I've been on a weekend away in Liverpool. Had a lovely look at the Catholic Cathedral. From the upper tier of the Main Stand. So I've missed the excitement about the helter skelter in Norwich Cathedral.
As usual, Bishop Gavin Ashenden, former chaplain to the Queen, pops up to tell us it's all terrible. I presume he's the only cleric the BBC religious correspondent has on speed dial. As mentioned previously, although he is indeed a former chaplain to Her Majesty, it's not like he was formerly the only one. Former Chaplains to the Queen are common sights in UK towns and cities, forming their own football leagues and dining societies.
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| Liverpool Catholic Cathedral, viewed by squinting over the Kop |
Bishop Ashenden's insight was also revealed when he quoted the fake "Kate Adie" tweet saying Tommy Robinson was only doing what many other "reporters" did when he was arrested. Then left his spurious tweet up, and doubled down on it, even knowing it was fake when "Kate" changed "her" name.
Is there an agenda?Kate Adie demonstrates her own courage & integrity by asking”And when the last law was down,& the Devil turned round on you,where would you hide, Roper?This country's planted thick with laws and if you cut them down —d'you really think you could stand upright?” https://t.co/8sXO6nALTU— Gavin Ashenden (@gavinashenden) July 6, 2019
Which is not to play the man, not the ball - nor to suggest Bp Ashenden is one of the people that go on "Free Tommy" marches. But is just a suggestion that the BBC shouldn't just go asking the nearest celebrity former Bishop to the Queen every time they want a mildly reactionary view on the modern Church.
To Mr Ashenden, there is no evidence that tourists become Christians, and, "For such a place, steeped in mystery and marvel to buy in to sensory pleasure and distraction, is to poison the very medicine it offers the human soul," he said.
Well, you can't have it both ways. If the place is steeped in mystery and marvel then it must mean something to tourists to go into cathedrals. Unless he's just asking that every cathedral in the country stays open on the off chance that a former Chaplain to the Queen should wander in and have his soul distracted. And if you aren't to buy into sensory pleasure and distraction you shouldn't hang out with a church that burns incense to the glory of God, and eats bread and drinks wine to remember what God has done.
The thing with cathedrals is, they are alive, from floor to ceiling, with architectural and artistic interest. These lift up the soul, and bring the faith to life.
And the thing about a helter skelter is, it gets you up really high, and then swings you gradually round as you descend, so you get a really good view of the wonders around you.
The other thing about a helter skelter is that it is easily dismantled when the summer is over. Leaving the cathedral back as it was, with nothing permanently changed. Apart from a few hearts that have seen something lovely from an unexpected angle. And a few children that remember the day a cathedral went from being a lump of stone to a place of wonder and interest.
When I was a child, and a member of the Extremely Strict Methodists, I was terrified of Anglican churches. Their age, the yews, the graves, the half-lights, led me to think they were haunted by ghosts. If I had been down a mat-slide in St Peter's Dunstable, or St Mary's Luton - perhaps I would have thought otherwise.
To Mr Ashenden, there is no evidence that tourists become Christians, and, "For such a place, steeped in mystery and marvel to buy in to sensory pleasure and distraction, is to poison the very medicine it offers the human soul," he said.
Well, you can't have it both ways. If the place is steeped in mystery and marvel then it must mean something to tourists to go into cathedrals. Unless he's just asking that every cathedral in the country stays open on the off chance that a former Chaplain to the Queen should wander in and have his soul distracted. And if you aren't to buy into sensory pleasure and distraction you shouldn't hang out with a church that burns incense to the glory of God, and eats bread and drinks wine to remember what God has done.
The thing with cathedrals is, they are alive, from floor to ceiling, with architectural and artistic interest. These lift up the soul, and bring the faith to life.
And the thing about a helter skelter is, it gets you up really high, and then swings you gradually round as you descend, so you get a really good view of the wonders around you.
The other thing about a helter skelter is that it is easily dismantled when the summer is over. Leaving the cathedral back as it was, with nothing permanently changed. Apart from a few hearts that have seen something lovely from an unexpected angle. And a few children that remember the day a cathedral went from being a lump of stone to a place of wonder and interest.
When I was a child, and a member of the Extremely Strict Methodists, I was terrified of Anglican churches. Their age, the yews, the graves, the half-lights, led me to think they were haunted by ghosts. If I had been down a mat-slide in St Peter's Dunstable, or St Mary's Luton - perhaps I would have thought otherwise.
Particularly as Gavin Ashenden isn't even a bishop in the Church of England....defected to some strange fringe organisation and now views himself as a missionary to convert the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteI equate Gavin Ashenden to the former CofE Cleric, https://www.bishopjonathanblake.com/ who is also an Arch Bishop in a church of his own invention. He lives locally to us and has been in trouble with the Police for various shenanigans at his Chapel, run from the Loft of his town house. He even has a biography on Amazon. He was once the Parish Priest at St Martins in Barnhurst, who resigned over his activism against British intervention in the first Gulf War.
ReplyDeleteHis claim to fame is that he did the Funeral of Miss Goody a few years ago. On his website he offers a wide range of religious services. And he also won a libel case against the media who said he wasn't a real Arch Bishop. His website proclaims that he is: Co Founder and President of the Society for Independent Christian Ministry
An on call Bishop
Featured extensively on television, radio and throughout the media. Mr Ashenden should get together with him, he could than be an Arch Bishop of nothing as well.