Sir: I have never been to Holy Trinity Brompton and
so cannot comment on the accuracy of Cristina Odone's assault on its style and its black and white morality. I was, however, surprised to see Donald Reeves, Rector of St James's, Piccadilly, quoted approvingly three times. The last quote was that the evangelicals should leave the Church of England as they were not really Anglicans. I was surprised because I have been to St James's.
Is this the same Donald Reeves whose church bookstall was advertising courses on shamanism, `healing sound' seminars, div- ination, astrology and palmistry, feng shui consultancy, firewalking, 'Mongolian Over- tone Chanting' etc.? The same Donald Reeves whose church advertised a morning Eucharist to be celebrated by an 'activist and priestess of the Celtic and Goddess Tradition'? The same Donald Reeves who ran a retreat for 15 soon-to-be appointed women priests who then did a pagan circle- dance in Hereford Cathedral?
Styles of worship vary dramatically between different traditions. However, as long as the content reflects the central Christian belief that salvation is found in Jesus alone, the style, whether High Church candles and incense or HTB evangelical saxophones and drums, is pretty well irrele- vant. What is very certain is that the mish- mash of pagan New Age beliefs found in St James's, Piccadilly is about as far from the Jesus Christ of the Bible as it is possible to get.
Nicholas Masterson-Jones
Ardeen House, Souldern, Oxfordshire
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