Rowan Williams - 'Civil and Religious Law in England: a religious perspective'

Paul writes – Rowan Williams made our NZ television news last night (pretty rare) with reference to his lecture entitled: 'Civil and Religious Law in England: a religious perspective.'

Sean Winter, a Baptist, springs (as a number of thoughtful others have done) to Rowan Williams’ defence regarding his mis-reported comments on  Sharia law. Having skimmed Williams’ lecture (I’ll need to find some peace and quiet to digest it some more), all I can say is that the media (again) with one or two exceptions (here, for example, Paul Valley in The Independent helpfully ‘frames’ the issue) have let us down with poor reporting and the inevitability of ‘reporting’ by sound-bite and headline. Look, for example, at the context: foundation lecture at the Royal Courts of Justice! What kind of people would comprise the bulk of the audience?

Could the media do any more to polarize people and debate…?

Bishop James Jones of Liverpool makes a related point with reference to the mediahere.

Anyway, here’s Sean post. And perspectives from Kester Brewin and Ben Myers. The Archbishops press office comes out with a statement here.

“A simple point.  I really, really hope that before anyone, not least a Baptist, feels the need to pass comment or judgement on what Rowan Williams has to say about Sharia law, they will:

1.           Read what he actually says, rather than what the media reports.  The speech can be found here.  And if you read it and don't really understand it, then don't comment.

2.           Read 1 Corinthians 6.1-8.

3.           Remember that, if you think that exploring such complex issues is not something that a bishop should be doing in a 'Christian Country' then you may be some kind of Christian and you may even be some kind of Anglican, but you are no kind of Baptist.”

Comments

[Becky]

Nothwithstanding the deliberate polarising of debate by the media, an archbishop should be able to publicly communicate in a way that is understandable.
Secondly, even if the problem is with misunderstanding or misapplication of sharia surely there has to be a point at which
'accommodation with religious law codes' is simply unacceptable.

[Sean]

Hi Alan, Paul
Thanks for the link. This is all deeply depressing in so many ways, but the hope must be that, ultimately, the furore will help people to think through the issues.

[Gary Manders]

From my reading of his lecture Rowan has been carelessly misrepresented and misunderstood. Context is everything and his communication was to a room of jurists not to the general public perse. He was about opening up dialogue regarding difficult and sensitive issues. He remains for me a consummate public intellectual who is worth listening to.

[Becky]

Gary. Accepted. I just get frustrated that RW so hard to get to. I read the words of his lecture sequentially and still wonder if life is just too short for reading Rowan Williams. I'll leave him to you guys...

[Paul Fromont]

Hi Becky

Thanks for your comment. The challenge of accessibility (to RW’s writing and thinking) is a very real one… he’s no NT. Wright (who has the most remarkable gift of being able write and communicate extremely well across the whole spectrum – academic to people like me…)

I can thus empathise. RW (his writing) can be hard to engage with. I’m not wanting to act as his PR agent, but I guess I am an advocate; a friend. I don’t ‘get’ all that he writes, but I’ve decided over the years to persevere… there is too much wisdom to be gained. It can be a bit like panning for gold at times; lots of gravel and miscellaneous bits and pieces in the pan, BUT then every once in while a gold nugget… I must say that the more I engage in the often hard work of panning, the more nuggets I’m discovering. The effort is slowly being repaid. I think he walks an important middle-path; itself a significant characteristic of (some would increasingly say, a former and richer)Anglicanism.

With the exception of the likes of “Writing in the Dust, Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief”, and (maybe) “Silence and Honey Cakes: The Wisdom of the Desert” (the content of which was the 2001 John Main Seminar in Sydney), the majority of his books are written with the academic end of the spectrum in sight.

“Introductions” to Rowan’s thinking, and a little of his biography have also been useful, helping me ‘see’ things I’d missed, or simply wasn’t noticing or understanding. Examples of reasonably accessible “Introductions” would include:” Difficult Gospel: The Theology of Rowan Williams” by Mike Higton, and particularly, “Rowan Williams: An Introduction” by Rupert Shortt

Sean and Gary, thanks for dropping by…

[added 12th Feb - Mike Higton who is a lecturer in theology, Exeter university and is author of, amongst other things, "Difficult Gospel: The Theology of Rowan Williams" (mentioned above) and editor of "Wrestling with Angels (a collection of Williams' mostly academic essays), has written a good overview (summary and detailed) of Rowan's lecture. Higton's piece can be read here:
http://goringe.net/theology/?p=120 ]

[Becky]

Thanks for the info on introductions to RW. Have to say the current debate pressed the 'angry' button for me. Interesting response from senior church leaders (reported by the evil, manipulative media)at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/10/nsharia110.xml

[Gary Manders]

Hi Becky

Rowan is worth persevering with and Paul has highlighted some great places to start. I have it on good authority that in person he accommodates himself better to whoever he is talking to.