Reverend Jules Gomes has interviewed the Reverend Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain of the Queen of great Britain, who was forced to resign after could not stand reading the Quran in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow. This happened in the feast of the Epiphany and became, in his opinion, the open denial of the divinity of Christ.
Jules Gomez: Most people belong to the Queen as “defender of faith”. Don’t you find it ironic that one of her chaplains had to leave the service for performing this function on behalf of Her Majesty?
Gavin Ashenden: Yes, this is indeed a paradox. But this can be partially explained by the fact that “genetically” Christian is a monarchy, not the country as a whole. The monarchy will face difficulties in preparing for the coronation of Prince Charles to the sad moment when our Queen dies. Atheism will try to destroy the powerful Christian content of the process of the coronation; and Islam is likely to declare their desire to be in some way recognized.
The previous Bishop of Oxford foolishly suggested that Muslims need to create the conditions for reading the Quran at the coronation. Since the Koran is based on the refutation of the statements about the view of Jesus as made flesh of the word, which seems completely contradictory and objectionable. The coming struggle for the integrity of Christianity, provoked by questions that bring Christian coronation ceremony in the context of so-called multiculturalism of Britain. I can see why advisers are concerned about the future of the monarchy. The weakening of Christianity, in my opinion, achieve anything. This is wrong in fact, and foolish in practice. Board akin to the Vikings for ending the raids on England — and look what it led to.
— Many consider you one of the best priests of the Anglican Church. For many years your Ministry has absorbed the elements of journalism, science, preaching, education and pastoral care. Given the desire of the Anglican Church clergy to assist the diocese, as recognized by me in Lambeth Palace the Archbishop Justin Welby, I could not help but think about what you long ago should have been a Bishop. But instead you leave behind. How to explain it?
— You are extremely generous. I was among those who was intended as the Bishop. A poor outcome seems guaranteed my flaws combined with the fact that, as I found out, had sufficient effect to counter my candidacy. The Anglican Church is the rich blend of the spiritual and the political. If you make political enemies, your face to someone not to their liking or you are not able to accept secular values, before you close doors that otherwise would be open. One of the senior bishops invited me to the House of Lords for tea to tell about the end of my service in the Church of England due to the intransigence of my, as he put it, “critics”.
— You were against the ordination of women priests. Was there opposition from the hierarchy of the Church of England?
— I passionately believe in women’s Ministry. Women, I believe, are often much more open to the Holy spirit than men. But the Church reflects the way God used the sex of the person to reveal himself to us. Jesus announced God our father, and the son, entirely dependent on the role of his mother, in the name of saving the world. Bishops and priests represent the father. At the same time the reproach of motherhood — the gift by which women become co-creators of the Father — means that gender relations in the Church world have appealed to the language of status and power. The hierarchy of the Anglican Church is so politicized that the role of feminists more significant than, for example, the theologian or baptized Christian.
— Why do you think the Church of England is afraid frankness of his priests?
Upstanding righteous priests represent the life in the Holy spirit, revealing the limits of political power. The Anglican Church gets along much better with politics and power than with the Holy spirit, which explains the difficulties faced as Wesley and Newman. What greater spiritual weakness shown by the clergy, the more they delve into politics. Im scared to go back to the service out of fear of exposure, because somewhere deep in their souls lives the realization that they do not rely more on the Holy spirit.
— Do you agree that the Church of England is reducing the number of their clergy?
— I certainly think that the Holy clergy makes one feel uncomfortable those who have reached the senior ranks of the Church. They makes us all feel a little uncomfortable. The answer is to learn from them, not to silence them or destroy.
— Monsignor Carlo Liberati, Archbishop Emeritus of Pompeii, last week said: “due to our stupidity in 10 years we’ll all be Muslims.” You agree with him?
Yes. The whole of North Africa and the middle East were once Christian. Everything points to the fact that Muslims are more serious in their intentions and less prone to compromise than Christians. Combined with the terrorism, which destroys seeking a convenient and easy life atheists, cowardice and compromise will pave the way for Islamic domination. Michel Houellebecq in his new novel “Submission” outlined his vision of how it will happen in France in ten years. The concept is terrifying, but, surprisingly, very likely from a political point of view, some would say even “plausible”. I want my children to live in a world where there is an opportunity to worship Jesus, no female circumcision and torture under Sharia law.
— As ordinary Christians seeking to be faithful to the gospel of Christ, to respond to the liberal clergy who preach and practice heresy?
— To leave their Church and seek one that is able to preserve as much of the historic, Apostolic and biblical values.
— Supported whether you are bishops of the Anglican Church after the resignation of the chaplain of the Queen?
— Last week, I received hundreds, and probably thousands of emails from Christians around the world, expressing support for the word and prayer. And from the active bishops of the Anglican Church — not a single!
— How do you see your future in the Church of England and the future of the Church of England?
No matter how I see it. Demographically and financially, it dies. And from a spiritual point of view seems to be on its last legs. I don’t see much sense in a Church that only wants to be a stimulus in the framework of a secular and hedonistic culture, which it is, I think, and becomes. I want to remain faithful to the Anglican Church, but more and more convinced that perhaps it is only beyond. She made a choice in favor of a kind of spiritualized socialism and feminism in contrast to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to which the repentant sins gets a new life. But no sign of her willingness to go this way.
