It’s a scorcher! England’s unseasonal heatwave
England SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011
On Sunday
Joy for England
Wedding choice Brides’ favourite dress
No Retouching! Pupils get warning
An England fan shows their support in the stands as England came from behind to reach the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup yesterday. Match report: Back page
Tube calling Mobiles underground?
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England On Sunday
TV Pick of the week
Songs of Praise: 50 Amazing Years In an hour-long special Celebrating 50 Years, country music legend LeAnn Rimes and gospel diva Beverley Knight join superstar tenor Andrea Bocelli and voice of an angel Katherine Jenkins, pictured, for the Songs Of Praise 50th Birthday Celebration, recorded at Alexandra Palace in London. In the programme on Sunday 2 October at 5.30pm, almost 7,000 voices will raise the roof of the iconic building where television broadcasting first began, singing some of the most popular hymns featured over the years – including Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer, Angel-Voices Ever Singing and Jerusalem.
What the Sunday papers say
October 2, 2011
Mayoral candidates in fares war
Six charged with terrorism offences
The battle to be the next London mayor took a new turn this week as the previous incumbent, Ken Livingstone, made a vow to cut public transport fares by five per cent if he is re-elected next year. Speaking at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, he said that he would use a budget surplus of £728m to cut transport fares. However, analysts said that the surplus was often used for major infrastructure developments. And the current London Mayor, Boris Johnson, dismissed the proposal as electioneering. In a statement he said: “Every penny of TfL’s budget is accounted for to pay for the upgrade of the capital’s transport system. “It would be impossible to absorb the loss of revenue he suggests without a huge and damaging impact on TfL’s investment programme.” Earlier this month the Mayor announced fare rises of seven per cent from January 2012.
Six men from Birmingham have appeared in court charged with terrorism offences. The six were all with remanded some to appear at the Old Bailey while two others are to appear before Westminster magistrates. Irfan Nasser, 30, of Sparkhill, Irfan Khalid, 26, were accused of preparing for an act of terrorism, including visiting Pakistan for training in terrorism, making a martyrdom video and planning a bombing campaign. Police believe the men were planning a suicide bomb mission. Ashik Ali, 26, is accused of preparing for an act of terrorism, which involved planning a bombing campaign, providing premises for the planning of terrorist attack and stating an intention to be a suicide bomber.
Voodoo teacher struck off
Chest freezer suspected in worst fire
A teacher from Telford has been struck off the teaching register after she threatened pupils with a voodoo doll. Roslyn Holloway was accused of pulling the hair of one disruptive pupil and then wrapping it around the arm of a voodoo doll on a key ring. The General Teaching Council heard that she had been teaching pupils with special needs at the Lord Silken school in Telford until January last year. She now lives on the Shetland Isles. It was also revealed that Ms Holloway, who did not attend the hearing, had earlier been issued with a caution from the school for battery. Her interest in voodoo led to her discussing black magic and sticking pins in dolls with pupils, which the GTC said was inappropriate. The panel said the case represented a “significant abuse of trust and the violation of the rights of pupils, some of whom were vulnerable”.
A chest freezer is thought to have caused a fire at a home in Neasden, north west London, last Saturday morning in which six people died. The London Fire Brigade said this week that they were investigating the freezer, which was situated at the bottom of the stairs, although they had earlier ruled out a Beko fridge at the home as the source. Recently warnings were issued about a particular Beko fridge that is suspected to be a fire risk, but was not related to this fire, the worst house fire in the capital in over a decade. Assistant Commissioner for the LFB, Steve Turek, said: “Fire investigators will continue to piece together the tragic events of Saturday morning but early indications are that the fire was caused by a chest freezer in the hallway of the house. “This tragic event should focus people’s minds on how they can make their home safer.”
