RIP Sr Catherine Wybourne, aka Digitalnun
The most fragrant and blessed Christian presence on social media has entered into paradise. Our heads are bowed; a thousand teardrops mingle with the rain, and the world is a…
Social Media
Church of England contributes just 0.5% to the UK’s spiritual and religious narrative
It's a crude headline-grabbing statistic, derived from a distinctly unscientific list of apparently random figures, but by no means without a degree of truth and reliability to it. There is a short essay on the 'Save the Parish' website by…
‘Legal but harmful’: making social media the arbiter of gospel truth
WARNING: This blog post is legal but harmful (potentially). If you proceed, there is a significant risk that the nature of the content might cause adverse psychological impact on an…
Negative media about the Church outweighs the good news
A Christian PR agency has been weighing the media, and found it wanting. They have discovered that, on average, the Church attracts 150 pieces of negative media coverage every month…
Believe in a Marks & Spencer Christmas jumper
Many consumers of social media will have noticed a growing number of women clergy posting photographs of themselves wearing a plain black Marks & Spencer Christmas jumper bearing the simple…
Welby defends freedom of speech – ‘living out the Reformation truth’
The Archbishop of Canterbury hosted a debate on freedom of speech in the House of Lords today, in the context of so many contemporary challenges (and robust assaults) against it.…
Train conductor sacked for referring to ‘alcohol-free caliphate’ on Facebook
Jeremy Sleath had worked for West Midlands Trains for 17 years. He was a Senior Conductor who had served his employer faithfully and admirably. He was sacked in September 2020,…
Operation Ark: Pen Farthing saved his animals – and that’s a good thing
When former Royal Marine Pen Farthing set out to fly some 200 animals and his 60 Nowzad staff to the UK from Afghanistan, there was much scoffing and scorn in…
Christ Church Cathedral Oxford blocks its own Canon on Twitter
The Rev'd Angela Tilby is a Canon Emeritus of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford. She is also a writer, broadcaster, columnist, and Canon of Honour at Portsmouth Cathedral. She is thoughtful,…
Khalid Mahmood MP: Labour has been captured by “woke social media warriors”
Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, actually resigned from the Opposition Front Bench a few weeks ago, though nobody noticed until he launched an astonishing broadside against his…
Uyghur women thank China for liberating them and making them happier
A letter has arrived at Cranmer's Tower: Dear Archbishop Cranmer, My name is Nur. It was Ayshe, but that name was forbidden by Xinjiang Communist Party, so I changed…
US Presidential Election: chaos, confusion, litigation and… whatever
The Trump Presidency has been like no other, and as we observe the agony of the election count it is entirely in keeping with the last four years. It feels…
US Presidential Election: the biggest loser (so far) is the credibility of the chattering classes
It has been a long night for those of us who regard ourselves as 'political junkies' with a penchant for following US presidential elections. Some months ago I issued a…
Twitter censorship of the Biden scandal merits questions in Parliament
There is something rather sinister going on at Twitter. Readers will recall the daily news being full of serious allegations of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign in order to…
The curious case of Kristie Higgs: where is the Church of England?
Kristie Higgs is deemed to be a danger to children. So dangerous, in fact, that more than a year ago she was sacked for gross misconduct by the school where…
Cottrell and Carey: why is some safeguarding secret, while others are thrown to the media?
It was announced yesterday that the Rt Rev'd Stephen Cottrell, who next week is to be formally installed as the 98th Archbishop of York, had been investigated over a past…
Boris Johnson and the Episcopal Land of Zoom
This is the 18th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. The author is an Incumbent in the Church of England, who wishes to remain anonymous.…
The richness and exuberance of the Online Church
We are just beginning to see changes in the severity of the coronavirus lockdown. Even as the rules are being gradually loosened, which will be welcomed by many of us,…
The Church should shine during lockdown
In all honesty I cannot pretend that the lockdown has been onerous for my wife and me. Just before it was imposed, I was approaching the age at which Alex…
Maundy Thursday: the invisible and the distant
This 13th contribution comes courtesy of Alison Bailey Castellina MA (Oxon), who founded the forerunner of The Tymes Trust national charity for children with ME, and led the national Christian…