"Calling someone a coward via the internet isn't courage"
Discuss.
(context: a debate over whether MP's who spoke up for Brown to leave at Mondays meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party were 'courageous').
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Breaking News: Nobody Quit the Government Today
But it's only 10.45pm, 75 minutes to go. Anything could happen.
Rebels without a Commander
Tom Harris is the latest Labour MP to ask for Gordon Brown to go, along with Jane Kennedy, Frank Field, James Purnell, Caroline Flint, Stephen Byers, Charles Clarke, Siobhan McDonagh, Sally Keeble and Fiona McTaggart. There seem to be plenty of rebels, but many are acting alone.
Where is the leadership?
I'm reminded of a scene in Gladiator, where Russell Crowe (a former Roman army general, who
is now a slave gladiator) gets the slaves to work together as a team. They're chained and on foot, faced by soldiers on chariots, but by locking shields and working together, they win. The one or two who try to go it alone are cut to pieces (literally).
Gordon Brown seems to have faced down the possibility of a leadership challenge precisely because of lack of leadership from his opponents. Various MP's have spoken out or stood down, all hoping that their actions would precipitate a leadership election. But without leadership and strategy, these have just been a series of damaging, but isolated, incidents. Hopi Sen says a bit more about this.
Maybe it's a tacit respect for Brown that none of them will openly stand against him. Maybe it's a lack of nerve among his potential rivals. If anyone outside the current cabinet goes on to stand in a future leadership contest, they need to be asked "why didn't you stand in June 2009?" If courage fails them now, then what other tests will they balk at?
The other quality on display is loyalty: from the Damascene convert Peter Mandelson through to Alan Johnson, senior figures have made a point of rallying round Brown and speaking up in his defence. She's not my favourite politician, but Harriet Harman has led from the front in this, putting herself through 2 election nights in the TV studios to defend Brown and his record.
Loyalty is vital to success as a leader. If you can't take people with you, and have those who will take a bullet for you, then you won't last very long under pressure. It's significant that in the Bible, several leaders who go it alone fall away (e.g. Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah), whilst others learn to build a team (Moses, Elisha, Paul) and are able to see things through to the end. It takes time to invest in others, and to win their loyalty and trust, but once that's been done "a cord of three strands is not easily broken" (Ecclesiastes)
Where is the leadership?
I'm reminded of a scene in Gladiator, where Russell Crowe (a former Roman army general, who
is now a slave gladiator) gets the slaves to work together as a team. They're chained and on foot, faced by soldiers on chariots, but by locking shields and working together, they win. The one or two who try to go it alone are cut to pieces (literally).Gordon Brown seems to have faced down the possibility of a leadership challenge precisely because of lack of leadership from his opponents. Various MP's have spoken out or stood down, all hoping that their actions would precipitate a leadership election. But without leadership and strategy, these have just been a series of damaging, but isolated, incidents. Hopi Sen says a bit more about this.
Maybe it's a tacit respect for Brown that none of them will openly stand against him. Maybe it's a lack of nerve among his potential rivals. If anyone outside the current cabinet goes on to stand in a future leadership contest, they need to be asked "why didn't you stand in June 2009?" If courage fails them now, then what other tests will they balk at?
The other quality on display is loyalty: from the Damascene convert Peter Mandelson through to Alan Johnson, senior figures have made a point of rallying round Brown and speaking up in his defence. She's not my favourite politician, but Harriet Harman has led from the front in this, putting herself through 2 election nights in the TV studios to defend Brown and his record.
Loyalty is vital to success as a leader. If you can't take people with you, and have those who will take a bullet for you, then you won't last very long under pressure. It's significant that in the Bible, several leaders who go it alone fall away (e.g. Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah), whilst others learn to build a team (Moses, Elisha, Paul) and are able to see things through to the end. It takes time to invest in others, and to win their loyalty and trust, but once that's been done "a cord of three strands is not easily broken" (Ecclesiastes)
Agonising or organising?
