Bullying

Christ Church’s PR agency colludes with FT journalist (and alumnus) to defame Dean

There has been progress (of sorts) in the ongoing dispute between Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, and the College’s Governing Body. The Charity Commission has ordered both parties to enter into mediation in order to prevent the good name…

Martyn Percy: Synod challenges Christ Church abuse of CofE safeguarding process

June 19, 2020
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This letter is currently being circulated to members of General Synod of the Church of England, in advance of their virtual meeting in July. There will be two Q&A sessions,…

Christ Church dons launch new attack on the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life

June 8, 2020
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Christ Church Oxford and the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life have been working together in scholarly harmony for over 12 years. The Centre is a highly regarded…

The harrowing of Martyn Percy (part ii): Church of England colludes in bullying

May 27, 2020
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The harrowing of the Very Rev'd Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church Oxford, ought to have ceased with his vindication in the judgment of Sir Andrew Smith. Professor Percy…

Martyn Percy dean christ church oxford university

The harrowing of Martyn Percy: Oxford University denies natural justice to the Dean of Christ Church

November 19, 2018
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Look here upon this picture, and on this. These images are not separated by years, but a matter of months. You may wonder how the Very Rev'd Professor Martyn Percy,…

Online hate: Twitter speaks what the heart is full of

September 10, 2018
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Life is a lot of bitterness and hate: there are oppressors and victims; struggles, dilemmas and protests. There is suffering and pain, anxiety and change. There are cries for vengeance,…

John Smyth dies – just as the CPS gives police go-ahead for his extradition and prosecution

August 12, 2018
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John Smyth, who was accused of the sadistic beatings of young men under the guise of Christian discipleship, has died at his home in Cape Town. This brings to an…

The G7 Summit: a Renaissance oil painting of the sacred and profane

June 10, 2018
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The G7 Summit brings together the mighty economies of the USA, Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Japan and Germany, which together represent 62% of global net worth. That's $280 trillion,…

Nigel Biggar on the degeneracy of academic civility

April 10, 2018
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Professor Nigel Biggar has written for the Times: 'Vile abuse is now tolerated in our universities'. He tells us: "The spitting hatred I suffered over my views on empire shows…

Church of England bullies George Bell’s elderly niece by denying her choice of lawyer

February 12, 2018
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Just as the General Synod of the Church of England was sotto voce congratulating itself on finally looking at its multiple failures towards its victims, a decision was being made…

How Bishop George Bell became a victim of Church of England ‘spin’ and a narrative of ‘decisive leadership’

November 17, 2017
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This is a guest post by The Very Rev’d Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. _______ Some may begin to wonder how exactly the Church of England’s National…

Boys in tutus and tiara hysteria: media attack Church of England for totally the wrong reason

November 13, 2017
265 Comments

Today's furore is caused by the Church of England's declaration that unrepentant sinners will go to hell and only Jesus can save them boys ought to be able to wear…

Church U-turn on sex abuse: from the victim ‘must be believed’ to being ‘taken seriously’

November 9, 2017
170 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired Child Protection Lawyer. _____ The recent furore about the Parliamentary 'sex scandals' – which I prefer to think of as…

The Westminster sex scandal is a media-hyped sideshow: Parliament is not crammed with Cyril Smiths

November 6, 2017
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One woman says an MP touched her knee; another says she was raped. One male MP has been suspended for unspecified "serious allegations"; another is under fire for groping someone's…

Richard Dawkins: Oxford’s Christian Union is “predatory and nasty”

October 11, 2017
712 Comments

The 'Oxford University bans Christian Union' story has gone half way round the world, and it really shouldn't have. Oxford's Cherwell newspaper originally carried it: 'Christian Union banned from Balliol…

Prison chaplains may no longer convict offenders of sin: preaching must be ‘sensitive’

August 2, 2017
360 Comments

Remember the case of the Rev'd Barry Trayhorn, the 'tent-maker' (gardener) volunteer prison chaplain at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire? Being an ordained minister in the Pentecostal Church, he quoted Scripture…

The abuse and intimidation of members of the CofE’s General Synod

July 12, 2017
405 Comments

There is a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament today led by Simon Hart MP on the abuse and intimidation of candidates and the public in UK elections. A briefing pack…

Discrimination and discernment: an exercise in relativist supremacy

March 13, 2017
313 Comments

This is a guest post by the Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden, former Chaplain to the Queen. ___________________________ In the great amphitheatre of Twitter a gladiatorial combat recently took place between…

Philip North crisis: ‘Good Disagreement’ has become ‘bad bullying’

March 11, 2017
308 Comments

This is a guest post by the Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden, former Chaplain to the Queen. ___________________________ When the house that has been painstakingly constructed on the sand falls flat,…

Safespacing the Church: revising doctrine to suit mental health

March 7, 2017
238 Comments

Mental health matters, right? Yes, of course it does. And the Church of England is right to focus on this often-neglected area of human flourishing and wellbeing, with speeches in…