Negative media about the Church outweighs the good news
A Christian PR agency has been weighing the media, and found it wanting. They have discovered that, on average, the Church attracts 150 pieces of negative media coverage every month…
Justice
What’s wrong with appointing a Bishop for Brexit?
There's a move afoot to create a Cabinet of Bishops to shadow government departments, with the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding like a Prime Minister Spiritual, and those around him holding various political briefs, such as the Bishop for Brexit, the…
Tutufication is not the solution to division and oppression
Canon Mark Oakley wrote to the Times over the weekend with a plea for the Church of England to adopt Tutufication: It is an interesting thesis, not least because quite…
Martyn Percy is ‘mad and unfit to govern’ Christ Church, Oxford
Let us consider a scenario in which the governing body of an academic institution takes an intense dislike to their teetotal principal and head, and their only mechanism for getting…
Christ Church cannot afford the perception of a ‘Show Trial’
Integrity should lie at the heart of every public institution. In the United Kingdom, Her Majesty the Queen models the highest standards of behaviour which ought to be followed across…
No, the Church of England did not give £40,000 ‘gifts’ to a fantasist
In the Mail on Sunday last week there was an 'exposé' of a decision by the Church of England Interim Survivor Support Scheme whose panel had decided to compensate a…
Archbishops’ Racial Justice Commission has just one Conservative member
The Archbishops' Racial Justice Commission was announced last week. It is a 12-member board, chaired by former Labour MP Paul Boateng, now Lord Boateng, and its members include just one…
Fr Alan Griffin (RIP): the buck stops with Bishop Sarah Mullally
Upon taking office as 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman famously placed a sign on his desk to remind himself of the awesome responsibility which the Office…
Pope meets Spider-Man: when did religious leaders cease being superheroes?
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,…
Diocese of Oxford misrepresents the President of Tribunals, leaving Martyn Percy ‘under a cloud’
This is a guest post by Martin Sewell and David Lamming, members of General Synod. The statement posted belatedly on the Diocese of Oxford website on 18th June Decision…
Who wrote the ‘Dirty Dossier’ on the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford?
Christ Church, Oxford, is being challenged to reveal who produced controversial safeguarding documents aimed at its Dean, the Very Rev'd Prof. Martyn Percy. The unattributed Risk Assessment relates to the…
Christ Church Cathedral Oxford blocks its own Canon on Twitter
The Rev'd Angela Tilby is a Canon Emeritus of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford. She is also a writer, broadcaster, columnist, and Canon of Honour at Portsmouth Cathedral. She is thoughtful,…
Christ Church Oxford: Dean Martyn Percy cleared for the fifth time
In the case of the allegation of sexual assault and harassment made against Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church Oxford, the Church of England determined that the CDM (Clergy Discipline…
CDM PTSD: the trauma, stress and disorder of the Clergy Discipline Measure
The Clergy Discipline Measure (2003, amended by the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016) is a Measure passed by the General Synod of the Church of England for the maintenance…
Rev’d Paula Vennells should be removed from the CofE Ethical Investment Advisory Group
Paula Vennells was CEO of the Post Office for seven years, from 2012-2019, when hundreds of sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses had their lives ruined (really, really, ruined) as they were convicted…
From Lament To Action: the report of the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce
The Archbishops' Anti-Racism Taskforce have published their report 'From Lament to Action', which proposes a raft of changes designed to bring about a change of culture in the life of…
One Church of England diocese has spent £500,000 on 20 Non-Disclosure Agreements
It has been disturbing to learn that victims of racism in the Church of England have had to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) before they could receive compensation which might be…
Christ Church Oxford Trustees could be personally liable for £85K each
Followers of the Dean Martyn Percy story will recognise it as a tragedy not only for the individuals concerned, but also for Christ Church Oxford and the Church of England.…
Martyn Percy is a ‘sex pest’: Christ Church Oxford in new attempt to oust the Dean
The Governing Body of Christ Church Oxford has been supported by the Chapter of the Cathedral in a vote to convene another internal tribunal to oust Dean Martyn Percy. There…
Anglican spinach – a primary challenge for the Church’s mission
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…