A schism in the Church lies behind an Evangelical bishop’s dire warning, says theo hobson |
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A Church of England bishop has claimed that last week's flooding in the north of England was God's judgment on our sinful ways. "We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as the environmental damage that we have caused," said Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle. He singled out the Government's backing of gay rights as a key factor "of a general scene of permissiveness".
Does he seriously believe sexual practices of which he does not approve have an adverse effect on the weather? Does he think extra-marital sex contributes to global warming? This bishop sounds like he's been dreamed up by Richard Dawkins, as proof that superstitious moralising and shoddy science, are the core business of religion.
But there is more going on here. Dow (right) provides a chilling glimpse into the desperation of the Church of England as it |
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| Evangelical bishops can’t help blaming homosexuals for the increase in carbon emissions |
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attempts to move with the times.
Recently it has competed with David Cameron in trying to push green issues up the agenda. Here is a great opportunity for the Church, goes the thinking, to show its relevance by emphasising the need to be good stewards of God's creation, by issuing 'prophetic' warnings about the earth's precious resources.
But when Evangelical bishops join in, it all goes tits-up. They can't help blaming homosexuals for the increase in carbon emissions and the frequency of extreme weather conditions.
The bishop seems to be in a rhetorical muddle. He wants to join his with-it colleagues warning about climate change. And yet he also wants to signal his Evangelical credentials.
The Church of England is breaking up, and the Evangelical wing is preparing for independence. Bishop Dow's comments should be seen as an attempt to put clear flood water between himself and the liberals, and so impress his fellow Evangelicals with his defiantly biblical thinking.
FIRST POSTED JULY 3, 2007
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