Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Talking of inclusivity, offence and rejection
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Why do Christians seem preoccupied by sex?
Ted Harrison Church Times Beware the use of banal and meaningless slogans
“Think carefully before creating one, … and make sure to avoid these common pitfalls”
Marcus Walker Catholic Herald Why Anglo-Catholicism appeals to millennials
Meg Warner ViaMedia.News Elephants, Penguins, Procreation & Japanese Knotweed
17 CommentsAndrew John, the Bishop of Bangor, Bishop Andy’s new Episcopal Letter
“I have come to believe that the Church should now fully include without distinction those who commit to permanent loving unions with a person of the same sex. I further believe that the best way to do this is for the Church to marry these people as we do with men and women.”
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Releasing the feral essence of God to flow in our beings
Ryan P Bonfiglio The Christian Century It’s time to rethink our assumptions about where theological education happens
“Until 1565, the local church was also the seminary.”
Marcus Green ViaMedia.News Living in Love & Faith – The Challenge of Getting Heard
23 CommentsTina Beardsley ViaMedia.News A Trans Priest’s Response to the “Harmful” Open Letter
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Talking of baptismal rites. It’s time for the bishops to stand firm.
Ann Reddecliffe LGBTQFaithUK Why the bishops are right.
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love On leaving in Love and Faith
Madeleine Davies interviews Paul Bayes for Church Times An interview with the Bishop of Liverpool
“Bishops are allowed to have opinions, Paul Bayes tells Madeleine Davies”
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The John Smyth affair two years on. Has anything changed?
3 CommentsUpdated Friday evening to add press report
The second batch of papers for this month’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod have been released. I have updated my list of these papers here. There is also a press release about some of the items on the agenda which I have copied below.
Press report
There was a press briefing on the agenda this morning. Madeleine Davies writes about it for Church Times: Evangelism and estates to occupy General Synod at February meeting.
Press release
Evangelism at heart of General Synod agenda
The need to mobilise the whole Church of England to reach out to others with the Christian message is set to dominate discussions at next month’s General Synod in London.
Papers published today set out how “small behavioural changes” by the around one million people who regularly attend Church of England churches could make a “huge difference”.
0 CommentsSavi Hensman Ekklesia Welcoming transgender Christians and valuing discipleship: letter to Bishops misses the point
Rosie Harper ViaMedia.News Transphobic Letters, Mansplaining & Male Violence.
Katie Gaddini and Linda Woodhead The Conversation Brexit shines light on Church of England rift between leadership and Anglican majority
8 CommentsUpdated Saturday afternoon to add last two items
Laudable Practice The myopia of not propagating Anglicanism
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Deference and Obedience – Christian Virtues?
Unadulterated Love On Being a Feral Priest
Andrew Forshew-Cain ViaMedia.News The First Signs of Spring?
Hattie Williams interviews Meg Munn, the independent chair of the National Safeguarding Panel, for Church Times No one ‘should ever stop being vigilant’ of risks
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The Meg Munn CT interview – signs of hope for the future
0 CommentsThe agenda for next month’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod (released yesterday) includes an addition to the original timetable, this motion from the two archbishops:
That this Synod, knowing through the experiences of parishes across the country that social divisions feel more entrenched and intractable than for many years, and concerned at the divisions within the major political parties which are stifling the emergence of a hopeful and viable vision for the common good in our communities:
(a) call upon every diocese and parish regularly to hold in prayer their local MPs and politicians and the members of Her Majesty’s Government and civil servants, seeking God’s strength and wisdom for the responsibilities they bear;
(b) reaffirm the Christian commitment to putting the voices of the poor and marginalised at the heart of the nation’s concerns; and
(c) call upon the nation’s leaders, drawing on Christian hope and reconciliation, to work together for that common good at this time of division.
The debate will be held on the afternoon of Saturday 23 February, the closing day of the Synod meeting.
There is this official press release:
General Synod to debate call for reconciliation for divided nation
25/01/2019
The UK’s political leaders should draw on “Christian hope and reconciliation” to help steer the country through a time of seemingly “entrenched and intractable” divisions, according to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.
The call comes in the text of a special motion on the state of the nation, tabled by the two archbishops, to be debated by the Church of England’s General Synod, which meets in London next month.
It speaks of divisions within the major political parties and calls for every parish and diocese to pray regularly for their local MPs, other politicians, the Government and civil servants.
The timetable for February’s meeting of Synod had been amended to make time for the special debate.
An updated timetable and full agenda are published today alongside the first set of papers.
A further batch of papers for Synod will be published next Friday (February 1, 2019).
Synod meets at Church House Westminster from Wednesday February 20 to Saturday February 23.
Press reports
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E leaders rebuke politicians for ‘stifling’ Brexit reconciliation
Adam Becket Church Times Synod to debate the country’s ‘entrenched and intractable social divisions’
10 CommentsUpdate (1 February) Links to the second batch of papers have been added
Update (19 February) Link to Questions notice paper added
Update (20, 24 February) more notice papers etc added
The first batch of papers for next month’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod are now available online. The remaining papers will be issued on 1 February and I will add links when these become available.
Papers in numerical order with a note of the day scheduled for their consideration are listed below the fold. Synod meets from Wednesday 20 to Saturday 23 February in London.
The Agenda is here and the Report by the Business Committee (Guide to the February 2019 group of sessions) is here.
0 CommentsPeter Leonard ViaMedia.News The Power of Grass Roots Rebellion
Richard Peers Quodcumque – Serious Christianity The Truth About Changing the Church
Andrew Brown The Guardian Justin Welby’s speaking in tongues makes sense to his evangelical tribe
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Speaking in praise of the elderly and the young.
Jeremy Morris ViaMedia.News IICSA – Holding the Past to Account?
