rest of Europe, maybe even the rest of the world.

A successful, healthy nation is one body. At the moment in the UK we are cutting off limbs left, right and centre in an attempt to protect the affluent head. But what use is a head without the rest of the body? The only way to cure the ills of the nation is to treat the illness holistically. Piecemeal reform will just make matters worse and burdening the poor with more misery will not only make matters worse it will also make matters extremely dangerous indeed.

TRACIE THE RED'S LOL DOG OF THE DAY

2012-01-23T20:06:00.002Z

MORE HYPOCRISY FROM THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS

2012-01-23T20:02:00.002Z

There's a huge ding-dong going on in the House of Lords at the moment with the bishops of the Church of England leading a campaign to get the government to back down on their proposal to put a cap of about £26000 a year on welfare pay outs to individual families. The tory responsible for squeezing the poor is Ian Duncan Smith who has well and truly put the crocodile crying bishops in their place by reminding them that they only pay their clergy about £22000 per year and expect them to work six days, sixty plus hours a week to earn that pittance. Only bishops, deans and archdeacons earn more than £26000 per year (plus expenses). Of course, the real culprits are the penny pinching, well off laity of the Church of England who will still put less in the collection plate on a Sunday morning than they pay for their Sunday Telegraph or Observer.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

2012-01-22T14:06:00.000Z

HOLY

COMMUNION

22ND. JANUARY 2012

THE THIRD SUNDAY

OF EPIPHANY

All are welcome to join me in taking communion.
There are no exceptions.

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

Download via the MP3 icon below the player.

Download podcast via iTUNES

MP3 File

DON'T BLAME MADPRIEST,BLAME THE AWFUL ANCHORITE

2012-01-21T18:50:00.000Z

A husband and wife are on the 9th green when suddenly she collapses from a heart attack! "Help me dear," she groans to her husband.

The husband calls 911 on his cell phone, talks for a few minutes, picks up his putter, and lines up his putt. His wife raises her head off the green and stares at him.

"I'm dying here and you're putting?"

"Don't worry dear," says the husband calmly, "they found a doctor on the second hole and he's coming to help you.

"Well, how long will it take for him to get here?" she asks feebly.

"No time at all," says her husband. "Everybody's already agreed to let him play through."

THERE'S A BETTER HOME A-WAITING IN THE SKY

2012-01-21T14:40:00.000Z

ETTA JAMES

Blues, rhythm and blues,
rock and roll, soul,
gospel and jazz singer

January 25, 1938
– January 20, 2012

JIMMY CASTOR

Singer and saxophonist
Doo-Wop, Soul and Funk

June 23, 1940 –
January 16, 2012

The Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry) - Etta James And The Peaches
Seven Day Fool - Etta James
I Promise - Jimmy Castor And The Juniors
A Sunday Kind Of Love - Etta James
I Just Want To Make Love To You - Etta James
Block Party - Jimmy Castor
Just You Girl - Jimmy Castor
Sookie Sookie - Etta James
Out On The Street Again - Etta James
Hey, Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You - Jimmy Castor Bunch
Bad - Jimmy Castor Bunch
Mama Told Me - Etta James
Do Right Woman Do Right Man - Etta James
Troglodyte (Cave Man) - Jimmy Castor Bunch
I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James
My Brightest Day - Jimmy Castor Bunch
At Last - Etta James

DAVE ALEXANDER
a.k.a. Omar Sharriff,
Omar Hakim Khayam and
Omar The Magnificent

Blues singer
and pianist

March 10, 1938 –
January 8, 2012

SKITTLE'S TOON OF THE DAY

2012-01-20T14:11:00.002Z

TRACIE THE RED'S LOL DOG OF THE DAY

2012-01-20T14:06:00.002Z

LOUD FRIDAY

2012-01-20T13:50:00.000Z

Here's some first rate, loud, anarchic punk from Gallic rockers, Louis Lingg And The Bombs.

I apologise for the unacceptable language during parts of this recording. There's nothing I can do about it. I keep telling them not to but the French will insist on speaking French :-)

BAND'S WEBSITE

IF IT WASN'T FOR ALAN TURING...

2012-01-20T11:31:00.002Z

Human beings say some downright silly things at times. Near the top of any list of often repeated twaddle I would place the phrase, "One person cannot change the world." Not only is this obviously incorrect it is the exact opposite of the truth. All change begins with one person doing or saying something and sometimes that one person's action is so unique and influential that it would be highly unlikely that the change in question would ever happen without that one person.

Alan Turing was a genius. In fact, he was probably the greatest English genius since Isaac Newton. During his tragically short life he was primarily responsible for five major achievements. He invented digital computing. He cracked the Nazi's Naval Enigma Code. He started people thinking about the possibility of artificial intelligence which in turn led to new thinking in neuroscience. He introduced mathematics into evolutionary theory and got a British government to apologise for the way British society and its legal system at the time persecuted and killed him just because he was gay.

