Philip North Church of England Newspaper Three dangers and priorities for the C of E after the Welby crisis
Helen Yaxley Surviving Church Navigating the Church’s Complaints System – Not Fit for Purpose?
Giles Fraser UnHerd Burn down the Church Machine
Martine Oborne ViaMedia.News Safeguarding and Patriarchy in the Church of England
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love What kind of God do we believe in?
George Pitcher A Word to the Wise Nationalise the Church of England
Bishop North’s reiteration of the need for independent scrutiny of safeguarding is welcome, but his first three points appear to amount to (1) don’t hold anyone to account; (2) don’t reflect on toxic theologies which facilitate abuse; and (3) the bishops need to close ranks. Entirely the wrong conclusions to draw, it seems to me, but exactly what one might expect. Thank goodness for Martine Oborne and Giles Fraser (who will, alas, be ignored, I fear, as the church machine trundles on).
Giles Fraser hopes the next archbishop of Canterbury is a woman. Philip North doesn’t recognise the ministry of women. Martine Oborne thinks North’s views about women should be illegal. Thank you for choosing articles by people diametrically opposed to each other. Who on earth would want to lead the CofE?
I do think all the global travel of the ABC really serves little concrete purpose, beyond trying to sell his office as of some essential character vis-à-vis Anglicanism. The Church of England has a polity unlike all the other provinces, as an established church, House of Lords, and so forth. At present it is struggling to be a “Church of England” when England isn’t attending it, save for a sliver of the population. Throw in a crisis of safeguarding, and the resignation of the incumbent, and it is clearly time for re-evaluation and a pause in this global travel in… Read more »
Well on this issue, perhaps, Anglican Priest, I wonder if we may find some form of emerging consensus across all tribes and factions in the church? I (and plenty others) thought at the time it was a mistake to increase representation from the global Anglican communion on the Crown Nominations Commission. At the time, it was argued by proponents that this was a way of moving towards a post-colonial model for the Anglican communion, but it seemed to me it was simply re-inscribing the primacy of Canterbury in a way which was extremely unhelpful, and almost certain to result in… Read more »
“It is not revealing any secrets to say that both Synod and the College of Bishops are divided on the issue of LLF, a division that is in danger of becoming chronic and entrenched. A crisis such as the current one could lead in one of two directions. Either, against a backdrop of mutual recrimination, we could splinter even more and so make decision making and reform effectively impossible. Or we could see the need to unite in order to build a renewed and healthy church.” (Phillip North) How is it possible to “unite” when you fundamentally disagree ? That… Read more »
Given that Phillip North told me at General Synod in York that The Jay Report was s*** (his exact words), he can hardly preach on how safeguarding should be done. Bishops still don’t get that they are NOT TRUSTED with any aspect of safeguarding. If he did he wouldn’t be trying to say what should happen. Unless he’s setting out his hustings for Canterbury of course…
North’s piece was mass of platitudes offering no real way forward.
I find the mental gymnastics of “The Society” High Anglican bishops as regards gays quite interesting. In Feb 2023 General Synod Philip North abstained on the vote to introduce blessings and prayers for same-sex relationships, but to my surprise Martin Warner supported it. However, by Nov 2023 they had got back on the same page, & both of them firmly voted against trial standalone services for same-sex couples.