Church of England

Radical progressive activism and the Church of England

Civitas have published a new report: Rotting from the Head: Radical progressive activism and the Church of England. 'Radical progressive activism' is a slippery concept, not least because not all progressives would term their activism 'radical', and not all radicals…

bullying church of england priest suicide

The immoral, scandalous and disgraceful nature of CofE bullying

July 22, 2021
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'Immoral, scandalous or disgraceful' is a phrase from the Statutes of Christ Church, Oxford: it describes behaviour warranting disciplinary action being undertaken within that institution, but it is also an…

Fr Alan Griffin suicide safeguarding CDM

Church of England safeguarding drove Fr Alan Griffin to suicide

July 19, 2021
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A priest is dead. That's okay: all priests die; ashes to ashes, and all that. But this priest killed himself because he was subject to a CDM. That's a Clergy…

hedgerley church save the parish general synod elections

General Synod elections: can ‘Save the Parish’ save the Church of England?

July 13, 2021
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"There are about to be General Synod elections. So, stand. Stand and write in your manifesto that you are standing to ‘Save the parish’," writes the Rev'd Marcus Walker, Rector…

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Institutional bullying in the Church of England: it’s time to face the liturgical music

July 7, 2021
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On 1st July 2021 a research paper by Clive Billenness was published to assist the Diocese in Europe in addressing the problem of institutional bullying within the Church of England.…

Diocese of Oxford Dean of Christ Church Martyn Percy

Diocese of Oxford misrepresents the President of Tribunals, leaving Martyn Percy ‘under a cloud’

June 19, 2021
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This is a guest post by Martin Sewell and David Lamming, members of General Synod. The statement posted belatedly on the Diocese of Oxford website on 18th June Decision…

Christ Church Cathedral Oxford Canon Angela Tilby Twitter block

Christ Church Cathedral Oxford blocks its own Canon on Twitter

June 10, 2021
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The Rev'd Angela Tilby is a Canon Emeritus of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford. She is also a writer, broadcaster, columnist, and Canon of Honour at Portsmouth Cathedral. She is thoughtful,…

Christ Church Oxford: Dean Martyn Percy cleared for the fifth time

June 2, 2021
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In the case of the allegation of sexual assault and harassment made against Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church Oxford, the Church of England determined that the CDM (Clergy Discipline…

Was Tim Dakin made Bishop of Winchester without being validly ordained priest?

May 30, 2021
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There is something very peculiar going on in the Diocese of Winchester (which may or may not have spent £500,000 on NDAs). Not only has its Bishop 'stepped back' or…

CDM PTSD: the trauma, stress and disorder of the Clergy Discipline Measure

May 28, 2021
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The Clergy Discipline Measure (2003, amended by the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016) is a Measure passed by the General Synod of the Church of England for the maintenance…

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If ‘contested’ monuments, statues and memorials must fall, who shall stand?

May 12, 2021
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The guidance issued by the Church of England in respect of its 'contested heritage' (specifically monuments, statues and monuments relating to the slave trade and/or colonialism) is confusing (to put…

From Lament To Action: the report of the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce

April 23, 2021
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The Archbishops' Anti-Racism Taskforce have published their report 'From Lament to Action', which proposes a raft of changes designed to bring about a change of culture in the life of…

church england welby non-disclosure agreements

One Church of England diocese has spent £500,000 on 20 Non-Disclosure Agreements

April 22, 2021
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It has been disturbing to learn that victims of racism in the Church of England have had to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) before they could receive compensation which might be…

BBC Panorama smears the Church of England as ‘racist’

April 20, 2021
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'Is the Church racist?', asked the BBC's Panorama yesterday evening, as reporter Clive Myrie interviewed a few minority-ethnic clergy who have experienced some awful abuse at the hands (or from…

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The Church of England’s racist plan to eradicate racism

April 13, 2021
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There is a curious story in the Daily Mail which may not be wholly true, or it may not be true at all, but if it is true, even in…

Book of Common Prayer to be replaced with Book of BAME Prayer in attempt ‘decolonise’ liturgy

April 1, 2021
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The Book of Common Prayer has been branded "colonialist" by Church of England bishops hoping to reform Anglican liturgy to focus less on white English culture, His Grace can reveal.…

Jonathan Fletcher – “the Pope of Conservative Evangelicalism” – was an abusive bully

March 23, 2021
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The long awaited report by safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight into the abuse perpetrated by the Rev'd Jonathan Fletcher out of his proprietary chapel of Emmanuel Church Wimbledon was published at midnight.…

If Martyn Percy kills himself, the Church of England will have blood on its hands

March 21, 2021
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465 years ago today, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake for 'heresy'. 15 years ago today, on the 450th anniversary of that fateful day, the Archbishop Cranmer blog…

‘Coming Home’: what role should the Church play in housing?

February 25, 2021
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"Across the UK, eight million people currently live in substandard housing, 800,000 people are in overcrowded households and one in five households face real difficulties in paying their mortgage or…

Michael Gove: “The Church has.. a critical, central and important role in building back better”

February 21, 2021
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It seems somewhat counterintuitive, in an age of increasing secularity, and with an incessant stream of triumphant tweets from the National Secular Society, that the world's perception of the Church…