From The Guardian The Guardian view on religious education: teach humanism too
Letters in response Is religion really a toxic brand?
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Talking of giving and withholding blessing
Church Times Retention, not just recruitment
Churches and charities ignore at their peril the views of volunteers, warns Stephanie Denning
James Woodward ViaMedia.News Is the Church of England Guilty of Ageism?
Alison Kings Fulcrum Anger: Not Such a Bad Thing
3 CommentsWe published earlier an announcement of the fringe event held alongside the recent General Synod meeting on 9 February. This was a partnership between St Martin in the Fields and Inclusive Church.
We are now publishing the text of one of the presentations that was given. Fiona MacMillan is a Trustee of Inclusive Church and Chair of the Disability Advisory Group at St Martin in the Fields.
Her talk can be downloaded from this link.
The booklet which celebrates five years of jointly sponsored conferences on disability & church can be downloaded from here.
Information on the earlier conferences is available here.
Meeting pods are essentially a little room within a room. They are primarily used for meetings, hence the name, but can be used for all kinds of purposes. These meeting pods come in all shapes and sizes to meet different needs. Pods can be open like the office itself or closed off for privacy and confidentiality. Closed pods are more beneficial because of their natural soundproofing. Open pods still have some basic level of soundproofing, so people can still hold private conversations. meeting pods
2 CommentsRosie Harper ViaMedia.News Is Organised Religion Inherently Abusive?
Lisa Oakley Church Times Understanding spiritual abuse
Jeremy Morris ViaMedia.News Know Your Enemies
Michael Volland Ridley Hall Cambridge Why residential training is here to stay
19 CommentsUpdated
The Chichester Observer reported on Monday 12 February: Church defends its position on Bishop Bell amid mounting pressure
This includes a report of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme item on the morning of Saturday 10 February:
Lord Carlile, having advised in his report that alleged perpetrators, living or dead, should not be publicly identified unless a ‘proper and adequate investigation’ is settled with ‘admission of liability’, has opening [sic] criticised the Church for ignoring his recommendations in announcing this new information.
Speaking on Radio 4 Today on Saturday morning ahead of the General Synod gathering for a third day, Lord Carlile said:
“It’s like a small dictatorial government deciding to go ahead and acting any way it wishes, regardless of due process of the rule of law.
“It flies in the face of the recommendations I made which the Church said it accepted. “The Church has got to get a grip on this.”The programme also reported that the Church has denied Bishop Bell’s surviving family legal representation from their chosen barrister for this new investigation. Speaking on the programme on behalf of the Church, Tim Thornton, Bishop at Lambeth, said instead someone had been ‘put forward to represent the voice of Bishop Bell’ and his family…
On the same day, Martin Sewell wrote an article on the Archbishop Cranmer site, Church of England bullies George Bell’s elderly niece by denying her choice of lawyer. This long article really does need to be read in full, but here is a taster:
…Last December, Mrs Whitley would have taken comfort from the Carlile Report on the simple basis that if the original conclusion of the church’s Core Group is unsupportable through defect of process, then the reputational status quo ante applies. The Archbishop of Canterbury rather publicly does not agree, but in the Court of public opinion he is probably in a minority.
With the new matter placed prematurely in the public domain – against Lord Carlile’s specific advice – Mrs Whitley might have regarded that as simply the church’s token saving of face at a point when its sub-optimal competence in the handling of a historic case had been evidenced and asserted. ‘Look how transparent we now are’ is a way of kidding ourselves that things were/are not as bad as they were/are.
We all thought things would be done better the second time round, including the church putting right one of the more obvious errors of the first set of proceedings. The relevant Carlile recommendation had been: “The Core Group should have, in addition to someone advocating for the complainant, someone assigned to it to represent the interests of the accused person and his or her descendants.”
