The Church of England is not dying – it is regenerating
It’s been well publicised this week that there are one or two Church of England congregations that aren’t exactly bursting at the seams. If you go to a Church…
Prayer
Lord's Prayer advert banned by cinemas
Cinemas are private establishments, and so are free to advertise whatever they like and decline to advertise whatever they don't like. Pearl & Dean dominated cinema advertising in the 1950s-70s, but multiple mergers and takeovers gradually depleted their market…
The fight against modern slavery has a new hero
When we consider the way that Christians have been at the forefront of combating the scourge of slavery, the name that quite rightly springs to mind is William Wilberforce.…
Chartres' Lambeth Lecture: the Church must be "vision-led and not problem-led"
While the Archbishop of Canterbury pored over the Blogosphere on his iPad (to which he is apparently rather attached), the Bishop of London psyched himself up for the latest…
Jeremy Corbyn is crowned Labour leader – it's the prayer wot won it
Archbishop Cranmer: "Please, Lord, please let Jeremy Corbyn win the Labour Party leadership. Pleeeeeease." It was a frivolous intercession made in the Prayer Room (at the bottom of the Homepage)…
Elizabeth II becomes our longest-reigning monarch – God Save The Queen!
Today, 9th September 2015, sometime around 5.30pm, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history, beating the record previously set by her great-great grandmother Queen…
The cult of Comrade Corbyn
A cult is a small, unpopular religion. A religion is a large and fashionable cult. When the disesteemed and shunned become desirable and popular, there follows respect, if not…
"God told me to.."
Have you ever had a Christian say to you: "God told me to..", followed by a directive or (more usually) a subtly coercive exhortation to do something (usually) for…
Jeremy Corbyn's path to power is more plausible than people think
Usually somewhere between three and 30 people avail themselves of the #Amen prayer facility at the bottom of this blog's Home Page. Since it was installed, the most believers…
Tim Farron's Christian faith becomes an object of media scorn
There are plenty of people who think that you shouldn’t mix faith and politics. For some, such as the National Secular Society, they have made it a mission to…
Pray and fast for climate change? Is the Church creating disciples of Christ or eco-warriors?
The latest session of the General Synod of the Church of England drew to a close in York this week and, absent any debate about women bishops, it failed…
Voting is a moral obligation, but praying for those in authority is a divine command
On Saturday in The Times, Graham Tomlin, the widely respected principal of St Mellitus Theological College, wrote a profound article on the relationship between the authority of our political…
The £3.5 billion gift from the churches to our communities
This Friday will see Jake Berry MP's private member's Local Government (Religious etc. Observances) Bill go to Committee stage in the House of Lords. Assuming this goes through (and the…
Welby: "The best decision anyone can ever make is to be a follower of Jesus Christ"
Back in January, Tim Montgomerie, writing in the Times, vented his frustration with the Archbishop of Canterbury: I remain hopeful that Justin Welby, a "graduate" of HTB and its famous…
The Times takes another swipe at the Archbishop of Canterbury
Reasoned criticism of the Church of England is always welcome: as a human institution it boasts of no perfection; as a provisional branch of the Catholic Church it makes…
17 French deaths unite civilisation; 2,000 Nigerian deaths – who cares?
"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering," exhorts the writer…
Jake Berry reminds politicians of accountability to the Prince of Peace
"I am delighted to be able to take the Bill through Parliament and to protect people’s freedom to pray, because it is an important issue. As we approach Christmas, the…
Christianity is the key to foodbank success – it must not be suppressed
It's been interesting reading through many of the media articles following the parliamentary launch of Feeding Britain. There have been plenty of them, that's for sure; the Church of…
The Community of St Anselm – satisfaction and spirituality
A few months ago the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced a new initiative at Lambeth Palace: the establishment of the Community of St Anselm, the objective of which…
The power of God's love to transform hardened criminals
Over the course of the last week, the Church of England has been running a fascinating series of podcasts talking to offenders currently in prison about finding God and the difference…