Changing Attitude Ireland

12/09/2026

Forgiveness is a much mis-understood notion.
All too often, Christians can be accused of being a naïvely misguided patsy if they advocate forgiveness, or hypocrites if they display any anger.
On the one hand, idealistic, unrealistic and culpably weak, and on the other hand, unwilling and unable to live the gospel they profess. So where in all this are we to find some sense of balance, and the true virtue of which Jesus speaks?
For Christian forgiveness is neither woolly sentimentality or nanny-like indulgence.
Forgiveness is not flabby pardoning or condoning, but it is rooted in recognising our own culpability, our own contribution to our misfortunes, and our responsibility, not only to rectify the consequences of some of our own actions, but also to repent, to forgive, and to be forgiven; to move forward in love or at the very least, not in enmity and recrimination.
Forgiveness does not mean to underestimate, or downplay the degree of misfortune and suffering that has been imposed.
It does not lesson the guilt of the offender, or remove the need for restitution to be made and penalties to be paid. But it does mean that Christians are meant to free themselves from the seemingly endless cycle of offence and blame, hostility and calls for vengeance and retaliation.

Forgiveness is a much mis-understood notion. All too often, Christ...

22/08/2026

https://youtu.be/EG66fKITtng

The poem comes from Rachel Clift who is a writer, traveller, photog...

15/08/2026

In his encounter with the Canaanite woman, and a Gentile, someone that a respectable Rabbi would avoid completely; Jesus was challenged with his own teaching.
Their conversation can make us feel quite uncomfortable.
For Jesus initially seems to employ a rather rude and offensive tone, apparently refusing to help the woman and somewhat abusively referring to her (and by implication to all non-Jews) as ‘dogs’.
Did Jesus intend to provoke his later decision? Was this all some kind of clever teaching device – a set-up? There are some, especially in those traditions who find it hard to see Jesus as anything other than perfect, who might try to construct such an argument. But that sounds rather desperate, trying to square a circle.
There is a powerful strand in his teaching that shows that he probably had a fairly exclusive idea of who his message was for.
It's likely that Jesus did see his ministry to the Jews as the most urgent core of his calling to the end of his days; still, it is comforting to remember that, however passionate he was, however focused on his urgent goal, he was able to hear a voice of appeal and dissent and recognise the justice of the rebuke.
That whilst he had a primary audience, he came to understand that others were listening too.
By implication, we are challenged to ensure that we do not erect such barriers and obstacles, such inflexible regulations, as to welcome and embrace within the Christian family, and indeed the wider human family, only those who conform to such narrow definitions of sanctity and approval as to create for ourselves an ever-diminishing club of the righteous and oh so special few.
A faith, any creed, should be judged by its compassion, its forgiveness, its forbearance, its commitment to mercy and justice, the degree to which it extends arms of enfolding love and understanding rather than the harsh, prideful and stony-faced rebuke of exclusion and condemnation.
Reflecting on the story of the Canaanite woman, if Jesus can change his heart and learn new ways of living and loving – then so can we.

In his encounter with the Canaanite woman, and a Gentile, someone t...

08/08/2026

When we hear the story of Jesus stilling the storm and walking on the water, and in Matthew’s account, Peter too, if only for a moment, it is important to fill in the background, the context of the time, and the biblical language and imagery that the people were so familiar with, in order to understand, at least in part, what the gospel writers are trying to tell us.
For just as Jesus told parables as his main way of teaching, so too the gospels tell stories and parables about Jesus.
Matthew’s use of dramatic miraculous imagery and his own particular shaping of the story makes it clear that here we are dealing with profound religious symbolism, as much as accurate factual history.

When we hear the story of Jesus stilling the storm and walking on t...

