Muslims flock to Mass to show solidarity and compassion
Praying before a blasphemous icon of another Jesus, standing in the shadow of a sacrificial cross which they deny, beneath the dome of a cathedral church steeped in idolatry,…
Reconciliation
Vicky Beeching, vocation, and the church that exists to serve our selfish ends
There was a piece in the Guardian (where else) this week by Vicky Beeching, entitled: 'The first openly gay bishop is a huge step forward – but it’s not enough'. Please don't attack her personally: she's been through enough. Consider,…
Theresa May could be poised for real political greatness
"Brexit means Brexit, and we're going to make a success of it," proclaimed Theresa May, just hours before she was unexpectedly declared the new leader of the Conservative Party,…
Vote Leave: take control. Believe in Britain, or bow down to Brussels
The debates are done: the hour is come. EU Referendum Day 2016 is here. Like the Church of England, this blog is impeccably neutral on the matter: it is…
There is neither Leaver nor Remainer; for you are all one in Christ Jesus
Leavers are xenophobic, insular, narrow-minded, self-regarding, racist, confused, brainless, extremist, hateful, economically-illiterate, un-Christian little-Englanders and swivel-eyed conspiracy theorists. Remainers are sneering, aloof, arrogant, vicious, supercilious, evil, unhinged, hypocritical, ageist,…
EU Referendum: Sentamu preaches "moral responsibility" and Welby "peace and reconciliation"
Don't you just love the Church of England's concept of 'neutrality' in the matter of the EU Referendum? A whole sea of bishops has endorsed the Remain campaign (that…
Lord Carey comes out for Brexit: "It is the refrain of freedom"
"Poor George," they'll sigh in the House of Bishops. "He's finally..." They won't bother to finish the sentence; just make little circular motions with their forefingers pointing to the…
Sadiq Khan is Muslim. Get over it!
Sadiq Khan has been elected the first Muslim mayor of London. Muslim, Muslim, Muslim. Islam, Islam, Islam. The council-estate sons and daughters of Pakistani bus drivers are taking over…
While Erdoğan seizes churches, Cameron fights for Turkey to join the EU
David Cameron has pledged to fight for Turkey to be admitted to the European Union. This, he avers, would place them at "the top table of European politics", where,…
The Queen's 90th: Happy Birthday, Ma'am
God has saved her and she has lived long. The first two invocations of the National Anthem have been and are still being fulfilled. Her Majesty The Queen's 90th…
Maundy Thursday foot-washing reminds power of its purpose
Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his…
Justin Welby inaugurates a new set of Lambeth Awards
On the third anniversary of his installation to the See of Canterbury (and on the 460th anniversary of the martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer; and on the 10th anniversary of…
Vatican says UK is "better in than out" of the EU
"The Vatican wants Britain to stay in the European Union, the Pope's foreign secretary has declared." So writes the Telegraph, noting that Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with…
Primates' Meeting 2016: separating the Eloi from the Morlocks
Primates’ Meeting, Canterbury: stardate 2016. These are the continuing prophetic voyages of Justin Welby. His continuing mission: to explore strange new reconciliations; to seek out new wine and new…
Third Sunday of Advent: rejoice in the recognition of Jesus
Today is Gaudete Sunday: into the season of waiting, preparing and expecting, we inject a note of delight and good cheer: 'Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I…
Peacemaking needs peacemakers
Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." And that includes Muslim peacemakers, because Jesus didn't say 'Blessed only are the Christian…
Cameron's desire to bomb ISIS in Syria is moral, but not the solution
‘Cameron ready to bomb Syria’ announces the Telegraph on its front page today. As headlines go it’s not exactly a major revelation. The PM has been keen to intervene…
Cameron's EU via media: a British Model of Associate Membership
We want neither to be absorbed by the infallible magisterium of catholicity ('ever-closer union'), nor isolated by the nationalism of puritanical reformation ('out'): we want, instead, a particular 'British…
Helen Mirren: "I love Israel – I think it's a great, great country"
In 1967, shortly after the Six-Day War, Helen Mirren worked on a the HaOn kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. She hitch-hiked throughout Israel, and slept…
Labour Friends of Palestine host Holocaust denier at Party Conference
Politics endangers the soul. Where there was once principle and conviction, there is compromise and obfuscation. Doctrine adapts and morality is murky. Truth is abstracted, or swallowed in bitterness.…