Prayer

Government slaps secularists: “England has an established Church”

Amidst all the equality clamour and the siren voices of secularism, you can perhaps be forgiven for occasionally forgetting that England still has an Established Church, that its status is protected in law, and that Christianity remains the predominant religion…

CofE brexit prayer together peoples vote

Bemused by Brexit? Come to church for tea and prayer – unless your vicar is a Remainer

March 25, 2019
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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…

Church of England’s Brexit prayers – what exactly do they mean?

March 5, 2019
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A few months ago the Archbishop of York issued a Brexit prayer, or, rather, 'A Prayer for Parliament in Time of Brexit Trouble'. It was a fairly benign effort which…

Project apocalypse: Welby calls the nation to prayer over Brexit

February 27, 2019
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In his 'State of the Nation' address to the General Synod of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury is calling the nation to prayer because "social divisions feel…

Speaker Bercow Parliament Brexit Constitution

Speaker Bercow: the most powerful commoner in the land

January 29, 2019
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The Speaker of the House of Commons is also known as the First Commoner of the Land, elected by MPs to chair their proceedings without prejudice or partiality, and to…

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Parliamentary prayers give strength and instil humility: they impose nothing and exclude no one

January 21, 2019
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"If MPs don’t want to attend prayers, they wait outside for five minutes until they are over", tweeted Nadine Dorries MP, in response to those who are agitating anew for…

jonathan aitken times credo pray for parliament

Rev’d Jonathan Aitken calls the nation to pray for Parliament

December 9, 2018
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From The Times' 'Credo' column yesterday, by the Rev'd Jonathan Aitken, reproduced here with permission: After a seismic week of political and constitutional upheavals at Westminster, might this be a…

Anti-prayer ‘safe zones’ around abortion clinics are a threat to civil liberties

April 11, 2018
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Women who want an abortion will no longer be harassed by zealous pro-life protestors outside the Marie Stopes clinic in Ealing. No longer will they be bludgeoned with choruses of…

Las Vegas shooting: Anglican Primates complain about having to pray together

October 4, 2017
418 Comments

As news of the appalling Las Vegas shooting reached the cloisters of Canterbury Cathedral, where gathered the eminent Primates of the Worldwide Anglican Communion (well, most of them) to continue…

Church of England priest calls for the overthrow of Theresa May

June 20, 2017
308 Comments

Fr Christopher Woods is the parish priest of St Anne's Hoxton. He is a Labour Party supporter, which is laudable, and also a member of Momentum, which isn't so, but…

Despair at the Church of England’s General Election prayer

April 20, 2017
180 Comments

Who writes these things? Honestly, since when was it a sin to despair? Don't the brokenhearted, poor and homeless despair? What about the starving and dying? Or the persecuted or…

Julia Hartley-Brewer: it’s “bloody stupid beliefs” like prayer which help create acts of terrorism

March 23, 2017
447 Comments

Even as Tobias Ellwood MP was trying to get the blood to flow once again through PC Keith Palmer's heart, tweets of blame and judgment were flying about like a…

Same-sex marriage: what does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?

February 2, 2017
541 Comments

This is a guest post by the Rev'd Dr Gavin Ashenden, sometime Chaplain to the Queen. ___________________________ ‘Archbishop Cranmer’ has written a balanced and generous analysis of the House of…

The answered prayers of the great and the good

December 15, 2016
239 Comments

The Spectator has carried out a Christmas survey, which solicited "answered prayers or wishes". Presumably 'wishes' were included for those who don't pray. So we have a Christmas survey sent…

Understanding the Ministry of the Church Today: a lecture in honour of the late Rev’d Canon Dr Ian Tomlinson

November 26, 2016
137 Comments

The Rev'd Canon Dr Ian Tomlinson died peacefully at his home on Monday 31st October. He had asked the Very Rev'd Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, to…

New Bishop of Oxford enthroned with L-plates

October 1, 2016
99 Comments

Bishops don't much like the word 'enthroned' these days. Perhaps it's a bit too imperial or exalted for modern notions of accessibility and equatability. So now we focus on their…

Don’t bash the Archbishop of Canterbury – pray for him

September 18, 2016
105 Comments

Funny. Defend Nigel Farage against Justin Welby, you're "racist" or a "bigot"; defend Justin Welby against Nigel Farage, you're a "feminist-humanist-pro-Marxist" (amongst other things). There is no apparent via media…

Thy Kingdom Come: “prayer must always be the first action of evangelism and witness”

September 14, 2016
142 Comments

When the archbishops of Canterbury and York inaugurated a week of prayer last year under the banner 'Thy Kingdom Come', they could have had no idea that the Holy Spirit…

Justin Welby takes to Twitter to teach us how to pray

September 6, 2016
145 Comments

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray,…

Thy Kingdom Come: a week of prayer for confidence to make Jesus known

May 8, 2016
139 Comments

"Jesus Christ calls every person to follow him. As Christians it’s our duty and joy to share that invitation. That’s why the Archbishops of Canterbury and York are inviting…