When I was a young man, some forty plus years ago now, the evangelicals of the Church of England were, as a tribe, rather abstemious when it came to alcohol. My training incumbent was teetotal. He wasn't unusual. Lots of evangelicals might have had a half pint of shandy on a very hot day, or …
Category: change
Mood Music – A Letter from Lichfield
There have been a variety of reactions to the letter from the bishops of Lichfield diocese to all clergy and licensed lay ministers entitled Welcoming and Honouring LGBT+ people. The letter can be read here. It is clearly intended to be a strongly positive statement affirming the place and role of LGBT+ people in the …
Pemberton v Inwood: the end of the matter
This is a press release I have put out this morning as the Court of Appeal handed down judgment: The Court of Appeal has examined the issues in my claim against Bishop Richard Inwood and has dismissed them. I am grateful for the expertise of the Court, though naturally disappointed in the judgment. I have …
Letter to General Synod Members before the July Synod
Dear Synod Member, Thank you for your contribution to the life of our church. I do not underestimate the amount of time that it takes for you to prepare for a Synod meeting, and to give up time for what is a very intense few days. I know too, from my time as a Rural …
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Anglican Alternative Facts
The Archbishop of Canterbury has published a message about the forthcoming Primates meeting in Canterbury in October 2017. His comments, and those of the Secretary General of the Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, talk not only about the forthcoming meeting, but also about the Report of the House of Bishops’ Working Party on Marriage and Same-sex …
The Past, Present and Future of Christian Marriage.
This is my panel contribution to the Open Conversation in Chester Cathedral on Saturday 22nd October 2016 as part of the Sexuality and Anglican Identities project of the University of Chester: We are in 1988. In Zaire. It is Sunday morning. It is very hot and there is no air-con. Church is full - there …
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From The Quire 