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Bishop Graham
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06 Mar, 2011 11:16 AM
I am greatly looking forward to following up discussions with sixth formers at Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset , later this week between 11.15 and 11.45am.
The 'Grilling' began when I visited the school and addressed the 6th Form on 28 January 2011, and now we have a chance to continue.
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Ninth live discussion Wed 9 March 2011, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset.
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Bishop Graham
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09 Mar, 2011 11:29 AM
Previously Canford wrote:
Why do no miracles happen now? lots of them happened ages ago but none now?
thanks. I think they do happen now eg I know of many people who believe that God has healed them through prayer. In the Bible, miracles tend to cluster around particular people, eg Moses, Elijah and Elisha and Jesus and Paul. New birth in Christ is a regular miracle that takes place all over the world.
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Ninth live discussion Wed 9 March 2011, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset.
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Bishop Graham
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09 Mar, 2011 11:30 AM
Previously Canford wrote:
Do you ever loose faith in God?
Great question. Not since my faith came alive at Oxford. Before then, as a teenager, I didn't think God was particularly interested in me or even interested.
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Ninth live discussion Wed 9 March 2011, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset.
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Bishop Graham
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09 Mar, 2011 11:41 AM
Previously Canford wrote:
thank you so much for all your answers so far! Really good for discussion - there are lots happening here at the moment. Next question - if God is so amazing, why does he allow suffering?
Heaviest question ever! I really don't know. That's not a cop out, but I believe three things about this: God is loving; God is all powerful; and yet suffering - even innocent suffering exists. The only clues to point to are God's gift of free will to people - sometimes we suffer before of do not treat ourselves well - and the cross of Christ. Jesus was totally innocent, but got smashed up on the cross - so God does not sit on the edge of the universe and twiddle his thumbs but, in Christ, got involved so much in his own creation that he suffered too.
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Ninth live discussion Wed 9 March 2011, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset.
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Bishop Graham
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09 Mar, 2011 11:22 AM
Previously Canford wrote:
Previously Bishop Graham wrote:
Previously Canford wrote:
Good morning! We are in the classroom and ready to start when you are..!
Hi. Looking forward to your questions.
1. What did you do before you became involved in the church?
Thanks. I had a gap year in the army in tanks. Went up to Oxford to read Law. Came to faith in my second term. Changed to theology after my first year. Had a gap year as a caretaker at a church in London.
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Ninth live discussion Wed 9 March 2011, Canford School, Wimborne, Dorset.
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Bishop Graham
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14 Dec, 2011 07:37 AM
Previously Abbeyfield School wrote:
Paul wrote: 'Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband has authority over his wife just as the Christ has authority over the Church.' (Ephesians 5:21) This implies that women are lesser than men. There are many stories in the Bible where females are very much the woman behind the central man in the story. However, the Bible also says, 'God created man in his own image... male and female, he created them.' (Genesis 1:27). This implies that all people are equal. How can two contrasting views exist in the Bible? Does this make you question the credibility of the Bible? Which view do you agree with?
Thanks. Great question. Women and men are designed to be equal - both are created in the image of God (Gen 1) and both are recreated in the image of Christ (Galatians 3:28). Sadly, there is sin in the world, and this leads to inequality. Women and men are different - thank goodness - in many ways. The teaching of the Bible develops throughout its period of writing and Jesus's attitude to women - of respect and welcome - is crucial.
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Twelfth live discussion Wed 16 November 2011, Abbeyfield School, Chippenham, Wilitshire.
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Bishop Graham
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16 Nov, 2011 11:19 AM
Previously Abbeyfield School wrote:
Is it possible for God to make an object too heavy to lift? Can he lift it?
Thanks. Great conundrum! God can make anything, but can't deny his character. He doesn't lift things himself, since he is spirit and does't have arms and legs.
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Twelfth live discussion Wed 16 November 2011, Abbeyfield School, Chippenham, Wilitshire.
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Bishop Graham
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16 Nov, 2011 11:39 AM
Previously Abbeyfield School wrote:
Why do you think God lets evil exist? Do you think it is part of soul-making and evil makes us better people?
Thanks. God does not want evil to exist, but wants us to respond to him in love. For love to be genuine, it has to be freely given. If there is freedom, then people can choose evil rather than good. Therefore, having evil is - if you see what I mean - a lesser 'evil' than not having freedom. Ireneaus, and following him, John Hick (in recent times) have written about life as the valley of soul making. This works to some extent. Muscles grow through use and moving against pressure. People can learn from suffering and suffering sadly also turns many people away from life. I can only point to the cross and there we see God initmately involved in the suffering in his own world.
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Twelfth live discussion Wed 16 November 2011, Abbeyfield School, Chippenham, Wilitshire.
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Bishop Graham
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16 Nov, 2011 11:16 AM
Previously Abbeyfield School wrote:
What are your views on homosexuality? Surely living in a multi-cultural society where the church is less influential on peoples beliefs has to affect how you feel about it? Do you think as times are changing that you are becoming more accepting towards it, and understand that it is a part of society - or do you feel just as opposed about it as ever?
I person a lly think the Bishop s Guidelines in the Church of Engl a nd, 'Issues in Hum a n Sexu a lity', form a good a nd b a l a nced reference point. These st a te th a t those who a re g a y in their sexu a l orient a tion a nd wish to be vic a rs a re welcome to be vic a rs but should be celib a te. They do not s a y the s a me a bout l a y people in the church ie th a t they h a ve to be celib a te. In a ll professions, le a ders a re held to be more a ccount a ble th a n others: judges a nd police h a ve to h a ve a higher st a nd a rd of l a w keeping th a n others; te a chers h a ve to h a ve a higher st a nd a rd of beh a viour with young people th a n others; simil a rly a cccount a nts concerning fin a nci a l integrity. So, the a bove distinction between vic a rs a nd l a y people seems to m a ke sense to me. It is a lso worth looking a t P a ul's First Letter to Timothy ch a pter 3, where he s a ys le a ders should be the husb a nd of one wife ie there were cle a rly people with more th a n one wife in the congreg a tion, but those could not be le a ders.
Oliver O'Donov a n h a s written a fine book, ' A Convers a tion W a iting to Begin: The Churches a nd the G a y Controversy' (SCM Press, 2009)
http://www.scmpress.co.uk/bookdet a ils. a sp?ISBN=9780334042105
This is a book of his online ess a ys which m a y be seen here
http://www.fulcrum- a nglic a n.org.uk/p a ge.cfm?ID=130
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Twelfth live discussion Wed 16 November 2011, Abbeyfield School, Chippenham, Wilitshire.
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Bishop Graham
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last modified
14 Dec, 2011 07:42 AM
Previously Abbeyfield School wrote:
When you think of God, what image do you have of him? Is he male or female?
Thanks. Neither. He is God and God is beyond gender. Sure, in using language we need to have a personal pronoun and 'He' is traditional, but that does not make God male. Jesus of Nazareth was and is - now glorified - male (as well as Jewish) and he taught us to pray to God as 'Father', but there are also 'mother' images of God in the Bible eg 'as a hen gathers her chicks so...' I've experimented with 'she' language for the Holy Spirit in the following, just to explore the difference in language. http://www.fulcrum-anglican.org.uk/?434
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Twelfth live discussion Wed 16 November 2011, Abbeyfield School, Chippenham, Wilitshire.
