The Sunday Next Before Lent

[poliphilo]

Today's visiting priest was the guy who succeeded me as vicar of St. Anne's. We never had much contact- and I don't believe he recognised me. I wouldn't have recognised him by sight either. It's weird, though, how every priest who has turned  up at St. Paul's thus far has been someone who connects to my past.  Where are all the clergy I don't know? Actually, I think I've worked it out: all the clergy I don't know are either evangelical or anglo-catholic- and so not available to help at a broad church parish like St. Pauls's. 

There aren't that many broad church clergy left these days. The extremes are flourishing, the centre is dying.  "A rotten tree lives only in its rind".

But this suits me well enough.  I love a lost cause. 
 

Comments

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Feels like completing a circle, maybe?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does. I have made my peace with my earlier selves

[oakmouse]

The extremes are flourishing, the centre is dying.

Like a yew tree. I wonder if new growth will come up when the center is finally dead?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There's new growth already- and most of it's ugly. The old Anglican church- tolerant, thoughtful, adult- is fading away- and a new Anglican church- evangelical, spiteful, adolescent- is doing very nicely.

[oakmouse]

Ah, the Rev. Slope and his abhorrence of Sabbath Travel are back. He had some innings in the 1930s also, I believe. We just need a Widow Bold to slap his face and send him about his business again. I suspect it'll happen in due time, although that may be to late for your comfort.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Well, perhaps it's cyclical. Evangelical religion is noisy and superficial- and sooner or later the people brought up on it are going to crave something more humane.

[oakmouse]

It's a very adolescent form of religion --- it wants there to be absolute truths and absolute morals and so forth, with no doubt and no ambiguity. People do often grow out of it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"People do often grow out of it"

I did. I flirted with it- briefly- in my twenties.

[oakmouse]

Exactly. I know a number of people who flirted with it in their teens and twenties, and then shook themselves and said, "What was I thinking?" and got on with their lives.

We can hope the church does the same.

[ibid.livejournal.com]

Funny how life plans these things.

Where was your parish?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

St. Anne's Royton- on the other side of Oldham.