In 1952 Alan naively reported a burglary to the police. An aspect of his particular genius was that he was incapable of telling a lie or even dissembling the truth. So, he matter of factly told the police that he was living with a nineteen year man and that they had enjoyed mutual masturbation together on a small number of occasions. The police immediately forgot about the burglary and prosecuted Alan for gross indecency. At his trial where, of course, Alan pleaded guilty, he was offered the choice of imprisonment or chemical castration. He chose the latter option. This meant that he had to take estrogen tablets everyday and this led to the feminisation of his body, the shrivelling of his testicles so that his body no longer produced testosterone, impotency and, worst of all from Alan's point of view, he lost his mental ability to concentrate. He had been promised that when he stopped taking the pills that his body would revert back to how it was before he started taking them. His body didn't. On the seventh of June, 1954, Alan committed suicide, probably by eating an apple laced with cyanide, at the age of forty one.

We tend to regard hate crimes as a personal thing, concerning only the individual victim, his or her immediate family and close friends. It is only in extreme cases of organised bigotry, such as the various Nazi genocides, that we see a much bigger picture. But all hate crimes effect the whole of the society in which they take place and can often be internationally relevant. This is because any violent act effects, and in the case of murder, completely precludes, the victim's future potential. In the case of Alan Turing I suggest that his suicide (institutional murder) had a devastating effect on the potential for British science, industry and national wealth.

Let's play a game of "What if?"

What if Alan Turing had committed suicide before World War II?

I think it is very unlikely that anybody would have broken the Enigma Code before it was too late. Not only would this have meant that the British people would have slowly starved and not had the resources to defend themselves against invasion, it would also have, most likely, meant that the D-Day Landings would not have been possible. What this would have meant for the people of the world, especially Europeans, is something that is terrifying to contemplate. It is also very likely that I would not be here typing this blog post.

So, we can reasonably predict various potential outcomes if Alan had taken his own life fifteen years before he actually did. Therefore, we can also, reasonably predict various potential outcomes if Alan had not taken his own life in 1954. I think it is reasonable to posit that if Alan had lived to a ripe old age, computers, as we know them today, would have been invented far earlier, that Manchester University would have become the "Silicon Valley" of the world and that Britain would be the locus of new technology development and a heck of a lot richer and more influential than it now is.

In other words, one minor act of institutional homophobia, at a time when such acts were commonplace, possibly ended up effecting the lives of millions of people in an adverse way as well as removing the possibility of goodness knows what as far as the collective knowledge of the human race is concerned.

Homophobia not only kills individual people
- it kills the future for us all.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

2012-01-19T22:40:00.000Z

Five of the grooviest, coolest, most soulful jazz tracks ever tonight.

Cantaloupe Island - Herbie Hancock
Moanin’ - Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - Billy Taylor
So What - Miles Davis
The Sidewinder - Lee Morgan

I'm wondering, was the drumming gorilla in the Dairy Milk advert based on Art Blakey? Their style of playing and their mannerisms whilst playing are very similar.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

2012-01-19T16:16:00.000Z

A SERVICE
OF COMPLINE

THURSDAY
19TH. JANUARY 2012

THE FEAST OF
ST. WULFSTAN

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

Download via the MP3 icon below the player.

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MP3 File

JESUS WAS A REPUBLICAN

2012-01-19T10:02:00.000Z

I've always believed that Jesus was a socialist. But I've now decided that he may well have been a free market capitalist.

Jesus was a Jew living in Palestine. All his original workers were local labour. Yet as soon as his company started to take off he closed down the Jerusalem operation and moved his head office to Italy.

That's blatant outsourcing. Heck, Jesus probably invented the vile practice.

SEATTLE BISHOPS SCUPPER ANTI-GAY ARGUMENT

2012-01-18T14:49:00.001Z

From THE ADVOCATE:

In a letter published late Friday on the Seattle archdiocese’s website, Washington State’s four Catholic bishops call on members of the faith to contact lawmakers and urge them to “defend the current definition of marriage.”

The bishops say that only heterosexual marriage should be legally recognized because it is “related to bringing children into the world and the continuation of the human race.” There are “forces already undermining family life today,” and recognizing other unions would exacerbate the situation, they write. They also say that limiting marriage to straight couples “does not depend on anyone’s religious beliefs” and that this definition of marriage “is grounded not in faith, but in reason and the experience of society.”

COMMENT: Bloody 'ell! If the Roman Catholics are going to start resorting to reason and citing experience they are going to bugger themselves as far as same sex marriage is concerned. In fact, they could end up with no Roman Catholic Church whatsoever. I mean, if you get rid of the unreasonable stuff from Roman Catholicism what have you got left? Christianity, I guess, but their present leadership don't seem too keen on that.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

2012-01-18T14:38:00.001Z

“Don’t take care, take risks and make sure that the church is totally and utterly relevant. The reason I became a clergyman was because I was too bored sitting in the pews. There are so many churches that aren’t full of life.” (Canon Andrew White, Baghdad)

From CHRISTIAN TODAY.

QUIETLY DOES IT

2012-01-18T13:13:00.001Z

From VIRTUEONLINE:

On February 19, 2012, former Roman Catholics, Bishop Oscar Rojas Quinto and three of his clergy will be received as priests into the Anglican Church of Peru, along with their congregations from Huancayo in the mountains of central Peru. Bishop Harold William Godfrey, who heads the Diocese of Peru, called it a "reverse Ordinariate."

As a community of former Roman Catholics, they have suffered from persecution and prejudice. They have been accused of being "false priests"; their services have been broken up and legal action threatened. "These are brave men and women who have endured much for the sake of the Gospel. It is an honor to count them a part of the Anglican family," said the Rev. Ian Montgomery, Canon to the Ordinary.

