Andrew Lightbown In praise of Woodhead & Brown
Bishop David Gillett Positive about Scripture: Positive about Equal Marriage
Hattie Williams Church Times Spare Mrs May all these imaginary childhoods
57 CommentsJeremy Pemberton Embodying Love and Hope – The Chaplain’s Calling
David Pocklington Law & Religion UK Acclamation, assent and disruption: Further thoughts on objectors to women bishops and how the Church might respond
Giles Fraser The Guardian Father Jacques Hamel died as a priest, doing what priests do
Christopher Howse The Telegraph Sacred Mysteries: Christian martyrdom is not an act of aggression
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Difference in Christian Thought 2: Order and Chaos
5 CommentsPress release from the Archbishop of Canterbury:
Archbishop of Canterbury’s New Advisor for Reconciliation
Wednesday 27th July 2016
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced the appointment of Sarah Snyder as his new Advisor for Reconciliation.
She takes over from Canon David Porter who moved into his new role as Chief of Staff and Strategy to the Archbishop at the beginning of May.
Sarah will take up the role in September. She will be part of the senior team at Lambeth Palace while also being based at Coventry Cathedral, where Archbishop Justin’s Reconciliation Ministry has been established since its inception. Her role will have a particular emphasis on supporting the Church in contexts of violent conflict or post-conflict and helping the Church to be an agent of reconciliation and conflict-transformation.
[continued below the fold]
17 CommentsPress release from Number 10
Suffragan Bishop of Tewkesbury: Robert Wilfrid Springett
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
First published: 25 July 2016The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Robert Wilfrid Springett to the Suffragan See of Tewkesbury.
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Robert Wilfrid Springett, BTh, MA, Archdeacon of Cheltenham, in the Diocese of Gloucester, to the Suffragan See of Tewkesbury, in the Diocese of Gloucester in succession to the Right Reverend Martyn James Snow, BSc, on his translation to the See of Leicester resignation on the 22 February 2016.
Notes for editors
The Venerable Robert Springett (aged 53), studied at Nottingham University for his BTh, and then at London University for his MA. He trained for the ministry at Lincoln Theological College. He served first as curate at Colchester in Chelmsford diocese from 1989 to 1992 before moving to be curate at Basildon from 1992 to 1994. From 1994 to 2001 he was Priest in Charge at Belhus Park and South Ockendon. He was Rural Dean at Thurrock from 1998 to 2001. From 2001 to 2010 he was Rector at Wanstead in Chelmsford diocese and was Area Dean of Redbridge from 2008 to 2010 and Honorary Canon at Chelmsford Cathedral. Since 2010 he has been Archdeacon of Cheltenham.
Robert has also held a wider role locally and nationally over the past six years. Locally these include being the Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education, a Trustee of All Saints Academy and a member of the Council of the University of Gloucester. Nationally Robert is a Bishop’s Advisor for the Church on the selection of men and women for ordination and a member of the National Archdeacons Forum.
Robert is married to Helen, who is a primary head teacher and they have two daughters, Charlotte aged 22 and Alice aged 17.
His interests include the churches ministry in education and wider relationships within the Anglican community.
Announcement from the Diocese of Gloucester
10 CommentsNazia Parveen The Guardian ‘This is what I’m meant to be doing’: the vicar welcoming Muslims to church
Graham Kings Mission Theology in the Anglican Communion Sarah the Mother of Mission: An Exposition on Genesis 18 and the painting by Silvia Dimitrova
David Pocklington Law & Religion UK Objectors to female bishops
Archdruid Eileen Objection to the Consecration of Female Bishops: A Liturgy
Rachel Obordo and Guardian readers The Guardian ‘I’ve learnt to be compassionate and diplomatic’: what it’s like to be a vicar’s kid
Sam Kinchin-Smith London Review of Books Vicars’ Children
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Sex in the Anglican Communion 1
Sex in the Anglican Communion 2
Robert Paterson, the Bishop of Sodor and Man, has announced that he will retire on 11 November 2016: Bishop Robert announces his retirement.
BBC News Bishop of Sodor and Man Robert Paterson to retire
15 CommentsAndrew Brown The Guardian If the Conservative party’s doing God again, what sort of God is it?
Giles Fraser The Guardian The agony and ecstasy of Saint Theresa, the vicar’s daughter
Loretta Minghella, CEO of Christian Aid gave the Inclusive Church lecture for 2016 at Liverpool Cathedral this week: Does Poverty have a Woman’s Face?. [48 minute video]
Update: the text of the lecture is also available as a PDF download.
