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…
Inclusion
The abuse and intimidation of members of the CofE’s General Synod
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 has been produced which provides some background to the issues,…
CofE General Sex Synod 2017: not one question about the Persecuted Church
Over the past few months Christians in the village of Jalalabad in Ghazipur District, India, where temperatures frequently soar to 40°C, have had their water supply cut to force them…
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…
England has defeated religious fanatics in the past, and will do so again
When in 1587 Pope Sixtus V began conspiring with King Philip II of Spain in 'The Enterprise of England', it was the world's most powerful religious leader giving his blessing…
Justin Welby is not a heretic, he’s a very faithful Anglican
In the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Westminster there is a list of Archbishops of Canterbury which chronicles the centuries of communion between the popes of Rome and the chief pastors…
‘Dear Patrick…’ Words of comfort for clergy who feel forsaken by mutual flourishing
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…
Church in Wales being hounded to appoint Jeffrey John the next Bishop of Llandaff
The Church in Wales is the Anglican Church in Wales, and it is disestablished. It's appointments procedure is therefore an entirely internal matter, at some arms' length from the kingdom…
Discrimination and discernment: an exercise in relativist supremacy
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’
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,…
Those who attacked +Philip North have made same-sex blessing compromise impossible
Remember that "radical new Christian inclusion" Justin Welby spoke of in the wake of Synod's decision not to 'take note' of the Bishops' report on marriage and same-sex relations? Well,…
Safespacing the Church: revising doctrine to suit mental health
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…
Is cohabitation still a sin, or is it an embryonic marriage with proof of love?
There are many who will guffaw at this very question: how absurdly old fashioned, not to say narrow-minded and bigoted of Christians to shame/alienate/offend lovely couples whose commitment to one…
Sex and the Church: how does a “radical new Christian inclusion” differ from the world’s?
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…
Lord Carey removed from King’s College London wall of distinguished alumni
The motto of King's College London is Sancte et sapienter ('With holiness and wisdom'). Sadly, it appears to have abandoned both. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton has…
Gay marriage: Bishops can’t be bullied with demands for “greater clarity and consistency”
As the College of Bishops gathers in Oxford today, the world might be forgiven for thinking there was just one item on the agenda: the liturgical blessing of same-sex unions…
Good Disagreement: report fellow Christians to the police for daring to disagree
It isn't entirely clear what happened to 1 Corinthians 6 in the Christian pursuit of Good Disagreement. It appears that if certain liberal/progressive Christians disagree with conservative/traditionalist ones, they think…
Same-sex marriage/blessing confronts Church of England with "a structural flaw of fatal proportions"
We have reached Chapter 5 in the great Anglican sexuality saga: 'Church of England parishes consider first step to break away over sexuality'. It isn't clear what the dénouement…
The Paris attacks are a reminder of our unwillingness to accept uncomfortable truths
Do you remember the story of Rachel Dolezal, the black US civil rights activist, who was outed by her parents earlier this year as actually being white? Five months…
How could a Christian vote for visionless, regressive incompetence?
It has always been the case on social media that left-wing Christians make a louder noise than those to the right, usually along the lines of: 'How could a Christian vote…