Bishop Oscar, while becoming an Anglican priest, will still be honored as a bishop, albeit without the ability to confirm or ordain. He will still be ecclesiastically involved in overseeing his congregations in the Huancayo region.

COMMENT: I don't understand that last bit. Surely a bishop is a bishop. In England, our suffragan, assistant and retired bishops don't have the same authority as a diocesan bishop but they can, most certainly, ordain and confirm. If they didn't then our diocesan bishops would have to work for a living.

Other than that, well done Anglican Communion. If there is one thing that the mother church has bequeathed to the rest of the Communion it's reserve and the ability not to crow too much when we win. Unlike a certain Italian denomination I could mention.

WHAT TO BUY A MAD PRIESTWHO HAS EVERYTHING

2012-01-18T12:42:00.001Z

Although getting it through my front door
is going to be a bit of a problem.

Further details at NJ.COM.

A VERY IMPORTANT HAPPY BIRTHDAYPLUS CAPTION COMPETITION

2012-01-18T12:30:00.002Z

It is with great personal pleasure that I can announce to the world that today is OCICBW... veteran, and all round pain the ass, JCF's fiftieth birthday. How our friend survived so long without being strangled is amazing, bordering on the miraculous.

We all wish JCF the best of days and a long and happy future.

Here is JCF (looking, I must say, rather babelicious in this photo - gorgeous teeth) with hiking buddy, Coco. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with a caption to place in Coco's thought bubble. JCF has incredibly broad shoulders and, furthermore, deserves everything that's coming to him (her/whatever). So, off you go, then!

JAN AND SUSAN TAKE IT TO THE IRISH

2012-01-18T12:10:00.000Z

Inveterate troublemaker (on the side of the angels), Jan Nunley, is stirring it again, this time in Ireland. In the Church of Ireland Gazette's special supplement on same-sex relationships, Jan and her missus, Susan, write:

"We confess to some impatience with the fact that for two adults of the same gender to bond and celebrate a lifelong commitment remains controversial, even shocking, in some quarters.

"Ours is a marriage every bit as spiritually rich, full, holy and deeply Christian as any opposite-gender marriage we know, and more than many." The couple also argue that there are better ways of serving God than "critiquing and condemning the shared lives of two middle-aged American women of faith on the grounds of isolated Bible verses dubiously parsed."

I think the true nature of the Church of Ireland's attitude towards gay people is summed up in this quotation from the editor's foreword:

"There then follow two articles, both approaching the subject from a spirituality and experiential perspective. The first is from an American Episcopalian lesbian couple, the Revd Jan Nunley and her partner, Susan Erdey. Then follows an essay by an abstaining gay man, who is a member of the Church of Ireland but, for reasons that are understandable, writes under a pseudonym, Marcel Sanchez."

Understandable? Maybe.

Acceptable? Not in any country that claims that it is civilised and enlightened and certainly not in an institution that aligns itself to the great releaser of captives, Jesus Christ.

DON'T ROCK THE BOAT, BABY!

2012-01-17T19:19:00.000Z

By Nelson Jones in THE NEW STATESMAN:

Whilst reading this I was reminded of an email I received last year from a friend who is in a position to know about such things...

"...the c of e, which to me has proven itself to be the most status-driven horrid culture of any of the ecclesial cultures I've encountered ( in the non fundamentalist world). All those pretty boys in lace and power shitting on those who are actually making a difference in people's lives locally."

Yep! That's my church. At least it was until they disappeared me.

I sort of see this as a love song between The Grand Tufti and JJ:

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

2012-01-17T17:28:00.000Z

EVENING

PRAYER

BOOK OF

COMMON PRAYER

TUESDAY

17TH.

JANUARY

2012

THE FEAST OF

SAINT

ANTONY

OF EGYPT

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

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MP3 File

THE HAIR OF THE DOG

2012-01-16T23:11:00.000Z

From THE SUNDAY SUN:

The Brandling Villa in South Gosforth, Newcastle, is selling a special beer, made with beer ingredients of malt and hops and also meat extract, especially for dogs so that drinkers’ four-legged friends can enjoy a cheeky pint at the same time. And if their drinking makes them peckish, the pub has created a special canine menu with dog versions of human favourites, including a Sunday roast served with cat-flavoured gravy.

Thanks to Petty Witter for this one.

AN ADVERT THAT I LIKEALOT

2012-01-16T23:03:00.002Z

AH! SOUL

2012-01-16T22:58:00.001Z

From NEWS-PRESS:

Former nun, Judy Beaumont, is defying centuries-old doctrine in becoming the first woman in Southwest Florida to be ordained a Roman Catholic priest. Bishop Frank Dewane of the Diocese of Venice, has warned her not to cross that patriarchal line.

“It has been brought to my attention that you purportedly reside in the Diocese of Venice in Florida and may attempt to be ‘ordained’ to the ministerial priesthood here within this Diocese,” Dewane wrote in a letter to Beaumont. “This is a most grave and serious matter of consequence for your soul.”

The consequence is automatic excommunication, or expulsion from the church, the bishop wrote. The same penalty applies to anyone who participates in the ordination ceremony.

“With this in mind, for the good of your immortal soul, I exhort you to choose not to participate in this attempted ‘ordination,’” Dewane wrote.

Beaumont says she will follow her conscience and take the consequences.