Language about or addressed to God should be derived from human experience, not just from men’s experience, argues Prof Adrian Thatcher, a trustee of Modern Church, in a new booklet Gender-Inclusive Language and Worship. The 36-page booklet can be downloaded or purchased in hard copy from the Modern Church website.
11 CommentsUpdated Thursday evening
We reported in March that the George Bell Group had sent a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and also issued a press statement: George Bell’s naming as a paedophile is challenged today by a group of lawyers, academics, politicians and senior Church figures. The challenge was in a report published here as a web page, and also as a PDF file.
Yesterday, the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, Church of England lead bishop on safeguarding, issued this letter to the George Bell Group: Further points on the George Bell case.
Update
Several questions were asked at General Synod on Friday 8 July relating to the George Bell case. The questions and answers are printed in this booklet, but for convenience they are copied below the fold. In addition I have transcribed the supplementary questions and answers from this recording; they are shown indented.
17 CommentsPress release from the Church of England:
Statement following conclusion of Shared Conversations Process
12 July 2016
Over the last 2 days members of General Synod have met in an informal setting in which they have listened and been heard as they have reflected together on scripture and a changing culture in relation to their understanding of human sexuality.
Throughout these conversations, deep convictions have been shared and profound differences better understood. The Shared Conversations over the last two years now come to a conclusion with over 1300 members of the church directly involved. It is our hope that what has been learned through the relationships developed will inform the way the church conducts whatever further formal discussions may be necessary in the future. It is our prayer that the manner in which we express our different views and deep disagreements will bear witness to Jesus who calls us to love as he has loved us.
In comments to members of Synod at the end of the Shared Conversations the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said:
“At the heart of it is to come back to the fact that together we seek to serve the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead and in whom there is never despair, there is never defeat; there is always hope, there is always overcoming; there is always eventual triumph, holiness, goodness and grace.
That is for me what I always come back to when it all seems overwhelming.
Thank you so much for your participation. Let us go in confidence. Confident in the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.”
19 CommentsThe United Reformed Church has this afternoon voted to allow the marriage of same-sex couples in its churches. This press release has been issued:
The United Reformed Church votes to allow the marriage of same-sex couples in its churches
This afternoon, Saturday 9 July 2016, the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church (URC) voted in favour of allowing its local churches to conduct and register marriages for same-sex couples. This means that the URC is now the largest UK denomination to freely permit the celebration and registration of marriages of same-sex couple in its churches.
A two-thirds majority was needed to allow the proposal to be confirmed as the denomination’s final decision – Assembly voted in favour of the resolution by 240 votes to 21 votes. United Reformed churches in England and Wales wishing to register their buildings for the marriage of same-sex couples are now able to start that process immediately. (In Scotland the legal framework is rather different, but the effects of the Church’s decision will be broadly similar.)
The process which culminated in today’s vote has been a lengthy one. The General Assembly has considered the proposal twice before – in 2014, and again in a special, single issue Assembly, which met in June 2015. It has long been clear that the denomination cannot express a single view on the issue of same-sex marriage and, at the 2015 Assembly it was ruled that that the decision on whether an individual United Reformed Church congregation can host marriages of same-sex couples lies wholly with each local church. This is the policy that was confirmed today as the Church’s decision.
Speaking of the process and today’s vote, the Revd John Proctor, General Secretary of the URC said: ‘Today the URC has made an important decision – at which some will rejoice and with which others will be uncomfortable. Those of our churches who now wish to offer full marriage services to same-sex couples are free to do just that – and those churches who do not wish to are not compelled to. All are part of this denomination. This has been a sensitive issue for many in our churches. It has been important to take our time over the decision process, and to listen as carefully as we can to one another along the way.’
Press reports
Mark Woods Christian Today United Reformed Church to allow same-sex marriages
Callum May BBC News United Reformed Church approves gay marriage services
11 CommentsUpdated Sunday
The July 2016 meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England continued today.
The order paper for the morning and afternoon is here Order paper II. Not included is item 10 (Nurturing and Discerning Senior Leaders) that was not taken on Friday because of lack of time but for which time became available at the end of the afternoon.
Order paper for the evening session: Order Paper III
The morning, and part of the afternoon, was devoted to legislation.
One later item in the afternoon was about education, and was followed by this official press release: Bold vision for education launched at General Synod.
Official brief summary of the day’s business: General Synod July 2016 sessions: Saturday
Update
Jonathan Petre Mail on Sunday Green light for vicars in jeans as Synod decides clergy’s robes are surplice to requirements
Stephen Lynas reviews the day’s business: Handbags and gladrags.
