In the case of the Bishop of Oxford v Archbishop Cranmer
On 10th May, the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev’d Steven Croft, instructed his lawyers to demand that a post on this site be taken down. The letter from Birketts…
Truth
The CofE ‘Independent Safeguarding Board’? A Review
Following a complaint brought Professor Martyn Percy to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) published Terms of Reference (ToR) for a ‘review’ to commence on 30th May. Dr. Percy’s complaint had detailed abuses (accidental and…
Christ Church ‘victim’ Alannah Jeune inadvertently corroborates that Martyn Percy is the real victim of a gross injustice
When Alannah Jeune, the ‘victim’ in the renowned case of Christ Church, Oxford vs Dr Martyn Percy (which somehow became conflated with and morphed into an allegation of sexual harassment),…
The Sue Gray Report is about as independent as a Church of England independent inquiry
The Sue Gray Report into Partygate – which saw 126 fines handed out to 83 people, including the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, for attending 'events' in No.10…
Bishop of Oxford instructs lawyers to censor Archbishop Cranmer
The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev'd Steven Croft, has instructed lawyers to demand that a post on this site be taken down. Never in its 16-year history has the…
Mercy, forgiveness and judgment: Boris Johnson did not lie to Parliament
If you detest Boris Johnson or blame him for the great evil of Brexit and for ruining the country and just want him gone, there's no need to read on.…
Boris Johnson’s ‘disgraceful slur’ against the Archbishop of Canterbury
The Prime Minister sat rather dejected in the House of Commons yesterday, and spent two hours iterating (and reiterating) how sorry he was for sharing the Cabinet Room of No.10…
How does facilitating people-traffickers reflect the nature of God?
The Home Secretary's announcement that the thousands of asylum seekers (or economic migrants) crossing the Channel in an endless stream of dinghies (246,190 last year) are to be sent to…
Maundy Thursday: there needs to be some foot-washing in Oxford
You can't spread hope without truth, and you can't possess truth without humility, transcendence, and reconciliation in the heart. There is an earthly concept of justice which affords a proximate…
The hypocrisy of the Canons of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Yesterday, the Rev'd Angela Tilby, an Emeritus Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, was blocked on Twitter by someone in the Cathedral. This wasn't the first time she had been…
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…
The Prime Minister partied while clergy lamented
"Could the Minister advise those of us on these benches," ventured Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, "how we should respond to clergy who took an enormous personal toll in having…
Oxford Dons plan litigation against Archbishop Cranmer
In all the recent reporting in the Times and Private Eye about the continuing saga at Christ Church, Oxford, there has been a slight omission. Perhaps it's so slight that…
Bramble Welby introduces her human on a BBC Newscast
Bramble Welby upstaged her human on a BBC Newcast this week. "Lie down. Can you lie down. That's a good girl," said the Archbishop of Canterbury. "Nope," thought Bramble. "Not…
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.…
General Synod elections: the ‘liberal drift’ is not a foregone conclusion
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…
Safeguarding suicide: ‘there is a crisis of trust within the Diocese of London’
Following the comments and demands made by the Coroner in the wake of the suicide of Fr Alan Griffin, the Diocese of London and Lambeth Palace have accepted responsibility for…
Diocese of Oxford misrepresents the President of Tribunals, leaving Martyn Percy ‘under a cloud’
This is a guest post by Martin Sewell and David Lamming, members of General Synod. The statement posted belatedly on the Diocese of Oxford website on 18th June Decision…
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,…
Institutional narcissism in the Church of England
"The BBC, the NHS and Oxfam have a bad case of institutional narcissism", wrote Matthew Syed in the Sunday Times yesterday. It is a terse but cogent thesis, coming in…