COMMENT: My guess is that the good sister most definitely has a large and beautiful soul. Bishop Bully, on the other hand, probably has a a shrivelled up lump of pure hatred where his soul should be.

SPINNING FOR JESUS

2012-01-16T22:44:00.000Z

A popular Catholic priest known for his devotion to his parish and work with the homeless, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison on Friday, after he used parish funds for gambling. Monsignor Kevin McAuliffe, 59, who was parish priest at St Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, was convicted of taking $650,000 (£424,000) to support his gambling habit.

His defence lawyer, Margaret Stanish, said, "Some supporters see the potential for something good to come from the realization that their trusted spiritual leader also suffers from human frailty, a frailty that merits forgiveness in accordance with their religious beliefs."

The Rev. Kovalcin from the Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas stated, “He must repair the damage he has caused and heal the people he has hurt. He cannot do that from a prison confinement.”

DON'T BLAME MADPRIEST,BLAME THE NAUGHTY NUN

2012-01-15T23:22:00.001Z

A woman and a man are involved in a horrific collision, but amazingly both escape completely unhurt - though their cars are written off.

As they crawl out of the wreckage, the man sees the woman is blonde and strikingly beautiful. Then the woman turns to the man and gushes breathily: 'That's incredible - both our cars are demolished but we're fine. It must be a sign from God that we are meant to be together!'

Sensing a promise, the man stammers back, 'Oh yes, I agree with you completely!'

The woman goes on, 'And look, though my car was destroyed, this bottle of wine survived intact, too! It must be another sign. Let's drink to our love!'

'Well, OK!' says the man, going with the moment. She offers him the bottle, so he downs half of it and hands it back.

'Your turn,' he says.

'No, thanks,' says the woman, 'I think I'll just wait for the police.'

MADPRIEST'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

2012-01-15T23:17:00.002Z

In the non-evangelical parts of the Church of England the most vociferous opposition to gay equality comes from gay men and lesbians who believe being gay or a lesbian is a sin or are just jealous because they hid their sexuality and don't see why young people don't have to.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

2012-01-15T15:53:00.000Z

HOLY COMMUNION

SUNDAY

15TH. JANUARY 2012

SECOND SUNDAY

OF EPIPHANY

All are welcome to join me in taking communion.
There are no exceptions.

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

Download via the MP3 icon below the player.

Download podcast via iTUNES.

MP3 File

THEY'RE BACK!

2012-01-15T01:53:00.000Z

JEFFREY FINDS HIS BALLS

2012-01-15T00:16:00.000Z

From THE MAIL:

The Very Rev Jeffrey John, Dean of St Albans, has instructed an eminent employment lawyer to complain to Church officials after being rejected for the role of Bishop of Southwark. Sources say the dean, one of the most contentious figures in the Church, believes he could sue officials under the Equality Act 2010, which bans discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.

COMMENT: I wonder if they'll try the same dirty tricks with Jeffrey John as the Bishop of Newcastle, Martin Wharton, successfully employed to frighten me into dropping my case against him for blatant disability discrimination. At least he won't be up against the officer in Newcastle Diocese who told a union rep that any priest who took them to court would never work in the Church of England again. Which, if my present situation is anything to go by, was the truth.

The hierarchy of the Church of England contains some of the biggest hypocrites that have ever lived. They say one thing in public and do the opposite behind closed doors. They get away with it because they believe that they are exempt from adhering to the law of the land when it comes to human rights issues. For the sake of the gospel, for the sake of the Church for goodness sake, this has to stop. Perhaps, just perhaps, Jeffrey John, who is a Christian known for his integrity and patience, will be the person who will get rid of this embarrassing corruption from the Church once and for all. One thing is for certain, a heck of a lot more of the general public will be on his side and not on the side of his persecutors. So if they win they will lose. The Church of England will be dead within a few years, it's membership will consist of a few geriatric spinsters and a handful of misogynist, fearfully closeted gay priests. Remember the last episode of "The Rev?" A prophecy is my guess.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHCLAIMS CHILD ABUSE RECORD

2012-01-13T17:32:00.002Z

A Roman Catholic priest in Germany has admitted to 280 counts of sexually abusing three boys over a several-year period. The 46-year-old priest, who has been suspended, went on trial Thursday at the state court in Braunschweig. The dapd news agency reported that he showed no remorse.

Ye gods! How are they going to spin this one?

THERE ARE NO FALSE PROPHETS IN ENGLAND

2012-01-13T17:09:00.000Z

At least, according to well-known Seattle idol worshipper, Mark Driscoll, there aren't. In the current edition of "Christianity Magazine" (that's just it's title which doesn't necessarily reflect the content of the rag), the man with the world's biggest inferiority complex, claims, "Let’s just say this: right now, name for me the one young, good Bible teacher that is known across Great Britain. You don’t have one – that’s the problem."

Well, praise the Lord! The last thing my green and pleasant land needs is to be infested with misogynist, homophobic, ageist, strutting throwbacks to Homo Erectus going around trying to recruit young men to the church by telling them they can disregard every advance in equality achieved in the last one hundred years. It's bad enough having to live down the homophobia and class snobbery of the Church of England without having "Sarah Palin in pants" making our embarrassment even worse.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

2012-01-13T12:44:00.000Z

EVENING
PRAYER

13TH. JANUARY 2012

FEAST OF

SAINT HILARY

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

Download via the MP3 icon below the player.

Download podcast via iTUNES.

