About
About Archbishop Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was the architect of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. He was the Archbishop who guided England through the early Reformation, and Henry VIII through the minefield of divorce. In prison, after Mary’s accession, he nearly succumbed to recant his life’s achievements, but was able to turn the very day of his death at the stake into a dramatic and unequivocal demonstration of his Protestant faith. Through political crises and tortuous theological negotiations, the name of Cranmer is embedded in the history of the Church and State. He was a hesitant hero with a tangled life story, but his legacy to the English Church and the English language is imperishable.
The Archbishop Cranmer blog was founded by Adrian Hilton on March 21st 2006, the 450th anniversary of Thomas Cranmer’s martyrdom. It rapidly became one of the most popular political and highest-ranking religion blogs in the UK. The blog takes as its inspiration the words of Sir Humphrey Appleby: “It’s interesting that nowadays politicians want to talk about moral issues, and bishops want to talk politics.” It is the fusion of the two in public life, and the necessity for a wider understanding of their complex symbiosis, which necessitates incisive and informed comment on what are often very sensitive issues. The blog adopts a Christian conservative and conservative Christian perspective contra the forces of relativism, liberalism and secularism, and lies in the Catholic and Reformed tradition, wrestling occasionally with those same theological and ecclesiastical tensions which have busied us for centuries, and probing those same societal stresses and strains which have been the hallmark of Christian civilisation for two millennia.
The Archbishop Cranmer blog offers a Christian perspective on contemporary events. And that perspective is viewed through the lens of the Church of England, not only because it is the Established Church in England, but, as former Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher observed: “The Anglican Communion has no peculiar thought, practice, creed or confession of its own. It has only the Catholic Faith of the ancient Catholic Church, as preserved in the Catholic Creeds and maintained in the Catholic and Apostolic constitution of Christ’s Church from the beginning.”
Some will demur, and they are free to do so. But it is that very liberty which, in part, defines and demonstrates the mission of the Church of England. In the words of Her Majesty the Queen and our Supreme Governor: “The concept of our established Church is occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated. Its role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country. It certainly provides an identity and spiritual dimension for its own many adherents. But also, gently and assuredly, the Church of England has created an environment for other faith communities and indeed people of no faith to live freely. Woven into the fabric of this country, the Church has helped to build a better society – more and more in active co-operation for the common good with those of other faiths.”
Commenting Policy
Freedom of speech must be tolerated, and everyone living in the United Kingdom must accept that they may be insulted about their own beliefs, or indeed be offended, and that is something which they must simply endure, not least because some suffer fates far worse. Comments on articles are therefore un-moderated, but do not necessarily reflect the views of His Grace or any staff. Comments that are off-topic, gratuitously offensive, libelous, or otherwise irritating, may be summarily deleted. However, the fact that particular comments remain on any thread does not constitute any kind of endorsement; it may simply be that they constitute intelligent and erudite contributions to religio-political discourse…or not.
“It hath been found by experience that no matter how decent, intelligent or thoughtful the reasoning of a conservative may be, as an argument with a liberal is advanced, the probability of being accused of ‘bigotry’, ‘hatred’ or ‘intolerance’ approaches 1 (100%).”
Testimonials
The Law Society (2019)
“Our head of justice Richard Miller spoke to Synod members about #AccessToJustice problems. His talk has been published in an excellent Archbishop Cranmer @His_Grace blog - #LegalAid: why is the Government riding roughshod over the rights of the poor?”
Rt Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden (2019)
“You get more Christianity out of @His_Grace in one post than out of Lambeth, the House of Bishops, and the near universally progressive clergy put together. Thank God for Cranmer. Exposing the cant that is passed off as spirituality.”
John O’Sullivan CBE (2019)
“Read this piece. It’s well worth it. And it’s the other Bishop, not Cranmer,
who should be out buying some sackcloth and ashes.”
Rt Rev’d Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds (2019)
“I expected a response from His Grace and am not disappointed.”
Samira Ahmed, BBC (2018)
“The archbishop is always worth reading.”
Harriet Sherwood, Guardian (2018)
“The move has been denounced by Archbishop Cranmer, a conservative Anglican blog…”
Polly Toynbee, Guardian (2018)
“..prominent Christian blogger.”
Brendan Walsh, Editor of The Tablet (2018)
“Cardinal Raymond Burke a new Martin Luther? Perhaps @His_Grace has put his finger on it.”
Prof. Linda Woodhead, Lancaster University (2018)
“Powerful indictment by @His_Grace of the Archbishop of York and his failure to deal with abuse he was told about – which led to a suicide.”
Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday (2018)
“I will write about this soon, but in the meanwhile I would urge my readers to study this post on the Cranmer blog…”
Fr John Hogan, Director of the Fraternity of St Genesius (2017)
“His Grace has a lot of good and interesting things to say. I have been following him for some time. I think I have retweeted him before. Indeed, in this age of madness and anti-Christianity, we disciples of Jesus must stick together!”
The Christian Institute (2017)
“Prominent Christian blogger Archbishop Cranmer castigated the church for its lack of reverence for Jesus.”
