The Pope, the Patriarch and the Archbishop unite for Earth’s sake
Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew and the Archbishop of Canterbury have united for the first time in history to issue an urgent appeal for the future of the planet. Never before…
Environment
Environmental apocalypse: the religious drama of COP26
"Since it is difficult to distinguish true prophets from false, it is as well to regard all prophets with suspicion," warned Primo Levi in his 1947 work If This Is a Man / The Truce. As the Archbishop of Canterbury…
Bishop of Reading: ‘Evolution is God incarnate; the whole earth is God’s body’
The Rt Rev'd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading, has been reading a book. Perhaps she has been reading two or three. Her subject is Creation and Incarnation; her passion is…
CofE to be carbon-neutral by 2030 – but at what cost?
No-one disputes the Christian imperative to care for the environment: the stewardship of creation is a matter of generational justice and moral responsibility. In the vast web of nature and…
A ‘climate emergency’ demands a Green manifesto more useful that Joanna Southcott’s box
Former US President George W Bush revealed in his book Decision Points that he often broke the conversational ice with visiting heads of state by asking the question: 'What keeps…
The weird cult of Greta Thunberg: she’s not the Green Messiah
The activities of those following the latest fashion in political activism have been disrupting the nation’s capital, and yesterday its unlikely spokesperson and poster child, Greta Thunberg, went to Westminster…
Insect Armageddon: an Extinction Level Event
The Bible is full of insects and bugs: there are ants (Prov 6:6), bees (Jdg 14:8), fleas (1Sam 24:14), flies (Ex 8:24), gnats (8:16), grasshoppers (Isa 40:22), hornets (Deut 7:20),…
Michael Gove delivers Theos Annual Lecture: “I speak as a Christian”
Michael Gove delivered this year's Theos annual lecture last night, and his subject was environmental justice, stewardship and the moral purpose of government. The whole lecture is well worth reading,…
The evil of oil: a letter from the Interfaith Council for an Ethical Energy Policy
This is a guest post by Carl Jacobs. _______ In the name of Ecumenical comity, I have decided to give over my column this week to His Most August Personage,…
Priest to chain herself to a tree in protest against HS2
The Rev'd Anne Stevens, Vicar of St Pancras, is to chain herself to a tree near Euston Station in protest against HS2. Or, rather, she is going to allow herself…
Church of England dances a jig over Tory Budget 2017
The Church of England has responded to the government's Budget 2017 with a round of effusive applause. In a statement gushing with appreciation, the Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Rev'd…
Pray and fast for climate change? Is the Church creating disciples of Christ or eco-warriors?
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…
Laudato Si – Pope Francis gives a timely gift to humanity
Two momentous events happened yesterday: the Vatican finally discovered PowerPoint and the Pope (or at least the person in charge of his Twitter account) proved that he had mastered…
A Christian vision for a restored economy
Is it just me or has anyone else got to the point where they just want to get to May 7th and move on to the next step of…
#PastoralLetter (2): Visions, dreams and nebulous notions of detachment
Having responded to the Preface of the Pastoral Letter from the House of Bishops "to the people and parishes of the Church of England for the General Election 2015",…
Climate change is not simply an issue of ecology, but also of injustice
This is a guest post by Joe Ware - Christian Aid's Church and Campaigns Journalist. _______________________ This week we witnessed a minor political miracle. Less than three months from what…