October 2, 2011
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Christianity ‘in decline’ By Amaris Cole AFFILIATION with Christianity is falling in Great Britain, according to figures announced last week. The Office for National Statistics asked respondents: ‘What is your religion, even if you are not currently practising?’ The Integrated Household Survey shows 69 per cent now associate themselves with the religion, compared to the previous year’s results of 71 per cent. This information correlates with latest
Woman ‘must not be allowed to die’ A HIGH COURT judge ruled this week that a woman in a ‘minimally conscious’ state should not be allowed to die. The ruling was welcomed by the Care Not Killing Alliance, representing over 40 organisations, which will prevent the removal of food and fluids from a severely brain-damaged woman. Justice Baker of the Court of Protection ruled that artificial nutrition and hydration should not be withdrawn in the case of M, a woman who is in a minimally conscious state as a result of an episode of encephalitis in 2003. Dr Peter Saunders, CNK’s Campaign Director said: “This is a wise and sensible decision which upholds the law and maintains present levels of legal protection for severely brain-damaged people. “This woman was not imminently dying and did have some degree of awareness. A decision to remove artificial nutrition and hydration from her with the explicit intention of ending her life would have crossed an important ethical boundary and placed the lives of other disabled people at risk.” “Any weakening of the law in this area would endanger the lives of vulnerable people and give encouragement to those who have an emotional or financial interest in their deaths. We welcome the clear signal that Justice Baker has given today.” However, although the woman indicated that she did not want her life to be sustained, the judge ruled that because she had not written her instructions. Her family were said to be devastated at the ruling. The judge said that the family ‘only ever had the best interests of ‘M’ at heart.
The condition explained In a minimally conscious state the person may have spontaneous eye opening and may visually track an object or another person around the room and have normal cycles of sleeping and ‘waking’. A person in a Minimally Conscious State is able to do at least one of the following: Follow simple commands; Answer simple "yes" or "no" questions, either verbally or using gestures; Speak in a way that can be understood; Act in a purposeful way, for example by pressing a button on a remote control to change a TV channel or by crying or smiling at appropriate times.
Church of England statistics that show church attendance is in decline. Christianity was chosen, irrespective of ‘actual practise or belief’, most strongly by people aged 65 and over, while those between 25 and 34 are shown to be the least religious. Results suggest Scotland has a higher rate of Christianity than England and Wales. A marginal increase for people identifying themselves as Muslim is shown by the ONS results, and ‘no religion at all’
was an option chosen by an increased number of respondents this year. With 420,000 individuals taking the questionnaire, this accounts for the largest pool of UK social data after the census. The survey also found that 1.5 per cent said they were gay or bisexual. The information was collected between March 2010 and April 2011, and also asked respondents questions concerning health, education, migration, housing and employment.
Bride’s favourite THE NATION’S dream wedding dress was revealed this week following a poll by UKBride.co.uk. The traditional, white ball gown style wedding dress with straps came in at second place, and the overall winner of 2011, was found to be the modern strapless ivory a-line style wedding dress. This wedding dress has evolved to become the nation’s favourite wedding dress style of 2011. There are new wedding dresses added to UKbride every day, and the new season is beginning soon, with lots of fresh designs.
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Pupils to be told about body image By Amaris Cole A FIGHT-BACK against the false images presented to children in the media has been launched by Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone. The teaching pack, developed by the not-for-profit company, Media Smart, contains material for primary school teachers to tailor a lesson for the 10-11 age group. Media Smart hopes to highlight techniques used in post-production, such as airbrushing, to help chil-
dren think critically about the images they are presented with. The Equalities Minister said one aim of this pack is to: “Take away some of the pressures that we know young people feel.” Ms Featherstone admitted that this will not be easy, however. “We are talking about a cultural change.” While many critics call for more legislation to stop companies presenting airbrushed images as truth, the corporations behind them are
not so keen for tighter regulation. A L’Oreal spokesperson said the company rejects the claim that images in beauty advertising contribute to low self-esteem. Instead, the company argues their products boost self-esteem and play a positive role in society. The launch of this teaching pack marks an important step by the government in their ongoing body confidence campaign. The new material is available for free on the Media Smart website.
Bristol welcomes new baby gorilla Bristol Zoo's newborn baby gorilla, which hasn't been named yet, is pictured with its mother Salome at Bristol Zoo Gardens.
Europe on Sunday
Asia on Sunday
German vote boosts hope for Eurozone
China kicks off new era of space exploration
Threat to boycott new wave of Egypt elections
Hopes of a rescue for the Eurozone were boosted this week when German legislators backed plans to extend the European Financial Stability Facility, despite widespread German opposition to the plans. Deputies voted by 523 to 85 with three abstentions to expand the size and scope of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), with Chancellor Angela Merkel surviving a test of her authority amid a backbench rebellion. Some had speculated that, while the vote was likely to be won, she would suffer a rebellion from her own party. Some even speculated that it could lead to a vote of confidence in the Chancellor or even fresh elections. Germany became the 11th of 17 eurozone states to agree to boost the 440-billion-euro ($590 billion) EFSF.
