St Paul

Downing Street Party Christmas Boris Johnson

The Downing Street party and the spirit of the law

December 8, 2021
Archbishop Cranmer
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Perhaps a gathering of a dozen or so people with cheese and wine doesn't constitute a party. Perhaps a gathering of a couple of dozen people at a place of business drinking wine and munching nibbles doesn't constitute a party.…

Lusa Nsenga-Ngo Bishop of Willesden Church of England Bishops

Why are schoolchildren selecting Church of England bishops?

November 29, 2021
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Caroline Boddington is barely out the door, and bishops are now being appointed by... schoolchildren called Temisan, Keziah, Honey and Sophia. With the retirement of the Rt Rev'd Pete Broadbent…

Queen reminds General Synod of its essential mission

November 17, 2021
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The 11th General Synod of the Church of England was opened yesterday, and the Supreme Governor was absent for the first time since Synod was created more than 50 years…

General Synod elections: the ‘liberal drift’ is not a foregone conclusion

October 20, 2021
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The Rev'd Peter Ould has been psephological over at Psephizo, and his analysis of the recent Synod elections merits some consideration in respect of the 'liberal drift' of the Church…

Peter Carrell Bishop of Christchurch New Zealand covid vaccination certificate

Should you need a Covid vaccination certificate to attend church?

October 5, 2021
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It was a question posed by the Rt Rev'd Peter Carrell, Bishop of Christchurch in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Seeking the corporate wisdom and discernment…

Fr David Palmer Catholic chaplain Nottingham University

What if Nottingham University were right to ‘cancel’ its Catholic chaplain?

September 8, 2021
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TRIGGER WARNING: The following blog post includes a discussion of the harsh treatment experienced by a Roman Catholic chaplain, and issues of religious liberty, common sense and Christian compassion. Its…

Hatun Tash Speakers Corner Christian preacher stabbed

Speakers’ Corner adopts a de facto sharia blasphemy code

August 2, 2021
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"Saddening to hear Christian preacher Hatun Tash say Speakers' Corner - a bastion of free speech since 1872 - has become 'hostile and dangerous'", tweeted Stephen Evans, Chief Executive of…

street preacher arrested uxbridge john sherwood

Stop arresting street preachers, and laugh at them instead

May 4, 2021
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Another street preacher has been arrested for proclaiming the gospel in a public place. This time it was in Uxbridge, in front of the Underground station. We've been here before…

archbishops letter nation covid deaths call to prayer

Archbishops call the nation to prayer as Covid deaths reach 100,000

January 27, 2021
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As the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 passes 100,000, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have written an Epistle to the Nation calling everyone to prayer. And if you…

Adam was patient zero: he passed his virus on to all of us

April 17, 2020
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This is the 16th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. It comes again from the Rev’d Ian Chidlow, Curate at St Mary’s Parish Church, Cheadle. …

The mission of the Church is not ‘right ethics’

April 14, 2020
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This is the 15th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. The author wishes to be known as The Snail @. He has a background in…

The real presence of Christ in the community of the virtual Church

March 29, 2020
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This morning I want to depart from our Lectionary readings to offer a text which inspired a first-class sermon which I once heard at Rochester Cathedral. A few years ago,…

Blogging and the voice of the Church

December 29, 2019
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Someone recently tweeted that this blog should close down because people mistake it for a legitimate voice of the Church, and so it conveys a spiritual falsehood by sustaining a…

Boris Johnson becomes the first baptised Catholic to made Prime Minister

July 24, 2019
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Today is the Feast Day of St Boris (really). And today Boris Johnson kisses hands with the Queen (not the hand of the Queen) to become the 55th person to…

Child sexual abuse: the Blackburn Pastoral Letter is game-changer for the Church of England

June 21, 2019
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When St Paul began writing his letters I doubt he expected them to become as copied, shared, dissected and analysed as they are today. He wrote to help and support…

Israel Folau tweet homosexuality gays hell

Israel Folau – a fool for Christ’s sake

May 9, 2019
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Israel Folau plays rugby in Australia. He plays at quite a high level, actually, being paid around $1.6m per season. He is, however, considered to be worth every cent, not…

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…

Charles, Defender of the Faithful persecuted for Jesus’ sake

December 5, 2018
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Yesterday, from the pulpit of Westminster Abbey, the Prince of Wales made a plea for peace; and not only peace, but for reconciliation. And not only did he make a…

Tim Peake spaceship Peterborough Cathedral

Does installing Tim Peake’s spaceship in a cathedral glorify God and lead people to salvation?

September 19, 2018
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If you install a junk spaceship or other space detritus in a sacred space and then pat yourself on the back for increasing your visitor numbers by 600% to 58,000,…

Jumping, skipping, dabbing and bouncing clergy – are we ordaining Tigger?

June 25, 2018
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'Likewise must the deacons be grave', writes St Paul in his first pastoral letter to Timothy (3:8), expounding the necessary character and qualifications for Church leadership. The adjective is associated…