How important is the Archbishop of Canterbury in UK society?

Today the Church of England will be electing a new Archbishop of Canterbury to replace Dr. Rowan Williams.

A group of DC students and staff will be attending Dr. Rowan Williams speak at the Methodist centre: Westminster Hall on Monday. He is due to step down on the 31st December.

Dr. Williams has been a driving force for homosexual tolerance and inclusion in the Anglican community. His writings on the subject are widely influential and a popular study for Theology undergraduates. His most notable work Speaking Love's Name (1988) wrote about the sanctity of love. The premise of Dr. William's argument is that any love felt between two humans if love is for the right reason is love also with God. Therefore God can be present in any relationship where the core values of Christian worship are present. Dr. Williams went on to say that if you are in a dedicated, sharing, loving monogamous relationship then it does not matter what sex the couple comprise, just the bond between them.

This was and is a contraversial topic in the Christian community, especially when focused on the dichotomy between Catholicism and Anglican reflections on homosexuality within the Church. Dr. Rowan Williams has had a clear vision for the Church of England, one which has brought it into the C21st. Have a read of the linked articles and think of what challenges the Church of England might become faced with in the near future.

Jesus' wife?

There have been many attempts at clarifying whether or not Jesus of Nazareth had a wife. From works of fiction (The DaVinci Code) to coptic translations.

There is always a question of authority when approaching ancient translations. Not so much authority of the scholar who uncovers them, but the text itself. Language is fluid, words and meanings shift over time in order to keep up with constantly globalising cultures.

This particular text is dated to a similar time as one of the Gospel texts. When the Christian canon was compiled, in various attempts to agree on a doctrine, there were inevitably some texts which were left out.

However the legitimacy of this particular text is sincerely debatable. It is imperative that we approach theories like this with an academic hat on, one which enables rather than dismisses. If this text is indeed legitimate and seen as a historic document which teaches us more about the life of the protagonist Jesus then we need to be aware of the implications. If therefore this text is legitimate and was not included in the Christian canon, we must try and understand why it was not integral to the development of the Christian religion.

A guide to the Anglican lick:

Lawrence Edmonds a young man from Yorkshire was challenged by his mate to lick every Anglican cathedral in the UK. That's 64 cathedrals. You can follow his journey on Twitter.

I have to admit that this is a bizarre and unhygienic past time is a fantastic way to get to see the wonderful architectural, artistic and theological sights of the UK.

Lawerence is documenting his travels as he attends the 42 cathedrals in England, the 8 in Scotland, 8 in Northern Ireland and 6 in Wales.

In an age where the positive exposure of Christianity in the media is seldom frequent, it is fantastic to see a revitalised view of some of the nation's oldest and finest buildings. If you are interested in reading Theology at University, or indeed if not, don't be afraid to take up Mr Edmonds' example although not necessarily the licking of, but definitely the visiting and appreciating of the UK's cathedrals. Good luck to him as he strives towards his deadline of the 16th December this year.