Wanted: Christians who can cause a little more offence
Would Luther have been a blast on Twitter? Historian Tom Holland thinks so. In an edition of 'The Rest is History' podcast, he observes: "What happens is that Luther obviously…
Hypocrisy
Why has Cardinal Wuerl (retired) been given $2m by the Washington Archdiocese?
"In 2020, the Archdiocese of Washington allocate more than $2 million for the 'continued ministry' of retired Cardinal Donald Wuerl. For comparison, the archdiocese earmarked $400k for charitable giving", tweeted canon lawyer Ed Condon, who also brought us the story…
‘Fawlty Towers’ censored by the BBC
The famous 'Don’t mention the War' episode of the classic, brilliant comedy series 'Fawlty Towers' has been removed from the UKTV catch-up service. In that episode, hotel owner Basil Fawlty…
Archbishop cheers Labour MP for breaking lockdown law
We are in the midst of a global pandemic, and the law of the land is clear: "no person may participate in a gathering which takes place in a public…
Boris Johnson and the Episcopal Land of Zoom
This is the 18th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. The author is an Incumbent in the Church of England, who wishes to remain anonymous.…
Care in a covid climate: in defence of Justin Welby
"The Archbishop of Canterbury has been secretly volunteering as a chaplain at St Thomas’s Hospital during the coronavirus lockdown, the Telegraph has learned." The Telegraph learned this when the rest…
Tory leadership contest: when did vice signalling become a virtue?
The Tory leadership contest has taken a strange turn. Perhaps it's a purposeful distraction from their (non-)strategies for realising Brexit, but they seem to have taken to vice signalling (or,…
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…
Scrupulous for Christ: saving the Church from the doctrine of the infallibles
Ever since Jesus cried 'Woe' to the scribes and Pharisees, his disciples have been calling out the two-faced hypocrites and judiciously discerning whitewashed tombs – those who look all meek…
Shared humanity, solidarity, and social justice are all well and good, but one must protect the CofE’s return on investment
It must be found in the Rite of Ordination somewhere. Bishop: Dost thou, therefore, in the name of Social Justice, renounce the Market and all its works, the vain pomp…
Complicit in evil? Church of England has shares in Amazon and uses zero-hours contracts
Imagine the prophet Amos in 650 BC travelling through the southern kingdom up to Bethel in the Samaritan north to sell his figs. It's a long journey, but that's where…
Human Ken Doll: the cult of the young body, and judging by appearances
"I don't watch big brother, I don't know this fella...," tweeted journalist, TV presenter and poet Stephen Dixon. "But a world that allows someone to do this to themselves instead…
Dean of Ely reports Daily Mail to IPSO for saying Cathedral flew UKIP flag
It beggars belief that anyone could have taken the story seriously. What dean and chapter of any cathedral would even entertain flying the UKIP flag? Oh, they'll host a Labour-supporting…
Anti-Brexit bishops jump on Boris burqa bandwagon
This isn't a post about Brexit; it really isn't. Nor is it a post about banning the burqa. It isn't even a post about Boris, or whether what he said…
Bishop Nick Baines derides Brexit British hopelessness
There's a lot of anxiety about. The torch which once lit our path is being extinguished. Our institutions and communities are beset with moral problems, dilemmas and quandaries. Our politics…
The hypocrisy of outsourcing the death penalty for Islamist extremists
The UK Government has had a longstanding and principled moral objection to the death penalty. Whether you agree with that opposition or not, it has hitherto been applied consistently: under…
New Musical: The Assassination of Diane Abbott
The Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd, Tamara Harvey, has announced full casting for the world première production of 'The Assassination of Diane Abbott' – a new musical from Chris Bush…
If the Pope can honour a pro-abortion activist, why not bless Durex?
It is being widely reported that Pope Francis has bestowed the title of Commander in the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great upon pro-abortion activist Lilianne Ploumen, sometime…
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…
Bishop of Liverpool slams ‘so-called Evangelicals’, and so condemns himself
The term 'Evangelical' as applied to Christians has a long and well-chronicled heritage. In 1525, William Tyndale explained in his Doctrinal Treatises (p8): "Evangelion (that which we call the gospel)…