The Ven. Bill Stuart-White, Archdeacon of Cornwall (2017)
“Archbishop Cranmer the blogger, bless him, has made our job position extremely well known around the country, and for that we are very grateful.”
Diocese of Truro (2017)
“We are grateful to Archbishop Cranmer for spreading the word…”
Western Morning News (2017)
“The religious blogger Archbishop Cranmer was outraged…”
Fr Simon Cutmore (2017)
“And then I found a shaft of light in the darkness. Then I found hope in the gut wrenching despair I was beginning to feel and it came in a surprising place – the Archbishop Cranmer blog, which is a blog where politics and the church meet head on in a healthy debate.”
Prof. Aaqil Ahmed, former Head of Religion at the BBC and Channel 4 (2017)
“As ever @His_Grace makes you think…”
Rev’d Michael Sadgrove, former Dean of Durham (2017)
“Tendentious nonsense about @JustinWelby comprehensively seen off thanks to @HisGrace.”
His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos (2017)
“Presented to Archbishop Cranmer on the occasion of the pastoral visit of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark, to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St George and the United Kingdom, on 6th May 2017, with compliments of His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church of the United Kingdom.”
Olivia Rudgard, Daily Telegraph (2017)
“Influential Church of England blog Archbishop Cranmer..”
Fatima Manji, Channel 4 News (2017)
“A rare injection of reason among the breathless conjecture of self appointed experts - well done @His_Grace”
Rt Rev’d Dr Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester (2017)
“His Grace, whom I generally regard as very sound indeed..”
Rt Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden (2017)
“The blessed Cranmer, whose generosity of Spirit says more about him than about me.”
Rt Rev’d Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool (2016)
“I stand with @His_Grace on this.”
Rt Rev’d Pete Broadbent, Bishop of Willesden (2016)
“Cranmer nails it.”
Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith (2016)
“From Cranmer… excellent stuff.”
Simon Richards, CEO of The Freedom Association (2016)
“I was fortunate enough to attend a memorable dinner at Lambeth Palace on March 21st, the 460th anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. It was also the tenth anniversary of the Archbishop Cranmer blog. If you are not already familiar with it, I cannot recommend it too highly. It is a remarkable achievement on the part of its author, Dr Adrian Hilton. Written with style, intelligence, wit and, yes, sometimes with justifiable indignation, the Archbishop Cranmer blog is a model of all that a good blog should be. Adrian, a Council Member of The Freedom Association, deserves high praise for his achievement.
“Some people are all too ready to condemn the internet because it is a vehicle for hatred, pornography and lies, but, at its best it can also, as the Archbishop Cranmer blog does, spread knowledge, wisdom and truth. The invention of the printing press helped Shakespeare to become a worldwide phenomenon, but it also spread the hatred that Hitler propagated in Mein Kampf. We should just be grateful that, alongside the horrors of the internet, there is also so much that is good, such as the Archbishop Cranmer blog.”
Rev’d Dr Giles Fraser (2016)
“The goodly @His_Grace urges Tory MPs to defy whip over genocide.”
Catholic Herald (2016)
“For a view from Canterbury, I recommend visiting Archbishop Cranmer’s blog, which is somewhat more cheerful about the situation.”
Christian Institute (2015)
“Influential blogger Archbishop Cranmer added his voice to mounting criticism of the Government’s proposals to issue Extremism Disruption Orders to people who oppose ‘fundamental British values’.”
Stewart Jackson MP (2015)
“Thought provoking and intelligent article by Cranmer - with which I totally agree.”
Austen Ivereigh (2015)
“A prophet speaks. You are warned.”
Martin Sewell (2015)
“Anyone who has read the Cranmer blog over the last ten years cannot fail to have been struck by the consistent quality, erudition and breadth of the thought and writing that it offers day by day, week by week, year by year…
“The mark of an ‘interesting’ blog is that one regularly finds a new perspective, upon a wide choice of subjects. Cranmer delivers that in spades.. Those who have never tried to deliver such public topical commentary from an informed perspective will never appreciate the sheer effort of will power and invention necessary to sustain such a website. It is draining yet Archbishop Cranmer screws himself to the sticking-place on a sustained basis which few other equal; fewer still on a non professional basis. At his own expense and no personal reward, ‘Cranmer’ has enriched the intellectual life of the nation. His erudition has been recognised by a variety of serious thinkers, those who agree with him and those who do not..”
Times Diary (2015)
“Archbishop Cranmer, the religion blogger, writes that Baroness Widders would ‘enhance the essential moral integrity and political credibility’ of the Lords (and get up the noses of ‘a few tedious bishops’), far more than a load of sycophantic special advisers.”
Guardian (2015)
“Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, made it clear in a tweet that he fully supported the programme, as well as retweeting a positive piece from the influential Anglican blog, Archbishop Cranmer.”
Austen Ivereigh (2015)
“His Grace nails it, as per.”
Ruth Gledhill, Christian Today (2015)
“The critique was welcomed by the influential Archbishop Cranmer blog..”
Anglican Mainstream (2015)
“Archbishop Cranmer has done us all a service in this well-researched blog pointing out that, in an attempt to show welcome and understanding to other faiths, the Church of England has once again allowed Muslims to declare the supremacy of their religion in a Christian church.”