MP3 File

THE RETURN OF LOUD FRIDAY

2012-01-13T12:02:00.000Z

Band's MYSPACE page

MOSES ON DIVORCE

2012-01-13T09:40:00.001Z

From THE DAILY MAIL:

He is a senior Church of England cleric and Queen’s chaplain who has written guides to marital harmony. But the Reverend Canon Andrew Clitherow’s own affairs of the heart are causing quite a stir in his parish.

His congregation is in uproar and so is the local bishop. For Canon Clitherow, 60, is said to have assured the diocese there was no one else involved when he split from the second Mrs Clitherow last year. Now, less than a year later, the father of four has married Nicola Howard, 44. She has moved into the sprawling Georgian vicarage with him.

Canon Clitherow was first married to Elizabeth in 1982 and the couple have two children. He left her and married his second wife Rebekah in 2002, ten years after meeting her while she was still a pupil at Rossall public school, where he was working as a choirmaster and chaplain. They also had two children together and appeared to be blissfully happy. But he stunned the congregation at St Cuthbert’s Parish Church in Lytham St Annes last March when he admitted he and Rebekah had separated after nine years of marriage and were to divorce.

The Canon is no longer performing any church duties and is said to be on ‘sick leave’.

GRAND TUFTI GOES BACK TO SCHOOL

2012-01-13T09:16:00.000Z

From THE TELEGRAPH:

Dr Rowan Williams, 61, was questioned by Rowan Williams, 11, about his role as the most senior cleric in the Church of England during a school visit in Oxford. He was asked to explain why women are not allowed to be bishops, and replied: “It's pretty complicated but we are working on it.”

The Archbishop also told how he had enjoyed drama at school and there was a “short fantasy moment” when he thought about becoming an actor.

COMMENT: Well, if being an actor is about pretending to be someone you are not, in public, then at least one childhood dream has come true for the old boy.

MONKEY BUSINESS IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

2012-01-13T08:18:00.000Z

A big thank you to Deacon Charlie Perrin for sending in this gem.

PATENTLY ABSURD

2012-01-12T14:38:00.005Z

The leaders of two of the world's major religions, Islam and Christianity, are in a state of shock today following the announcement that the government of Israel has taken out an international patent on the One, True God.

A statement, released today by the Knesset, claims that because Richard Dawkins sells more books than the Pope, it is now obvious that God does not exist. Therefore, the Israelis conclude, God is just an idea, an invented and imaginary concept and, most important of all as far as they are concerned, it is their invented and imaginary concept. Basically they are saying that the One, True God is their intellectual property in the same way that "The God Delusion" is Dawkins' intellectual property.

Although international courts are yet to rule on the legality of Israel's monopolisation of monotheism, the United Nations has issued a provisional injunction which forbids anybody, other than Jews, from making any reference to God in their services and literature. The New Testament and the Koran are now technically illegal and publication of either book without the permission of the Knesset will be regarded as a breach of copyright. Ownership of existing copies may well render the owner guilty of being an accomplish to the original crime of bootlegging or, at the very least, being in receipt of stolen goods. In an attempt to minimise the number of potential lawsuits the leader of Iran's Cloudy But Dry Muslims, Ayatollah Dinnerjacket, has contact Poppa Benny in Rome with the interesting suggestion, "We'll burn yours and you burn ours."

However, OCICBW...'s legal experts believe that, although Israel's ownership of the One, True God may be difficult to challenge successfully in court, this does not mean that Roman Catholics will have to stop worshipping the Virgin Mary or evangelicals, the yankee dollar. In fact, some church leaders are trying to spin this unexpected development as an opportunity rather than a problem. The Grand Tufti of the Church of England is personally quite excited as he hopes the removal of the Bible from bookshop shelves will lead to an increase in the sales of his own books. Taking a different tack the Presiding Tufti of the U.S. Episcopal Church is simply taking the view that any international patents or injunctions and, certainly, anything the UN decides, do not apply to her church because it's American.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

2012-01-12T00:16:00.002Z

For a friend.

Ruth Etting (November 23, 1897 — September 24, 1978) was an American singing star and actress of the 1920s and 1930s, who had over 60 hit recordings and worked in stage, radio, and film. She is known as "America's Sweetheart of Song." (WIKIPEDIA)

TRACIE THE RED'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

2012-01-11T23:29:00.000Z

AND A SON WHO HAS MURDERED HIS BROTHER

2012-01-11T23:25:00.000Z

A friend of mine over on Facebook recommended that I watch this because I was obviously having trouble getting my head round Christian marriage. I'm so glad I did because I was obviously basing my remarks on the false doctrine that God is love and we should love one another. PTL Mrs Bowers was there to put me straight, so to speak.

CAPTION COMPETITION

2012-01-11T23:09:00.000Z

I think Georg Gänswein is thinking "I recognise that smile."

But I'm sure you can come up with loads more ideas.

So off you go then!

ATHEISM WILL EAT ITSELF

2012-01-11T13:12:00.003Z

Every time I state that there is no morality without an eternal reason for acting in a prescribed way I am attacked by various correspondents. As I have a perfectly logical reason for believing this to be true and, even though I have begged people to give me a logical reason why it should not be true, nobody ever has, I will continue to say that atheism can have no real morality attached to it. However, unreal as morality may or may not be our experiences of life, at least, feel real. When we are depressed we experience a feeling that we would prefer not to experience. The converse is true with happiness. Some physical experiences are enjoyable, whilst some physical experiences are painful. No matter what esoteric ideas we may have about the true nature of experience for all intents and purposes pleasure is good and pain is bad. Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable, in fact it is the only sensible course of of action, to maximise our pleasure and minimise our pain. If we do that for others then we can expect that others will do that for us and so we end up with a practical pseudo-morality for a godless world.