China took a major step this week in its plans to establishing a permanent space station. An 8.5 ton module, dubbed Heavenly Palace No 1, was launched in a rocket. The plan is now for a spacecraft to dock with the module in November, at a speed of 17,000 miles an hour. China hopes that the space station will be completed by 2020, when the International Space Station is due to be scrapped. This week’s launch is the latest step in China’s £2bn-a-year space programme, which also includes plans to put a man on the Moon and even land on Mars. Their ambitions may suffer setbacks, however, as science observers point out that the Asian giant is using decades-old technology.
Egypt’s planned elections may face a boycott from political parties unless the election law is amended, it emerged this week. Following the downfall of President Mubarak, a hastily arranged series of elections was announced, which are due to start next month About 60 political parties and groups, including the political wing of Egypt’s powerful Muslim Brotherhood, set a deadline of today for the military council to meet their demands. These include approving a law that would effectively prevent many Mubarak supporters from running for office.
America on Sunday
Africa on Sunday
Clinton furious as Syrians attack Ambassador US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has hit out at Syria after the American ambassador there came under attack. Supporters of President Bashar alAssad tried to storm an office in Damascus where the ambassador, Robert Ford, had just arrived Opposition figure Hassan Abdelazim, whom the US ambassador had arrived to meet, told AFP that the mob “tried to break down the door of my office, but didn’t succeed” during a siege that lasted two hours. Clinton immediately raised the issue ‘at the highest levels’ in Damascus and demanded that Syria take ‘every possible step to protect’ US diplomats. The ambassador and his staff were pelted with tomatoes, however, no one was hurt and Syrian security guards eventually cleared a path allowing them to leave.
For more regional news visit our websites at www.americaonsunday.com, www.europeonsunday.com, www.asiaonsunday.com, www.africaonsunday.com
October 2, 2011
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Mobiles on the Underground? By Amaris Cole AS NEW YORK is set to get mobile phone coverage extended down to the subway, some commuters in the UK are hoping that London will do the same. While it was previously one of the few places New Yorkers could escape from the constant beep of phones, the plan is to have coverage in all 277 subway stations by 2016. Many American overground trains there have etiquette signs about speaking quietly while making a call, and ‘quiet zones’ — carriages that are effectively mobile-free. The chief executive of the company bringing the mobile service underground, William Bayne of Transit Wireless, says
this will not be necessary for the subway. The steel-enforced tunnels are not expected to be able to give passengers reception, but the stations alone joining the high-tech age causes many to worry that they will be yet more accountable and expected to be contactable at all times. Mr Bayne therefore says it will predominantly only be tweets, texts and emails that will be sent, and so noise pollution will be kept to a minimum. One commuter in the Big Apple expressed fears of her dependence on a phone increasing even more. In today’s cautious world, there are also worries that using phones underground may lead to phones being used to detonate terrorist devises. At present, London does not have service on the tube as a whole, although a signal can be found at some tube stations. Rumours suggested there were plans to fit London with mobile signal as part of the city’s upgrade for the Olympics, with Boris Johnson’s blessing, but these appear to have been abandoned. Some credit this to fears that the only network that was bidding for the contract, Huawei, may be planning to hide spywear technology in the equipment it pledged to donate. Although this is not confirmed, there seems to be little progress in the plans. But does London want to lose one of the few remaining places where many seek refuge from the constant incoming tweets, texts, calls and messages? Our poll shows contrasting results. Although the benefits can be seen be many, as one builder wisely pointed out, if you had signal even while underground, there is literally nowhere that’s safe from your boss checking up on you.
Recipe of the Week
‘It would be good because you can check your emails.’ Emma
‘It would be convenient, because you can keep in contact. But I don’t want to hear other people’s conversations while I’m sitting on the tube.’ Marco
‘Depends, because if you’re going home early your boss will know, but if you get into trouble while you’re underground then it would be good. Swings and roundabouts.’ David
‘It would be good; I’m about to text my girlfriend to apologise because I’m in big trouble for not texting- but I couldn’t because I was on the train!’ Sam
METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F, gas mark 3). Tuck some sage sprigs into the body cavity of each partridge, reserving a few sprigs for garnish. 2. Heat the oil and butter in a flameproof casserole just large enough to hold the birds. Add the partridges and fry over a moderately high heat for 3–4 minutes, turning until evenly browned. Lift the birds out of the casserole and set aside. 3. Add the onion to the casserole and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well to mix with the onion, then add the cider, stock, mustard and seasoning to taste. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Add the walnuts.