Just started reading 'Breakout' by Mark Stibbe, on his experience in moving St. Andrews Chorleywood towards 'clusters' as a way of moving into mission. Interesting to hear his reflections on spending 4-5 years of being event-centred, organising big central events/courses for people to bring their friends to, but seeing frustratingly little fruit.
The church has moved towards clusters: groups of up to 50 based in neighbourhoods, workplaces etc., as lay-led missional communities - but I've not got to those chapters yet, but see p20-22 of the St. Andrews parish profile for the story, thanks to Richard Peat for the link.
Anyway, there's this very punchy quote from Leonard Ravenhill on page xv of the introduction:
"The church used to be a LIFEBOAT... now she is a CRUISE SHIP...We're not marching to Zion, we're sailing there with ease.
In the Apostolic church it says they were all amazed and now in our churches everyone wants to be amused. The Church began in the upper room despised, in the upper room with a bunch of men agonising, and it's ended up in the supper room with a bunch of women organising.
We mistake rattle for revival, and commotion for creation, and action for unction."
It struck me not just because it's a good quote, but because it's a bit too close to home for the way I like to do things, and the way I do mission.
The church has moved towards clusters: groups of up to 50 based in neighbourhoods, workplaces etc., as lay-led missional communities - but I've not got to those chapters yet, but see p20-22 of the St. Andrews parish profile for the story, thanks to Richard Peat for the link.
Anyway, there's this very punchy quote from Leonard Ravenhill on page xv of the introduction:
"The church used to be a LIFEBOAT... now she is a CRUISE SHIP...We're not marching to Zion, we're sailing there with ease.
In the Apostolic church it says they were all amazed and now in our churches everyone wants to be amused. The Church began in the upper room despised, in the upper room with a bunch of men agonising, and it's ended up in the supper room with a bunch of women organising.
We mistake rattle for revival, and commotion for creation, and action for unction."
It struck me not just because it's a good quote, but because it's a bit too close to home for the way I like to do things, and the way I do mission.
Monday, June 08, 2009
1 in 3 Want to Meet Jesus
Ok, spot the deliberate mistake in this Express article:
JESUS Christ is the dead person most Britons would love to meet, a study revealed yesterday.
Don't worry folks, you'll all get to meet him one day.... In the meantime, what a fantastic opportunity: if 1 in 3 really want to meet Jesus, then there's plenty of introducing we can do.
It's yet another poll to mark the launch of a commercial product, here's a bit more:
One in three of the 3,000 people polled picked the son of God. And Princess Diana – who was killed in a car crash in 1997 – was second.
Poet and playwright William Shakespeare was third, physicist Albert Einstein fourth and Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe fifth.
The poll of 3,000 people was conducted to launch ************ on DVD. A spokesman said: “These results show that Jesus Christ will always be the British public’s ‘Superstar’.
“But we were fully expecting Princess Diana to top the poll as she won the hearts of the nation and no one has ever really forgotten her place within the Royal family or the impact she made on ordinary people.”
Artist Leonardo da Vinci – best known for the Mona Lisa – took sixth place and Elvis Presley was seventh. Author Roald Dahl, singer Freddie Mercury and activist Martin Luther King complete the top 10.
Other news, Channel 4 has realised that saying 'oh my God' is offensive to Christians, and has given Kirsty Alsopp a good telling off for it. Can't wait until they start applying those standards to Big Brother..... This is remarkable, as C4 is normally the trailblazer for destroying whatever boundaries of taste and decency which exist on the main TV channels. Maybe it got bored of being outdone by Channel 5 and has decided to go the other way. Anyway, good for them. Blasphemous language is offensive to Christians, and we often just get so used to it that we stop bothering to complain. (telegraph version here)
JESUS Christ is the dead person most Britons would love to meet, a study revealed yesterday.
