Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Establishment dynamics. How secrecy and defensiveness harm the Church.
Peter Leonard ViaMedia.News Remembering – An Active Choice?
Jayne Ozanne ViaMedia.News The All-Seeing Eye
Kate Wharton Single Minded The Billy Graham Rule
Philip North Church Times We don’t need to bring Jesus to urban estates
“The Church’s task is to demonstrate that he is already present, not to provide all the answers”
Sara Batts-Neale Church Times The tyranny of the perfect wedding
“Sara Batts-Neale’s ministry to her wedding couples extends to their bank balance”
The area bishop of Dorchester in the diocese of Oxford, the Rt Revd Colin Fletcher, has announced he will retire on 4 October 2020. Details are on the diocesan website.
4 CommentsSuffragen [sic] Bishop of Dudley: 4 November 2019
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Martin Charles William Gorick, MA, to the Suffragan See of Dudley, in the Diocese of Worcester,
Published 4 November 2019
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Martin Charles William Gorick, MA, Archdeacon of Oxford, in the Diocese of Oxford, to the Suffragan See of Dudley, in the Diocese of Worcester, in succession to the Right Reverend Graham Barham Usher BSc, MA, following his translation to the See of Norwich.
Martin was educated at Selwyn College, Cambridge and trained for ministry at Ripon College Cuddesdon. He served his title at St John the Evangelist, Birtley in the Diocese of Durham and was ordained Priest in 1988. In 1991, Martin was appointed as Chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford. He became Vicar of Smethwick Old Church in the Diocese of Birmingham in 1994 and was additionally appointed Area Dean of Warley in 1997. Martin was appointed as Vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon in the Diocese of Coventry in 2001 where he was also Hon. Chaplain for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He took up his current role as Archdeacon of Oxford and Residentiary Canon of Christ Church in 2013 and also serves as Diocesan Inter-faith Advisor. He is married to Katharine who is County Lead for Visual Impairment in Oxfordshire and they have three adult children.
More details on the Worcester diocesan website
41 CommentsIan Paul Psephizo Is it time to scrap the ‘curacy’?
Andrew Lightbown theore0 Speaking of liturgy (and theological formation)
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The Imagination Deficit. Bishops and Survivors
Peter Sheppard Catholic Herald Thousands of medieval churches face ruin. Who will save them?
David Walker ViaMedia.News The Fallout from Tribal Scrums
56 CommentsHelen King ViaMedia.News Safeguarding & Sexuality – Are We Throwing Money In the Right Direction?
Trevor Thurston-Smith The Pensive Pilgrim Ancient and Modern : When is church music ‘Good’?
Leo Benedictus The Guardian Churches in nightclubs and Anglican gyms: can the C of E win back city dwellers?
60 CommentsBosco Peters Liturgy A Schism’s Consecration
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Life after Trauma. Charities who work for peace and the healing of Survivors
David Ison ViaMedia.News Unity or Truth?
Julia Baird The Sydney Morning Herald In praise of the oddities and outliers resisting bonkers fundamentalism in Sydney
Rosalind Brown Church Times The lectionary silences women’s experiences
“It is time to make the stories of female biblical characters more visible during public worship”
Rosie Harper ViaMedia.News “Don’t Go Listening to Lies….”
Stephen Kneale Christian Today Is your church too dependent on charitable status?
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Open Letter to Keith Makin re: John Smyth Review
30 Comments… and other news from Australia and New Zealand
updated to add another press report
updated Thursday to add reaction from leaders of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand
During his presidential address to the Sydney diocesan synod a week ago, Archbishop Glenn Davies said:
My own view is that if people wish to change the doctrine of our Church, they should start a new church or join a church more aligned to their views – but do not ruin the Anglican Church by abandoning the plain teaching of Scripture. Please leave us. We have far too much work to do in evangelising Australia to be distracted by the constant pressure to change our doctrine in order to satisfy the lusts and pleasures of the world.
There is a report on the diocesan website here: Guarding the faith in a changing world. The full hour-long address is available as a pdf and a video.
Four days after his address The Sydney Morning Herald published this piece by the archbishop, My words were for the bishops and I stand by them, which included this:
When I said “Please, leave us”, my words were directed at bishops of the church, and those who wish to change our doctrine, and I stand by those words. The words were not directed at members of our congregations, especially those who identify as gay, whether single or married.
The archbishop’s remarks attracted a lot of attention – see the press reports below.
The Melbourne diocesan synod also met last week and voted to record its “sorrow” over the decision by the diocese of Wangaratta to bless same-sex marriages.
