Author Archives: fluff35

About fluff35

I blog on a range of subjects arising from various aspects of my life. On https://theretiringacademic.wordpress.com, I focus on my reactions to early retirement and think about aspects of teaching and research which I hope will be stimulating to those still working in higher education. On https://shared-conversations.com, I blog as an authorized lay preacher in a pretty standard parish church of the Church of England, who needs to write in order to find out what she thinks. I took part in the Oxford/St Albans/Armed Forces C of E 'Shared Conversations' in March 2016, worked on the Living in Love and Faith resources from 2017 and was elected to General Synod in October 2021, and continue to try to reflect on some of the issues. On https://mistakinghistories.wordpress.com I share my thoughts on various aspects of the history of medicine and the body. I have also written for The Conversation UK on https://theconversation.com/profiles/helen-king-94923/articles

Nothing new here: how the human sexuality debate repeats the women priests debate

Posted on August 9, 2017 by fluff35

Should a sheep among wolves wear her wolfskin coat? Continue reading →

Posted in Church of England and gender | Tagged General Synod, Guildford, history, ordination, sexuality, women | Leave a comment

Getting into a muddle about sex: lifelong virginity and the Louden amendment

Posted on August 3, 2017 by fluff35

For various reasons, I’ve been going through some of the papers I kept from my stint on General Synod; eight complicated years which included the Higton debate, the AIDS debate, and the various stages of the legislation to permit women … Continue reading →

Posted in Shared Conversations | Tagged Church Fathers, clitoris, erotic, General Synod, homosexuality, Jubilee Group, Rowan Williams, sexuality, Tony Higton, virginity | 1 Comment

No tongues?

Posted on June 25, 2017 by fluff35

It can be a difficult experience to attend a major Christian celebration at a point when the church is reeling from yet another scandal. Last week, the Gibb report into the disgusting behaviour of Bishop Peter Ball was issued, complete … Continue reading →

Posted in Church of England and gender | Tagged abuse, cathedral, club, Dean, Gibb report, godly life, kiss, litany, Michael Ball, ordination, Peter Ball, sermon, St Paul, tribes | 2 Comments

Return to the public gallery

Posted on February 17, 2017 by fluff35

Having written to my bishops (replies received, thanks) and to lay representatives of my diocese on General Synod (wish I could say the same), I was sufficiently disappointed in the Bishops’ Report (GS2055) that I took the opportunity to go … Continue reading →

Posted in Church of England and gender, Shared Conversations | Tagged Archbishop of Canterbury, BAME, blessing, collegiality, deaf, debate, excommunication, General Synod, GS2055, House of Bishops, Movement for the Ordination of Women, taking note | 3 Comments

So, what was the point of all that?

Posted on January 31, 2017 by fluff35

Last week the House of Bishops published GS2055 Marriage and Same Sex Relationships after the Shared Conversations. I immediately read it through twice, once to see what they were proposing to change – answer, nothing – and again to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Shared Conversations | Tagged Bible, bishops, Book of Common Prayer, canon law, Diocesan Synod, General Synod, marriage, prayer, preaching, St Paul, tradition, women priests | Leave a comment

Reading the comments

Posted on December 31, 2016 by fluff35

In a couple of contexts in the last week, people I follow on Facebook or Twitter have linked to a story about sexuality and the church but warned their friends or followers that it’s a bad idea to read the … Continue reading →

Posted in Shared Conversations | Tagged ancient Greek, equal, Facebook, internet, Marigold Hotel, marriage, Mary Beard, Miriam Margolyes, twitter, Wayne Sleep | Leave a comment

Into Advent

Posted on November 27, 2016 by fluff35

I’m trying to take Advent seriously this year by immersing myself as far as I can in the rich symbolism of watching and waiting, of light and darkness, of hope and fulfillment. So naturally it had to begin with … Continue reading →

Posted in Church of England and gender | Tagged binaries, candles, Catherine Rowett, gender, Hills of the North rejoice, hymns, Janet Morley, race, tradition | 1 Comment

Pouring the lay?

Posted on October 30, 2016 by fluff35

I know. Not the most accessible of titles for a blog post. But that’s very much my point… Back when I was doing the diocesan training for being an authorised lay preacher (a role which exists in my diocese and … Continue reading →

Posted in Renewal and reform programme | Tagged hymns, Lay ministry, Nick Page, theology, training, worship, Zechariah | 1 Comment

One sex, two sexes, and Christians

Posted on August 31, 2016 by fluff35

The wonderful Twitter just drew my attention to this article I’d missed on the OUP blog when it was published in July: ‘The influence of premodern theories about sex and gender’ by Adrian Thatcher. Thatcher asks great questions about why … Continue reading →

Posted in Church of England and gender | Tagged Adrian Thatcher, Bible, binaries, Hesiod, Hippocrates, intersex, one-sex body, Pandora, Thomas Laqueur, transgender, women priests | Leave a comment

Temple prostitution for Christians

Posted on August 14, 2016 by fluff35

Sex in the ancient world: it’s all about temple prostitutes, depraved emperors and orgies, right? Wrong. As readers of this blog will have noticed, now that the Shared Conversations in the Church of England appear to be over, I’ve moved … Continue reading →

Posted in Church of England and gender | Tagged AIDS, Athens, Bacchanalia, Bosco Peters, Diana Swancutt, G.E.R. Lloyd, genre, Greece, Ian Paul, idols, King James Bible, lesbians, Livy, monogamy, orgies, pagan, Paris school, Romans 1:26, Romans 1:26-27, Rome, St Paul, temple prostitutes, translations | 8 Comments