Former Chief Judge & Diocesan Chancellor Kidnapped in Nigeria
Former Chief Judge & Diocesan Chancellor Kidnapped in Nigeria Nigerian news outlet, PM News, reports from that Nnenna Oti, former Chief Judge of Abia State and now Chancellor of the Diocese of Ohaji-Egbema was kidnapped by gunmen on Sunday, 6 September. Speaking...
Christian Books Declared Extremist by Break Away Ukrainian Republic
Christian Books Declared Extremist Material by Break away Russian Republic in Ukraine The Barnabas Fund and Forum 18 reports on a crack down on Christian books in Lugansk (Eastern Ukraine). The government of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic...
Sixteen Year Old Pakistani Christian Girl Kidnapped
Sixteen Year old Pakistani Christian Girl Kidnapped By British Pakistani Christian Association A sixteen year old Christian girl being kidnapped from her family home. The incident is said to have happened on 9 August 2021. “The Christian girl was forcibly abducted...
FEATURED
And While the Bureaucrats are at Play; Commentary by Calvin Robinson
The Reverend Charlie Boyle – the vicar of All Saints’ Church in Poole, Dorset – could potentially be sacked for breaking Covid guidelines. Boyle stands accused of singing the final verse of an Easter hymn without wearing a mask and generally failing to take...
Proof that There is No New Thing Under the Sun
Few readers of the English Churchman would doubt the truthfulness of the biblical proverb from Ecclesiastes 1:9, “there is no new thing under the sun”. What follows is a personal insight offered to the publication from the author of the following letter, The Revd Dr...
Editorial: The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall has decided to leave the Church of England and become a member of the Roman Catholic Church. For eight years he has been the Provincial Episcopal Visitor for the Province of...
Interview with Tim Farron
EDITOR’s NOTE: Over the next few editions of the English Churchman, we will feature interviews with a number of people in public life who are professing and practicing Christians. You will read views with which you disagree. Likewise, you will read views with which...
Prudence Dailey: No, Loving Your Neighbour Doesn’t Require you to Cover Your Face
No, Loving Your Neighbour Doesn’t Require You to Cover Four Face At the time of writing, it looks likely that the majority of COVID restrictions will be removed in England on 19th July, including mandatory mask-wearing. At the same time, the government is...
Raffel Consecrated Archbishop of Sydney
On Friday 28 May, The Very Revd Kanishka Da Silva Raffel, Dean of Sydney’s St Andrew’s Cathedral, was consecrated as Archbishop of the Diocese of Sydney and Metropolitan of New South Wales of the Anglican Church of Australia. Archbishop Raffel’s consecration took...
The Pelagian Captivity of the Church
The Pelagian Captivity of the Church By Chuck Collins The church is in Pelagian captivity! Pelagianism is the favourite heresy of evangelicals, from the moralism of the do-more and try-harder religion, to the Lordship Salvation movement (you need obedience to prop up...
NATIONAL
Letter to the Editor: Welcome the Afghani Refugees but Know the Problems
Welcome the Afghani Refugees But Know the Problems Dear Sir, There is widespread sympathy for resettling Afghans into Britain fleeing from tyranny and persecution and I am supportive of it. Many of them are Muslims and will have every facility to follow their...
Free Presbyterians Protest COP26 Visit of Pope Francis
Free Presbyterians Protest COP26 visit of Pope Francis The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland has sent a protest to the First Minister urging her to resist political and diplomatic ties with the Pope, ahead of the COP26 summit of world leaders in Glasgow in...
Pilgrim’s Process: Common Grace by Peter Sanlon
Pilgrim’s Process By Peter Sanlon Common Grace Loving God is so important for satisfaction and joy in life, that it is easy to mistakenly think only spiritual concerns are important in life. There are many ways for this error to arise: We can think the only truly...
Anglican Futures: Knitted Together In Love
Anglican Futures "Knitted together in love" - Should Christian Communities be 'Thicker'? The terms 'thick' and 'thin' have been used by sociologists and political scientists to describe cultures for decades. Thick cultures are socio-centric; they tend to be...