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian Church of England is bidding to open scores of free schools
John Bingham The Telegraph Church of England plans to open 125 faith schools using Government’s free schools programme in next four years
0 CommentsSimon Oliver writes on Priestly ministry and the Church of England in response to this article by Ian Paul that we linked to here.
Claire Jones looks back at her “year in God’s time”: No longer a nun: the conclusion.
Sam Wells A Future that’s Bigger than the Past: Renewal & Reform in the Church of England [also available a pdf file]
Madeleine Davies writes about Dr Wells’ paper for Church Times: Renewal and Reform is subjected to theological scrutiny.
Edward Wickham The Guardian Girls on song: how the male-dominated English church choir is changing
Archdruid Eileen God Created the Earth
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Difference, Diversity, Deviance and Hierarchy
1 CommentUpdated Saturday morning to add more press reports, and on Sunday
The July 2016 meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England has opened.
There is a live video stream here.
The agenda and other papers are available here.
Order Paper I listing all the day’s business. Synod agreed to vary the order of business after item 6 to that on page 4.
Scroll down for press reports.
As announced last week, the Archbishops have added a motion on the EU Referendum, which will be debated this afternoon. The text of the motion is:
The Archbishop of Canterbury to move:
That this Synod, recognising the result of the recent referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union, welcome the Archbishops’ call for all to unite in the common task of building a generous and forward looking country, contributing to human flourishing around the world, and encourage all members of the Church of England to play their part actively in partnership with everyone in Civil Society in pursuit of this task.
One amendement to the motion was carried so that it became:
That this Synod, recognising the result of the recent referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union:
a) welcome the Archbishops’ call for all to unite in the common task of building a generous and forward looking country, contributing to human flourishing around the world, and encourage all members of the Church of England to play their part actively in partnership with everyone in Civil Society in pursuit of this task; and
b) commend the work already carried out by the Church in bringing communities together and recommend that as a minimum every bishop identify a champion in their diocese to assess what more the Church could do and to make recommendations for creating stronger and more constructive links between local communities as a basis for achieving this common task.
in which form it was clearly carried on a show of hands.
There’s an official press release: Synod approves motion to build a ‘generous and forward looking country’ in the aftermath of the EU Referendum, and texts of the speeches by the two archbishops: Canterbury and York.
Questions were taken after dinner. The booklet of questions and answers, issued in advance, is here. The Synod session only dealt with supplementary questions and answers.
Audio recordings of the day’s debates are made available here, and (the questions session) here.
There is a brief official summary of the day’s business: General Synod July 2016 sessions: Friday
Press reports
Madeleine Davies and Hattie Williams and Tim Wyatt Church Times Look forward with generosity, Synod urges a divided nation
Gavin Drake Anglican Communion News Service Christians urged to “build generous forward looking country”
Harry Farley Christian Today General Synod: Church of England opts to ‘recognise’ EU referendum result despite opposition
John Bingham The Telegraph
Church of England vicar says Brexit vote is not just a cry of ‘incoherent rage’
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian ‘Lasses’ jobs’ replacing industry led to Brexit vote, says clergyman
Tom Richmond Yorkshire Post Archbishop of York calls upon post-Brexit Britain to evoke spirit of Nelson Mandela
Sunday update
Stephen Lynas reviews the day’s business: Time is tight.
15 CommentsUpdated
Comment and news looking ahead to this weekend’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod
Philip Jones Ecclesiastical Law The Burden of Legislative Reform
David Pocklington Law & Religion UK General Synod: Burial of suicides, vesture
Ruth Gledhill Christian Today Battle looms in Church of England over ‘blessings’ for gay marriage
John Bingham The Telegraph Church of England bans mankinis in the pulpit
Updates
Harry Farley Christian Today Shared Conversations: Can the Church of England prevent a split over gay marriage?
David Walker ViaMedia.News Bishop’s Packing Essentials for General Synod
Harry Farley Christian Today Apart from a big fight over homosexuality, what else is happening at General Synod?
Archbishop Cranmer Synod ‘No Confidence’ motion looms in secret trial of Bishop George Bell (RIP)
Stephen Lynas The weekend starts here
13 CommentsArchdeacon Archdruid Eileen Church-Seeking: Some Advice
Andy Walton Christian Today Time for a revolution: Why women should be leading at least half our big churches
10 CommentsThe central members of the Crown Nominations Commission have prepared this report on their work: GS Misc 1147. Amongst the topics covered are
One thing that is not mentioned in the report is the use of substitutes when central members are unable to attend, and the effect this has on the work of the CNC. A question was asked about this in November 2014 (reproduced below the fold) and the answer revealed that substitutes are quite common. What it does not say is that several substitutes can be used for a particular vacancy. For instance it appears from Annex A to the question that at the CNC for St Edmundsbury and Ipswich in 2014 there were substitutes for four of the six central members. It is also common for one of the archbishops to send a substitute, as did the Archbishop of York in this case.
