See also opinion on Living in Love and Faith here; I’ve been adding to this daily.
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Nourishing and enriching our innate goodness and love
Paul Wilkinson Church Times Threat that is keeping our solicitors busy
“The pandemic has spurred greater numbers to consider leaving their affairs in good order”
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Safeguarding Complaint against Archbishop Welby dismissed
Jayne Ozanne PinkNews The Church of England is ‘deaf to the cries’ of the LGBT+ people it is harming. Its recent actions have proven that
13 CommentsSee also opinion on Living in Love and Faith here.
David Brown Surviving Church Leaven. Challenging the Power of Culture in our Church
Brian Castle Church Times Comment: What the Government fails to grasp about public worship
“Theresa May was right to draw attention to the sinister precedent that the lockdown ban on gathering for services sets”
Ian Paul Psephizo Should church buildings close during lockdowns?
3 CommentsTrevor Thurston-Smith The Pensive Pilgrim The Harsh Truth Unlocked by Lockdown
Giles Fraser UnHerd Boris Johnson doesn’t get God
“This second lockdown has robbed church-goers of more than community”
Alistair Macdonald-Radcliff Church Times The Church’s sacramental ministry is not an optional extra
“The precautions in place in churches mean that there is no justification for suspending public worship”
Church Times Leader Worship banned
Paul Bayes ViaMedia.News Uphill Struggles and the Road to Peace
11 CommentsHelen King sharedconversations Waiting for publication: the week before Living in Love and Faith
Elizabeth Adekunle Via Media.News Wise Leadership: Needed Now More Than Ever!
Marcus Walker The Spectator If anything is essential, it’s worship
4 CommentsTimothy Goode ViaMedia.News Covid, LLF and the Power of “Lived Experience”
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The John Smyth affair: further reflections
Modern Church has an insert in yesterday’s Church Times. It includes these two articles from their blog.
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Communion, Tangible and Virtual
Augustine Tanner-Ihm How Long O Lord?
Peter Crumpler Church Times The pandemic has changed how churches use media
“From YouTube services to the traditional magazine, parishes have been innovating”
Martyn Snow Church Times Dare to think differently about lay ministry
“It is about much more than filling the gaps left by stipendiary clergy, argues Martyn Snow. A whole new vision is needed”
Charlie Bell ViaMedia.News Collusion, Hypocrisy & the Greasy Pole to Success
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Living in Love and Faith in a Systemically Abusive Church
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The work of a Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor. Insights from the Whitsey Report
7 CommentsStephen Parsons Surviving Church Responding to wounded abuse survivors. Can the post-IICSA Church get this right?
Anne Foreman ViaMedia.News Church of England – Please Mind the Gap!
Jeremy Pemberton From the Choir Stalls Deadly Pressure
Stephen Cottrell, Nick Baines and David Walker Yorkshire Post We must face up to the human heartache in a Britain divided by lockdowns – Archbishop of York
10 CommentsAndrew Graystone Surviving Church What do we mean by Redress?
Alan Wilson ViaMedia.News World Without End…?
Richard Scorer National Secular Society The Church of England’s culture of entitlement has to end
22 CommentsMeg Munn Chair of the National Safeguarding Panel First reflections on IICSA’s second report
Helen King ViaMedia.News Why the Church of England Must ‘Connect the Dots’ – IICSA and LLF
Shirley O’Shea The Living Church What Mentally Ill Persons Wish Their Clergy Understood
Anne Atkins Church Times When people won’t believe you
“Victims are often doubted, Anne Atkins finds”
Andrew Graystone Surviving Church Towards a Theology of Redress
6 CommentsCharlie Bell Anglicanism.org Risk and Prophesy – has the Church got its COVID-19 response right?
“In this paper Charlie Bell challenges assumptions about how we should approach the COVID- 19 crisis not least in church. He argues that church authorities have misunderstood the science and imposed a culture of fear thereby exacerbating the crisis. It is time for a radical reassessment.”
Simon Butler ViaMedia.News Safeguarding, ‘Reabuse’ and LGBT People
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church We are sorry, but please be patient: An Apology after IICSA
Narcissism – A Recipe for Unhappiness in the Church
Ian Black Church Times Comment: how the Church can end its abuse culture
“Policies and procedures are not enough to stop abuse, says Ian Black. Much deeper changes are needed”
Sam Dennis All Things Lawful And Honest Mass Education
“As many churches are forced by the pandemic to reconsider their Sunday School or Children’s Church, Sam Dennis asks whether the Mass is the best place for teaching the faith.”
