Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from The Irish Times
Search on Sexuality
The autumn issue of the Church of Ireland journal Search, which will be published next week, is devoted to articles on aspects of human sexuality. Its appearance just a week before the publication of the report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion, chaired by Archbishop Robin Eames, is most timely.
The leading contributors are Dr Nigel Biggar, Professor of Theology in Trinity College, Dublin, who contributes an article from an ethical viewpoint, and Dr Alex Jensen, Lecturer in Divinity in the Church of Ireland Theological College who considers the biblical texts.
An African perspective is provided by the Revd Esther Mombo, from St Paul?s Theological College, Limuru, and a member of the Lambeth Commission, and from Dr Kevin Ward, who served with CMS in Africa and is now Senior Lecturer in African Studies in Leeds University. From the USA, Professor William Countryman of California reflects on the nature of the Anglican Communion in relation to doctrinal issues while the Revd Dan Webster from Utah offers an overview of the conservative anti-gay grouping in the USA.
There are also personal reflections from home and abroad including contributions from Archdeacon Gordon Linney, Dermot O?Callaghan, the Revd Tom Gordon and Malcolm Macourt.
Search is available from the Religious Education Resource Centre, Holy Trinity Church, Church Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin 6.
Tomorrow (Sunday) morning RTÉ will broadcast a Harvest Thanksgiving from St George & St Thomas? Church, Dublin, while in Whitechurch, Co. Dublin, the preacher at the Harvest Festival will be the Bishop of Shyogue, in Rwanda, the Rt Revd Jered Kalumba. At Evensong, in St Patrick?s Cathedral, the Archbishop of Dublin will preach at the BB Annual Founders Day Service, while in Cloneyhurke the Bishop of Meath & Kildare will dedicate the restored east window which has been refurbished with the assistance of the Heritage Council.
On Tuesday the Armagh Diocesan Synod will meet while the Dublin and Glendalough Synod will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in Taney parish centre. At both Synods there will be presentations of Visual Liturgy 4.0 which contains an electronic version of the new Book of Common Prayer. In the evening the first meeting of the Marsh Society for Michaelmas term will be held in the Theological College where Senator Martin Mansergh will speak on ?The Future of the Church and Politics?.
The General Synod Broadcasting Committee will host a Consultation on Diversity and Religion in Public Service Broadcasting in Church of Ireland House, Dublin, on Thursday. The consultation will bring together representatives from RTE, BBC and UTV, government and the churches and the speakers will include Christine Morgan from BBC Manchester, the TCD sociologist, Dr Andrew Finlay, and the London based media analyst, Dr Jim McDonnell.
In St Mary?s Church, Maynooth, on Friday evening the Bishop of Meath & Kildare will institute the Revd Janice Aiton to the Dunboyne and Rathmolyon group of parishes. Ms Aiton has been curate of St Andrews in the Episcopal Church in Scotland since her ordination in 2001. In St James? Church, Mallow, the annual service in commemoration of the patriot Thomas Davis will be held.
On Friday from 2.30 to 3pm there will be registration in St Patrick?s Deanery for the annual Jonathan Swift symposium which begins at 3.15 pm and continues through next Saturday. This year the symposium marks the third centenary of the publication of A tale of a tub and the principal speaker on Friday evening, who will address this theme, will be Professor Clive Probyn from Monash University in the Australian state of Victoria.
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