The martyrdom of Thomas Becket
On this day in 1170 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by the knights of King Henry II in Canterbury Cathedral. It was muddled politics and religion -…
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Times takes another swipe at the Archbishop of Canterbury
Reasoned criticism of the Church of England is always welcome: as a human institution it boasts of no perfection; as a provisional branch of the Catholic Church it makes no claim to eschatological fulfilment; as a temporal organisation it…
Douglas Alexander champions a Global Envoy for Religious Freedom
"Yet, at this time of great peril, I deeply regret that the British Government seems to be stepping back, rather than stepping up," writes Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander…
Welby loves Wimba Way
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was Kirsty Young's castaway guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs today, and his narration of fascinating biographical anecdotes with intermittent spiritual…
Church of England to spend £2m on "new approach" to leadership
Politicians are out of touch. We know that, because we constantly hear about the 'Westminster bubble' or the 'Westminster Village', and Nadine Dorries once told us that neither David…
The blessing of the Nativity of the European Parliament
The Crib has been solemnly blessed in the European Parliament - that Brussels temple dedicated to the cause of ever closer secularity now has a discordant Nativity scene located…
The myth of the undeserving poor
Unlike most Christian initiatives, this week's Feeding Britain report on poverty and foodbank use has whipped up a media storm filling up plenty of column inches and broadcast minutes. And it…
Why doesn't Welby demand abolition of the Common Agricultural Policy?
"I have seen the hunger that stalks our country... it shocks me more than Africa," writes the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Mail on Sunday. In a lucid piece…
Church of England moves toward episcopal theological quotas
"For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere human beings?" asks St Paul in his first letter to the church in…
Canon Andrew White ordered home with $57m bounty on his head
"It's the end for Iraqi Christians," writes Josh Glancy in The Sunday Times, as he recounts the appalling horrors, heartbreaks and sheer despair of Iraq's Christians, many thousands of…
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…
General Synod to be addressed by Muslim extremist …NOT
It is troubling that the first non-Christian to address the Church of England synod can be linked to extreme Islamist networks. By inviting Fuad Nahdi, the Church is lending…
Welby's moral vision moves another step forward
Throughout this week, BBC Radio 4’s afternoon flagship news and current affairs programme PM has been running a series of features on the existing state of the jobs market…
Justin wept over Church of England child abuse
The Archbishop of Canterbury gave a speech yesterday to the Parliamentary Press Gallery – a group made up of privileged journalists and reporters who mill around Westminster hour after…
As Wonga falls, Welby's church credit unions arise
Wonga may still be hanging on as the big boy of the much-despised payday loans industry, but how much longer before it comes crashing down in a blaze of…
Welby: we wrestle not against ISIL, but against Jihadi principalities and powers
We are, once again, a nation at war. And, rather like World War I, it won't be over by Christmas. The Prime Minister has identified our target: "We should be…
Shock! Justin Welby admits that he believes in God
This is of course a ridiculous headline, but what makes it ridiculous? There are plenty of people who don't believe in God after all. We make assumptions all of the…
Salvation of the Union
Land of Hope and Glory! Rule Britannia! God Save the Queen! Scotland has spoken, and, despite the tawdry interventions of certain glitzy Scots living comfortably in the Home Counties, Manhattan…