Brexit: open letter reveals Bishops split 60:40 on Government’s approach
The open letter on Brexit published yesterday by a group of Diocesan Bishops is interesting on a number of levels, not least of which is the fact that it is…
Poor
Man shall not live by broadband alone
Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party has pledged to deliver free fibre broadband to every home and business in the country by 2030. "What was once a luxury is now an essential utility," the Labour leader explained. "I think it’s too important…
Legal Aid: why is the Government riding roughshod over the rights of the poor?
It is a well established part of the life of General Synod that the clergy and laity can submit motions for debate to the Business Committee. Synod time is both…
Project apocalypse: Welby calls the nation to prayer over Brexit
In his 'State of the Nation' address to the General Synod of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury is calling the nation to prayer because "social divisions feel…
Brexit and the ‘moral failure’ of ‘no deal’
In his speech to the House of Lords last week on Brexit, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke eloquently about the moral responsibility that comes with parliamentary sovereignty, and of the…
Legal Aid is in crisis: can the Church of England help ensure justice?
The Brexit drama is sucking the oxygen of publicity away from many other newsworthy stories, and one of the more regrettable casualties is the parlous state of our Legal Aid…
Worcester Cathedral hosts heritage event – Methodists not welcome
On 4th December Worcester Cathedral is hosting an educational heritage event: In line with the 2018 commemoration of the end of the First World War, Worcester Cathedral Education Department is…
Complicit in evil? Church of England has shares in Amazon and uses zero-hours contracts
Imagine the prophet Amos in 650 BC travelling through the southern kingdom up to Bethel in the Samaritan north to sell his figs. It's a long journey, but that's where…
Banning beggars and fining the homeless: why do clergy only condemn Tory-run councils?
Three women have been given a community protection warning (CPW), prohibiting them from begging outside the Hounslow Jamia Masjid & Islamic Centre. Cllr Hanif Khan said: "These individuals were specifically…
Welby: “Austerity is a theory for the rich and a reality of suffering for the poor”
In his latest book Reimagining Britain: Foundations for Hope, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby writes: "Austerity is a theory for the rich and a reality of suffering for the…
By supporting a post-Brexit customs union with the EU, Corbyn betrays the poor
Labour's post-Brexit economic policy (this week) is to join a new customs union with the EU, which would apparently retain all the benefits of the present customs union, and ensure…
Marx over Pareto: why do so many Anglican bishops adopt a socialist economic and political outlook?
In the same spirit as Prof Nigel Biggar, the Oxford ethicist who has provoked hysterical opposition by claiming that the British Empire was a morally mixed phenomenon and was the…
Bishop of Liverpool slams ‘so-called Evangelicals’, and so condemns himself
The term 'Evangelical' as applied to Christians has a long and well-chronicled heritage. In 1525, William Tyndale explained in his Doctrinal Treatises (p8): "Evangelion (that which we call the gospel)…
Church of England dances a jig over Tory Budget 2017
The Church of England has responded to the government's Budget 2017 with a round of effusive applause. In a statement gushing with appreciation, the Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Rev'd…
Welby is right: the UK economy is “broken”, but England’s church is limping
It was an unfortunate coincidence that on the day the British Social Attitudes survey was released which announced that more than half (53%) of the British public now describe themselves…
The knives are out for Labour Leave and Socialist Brexiteers
Giles Fraser sends out a tweet: 'Poorest will gain most under Brexit, says Labour report'. And the derision poured forth: ...report by rabid Brexit supporters. As rabid a Brexiteer as…
Charlottesville: white supremacists are fundamentally anti-American and anti-Christian
Charlottesville has gone downhill a bit since The Waltons: the town where John Boy negotiated his first bank loan, Jim-Bob learned about his dead twin brother, and grandma and grandpa…
Bishop Philip North is good news for the poor – what a shame he’s sidelined
It is #GoodNewsFriday – space and time to tell of God's love, miracles, joy, hope and peace – and Bishop Philip North provides today's subject matter. Here are a few…
Grenfell Tower tragedy becomes an anti-Tory hate-fest
Perhaps only those who have lost everything can even begin to understand the trauma of the Grenfell Tower inferno. And even then, the loss that comes with abandonment or flood…
Bishop(-elect) of Sheffield: “Don’t vote Tory, or the poor will pay”
When Tom Freeman pointed out in a tweet that the tedious Tory mantra 'strong and stable leadership' fits the tune of 'All Things Bright and Beautiful', the urge to add…