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DidGod
Set Fireto
YorkCathedral?
York, England
in t he morning of
July 9, 1984, York Cathedral caught fire.
The wooden vau lted roof of the south
transept was destroyed. The interior
suffered extensive damage.
Only the determined efforts of more than
100 tire tighters saved one of Europe's
largest Gothic cathedrals from being
consumed. The official explanation was
that a freak bolt of lightning touched off
the tire. But many in England are not so
sure- not so much about the lightning
but its bei ng accidental.
Only three days before the blaze, Dr.
David J enkins was consecrated Bishop of
Durham in the cathedral. Dr. J enkins had
been the center of much controversy in the
Church of England. He had made public
statements that left many wondering if he
really believed in sorne of the fundamental
tenets of his faith- especiaJJy the virgin
birth of Christ and his resurreetion from the
grave.
saw it rather as evidence of divine displeasure.
As the London
Times
pointed out in an editorial
the next day: "A bolt from heaven the very night
after the Archbishop preached in defence of his
Durham appointment before the assembled synod:
lt
is hard not to be reminded of Elijah and the priests
of Baal."
Most people in England were sorry about the fire.
The cathedral- any cathedral, even if it doesn't
represent "your church"- is an impressive building
and a national treasure. York Minster (that is the
cathedral's official name) took more than two and a
half centuries to build.
lt
was shocking to see it so
badly damaged in a single night.
But not many in England really believed that God
had anything to do with it.
lf
they thought about it
at all, they dismissed that notion as superstition.
It
was, after all, not the kind of thing that God does
these days, is it?
Back in "Bible times" a jealous God used to rain
down fire and brimstone from heaven wben bis
people got out of line. Maybe in the Middle Ages he
was active with plague and pestilence. But in
Dr. Jenkins was entitled to his doubts,
said the critics, but he was
not
entitled to
be a bishop. Nevertheless he was ordained
in an impressive ceremony in the cathedral
by the Archbishop of York, Dr. John Hab–
good.
York Minster, built during 13th and 15th centuries, is one of the largest
Gothic cathedra ls in Europe.
On the Sunday evening following the
ordination, the Archbishop preached in defense of
Professor Jenkins ' appointment. A few hours
later, lightning struck the cathedral! And that,
thought sorne, was not just a coincidence. They
January
1985
sophist icated, modero Britain, God (even if be does
still exist) just doesn' t do things like
that.
A Service In the Cathedral
1 visited York Minster a few weeks after the fire. I t
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