Comments on: Why Bird’s book is needed http://www.metacatholic.co.uk/2007/06/why-birds-book-is-needed/ a few graffiti on the wall of life Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:15:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Peter Davies http://www.metacatholic.co.uk/2007/06/why-birds-book-is-needed/#comment-43 Peter Davies Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:01:16 +0000 http://www.metacatholic.co.uk/2007/06/why-birds-book-is-needed/#comment-43 I start on shaky ground not having read Bird's book. However, a scan reading of the 'Report of ad interim, etc. Committee, etc.,' left a peculiar taste in the mouth. Academic theological research has left me in no doubt that if you publish material in which you shred and kebab another's work you offer the courtesy of a reply. I found none in this Report, which immediately raises doubts as to the authority of their analysis – it could be right, but their process smacks of weakness that might scrape by at Master's level but would not merit much beyond. This is a shame, because the Report's authors surely have the capacity to work to much higher and more disciplined protocols. In the film 'The Life of Brian', John Cleese's wonderfully portrayed character, Brother Reg, offers a picture of leadership that offers little, achieves nothing and appears risible to outsiders. I am not saying that sisters and brothers in Christ who take seriously the detail of the Westminster Confession are in a class with Bro Reg, but I would like to know how they sense the NPP/FV debate takes forward the Kingdom of God. The test I invite all of us engaged in the ministry of the Word, whether written, spoken or otherwise portrayed, is to reflect on whether we allow the Spirit to use our gifting to enrich and challenge those looking on whom we reasonably might believe to be not yet of the community of the faithful, whether taken by the definitions offered by followers of the Westminster Confession or those who take a different view. Those who determine this test to be invalid should address the challenge to establish the merit of the authority for their proposition that it is invalid. I start on shaky ground not having read Bird’s book. However, a scan reading of the ‘Report of ad interim, etc. Committee, etc.,’ left a peculiar taste in the mouth. Academic theological research has left me in no doubt that if you publish material in which you shred and kebab another’s work you offer the courtesy of a reply. I found none in this Report, which immediately raises doubts as to the authority of their analysis – it could be right, but their process smacks of weakness that might scrape by at Master’s level but would not merit much beyond. This is a shame, because the Report’s authors surely have the capacity to work to much higher and more disciplined protocols.

In the film ‘The Life of Brian’, John Cleese’s wonderfully portrayed character, Brother Reg, offers a picture of leadership that offers little, achieves nothing and appears risible to outsiders. I am not saying that sisters and brothers in Christ who take seriously the detail of the Westminster Confession are in a class with Bro Reg, but I would like to know how they sense the NPP/FV debate takes forward the Kingdom of God. The test I invite all of us engaged in the ministry of the Word, whether written, spoken or otherwise portrayed, is to reflect on whether we allow the Spirit to use our gifting to enrich and challenge those looking on whom we reasonably might believe to be not yet of the community of the faithful, whether taken by the definitions offered by followers of the Westminster Confession or those who take a different view. Those who determine this test to be invalid should address the challenge to establish the merit of the authority for their proposition that it is invalid.

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