Sunday Slot – 14 July 2013

First, a post-script to last week's Sunday Slot. Astute readers who have known my writings for a long while will no doubt have realised that there was a specific purpose behind that post, and that was to eke out some Lefty Christians (I'll let the apparent oxymoron go for the time being) and read their 'justifications' in their comments and tweets.

It took a few days before anything happened, but then the word got out and the page-views for that post suddenly shot up during Friday, continuing to rise but at a slower pace on Saturday. That seems to have now come to an end, as I expected it would after such a period.

In the end, there were only three tweets and a single comment here from one of those three. They tended to be of the 'proud to be' type and offered no attempted counter to what I had written. Of course, there isn't any possible counter, and they must all have realised that.

To be fair to them, they must think there is some merit in being on the 'wrong' side of the political spectrum, and I imagine it doesn't prevent their doing good works; but there are two big issues this brings up...

• If they are easily misled and deluded, how can they be trusted as any kind of spiritual guide?
• Some of their behaviour and attitudes really are heading in a bad direction.

The second of those merits a little more inspection. I checked the tweets of those who had sent me – or at least referenced me in the third person – in those few tweets, the comment I mentioned and other relevant contacts. I am hoping that one will turn out to be a spoof, as the tone taken by one purporting to be a church minister in a number of recent tweets was really not consistent with holding such a position and having that position stated in one's Twitter profile, whether 'personal opinion' or not.

Another instance was of a minister (and known by me to be so) who was searching for a 'politically correct' version of the Bible. Now, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, this whole concept means the re-writing of God's Word into (essentially, falsified) men's words to suit an agenda: instead of Joseph Smith this one would be Cultural Marxism (which invented and promotes political correctness).

I'd have grave concerns about anyone pursuing such an avenue in my church's leadership, and so should all real Christians everywhere. Watch out for this: my senses are certainly now more alert!


Justin Welby

The current Archbishop of Canterbury is creating something of a stir; and this interview by Charles Moore is very valuable indeed, as James Forsyth at The Spectator acknowledges when looking at the 'Bish' from a political viewpoint..

Although it is still comparatively early days, my own feeling is that he will make a very fine replacement of Rowan Williams, and I also think that he will communicate in a way to speaks to the people-at-large much better than his predecessor often tended to do, and will be perceived as being more 'of the people' as well.

I like this man, and wish him well. In an age where – probably partly because of the perceived out-of-touch nature of our churches, some of which might well stem from what I covered in what I wrote above – church attendances are continuing to diminish, perhaps that decline might now start to be reversed. Little by little, this new Archbishop could have such an effect in Britain.

I wish him well...