On Sunday there will be a Diocesan Confirmation for twenty-three candidates at Southwell Minster. This is a very significant occasion in their Christian journey, and I will be praying for them. The service will be taken by clergy including the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.Normally, I would be in the congregation for this service. But …
Continue reading Why the Archbishop of York should not be coming to Southwell
This blog post was originally published in via media.news on 15th November 2024. Via Media News is an Anglican news site whose strapline is Rediscovering the Middle Ground. My post was written in response to the publication of the Makin Report on the serial abuser, John Smyth, who died in 2018. His activities were never …
This is a blog post first published on the website of Sarum College, an academic and training community in Salisbury, who are giving me invaluable support as I work on my PhD thesis. The Museum of the Moon in Southwell Minster When I was four months old, I was baptised in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge. …
Continue reading Who do we think we are? Ecclesiology in a Time of Decline
Ten years ago today, I got married to Laurence Cunnington. The next morning's Mail on Sunday headlined its story about us, "Church of England plunged into crisis". Ten years on, there are a few things I want to note. First of all, I want to say thank you. To Laurence, above all, of course - …
Supporting Synod members as they work to make the Church of England a safe, welcoming and inclusive church for everyone in the country is a huge exercise in patience, and the exercise of faith and hope over mistrust and despair. There is nothing I can actually do: I am parked firmly on the sidelines as …
It is some time now since the meeting of General Synod in mid-November. At that gathering the Synod decided to endorse the issuing of the Prayers of Love and Faith, and, through an amendment to the main motion moved by the Bishop of Oxford, to allow the Archbishops to commend for experimental use 'stand-alone services' …
From The Quire 