The Parish Church of St. Michael Cornhill

Books

Words from St Michael’s: A Selection of the Rector’s Sermons and Lectures £6 + £2 p&p

The gospel is believable. “I do not wish to reduce the sceptical element in your minds. I am only suggesting that it need not be reserved exclusively for the New Testament and the Creed. Try doubting something else!” – C.S. Lewis. Are we to conclude that such men as Augustine, Aquinas and Dante were primitives waiting only for the arrival of Dr Doubtfire from the University of Debunkhamshire to tell them what’s true?
Anyone who denies Original Sin – most of the Church of England these days – has his head in the sand. After Auschwitz and Hiroshima, the Gulag and 11th September, no one can believe in the facile message of “progress.”
“A mass culture will always be a substitute culture and this deception will become clear to the more intelligent of those upon whom the mass culture has been palmed off” – T.S. Eliot. Where are we to look now for learning when the idea of the university itself has been comprehensively debased?
Ceremonial is not useless trimming. Things cannot be adequately replaced by thoughts. Appearances are themselves part of the reality they point to. This is the sacramental way of being.
The Macpherson Report’s claim that we are all “institutionally racist” is itself racist. Macpherson’s idea that “…a racist incident is whatever the victim or any other person says it is” is the language of perverse tautology, the thought-processes of Humpty Dumpty and the syntax of the mad house.
The enemy of true religion is not the extreme tension between sublime rituals and risqué jokes: the real enemy of religion is sentimentality – as expressed in modern forms of church services, e.g in the new marriage service: “Let them be tender with each other’s dreams”
Any doctrine of universal rights is a prescription to sue thy neighbour. Whereas true community is built on the solidarity of shared interests and a covenant underwritten by shared ceremonies
The contrast between the triumph of Christ and the phoney glory of today’s “celebs”: they all love to appear but Christ’s Ascension is actually a disappearance. So that even his final victory is a further act of condescension.

'Words from St Michael’s” – by Rev’d Dr Peter Mullen (30 sermons and lectures 200pp paperback) is available from: The Secretary, St Michael’s Foundation, The Watch House, 10 Giltspur Street London EC1A 9DE @ £8 including post and packing

Holy Smoke: The Daily Life of a Rector in the City of London £10 + £2 p&p

Occasionally, I get asked for a Memorial Service old style, but increasingly something - I am struggling for words - more pop and pagan is required. Dress multifarious informal. Organ music before the service might include “Some of Bob’s favourite ballads”: anything from Singing In The Rain, or The Beatles’ maudlin Yesterday; and now and then they will import the bank’s audio system and belt out something off the top of the Richter Scale by Sid Filth that makes you think of a pile-driver screwing a score of metal dustbins….

And Man-Del-Son cast in his mind what manner of salutation this might be, and when he saw that the Great Tony was exceeding wroth, he was sore afraid. But in him was guile, and he was a man crafty above all craftiness. And he fell down on his face and spake unto the Tony, “Verily I will make unto thee a great Dome”.

Nothing for it, then except for one of the men to take off his frock coat – to reveal a t-shirt with a skull and crossbones on the back and a slogan on the front that was rude enough to discomfit everyone, except perhaps the poor old bugger who was trying to get safely into his last resting-place – and start to dig…

I said, “I’m Chaplain to the Stock Exchange”. I raised my right hand and started to recite the Exorcism Service in Latin.

If you want the prayer in traditional language beginning, “…who in the same night that He was betrayed, took bread…” press SEVEN. But if you want the prayer in the Noddy language which begins, “…He had supper with his friends…” press EIGHT, TWICE and please remember to specify Savoy Grill, Chinese Takeaway or Barbecue in the Garden. Light the blue touch-paper and put the phone DOWN.

This is a collection of short stories and anecdotes from the life of a Rector in the City of London. It is a slice of life from the Square Mile: the Lord Mayor, the livery companies, the Stock Exchange…the laughter and tears which make up the daily round for a parson in the City.

Holy Smoke is available (price £10 + £2 p+ p) from: The Secretary, St Michael’s Foundation,
The Watch House, 10 Giltspur Street, London EC1A 9DE (Telephone: 020 7248 3826)

Called to Account
Dr Digby Anderson and Revd Dr Peter Mullen are joint editors of this collection of chapters from eminent scholars from every aspect of church life
Available from Peter Mullen at the Watch House, 10 Giltspur Street London EC1A 9DE tel: 020 7248 3826;
or from The Social Affairs Unit, Suite 5/6 First Floor Morley House, 314-322 Regent Street, London W1B 3BB tel: 020 7637 4356
Price £5.95 + 75pence p&p

The Real Common Worship
Edited by Revd Dr Peter Mullen
Published by Edgeways Books at £18 Hardback or £12 paperback
Available by writing to Freepost SWC4706
(or from outside the United Kingdom to 6 Greencroft Avenue, Corbridge Northumberland, NE45 5DW )

Other titles by Peter Mullen…
(And all available from The Watch House, 10 Giltspur Street London EC1A 9DE, tel: 020 7248 3826)

The Shrines of Our Lady
Hard covers, beautifully illustrated £16.99 + £1.75 p&p

Only a Lad
Novel, hard covers £10 + £1.50 p+p

A Little Book of Poems
Poems: Paperback £3 post free

Words & Worse
A selection of poetry and prose: Paperback £5+ 50pence p+ p

Death be not Proud
A pastoral study of dying, death and bereavement
Paperback £2.99 + 50 pence p+ p

