That would be an eccumenical matter

As we are all called to love everybody, it follows we should respect and love our brothers and sisters who worship in denominations other than our own and indeed people of different faiths.  Further we ought to reach out and welcome them to the community of faith. We must be warm, loving and welcoming drawing others to Christ. 

But, and this is important, we must be faithful to our Traditions, the Scriptures and the teachings of the church.  Where we water down our teachings, where we are compliant and liberal minded in order to be more acceptable towards others we dilute our faith, we do an injustice to Christ.

Today I read an article in the Church Times (the Church of England's newspaper), I was shocked to read how elements of that community are so misguided as to appoint ordained chaplains to build bridges with witches and pagans.  They hold watered down liturgies in forests with no scripture, rather they focus solely on nature, also taking part in pagan rituals.  This is completely misguided when paradoxically sound research has shown that, conservative christian communities who espouse traditional Christian morals and practices are growing where liberal communities are shrinking.

Let us not forget that weak morals and sinful behaviour of some priests and ministers has done great harm to the Church and to Christ.  All of us must be strong and live out our lives as Christ would wish, holding to strong values helps us to do this.  You and I must repent and reject sin.

Stormy Day

The other day as I sat in the church awaiting evening prayers as storm raged outside.  The doors rattled, the windows whistled and the roof clattered. You could imagine the building lifted off the ground and destroyed, like a wood house in the face of a tornado. But the stout stone church had ridden out thousand such storms in its 900 years resolute and immovable.

In our lives we are surrounded by evil, pain and suffering, a host of moral dangers and distractions which rage around us, like the storm.  We ourselves are contaminated and sick. Evil percolates into our very being, often we cannot see it, we are not aware, but it is ever present.

Only Christ protects us.  Only in him is there real calm, real peace.

Like the strong stone walls of the church, providing a safe refuge against the storm, Christ shields us and protects us.

Pray for the grace to allow him shield and protect you from evil.
Pray, sit with him. In a church, on the bus, in the car, on a plane, but especially when you experience evil, Christ will be there to protect you.