Stephen Cottrell Yorkshire Post Let’s head to a more caring ‘new normal’
The text of the article is also available on the Archbishop’s website.
Surviving Church ‘They’: A Talking Head
Peter Webster Webstory The pandemic and the idea of a national church
Surviving Church ‘They’ contributor ‘Gilo’ writes: “They might be getting it finally. But it’s probably too late to rescue a misappropriated NST from the train wreck of the Martyn Percy core group. It should be better called the Christ Church/Winckworth Sherwood/Luther Pendragon core goup. They seem to be running this scurrilous circus” In relation to this, Martin Sewell’s Church Times letter today is highly relevant, deeply significant – and beyond disturbing: https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/17-july/comment/letters-to-the-editor/letters-to-the-editor Anonymity and representation in safeguarding From Mr Martin Sewell Sir, — The inauguration of the ministry of the new Archbishop of York, the… Read more »
“Toxic management culture” within the Church of England – Church Times today:
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/17-july/news/uk/toxic-cdm-leaves-clergy-suicidal-research-finds
‘They’ might be getting it at last – and about time too…
Two Percy Core Group members removed for reason of conflict of interest:
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/17-july/news/uk/two-members-are-removed-from-core-group-in-percy-case-owing-to-conflict-of-interest
That people had to be “removed” from the Core Group is itself an indictment. It ought to have been self-evident to them and the other members of the group from the outset that their involvement was, put politely, inappropriate. In the world of ‘civilian’ justice a judge or magistrate would automatically resile himself/ herself from hearing a case in such circumstances. I have seen that happen in a rural magistrates’ court where the chairman withdrew from hearing the case.
This leads to the question whether the whole group is, in the currently fashionable term, “tainted” and should stand down.
Personally I would agree that the group should be reformed. Opinions might have been polluted by people who had an obvious conflict of interest.
Church of England Core Groups have proved to be “not fit for purpose” – period. They are bad apples in the basket, rotten to the core – no point in reform.
Get rid of them and set up an independent body, before they spread like a cancer and kill the good.
Peter Webster writes: “The NHS has a remit for the provision of healthcare; local authorities have a remit to run schools and empty the bins. Whatever the people of England may expect from the established church, to speak of it in these terms is to make a category error. Were the Church of England funded directly from the public purse, with statutory duties set and maintained by government under Parliament, then this might be a meaningful way to speak. The current entanglement of the Church with the law in no way amounts to the same. Critics often refer to… Read more »
I should add that Dr Webster’s blog is an excellent one – it contains many posts of interest, although a number are behind a (very modest) paywall. I am sorry not to have discovered it until now, and I am most grateful to Dr Owen for having directed TA’s attention to it.
Further to my remarks on Wales, this ‘commemorative’ work gave me considerable pleasure earlier this year: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/new-history-of-the-church-in-wales/9A2E102099FD9DFA4905B74F31E91E91