At the end of November, it was reported that Melvin Tinker was ‘banned’ from speaking at the student Christian Union Carol Service to be held at Derby Cathedral in December.
The office of the Dean noted that the Revd Tinker, Vicar of St John’s Newland in Hull, had not been ‘banned’, but had just not been ‘invited’ to speak by the Dean. In reality this amounts to a ban, as not being invited results in him not being allowed to speak at the cathedral.
The Dean had however ‘invited’ the showing of an X-rated film at the cathedral. The choice of the 1970s film Don’t Look Now, which includes sexually explicit scenes, caused Rod Liddle of the Spectator to question the decision-making of Dean Stephen Hance.
Bible not wanted?
Hance said that the cathedral was for everyone and needed to serve a wide range of people. Liddle noted that all preachers from Mr Tinker’s church would not be invited because ‘what is preached in the cathedral will be taken as being preached by the cathedral’. ‘You mean stuff like the Holy Bible’ wrote Liddle.
When asked for his opinion on the situation, Mr Tinker told Premier Radio: ‘It’s very difficult not to cause upset in the Church of England if one holds an orthodox line, just on basic beliefs and basic Christian behaviour and discipleship… the progressive agenda is one that is being bought into, and if you don’t buy into that, then by default you are excluded. With all the talk of radical inclusion in the Church of England by two Archbishops, it seems increasingly the only people not being included are orthodox or, particularly, evangelicals.’
