Maggi Dawn: Blogging the archbishops

From Maggi Dawn (Chaplain and Fellow in Theology at Robinson College Cambridge), interviews with Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, and John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, on blogging and the new media. Interesting stuff - currently a 4-part series with more to come [boldface mine]:

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York spent three days in Cambridge the week before last, to take a leading role in the first of six events called “A World to Believe In: The Cambridge Consultations”. . .

I arrived at the agreed time to fire your blog-questions at the Archbishops, but some of the organisation of the day had come slightly unstuck and the interview time was about to be squeezed out. The Archbishops overheard my protests, though, and they and their teams created a small space for me. So I sat with them over lunch, laptop at the ready, with an Archbishop on either side of me. I began by asking them how much they knew about the blog-world, and what kind of effect – positive or negative – they thought blogging, facebook and similar media are having on Church life and spiritual concerns.

“They are clearly part of the whole knowledge economy”, said Archbishop Rowan. “They have encouraged people not to take in passively what’s produced – it has opened up a more interactive environment for the sharing of knowledge – a democratisation of knowledge. And clearly that is bound to affect the Church at every level.”

Is the democratisation of knowledge always a good thing, though, I asked him? Does it flatten a desirable level of expertise?

“It can certainly flatten expertise,” he replied. “But perhaps the more worrying issue is that i[t] can in some ways encourage unreflective expression – it’s possible simply to think it, and say it, without any thought. When that happens in personal conversation, there is a humanising effect. But on the screen, it’s less human.”

Then the Archbishop of York chipped in: “On the other hand, people have found real friendships through blogs, who would never have otherwise met each other – it’s a worldwide connection, people really do “meet” you on your blog. When I cut up my collar the response online was enormous – that’s when I realised just how many boundaries can be crossed with blogs.”

He thought for a minute, and then added, “But you know, when people write without thinking, it can get very difficult; it can be offensive and troublesome. The best of what’s there on the blogs is from those who take a little time to reflect before they publish. But there is no choice about whether we engage with this new media. It’s the world we are in – the Church has to engage with it!”. . .

“But look at the blog-world,” I said. “It reveals a fairly large number of people who self-identify as Christian but who do not regularly attend a place of worship in the formal sense. Spirituality and faith are clearly alive and well, but there are plenty of people who believe the Church in a fatal decline. Is there really a future for organised religion?”

“Human beings, by nature, always need a home,” said Archbishop Sentamu. “Whatever else happens to organised religion, if it’s providing a place of safety and identity, then future is very bright. If not, the future is bleak. The Church should be a home where the stranger finds love, and the lonely a welcome. When it loses those things, then it’s just an institution, and it’s bureaucratically passive. But organised religion is ambiguous. It can be a source of great good, or of evil.”. . .

So I asked the Archbishops whether they think the time is approaching, for the good of the Church and the State, for the Church of England to begin divesting itself of its historic position as a national church.

Archbishop Sentamu smiled. “The church I grew up in – the Church of Uganda – is not established! So this idea of an established Church was something new for me when I came here. In England, though, this is a serious constitutional question, more complex than people usually realise. It’s easy to say it’s just an anachronism that gives privileges that don’t fit in the modern world. But in fact disestablishment would not principally address those issues – they are side issues. Disestablishment would call for a complete rearrangement of the English constitution. You can’t disestablish without rethinking the political and social structure of the nation at the same time.”. .

Read it all - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4, so far.

York: Police chase at Archbishop Sentamu's home

From the BBC:

Police were called to Bishopthorpe Palace near York on Wednesday by an eye-witness who spotted two men removing lead from the roof.

Officers were on the scene in minutes and pursued the men as they tried to flee, arresting one shortly after. It is not known if Dr John Sentamu was at the 13th Century palace at the time of the alleged attempted theft.

North Yorkshire Police are continuing to hunt the second man seen on the roof after he managed to escape. A spokesman said: "Officers arrived on the scene within minutes and gave chase as the suspects fled.

"One of the suspects, a 26-year-old local man, was arrested.". . .

The arrest followed an earlier report of lead theft activity at the property, which is believed to have occurred during the past two to three days.

The palace is the official residence of Dr Sentamu, who was appointed in 2005, and is located on the outskirts of York, close to the River Ouse. It was built in the 13th Century on the site of a former manor.

Now, if they wanted to get the "lead" out of the Archbishop of Canterbury, I wouldn't object! Read it all.

H/t to Padding Up.

Dr John Sentamu is a mini marvel

From The Press (York, U.K.):

A SELL-OUT frenzy has stopped the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, buying a Christmas tree decoration of himself.

Miniature versions of the archbishop are hanging on festive trees in many homes across the city this Christmas - except for his own.

Dr Sentamu was approached by representatives from York Minster earlier last month and agreed to the production of the decorations in the hope it would help raise funds for the cathedral.

The 10cm fabric decorations were handmade in Thailand by a group of 30 women, and the bespoke range features a 6in-high padded Dr Sentamu wearing a gold and blue robe.

Avid Christmas decorators snapped up all 200 of the £6.50 fabric tree decorations before they even hit the shops. . .

Ah, but how are sales going for the Archbishop of Canterbury ornament?

Primates to star on top of Christmas trees

From the Telegraph (U.K.):

They have already ascended to the highest offices in the Church of England, but now two of the country's most senior clergymen are set to climb to the top of the Christmas tree.

With the festive season fast approaching, a souvenir company has produced miniature versions of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York which it hopes will prove a popular alternative to the usual star.

Like the archbishop Dr Rowan Williams himself, the Canterbury decoration is distinguished by a Father Christmas-like white beard.

The York decoration may not bear the closest resemblance to Dr John Sentamu – the absence of his gap-toothed smile being the most obvious omission – but he has given it his blessing.

Caroline Apfel, of St Nicolas, the company that makes the decorations, said that she had been asked to design the Sentamu ornament after an approach by a representative from York Minster.

"It's an alternative to your traditional Christmas fairy," she said. "He looks brilliant – very cute.". . .

The ornaments have been hand-made by women working in cottage industries in Thailand.

The 6in decorations are being sold for £5.99 each and a proportion of the proceeds will go towards York Minster's £30 million restoration and the Save Canterbury Cathedral appeal.

Read it all and order early!