Pot-roasted partridge with sage INGREDIENTS Ready in 1 hour 25 mins Prep: 10 mins Cook: 1 hour 15 mins Serves 4 4 partridges 15 g (1/2 oz) fresh sage 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 15 g (1/2 oz) butter 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp plain flour
300 ml (10 fl oz) dry cider 150 ml (5 fl oz) chicken stock, preferably homemade 2 tsp german mustard 3 pickled walnuts, about 45 g (1 1/2 oz) in total, thinly sliced 1 red-skinned dessert apple, cored and cut into thick slices salt and pepper
4. Return the partridges to the casserole, breast side down. Cover the casserole and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour or until tender. 5. Lift the partridges out of the casserole and place on a warmed serving plate. Cover and keep hot. 6. Set the casserole on top of the cooker and boil the cooking liquid for 5 minutes or until reduced by onethird. Add the apple slices for the last 2 minutes of cooking. 7. Spoon the apple slices around the birds and garnish with the reserved sage sprigs. Serve with the sauce.
Wine of the week Calvet Sancerre 2010 £9.99 (on 25% reduction until 11 October) Sancerre is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire: in wine terms that part of the great river when it broadens and and great castles appear on its banks. (The departément of the Loire is where it begins, near Lyon: our wines come from further west.) Fifteen villages have the right to call their wine Sancerre. This has been bottled (screw-topped) by Calvet, a very old established (1788) Bordeaux wine company, (a name to be seen on many reds from there) now in the hands of one of the largest drinks companies in France. Our wine, clear white in the glass, has a floral bouquet, yet behind it, something of wet green nettles. Sancerre is a benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc, a cooler climate, the soil, chalk and pebbles, usually giving a touch more sophistication (New Zealand can compete well, though its fruit is more tropical). Here on the palate, the emphasis is on fresh sharp crispness, classic green gooseberry and clean citrus fruit, backed with mineral hints too. Serve well chilled, for maximum invigoration. The finish ends with a spreading burst of flavour. Alcohol by Vol.12.5%. Try with poultry, fish, seafood, sushi, or as an aperitif. Graham Gendall Norton
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Catherine Fox
A novel view of the week
Relatively crazy For reasons that aren’t at all obvious, it’s possible these days to pass yourself off as a cultured person if you read novels, listen to the Today programme and keep abreast of what’s happening in Ambridge. You don’t have to know about quantum mechanics as well. By contrast, scientists who can’t tell you who wrote Moby Dick are ignoramuses. It’s not fair, but there we are. Unless a new law is passed outlawing ‘Incitement to Academic Contempt’, non-scientists will not be required to stop sneering and mug up on the human genome. Secretly I’m in awe of scientists. Especially scientists who deal in mathematical concepts so complex that they contain more letters than numbers. Heck, I find numbers bad enough. I had to borrow my son’s calculator to add up a column of numbers recently. It was far too clever for me. Obviously, the fact that each time I totted up I arrived at a different answer was my own fault. But when it presented me with some vast hideous fraction, I panicked and ran to my son for help. He looked at me in surprise and said, ‘Well, that is more mathematically accurate.’ A line I have committed to memory for future tax returns and Student Finance. Furthermore, the world of science —
particularly physics — is jolly exciting at the moment. Recent results from Cern appear to indicate that there are particles that travel faster than the speed of light. Faster than the speed of light! If you are struggling to grasp the sheer eye-popping enormity of this, it’s like discovering that a bunch of chimpanzees with typewriters really did write the complete works of Shakespeare — in the tomb where the body of Jesus of Nazareth has just been found. It is so mind-boggling that it has to be a mistake. A spokesman from Cern said: “We are not claiming things, we want just to be helped by the community in understanding our crazy result because it is crazy”. But there’s something very attractive about the idea. Every so often physicists appear to be reaching a stage where they can say, ‘Well, apart from a spot of tidying up, I think that’s us about done. Pub, anyone?’ Just need to dovetail quantum mechanics with special relativity, and we can put our feet up and read Moby Dick. My own theory about the astounding results is that they are being skewed by Swiss hyper-efficient timekeeping. If scientists fire the neutrinos from Italy to Geneva instead, the particles will probably arrive late.
