Guildford Cathedral ‘reviews’ statues by sinner sculptor Eric Gill
You have to pity poor Hiram of Tyre, an artistic metalsmith whom King Solomon chose to work on his Temple, because 'he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning…
Church of England
Is the Church of England about to ban prophets from Synod?
Anyone observing parliamentary debates over the last few weeks will know that the awkward question can be many things. It can be fair or unfair, accurate or misconceived, mischievous or challenging. Even when entirely well placed and deserved by the…
Why are schoolchildren selecting Church of England bishops?
Caroline Boddington is barely out the door, and bishops are now being appointed by... schoolchildren called Temisan, Keziah, Honey and Sophia. With the retirement of the Rt Rev'd Pete Broadbent…
Matthew Parris just wants to be loved, accepted, and buried in the CofE
Matthew Parris has written a strange a piece in the Times about the Church of England: 'Anglicanism was never really about God', he decrees, with a kind of semi-detached secular-papal…
Queen reminds General Synod of its essential mission
The 11th General Synod of the Church of England was opened yesterday, and the Supreme Governor was absent for the first time since Synod was created more than 50 years…
No, the Church of England did not give £40,000 ‘gifts’ to a fantasist
In the Mail on Sunday last week there was an 'exposé' of a decision by the Church of England Interim Survivor Support Scheme whose panel had decided to compensate a…
General Synod elections: the ‘liberal drift’ is not a foregone conclusion
The Rev'd Peter Ould has been psephological over at Psephizo, and his analysis of the recent Synod elections merits some consideration in respect of the 'liberal drift' of the Church…
Welby: there is no need to ‘save the parish’; there is no threat to it
The Archbishop of Canterbury recently made a very subtle intervention in the process of elections to the General Synod. Indeed, so subtle was it that absolutely nobody noticed. Just as…
Lord Lexden: “My faith in the Church’s institutional integrity has been completely broken”
Lord Lexden has resigned as a member of the Ecclesiastical Committee (the Church of England in Parliament), over the Clergy Discipline Measure and "the harm it is capable of inflicting…
Anglican Conclave to ‘sift’ all candidates for vacancies to see if they are ‘appropriate’
There is no doubt that the governance structure of the Church of England is labyrinthine, convoluted, inefficient and opaque. It's what comes of half a millennium of Catholic and Reformed…
Fr Alan Griffin (RIP): the buck stops with Bishop Sarah Mullally
Upon taking office as 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman famously placed a sign on his desk to remind himself of the awesome responsibility which the Office…
Safeguarding suicide: ‘there is a crisis of trust within the Diocese of London’
Following the comments and demands made by the Coroner in the wake of the suicide of Fr Alan Griffin, the Diocese of London and Lambeth Palace have accepted responsibility for…
A ‘Church for England’, but whose understanding of Englishness?
Much has been written about the Archbishop of York's article in the Telegraph, in which he set out his vision for England woven with his preferred themes of Englishness, calling…
The Church of Englishness
Upon reading Archbishop Stephen Cotterell’s remarks on English identity in the Telegraph, I was reminded of the time I was reading the Law Society Gazette whilst waiting for a court…
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…
The immoral, scandalous and disgraceful nature of CofE bullying
'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…
Church of England safeguarding drove Fr Alan Griffin to suicide
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…
General Synod elections: can ‘Save the Parish’ save the Church of England?
"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…
Institutional bullying in the Church of England: it’s time to face the liturgical music
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 misrepresents the President of Tribunals, leaving Martyn Percy ‘under a cloud’
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…