Ruth Gledhill - Times Online - WBLG

Dome of St Paul's to become a blog

An extraordinary art project is about to be unveiled at St Paul's in London. Or rather not so much 'at' the cathedral as on the very dome itself of Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece. St Paul's is to be transformed from white into midnight blue by artist Martin Firrell. And the words of you, me or indeed anyone who contributes to the blog now up at Martin Firrell's website will be projected up there in white-on-blue for all to see. In other words, this great cathedral is to be turned into ... a weblog. A weblog on the Meaning of Life, but a weblog nonetheless.

Is Sarah Palin a good Christian?

Given the interest in Sarah Palin, I've decided to run a poll among readers of Articles of Faith:

Online Surveys & Market Research

Newman's death uncovered

As we reported in The Sunday Times and on a previous blog, attempts to exhume Cardinal John Henry Newman have failed because there is no body there to exhume. Libby Purves is among those who welcomed the end they hoped this would bring to a 'ghoulish side-show'. All that remains of this great churchman are a few tassels from his cardinal's hat. This picture shows the sarcophagus that has been built in Italy and can no longer be used to house a non-existent body at the Birmingham Oratory, as had been intended. It has been built, it is in Italy and the Cause will announce next week what is to become of it.

Peter Mullen should have his bottom spanked!

We've been friends for a long time, but as he wouldn't talk to me at all - 'not even you Ruth' he said - I've no choice but to bloggy him without the enlightenment that might have been gained from understanding. The Rev Peter Mullen, former member of the Prayer Book Society and staunch traditionalists, has had to take his website down after rather unwisely writing this bit of doggerell, a poem on the recent St Bartholomew's blessing service for two gay priests, celebrated by the Rev Martin Dudley. You can read our story on it at The Times website.

Mullen wrote:

The Bishop of London is in a high huff,

Because Dr Dudley has married a puff;

And not just one puff - he's married another:

Two priests, two puffs and either to other.'

He also said gay men should have cigarette-style warnings tattoed on their backsides, along the lines of 'sodomy can seriously damage your health' and 'fellatio kills'.

(Update: for more on the gay issue, specifically the ex-gay movement, read Lucy Bannerman's undercover investigation in today's T2, for which I wrote a short accompanying commentary.)

Persecution Index 12: Orissa

As Orissa's troubles continue, a new petition has been launched by the Catholic-Christian Secular Forum and others on behalf of this disgracefully persecuted minority. In Rome recently at a communications seminar seminar, I did this interview with Jyotsna Paul, one of other journalists on the course, who has witnessed at first hand some of the worst of the violence. We spoke after visiting the Scavi. The parallels of persecution were lost on neither of us.

email ruth if you have any stories or suggestions you would like to see written about on this blog or in The Times

The Tomb Was Empty!

On Thursday, having won the battle to exhume Cardinal John Henry Newman's body for its transfer to the Oratory in Birmingham, those paying their respects at the graveside had a bit of a shock. There was no body to exhume, nothing at all. Not a trace of bone, hair, human remains or anything except this plate. It means that he was not buried in the lead coffin that many supposed he had been but a simple wooden affair. It is not apparently unusual for remains to disintegrate totally in this fashion. A few fragments of hair preserved elsewhere will now be placed in a casket for veneration in the Birmingham Oratory, but of course there can be no 'lying in state' for a real body. At least it solves the Peter Tatchell problem. A non-existent body cannot be exhumed. As the spokesman for the Cause, Peter Jennings , has just told me, rarely can there have been a more vivid reminder of the truth of what the priest says at the Ash Wednesday Mass: 'Remember Man, thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.' As our capitalist world crumbles about us, it seems that Newman is a saint for our times in more ways than we could previously have imagined.

Milk in a monastery

Were a female figure to start spurting milk in a monastery, some denominations might count it a miracle. The truth in this case is more mundane. It is just life as a woman ordinand in the Church of England. An - er - "refreshingly" frank account of combining motherhood and priesthood in our established church has just appeared on my sister Alpha Mummy blog. 'I sat silently spurting milk in chapel,' writes Kerry of her ordination retreat. 'Some Bishops insist that cassocks must be worn on retreat at all times, which is both very unfeminine and smelly in a heatwave.' It turns out the retreat director was opposed to women priests. Lucky it was a silent retreat!