PRIZE CROSSWORD No. 766
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Sweltering in September Well, no sooner do I devote my column to the subject of Siberian temperatures than we are catapulted into an unexpected heat wave. If you send me a large amount of money I will try it again — perhaps if you are planning some big open-air event that would be ruined by rain. I shall of course tithe any donations you care to make. It’s gorgeous here in Lichfield at the moment. I gather the rest of you have had a miserable summer, but here in the West Midlands we’ve had a drought. The water levels in Stowe Pool are about a metre lower than usual, and we’ve had a bumper crop of walnuts in our back garden. Normally the squirrels get the lot before they’ve had a chance to ripen, but this year we’ve had a bucket full so far, and there are more to come. I went out for a run this morning, as is my custom. I go out in rain or shine, or even snow; but it was particularly enjoyable today. I expect this was partly because I’ve just got a new pair of trainers. Running shoes, I mean, rather than a duo of sporty young male fitness trainers, which I would not be able to afford. To be honest, I can barely afford running shoes, but I’d reached the point where I urgently needed to replace the battered old Nike Air pair I had inherited from my younger son. The things no longer matched each other. I was sporting one Nike Air and one Nike Punctured, with the result that when I ran the sound effect went: Clump-pssh!-clumppssh! and pedestrians were leaping aside in alarm, thinking that some kind of badlyengineered steam-powered android was bearing down on them. Jogging etiquette is a strange thing. You do not have to greet pedestrians and dogwalkers, but it’s polite to acknowledge your fellow runners. Unless the person running in the opposite direction is clad top-to-toe in athletic skins and looks like they are training for the 2012 Olympics, in which case they will be in their zone and it’s rude to distract them. You can also safely ignore people running iPods. When overtaking other joggers, it’s courteous to act as if you haven’t noticed them lumbering along like a combine harvester. Do not shout, ‘Pick your feet up, fatty!’ as this may undermine their confidence. And remember: stay humble, you are only ever 400 donuts away from obesity yourself.
Close Encounters — Birdsong on Cathedral Close I heard a chiff-chaff this morning. I imagine it was just gearing up for the long journey south for the winter. There’s not much by way of birdsong this time of year. Robins and wrens are still singing, rooks are still cawing, but it’s not like spring. Partly to make up for this, I’ve begun generating some cheery tweeting of my own. So if you think that following me is compatible with following Jesus, you can now do so on Twitter @FictionFox. For those of you who haven’t a clue what that last sentence meant, Twitter is a brilliant means of wasting time when you should be writing your column for The Church of England Newspaper. Twitter-users ‘tweet’ and tell you what they are up to in 140 characters or less. Or indeed — if they are pedants — 140 characters or fewer.
..will not take a strong ___ (Ezek 17:9) (3) Covered walks in monasteries (9) Another name for Song of Songs (6) Very cold, like the blast in Psalm 147 (3) Fracture (5) The Lord’s understanding has none, says Psalm 147 (5) Summary of Christian principles in the form of question and answer (9) In Genesis ch. 27 Jacob’s was smooth (4)
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Vessel carrying Jonah in Jonah ch. 1
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(4) One of 150 sacred songs comprising an OT book (5) King of Gerar in Genesis ch. 20 (9) Deed done by an apostle ? (3) Maritime disaster in Ezekiel ch. 27 (9) Colour of the donkeys in Judges ch. 5 (5) Large boulder in Gibeon in 2 Samuel (5,4) ch. 20 Isaiah ch. 19 predicts that the weavers of this lose will cloth hope (4,5) Contravene the eighth commandment (5) ..put on the armour of _____ (Rom 13:12) (5) How a lame man's
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legs hang, according to Proverbs ch. 26 (4) Insane, like the nations who drank Babylon's wine in Jeremiah ch. 51 (3)
Solutions to last week's crossword Across 5 Stamp 8 Reliable 9 Range 10 Careless 11 Psych 14 Oar 16 Willow 17 Orphan 18 Law 20 First 24 Prudence 25 Strip 26 Lifeline 27 Frogs Down 1 Brick 2 Glory 3 Table 4 Elisha 6 Transept 7 Magician 12 Minister 13 Blessing 14 Owl 15 Row 19 Afraid 21 Adder 22 Anvil 23 Jewel
The first correct entr y drawn will win a book of the Editor’s choice. Send your entr y to Crossword Number 766, The Church of England Newspaper, 14 Great College Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 3RX by next Friday
Name Across 5 7
Item tied around Aaron in Leviticus ch. 8 (4) ..led him on _________
