The apocalypse of Islam and the signs of the times
The Temple of Baalshamin predated Mohammed by six centuries. It was a cultural jewel in the Syrian desert, revealing to the world a glimpse of the pre-Islamic religions of…
Theology
Welby: "Christians are not saints"; Cranmer: "O yes we are"
"Christians are not saints," tweeted Lambeth Palace, apparently quoting from a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. "They are sinners calling other sinners to know and love Jesus Christ." Well, yes and no. Christians are indeed sinners,…
Was St Paul wrong about the timing of the Second Coming?
If Jesus, being fully and infallibly God, was not wrong about the time of his Second Coming, what about St Paul, being fully and fallibly man? The whole thrust…
Was Jesus wrong about the timing of his Second Coming?
The imminence of the long-prophesied kingdom of God and the end of time has occupied Christians and Jews more than any other subject of theological conjecture. Certainly, at the…
Tweeting the truth in love: Justin Welby affirms an unpalatable article of faith
We have a blogging, vlogging and tweeting Archbishop of Canterbury. He's on Flickr, too. Justin Welby has fathomed that the medium is the message: the social network is the…
Cecil the Lion – a lesson in animal theology
A dentist called Walter Palmer has killed a lion called Cecil. Cecil the lion is now dead, and never has the world been so united in grief. Well, perhaps…
Christians in Parliament demonstrate what doing God really means
On Wednesday evening Christians in Parliament along with Christians in Politics and Christians in Government held their annual service of prayer and worship at the the Emmanuel Centre in…
Dylann Roof is forgiven and forgiven and forgiven by victims' families
On the evening of 17th June 2015, Dylann Roof attended a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where, by all accounts, he…
Where the hell has Hell gone?
In a world of broken promises, imperfection and fallenness, there is an understandable human yearning that all may eventually be saved. It is compassionate, loving and enlightened to believe…
Against heresy: if Jesus called God 'Father', who are we to conflate Him with Mary?
'For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist' (2Jn 1:7). The…
Communicating truth in a “dictatorship of relativism"
Cardinal Raymond Burke preached this week in Oxford against the “dictatorship of relativism” which brands Christians “fundamentalists and extremists”. The Tablet recounts: Quoting the Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Burke…
The turban was made for man, and not man for the turban
The story has gone viral and circled the world. Harman Singh, 22, of South Aukland, New Zealand, was lounging around at home when he heard the screech of car…
Westminster Abbey acknowledges Mohammed in succession of prophets
"Peace be upon all auspicious prophets of God, from Adam, Noah and Abraham to Moses, Jesus and Mohammed Mustafa.." That wasn't quite how the prayer was rendered in Westminster…
Sentamu: Jesus would pay the living wage (despite His disciples being unpaid interns)
It is not a divine intervention into the General Election campaign. Even less so is it an episcopal exhortation for the faithful to cast their votes for a particular…
Welby: equality as a government aim is "doomed to totalitarianism"
Justin Welby often gets it in the neck from Tories who are quick to spy Marxism under every mitre, but this Archbishop is rather more nuanced than that. In…
The Queen of peace and reconciliation
"For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of…
Behold your God!
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be…
#ChristmasMeans anything but peace on earth
Today marks the official start of the Church of England's #ChristmasMeans Twitter campaign. Church congregations and clergy are being encouraged to get out their smartphones to let the Twittersphere know…
Countering the warped Christianity of the far right
Once upon a time around 15 years ago it was impossible to go to any Christian youth event without seeing a swathe of bracelets marked with 'WWJD?'. 'What Would…
The Community of St Anselm – satisfaction and spirituality
A few months ago the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced a new initiative at Lambeth Palace: the establishment of the Community of St Anselm, the objective of which…