From Ireland-Isn’t it remarkable how so much discussion in our churches these days centres on sex?
Mention the words “Catholic Church” anywhere these days and the immediate thought is “child sex abuse”, and/or “contraception/homosexuality/divorce/ abortion”. Mention “Anglican” and what springs to mind is probably either “gay clergy” or “women bishops”.
Maybe it is this very public wrestling with such issues by a generally older, mainly male clergy and a greying laity that has turned young people away. Our churches appear dominated by thinking that is resolutely stuck in the mid-20th century.
Signs of the times
The churches refuse to read the signs of the times. Who was it who said, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast’. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times”? Oh, it was that chap Jesus, wasn’t it?. His, of course, was not an exhortation to become dedicated followers of fashion. Rather, it was encouragement to take on board the insights of the day.
More here-
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2012/1229/1224328242472.html
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