There are also reports that Archbishop Davies and other Australian bishops took part in the consecration of a GAFCON bishop in New Zealand at the weekend.
Archbishop Davies’s remarks gathered a lot of attention in the press, and there is also coverage of the other news from Australia and New Zealand.
update
Anglican Taonga Church denounces ‘crossing boundaries’
Leaders of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand have spoken out against boundary-crossing by Anglican bishops who supported the ordination of a bishop for a break-away church last Saturday.
Press reports and comments
The Sydney Morning Herald Archbishop accused of trying to ‘split’ Anglican church over same-sex marriage
The Guardian ‘Please leave’: why the Sydney archbishop’s same-sex marriage message has Anglicans rattled
“The blunt words of Sydney archbishop Glenn Davies come at a critical moment for Australian churches and demands for religious freedom”
The Guardian Anglican churches reject Sydney archbishop’s stance on same-sex marriage
“Churches in Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria say they welcome everyone and his comments cause ‘deep distress'”
Julia Baird The Age Even conservative rectors shuddered: why Sydney Archbishop’s words hurt
Eternity News I wanted bishops to leave, not LGBT people, says Sydney’s Glenn Davies
The Guardian Melbourne Anglicans vote to express ‘sorrow’ over blessing of same-sex marriages
The Sydney Morning Herald ‘Crisis point’: the Anglican church is riven by worse divisions than ever before
Craig D’Alton humane catholic Melbourne Synod 2019, and beyond
VirtueOnline Christchurch: GAFCON Consecrates New Evangelical Diocesan Bishop
Eternity News NZ gets two Anglican Churches. Maybe Australia will too
update
The Guardian British bishop rebukes Sydney Anglican leader’s call for gay marriage supporters to leave church
“Bishop of Liverpool says he regrets that Archbishop Glenn Davies ‘seems to want to exclude people rather than to engage with them'”
Peterson Feital ViaMedia.News Toxic Masculinity and the Church
Ian Paul Psephizo Should clergy count their days and hours?
Eve Poole Church Times How to break free from a culture of overwork
“Christians must model a different way of living, says Eve Poole. Help is at hand from Oscar Wilde and the latest research”
Joel Hollier The Guardian I’m gay, married, and not leaving my church
Paul Bayes ViaMedia.News The Rainbow of Non-violent Advocacy
10 CommentsUpdated Friday morning to add some press reports
Updated Monday morning to add link to diocesan tables
The Church of England has published two sets of statistics today.
There is an accompanying press release, Church engages millions through apps and social media, which concentrates on the digital report. It is copied below the fold.
Update: Detailed Diocesan tables (excel file) are now available.
Press reports
Church Times Enquirers’ courses are attended mainly by churchgoers, statistics suggest
Telegraph Church of England’s prayer apps used a record five million times, while attendance figures fall
Christian Today Church of England’s digital reach grows as service attendance continues to fall
30 CommentsIan Blair ViaMedia.News On Brexit, Becket and Signs of the Times
Janet Fife Surviving Church The Gospel, Victims and Common Worship pt 2
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Crowd Psychology and the Church
Archdruid Eileen The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley The Mathematics and Psychology of the Peace
Jayne Ozanne ViaMedia.News Identity Depression & the Church’s Culpability
Felicity Cooke and Lizzie Taylor WATCH Trust and Transparency: Essentials for Mutual Flourishing
Loretta Minghella gave this talk (a 31 minute audio) at the WATCH AGM earlier this month.
1 CommentPress release from the Church of England
Channel Islands Commission publishes recommendations
09/10/2019
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on the relationship of the Channel Islands to the wider Church of England has published its final report, including a recommendation for Episcopal oversight of the Islands to be transferred to the Bishop of Salisbury.
37 CommentsMembers of the Church of England General Synod have been sent the following email inviting questions for answer next month. As noted written answers will be given (and published); ie no supplementary questions will be possible.
Dear Synod members,
Mindful of the exceptionally high number of questions in February and July, the Business Committee has decided to use its powers under Standing Order 117(1) to give members the opportunity to submit questions for written answer between groups of sessions. This is a process last used in 2008.
The deadline is 12.00 on Friday, 8 November. Please send the questions to questions@churchofengland.org.
Answers will be published on www.churchofengland.org no later than Monday, 25 November.
Please also note that under SO 112(2), members can ask up to two questions, which should be addressed to one of the bodies accountable to the General Synod listed in SO 112(1).
Thank you very much.