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Help required for Safeguarding incident
[If you have any advice or help for Stephen please post it on his blog and not here.]
Church of England parishes are required to prepare a new electoral roll before this year’s Annual Parochial Church Meetings. The CofE’s Parish Resources website has published the following advice on the effect of the GDPR on the electoral roll.
GDPR and Preparation of Electoral Roll 2019
We are aware that GDPR has raised some concerns regarding the renewal of the Electoral Roll. As the law currently stands, there is no need to amend the electoral roll forms, consent is not required. An informative note explaining the legal bases will be added to the forms in due course but the legal position is not dependent on this note.
The Church of England’s GDPR Team have produced guidance to clarify these issues (link below). They have also produced an electoral roll Privacy Notice which explains the GDPR issues for those individuals applying to the electoral roll. You should publish this on your website and/or give it to people who request an application form.
Download Guidance on the Electoral Roll and GDPR
Download the electoral roll Privacy Notice
[H/T to Law and Religion UK for bringing this to my attention.]
4 CommentsColin Coward Unadulterated Love Being who I am
Malcolm Doney and Martin Wroe Church Times Is Christian language to blame for falling church attendance?
Terence Handley MacMath interviews Natalie Collins, gender-justice specialist for Church Times
‘Christianity should be at the forefront of gender justice, but it isn’t’
Kelvin Holdsworth What’s in Kelvin’s Head How shall we pray for our elected representatives?
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Churches – further reflections
38 CommentsJonathan Clatworthy Château Clâteau Can evangelicals evangelise?
Richard Peers Quodcumque – Serious Christianity Candlemas: for schools and homes
The Bible in a Year?: Evangelicals, lectionaries and apps
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church ‘Concerned Anglicans’ in Oxford- who are they speaking for?
and Concerned Anglicans in Oxford. Are they all Anglican?
Trevor Thurston-Smith The Pensive Pilgrim Saving the Best Wine Until Last
Laudable Practice Giving Thanks for Elizabeth I
15 CommentsAndrew Lightbown Theore0 Talking of being in Christ as the gateway to radical new inclusivity
Clare Hayns Consider the Lilies Head above the Parapet
Marcus Green The Possibility of Difference fake good news
Angela Tilby Church Times The trans guidance is not radical
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Church Times Evangelism isn’t just for the Evangelicals
“Progressive Christians have good news to impart, not pre-packaged solutions”
Martin Sewell Archbishop Cranmer Church of England Safeguarding Guidelines: progress, regression or PR spin?
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love The mystical Jesus and non-dualism
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Steeplejacking – subversion and schism in the local Church
0 CommentsThe Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Revd Richard Frith has announced he is to retire in the autumn. His public ministry will end with a service at Hereford Cathedral on Saturday 23 November at 11am. The diocesan press release is here.
17 CommentsFergus Butler-Gallie Archbishop Cranmer Ding-Dong Merrily Online: what can the bust-up over Greggs vegan sausage roll tell us about the Nativity?
Richard Beck Experimental Theology Everyone Already Knows All the Answers
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church 2018 Safeguarding and looking to 2019 and beyond.
5 CommentsHattie Williams writes for Church Times today: Safeguarding: PCCs must report serious incidents to Charity Commission.
PCCs, Diocesan Boards of Finance, and religious communities are now required by the House of Bishops to report any “serious incidents” — safeguarding and non-safeguarding — to the Charity Commission, under new guidance published this week.
As part of the move, the C of E will start compiling national safeguarding statistics for the first time…
The guidance from the Church of England is in these four documents.
There is a press release from the Church of England, which is copied below.
New guidance on reporting serious incidents, approved by the Charity Commission
02/01/2019
The Church of England has published today new House of Bishops’ guidance on reporting safeguarding and other Serious Incidents to the Charity Commission. This is the first time the Church of England has produced Charity Commission approved guidance.
The Charity Commission updated its guidance on Serious Incident Reporting in October 2018, with a particular focus on the reporting of safeguarding Serious Incidents following recent high-profile incidents in the charity sector. All PCCs and DBFs and most Religious Communities are charities and their trustees (eg PCC members, DBF directors) are required to report any Serious Incidents – both safeguarding and non-safeguarding – to the Charity Commission. (more…)
6 CommentsDavid Walker ViaMedia.News Hope at the Hinge of the Year – Football and Fear-filled Futures
Richard Peers Quodcumque – Serious Christianity Give us back our Benedicite! A task for General Synod?
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Safeguarding and the Falsely Accused
3 CommentsTim Wyatt Church Times Key reports in 2018: everything you need to know
“Too many long documents to read in 2018? Tim Wyatt provides a digest”
Richard Mammana Mockingbird Popsicles and Prayer Books
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Unconditional Love – a New Year Resolution for 2019
Kelvin Holdsworth What’s in Kelvin’s Head 10 Correct Opinions About Christmas Carols
Jayne Ozanne ViaMedia.News When “the Goodies” become “the Baddies”…
Jonathan Cooper Independent Our Anglican Christmas has been tarnished by the church’s role as an enabler of LGBT hate
36 CommentsLuke Miller Archdeacon of London Happy Anniversary
Cally Hammond Church Times Dear tokens of my passion
“Four years ago, Cally Hammond was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was Christmas.”
The Anglican Communion News Service has compiled a list of Christmas messages from Anglican Primates.
Jonathan Draper Modern Church ’tis the season
Jonathan Clatworthy Château Clâteau The meaning of the Magnificat
Sandra Palmer St Chrysostom’s Church News and Views The Ox and the Ass – inclusive nativities
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Open Letter to Meg Munn on Safeguarding
… in response to Meg Munn Chair of the National Safeguarding Panel First reflections…