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through the city (Est 6:11) (9) ..built true to _____ (Amos 7:7) (5) External form (5)
Address Post Code
October 2, 2011
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England On Sunday
Tenko retains its power after all these years Tenko - The 1st Series (Acorn Media) Many readers will remember the BBC’s ground-breaking drama about a disparate group of women from Singapore, who were captured by the Japanese during World War II and kept in prisoner of war camps for three years. Its strength is the way that it takes a cross-section of society and levels the classes. A Colonel’s wife has to learn to live with the working class; an officious doctor has to work alongside two of her nurses that end up in the same camp; and racial prejudices are rendered pointless. All have to sleep on bare boards, fight off various bug bites and endure the unsanitary horrors of the camp. Adding to the stresses are a pregnant woman and others with children. The preview copy only included three episodes, but they certainly left a hunger for more. They are strong on the back story of a British colony that is run by a casual and unprepared elite, whose privileged wives have little to do all day but gossip and go to tea dances. Other women who end up at the camp include a stubborn nun and a working class housewife. The series came indirectly from the story of a woman who spent time in such a camp and this leads to a highly realistic account of being treated as “fourth-class women”, as the commandant puts it. Tenko, which means “roll call” in Japanese, shows the compromises, ingenuity and intimacy that war brings about in those who try to survive in the face of brutal taskmasters, disease and deprivation. The series has received remarkable acclaim from many viewers and critics. Yesterday TV channel voted it the ‘mostrequested TV series to be re-screened’ and it is not hard to see why. Derek Walker
The only way to God? Only One Way? Gavin D’Costa, Paul Knitter, Daniel Strange SCM, pb, £25.00 Gavin D’Costa is a Roman Catholic theologian who first made his mark with a penetrating critique of John Hick’s pluralist theology. He has continued to publish works on the relationship between Christianity and other religions for over 25 years. Equally well known is Paul Knitter, also a Roman Catholic, who has been publishing books for as long as D’Costa but who argues for a position that is close to that held by Hick. In this new book they join with Daniel Strange to conduct a vigorous but friendly debate on the dialogue between Christian theology and other religions. Although he has published other books, Strange, who teaches at Oak Hill, will be a newcomer to many readers. He argues from a Reformed position and draws particularly on a Dutch Reformed missiologist, JH Bavinck. Although the book is described on the cover as ‘an excellent introduction to the theology of religions’ the papers are quite demanding and do cover new ground. They can be read as an introduction to the subject but they should also appeal to theologians who already have a good grasp of the issues.
The book takes the form of three position papers followed by two rounds of responses. At the end of the dialogue all three protagonists are left with questions to answer. D’Costa is determined to uphold the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on this issue but the final impression left by his contributions is that there is a degree of confusion about what this position actually is. On the one hand D’Costa would have us believe that while there are elements in other religions that amount to a ‘praeparatio evangelica’ there are also elements that are dangerous and wrong so that these religions cannot be a means of salvation. But on the other hand D’Costa quotes John Paul II’s view that ‘God offers to every man the possibility of being associated with the Paschal Mystery’. Since, as Rahner pointed out, grace comes to us through historical mediation, this might seem to imply that other religions are salvific, a conclusion ruled out by Dominus Iesus. D’Costa’s solution to the problem is to argue that salvation will come through a post-mortem encounter with Christ. Although at one point he makes a positive reference to Jacques Dupuis, D’Costa never considers Dupuis’ argument that Christ the Logos is active in other faiths as well as the Holy Spirit. Paul Knitter is never able to shake off the accusation that he is judging Christianity by what D’Costa terms ‘Kantian exclusive modernity’ or ‘universal modern liberalism’. As with Hick, Knitter