Those dealing with this new information acted with speed, but they had a problem. The old regulations which contributed to the errors referred to in ‘Bell 1’ were still in place; the House of Bishops have not yet formally accepted the Carlile Report; Church House was hurriedly drafting new regulations to address the need identified by Lord Carlile for a deceased accused to be represented at the Core Group. They wanted to ‘get on with it’, which is to be commended, but under pressure they gave themselves the unencumbered power to appoint the person who should represent that accused. Seeking the opinion of the family was plainly overlooked…
Today Martyn Percy also has a guest appearance at Archbishop Cranmer: ‘Sorry’ seems to be the hardest word: apologetics and apologies in the Bishop Bell case. He gives more detail on the latter point:
…Mrs Barbara Whitley, George Bell’s niece, and now 94 years of age, has made it clear that she wished to be represented by Desmond Browne QC. Yet without consulting with Mrs Whitley or the wider family further, on 8th February 2018, Graham Tilby of the NST informed Bell’s family and friends that he had assigned a Mr Donald Findlater to represent their interests and concerns. Moreover, it seems that Findlater had already attended the first Core Group meeting on 29th January 2018. At the time of that meeting Mrs Whitley had absolutely no idea about the new allegations. She has never met Findlater. So it must have been a strange and somewhat surreal sensation for the family and friends of Bishop George Bell to discover that the Church of England had appointed their defence advocate to represent Bell, without consulting the interested parties, and without anyone knowing what the “fresh information” consisted of…
Update
A correspondent has kindly supplied a transcript of the BBC Today interview mentioned above.
21 CommentsThe voting lists from the electronic votes at last week’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod are now available.
Voting results – Item 12 [Mission and Ministry in Covenant – relations with the Methodist Church]
Voting results – Item 16 [Valuing people with Down’s Syndrome]
Also available is the official summary of Business Done.
Today’s issue of Church Times carries their usual detailed Synod reports. Here is my personal selection; all eleven are linked from here.
General Synod: safeguarding presentation
General Synod: presentation and debate on Crown Nominations Commission
General Synod: debate on valuing people with Down’s syndrome
General Synod: presentation on Digital evangelism
Updated
Justin Welby became Archbishop of Canterbury five years ago this month. To mark the occasion Paul Handley, the editor of Church Times, has interviewed the archbishop: To bless and not to bless: Archbishop Welby in conversation.
Andrew Brown of The Guardian gives us his view: With piety and steel, Justin Welby has the church in his firmest grip. “The Archbishop of Canterbury has shaped the CofE to his will with a skill of a politician – and made it all the better.”
Update
There is an edited audio recording of the Church Times interview with the archbishop here.
0 CommentsGeorge Conger reported on 3 February: First woman bishop for GAFCON province
The Episcopal Church of South Sudan has consecrated its first female bishop. Anglican Ink has learned that on 31 December 2016, the Most Rev Daniel Deng Bul, primate of South Sudan and Archbishop of Juba consecrated the Rt. Rev. Elizabeth Awut Ngor as assistant bishop of the Diocese of Rumbek.
Archbishop Deng, who retired last month, upon the election of his successor, the Most Rev. Justin told Radio Good News: “It was in my dream to ordain a woman as bishop in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan before I leave”.
Rumors of a female bishop in South Sudan arose early last year, but queries to the provincial secretary and Archbishop Deng were not answered. The website of the Anglican Consultative Council does not show an assistant bishop for Rumbek and no mention of Bishop Awut’s consecration has been made on the Anglican Communion News Service. However, group photos taken at last month’s meeting of the South Sudan House of Bishops showed one bishop in a skirt holding a handbag. Subsequent queries identified her as Bishop Elizabeth.
Bishop Elizabeth becomes the third African female bishop, following the Rt. Rev. Ellinah Ntombi Wamukoya, who was elected bishop of the Diocese of Swaziland on 18 July 2012 and ordained and installed on 10 November 2012. Her appointment was closely followed by the election, on 12 October 2012 of Margaret Vertue as bishop of the Diocese of False Bay. She was consecrated and installed on 19 January 2013.
Bishop Elizabeth also becomes the first female GAFCON bishop. The GAFCON primates had asked the Churches of Uganda and Kenya to hold back from electing women bishops until GAFCON was of one mind on the issue. With the election of Bishop Elizabeth, pressure will mount for the East African churches to follow suit
GAFCON has issued: A Statement on the Consecration of a Female Bishop in South Sudan
21 CommentsFrom the beginning of the Gafcon movement there have been a variety of understandings among our members on the question of consecrating women to the episcopate. Recognising that this issue poses a threat to the unity we prize, the Primates agreed in 2014 to do what was within their power to affect a voluntary moratorium on the consecration of women to the episcopate. They then set up the Task Force on Women in the Episcopate, chaired by Bishop Samson Mwaluda which presented a report to the 2017 Gafcon Primates Council.
In discussion at this Council, the Primate of South Sudan, Archbishop Deng Bul (who had not been present when the moratorium was agreed) shared with us that his personal decision to consecrate a female bishop was an extraordinary action taken in the midst of civil unrest in a part of his country where most of the men were engaged in armed conflict.