In such a godless world all claims that something is better than another thing must be backed up by utilitarian logic based on the pseudo-morality I proposed above. You cannot, for example, claim that we should not covet our neighbour's ox simply because that what it says in the Bible. However, you could claim that such covetousness is wrong because it may well lead to a loss of happiness for the owner of the ox.

If we follow this code of communal living, the value of specific truths are dependant on the consequences of making them public. Truth, in and of itself, has no value. It is neither good nor bad. Basically, we can believe whatever we like as long as it does not hurt anybody else. Therefore, if a scientist makes the statement that there is absolutely no evidence that a certain homeopathic remedy cures cancer but there is evidence that a certain drug cures cancer, that would be a good truth that should be accepted by all as it will lead cancer sufferers to seek the right treatment and be cured rather than taking the wrong treatment and die prematurely and painfully. But for a scientist to claim that the earth goes round the sun rather than the sun circling the earth may only be a matter of interest. Such a discovery may cause certain people pleasure but there is no reason, in a godless universe, to campaign against contrary views even if they are poppycock.

Religion is tied in with all sorts of rules and regulations, some of which are good (such as charity) and some of which are bad (such as the oppression of certain groups within society) according to my proposed atheistic morality. But, if you strip away all these encumbrances from religion you are left with basic beliefs that affect only the believer. For example, Christians believe in a loving God who created the universe. It would be a perverse thinker who regarded such a belief as a painful thing. In fact, overwhelmingly, scientific investigation has shown that believers in such concepts derive great happiness from their belief. Therefore, to work to disabuse such people of their beliefs would be to remove happiness from them and would be contrary to the pseudo-moral code of atheism. The claim that the non-existence of God is the truth means nothing in a meaningless universe, so why bother?

I am not saying that we should hide the truth or stop looking for truth. Scientific truth should be accesible to everybody. But, to deliberately set out to persuade believers that there is no god is, at best, pointless and, at worst, an evil thing to do if you believe that, even in a godless universe, we should seek to increase happiness and decrease suffering.

CELIBATE FORMER FASCIST SPEAKS OUT OF ARSE

2012-01-10T18:32:00.000Z

What I want to know is why a gay couple can trigger Armageddon but not a celibate priest. I mean, surely the issue (or rather the lack of issue) is exactly the same.

From REUTERS:

Pope Benedict said Monday that gay marriage was one of several threats to the traditional family that undermined "the future of humanity itself." He made some of his strongest comments against gay marriage in a new year address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican in which he touched on some economic and social issues facing the world today. He told diplomats from nearly 180 countries that the education of children needed proper "settings" and that "pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman."

"This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself," he said.

AND THE GOLDEN MADDIEFOR BEST FILM GOES TO...

2012-01-10T00:32:00.004Z

I saw this film on the big screen at the weekend.
Yes, it lives up to the hype.
Yes, the French do make bloody good films.
Yes, it is the movie event of the year.
Yes, Jean Dujardin is gorgeous throughout.
Yes, the music score is simply divine.
Yes, Uggie should win the Oscar for Best Actor this year.
Yes, we should start the rumour that John Goodman mouths "Mitt Romney is an evil fascist" during various key scenes in the movie.
Yes, you should all go see it.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOXMAKE TIM HAPPY SPECIAL

2012-01-10T00:14:00.001Z

I received the following email earlier today:

No I hadn't. Yes, there is. And here it is. Loads of it. Enjoy.

My favourite is the last but one track,
"Little Pot Stove." I have no idea why.

Nicolas Paul "Nic" Jones was born on 9 January 1947 in Orpington, Kent. He first learned to play guitar as a young teenager. His interest in folk music was aroused by some old school friends who had formed a folk band called The Halliard. When the members of the group decided to turn professional, one of them left to pursue a different career and Nic was invited to take his place. Whilst playing with The Halliard, Jones learned to play the fiddle, and also how to research and arrange traditional material. The group toured the UK between 1964 and 1968, eventually splitting up when two of the members decided to pursue careers outside the folk music business.

Jones decided to pursue a career as a solo folk artist. He started playing professional gigs in 1969, and in 1970 released his first album. Between 1971 and 1980 Jones recorded four more solo albums. Apart from Jones' trademark vocals, fingerstyle guitar and fiddle, the records also introduced guest instrumentalists playing piano, harmonium, bodhran, melodeon and recorders.

During his career, Jones was much in demand as a session musician and he guested on albums by leading UK artists such as June Tabor, Shirley Collins, Barbara Dickson, Richard Thompson and many others. He was also a member of short-lived folk group "Bandoggs", comprising Jones, Tony Rose, Peter Coe and Chris Coe, and which released one album in 1978.