Jayne Ozanne ViaMedia.News Resignations, Dysfunctionality and the House of Bishops
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Cultural Change and the Church
We have added several Church Times opinion pieces to our post: More about the IICSA report.
47 CommentsStephen Parsons Surviving Church Rebuilding Trust after the IICSA Report
Martin Sewell Archbishop Cranmer The Church of England – a safer space for abusers than for the abused
Peter Ormerod The Guardian Think unconscious bias training is a fad? It’s been going for at least 2,000 years
“MPs balking at ‘PC gone mad’ forget that Jesus instructed people to examine their consciences for unacknowledged sin”
Christina Baron ViaMedia.News Living in Love and Faith – Is There Really Hope for Change?
18 CommentsJohn Sundara The Living Church A Thicker Constellation of Vocation
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Is the Church of England ready for new moves in Safeguarding?
Meg Munn Chair of the National Safeguarding Panel Time for Review
Rogers Govender ViaMedia.News Walking in Beauty – Contemplation in times of Struggle, Suffering and Exclusion
Paul W Thomas Church Times Deaneries’ moment of truth has at last arrived
“It is time that they replaced parishes as the locus of the Church of England’s mission”
Trevor Thurston-Smith The Pensive Pilgrim Lament, Joy and Hope in a Time of Pandemic
34 CommentsIan Paul Psephizo How do we proclaim good news during the pandemic?
Savitri Hensman ViaMedia.News Justice, Bias, Love and Loyalty in the Church of England
Ellie Singer Earth & Altar From Analog Neighborhood To Digital Community
4 CommentsGiles Fraser UnHerd Why Covid can’t cancel Christmas
“There is much to be gained by the knocking out of all the cheap commercial cheer”
Peter Leonard ViaMedia.News What Schitt’s Creek Can Teach the Church of England
Archdruid Eileen The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley Keeping Everyone Happy at Church
Edward Dowler All Things Lawful And Honest Singing a new song
“Edward Dowler considers the Psalms, Augustine and anthropology, and calls for the safe restoration of congregational singing to our worshiping life.”
David Ison ViaMedia.News One for All and All for One?
Barry Orford All Things Lawful And Honest Holy Useful
“Barry Orford replies to an earlier article … by Angela Tilby. He shares many of her concerns about theological formation.”
Thomas Plant All Things Lawful And Honest Deschooling Theology
“In a further contribution to debate on the future of theological formation, Tom Plant argues for the maximum possible decentralisation of ministerial education.”
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The Anger that Challenges Injustice
3 CommentsJon Price Earth & Altar The issues are worth working through: Starting ministry during a pandemic
Philip Jones Ecclesiastical Law In Defence of the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003: Measure and Management
Rosie Harper ViaMedia.News Secrecy and an Unaccountable Church of England
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Reflections on the Dynamics of Control among Evangelical Anglicans
Micah Lazarus Earth & Altar The Fountain Of Life: Reclaiming Church And Tradition For Queer Flourishing
31 CommentsDifferent views on individual communion cups:
Peter Anthony All Things Lawful And Honest A Shot of Salvation
“Peter Anthony reveals the murky racist past that lies behind the invention of individual communion cups in Nineteenth Century America and argues against their introduction in the Church of England for a number of theological and practical reasons.”
Steven Holmes Shored Fragments On the use of individual communion cups
Hilary Bogert-Winkler Montreal Diocesan Theological College Individual Communion Cups, Community, and Covid-19
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Richard Coekin and Jonathan Fletcher’s circle
Charlie Bell ViaMedia.News Solidarity, Oppression and the Church of England
Gilo Surviving Church Thoughts on the Elliott Review ‘translation’ by Archbishops Council
17 CommentsGiles Goddard ViaMedia.News Sexuality & Christianity – Does One Size Fit All?
Church Times A case of reverse contagion?
Sheila Bridge reflects on the unexpected power of one of the lesser sacraments
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Reflections on Church Management and Structure. Time for Change?
Jayne Ozanne ViaMedia.News A Tribute to Colin Blakely, Co-Founder of Via Media
14 Comments