Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has written
a newspaper article in which he supports assisted suicide. A Christian surgeon
and blogger has replied, “What I find astounding … is that there is no
discernible Christian worldview underlying what [Carey] says. Nothing of the
fact that God made us; nothing of ‘Thou shalt not kill’; little insight into
the depths of human depravity or the
need for strong laws to deter exploitation of vulnerable people; nothing of
hope beyond death, or the need to make peace with God and others before death;
nothing of courage and perseverance in the face of suffering. Carey has instead
produced a piece … that could have been written by a member of the National Secular Society or the
British Humanist Association.” The full blog is available at http://pjsaunders.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/why-lord-carey-is-so-desperately-wrong.html.
Bishop Desmond Tutu has also spoken out in favour of
assisted dying; it seems his views have been heavily influenced by the
artificial means used to prolong the life of his friend Nelson Mandela. His two
main arguments are that the old have a duty to die to make way for the young
(which seems to conflict with the Biblical concept of God awarding long life to
those he blesses) and that a life that is heavily sustained by medical
intervention or technology support is a life not worth living (which
contradicts much pro-disability campaigning). Disabled groups will be holding a
protest rally outside Parliament on Friday when the Bill is debated.
The ISIS takeover of northern Iraq is badly affecting the
historic Christian community there, with kidnappings and murders of Christians
in both Syria and Iraq increasing in frequency. An Christian orphanage in Mosul
which was run by two Sisters was evacuated a week ago, but when the sisters
heard that Mosul was relatively safe for Christians, they and three of the
older children returned to Mosul for supplies. That was a week ago, and they
have not been heard from since. Canon Andrew White, the vicar of St. George’s
Baghdad, said, “We’ve had our problems in the past but nothing like this. This
is a major threat to the future of Christianity here.”
The General Synod of the Church of England has voted to
allow women to become bishops in the Anglican church (they are already
permitted to be bishops in the Episcopal church in the USA, and in some other regions).
Some might have thought the Archbishop of Canterbury’s threat to dissolve and
re-constitute the Synod if they voted ‘No’ was harsh, but in the end the vote
was about 5-1 in favour. The new rules have the advantage that they are far
less controversial in the worldwide Episcopal community than issues such as
homosexuality and gay priests; even in Africa, which is seen as the home of the
most traditional Christians, there are only two countries whose Episcopal
churches do not allow women to be priests.
President Obama has invited a pastor, who is a former member
of the Southern Baptist Convention, to a lunch at the White House. This isn’t
an attempt by Obama to build bridges with the Christian community, however –
the pastor has recently stated that he is pro-homosexuality, and has been
invited to the LGBT Pride lunch that Obama has hosted at the White House every
year that he has been there.
In sport, the World Cup produced thrills, goals, heroes,
villains, sublime skills, ridiculous misses … but the story had a familiar
ending: the Germans won 1-0.
And finally, residents of a housing estate in Dudley, West
Midlands have come up with a creative
solution to two community problems – the struggle to afford nappies at retail
prices, and a 90 year old homeless man. With the help of a community organiser,
the homeless man has returned to his (previously unfit for habitation) home,
from where he co-ordinates bulk buying of nappies, and various food supplies
too. Residents pay up front; he rings around to find the best deal; supplies
are delivered to his house; and residents bring him meals and look after his
house when they collect their purchases.
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