Best regards,
Synod Support
1 CommentStephen Parsons Surviving Church The Jonathan Fletcher story continues
Martyn Goss Modern Church Faith, belief and climate justice
Peter Leonard ViaMedia.News Power, Men & Politics
Lambeth Conference Eamonn Mullally shares his hopes for the Lambeth Conference
20 CommentsColin Coward Unadulterated Love The 40th anniversary of a feral priest’s priesting
Janet Fife Surviving Church The Gospel, Victims and Common Worship
Sarah Mullaly, the Bishop of London, preached this sermon at the annual Judges Service in Westminster Abbey yesterday.
“Justice in the Bible has less to do with the conviction of the guilty and more to do with the care of the innocent.”
Rachel Mann Church Times How Life of Brian drew me to Christianity
“Church leaders who condemned the film on its release 40 years ago missed its evangelistic potential”
Michael Sadgrove Woolgathering in North East England On Books, Waves and Not Getting Angry with Rascals
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 That under her we may be godly and quietly governed.
Church Times Leader Under judgment
1 CommentUpdated to add press reports and comment
Press release from the Church of England
Bishops call for respect on all sides amid Brexit debate
27/09/2019
The bishops of the Church of England have issued a call for respect on all sides amid growing acrimony over the debate on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.
A joint statement issued on behalf of the Church of England’s College of Bishops calls for a new tone of listening and respect in debates and describes the use of language in some cases as “unacceptable”.
It calls for the 2016 referendum to be honoured and for the rule of law and impartiality of the courts to be upheld.
It adds: “We should speak to others with respect. And we should also listen. We should do this especially with the poor, with the marginalised, and with those whose voices are often not heard in our national conversation.
“We should not denigrate, patronise or ignore the honest views of fellow citizens, but seek to respect their opinions, their participation in society, and their votes.”
The full statement reads as follows:
As Bishops of the Church of England, we make this statement conscious of the great challenges to our nations and to their leaders. In writing, we affirm our respect for the June 2016 Referendum, and our belief that the result should be honoured.
In the last few days, the use of language, both in debates and outside Parliament, has been unacceptable.
We should speak to others with respect. And we should also listen. We should do this especially with the poor, with the marginalised, and with those whose voices are often not heard in our national conversation. We should not denigrate, patronise or ignore the honest views of fellow citizens, but seek to respect their opinions, their participation in society, and their votes.
The teachings of Jesus Christ call for us to be generous and humble servants; virtues which are for all leaders, whatever their faith.
We call on politicians to adhere rigorously to the rule of law and on all to respect and uphold the impartiality of the courts and our judiciary.
Our concern is also for the structure and the constitution of the United Kingdom. To use the words of Jesus, we must renew the structures that enable us to “love one another”. Changes to our principles and values of government, if necessary, should be through careful planning and consultation.
It is easy to descend into division and abuse – climbing out and finding unity again takes far longer. Further entrenching our divisions, whether from uncertainty or from partisanship, is not worthy of our country nor the leadership we now need. We are a body that understands from our own experience the dangers of division. It is our view and most solemn warning that we must find better ways of acting.
Further information:
Press reports
Church Times Love one another, Bishops urge politicians
The Guardian Language in Brexit debate unacceptable, say C of E bishops
Christian Today Language in Brexit debate has become ‘unacceptable’, say bishops
Premier Anglican bishops: Hostility in Brexit debate ‘not worthy of our country’
Comment
David Walker ViaMedia.News Rhetoric of a Playground Bully or Political Discourse?
Barbara Glasson President of the Methodist Conference Statement on political situation
Archbishop Cranmer Bishops urge Boris to get on and deliver Brexit
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Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Long-term effects of Church Abuse
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17 CommentsStephen Parsons Surviving Church Keith Makin and the Smyth review.
David Ison ViaMedia.News An Anglican Communion at a Crossroads?
5 CommentsThe Church of England’s College of Bishops met earlier this week. The college comprises all diocesan and suffragan bishops and meets twice a year. A very brief press release has been issued and is copied below.
College of Bishops
18/09/2019
The College of Bishops met in Oxford from 16th to 18th September 2019.
Time was spent in prayerful reflection. The bishops reviewed the work of the Pastoral Advisory Group and considered progress to date of Living in Love and Faith, the Church of England’s teaching and learning resources on relationships, marriage, identity and sexuality, which are currently under development.
The College also reflected on the national situation, discussing the outlook for Brexit.
They also considered the vision for theological education and explored ministry plans in dioceses.
4 Comments