Pope Francis: God willed the Reformation and the Church of England
Pope Francis went to Abu Dhabi this week to meet the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, which is good and pleasant. No doubt the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church…
Diversity
Bemused by Brexit? Come to church for tea and prayer – unless your vicar is a Remainer
At this moment of national crisis and international humiliation (which it is), the Church of England is encouraging people to come to church to be 'Together' for a cup of tea and prayer (not necessarily in that order). This is…
Following CofE guidance for gender transition services, bishops weigh the possibility of political transition services
The Church of England has issued new guidance for parishes planning gender transition services to help transgender people mark their transition to their new identity. Since there is now no…
Why a woman may be the next Archbishop of York, but not of Canterbury
His Grace The Most Rev'd and Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu, Lord Archbishop of York, has announced that he will retire from his post on 7th June 2020, three days…
BBC Newsnight provides a pulpit for the myth of secular neutrality
"The best guarantee of religious tolerance is a well-organised secular state... there is a higher authority; it's called the law," proclaimed author Ian McEwan on the BBC's 'Newsnight', in a…
Ely Cathedral flies UKIP flag to welcome Brexit conference
"The world feels a bit warmer now" is how one Brexiteer reacted as the UKIP flag was hoist over Ely Cathedral. Members of the Ely UKIP branch have expressed their…
Trump to Europe: “You are losing your culture”
While the media pore over Donald Trump's interview with the Sun, focusing on the possibility a post-(soft) Brexit US/UK trade deal ("..it will probably kill the deal") and Boris Johnson…
When did Transgenderism supplant Anglican orthodoxy as a qualification for Holy Orders?
If you believe that women may not be priests; that Holy Orders are a male preserve; that a woman may not represent Christ at the altar; that 'woman priest' is…
Christian Scout leader expelled for expressing concerns about the Scout Association’s anti-Christian bias
Brian Walker has been a member of the Scout Association since he was a boy. He got all his badges and tied all his knots; he swam and climbed and…
Toby Young and our progressive eugenics/equality hypocrisy
The hounding of Toby Young from his appointment to the advisory board of the Office for Students (OfS) has been both unseemly and unjust. The Twitter hordes fulminated about his…
How Bishop George Bell became a victim of Church of England ‘spin’ and a narrative of ‘decisive leadership’
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…
Forget Brexit academics – how many of them are Conservatives?
Government Whip Chris Heaton-Harris has sent a letter to all university vice chancellors asking for the names of academics lecturing on European affairs, with particular reference to Brexit. He also…
Trump’s UN “hate speech” tells the world a few home truths
UN Secretary-General António Guterres doesn't like divisive political discourse: he prefers consensual dialogue about climate change; exhortations to build bridges rather than walls; measured denunciations of Israel rather than the…
Lidl UK compounds cross removal by treating its customers as idiots
Lidl have been selling their own brand (Eirdanous) Greek food (moussaka, halloumi, meatballs, yoghurt etc) with a doctored image. Perhaps it wouldn't matter if they'd made the Aegean a little…
LGBT Pride London: police attempt to remove ‘Allah is Gay’ placards for causing offence
"Pride is full of placards saying 'God is Gay', 'Jesus had two fathers', as well as those mocking the church and priests and pope," writes Maryam Namazie, spokeswoman for the…
The Church of England’s obsession with diversity is damaging its orthodoxy
"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…
Critic of Gay Pride police car gets reported for ‘Muslim mob’ joke
Inspector Mark Evans of Sussex Police is very proud of his new patrol car. So proud, in fact, that he tweeted about it, which is perfectly fine: it's a free…
Why does the Church of England sneer at grammar schools?
The Church of England is apparently not interested in opening new grammar schools. In an interview with the TES, the CofE's Chief Education Officer, the Rev'd Nigel Genders, says: "We've…
Philip North crisis: ‘Good Disagreement’ has become ‘bad bullying’
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,…
If Philip North can’t be Bishop of Sheffield, the Church of England ceases to be catholic
The Dean of Christ Church, Professor Martyn Percy, has issued an ultimatum circumspectly entitled 'Questions of Ambiguity and Integrity'. It's quite long, but essentially it boils down to a choice:…