By Nasir Saeed August has always been an important month for Pakistan. It was on August 14, 1947, that Pakistan gained its independence. Founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah sealed it when he told the Pakistani Constituent Assembly: “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your [...]
For the Catholic Priest and writer, Henri J.M. Nouwen, writing about visiting a Trappist Monastery is more than a diary, a visit to a monastery, it is a statement of insight and inspiration by a writer who starts his book with the simple words, “Thanks be to God that I am here!” Like the report on his visit, his words are heartfelt. The title is descriptive and straightforward, like the book itself: “The Genesee Diary: A Report from a Trappist Monastery.”
A sincere, remarkable memoir by the writer, I was taken with his willingness to seek God and in his seeking come to terms with his life and relationship in Christ. Although it is a religious book, no doubt, the light hand of the well-known Henri J.M. Nouwen will not disappoint a wide readership. After all, this popular and well-regarded work has stood the test of time since it was first published, and, happily, is available again to a new generation of readers.
In his honesty, Nouwen says at one point about his conversations of spiritual direction with the Abbot John Eudes, “If I allowed no one but the Lord to determine my identity, would I know the Lord? Or is it a fact that even in my meditation I relate to the Lord as I relate to people–that is–by manipulation and projection.”
A CANTERBURY college has been deemed “not fit” for the training of candidates for ordained and licensed ministry. The Canterbury Local Ministry Training Scheme (CLMTS) received a verdict of “no confidence” in six areas and of “confidence with qualifications” in four areas. It obtained a vote of “confidence” in six other areas but the overall [...]
PAKISTANIS AFFLICTED by the floods are still in desperate need as aid is slow to materialize, with Christians especially vulnerable according to one charity. Open Doors UK & Ireland CEO, Eddie Lyle, said: “Many thousands of Christians are also caught up in the disaster. For some, the only place of refuge is their local mosque, [...]
Absence of Mind, Marylinne Robinson, Yale, hb, £16.99 (Buy it from the CEN Shop at www.churchnewspaper.com for just £11.98) What does it say about the novel if human consciousness is an illusion, no more than a tactic adopted by genes in their pursuit of survival? Marylinne Robinson, author of three novels likely to attain classic [...]
The Archbishop of Canterbury, on a visit to Uganda, has called for support for a paediatric in-patient unit in Kampala that is threatened with closure. The unit, which is run by the Mildmay Centre, hosted Dr Rowan Williams last Monday. While there he met with staff and spent time with HIV-positive children. However, when he [...]
The Bishop of Lancaster, the Rt Rev Geoff Pearson, will this weekend join housing campaigners sleeping rough on the steps of Lancaster Town Hall. The Bishop will unroll his sleeping bag in the city centre to help raise funds for a local homeless support centre, and to highlight the plight of the homeless. “I’m doing [...]
NEW PROPOSALS concerning how the Church of England lives out the Big Society are “not thought through” according to a leading trade union. UNITE said the Church of England’s drafted plans for a major extension to the pastoral work of parish churches could be “the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.” Earlier this month [...]
JEREMY PAXMAN has failed the test of GCSE and A-Level results, which showed that record numbers of students are celebrating success in Religious Education (RE). The University Challenge host told the Radio Times that Biblical literacy was poorer amongst contestants today. He said: “It’s interesting to see how, as years go by, they know less [...]
There are hard times ahead for all of us, as we face the ongoing impact of the recession as well as huge public spending cuts. The ecumenical organisation Church Action on Poverty fears that things will be hardest for those who are already vulnerable. At Church Action on Poverty, we aim to make sure that [...]
