Jesus

Flood, fire, famine and pestilence: the end is nigh (maybe)

Wildfires blaze across the western states: California and Oregon burn day and night. Death Valley hit a blistering 54.4°C, which might be the highest recorded ambient temperature on Earth. Across Germany and Belgium, floods are devastating states and lives: thousands…

‘Key limiting factors’: the end of stipendiary parish ministry

July 3, 2021
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Priests are expensive. Church buildings are expensive. Theological formation is expensive. So the Church of England has set out its 'Vision and Strategy' for cost-cutting: 10,000 new lay-led churches over…

Pope meets Spider-Man: when did religious leaders cease being superheroes?

June 24, 2021
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The cynic will say religious leaders were never superheroes (or superheroines), but, of course, they were. The precise nature and source of their superhuman powers may be lost in antiquity,…

I do trust Tories, says Bishop of St Davids, lying through her smiles

June 7, 2021
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The apology issued by the Bishop of St Davids (of the Church in Wales) in the wake of her 'Never never never trust a Tory' tweet is disingenuous. It is…

Bishop of St David's Bishop of St Davids Joanna Penberthy

Bishop of St Davids says all Tories are duplicitous liars

June 3, 2021
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The Bishop of St Davids, the Rt Rev'd Joanna Penberthy, was the first woman to be elected a bishop in the Church in Wales, and into an archbishopric which can…

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Institutional narcissism in the Church of England

May 24, 2021
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"The BBC, the NHS and Oxfam have a bad case of institutional narcissism", wrote Matthew Syed in the Sunday Times yesterday. It is a terse but cogent thesis, coming in…

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If ‘contested’ monuments, statues and memorials must fall, who shall stand?

May 12, 2021
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The guidance issued by the Church of England in respect of its 'contested heritage' (specifically monuments, statues and monuments relating to the slave trade and/or colonialism) is confusing (to put…

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Stop arresting street preachers, and laugh at them instead

May 4, 2021
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Another street preacher has been arrested for proclaiming the gospel in a public place. This time it was in Uxbridge, in front of the Underground station. We've been here before…

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Easter Day: the triumph of Christ and the reign of grace

April 4, 2021
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Without death there is no resurrection. Without the Cross there is no salvation. Without the Resurrection of Christ there is no eschatological act of grace, and no reign of Christ.…

Who is the prophet in the battle of Batley Grammar?

March 30, 2021
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It is a curious headline in the Times. 'Prophet' is upper case, so the assumption is that all who see it will know to whom it refers. The word isn't…

Myanmar nun offers her life to protect protesting civilians

March 7, 2021
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Unarmed civilians are being arrested, tortured, or summarily shot and killed. Children are being slapped, teenagers beaten with batons, and the elderly maimed with rubber bullets. People have become police…

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Curate says clapping Captain Tom is “a cult of White British Nationalism”

February 4, 2021
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The Rev'd Jarel Robinson-Brown is a curate in London. He sets out his biography (and presumably mission priorities ["Black Prophetic Fire"]) on his Twitter account: "Human | Cleric | Writer…

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Archbishops call the nation to prayer as Covid deaths reach 100,000

January 27, 2021
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As the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 passes 100,000, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have written an Epistle to the Nation calling everyone to prayer. And if you…

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Holy Innocents: why are we putting 12-year-olds in solitary confinement for 23½ hours a day?

December 28, 2020
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Herod then with fear was filled: "A prince," he said, "in Jewry!" And all the little boys he killed At Bethl'hem in his fury. Childermas – the Feast of the…

Wanted: Christians who can cause a little more offence

December 18, 2020
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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…

Sharia certainties and woke certitude cry out for reformation

December 8, 2020
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This is a guest post by Mike Stallard, who has been in education all his life, and is now retired. Reza Aslan is an Iranian who lives in USA.…

Anglican spinach – a primary challenge for the Church’s mission

December 1, 2020
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There was a subtitle fail in the Zoom service from Guildford Cathedral on Advent Sunday. It caused a bit of amusement on Twitter, but it presents an opportunity to explore…

Sabbatical problematical: give the Archbishop a break, for God’s sake

November 26, 2020
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"Unlike the archbishop, Jesus could not retire to cultivate his personal spirituality because he was perpetually besieged by desperate people", writes Karen Armstrong in the Guardian's 'Comment is Free', objecting…

Communal worship banned in England

November 1, 2020
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From 5th November, it will be illegal to gather for communal worship in England. The Government has decreed that church buildings may open for private prayer, but not for praying…

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Wales lockdown isn’t only absurd; it denies freedom of religion

October 26, 2020
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Tomorrow is your birthday. You've received a card from your Mum every single year of your life, without fail, even when you were abroad, and even when she was very…