Thinking Anglicans

The College of Bishops: September 18 to 21

Press release from the Church of England

The College of Bishops: September 18 to 21

21/09/2023

The College of Bishops has been meeting in Oxford over the last four days.

The meeting, which welcomed eight new or incoming bishops, began with an afternoon of retreat for prayer and study.

Discussions then included sessions on public affairs – including proposals raised by the Archbishops’ Commissions on families and households, social care, housing and racial justice; the importance of making missionary disciples; generous ecclesiology and episcopal well-being.

The bishops devoted the remaining time to discussing the work to take forward the introduction of Prayers of Love and Faith for same-sex couples, the associated Pastoral Guidance and Pastoral Reassurance.

The College’s reflections will be taken forward to the House of Bishops meetings in October ahead of the meeting of General Synod in November.

32 Comments

The Church of England and Mandatory Reporting

The Church of England has published its response to the Government’s consultation on mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse.

The Church Times writes about the response here: We don’t know, but consider religious freedom, says C of E response on exceptions to mandatory reporting.

On the Seal of the Confessional the response has this to say.

Like many other historic churches, the Church of England includes in its practices the ministry of Confession and Reconciliation. In this ministry, someone can come to a priest and disclose anything they feel they may have done wrong. It is the practice of the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches to guarantee absolute confidentiality of what has been disclosed. This is often known as ‘the Seal of the Confessional’. The Seal is referred to in Canon Law, although the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions is contested.

(more…)

46 Comments

Opinion – 20 September 2023

Jane Chevous Premier Christianity The silence from Christian leaders on Mike Pilavachi is hurting victims

Archdruid Eileen The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley The Church Decline Rag

Richard Scorer Surviving Church Mandatory Reporting versus the Seal of the Confessional

Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Mired in Love and Faith

Steve Schlossberg The Living Church

33 Comments

Opinion – 16 September 2023

Theo Hobson The Spectator In praise of Justin Welby’s ‘less bossy’ Church of England

Helen King sharedconversations Two meetings down, one to go: Living with Difference

47 Comments

Opinion – 13 September 2023

Mark Clavier The Living Church A House-Going Parson Makes a Church-Going People

Sorrel Christian ViaMedia.News Young Christianity Today

Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Is Christianity losing its sense of morality or finding new vision?

a member of the Anglican Survivors Group ViaMedia.News Are Churches Safe?

67 Comments

Opinion – 9 September 2023

Diarmaid MacCulloch ViaMedia.News Love Came Down at Christmas – For Some

Theos Is the UK a Christian Country?
“We asked a range of experts and thinkers how they would answer the question: Is the UK a Christian country?”

Colin Coward Unadulterated Love A Brief Evolutionary Context for today’s Global and Christian Crises

38 Comments

Opinion – 6 September 2023

Colin Coward Unadulterated Love What is the Christian story today?

Helen King sharedconversations Being back in the room

14 Comments

Bishop David Hamid, Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese in Europe, announces retirement

Bishop David Hamid, suffragan bishop of the Diocese in Europe and one of the longest serving bishops in the Church of England, has announced his plans to retire in February 2024. Details are on the diocesan website.

5 Comments

Opinion – 3 September 2023

Theo Hobson The Spectator The time is ripe for a liberal revival of the Church of England

Giles Fraser UnHerd Has the Church stopped working?

Kelvin Holdsworth What’s in Kelvin’s Head The Friends of St Eucalyptus

152 Comments

Opinion – 26 August 2023

Paul Roberts Inclusive Evangelicals Can you be Evangelical and not agree with the CEEC?

Mark Michael The Living Church When Rights Conflict: Sex Abuse Reporting & the Confessional

136 Comments

Appointment of Suffragan Bishop of Swindon

Press release from the Prime Minister’s Office. There is more on the Bristol diocesan website. He will be consecrated on 30 November 2023.

Appointment of Suffragan Bishop of Swindon: 24 August 2023

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Neil Warwick for appointment to the Suffragan See of Swindon, in the Diocese of Bristol.

From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 24 August 2023

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Neil Warwick, Archdeacon of Bristol, for appointment to the Suffragan See of Swindon, in the Diocese of Bristol, in succession to The Right Reverend Dr Lee Rayfield, following his retirement.

