Manners maketh Man/Woman/Other
At the State Opening of Parliament yesterday, television footage showed the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition leading a long line of their parliamentary colleagues into the Upper Chamber…
Jesus
2020: Forgiveness is the key to a Happy New Year
As we turn the page of time once again, and the teens of this millennium turn to the 20s – roaring or restrained – it is a good opportunity to reflect and renew; to meditate on meaning and ponder purposes…
Waiting expectantly for the wrong messiah
We must never again have a general election during Advent: everyone is waiting expectantly for the wrong messiah. By the end of this week either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn…
Archbishops intervene in General Election challenging Labour Antisemitism
The first General Election debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn was a fractious, unedifying and deeply unpleasant affair. It wasn't so much a political debate as a terse slanging…
Politics is too important to leave to politicians
"The Archbishop's platitudes do far more to divide the country than unite it" wrote the Telegraph's Charlotte Gill in a piece headed: 'Justin Welby has no business using his sacred…
Which gospel shall be preached this Harvest? And which will the congregation hear?
We are now well into the season when our priests planning their services and delivering sermons in churches and schools to celebrate and give thanks for Harvest time, and in…
BBC censors Sikh history in case it offends Muslims
Lord (Indarjit) Singh has been almost as permanent a fixture on BBC Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day' as the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines. The BBC likes a certain…
Welby in Amritsar — damned if he does; damned if he doesn’t
The Archbishop of Canterbury visited the site of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in the Punjabi city of Amritsar. He didn't merely visit it, he prostrated himself very publicly before…
Brexit: open letter reveals Bishops split 60:40 on Government’s approach
The open letter on Brexit published yesterday by a group of Diocesan Bishops is interesting on a number of levels, not least of which is the fact that it is…
Boris, feet, table… Do not judge by appearances
A photograph of Boris Johnson putting his feet on a table in the Elysée Palace has circled the world. How crass, boorish, discourteous and bullish, they all cried. Thing is...…
Theologian John Milbank advocates violence to stop Brexit
The founder of Radical Orthodoxy has imparted his most radically unorthodox revelation yet. Professor John Milbank of Nottingham University is of the view that Brexit must be stopped "by almost…
When did traditional morality become ‘fundamentalist’?
It was a question posed by Professor John Milbank on Twitter a few days ago. Or, rather, it wasn't posed as a question, such as the 'when' inquiry into conceptual…
CofE Social Media Charter neuters the prophetic and subsumes truth to ‘respect’
"I just signed up to #CofECharter," tweeted the former Times religious affairs correspondent (and quite delightful) Ruth Gledhill, precisely 48 seconds after the Archbishop of Canterbury had announced his initiative…
The Supreme Governor at her supremest hosting a reception for faith leaders
"The concept of our established Church is occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated," the Queen said in a speech at Lambeth Palace in 2012. "Its role is not to…
Israel Folau – a fool for Christ’s sake
Israel Folau plays rugby in Australia. He plays at quite a high level, actually, being paid around $1.6m per season. He is, however, considered to be worth every cent, not…
“We love you and we forgive you,” says Pastor of bombed Evangelical church in Sri Lanka to their attackers
They lost dozens of their brothers and sisters. One pastor lost his teenage son, and scores were gravely injured as the bomb was detonated. Windows were blown out, bodies strewn,…
The Resurrection is the ultimate revelation: only in Jesus has God appeared
Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ; the fulfilment of human destiny. There is a hope beyond death which answers man's eternal question about himself and the end of the…
‘If the Cross of Christ is anything to the mind, it is surely everything’
"If the Cross of Christ is anything to the mind, it is surely everything – the most profound reality and the sublimest mystery", wrote John Stott in his book The…
Holy Week: dealing with deep sin is horrible, messy, prolonged, humiliating and painful
As we enter Holy Week, the most sombre time of the Church calendar, I am sure I'm not the only one left reflecting that my Lenten observance has not been…
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…