Happy Jack and Friends - Update
Pull up a chair and say hello Happy Jack has discovered how to allow anonymous comments! This is available to those without Google accounts. Just click on the 'Comment' button and select 'Anonymous'. You can give yourself a name too by clicking the 'Name/URL button. There is now a 'Contact' button - on the right of the page - for anyone with any ideas or suggestions about this blog. However, Jack believes one has to have a Google account to use this. If someone has an article they'd like published do send Jack your email address and he'll contact you and let you know his. You'll see from the 'Visits' counter that we've had 2000+ views since week this blog has been running. So please make a comment and keep things going - or not!
This reminds me a bit of that Christmas feel good movie "Love Actually" You will have to explain to me what this is all about...I have no idea.
ReplyDelete@ Cressie
ReplyDelete? ? ?
Explanation here.
ReplyDeleteThanks....I wonder if it will work and the Churches will be packed out at Christmas....It did not seem to have much to do with Jesus but more of a big Christmas party social event... Well I suppose it is befitting of the times....
DeleteNice advert. Very nice. Very, very nice. And twee. But most of all, nice.
ReplyDelete... with a powerful invitation to everyone to come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteI must have missed that bit.
Why am I being invited to church? Replace the churchy backdrop to the 'stages of life' montage with any other setting and you have the same message.
Is there no satisfying some folk!
ReplyDeleteYou're being invited to church to find a husband with whom you will grow old and have children by. You'll also be surrounded by familiar faces and friends as you "journey" through life.
I am insatiable.
DeleteThat sounds awful. Church as a meat market surrounded by busybodies.
The link says that they're releasing this campaign on TikTok. Why? I'm not sure the opportunity of getting old and dying is going to resonate with TikTok's 12-year-old user base.
I don't want a husband. And I'm certainly not going to have children by one.
ReplyDeleteWhat's going on in Scotland, does no one do basic biology anymore?
@ Prof
ReplyDeleteFor you, assuming you identify as a "male", then it's a chance to find a person who identifies as "female".
It is all a bit heteronormative, isn't it. What with "Living in Love" on the horizon, you'd think the ad would be more sensitive!
Btw, definitions change.
According to the newly revised Cambridge Dictionary a Woman is an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.
Now, Female is defined as: belonging or relating to the sex that can give birth to young or produce eggs," but Except in scientific writing, most people find this usage of female offensive."
Sex is the physical state of being either male, female, or intersex.
However, Some people prefer to use the word "sex" only when talking about the physical condition of being male, female, or intersex, and prefer to use the word "gender" when talking about someone's identity and the group they belong to in society.
Hope that clears matters up for you!
It's all bollocks isn't it. The advert is also clearly showing a certain type of person, well off, London based, with London attitudes. All advertising executives.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the industrial north? The not so well off, the poor, those who work in manual labour? Obviously they aren't church of England types!
"Life Journey"!!! Anything that uses Journey is BS.
Never mind them. The Church of England has never really been for the working types, darling; they're all racists and Brexit voters (same thing) north of the M25. It's been the nonconformists and Catholics who've tradition all filled that lacuna.
DeleteIf that ad had been filmed in my rural parish, she'd have been straight on five rotas and the PCC and only had a service once a month, shivering in a damp corner surrounded by bat droppings. Thank you for joining me on my rural journey.
@ ProfG 🟨
Delete"B*llocks" used in that way is misandrist and certainly not permitted here!
Good points about the cultural assumptions. 👍
@ Lain
You make it sound so romantic!
@HJ "Misandrist; a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against men"
DeleteEh? Nonsense. That Sturgeon bint is muddling your mind!
@ ProfG
DeleteThe word "bollocks" properly used refers to male testicles. To use it to refer to nonsense or rubbish is thus anti-male.
About a year ago suddenly every couple in British TV ads became a middle class black man living with a white woman. Of course in the Church of England there are few men, fewer black men and even fewer married to white women. (If a black man goes to church, it will be Pentecostal one.) Evidently whoever put this ad together comes out of that London advertising bubble that has nothing to do with Britain.
Delete@ BrianR 👍
DeleteAnd there clearly not Church attendees either.
Oooops - the grammar police will be onto Jack's case soon!
DeleteNever mind one can be consoled by saying to oneself: "Their, they're, there."
@BrianR Indeed. My first reaction was 'well, it's not even subliminal anymore, is it?' We should be grateful that they are, at least for now, an heterosexual couple.
Delete@HJ, see definition:
ReplyDelete"nonsense; rubbish (used to express contempt or disagreement, or as an exclamation of annoyance)".
The meaning of the word needs reclaiming.
Delete@Jack
DeleteThis meaning?
"From the 17th to the 19th century, bollocks or ballocks was allegedly used as a slang term for a clergyman, although this meaning is not mentioned by the OED's 1989 edition. For example, in 1684, the Commanding Officer of the Straits Fleet regularly referred to his chaplain as "Ballocks". It has been suggested that bollocks came to have its modern meaning of "nonsense" because some clergymen were notorious for talking nonsense during their sermons. According to Merriam Webster the term has been used before the 12th century."
