Mission

‘Coming Home’: what role should the Church play in housing?

February 25, 2021
Archbishop Cranmer
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"Across the UK, eight million people currently live in substandard housing, 800,000 people are in overcrowded households and one in five households face real difficulties in paying their mortgage or rent", writes the Archbishop of Canterbury with the Bishop of…

Michael Gove: “The Church has.. a critical, central and important role in building back better”

February 21, 2021
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It seems somewhat counterintuitive, in an age of increasing secularity, and with an incessant stream of triumphant tweets from the National Secular Society, that the world's perception of the Church…

clergy voted conservative Anglican political affiliation

Just 6% of Anglican clergy voted Conservative in 2019

February 10, 2021
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A Savanta ComRes poll was published just over a week ago on the political affiliation of Church leaders, and it hasn't had much coverage. In fact, it doesn't appear to…

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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…

Lockdown UK: only in Scotland is public worship prohibited (except for the rich)

January 6, 2021
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Epiphany 2021. The Wise Men have arrived in the guise of SAGE – the wisest of the wise. If we follow the star of science and heed their advice, coronavirus…

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…

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…

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Bishop of Reading: ‘Evolution is God incarnate; the whole earth is God’s body’

October 13, 2020
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The Rt Rev'd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading, has been reading a book. Perhaps she has been reading two or three. Her subject is Creation and Incarnation; her passion is…

Vicar: ‘If you don’t worship in the CofE (or only come at Christmas), don’t complain about what we do’

September 24, 2020
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The Rev'd Miranda Threlfall-Holmes had a premonition that her tweet would be unpopular, but still she shared her ecclesiology with the world: "People are only allowed to complain about the…

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Covid-centralising Archbishop excoriates Government – for Covid centralising

September 16, 2020
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The Archbishop of Canterbury has excoriated the Government's 'Rule of Six', the latest anti-Covid-19 policy which restricts almost the whole of society to gatherings of no more than six. Writing…

Diversity is deeper than BAME and LGBT: it is social, political, intellectual and philosophical

August 30, 2020
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Lord Hall, the outgoing Director General of the BBC, has demanded that the Corporation improve the diversity of its staff to better reflect those who pay its TV licence. "You…

Sheffield Cathedral sacks choir – because God told them to

July 26, 2020
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The Dean and Chapter if Sheffield Cathedral have sacked their choir, and this has caused a bit of a stir in the media and consternation on Twitter. They explain: For…

Allchurches Trust Hope Beyond loneliness isolation

Churches tackle the real Covid-19 fallout – loneliness and isolation

July 15, 2020
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The news and media are dominated by the economic fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic. Will the recovery it be V-shaped, U-shaped, or L-shaped? Will the recession last two years or…

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General Synod: social and political diversity among Bishops

July 10, 2020
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Quite a few interesting questions have been tabled for the imminent virtual General Synod of the Church of England, ranging from Bishops' Twitter usage (Qs 69-70) to Safeguarding abusage (Qs…

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Church covers ‘offensive’ gravestone of GH Elliott, ‘The Chocolate Covered C____’

June 15, 2020
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GH Elliott was a musical hall singer and dancer who died in 1962. So full of gaiety and laughter was his act that he was invited to appear in the…

The richness and exuberance of the Online Church

May 17, 2020
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We are just beginning to see changes in the severity of the coronavirus lockdown. Even as the rules are being gradually loosened, which will be welcomed by many of us,…

PM Boris Johnson Archbishop Justin Welby

PM to Archbishop: ‘Prepare for your pulpits’ (which you never needed to vacate)

May 11, 2020
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The Prime Minister's speech to the nation (of England) has set out a path toward normality following the period of enforced isolation and social distancing deemed necessary by the coronavirus.…

The Church should shine during lockdown

May 8, 2020
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In all honesty I cannot pretend that the lockdown has been onerous for my wife and me. Just before it was imposed, I was approaching the age at which Alex…