Don't worry folks, you'll all get to meet him one day.... In the meantime, what a fantastic opportunity: if 1 in 3 really want to meet Jesus, then there's plenty of introducing we can do.
It's yet another poll to mark the launch of a commercial product, here's a bit more:
One in three of the 3,000 people polled picked the son of God. And Princess Diana – who was killed in a car crash in 1997 – was second.
Poet and playwright William Shakespeare was third, physicist Albert Einstein fourth and Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe fifth.
The poll of 3,000 people was conducted to launch ************ on DVD. A spokesman said: “These results show that Jesus Christ will always be the British public’s ‘Superstar’.
“But we were fully expecting Princess Diana to top the poll as she won the hearts of the nation and no one has ever really forgotten her place within the Royal family or the impact she made on ordinary people.”
Artist Leonardo da Vinci – best known for the Mona Lisa – took sixth place and Elvis Presley was seventh. Author Roald Dahl, singer Freddie Mercury and activist Martin Luther King complete the top 10.
Other news, Channel 4 has realised that saying 'oh my God' is offensive to Christians, and has given Kirsty Alsopp a good telling off for it. Can't wait until they start applying those standards to Big Brother..... This is remarkable, as C4 is normally the trailblazer for destroying whatever boundaries of taste and decency which exist on the main TV channels. Maybe it got bored of being outdone by Channel 5 and has decided to go the other way. Anyway, good for them. Blasphemous language is offensive to Christians, and we often just get so used to it that we stop bothering to complain. (telegraph version here)
Wikio Top Religious Blogs in May
The latest Wikio blog rankings are out, with a new interface which only lets you see 20 blogs at a time, but it also means you get more detail on the blogs - it used to just be a list of names. That also accounts for the list being a bit longer this month, as I now have a slightly better idea of what some of them are about!....
Sites dealing with religion at various levels include:
29 Cranmer
92 Holy Smoke (Damian Thomson of the Telegraph)
103 Heresy Corner (blogs about lots of stuff, frequent posts on religion)
109 Bartholemews Notes on Religion
144 Bishop Alan
165 Mediawatchwatch as opposed to Mediawatch, which is much more worth a visit. I'll have to add the latter to the Wikio listings and see if it can overtake its cynical relative.
175 The one you're reading right now.
179 SPCK/SSG News Notes & Info
209 Virtue Online
214 Of Course I Could Be Wrong
225 Anglican Mainstream (which isn't a blog. Have I said that before?)
the headline list now goes up to 300, but I had to stop somewhere. Sorry if you were 226.
Sites dealing with religion at various levels include:
29 Cranmer
92 Holy Smoke (Damian Thomson of the Telegraph)
103 Heresy Corner (blogs about lots of stuff, frequent posts on religion)
109 Bartholemews Notes on Religion
144 Bishop Alan
165 Mediawatchwatch as opposed to Mediawatch, which is much more worth a visit. I'll have to add the latter to the Wikio listings and see if it can overtake its cynical relative.
175 The one you're reading right now.
179 SPCK/SSG News Notes & Info
209 Virtue Online
214 Of Course I Could Be Wrong
225 Anglican Mainstream (which isn't a blog. Have I said that before?)
the headline list now goes up to 300, but I had to stop somewhere. Sorry if you were 226.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Saturday, June 06, 2009
EA Games: We Can Do Better than God
Update: turns out that EA even faked a Christian protest to raise the profile of this story.
Nick Baines notes a story on EA Games, who surveyed 1000 11-16's to see what they knew of the Ten Commandments. Unsurprisingly, many couldn't name any of them.
Guess what, it's a publicity stunt to publicise Sims 3, their latest release. They're inviting gamers to re-write the 10 commandments, to see if they can improve on the originals.
And of course, it's being misreported. The survey found that those interviewed thought that most of the commandments were still relevant
Still relevant, in descending order, were: 1. Do not kill. 2. Do not steal. 3. Do not cheat on your partner with another person. 4. Do not envy others. 5. Respect your parents. 6. Do not accuse a person of something they did not do.
