On 11 Aug 2009, at 18:57, June Butler wrote:
Hi Jonathan,
You deserve a great deal of credit for being amongst the first in England to speak against the powers in the English church. And before you say that I haven't given you enough credit publicly, I've linked to your blog 111 times. Some of the links are, no doubt, trivial, but many are not, from a cursory look. To prove my point, I could separate the gold from the dross and send you the links, if you like.
Anyway, thank you for courageously taking up the fight early on, thus putting your own position in the church at some risk. The English herd is now following - finally.
June
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From: Jonathan Hagger
To: June Butler
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 3:50 PM
Subject: Re: You were amongst the first
My greatest achievement was to introduce the English Church to Grandmere Mimi. I am certain that this has led to them getting off their arses. Having seen the wreckage that is now that former lion of a young priest called Mad, they are petrified you might start emailing them if they didn't.
Mad.
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June Butler wrote:
Dear Mad,
"...that former lion of a young priest called Mad...."
I think he was before my time.
....
June
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I have the last word, because Jonathan didn't reply to my second email.
Over the years, Jonathan and I have had our ups and downs. We've had our differences and disagreements (Translation: knock-down-drag-out internet fights). But credit due. The voices out of England were few for a good many years. Now they're coming in greater numbers, and I'm pleased about that, and perhaps Jonathan is, too. Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe he liked being the Lone Ranger.
PS: I asked Jonathan's permission before I posted his email.
Jonathan is courageous for speaking the truth!
ReplyDelete"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels ...."
ReplyDeleteI lurrrrrve Mad Priest.
ReplyDeleteAwww... ;-)
ReplyDeleteLove you both!
You have both been forces for truth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this, Mimi.
ReplyDeleteMaddie is outstanding at highlighting injustices, and that he does so completely disregarding the risks to his own career prospects is amazing.
On top of that, he provides a forum where people bruised from the fight can come and giggle, recover and regain enough energy to rejoin the battle the next day.
If he didn't exist, you'd have to invent him.
It's the two of you that encouraged me to start blogging. What that says about me is another topic.
ReplyDeleteJonathan and Rmj at Adventus were my blogfathers. I don't know what that says about me or them.
ReplyDeleteHip hip hooray for Jonathan -- the maddest (in the best sense of the word) of us all.
ReplyDeleteJonathan is certainly a tremendous presence on the net. Whilst from a different tradition I find he writes much that we Methodists need to hear.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mimi you are without doubt my favourite US blogger - wellactually there is one challenger! keep up the fight!
Paul, I'm honored by your comment, more than I can say.
ReplyDelete