In February 1982 Jones was involved in a serious car accident while driving home after a gig at Glossop Folk Club. Jones' car ran into a lorry pulling out of "Whittlesea brickworks" on the road between Peterborough and March in Cambridgeshire. He suffered very serious injuries, including many broken bones and brain damage, and required intensive care treatment and hospitalisation for a total of eight months. Jones's injuries left him with permanent physical co-ordination problems and unable to play the guitar as well as before – he could also no longer play the fiddle at all. The accident effectively ended his career as a touring and recording professional musician.

On 5 August 2010, after an absence of 28 years, Jones made a return to the stage. He appeared at an event dedicated to his music at Sidmouth Folk Week. Jones sang three songs with one of his former bands Bandoggs and commented that he would "consider performing again – but wanted to sing his own songs." (WIKIPEDIA)

MADPRIEST'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

2012-01-09T20:12:00.001Z

In olden times bishops were sent out.

Nowadays they are seated.

PRAYER REQUEST

2012-01-09T20:10:00.001Z

Yo! international prayer warriors. Our good friend Tracie the Red's bloke, Joe, has a job interview on Wednesday morning. He's been mostly unemployed for the last four years.

The post is that of operations supervisor and, as you can see from the photo, he looks ideally suited for the job. I certainly wouldn't argue with him.

Add him to your prayer list. If Joe is successful it will make such a huge different to our two friends lives and their life together. It will also make a certain redhead very happy indeed and that can only be a huge win for all of us.

CREATIVE PEOPLE: HUMAN AND A RESOURCE

2012-01-09T10:48:00.003Z

A recurring theme in stories about (Duke) Ellington, it seems, was his talent for motivation and inspiration. But it was coupled with what the authors call "a laissez-faire attitude towards the behaviour of his musicians". He saw their foibles as the price to be paid for having access to their talents. For Ucbasaran that raises questions for entrepreneurs. "If you have a creative process, you have to have talented employees. But talent is not always easy to manage. To what extent do you accommodate wayward behaviour? You have to give them freedom and space, but direct them in subtle ways so that the end result comes together harmoniously."

The above is taken from an article entitled "Business and all that jazz" posted at THE GUARDIAN, which Paul(A) kindly sent in to me. It's very interesting and contains much that should be of interest to church leaders. Christian ministry attracts a high percentage of creative people to its ranks who need to be strong willed if they are to survive and do the job well. I cannot think of any major movement of renewal within the Church that has not been spearheaded by a creative person. Yet, it is also usual for the lovers of the status quo within the church, who tend to be the dominant personality type in the higher reaches of church hierarchies, to view creative people with a lot of suspicion and relate to them in an aggressive manner. They regard the creative as a danger to society, and the truth is, they most likely are. But, I suggest that this is a risk well worth taking. In fact, it is a necessary risk if the church is to thrive rather than stagnate.

Creative people are, in fact, quite easy to get on side. You see, they are like children constantly craving praise and respect from their parents. Because they rarely receive this from people "in authority over them" any manager who sincerely offers the creative person praise and respect will gain their loyalty and love. With such a relationship in place the manager will be in a good position to negotiate and seek compromise although they will have to accept that such may be given begrudgingly (creative people do have a reputation of anti-authoritarianism to maintain). Church managers who also show interest in the projects of the creative people in their charge and offer encouragement may be in for a bumpy ride but it will be a ride that may well end up at a destination that actually brings glory to the Church rather than the P.R. disaster the unimaginative fear the eccentric will always land on their laps.

Christian ministry, especially evangelism, has other similarities to jazz. The best evangelists have also always been great improvisors. We only have to read the writings of St. Paul to see that this is true. His "all things to all men" rap would be regarded as far too great a risk to most church leaders nowadays who desire everybody working for them to be created in their own image and most definitely not in the image of the people such workers are taking the gospel to.

The good news of Jesus Christ is exciting, unpredictable in its outworking and extremely malleable in the hands of any artist who is truly inspired by it. If Christian ministry was music it would be freeform and liberating not constraining, constantly repetitive and unchanging. It would be inspired not mechanical, analogue not digital, soulful not soulless. It would be all that jazz and more.

ARCHBISHOP BLABBERMOUTH

2012-01-09T09:29:00.001Z

From THE MAIL:

A new biography of the Queen reveals for the first time her despair over the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and the Monarch’s fears that her eldest son was about to ‘throw everything away’. In "Elizabeth The Queen," by Sally Bedell Smith, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, recalls the moment that the Queen finally confronted the problems in her son’s marriage. He reveals she was terrified that history was about to repeat itself – that Prince Charles would give up his place in the line of succession for Camilla, just as King Edward VIII gave up the throne in 1936 to marry his mistress, Wallis Simpson.

Lord Carey says: "There was a moment when we were talking very candidly about divorce. I remember her sighing and saying, 'History is repeating itself.' I saw despair. What she was talking about was the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. She was concerned that if they divorced, Charles would marry Camilla. She thought Charles was in danger of throwing everything out of the window by rejecting Diana and forging another relationship."

But Lord Carey advised the Queen that Prince Charles’s relationship with his wife was beyond repair. He says: "The personalities were so different. The Queen understood that. She could offer support and put them into her prayers."

COMMENT: Erm? Isn't there something about priests and confidentiality. Heck, surely it's required of any professional, especially those in caring occupations.

WHY DID JESUS GET HIMSELF BAPTISED?

2012-01-08T23:40:00.001Z

Jesus asked to be baptised so that he could make a public act of repentance for his sins.

What?! Are you saying Jesus wasn't without sin?!