The Gafcon Primates chose to not allow this anomaly to change the course followed since 2014. The Task Force was asked to continue to provide theological resources, and the Provinces were urged to continue the study of Scripture, to consult with one another and to pray that God will lead us to a common mind. The voluntary moratorium remained in place.
In accordance with these decisions, the Task Forces’ Report, which can be read here, is now being discussed at the regional level in advance of the April Gafcon Primates Council and the Global Anglican Future Conference in Jerusalem this June. Our hope is that the newly elected Primate of South Sudan will join us in these discussions as we seek to find a common mind, looking to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Peter Jensen, General Secretary
February 2018
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Ash Wednesday and going bonkers
Jonathan Clatworthy Château Clâteau Abusive spiritual beliefs produce abusive acts
Duncan Dormor USPG Deepening our awareness of the Global Church: Companion Links and Prophetic mission
Church and youth: ‘If someone said come to church I would have laughed’
Madeleine Davies of Church Times visits St Laurence’s, Reading, where teenagers have found a family
Updated Saturday night, Sunday morning and Monday evening
Order papers
morning
afternoon [not available online]
Links to texts of the Safeguarding presentation at General Synod
Harry Farley Christian Today Church facing years of shame as extent of abuse emerges, bishop warns
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E faced 3,300 sexual abuse claims, figures reveal
Tim Wyatt Church Times Safeguarding: we’re doing better, Synod tells sceptical survivors
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Clergy still believe some complainants are ‘simply out for the money’, abuse expert tells church leaders
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Informal communities for nuns and monks becoming more popular – with daily prayers over Skype
Official press release General Synod affirms dignity and humanity of people with Down’s Syndrome
[see below the fold for the text of the motion as passed by Synod]
Madeleine Davies Church Times ‘Every human being is made in the image of God’: Synod unanimously backs motion on Down’s syndrome
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Rate of Down’s syndrome abortions in UK and Europe is akin to Nazi eugenics, Church of England’s General Synod hears
Press Association (in The Guardian) C of E backs motion valuing people with Down’s syndrome
summary of the day’s business from Stephen Lynas: It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday…
video recordings
morning session
afternoon session
David Walker ViaMedia.News Valuing People with Downs Syndrome – A Place to Start
Paul Child Rediscovering For The First Time The Special Child – A Candlemas Reflection
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes St Bride’s Liverpool Welcoming trans people – reaffirmation of baptism liturgy
Emma Percy Women and the Church #100 Women – #our time now
Andrew Graystone Church Times How to give bread, not stones
1 CommentUpdated Friday night, Saturday morning and afternoon
Order papers
morning
afternoon
Official press release General Synod backs motion to tackle food waste
Christian Today CofE backs campaign to reduce food waste
Anglican Communion News Service C of E Synod endorses Anglican Communion links as central to mission and discipleship
Read the Archbishop of Canterbury’s address to the General Synod in London today: Archbishop of Canterbury’s presidential address
Harry Farley Christian Today Archbishop warns Church of England against dangers of ‘radical change’
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Church should not ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ by making radical changes, Archbishop says
Official press release General Synod welcomes move towards communion with Methodist Church
Press release from the Methodist Church Church of England and Methodist Church to continue exploring closer communion
Tim Wyatt Church Times Synod shows its enthusiasm for closer unity with Methodists
Harry Farley Christian Today Church of England embraces unity with Methodist Church
Ruth Gledhill The Tablet Church of England and Methodists move towards unity
Diocese of Guildford Synod affirms Anglican Communion links in run-up to Lambeth 2020
summary of the day’s business from Stephen Lynas: Move in a little closer, baby
video recordings
morning session
afternoon session
Updated Friday morning and afternoon
Press reports on Thursday’s business
Tim Wyatt Church Times Choose bishops more openly, Synod members urge
Harry Farley Christian Today Entrenched opposition to women priests blocks Church’s diversity efforts, synod told
Anglican Communion News Service Justin Welby calls for greater Anglican Communion say in selection of successor
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E raises serious concerns about Christian Freemasons
Update
Stephen Lynas reviews what happened on Thursday The leader(s) of the pack
Archbishop of York General Synod Speech: “Discerning in Obedience: A Theological Review of the Crown Nominations Commission”
video recording of Thursday’s business
40 CommentsThe Church of England General Synod opens this afternoon. There are links to the agenda and papers here.
The Questions Notice Paper (with answers) is now available. Synod members will have the opportunity to ask supplementary questions later today.
