Truro cathedral

The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown's book has provoked much discussion both within the Church of England and beyond. With the film has come even more debate and yet its director, Ron Howard, has said: "This is supposed to be entertainment. It is not theology. It should not be misunderstood as such."

Shortage of affordable homes, Bishop warns government

Speaking in the House of Lords the Bishop of Truro has highlighted the shortage of affordable housing for key public sector workers throughout the West Country and, more particularly, in the Isles of Scilly.

"There are plans to build (12 new homes in the Isles of Scilly), but the school has lost good teachers because of the difficulty about housing."

MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY

(Photo courtesy Allan Millar)

It is a disgrace that in the 21st Century so many people around the world are trapped in poverty.  The MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign is a global initiative to encourage us all to actually do something practical to change the status quo. If you saw the Vicar of Dibley special on New Year’s Day you will know that 2005 is set to be the year of the White Band. By wearing it you’ll be part of Make Poverty History, a unique worldwide effort to end extreme poverty not only in the Developing World but also here in rural Cornwall, still the poorest County in England.

Anglican bishops have together made a  commitment to mobilising their parishes, deaneries and dioceses to help the cause this year, noting that “..our Christian calling demands us to speak out on behalf of those without a voice and to challenge unjust structures that keep people poor,”  and I would add .. ‘at home as well as in the developing world.’

Apart from wearing a white band there will be plenty of occasions  through the year to show your support. 

Full information about the Make Poverty History campaign at www.makepovertyhistory.org ; the Trade Justice Movement at www.tjm.org.uk and the Millennium Development Goals at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/mdg/

Over the next 12 months a series of landmark meetings are taking place where world leaders can finally stop 30,000 people dying needlessly every day, just because they’re poor.

With our support extraordinary things are possible in 2005.

"Throughout history those Christians who sought to bring about political change have stressed the importance of and devoted themselves to prayer. Wilberforce and Shaftsbury pushed for great changes in the political and social landscape of their day and at the heart of their campaigns was prayer. In the last 50 years the testimonies of Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu are saturated with their reliance on prayer. To fully achieve our aims we need to begin by examining our own values and lifestyle and to be sustained by prayer together. May this Lent be very potent and remarkable for us all. ."

Canon Peter Walker, Canon Pastor at Truro Cathedral

Faith in a Civil Society

During Lent 2005,prior to the 2005 General Election, Bishop Bill invited several leading politicians to give us their 'take' on this fascinating topic. The Bishop gave the introductory talk and the text is avalable from the link below.

" Christian faith is clear; every single human being, regardless of class, religion, or status is made in the image of God and as such has infinite worth and dignity.  This principle lies behind our legal system.  But what happens in a culture in which belief in God has less and less significance and importance?  The great philosopher and ethicist Baroness Warnock admits “that without a belief in a God who has purpose for all human beings it is impossible to justify and explain why every human being is of infinite worth” and this is the difficulty with which our culture is faced."

Bishop Bill Ind, Bishop of Truro.