Neil was educated at Nottingham University and trained for ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He served his title at St Lawrence, Towcester, in the Diocese of Peterborough, and was ordained Priest in 2006. Neil was appointed Vicar of Earley St Nicolas, in the Diocese of Oxford, in 2009.

In 2019, Neil took up his current role as Archdeacon of Bristol, in the Diocese of Bristol.

77 Comments

Opinion – 19 August 2023

Helen King sharedconversations The autumn of Living in Love and Faith

Karen O’Donnell ViaMedia.News Bodies at Prayer

David Newman Inclusive Evangelicals Evangelical unity and diversity

David Runcorn Inclusive Evangelicals How contraception has changed marriage

80 Comments

Dean of Worcester to retire

I did not notice any earlier announcement, but Worcester Cathedral has the news today that their Dean, the Very Reverend Peter Atkinson, will officially retire on Friday 25 August.

18 Comments

Appointment of Dean of Truro

Press release from the Prime Minister’s Office. There is more on the Truro Cathedral website.

Appointment of Dean of Truro: 17 August 2023

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Simon Robinson, Residentiary Canon and Interim Dean at Truro Cathedral, for appointment as Dean of Truro.

From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published 17 August 2023

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Simon Robinson, Residentiary Canon and Interim Dean at Truro Cathedral, for appointment as Dean of Truro, in succession to The Very Reverend Roger Bush, following his retirement.

Simon was educated at Warwick University and trained for ministry on the Southern Theological Education Training Scheme. He served his title in the Parish of Freshford, Limpley Stoke and Hinton Charterhouse in the Diocese of Bath and Wells and was ordained priest in 2013. Simon was appointed Vicar of the Parish of Minehead in 2015. In October 2022, Simon took up his current role as Interim Dean and Canon Missioner at Truro Cathedral.

44 Comments

Opinion – 9 August 2023

Anon ViaMedia.News WWBD? What Would Barbie Do?

Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Debate and Non-Communication within the Church of England

Jason Loch A Venerable Puzzle When Is Advice Not Advice?

1 Comment

Opinion – 5 August 2023

Helen King ViaMedia.News Missing, Between Synods

Theo Hobson ViaMedia.News Holy Discomfort: Time to Restore the Unity of the Church?

99 Comments

Opinion – 29 July 2023

Martine Oborne ViaMedia.News Equality, ‘headship’ and authority: drawing the line in schools and churches

Stephen Parsons Surviviing Church An Open Letter to Professor Alexis Jay as she begins work to produce a Future Safeguarding Programme for the Church of England

114 Comments

Opinion – 26 July 2023

Will Timmins Bible By Day Abuse NDAs and the Church: Making a Covenant with Death

Religion Media Centre Briefing: Is the Church of England ungovernable?

Kirk Smith The Living Church A Bishop Goes to Seminary
“How Working in Four Episcopal Seminaries Changed My Understanding of Theological Education”

David Runcorn Inclusive Evangelicals General Synod, LLF and the mind of the church

28 Comments

July General Synod – electronic voting results

Updated 31 July to add the originally missing results.

The electronic voting results from this month’s General Synod are now available online and are linked below. The texts of the motion can be found in the official record of Business Done for each session of Synod. For convenience I have made a note of what each item was about and given a link to the relevant item of Business Done.

The texts of the motion can be found in the official record of Business Done for each session of Synod. For convenience I have made a note of what each item was about and given a link to the relevant item of Business Done.

In addition to the votes above there were two other counted votes

  • That Standing Order 8(1) be suspended for the duration of Item 63 (Monday am)
  • That Item 511 be adjourned until the next group of sessions’ (Tuesday am)

the lists for which have not been made available.

Update The lists for the two votes above are now available.

8 Comments

Opinion – 22 July 2023

Jonathan Clatworthy The point of it all Early Christian marriage

Caroline Newman Surviving Church Is anyone safe in the Church of England?

Mark Bennet ViaMedia.News Learning Lessons? Leading a Church Where Abuse Has Happened

Lorraine Cavanagh Christian Faith in the here and now

42 Comments