01/08/2026

There is a long-running dispute in the church, sometimes cordial, sometimes less so, and with seemingly no end in sight, about how to interpret and apply scripture.
Part of the intractable nature of the issue is that the positions taken, not only represent different theological scholarly traditions, but are informed by our different mindsets, our different ways of seeing the world and reality, and our preferences and personality traits, that are not easily persuadable because they are embedded in our very DNA.
We might like to think that we make up our minds completely independently, although we can also admit that our upbringing may have formed some of our views.
But we also need to acknowledge that our genes play a role, not only in how we look, but also how we think.

There is a long-running dispute in the church, sometimes cordial, s...

26/07/2026

As we celebrated pride yesterday in Belfast, we were saddened by the events that took place in Berlin last night. As an organisation, we think of all those affected, for the loss of life and for all those who have been injured. 🙏🏻💔🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️💔

25/07/2026

We were delighted to take part, along with Christians at Pride NI, in today's Belfast Pride. What an amazing day to celebrate who we are and our place in the world. It was heartening to see big crowds along the streets and to see and hear the support for our group as we passed. ❤️ Thank you to all who took part and who made us feel so welcome. We are reminded of the exclusion of many Christians both in the Church of Ireland as well as in other denominations. This is why we march; this is why we come together; this is why we show our pride and our love for each other. Pride remains a protest for as long as there is inequality in our world and in our church.

25/07/2026

In the parable of the Mustard seed, one of a number of agrarian parables, the seed acts as an analogy for the Kingdom of God.
Implied within that phrase is all that could be, all that would be, if this world were conformed more closely to the rule, the measure of divine love and selflessness.
The Kingdom of God speaks of how all our lives, and those of all humanity would be, were we to build and behave according to the principles that Jesus taught us and that we and the church profess to seek to follow.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed might be one of the shorter parables of Jesus, but it speaks of greatness locked, encapsulated within the smallest of things. This is the analogy that Jesus draws, that the smallest of our actions done with love, can have enormous ramifications.
And furthermore, we are called to focus on this present life, to be consoled, not by hoping for divine compensation in the future, when our life is done, but to seek the Kingdom now, in this world, in this life. To make our own contribution, whether great or small, to bring it about.

In the parable of the Mustard seed, one of a number of agrarian par...

19/07/2026

We need to be clear about the parable of the wheat and the w**ds, and just how far we should follow an analogy, any analogy, and no further.
A danger, is to interpret the story in a literal and simplistic way, that the world is divided into yes or no, good or bad, us and them, inside or outside. That can lead to the sort of churches where those who already attend consider themselves to be the wheat and those on the outside w**ds.
And, of course, even those on the inside can look around and think that a few w**ds have crept in anyway.
Such churches will eventually die........., they die partially through attrition, just through the passing of time, as members leave, they are not replaced........But mainly they die because they no longer pronounce or live the gospel. Far from being places of sanctuary and healing, some churches can psychologically damage and scar some of their members for a lifetime..
The so-called ‘outsiders’ can spot the hypocrisy and rightly turn away – one dearly hopes at least to find a welcome elsewhere – but sadly many, never to return.
All analogies fail when taken to an overly literal extreme, for in reality, there is no such thing as someone who is wholly wheat or wholly w**d.

We need to be clear about the parable of the wheat and the w**ds, a...

19/07/2026

We were delighted to be part of the recent Pride Services held in St.Andrew's Church Lucan and St Mary's Church Leixlip in late June. The preacher at both services was The Very Revd David Godfrey who was a long-standing committee member and now life-member of CAI. A copy of his sermon is available on our website by clicking here:https://changingattitudeireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Pride-Service-in-Lucan-and-Leixlip-2026.pdf

Thank you to Karen Godfrey for organising this event within her local parish. A reminder also that CAI recently published 'Pride in Prayer and Worship: LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Resources and Themes for Pride Season', providing prayers, readings, music suggestions, symbolic actions and service templates that honour LGBTQIA+ people, couples, families and communities with dignity, theological seriousness and joy. We encourage all parishes who are open and welcoming to LGBTQIA+ Christians to consider holding a pride service in the future. A link to the resource is here:
https://tinyurl.com/CAI-Pride-in-Prayer