There is an error in Questions 16 and 17; the correct text is in Notice Paper 7. There is also an error in Question 44, corrected in Notice Paper 10.
Stephen Lynas (a Synod member from Bath and Wells) previews the business: Oh, won’t you stay (just a little bit longer)?
A live video link is available here.
3 CommentsContinued from here.
On Monday, Christian Today reported: Welby under pressure as General Synod members asked to back motion of ‘regret’ over Bishop George Bell case
And Martin Sewell wrote this analysis: Did Lambeth Palace know the ‘fresh information’ about Bishop George Bell before Lord Carlile published his report?
On Wednesday morning, the Church Times published a preview of an interview with Justin Welby which will appear in full on Friday: Bishop Bell’s accuser cannot be overlooked, says Welby.
This interview is, somewhat oddly, also previewed by Christian Today : Archbishop of Canterbury says George Bell’s accuser is as important as late bishop’s reputation.
ABC Radio (Australia) has a feature: The controversy surrounding George Bell which features Paul Handley, editor of the Church Times. The recording is about 10 minutes long.
9 CommentsFrom the Church of England Evangelical Council website:
Preserving Apostolic Faith and Life
At its January 2018 residential, the CEEC reflected on the attached paper ’Gospel, Church & Marriage – Preserving Apostolic Faith and Life’. The Council endorsed it for circulation as a reflection as to how the life changing goodness and ‘amazing grace’ of God can be brought to bear upon current and contentious discussion within the Church of England.
2 CommentsJude Smith Christian Today A radical proposal for the CofE’s Westminster headquarters: move out and do some good
Archdruid Eileen Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley A House (of Bishops) in the Country
David Ison ViaMedia.News Rolling With the Punch(line)
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Speaking of language; spiritual abuse and prayerful consideration
2 CommentsUpdated Thursday
For earlier articles about the Church of England’s relationship with the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Mission and Ministry in Covenant report see here [last two items] and here.
Four posts from the Quodcumque blog about the report.
Richard Peers A Generous Catholicism and Beautiful Anomalies
Philip Murray Generous Catholicism: a reply to Fr Richard Peers
Andrew Davison Guest post from Andrew Davison on #MMIC: Being a 1662 Anglican
Richard Peers #MMIC – thoughts
Diarmaid MacCulloch Christian Today Why Anglicans who object to reconciliation with Methodists should read more history
Jonathan Draper Afterthoughts Anglicans, Methodists and the sticking plaster of unity
Paul Bayes Thinking a moment Mission and Ministry in Covenant
[a new blog from the Bishop of Liverpool]
Ian Paul Psephizo The Church of England and closer union with Methodists
Update
Marcus Walker Archbishop Cranmer The Church of England should welcome Methodists into the fold of the historic episcopacy
6 CommentsUpdated
This press release was issued earlier today.
House of Bishops Response to the Independent Reviewer’s report on See of Sheffield.
The full text of the press release is copied below the fold.
Also published today is The Five Guiding Principles: A Resource for Study. This document is described on the CofE website thus:
The Five Guiding Principles had a crucial role in the Church of England’s decision in 2014 to open its three orders of ministry – bishops as well as deacons and priests – to all, without reference to gender. They provide basic parameters to help Anglicans with different theological convictions on this matter continue to relate to each other within one church, and are expected to be affirmed by every candidate for ordination in the Church of England.
The Five Guiding Principles: A Resource for Study has been developed by the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England following requests for resources in this area from – among others – those responsible for theological education.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have said: “This resource will be invaluable not only to the Implementation and Dialogue Group but to all bishops, clergy and laity in thinking about what the Five Guiding Principles mean in our ministry and the life of the Church.
“This document is not intended to be the last word on the theological implications of the Five Guiding Principles. It is intended to contribute to the dialogue the Church needs.”
Update
Forward in Faith issued a statement in response to this: The Five Guiding Principles:
14 CommentsForward in Faith is grateful for the announcement of the House of Bishops’ acceptance of the recommendations made by the Independent Reviewer in his review of the nomination to the See of Sheffield.
We welcome the publication by the Faith and Order Commission of The Five Guiding Principles: A Resource for Study. We hope that widespread study of this booklet will prevent recurrence of the misrepresentation of the Five Guiding Principles that occurred in 2017.
