Lord Mann and Edwin Shuker declare for Labour
Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, has taken the Labour whip again, after serving for several years as a cross bench peer. Formerly the Labour MP for Bassetlaw, and a vocal critic of Jeremy Corbyn, he was sent to the Lords by former Prime Minister Theresa May in her resignation honours list and took on the antisemitism role for a five-year term which is coming to an end. Jewish News story here. Meanwhile, the Board of Deputies vice president, Edwin Shuker, has assured Sir Keir Starmer of his support, saying he was thinking of leaving the UK after antisemitism under Corbyn’s leadership, but Sir Keir’s arrival was a “miracle”. Jewish News again here
Methodist leaders say tackling poverty must be a priority in election campaign
The President and Vice President of the Methodist Conference, Rev Gill Newton and Deacon Kerry Scarlett, are challenging politicians to make tackling poverty in the UK, a priority in the election campaign. They say one in five are in poverty and more than a million children are living in destitution, causing immense harm to families and communities. They are also calling on Methodists to “participate actively, ask questions, listen well, seek justice and the common good, and surround the process in prayer”. They hope the election campaign will see people “discussing and disagreeing with kindness, where truth will be upheld, and where the needs of people who are vulnerable will be honoured”.
A similar message comes from the United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is encouraging all voters to engage in the general election and to use it as an opportunity to urge political leaders to end poverty in the UK. The URC has 1,200 congregations across Scotland, England and Wales and Moderator Rev Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, urged everyone to be registered to vote, especially from under-represented groups such as young people, ethnic minorities, economically disadvantaged communities, renters, recent movers and non-UK nationals who are eligible to vote. She said the URC was committed to “shaping a society that is mindful of its responsibilities towards fair representation and justice for all.”
Muslim Council of Britain organises national conference on leadership
The Muslim Council of Britain is holding a one-day conference at Edgbaston cricket ground, Birmingham, on Sunday titled “Leading Change Together“. Panels will discuss What next for social mobility?; Building Communities for the Future; and What next for British politics – what has Gaza changed? Speakers include the secretary general Zara Mohammed; Dr Riyaz Timol from Cardiff university; Dr Sohail Hanif from the National Zakat Foundation; Prof Adeela Shaafi, Bristol Muslim Strategic Group; and Aaqil Ahmed former BBC / Channel 4 editor. Details here
Pope apologises after quoted saying “too much frociaggine” among trainee priests
The Pope has apologised after he was quoted saying there was “too much frociaggine” (faggotry) among men training to be priests. He was speaking to a closed meeting of Italian bishops who raised the issue of admitting gay men to seminaries, but were incredulous at his comments. The Vatican said in a statement: “Pope Francis is aware of the articles which were recently published about a conversation, behind closed doors, with the bishops of the Italian Conference of Bishops. The Pope has never intended to offend or express himself using homophobic expressions, and offers his apologies to those who felt offended by the use of the term, which was reported by others.”
LGB Christians article describes scandal of teenage gender medical interventions
A teacher has described in detail how the sudden surge in transgender identification is unlike anything that has gone before in her 25-year career. “Rachel Evans” (not her real name) was writing for the website of LGB (Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual) Christians, an organisation which “defends the rights of same-sex attracted people in the face of increasing backlash, confusion, and risks caused by ideas which replace the biological reality of the two sexes with self-defined, gender identities”. “Ms Evans” says the sudden rise of gender identity ideology is unprecedented and the Cass review, showing the lack of evidence for the safety of puberty blockers, points to “the scandal that has been unfolding in recent years”. She came out as a lesbian after 20 years in the classroom and describes how her school support group for LGBTQ+ students and their allies, changed dramatically after Covid lockdowns in September 2021. Three quarters of the attendees, most of them female, identified as non-binary or as transgender boys. with over half on the autistic spectrum; girls were researching breast binders, puberty blockers and surgery; and students wished to be known by a wide range of pronouns. She is clear social media is to blame: “Hours of online content fed them ideas, terms and identities which then became integral to their very sense of selfhood. Algorithms drove them towards more and more extreme videos”. She notes a change of emphasis in groups offering training on issues of sexuality, with all the signposts on transgender identity, and no mention of groups that might offer support for those who are lesbian, bisexual or gay, as though they are erased. The full article is here
Unity talks are revived between Episcopalians and Methodists in America
The Episcopalian Church of the USA is moving forward with plans for unity with the United Methodist Church, following a strong recommendation at the recent UMC conference in Charlotte. ECUSA says more work needs to be done before it can take a vote, including creating a document for the orderly exchange of ministers and a plan for how ordained ministry will be recognized by each denomination. It has welcomed the Methodists’ removal of restrictions on LGBTQ+ clergy and called for continuing dialogue. Moves to “full communion” were put on hold for five years as the Methodist conference was delayed by Covid. ECUSA has more immediate plans for unity with other denominations, which will be voted on at its convention from 23-28 June, including with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Moravian Church. Episcopalian News Service report here
Appreciation of Don Cupitt on his 90th birthday
Philosopher Nigel Warburton writes an appreciation for the New European of Don Cupitt, former priest, “radical theologian” and philosopher of religion, who has just celebrated his 90th birthday. Known for his BBC TV series “The Sea of Faith”, on the retreating tide of declining religious observance, his idea of God not existing as a separate being, the Bible needing to be demythologised, the insights of other world faiths on truth, and exploration of science, forced a new understanding of Christianity. Nigel Warburton says for Cupitt, it was important to demythologise Christianity while preserving a broadly Christian outlook, adding that he did not follow Nietzsche into nihilism and warmed to ideas of meaning found in everyday life rather than tangled philosophical concepts. The article continues: “For Cupitt, God is a human construction, the embodiment of our best aspirations. God is “the ideal to which our lives are oriented”, but not the Creator and First Cause of the Universe. To think otherwise involves belief in the supernatural and is anti-scientific about what we fundamentally are”. At the age of 90, Don Cupitt still owns a Twitter/X account with news of a conference in Cambridge on 1 – 2 July, to mark the 40th anniversary of the BBC TV series.