Who stands to gain most from credit crunch?

We've been hearing so much about the losers in the present crisis, I thought it would be fun to focus for a few minutes on the winners. Feel free to add your own suggestions.

1. Gordon Brown. He suddenly looks electable. The Tories, having only yesterday offered prosperity, are now warning of tough times ahead. Coming from capitalists, this feels quite scary. Do we really want proponents of the free market running the country after what the free market has done to us? A canny, wiley, Presbyterian Scot with a reputation for fiscal prudence bordering on meanness today seems quite a deal more attractive than he did even a week ago. It is after all partly if not mostly thanks to him that we are bearing up better than the Americans. I keep thinking of his recent visit to the US, and the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare. I think some in my business  might have been a bit to hasty in writing this old tortoise off.

'Thou shalt.... blog!'

The Evangelical Alliance will on Monday publish the new Ten Commandments of Blogging. Articles of Faith now brings you an exclusive preview. You can also read the news story on this, now up at Times Online and in tomorrow's paper. They are:

1.  You shall not put your blog before your integrity.
2.  You shall not make an idol of your blog.
3.  You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin.
4.  Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog.
5.  Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes.
6.  You shall not murder someone else’s honour, reputation or feelings.
7.  You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind.
8.  You shall not steal another person’s content.
9.  You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger.
10.You shall not covet your neighbour's blog ranking.  Be content with your own content.

Sentamu to bankers: 'You are hyenas.'

At Lambeth Palace yesterday, Archbishop John Sentamu told me why there must be a judicial enquiry into the financial services industry. You can read our report in today's paper at the Times Online faith page. He spoke of his disgust at the huge bonuses enjoyed by a few while so many went to the wall, and at a Government that seemed happy to pour millions into the pockets of already rich bankers while refusing to bail out traditional manufacturing companies such as Rover. Later, after we spoke, he delivered a similar message to the Worshipful Company of International Bankers in London, a body too snotty to let the press in to report directly what he said.

Was there shame in their expressions as he spoke? I pray so, but fear not. But judging from the text, he gave them a good insight into the fiery furnace that awaits those who fail to understand how the love of money is the root of all evil. Good for you Archbishop!  Full transcript of interview follows.

Meanwhile in Los Anglese, Tony Blair at his Faith Foundation will be announcing a new award, to make young people special ambassadors to help in delivering the Millennium Development Goals. Again, more on that later. Read all the details at the foundation website.

Karl Marx 'right' to condemn capitalism, says Rowan

See our news story on Rowan Williams and Karl Marx. The Archbishop of Canterbury has today delivered a video message on the Millennium Development Goals.'We feel very deeply that the witness and generosity of one church can inspire and change us all,' he says. More Rowan videos at his channel, LambethPress. Tomorrow, Thursday 25 September, the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu is joining Bill Clinton and Gordon Brown on the platform at an emergency session at the United Nations to discuss the MDGs.

Give us new province, say orthodox

Last week Colin Bazley, former primate of the Southern Cone and now an assistant bishop in the Chester diocese, wrote an open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury calling for the suspension of The Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion and the creation of a new province for the conservatives. This was in response to the deposition of  Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh, pictured here, and which we covered last week. This is not going to go away. Even though Dr Rowan Williams is not planning to comment and has instead headed of to Lourdes with several busloads of Anglican pilgrims, hoping no doubt for a miraculous healing for his church, six of his bishops have today put out their own statement of support for Bishop Duncan. And as we report, one of those bishops, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester, has in an interview with me today repeated the call for a new province first made by the Gafcon leaders at their conference this summer. I've always held out the hope in my own heart that the split would not come this side of the Atlantic. But I've recently spent a little time with some extremely senior laypeople in the conservative moment. They are not 'names' familiar to the blogosphere. But it seems there can be little doubt. What has happened there will happen here. Expect property battles and more in years to come. Read on for Bishop Michael's interview, and the response from Anglican Mainstream.