We welcome the appointment of a group, chaired by the Bishop of Rochester, to review what has been done to inform and educate clergy and laity about the 2014 settlement, distil examples of good practice, and provide further resources. We trust that all who have accepted membership of this group are now committed to upholding the House of Bishops’ Declaration, including the Five Guiding Principles.
We also welcome the appointment of Sir William Fittall to succeed Sir Philip Mawer as the Independent Reviewer, and wish to express our thanks to Sir Philip for his work. Having played an important part in the process that resulted in the 2014 settlement, Sir William is well qualified to take over the role of defending it.
† TONY WAKEFIELD
The Rt Revd Tony Robinson
ChairmanLINDSAY NEWCOMBE
Dr Lindsay Newcombe
Lay Vice-Chairman
Survivors of sexual abuse in the Church of England are planning to make their presence felt at the General Synod on Saturday of this week, when a presentation on the topic of Safeguarding will take place, followed by an opportunity for synod members to ask questions.
This press release has been issued:
Victims and survivors speak out about their treatment by the Church of England
On Saturday 10th February the Church of England’s General Synod will hear a presentation about the church’s approach to safeguarding. The presentation is intended to prepare synod members for the forthcoming hearings of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). IICSA will turn its focus onto the Church of England beginning on Monday 5th March.
Victims and survivors of abuse within the the church fear that their voices are rarely heard. To address this they have produced a booklet called We Asked for Bread but you gave us Stones (linked below) in which they address the church powerfully and painfully in their own words. The booklet consists entirely of victims’ words, collated with an introduction by victims’ advocate Andrew Graystone. The title is a reference to the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:9 “Which of you, if your child asked for bread, would give them a stone.” The booklet will be delivered this week to every member of the General Synod, including every diocesan bishop and archbishop.
Representative victims of church abuse are also inviting the archbishops, bishops and all members of the General Synod to meet them at 9am on Saturday morning at the entrance to Church House, Dean’s Yard, Westminster, and to stand with them for two minutes of silent reflection prior to the safeguarding presentation. By this act they invite synod members to affirm the intention of the church to act justly towards victims of abuse both now and in the future.
A further statement will be issued on behalf of victims at 1pm on Saturday 10th February, following the synod presentation.
Monday 5th – Sunday 11th February 2018 is also Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week.
For further information please contact Andrew Graystone via andrew.graystone1@btinternet.com
This has already been reported in Christian Today Some serving bishops have been abused, says campaigner in victims booklet sent to CofE synod members.
Earlier this week, there was a report in the Sunday Times about a particular case. The newspaper report is behind a paywall, but the link to it is here: Justin Welby ‘blocked’ payouts to abused pupils.
0 CommentsThe Evangelical Alliance has issued a report Reviewing the discourse of ‘Spiritual Abuse’. There is a press release about this:
New report is critical of the term ‘Spiritual Abuse’ as well intended, but not fit for purpose.
A new report that highlights the risks associated with adopting the vague and incoherent terminology of ‘Spiritual Abuse’ has been released today by the Evangelical Alliance. The term ‘Spiritual Abuse’ may be well intended, but it is not fit for purpose.
Produced by the Evangelical Alliance Theology Advisory Group (TAG), the report outlines how ‘Spiritual Abuse’ is a seriously problematic term because of its own inherent ambiguity, and because attempts by some to embed it within statutory safeguarding discourse and secular law would be unworkable in practice, potentially discriminatory towards religious communities, and damaging to inter-faith relations…
There is also an Executive Summary available here.
The document references several other pieces of work, including:
All of this is significant in the context of the recently reported Church of England case in the Diocese of Oxford: Priest found guilty of spiritual abuse.
Christian Today has reported the Evangelical Alliance story thus:
Evangelical Alliance rubbishes ‘spiritual abuse’ language: It could ‘criminalise’ conservative teaching on sexuality.
Jayne Ozanne is quoted in that report, responding to the criticism of her paper (linked above). Her full quote in response to the EA criticism is as follows.
7 Comments“I am deeply perplexed, as I’m sure others will be, as to why the Evangelical Alliance have seen fit to effectively dismiss the concept of Spiritual Abuse, rather than looking to work constructively with victims to create a safer and more caring Church. Their report contains various unfounded claims, which feed the notion that certain parts of the Church are under threat from secular society. Assertions such as “the use of Spiritual Abuse terminology has proliferated in such a way that its further use risks damage to fundamental freedoms of religious thought, expression and assembly” are at best defensive, and at worst scaremongering. In addition, I do not believe my paper has been fairly or accurately characterised and would urge people to read it for themselves.’