Yes. The Word became flesh and it is absolutely impossible to be flesh without sinning. It's just the way the world is. Even if he managed to avoid all deliberate sins he would have been guilty of innumerable accidental (in the true meaning of the word) sins and a near infinite number of sins of omission.

You want Biblical proof?

Well, there was the incident in the Temple when he was twelve years old. Don't make excuses for the lad! What he put his parents through that week was "unforgivable."

You want conclusive proof?

When Jesus said "He who is without sin, cast the first stone," he didn't throw a rock at the woman, did he?!

THE SUNDAY OFFERING?

2012-01-08T13:04:00.000Z

The administrator of this site is the Reverend Jonathan Hagger (a.k.a. MadPriest). He is a Church of England priest but he receives no salary from any church or any other employer. At present his ministry consists entirely of his work at OCICBW...

However, he likes to eat occasionally and his blogs cost quite a bit of money to run. So, in true Anglican style a collection plate is being made available for your donations (via PayPal).

You will never be asked to pledge or tithe but a regular monthly contribution from you would give him security and peace of mind.
You do not need to have a PayPal account to subscribe or donate via the buttons below.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'SHOLY COMMUNION WITH AN ACT OFTHANKSGIVING FOR HOLY BAPTISM

2012-01-08T13:01:00.000Z

All are welcome to join me in taking communion. There are no exceptions.

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

If you want to physically partake in this service you will require a small piece of bread and a small amount of drink (preferably made from grapes and containing alcohol). You will also need a small dish of water for the act of thanksgiving for baptism. How you view the nature of these parts of the service is completely up to you.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

Download via the MP3 icon below the player.

Download podcast via iTUNES.

MP3 File

TITHING OPPRESSES THE POOR

2012-01-07T11:08:00.003Z

In a lengthy piece in my local newspaper this week, Justin Welby, the bishop of Durham, gave some suggestions for new year's resolutions. Right at the top of his list was the plea that we should all tithe 10% of our income. Respect due, he did not insist that the money should go to the Church but stated that any charity would be an appropriate recipient of our tithes. I fully agree with him that being charitable is a human duty. That humans give to others is empirical proof of our claim that we have the ability to empathise with others and so is part of what makes us human. Not to give to others makes us less than human. Where I disagree with him is with his insistence on charity being linked to a percentage of income.

Percentages of income no doubt seem perfectly logical to a person who has an income in excess of what they need to live on. However, to those who struggle to survive it is just another burden placed on them by the rich and privileged.

You see, the real value of a percent of something increases the smaller it is. A pensioner in England receiving £100 per week is living on the breadline. If she gives away 10% of that £100 she will be left with just £90 and the loss of £10 will make her life even more miserable and hard. A company executive earning £2000 per week will be enjoying a life with no financial worries and will have plenty of money to spend on luxuries. If he gives away 10% of his salary each week he will be left with £1800 and will still be enjoying a life with no financial worries and he will still have plenty of money to spend on luxuries. The pensioner will have made a huge sacrifice. The company executive will not have done.

Jesus threw out the tithing system and replaced it with the recommendation (warning) that, as long as there are people who do not have enough money to live on, we should give all our wealth in excess of what we need to live on to those who live in absolute poverty. Very few Christians follow this system of true tithing. We hope that Christ will be merciful when he returns to judge us. A rich person who demands that poor people should give more, in effect, than himself would be testing the Lord's mercy to the extreme. Instead, a rich person should secretly give a percentage of his income far in excess of the traditional tithe and never insist that anybody else gives anything. He should certainly not insist on others tithing a percentage as any taxation system based on a fixed percentage being demanded from all favours the rich and further oppresses the poor.

IT'S THAT TRACIE THE RED WOMAN AGAIN

2012-01-07T01:11:00.002Z

DON'T BLAME MADPRIEST,BLAME TRACIE THE RED

2012-01-06T12:47:00.000Z

A FACEBOOK CONVERSATION

2012-01-06T12:42:00.002Z

I received a message asking me to become friends with someone on Facebook. I said yes, of course. The person concerned immediately contacted me on my message board. This was the conversation.

It's a shame, but my correspondent will never read my last piece of good advice because within the 30 seconds it took me to write and send it she had unfriended me.

The truth might set some people free but there are an awful lot of people out there (especially within the evangelical wing of the Church) who are so scared stiff of even thinking about what may be true and what may be false that they bind themselves in chains of ignorance, preferring bondage to freedom.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'SMASS ON THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

2012-01-06T09:20:00.001Z

All are welcome to join me in taking communion. There are no exceptions.

The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.

Click on the arrow on the player to stream.

Download via the MP3 icon below the player.

Download podcast via iTUNES.

MP3 File

OH BUGGER! THAT'S CHRISTMAS OVER

2012-01-05T23:37:00.000Z

This will be absolutely the last Christmas record from me until next December. But I've chosen a real goodie. A brilliant, soulful performance from Frederick "Toots" Hibbert that's simply oozing with misery. Enjoy.

BLOG NOTICE

2012-01-05T23:17:00.000Z

My apologies.

I have switched comment moderation on for a while as we've had one particular troll being particularly vile recently. He not only tried to get under my skin over Henry but also attacked other commenters, and I won't have that.

I never thought I'd ever say this but thank God for Facebook. At least you can have a decent conversation there without having to worry about the socially deviant crashing the proceedings.