God's will or God swill?

This is Andrea Useem talking about blogging on religion, and below is Terry Mattingly. In this country we don't have an equivalent of the Religion Newswriters Association. But we can sign up to the US one.  Andrea here talks about the end of the print era, about why she posts just once a week, and why 'I do exactly what I want to do.' She also puts all her posts up as a link on Facebook. See also Dave Walker's report of the  'best Christian blog' award.

McMahon for Westminster?

A source in Rome (what delicious fun it is to be able to write that now) tells me the new Archbishop of Westminster is not to be announced imminently but it could well happen before December. Apparently the emerging favourite in certain quarters in Rome is Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham, pictured here. If there is an intervention from the Pope to bring in someone from outside the Bishops Conference, then the most likely candidate is Abbot Hugh Gilbert, OSB, who heads Pluscarden Abbey and who Chris Morgan raised as a possibility in the ST before his suicide earlier this year. Apparently, Father Timothy Radcliffe, beloved of many in England and Wales, is out of the question.

Hindu temple sets world record

This amazing Hindu temple is in the new Guinness World Records as the biggest in the world. Read our story on it here, along with some other interesting religious records, such as the world's longest pilgrimage. Some more photos, from the temple consecration, of its lotus garden and showing the presentation of the Guinness certificate, are reproduced below. The temple in India is part of the same movement as our own Neasden temple in north west London, and Brits familiar with the beautiful architecture of the UK temple will see echoes in its newer, if larger, cousin.

Bishop of Rochester and the three 'C's

The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, has delivered a strong address to the Prayer Book Society at its annual general meeting that you can  listen to here. He warned that the Anglican Church was too ready to adapt to modern culture. He called for the Church to reaffirm its traditional identity as a confessing, conciliar and consistory church. He was also critical of councils that 'make no decisions', a veiled attack on the recent Lambeth Conference. I've reproduced some edited highlights below. Also, please join in prayers for the family of the regular contributor to this blog, the Rev Tom Allen of Big Bulky Anglican, who has died suddenly.

Science establishment says: 'teach Creationism'

It is extraordinary to be writing about Creationism being taught in schools having just seen the original of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel, courtesy of a lecture-tour by Professor Elizabeth Lev. The Times today carries reports today by Lewis Smith and Alexandra Frean of Michael Reiss's argument at the Royal Society that Creationism should be taught alongside evolution in science lessons.

The formidable Sarah Palin

In today's Times, both Alexi Mostrous and I have had a look at Sarah Palin's religious beliefs. Two posts on The Revealer religion website were helpful in researching this. Bruce Wilson's blogsite has been looking at the links between Assemblies of God Pentecostalism, Third Wave and the controversial Latter Rain movement. I was intrigued by Alexi's quote from Sarah Palin's former pastor, who said he looked out of the window, and could see "rain falling". That quote had theological significance in terms of Latter Rain, a movement that has its focus on End Time prophecies. In effect, it means he believes the end is nigh! But it is important to remember that Sarah Palin no longer attends that church and I am sure does not hold Latter Rain beliefs herself.

Sacred and profane in Rome

These marble reliefs from Greek and Christian mausolea are in the Vatican museum in Rome, where the sacred sits next to the profane, a fitting paradigm for today's world that I feel confident will require no further elucidation for readers of this blog.

Holiday jobs

Back at work for a week, and tomorrow I'm heading to Rome for a communications seminar to help English-speaking religion correspondents do our jobs better. An audience and lunch with Pope Benedict XVI are on the menu and I am reading Tracey Rowland's excellent book in preparation, along with the Pope's own book, Jesus of Nazareth. Already I am terrified, growing in fearful understanding of precisely how little I know. Both books make abundantly clear what appear to be a central tenet of the Pope's life: that without Jesus and the Cross, there is nothing. I am also spending a lot of time explaining to friends why belief in a creator God does not make a person a Creationist, with reference obviously to the extraordinary and wonderful Sarah Palin. (I so loved the Peter Brookes cartoon in last week's Times, which showed a Moose looking out to the world from Alaska with the caption: 'Be afraid. Be very afraid.')