espouses a position that claims to be pluralist but is, in effect exclusivist, by ruling out many of the truth claims of practically all the major religions. D’Costa is right to question how far Knitter’s symbolic use of language really does follow Rahner and Strange makes telling points against what he terms Knitter’s ‘Buddhist–Christian panentheism’. How, he pertinently asks, can the impersonal ‘Inter-Being’ who takes the place of the Biblical God in Knitter’s theology, be the basis for rationality and knowledge or display personal characteristics of love and patience? Somewhat reluctantly Strange does concede a positive role for other faiths in that God may use them to ‘teach’, ‘edify’, or ‘rebuke’ the Church but by and large the view he offers is negative about the other religions. We must be careful about speaking of ‘truth’ in them and be alert to the danger of the human mind suppressing what God teaches in General Revelation and even twisting what is taught there into idolatry. Strange cannot follow D’Costa in hoping for a second chance after death. All who die without faith in Christ are lost. Although this is far from Strange’s intention, it is hard to see how this approach could nourish a fruitful dialogue with the followers of other faiths or promote good interfaith relations. There are resources in the Reformed tradition for a more generous approach than this. Paul Richardson
Red State and the extremes of religious belief Kevin Smith is best known for outrageous comedy but also, as a lapsed Roman Catholic, he came up with the funny and theologically literate Dogma. This gave us the concept of the “buddy Christ” – an image that’s been used by this newspaper but was the subject of a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority, upheld, when Phones4u used a version of it in an Easter advertising campaign. Smith’s latest film, Red State (cert. 18), is a siege movie based on Waco but referenced to the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. Among other noxious activity, they picket funerals of gays, and of soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. In Red State a similar group, the fictional Five Points Church, likewise led by an elderly preacher and backed by many family members, are going somewhat further by kidnapping and killing gays. They use the Internet for what 70s cult the Children of God used to call “flirty fishing”, not as a recruitment tactic, but for entrapping victims for murder. Three high school boys (Michael Angarano, Nicholas Braun, Ronnie Con-
John Goodman stars in Red State
nell), having found on the internet a local woman (Melissa Leo) willing to satisfy them all, head out to her trailer home, side-swiping a badly parked car on the way. That’s the local sheriff’s car, and he’s nursing his own guilty secret. In their fortified compound, the Five Points Church maintain their basic theological stance – God hates you. Taking as
his text “I hate them that hate thee” (Psalm 139) the paterfamilias Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) preaches to his extended family then ushers the children out before the “grown-up business”. That involves the boys, drugged by the woman in the trailer and imprisoned. The chance of escape seems small, but Travis (Angarano) finds the church’s arsenal (significantly more elaborate than the whole armour of God) and the siege begins, with ATF officers surrounding the
building. They’re led by Joseph Keenan (John Goodman), whose attempt to contain the situation is scuppered by the triggerhappy sheriff (Stephen Root), and Keenan’s unseen superior gives him orders that he is reluctant to carry out. The ending is very weird as ear-splitting trumpet blasts could herald the Rapture. Cooper and his family treat it as such and the real explanation doesn’t convince, written into an epilogue as Keenan faces discipline for the way the siege was conducted. More effective is the scene where Keenan is woken in the early hours to deal with the crisis. It’s a one-way conversation, his boss unheard on the other end of the telephone, and provides the line that the church in the story are not like the Phelps family who run Westboro church who are “sewers not doers” (thus making a point while avoiding litigation). Smith actually invited the Phelps family to a screening. They came with children in tow and soon walked out, and also picketed the film at the Sundance Film Festival, where Smith had his own banners, including “God hates rainy days and Mondays”. Smith’s attitude to fundamentalism is plain, but Goodman gets a throwaway line about his own belief, and if Cooper preaches a gospel of hate there’s a backhanded approval of the idea that God loves you. If the budget had run to the special effects needed, Smith says the ending might have been the real Second Coming, and that would have been interesting. Steve Parish
E8
October 2, 2011
www.englandonsunday.com
Sport
On Sunday
City’s comfortable win
Saturday’s results 1 Man Utd 7 2 Manchester City 7 3 Newcastle 7 4 Chelsea 6 5 Liverpool 7 6 Aston Villa 7 7 Tottenham 5 8 Stoke City 6 9 QPR 6 10 Nor wich City 7 11 Everton 6 12 Wolves 7 13 Arsenal 6 14 Sunderland 7 15 WBA 7 16 Swansea City 6 17 Wigan Athletic 7 18 Fulham 6 19 Blackburn 7 20 Bolton 6
19 19 15 13 13 11 9 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 5 5 5 4 4 3
