The Curmudgeon

YOU'LL COME FOR THE CURSES. YOU'LL STAY FOR THE MUDGEONRY.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

God Gave Them Up Unto Vile Affections

The Bishop of Rochester continues to do his bit in the battle to reduce the Church of England to its well-deserved place as an object of slightly disgusted ridicule. Dr Michael Nazir-Ali addressed the Global Anglican Future Conference, an alternative forum in Jerusalem for Anglican bishops who are boycotting the ten-yearly mumble at Lambeth for fear of rubbing up against a homosexual. He spoke for three-quarters of an hour without a script, "mirroring the style of the Archbishop of Canterbury who often relies on a lone Post-It when delivering lengthy speeches"; hence no doubt the Archbishop's reputation for clarity, or "nuance" as it is termed by those more Christian than myself. Dr Nazir-Ali, who has called for the Church to "work explicitly for the conversion of Muslims" in the interests of urban noise reduction, claimed that "Western culture depends on Judeo-Christian heritage", much as modern technology depends on stone tools, and called on Christians to "pray we are able to recover our Christian nerve in the west"; though, since the present loss of Christian nerve has presumably happened according to the will of Him without whose knowledge a sparrow cannot fall, the queer-bashers may have to wait a while for service. He also worried about the "danger of captivity and capitulation", namely the very same doctrinal insouciance and moral expediency which have allowed the Anglican communion to attain its present size. "The future of the Anglican Communion is to be found in its authentic nature", accessible no doubt to God, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali and selected chums, rather than in "recently invented innovations or explanations". The elements which now bind the Church together "were based on good English manners, and in our world, English manners are not enough." On the contrary, Dr Nazir-Ali's delightful blend of belligerent self-righteousness, reactionary simple-mindedness and post-imperial megalomania constitutes an encouraging sign that traditional English manners are just as robust as ever they were.

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