Home Welcome NEW BOOK: A History of St. Michael's Events - July 08 Sermons 2004 Sermons 2005 Sermons 2006 Sermons 2007 Sermons 2008 Music Restoration of the Organ Foundation Music Trust Books Recordings Contact us	Books Words from St Michael’s: A Selection of the Rector’s Sermons and Lectures £6 + £2 p&p The gospel is believable. “I do not wish to reduce the sceptical element in your minds. I am only suggesting that it need not be reserved exclusively for the New Testament and the Creed. Try doubting something else!” – C.S. Lewis. Are we to conclude that such men as Augustine, Aquinas and Dante were primitives waiting only for the arrival of Dr Doubtfire from the University of Debunkhamshire to tell them what’s true? Anyone who denies Original Sin – most of the Church of England these days – has his head in the sand. After Auschwitz and Hiroshima, the Gulag and 11th September, no one can believe in the facile message of “progress.” “A mass culture will always be a substitute culture and this deception will become clear to the more intelligent of those upon whom the mass culture has been palmed off” – T.S. Eliot. Where are we to look now for learning when the idea of the university itself has been comprehensively debased? Ceremonial is not useless trimming. Things cannot be adequately replaced by thoughts. Appearances are themselves part of the reality they point to. This is the sacramental way of being. The Macpherson Report’s claim that we are all “institutionally racist” is itself racist. Macpherson’s idea that “…a racist incident is whatever the victim or any other person says it is” is the language of perverse tautology, the thought-processes of Humpty Dumpty and the syntax of the mad house. The enemy of true religion is not the extreme tension between sublime rituals and risqué jokes: the real enemy of religion is sentimentality – as expressed in modern forms of church services, e.g in the new marriage service: “Let them be tender with each other’s dreams” Any doctrine of universal rights is a prescription to sue thy neighbour. Whereas true community is built on the solidarity of shared interests and a covenant underwritten by shared ceremonies The contrast between the triumph of Christ and the phoney glory of today’s “celebs”: they all love to appear but Christ’s Ascension is actually a disappearance. So that even his final victory is a further act of condescension. 'Words from St Michael’s” – by Rev’d Dr Peter Mullen (30 sermons and lectures 200pp paperback) is available from: The Secretary, St Michael’s Foundation, The Watch House, 10 Giltspur Street London EC1A 9DE @ £8 including post and packing Holy Smoke: The Daily Life of a Rector in the City of London £10 + £2 p&p Occasionally, I get asked for a Memorial Service old style, but increasingly something - I am struggling for words - more pop and pagan is required. Dress multifarious informal. Organ music before the service might include “Some of Bob’s favourite ballads”: anything from Singing In The Rain, or The Beatles’ maudlin Yesterday; and now and then they will import the bank’s audio system and belt out something off the top of the Richter Scale by Sid Filth that makes you think of a pile-driver screwing a score of metal dustbins…. And Man-Del-Son cast in his mind what manner of salutation this might be, and when he saw that the Great Tony was exceeding wroth, he was sore afraid. But in him was guile, and he was a man crafty above all craftiness. And he fell down on his face and spake unto the Tony, “Verily I will make unto thee a great Dome”. Nothing for it, then except for one of the men to take off his frock coat – to reveal a t-shirt with a skull and crossbones on the back and a slogan on the front that was rude enough to discomfit everyone, except perhaps the poor old bugger who was trying to get safely into his last resting-place – and start to dig… I said, “I’m Chaplain to the Stock Exchange”. I raised my right hand and started to recite the Exorcism Service in Latin. If you want the prayer in traditional language beginning, “…who in the same night that He was betrayed, took bread…” press SEVEN. But if you want the prayer in the Noddy language which begins, “…He had supper with his friends…” press EIGHT, TWICE and please remember to specify Savoy Grill, Chinese Takeaway or Barbecue in the Garden. Light the blue touch-paper and put the phone DOWN. This is a collection of short stories and anecdotes from the life of a Rector in the City of London. It is a slice of life from the Square Mile: the Lord Mayor, the livery companies, the Stock Exchange…the laughter and tears which make up the daily round for a parson in the City. Holy Smoke is available (price £10 + £2 p+ p) from: The Secretary, St Michael’s Foundation, The Watch House, 10 Giltspur Street, London EC1A 9DE (Telephone: 020 7248 3826) Called to Account Dr Digby Anderson and Revd Dr Peter Mullen are joint editors of this collection of chapters from eminent scholars from every aspect of church life Available from Peter Mullen at the Watch House, 10 Giltspur Street London EC1A 9DE tel: 020 7248 3826; or from The Social Affairs Unit, Suite 5/6 First Floor Morley House, 314-322 Regent Street, London W1B 3BB tel: 020 7637 4356 Price £5.95 + 75pence p&p The Real Common Worship Edited by Revd Dr Peter Mullen Published by Edgeways Books at £18 Hardback or £12 paperback Available by writing to Freepost SWC4706 (or from outside the United Kingdom to 6 Greencroft Avenue, Corbridge Northumberland, NE45 5DW ) Other titles by Peter Mullen… (And all available from The Watch House, 10 Giltspur Street London EC1A 9DE, tel: 020 7248 3826) The Shrines of Our Lady Hard covers, beautifully illustrated £16.99 + £1.75 p&p Only a Lad Novel, hard covers £10 + £1.50 p+p A Little Book of Poems Poems: Paperback £3 post free Words & Worse A selection of poetry and prose: Paperback £5+ 50pence p+ p Death be not Proud A pastoral study of dying, death and bereavement Paperback £2.99 + 50 pence p+ p