Is the Church of England doing religion without the Holy Spirit?
Much has been written about the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, or the Paraclete; the third person (hypostasis) of the Trinity. In fact, so much has been written over…
Truth
Welby: “I really, genuinely do not understand” Christian support for Trump
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was interviewed by Robert Peston on Sunday. He spoke about the British economic model, economic justice, investment, skills, apprenticeships, automation, robotics, AI, equality for all, food-banks, housing, Brexit, Northern Ireland, trade, unionist identity, the…
How Bishop George Bell became a victim of Church of England ‘spin’ and a narrative of ‘decisive leadership’
This is a guest post by The Very Rev’d Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. _______ Some may begin to wonder how exactly the Church of England’s National…
Jayne Ozanne was raped by a priest? Which bishop told her not to report the attack?
Jayne Ozanne (who claimed to have reported this blog to the police last year for 'hate') claims to have been raped by a priest in the 1990s. She says she…
Anglican Communion News Service smears GAFCON and manipulates Archbishop of Canterbury
You'd think, wouldn't you, that you could trust the news reports which emanate from the official Office of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. You'd hope, wouldn't you, that the Anglican Communion…
If it’s the “so-called Islamic State”, why is Mohammed not the “so-called Prophet”?
The BBC and Channel 4 News appear to have a policy of referring to the ISIS/ISIL/Daesh as the "so-called Islamic State". Senior BBC News Producer David Waddell has explained why…
Bishop Philip North is good news for the poor – what a shame he’s sidelined
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…
We need to focus on religious literacy – before it’s too late
"For religion to be taken seriously there needs to be an improvement in religious literacy across the media," wrote the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby last year. The context was…
Protect the Pope? Francis is “destroying the Catholic nature of the Church”
'Protect the Pope' was a blog established in 2010 by the Rev'd Nick Donnelly, a kindly, humble and intelligent deacon in the Roman Catholic Church (and the second-nicest Catholic in…
Redefining hate: from diabolical anti-love to any criticism of the fragile self
This is a guest post by by the Rev'd Dr Gavin Ashenden. _____ During the General Synod debate on homosexuality I took to twitter. It’s like sitting up in the…
Church of England votes to ban Religious Conversion
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…
Safeguarding in the Church of England: when is a victim of child-abuse not a victim?
This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired Child Protection Lawyer and a member of General Synod. ______ Yesterday I advanced a more sympathetic perspective on why Lord…
Child abuse in the Church of England: hypocrisy, inconsistency and ongoing cover-up
Child abuse is a seriously distressing matter. The violation, confusion, fear, self-loathing, guilt, depression... suicidal thoughts. It can take years and decades to come to terms with the misery and…
Tory MP hates social media: “It gives a voice to people who don’t deserve one”
Gary Streeter is the Conservative MP for South West Devon. He is a committed Christian who helped found the Conservative Christian Fellowship. He now chairs the cross-party group Christians in…
For millennials, Corbyn came as Father Christmas; May as the Wicked Witch of the West
"What do the millennials want from policy makers?" asked a group called Common Vision (CoVi) in their 'Manifesto for Millennials'. Millennials are 'young people', who appear to have (uncharacteristically) turned…
Welby says Islamism is everything to do with Islam, and Muslim leaders must take responsibility
The Archbishop of Canterbury has boldly gone where other other religious leaders fear to tread, and politicians daren't hardly ever go. Cutting straight across the liturgical denials of those who…
We need to talk more about Jesus and Mohammed and less about Christianity and Islam
This is a guest post by the Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden. _____ The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham claimed in public that Salman Abedi, the man who slaughtered children…
London Bridge terror attack: they shouted “This is for Allah!”, as the Holy Spirit descended for Pentecost
Just as the nation was crowning techno-pianist Tokio Myers the winner of Britain's Got Talent, a few more Islamists decided to stage their own version of the show on London…
Justin Welby is not a heretic, he’s a very faithful Anglican
In the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Westminster there is a list of Archbishops of Canterbury which chronicles the centuries of communion between the popes of Rome and the chief pastors…
Bishop of Sheffield: Martyn Percy asked for bread; Sentamu and Welby give a stone
No doubt there has been a lot of frantic to-ing and fro-ing between the palaces of Bishopthorpe and Lambeth since Philip North felt unable to take up the nomination as…