Rainbow Church, LGBT Eucharist and intolerable utterances
This picture has not been photoshopped: it is the altar of Reading Minster draped in the rainbow flag for this year's Gay Pride festival, in order to convey to the…
Mission
Welby missed a trick on the gig economy
This is a guest post by Dr Andrew Lilico. ________ The Archbishop of Canterbury believes that in attacking the gig economy he is standing up for the oppressed against the oppressors. In his speech to the TUC he quoted Mary’s…
Does installing Tim Peake’s spaceship in a cathedral glorify God and lead people to salvation?
If you install a junk spaceship or other space detritus in a sacred space and then pat yourself on the back for increasing your visitor numbers by 600% to 58,000,…
Curate’s egg or Archbishop’s omelette? Welby tells TUC: gig economy is “reincarnation of an ancient evil”
Justin Welby delivered a speech to the TUC, which went down well in one quarter, and not so well in five eighths, most of whom were irked that he delivered…
Church of Scotland Moderator blames excessive safeguarding for the rise in suicide and self-harm among young people
This is a very brave intervention by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. In an era where the safeguarding of children and young people has never been more pervasive,…
Dean of Ely reports Daily Mail to IPSO for saying Cathedral flew UKIP flag
It beggars belief that anyone could have taken the story seriously. What dean and chapter of any cathedral would even entertain flying the UKIP flag? Oh, they'll host a Labour-supporting…
Sir Humphrey sneers at the CofE to appoint Chaplain General of Prisons
There is a vacancy for the post of Chaplain General of Prisons (or, to give it its full title: Head of Chaplaincy and Faith Services at Her Majesty’s Prison and…
Diocese of Leeds is not in ‘financial crisis’: Bishop Nick Baines is balancing the budget
Apparently the Diocese of Leeds is in a state of "serious financial crisis". Bishop Nick Baines is pacing the cloisters with furrowed brow, anguished about having to sell off one…
Bishop Nick Baines derides Brexit British hopelessness
There's a lot of anxiety about. The torch which once lit our path is being extinguished. Our institutions and communities are beset with moral problems, dilemmas and quandaries. Our politics…
Synod – Reasons to be Cheerful (Pt 2): inclusion is the fruit of evangelism
It is probably because I am of a certain vintage that often, when I am thinking of a title for a blog post, a song lyric pops into my head.…
CofE General Synod couldn’t find time to discuss evangelism… “Oh, what’s the bloody point?”
Kenneth Williams of ‘Carry On’ fame was not, alas and alack, a member of the Church of England’s General Synod. And yet his are the words for which I find…
Diocese of Bath and Wells to sell its 12th-century Grade I listed Old Deanery – in favour of ‘modern’, ‘welcoming’ and ‘spacious’ purpose-built offices
The Old Deanery in Wells sits on the north side of Cathedral Green. It dates back to the 12th century, and comes with its own gatehouse and venerable boundary walls.…
Birmingham church hosts men-only ‘community’ iftar
Having robustly defended Southwark Cathedral for hosting the sort of iftar (the break-fast evening meal during Ramadan) of which the Queen (and possibly Jesus) would approve, here's an iftar which…
Iftar in the Cathedral is exactly what the Queen (and Jesus) would want
If it had been called 'Tea & Chapatis' no-one would have batted an eyelid. But the meal had an upper-case Islamic name – Iftar – and it involved Arabic food:…
Why can’t Justin Welby distinguish the Council of Europe from the European Union?
Apparently the Archbishop of Canterbury has said the EU is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, he said it's the greatest thing since way before sliced bread: "The EU…
That wedding sermon: Bishop Michael Curry’s critics would have carped at St Paul
St Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16-34 NIV): Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are…
Bishop Michael Curry brought with him the Spirit of Pentecost
The reaction to the Royal Wedding address/sermon delivered by Bishop Michael Curry has resulted in post-match analysis akin to that of 'Match of the Day'. Dull it wasn’t – everyone…
Don’t slam the Royal Wedding sermon: Bishop Michael Curry reached two billion souls with the love of Christ
Bishop Michael Curry's wedding address – or the US preacher's Royal Wedding sermon (as he and it shall henceforth be known) in the marriage service of Prince Harry to Meghan…
Justin Welby tweets the sermon of the year
Sometimes Twitter is like trying to bound infinite space in a nutshell. You can fiddle with words, abbreviate and cut commas, but still it lacks art, and if not art,…
Is Mark Rylands the humblest bishop in the Church of England?
The Rt Rev'd Mark Rylands is presently Bishop of Shrewsbury. He is well-known to readers of this blog for being a thoughtful and intelligent advocate for UK secession from the…