@ Lain
DeletePresumably said clergymen were from the Church of England.
Yeeees....................
ReplyDeleteHas Mrs Clive just ordered you away from the computer?!
DeleteNot a word, but yes!
DeleteThey put too much sugar in it for my taste. However, it must be an unenviably difficult job to find something to say in a C of E commercial that will actually boost sales of the product. Let's wait and see what the results are, assuming they will tell us in due course.
ReplyDelete@ RayS
DeleteTo be fair, when Christian missionaries began to bring the good news of Christ to the pagans of Europe, they did so by "baptising" the cultures in which they evangelised. Customs intended to honour false gods were put into service to honour the true God and Christ. Maybe we have to reclaim the Christmas message in this way too. Maybe?
That said, one would have expected a greater focus on the birth of Christ. Evangelising through a nativity scene would have been a better way to show people the real meaning of Christmas and understand why this time of year is so important.
In the Byzantine liturgy they celebrate Saint Nicholas Day. It's not unknown for a volunteer to dress-up as Saint Nicholas for the children. Not sure, but I believe the real account was that Saint Nicholas threw gold through a poor man’s window so he wouldn’t have to sell his daughters into prostitution. Not such a "family-friendly ... and they all lived happily together" Christmas story!
@HJ
DeleteBut I bet that none of the missionaries hit on the novel idea of evangelising by never mentioning Christ or the Gospel.
You are correct re. St. Nicholas.
In his most famous exploit, Nicholas aided a poor man who had three daughters, but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment, would have to become prostitutes. Even if they did not, unmarried maidens in those days would have been assumed as being a prostitute. Hearing of the girls' plight, Nicholas decided to help them, but being too modest to help the family in public (or to save them the humiliation of accepting charity), he went to the house under the cover of night and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window opening into the house.
Thank you St Nicholas....Women have certainly been treated unfairly and without respect historically....of course it is anti Christian behaviour.....and anyone condoning it and practising it has sinned big time.....does not matter which century it occured in...not an excuse....!!
DeleteThe clerics who commissioned that commercial presumably instructed the ad agency that the aim was get people to come to church. Once they're safely sitting in their pews, the clerics themselves can do the evangelising. That's the job they're trained to do. What they can't do is evangelise people who aren't there.
ReplyDeleteBut what in that advert entices anyone to come to church if they don't already? It's focussed on a woman who's been going to church all her life surrounded by wholesome types who've been going to church all their life. Who would want to land in the middle of an established clique like that?
DeleteIf it's luring people in for companionship just to hit them with a planned giving form and whatever version of 'turn or burn' their local church subscribes to (or not), that seems to me a bit of a bait-and-switch.
@ Lian
DeleteTrue. However, the guy she marries looks a bit on the dodgy side ...
Did you notice he wasn't wearing a tie at his wedding tsk
DeleteAnd all the confetti being chucked around, the church wardens will have a fit.
DeleteOh well....enough said ! I wonder if they might have had sexual relations before their wedding day...I don't want to shock you Clive, but I hear most people do....just as well they don't live in Indonesia...you go to prison for 12 months for having sexual relations without a marriage certificate but if you cohabit without a marriage certificate you only get 6 months..Indonesia is the largest Islamic nation in the world Scotland is a long way from Indonesia so I am just keeping you abreast of what is happening on the other side of the world.
ReplyDeleteI'm a man of the world, little shocks me.
DeleteSaddens me, angers me, but little shocks me now.
https://youtu.be/PvqdgTZMcGg
ReplyDeleteI thought you might like this Clive because the groom is wearing a tie . The Vicar seems like a lot of fun too.
@ Cressie
DeleteLove has broad meaning in the English language.
I Love Little Baby Ducks.
Tom T. Hall sings about his love for 25 different things from “little baby ducks” to “life”, to “you too.” One hopes Hall does not love ducks in the same way he loves life or another person! Yet he uses the same term in reference to each.
@Cressida I just about got through the clip without being sick, but please warn me in future, Love Actually is one of my least favourite films!
DeleteHorrible tie as well 😁
@ ProfG
DeleteRedneck Wedding. To help you recover!
😂
DeleteJust been looking at a few snippets here and there about the Netflix adventures of a celebrity couple somewhere in California, though I haven't felt the need to watch any of their programmes myself. The consensus seems to be that it was a thoroughgoing anticlimax after all the hype. All froth and no beer. All bluster and no content. Does that match the opinions of others here?
ReplyDelete@ Ray
DeleteWhat was it, £90m in the bank for hours of unsubstantiated whinging and some reminiscing? The M woman's performance reminded me of the part she played in 'Suits'.
I've been trying to steer clear of the whole debacle. The whole thing feels unhealthy and toxic to me, with lots of pride and judgmentalism swirling around all over the place.
