Adrian at Pluralist Speaks has another wonderful post on Bishop Tom, or Bishop N. T. depending on the audience for whom he writes. It's a thing of beauty, and all is good, because I haven't made a fool of myself in the comments...yet.
I'll quote a few snippets to entice you to visit Adrian's website to read the whole thing.
CN (Interviewer from "Christianity Now"): Bishop Tom. Well let's start there. You are back from yet another trip from the United States.
NTW: I have just been spending some subsequent nights in the same bed as my wife, being safely heterosexual as I am, and I was just reflecting on all the travel I do as a much travelled author with friends around the world. And she is so sweet, saying, as she does to me, "G'night Mr. Tom," because she likes to call me that, as I say, "Goodnight Maggie Thatcher," because of course I need to get some sleep when home - because of all the travel I do - and that thought puts me to sleep.
CN: And combining that with being a diocesan bishop.
NTW: I am just back from America, and I love the American people. They queue up for me to sign the books they buy and they are always so friendly and put their hands deep into their pockets. If I told you everything I said to the people asking me to sign the books I would have to write a book. There is such an enormous amount to give thanks for and for the opportunity that Christianity gives me to travel around the world, and my first love becomes the United States and the American people and their rich and leading traditions of doing theology - thinking of all the great centres and universities where I have never been.
The question below refers to Resolutions D025 and C056 which were passed by both houses of the Episcopal Church at GC2009:
CN: Have they got no case at all: is there not the movement of, er, the Holy Spirit - say?
NTW: I'm a scholar of the Bible, right? Look at it, and the Holy Spirit isn't going to contradict his Bible. It is clear in there: one man, one woman, lifelong, and that's where you do the nookie. You ask the Muslims; ask the Jews. They don't go in for all this variation and postmodern invention, and you ask that Winchester woman because gays aren't even gays anymore, like that chap who was my predecessor. Muhammad, take him: he had only one wife; and Jesus kept himself close to his mum and that other woman. The Jews, they worship their women they do. You don't get David playing cushee with Moshe do you? So where else do you get lots of women using the old tickling stick with other women? Witches round the cauldron, that's where. Paganism. That's where you get all that. All these bloggers you get these days too, from over there, all stirring the heretical brew. Paul saw it, you know, and said they had to stop. It was idolatry, like images and saints and too much holy smoke in amongst all the statues and columns and altars. All that Matthew Fox so-called theology and that Pagan woman, what's she called - Hawkstar. Only in America could you get theology like that, which is why I have to make such an effort to sell them my books. You have to occupy the fulcrum. The Episcopal Church doesn't: it is one big Pagan ethic and a Coven has replaced the Covenant we were all preparing and they've just thrown a brick at it.
Those words appear alongside the picture below. I'm puzzled by the picture. Could the gentleman in the picture be our beloved Prior? And who is the woman? Is this some cherchez la femme kind of joke? Adrian is so very learned and clever, that I don't always "get" his references, which is when I tend to make a fool of myself in his comments.
Please help me solve the puzzle, if you can.