Everton Liverpool
2 4
Aston Villa Wigan Athletic
2 0
Blackburn Rovers Manchester City
0 4
Manchester United Norwich City
2 0
Sunderland West Bromwich Albion
2 0
Wolverhampton Wanderers Newcastle United
1 2
Manchester City 4 Blackburn Rovers 0 Manchester City secured a comfortable Barclays Premier League win at Blackburn Rovers. Mario Balotelli capped a brilliant performance with a 59thminute goal while other second-half strikes from Adam Johnson, Samir Nasri and Stefan Savic eased City home. Blackburn's best chance fell to substitute Mauro Formica late on but it was not enough for the home fans. Balotelli was looking by far the liveliest of City's attacking options, particularly when Sergio Aguero limped off injured on the half-hour. Rovers had started solidly enough but it quickly became apparent they would have to guard against City's speed and sharpness, with Chris Samba cutting out a dangerous Vincent Kompany cross. The visitors had their first real chance in the 10th minute when David Silva cut into the box from the left and his cross was parried by Paul Robinson into the path of Balotelli, who blazed over. scampered over Rovers responded two minutes later with a swinging cross from Morten Gamst Pedersen on the left, which was aimed for the head of Samba before being cut out by Joleon Lescott. Junior Hoilett's pace troubled the City rearguard in the 16th minute as he scampered over the half-way line and sent Yakubu on the left, but he was denied by a fine challenge by Milner. For all their neat possession, Mancini's men were struggling to unduly threaten the Rovers defence, with Silva guilty of spooning a 25th minute halfchance high over the bar. City's striking options, already diminished by the suspension of Carlos Tevez, were further hit when Aguero limped off with an apparent groin strain. Nasri came on to replace Aguero, and his first act was to screw a low shot towards the Rovers goal which was deflected
England through to quarter finals England 16 Scotland 12
out for a corner by David Goodwillie. City's inability to find the cutting final ball surfaced again in the 35th minute when a fine move involving Milner and Nasri petered out when Samba beat Balotelli to a clearance in the box. looked sharper Balotelli stepped up his game towards the end of the first half, flashing a curling 37th minute effort wide then zipping in front of Samba to shoot into the side-netting. City looked sharper at the start
of the second half, with Silva shooting across the face of goal moments after the restart, then Balotelli driving a right-foot shot against the post. City finally broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when Johnson picked up a half-cleared Kolarov corner on the edge of the box and swung a superb left-foot shot into the top corner. And Manchester City extended their lead three minutes later when Balotelli got the goal his performance deserved, stealing in front of Steven Nzonzi to prod
home a cross from the left by Nasri. Nasri swept home City's third in the 74th minute after good work from Silva in the box. Substitute Mauro Formica forced the first real save out of Joe Hart with 15 minutes left on the clock then Yakubu blazed high over the bar but it was all in vain. City scored their fourth three minutes from time when Nasri sent in a corner from the left and substitute Stefan Savic bundled the ball home through a crowded box.
Wing Chris Ashton scored a lastgasp try to hand England their fourth win of Rugby World Cup 2011 with a 16-12 win over Scotland at Eden Park in Auckland, cementing Martin Johnson's side a place in the quarter finals against France. The Northampton Saints flyer dived over for his sixth try of the tournament after collecting replacement fly half Toby Flood’s excellent long pass, which cut out three covering defenders. Flood added the extras with a pinpoint kick from the touchline. Scotland had the best of the opening 40 minutes and led 9-3 at half time through a penalty apiece from full back Chris Paterson and replacement fly half Dan Parks, who also slotted a drop goal with the last action of the half. In between England fly half Jonny Wilkinson, who had earlier missed three penalties in five minutes, briefly reduced the arrears to 6-3 by slotting his fourth penalty. In the second half the boot again dominated, with Paterson stretching Scotland’s lead to 12-3 with an early penalty. But England’s record points scorer Wilkinson found some form to keep his side in touch with a drop goal and a penalty. England's scrum was suddenly beginning to function as the half wore on and Scotland were put under pressure in their own 22 but Wilkinson failed to take advantage as he saw a poor dropgoal effort go wide. However, Scotland really should have scored a try on 52 minutes. Simon Danielli chipped over and, although Ben Foden managed to get his hand to the ball it spilt loose, Nick de Luca could only knock on with the tryline at his mercy.