1 CommentThe Church of England issued this press release this afternoon.
Addition to General Synod agenda
30 June 2016Following the result of the EU Referendum on 23 June, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have exercised their powers under the General Synod’s Standing Orders to make some time available at its brief Group of Sessions in July for a debate on a motion endorsing the Archbishops’ recent call for all to unite in the common task of building a generous and forward looking country, contributing to human flourishing around the world.
The debate will take place on the afternoon of Friday 8 July.
The wording of the motion will be made available to Synod members early next week.
The current Synod programme for Friday afternoon can be seen here. The Archbishops’ statement, referred to in the press release, is here.
5 CommentsIn 2013 the House of Bishops decided to give eight senior women clergy elected regionally (“regional representatives) the right to attend their meetings. The intention at the time was that this arrangement would last until there were six female members of the House.
The House of Bishops has now decided “to give six female Suffragan Bishops rights of attendance at the House, in addition to the female members of the House, replacing the arrangements for the Regional Representatives.” These new arrangements will come into effect from 1st December 2016. [See paragraph 14 of GS Misc 1144.]
The membership of the House of Bishops is
At present there are two female diocesans (Gloucester and Newcastle), and one of the elected suffragans (Stockport) is a woman. There are a further seven female suffragans.
2 CommentsUpdated to add press reports
The Church of England has today announced an independent review into the handling of the George Bell case, as this press release explains.
Independent review into handling of George Bell case
28 June 2016An independent review of the processes used in the George Bell case has been announced today in accordance with the House of Bishops guidance on all complex cases.
The House of Bishops practice guidance states that once all matters relating to any serious safeguarding situation have been completed, the Core Group should meet again to review the process and to consider what lessons can be learned for the handling of future serious safeguarding situations. A review has always been carried out in any case involving allegations against a bishop.
The review will be commissioned by the Church of England’s National Safeguarding Team, on the recommendation of the Bishop of Chichester, to see what lessons can be learnt from how the case was handled. The case involves the settlement in 2015 of a legal civil claim regarding sexual abuse against George Bell, who was Bishop of Chichester from 1929-1958.
The Church has always recognised Bishop Bell’s principled stand in the Second World War and his contribution to peace but it also has a duty to listen to survivors. The diocese of Chichester continues to be in touch and offer support to the survivor known as Carol, who brought the allegations in this case.
The review will look at the processes surrounding the allegations which were first brought in 1995 to the diocese of Chichester with the same allegations brought again, this time to Lambeth Palace, in 2013. It will also consider the processes, including the commissioning of expert independent reports and archival and other investigations, which were used to inform the decision to settle the case. The settlement was based on the balance of probabilities as criminal proceedings cannot be brought in a case where the alleged perpetrator is dead.
Details of the review including Terms of Reference and name of the independent reviewer will be announced at a later date.
The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner said; “As in any serious safeguarding situation it is always important to learn lessons from the process and this review will ensure this is done.
“I have, however, made it absolutely clear that the survivor in the case be reassured that we will do everything we can to continue to support her as we have done throughout this process. Like her, we recognise gravity of this matter, given its impact on the national and international reputation of Bishop George Bell.
“I hope that the review will provide a constructive way forward for all concerned.
Along with my colleagues in the wider Church, I am committed to ensuring that the past is handled with honesty.”
Notes
House of Bishop’s guidance: Responding to Serious Safeguarding Situations
Original statement on George Bell
Points on a complex case; blog by Gabrielle Higgins, Chichester Diocesan Secretary
The George Bell Group recently published this Compendium of Selected Sources covering the period 22 October 2015 – 21 June 2016.
Update
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian Church of England orders review into handling of George Bell sex abuse case
BBC News Bishop George Bell: Review to look at ‘abuse’ case
4 CommentsAndrew Brown The Guardian Church of England aims to agree to disagree over homosexuality
Two of this year’s ordinands reflect on their vocations.
Lucy Savage ‘I remember having an overwhelming feeling that this was going to be me one day’
Chris Sayburn ‘Through it all, I know the call that God has placed upon my life’
Ian Paul asks Are clergy and laity fundamentally different?
5 Comments