In the current issue of Vanity Fair, the notorious Christopher Hitchens writes a column ("God Bless Me, It's a Best-Seller!") about the tour for his book God Is Not Great including this rather pointed tidbit. (Hitchens's column is not, unfortunately, available in the online edition of the magazine.) Highlighting courtesy of SVO. Update: Grandmere Mimi has located the article on the Vanity Fair website. Read it all here.Further update: Clumber has a picture here.
June 10, Washington, D.C.: It's been weeks on the road, and after a grueling swing through Canada I am finally home. I tell the wife and daughter that's it: no more god [sic] talk for a bit—let's get lunch at the fashionable Café Milano, in Georgetown. Signor Franco leads us to a nice table outside and I sit down—right next to the Archbishop of Canterbury. O.K., then, this must have been meant to happen. I lean over. "My Lord Archbishop? It's Christopher Hitchens." "Good gracious," he responds, gesturing at his guest—"we were just discussing your book."
The archbishop's church is about to undergo a schism. More than 10 conservative congregations in Virginia have seceded, along with some African bishops, to protest the ordination of a gay bishop in New England. I ask him how it's going. "Well"—he lowers his voice—"I'm rather trying to keep my head down." Well, why, in that case, I want to reply, did you seek a job that supposedly involves moral leadership? But I let it go. What do I care what some Bronze Age text says about homosexuality? And there's something hopelessly innocent about the archbishop: he looks much more like a sheep than a shepherd. What can one say in any case about a religion that describes its adherents as a flock?
9 comments:
Ed, what a catch! So. The ABC is trying to keep his head down. That's exactly my impression of Abp. Williams. My reaction is quite the same as Hitchens', which causes me some embarrassment, because I can't abide Hitchens.
I wonder if Hitchens tells the truth. He has been known to stray rather far away from veracity.
Tee-hee. The ABC does look more like a sheep than a shepherd.
And to think that a SVO in the Presbyterian Church gets this first!
Well, I hadn't seen this on any of the Anglican blogs I read, and I thought it was of interest. I can hardly believe that Wms. actually admits he's "keeping his head down." I'm not a big Hitchens fan, but I think he nailed this one!
Ed, Hitchens article seems to be available here.
Excellent! I couldn't find it when I did the post. Thanks.
Well, he sounds like a very Baaaaaaaad sheep to me.
(couldn't help myself. but not sorry)
I think that Hitchens is the most full of himself person I have ever heard speak. I haven't heard Apb. Akinola yet!
It's hard to believe that Apb. Rowan said anything about keeping his head down, much less that he had been discussing Hitchens' book!
Hitchens really sounds like such a gossip! What a namedropper.....
I wouldn't say that either party has untarnished credibility, to tell the truth. I don't find it too hard to believe that Wms. had at least read Hitchens's book. It also seems to me that he has in fact been keeping his head down. It would surprise me for him to say so in so many words.
I suppose I'll have to dig out the latest issue and read the Hitchens piece now. I have been avoiding Hitchens for nearly as long as he's been writing for VF.
Johnieb: Thanks to Grandmère, I have posted the link to the online version of the story in an update.
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