Shock, sadness and prayers for the victims of Southport knife attack
The Bishop of Liverpool, John Perambalath, has said he is shocked and saddened by news of the incident in Stockport, when two children died and nine others were injured, in a knife attack during a children’s school holiday club event. Two adults with the children, who were taking part in a Taylor Swift themed dance class, were also injured. In a statement on Twitter / X, the bishop said: “My prayers are, and will remain, with all those affected by this tragedy. I am deeply grateful for the quick response of all the emergency services and pray for all those called to care for the victims and support those affected by this incident. I know events such as this are unsettling for the community and I pray for peace, calm and reassurance for all affected.” Christ Church Southport issued a statement saying they were heartbroken at the events in the town: “our hearts and prayers go to all those who have been affected, for those fighting in hospital, for those whose worlds have fallen apart, for those who are afraid, for those who first responded, for those who know someone who was there, for our town.” The church was opened for quiet prayer last night and will be open again today. A 17 year old boy from the nearby village of Banks, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Apology for “blasphemous” Olympics tableau rejected as “woke duplicity”
US Catholic Bishop Robert Barron has slammed the apology by Olympic games organisers for the tableau of The Last Supper in the opening ceremony, which featured drag queens, a trans model and a woman wearing a crown depicting Jesus. His response to their apology for not intending to offend any religious group was: “Give me a break”, saying it was anything other than an apology and was a masterpiece of woke duplicity.
Meanwhile, the Jewish Chronicle reports that the woman at the centre of the table of the Last Supper – otherwise billed as the Feast of Dionysus – is not only a LGBTQ+ icon in Paris, but a “proud Jew”. Barbara Butch, 43, stood front and centre with her crown but explained that her aim was to “unite people, gather people and share love through music.” It quotes her interview with Attitude magazine in 2022: “I’m a fat, Jewish, queer lesbian, and I’m really proud of all my identities, because they make me what I am now as a human. All the violence and negativity I’ve experienced, I can make it something bigger to help others go forward with a lot of love.”
Away from the controversy, the Associated Press reports that 120 chaplains from five different religions are present in the Multifaith Centre tent located in the athletes village to address the spiritual needs of the thousands of athletes set to compete. The religions represented are Christianity (Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants), Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. The Centre gives opportunity for prayer, services, counselling and concerns amid ongoing global conflicts.
Tomorrow, Wednesday 31 July at 1200, we are running a briefing on the Olympics and religion, discussing the Last Supper blasphemy row, spiritual advice to athletes and experience of French Muslim sportswomen. Details from [email protected]
CofE evangelicals criticised for “making a mockery of the sacraments”
The Church Times reports on a service held last week service at St Helen’s Bishopsgate, when seven men were “commissioned” for leadership positions in the Church of England, with the intention they will take up curacies, teach, lead congregations and “preside at informal church family meals, at which bread is broken and the death of the Lord Jesus is remembered.” The rector of St Helen’s, the Rev William Taylor, explained on film that the move was necessary due to the “tragic failure” of the bishops to uphold doctrine in relation to same sex relationships. The identity of the commissioned men has not been made public, though one is said to be Mervin Kissoon, the assistant minister of St Anne’s, Limehouse. But the service has met stiff opposition from Affirming Catholicism, which says the move made a mockery of the sacraments, amounting to “eucharistic services led by lay people in roles not recognised by the wider Church of England”. Anglican Futures, a group with links to the alternative Anglican communion GAFCON, also objected raising ten questions on how the group could continue to say they were part of the Anglican church. The men were commissioned by the former Bishop of Maidstone, Rod Thomas; prayers were led by the president of the Church of Evangelical Council, the former Bishop of Blackburn Julian Henderson; and CEEC’s national director, Canon John Dunnett, read a lesson. The service was not billed as an official Alliance event, a group opposed to same sex blessings, which includes Holy Trinity Brompton. Thinking Anglicans story and comment here
Andrew Graystone resigns Church of the Nazarene membership over same sex dispute
A Church of the Nazarene court has stripped the Rev. Thomas Jay Oord, one of its most well-known theologians, of his preaching credentials and expelled him from membership. The Religion News Service reports that he was found guilty of affirming and advocating for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members, contrary to the church’s teachings. The church has a global membership of 2.5 million people. One is journalist and public relations executive, Andrew Graystone. He said on Twitter / X: “The Church of the Nazarene is a very small denomination, but the local church I belong to happens to be part of it. I have co-taught with Thomas Jay Oord and contributed to a volume he edited. I have resigned my church membership in solidarity with him and our queer siblings”.
Trump tells “beautiful Christians” they won’t need to vote again if he wins
Donald Trump told an audience of Christians at a rally in Florida that, if elected president, they wouldn’t have to vote anymore: “You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians”. He admitted he was not a Christian and said he loved them. The rally was organised by Turning Point Action, a right wing conservative group that encourages young people to take part in civic life in order to influence the country. Trump urged everyone present to turn out and vote. He also promised to create an anti-Christian bias federal task force, and to defund schools “pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content onto the lives of our children.”
Yazidis face uncertain future ten years after IS massacre
Ten years since 500,000 Yazidis were forced out of Iraq’s Sinjar district by Islamic State militants, some have returned to homes that were destroyed but with no income to enable them to be rebuilt. Yazidis follow a religion which is regarded as heretical by their neighbours and they have experienced persecution for centuries. The Associated Press has published harrowing stories of those who have returned, feeling an emotional link with the region, still searching for missing family members and mourning men who were executed and buried in the village. More than 5,000 Yazidis were killed and thousands of Yazidi women and girls were forced into sexual slavery. Most who escaped are in refugee camps in Kurdish areas, which the government in Baghdad has ordered to be closed by today, offering $3,000 to occupants who leave. But Kurdish authorities say they won’t evict the camp residents as Sinjar “is not suitable for human habitation”.
Kabaddi: an Indian sport that is thriving in England
Thousands have taken part this summer in the sport of kabaddi, popular on the Indian sub-continent, and now in England, too, where it is often associated with Sikh gurdwaras which give their names and support to local teams. There are several representative bodies including the England Kabaddi Network, England Kabaddi Union, and England Kabaddi Federation, which runs a tournament in England ending this year on 4 August. It’s a contact team sport, with a history going back 4,000 years, and is played by two teams usually of seven players where a “raider” from one team runs to the opponents’ half of the court, and tags an opposing player, who, on being tagged, must stop the “raider” going back to the halfway line by stopping them in their tracks. Hardeep Singh reports on the game and its popularity in England.