DeleteTrue. This just another 'reality TV' show where people bare their souls (and other parts of their being). Whatever happened to discretion and charity?
DeleteWith regards the specific accusations made, I have a view but have to admit, I can't know.
DeleteWhat I do know, they have sold their soul for £90m. Anyone who deficates on their family the way Harry has is despicable. He may have some genuine complaints, but then who doesn't?
He's going to be a very sad, lonely old man.
At Eton they produce (or used to) books with photos of year groups in different houses. I saw them, as a relation was there. I'd imagine many others also saw them. H was in the photo of the same year group 2 years running in his house photos, which is an extremely rare occurrence. That, and the age at which he took 2 A-levels tells you all you need to know.
DeletePeople kept tactfully quiet for a long time, but as he hasn't done the same they don't any more. He's just none too bright, and it isn't just down to PTSD, or getting vastly nervous at exams (like his mother, who was actually much brighter than her results.) He isn't clever enough to imagine how things will land with people, or to know that you cannot disrespect your family and the whole of the UK without outcomes that you didn't want.
I didn't know that about his learning difficulties. I wonder whether that goes some way towards explaining his reasons for marrying the present duchess rather than some other candidate. He never noticed at the time what he was letting himself in for.
Delete@Jack
DeleteIndeed. If people want to go on TV or any other media and lay themselves bare, I would counsel against it. But it's ultimately up to them.
As Christians, I think that there's too much of the temptation to gossip and judge about this to go anywhere near it. Just because someone chooses to air their dirty laundry in public doesn't mean we're obliged to look at the colour of their smalls; it invites considering ourselves to be better than those who engage in such 'vulgar behaviour' and it's certainly an occasion for sin.
"My children, avoid criticism -- a very great sin. God is grieved whenever we criticize and loathe people. Let us concern ourselves only with our own faults -- for these let us feel pain; let us criticize ourselves and then we will find mercy and grace from God." - Elder Ephraim of Philotheou Mount Athos.
@ Lain.
DeleteYes, but when it appears lies are being spun and a treasured institution is being trashed, one is entitled to respond with charity. That said, sometimes it's better just to ignore those who seek attention and not to feed this.
This sells newspapers!
@Jack
DeleteThe target of the allegations is entitled to respond, of course, or not. Christ remained silent. But I don't see what our response achieves as outsiders, other than soothing itchy ears and stoking the fire.
PS my blogger feed shows two newer pages on here that don't seem to exist?
@ Lain
DeleteStill learning how to work out links, drafts and scheduled posts!
I think it is aiming at the non-churchgoer but has not hit the target. All it does is stress belonging so much that believing is barely there. If you just draw people in on that they leave as soon s they meet the first nasty person...For everyone believing must be part of the package. For me as a small non-churchgoing child it was the numinous that began to draw me in; there was an atmosphere around the Christian things- the nativity play and the carol services- that just felt so wonderfully good that I was compelled to discover more. There was bonhomie in this but little to no numinous, and barely any spirituality beyond smiles and greetings, and the promise of ready trust (which is potentially drawing in the wrong types).
ReplyDeleteI'm not Welsh, and this is, but the advertisers could listen and learn from these people. It is much more appealing as it has the mix: spirituality, belief, community, excitement, the numinous, good cheer, lack of self-consciousness, musicality, drama, and a tie between the Christmas story and the present. It is much more likely to inspire people to come to church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhAgV3leThY
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
ReplyDelete(Following the mediaeval English practice of starting the O Antiphons on 16th, before anyone says "That's not till tomorrow".)
@ Pubcrawler
DeleteThanks for this; much appreciated.
The English medieval practice was to add an eighth antiphon, O Virgo virginum,, on December 23, and move the others back one day, thus beginning the series on 16 December. It had been the version used in the Church of England until recent times.
For all that I am something of a (Greek) Byzantine Rite Onlyist these days, there are still some bits of the (Latin) Western Rite I quite like. This is one.
Delete@Pubcrawler
DeleteThe Byzantine Rite is a beautiful liturgy. But what is an "Onlyist"?
Someone who 'only' attends Byzantine liturgies, I'd guess.
Delete... Just as there are "King James Onlyists", who reject as uninspired all English translations of the Bible other than the AV. I don't know whether they have ever been challenged to specify whether they place their faith in the original 1611 text alone. Almost every later reprinting, beginning in the 1620s if not earlier, introduced minor adjustments to spelling and punctuation, correcting undetected typos, and so on.
Delete@ Lain
DeleteThe Eastern Catholic Byzantine rite is recognised by and in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. The Byzantine rite Catholic Church has a different code of canon law and it retains its own distinctive features and traditions. Latin-rite Catholics are free to attend and participate in Byzantine liturgies and receive the Eucharist.
@Ray including these amusing errors.
Delete@Jack and there's no reason why it shouldn't be, since it's another ancient rite of the Church. ROCOR's attempt to (re)establish a
Western Orthodox Rite is interesting. The liturgy on the linked page would be familiar to Catholics and high Anglicans.