Doctrine

Catholic Herald stokes sectarianism with ‘Heretic of the Week’

January 6, 2019
Archbishop Cranmer
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The Catholic Herald runs a column called 'Heretic of the Week'. It hasn't been running for many weeks, which is probably why it isn't that widely known, but a recent tweet featuring Menno Simons – an influential Anabaptist and founder…

Scrupulous for Christ: saving the Church from the doctrine of the infallibles

November 1, 2018
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Ever since Jesus cried 'Woe' to the scribes and Pharisees, his disciples have been calling out the two-faced hypocrites and judiciously discerning whitewashed tombs – those who look all meek…

mormon mormons name change rebrand church latter day saints

Mormons receive prophecy to drop ‘Mormon’ and rebrand as ‘the Church’

September 16, 2018
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It’s good to be a Prophet. You can get things done. Russell Nelson is President of the Mormon church and therefore a Prophet. He had since 1984 been a member…

Death penalty: Pope Francis hasn’t changed the teaching; he just ‘developed doctrine’

August 5, 2018
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One of the more curious aspects of Roman Catholic apologetics is its inability to answer certain specific questions to which it should have ready answers: 1. What is the content…

Do we need a new public theology?

April 6, 2018
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"There's such a need for good public theology," tweeted Fr Gregory Platten, Vicar of All Saints Church, London, N20. "Increasingly struck by how much theology is written for theologians alone:…

Mawer, Percy, and the See of Sheffield: what if Conservative politicians had supported Philip North?

September 25, 2017
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Sir Philip Mawer's report on the circumstances surrounding the nomination of Bishop Philip North to the See of Sheffield makes interesting reading, in particular what it means for the 'mutual…

Justin Welby is not a heretic, he’s a very faithful Anglican

May 15, 2017
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In the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Westminster there is a list of Archbishops of Canterbury which chronicles the centuries of communion between the popes of Rome and the chief pastors…

Julia Hartley-Brewer: it’s “bloody stupid beliefs” like prayer which help create acts of terrorism

March 23, 2017
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Even as Tobias Ellwood MP was trying to get the blood to flow once again through PC Keith Palmer's heart, tweets of blame and judgment were flying about like a…

Safespacing the Church: revising doctrine to suit mental health

March 7, 2017
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Mental health matters, right? Yes, of course it does. And the Church of England is right to focus on this often-neglected area of human flourishing and wellbeing, with speeches in…

House of Bishops upholds canon law: marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman

January 30, 2017
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After a seemingly interminable period of 'shared conversations' on the nature of marriage and the relational experiences of some LGBT Christians, the House of Bishops of the Church of England…

Qur’an in the Eucharist? The Provost of Glasgow Cathedral subverts Christian revelation

January 12, 2017
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This is a guest post by the Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden, Chaplain to the Queen. __________________________ I have just returned from Paris where I was invited to be part of…

Lord Carey removed from King’s College London wall of distinguished alumni

December 21, 2016
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The motto of King's College London is Sancte et sapienter ('With holiness and wisdom'). Sadly, it appears to have abandoned both. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton has…

Ashers Bakery ‘gay cake’ appeal judgment: 11% of Evangelical Christians haven’t got a clue about religious liberty

October 24, 2016
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It was very tempting to go with the affirmatory '89% of Evangelical Christians support freedom of religion', which would have been the wholesome, encouraging, Christian thing to do, right? But…

Is our worship really “diminished” by the lack of Christian unity?

September 27, 2016
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"I was dismayed, but not surprised, to hear so many calls for 'unity' after Jeremy Corbyn’s re-election," writes political historian Dr Robert Crowcroft of Edinburgh University. He expounds: ..."unity" is…

Archbishop Cranmer – 10 years of religio-political edification and enlightenment

March 21, 2016
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Ten years ago today, on 21st March 2006, the Archbishop Cranmer blog burst into the Blogosphere. Well, perhaps the irruption wasn't so much a burst as a seep, for…

Anglican Primates pronounce, but the Holy Spirit prevails

January 16, 2016
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The media bulletins are full of 'Episcopal Church suspended from the Anglican Communion', with a list of prohibitions and fulminations about 'second class Anglicans', with Giles Fraser reminding us…

Primates' Meeting 2016: separating the Eloi from the Morlocks

January 9, 2016
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Primates’ Meeting, Canterbury: stardate 2016. These are the continuing prophetic voyages of Justin Welby. His continuing mission: to explore strange new reconciliations; to seek out new wine and new…

On the Feast of Stephen

December 26, 2015
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The funeral of St Stephen, by Filippo Lippi (1460). St Stephen – 'a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost' (Acts 6:5) – was chosen to be a…

Divorce and remarriage: Catholic crisis, chaos, conspiracy, or just contextual theology?

October 25, 2015
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The fallout from the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church (aka 'Synod on the Family') has been considerable. Whatever the reported…

'Not in God's Name' – Jonathan Sacks expounds the sanctity of 'the other'

June 17, 2015
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There are some books about religion which you will never read: the cover says it all, and it looks very impressive on the bookshelf. And there are others for…