Pretty good for something over 3000 years old. But please don't sip your coffee before the next bit:
Found to be irrelevant to today’s British society were: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; Thou shalt have no other gods before me; Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image; Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
OF COURSE THEY THINK ITS BLEEPING IRRELEVANT IF YOU QUOTE IT FROM A 400 YEAR OLD TRANSLATION!
Electronic Arts suggests four replacements for the commandments deemed irrelevant, based again on results from the survey asking what respondents would do if they could “play God”: 7. Respect all people regardless of race, religion or sexuality. 8. Do not commit acts of terrorism. 9. Respect and protect the planet. 10. Do not be motivated by greed.
I'm stunned on several levels:
- That a games company somehow thinks it can do better than God.
- That the manufacturers of 'Left 4 Dead', 'Rise of the Witch King', and 'Dead Space', to name but a few, feel they're in a position to give moral guidance to anyone.
- Have another look at those new commandments. No.7 is summed up by the 6 'relevant' commands. No 8 is 'do not kill', and no 10 is 'do not covet'. That just leaves one 'new' command, which itself is a logical consequence of loving God and loving our neighbour.
And of course, EA games wouldn't want people resting on the Sabbath, they might find better things to do than buy their products, or use a plastic box to shoot aliens. Neither would they want people putting other things above God, just in case they found this whole exercise tacky, offensive and insulting.
My small collection of EA products is now going in the bin.
useful summary article here, debate here. I'll leave it to someone else to work out how many of the Ten Commandments would actually work as a Tweet, but I suspect it's nearly all of them.
Nick Baines notes a story on EA Games, who surveyed 1000 11-16's to see what they knew of the Ten Commandments. Unsurprisingly, many couldn't name any of them.
Guess what, it's a publicity stunt to publicise Sims 3, their latest release. They're inviting gamers to re-write the 10 commandments, to see if they can improve on the originals.
And of course, it's being misreported. The survey found that those interviewed thought that most of the commandments were still relevant
Still relevant, in descending order, were: 1. Do not kill. 2. Do not steal. 3. Do not cheat on your partner with another person. 4. Do not envy others. 5. Respect your parents. 6. Do not accuse a person of something they did not do.
Pretty good for something over 3000 years old. But please don't sip your coffee before the next bit:
Found to be irrelevant to today’s British society were: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; Thou shalt have no other gods before me; Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image; Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
OF COURSE THEY THINK ITS BLEEPING IRRELEVANT IF YOU QUOTE IT FROM A 400 YEAR OLD TRANSLATION!
Electronic Arts suggests four replacements for the commandments deemed irrelevant, based again on results from the survey asking what respondents would do if they could “play God”: 7. Respect all people regardless of race, religion or sexuality. 8. Do not commit acts of terrorism. 9. Respect and protect the planet. 10. Do not be motivated by greed.
I'm stunned on several levels:
- That a games company somehow thinks it can do better than God.
- That the manufacturers of 'Left 4 Dead', 'Rise of the Witch King', and 'Dead Space', to name but a few, feel they're in a position to give moral guidance to anyone.
- Have another look at those new commandments. No.7 is summed up by the 6 'relevant' commands. No 8 is 'do not kill', and no 10 is 'do not covet'. That just leaves one 'new' command, which itself is a logical consequence of loving God and loving our neighbour.
And of course, EA games wouldn't want people resting on the Sabbath, they might find better things to do than buy their products, or use a plastic box to shoot aliens. Neither would they want people putting other things above God, just in case they found this whole exercise tacky, offensive and insulting.
My small collection of EA products is now going in the bin.
useful summary article here, debate here. I'll leave it to someone else to work out how many of the Ten Commandments would actually work as a Tweet, but I suspect it's nearly all of them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)