Renewal

No, Ruth Davidson: the burqa is a world away from a crucifix

August 10, 2018
Archbishop Cranmer
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Scottish Tory Leader Ruth Davidson is of the view that a Muslim wearing a burqa is no different from a Christian who wears a crucifix. She said: "If you use the analogy of Christianity, would you ever write in the…

Bishop of Liverpool slams ‘so-called Evangelicals’, and so condemns himself

January 8, 2018
479 Comments

The term 'Evangelical' as applied to Christians has a long and well-chronicled heritage. In 1525, William Tyndale explained in his Doctrinal Treatises (p8): "Evangelion (that which we call the gospel)…

Bishop Philip North is good news for the poor – what a shame he’s sidelined

August 4, 2017
331 Comments

It is #GoodNewsFriday – space and time to tell of God's love, miracles, joy, hope and peace – and Bishop Philip North provides today's subject matter. Here are a few…

Church of England votes to ban Religious Conversion

July 9, 2017
652 Comments

The Church of England's General Synod has backed a motion calling for a ban on the practice of Religious Conversion, aimed at altering a person's religious orientation. Members of the…

Diocese of Truro advertises for Mission leader, but “You do not need to be a practising Christian”

June 14, 2017
223 Comments

"Mission goes out from God. Mission is God's way of loving and saving the world." So declared the Church of England at the 1998 Lambeth Conference. This quotation leads the…

‘Dear Patrick…’ Words of comfort for clergy who feel forsaken by mutual flourishing

May 5, 2017
163 Comments

Returning to the Church of England's gender wars and sexuality skirmishes (which never really went away), the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, who advocates righteous discrimination against traditionalists who discriminate…

Why are Church Commissioners throwing more cash at insolvent Diocese of Rochester?

July 13, 2016
88 Comments

The Diocese of Rochester is insolvent. That's to say, its cash-flow in falls beneath its cash-flow out. The Diocese isn't bankrupt, but it has manifestly been living beyond its…

Church of England continues its decline – but is revival stirring?

January 12, 2016
155 Comments

The Church of England has published its attendance stats ('Statistics for Mission') for 2014. Don't yawn. Yes, the interesting Anglican stuff is leavening this week in a Canterbury crypt,…

Fr Raniero Cantalamessa – Preacher to the Papal Household – to speak at Synod Eucharist

November 1, 2015
425 Comments

As the Queen and Supreme Governor of the Church of England inaugurates the tenth General Synod on 24th November, it has been announced that the ceremony will be preceded…

On this day, 459 years ago, a man was burned at the stake for 'heresy'

March 21, 2015
134 Comments

On this day, 459 years ago, a man was burned at the stake for 'heresy' – essentially for holding conflicting personal, political and theological loyalties. He bequeathed to us…

The Times takes another swipe at the Archbishop of Canterbury

January 23, 2015
403 Comments

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…

The Community of St Anselm – satisfaction and spirituality

November 25, 2014
172 Comments

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

November 23, 2014
40 Comments

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…

The Church needs to rediscover its heart

November 12, 2014
170 Comments

Established religion satisfies the minds of some, but the hearts of the multitudes frequently go hungry. We are often told of the imminent death of the Church of England…