Discipleship

Martyn Percy valedictory service Exeter College Oxford chapel

Martyn Percy leaves the Church of England

In the glorious Chapel of Exeter College, Oxford, on the Feast Day of St. Matthias the Apostle on Saturday 14th May, the Very Rev'd Professor Martyn Percy preached his final sermon as a priest in the Church of England. The…

When does talking or praying about sexuality become conversion therapy?

December 6, 2021
0 Comments

As the Government's consultation on their Conversion Therapy (Prohibition) Bill nears its end, there is a sense of confusion and exasperation, if not of fear and despair. Not among those…

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

August 12, 2018
0 Comments

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…

Is Mark Rylands the humblest bishop in the Church of England?

March 19, 2018
0 Comments

The Rt Rev'd Mark Rylands is presently Bishop of Shrewsbury. He is well-known to readers of this blog for being a thoughtful and intelligent advocate for UK secession from the…

The Apocalypse of Donald: “Fire and fury like the world has never seen”

August 9, 2017
202 Comments

"North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States," warned President Trump. "They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen," he…

The Church of England’s obsession with diversity is damaging its orthodoxy

July 7, 2017
186 Comments

"Your Grace, do you by chance know what 'Sexuality, composition of themed groups' is? Or what it has to do with the price of fish?" tweeted George Trefgarne in response…

Diocese of Truro advertises for Mission leader, but “You do not need to be a practising Christian”

June 14, 2017
223 Comments

"Mission goes out from God. Mission is God's way of loving and saving the world." So declared the Church of England at the 1998 Lambeth Conference. This quotation leads the…

‘Dear Patrick…’ Words of comfort for clergy who feel forsaken by mutual flourishing

May 5, 2017
163 Comments

Returning to the Church of England's gender wars and sexuality skirmishes (which never really went away), the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, who advocates righteous discrimination against traditionalists who discriminate…

Sex and the Church: how does a “radical new Christian inclusion” differ from the world’s?

February 16, 2017
382 Comments

You know that church that's seemingly in crisis and turmoil? Well, today it'll carry on praying, worshipping, visiting the ill and bereaved, loving one another... (and re-stocking food-banks). And it'll…

New Bishop of Oxford enthroned with L-plates

October 1, 2016
99 Comments

Bishops don't much like the word 'enthroned' these days. Perhaps it's a bit too imperial or exalted for modern notions of accessibility and equatability. So now we focus on their…

Pray and fast for climate change? Is the Church creating disciples of Christ or eco-warriors?

July 15, 2015
101 Comments

The latest session of the General Synod of the Church of England drew to a close in York this week and, absent any debate about women bishops, it failed…

Church of England mistakes mission for the management of decline

April 23, 2015
413 Comments

One of the best things Christians are doing all over the country at the moment is organising and hosting General Election hustings for their local communities. Last time round,…

Justin Welby did not "'say sorry' for bombing the Nazis"

February 14, 2015
279 Comments

Following the publication by the Daily Mail of a story entitled 'Archbishop "says sorry" for bombing the Nazis', the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury has issued the following…

The last chance to save our rural churches

February 12, 2015
262 Comments

There was a popular modern worship song that did the rounds a few years ago entitled 'God of this City'. The chorus went: For greater things have yet to…

The martyrdom of Thomas Becket

December 29, 2014
261 Comments

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 -…

The Church needs to rediscover its heart

November 12, 2014
170 Comments

Established religion satisfies the minds of some, but the hearts of the multitudes frequently go hungry. We are often told of the imminent death of the Church of England…

How to prevent the extinction of the Church of England

October 24, 2014
304 Comments

If anyone isn’t aware that the Church of England is slowly walking down the statistical road to oblivion, the publication of the 2015 British Election Study last week should…

Discerning the future of the Church is not an intellectual exercise

October 12, 2014
101 Comments

When I was at university studying Architecture, we were given the hypothetical brief of designing a new chapel for the campus. Having looked forward to it initially, it actually became…