More on Rowan Williams and Yesterday

Yesterday did indeed turn out to be a special day. But first about my little letter to Rowan.

If it seemed impertinent, be thankful I waited a few hours after first being alerted to the story when I read the Sunday Times. (It was on the front page, by the way.) I was steaming to the point I didn’t trust myself to write a blog post.

Now that I’ve slept on it, I’m convinced I and many others were right to be steamed about Rowan’s interview. What makes it worse is that it was with a Muslim publication. It is really “helpful” for the Archbishop of Canterbury to tell Muslims that their “Great Satan”, the U. S., is indeed the Great Satan? Rowan gave Muslim extremists a propaganda coup.

Still worse are his criticisms of Israel and its efforts to protect itself. Again the interview was with a Muslim publication -- what Rowan did is on the same moral level as complaining about Nigeria to a white supremacist publication.

It’s indefensible. Rowan Williams deserves every counterattack he’s getting for it.

---------

On more pleasant subjects, Pusey House did indeed do up Christ the King, including my first ever Solemn Te Deum, complete with a very impressive full 360 degree thurible swing.

I like the idea of ending the church year in a big way like that.

Later, Magdalen’s Advent service was excellent, even if it seemed a bit short at one hour. The highlight was the choir singing John Sheppard’s Christi virgo dilectissima from the Antechapel near the end of the service. The trebles soared and just about transported me up into heaven.