Editorial: The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall has decided to leave the Church of England and become a member of the Roman Catholic Church. For eight years he has been the Provincial Episcopal Visitor for the Province of...
Former Bouncer Becomes Boys’ Brigade President
Former Bouncer Becomes Bew Boys’ Brigade President The Boys’ Brigade UK and RoI has elected Rev Dez Johnston to the role of President. The uniformed youth organisation provides opportunities for children and young people to learn, grow and discover in a safe, fun...
INTERNATIONAL
Episcopal Church Pays $4,500,000 to Diocese of Ft Worth
Episcopal Church Pays $4,500,000 to Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas By Suzanne Gill With encouragement from the 141st District Court, the Diocese entered into mediation with The Episcopal Church (TEC) in early June to settle claims of the Diocese for attorneys’ fees and...
Report from Anglican Ink on Episcopal Church Legal Spending
Report from Anglican Ink on Episcopal Church Legal Spending By Jeff Walton This report follows on the announcement that the Diocese of Fort Worth received $4,500,000 from the Episcopal Church to cover the expenses incurred by the Diocese after it left the Episcopal...
Anglican Futures: Knitted Together In Love
Anglican Futures "Knitted together in love" - Should Christian Communities be 'Thicker'? The terms 'thick' and 'thin' have been used by sociologists and political scientists to describe cultures for decades. Thick cultures are socio-centric; they tend to be...
Formularies for What? Center for Reformation Anglicanism
Formularies for What? Part 1 By Chuck Collins I eavesdropped on a conversation once in which a very nice lady said, “I love being Episcopalian; you can believe anything and still be one!” She would agree with William James who famously said, “Anglicanism remains obese...
Former Chief Judge & Diocesan Chancellor Kidnapped in Nigeria
Former Chief Judge & Diocesan Chancellor Kidnapped in Nigeria Nigerian news outlet, PM News, reports from that Nnenna Oti, former Chief Judge of Abia State and now Chancellor of the Diocese of Ohaji-Egbema was kidnapped by gunmen on Sunday, 6 September. Speaking...
Grace Community Church Wins $800,000 Settlement Over Attempted Covid Restrictions
Grace Community Church Wins $800,000 Settlement Over Attempted Covid Restrictions The congregation led by noted Bible teacher and author, John MacArthur has won a total of $800,0000 in a settlement between officials in Los Angeles County and the State of California...
REVIEWS
When a nation prays
Pastor Peter Simpson Minister of Penn Free Methodist Church www.realchristianity.org or jacqui.langston@btinternet.com 2021 156 (including references) pbk £6:75 or £18:25 for 3 copies (both prices include p&p) World War Two has been examined from almost...
Bibliophiles Rejoice for Choice
Bibliophiles, lovers of books and particularly those who prefer well-bound leather bibles can rejoice for the choices they have at the moment. If you do not own one and think to do so is an occasion for sin…look the other way. There are three companies currently...
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer, International
Book Review The 1662 Book of Common Prayer International Edition Given that the vast majority of 110 million Anglican Christians around belong to provinces that identify the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as their standard liturgy, it is no surprise that a publisher has...
What does the Bible teach about LUST?
What does the Bible teach about LUST? Owen Strachan & Gavin Peacock Christian Focus Hardback ISBN: 9781527104761 Available from Evangelical Bookshop, Belfast There are 4 chapters which follow a simple outline: People are Struggling (1); Lust is sinful (2);...
Against The Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel In An Age Of Relativism
Against The Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel In An Age Of Relativism John C Lennox Monarch Books, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-85721-621-2 The Book of Daniel gains barely a mention in the Revised Common Lectionary, but arguably there is not a book of Scripture that is more...
CHURCH OF ENGLAND
The History of Christianity in Britain and Ireland
The History of Christianity in Britain and Ireland From the first century to the twenty-first Gerald Bray Apollos, 2021 (ISBN: 978-1-78974-120-9, 693pp) Throughout his long academic career Bray has ably straddled both doctrine and ecclesiastical history, so it is no...
Anglican Futures: Knitted Together In Love
Anglican Futures "Knitted together in love" - Should Christian Communities be 'Thicker'? The terms 'thick' and 'thin' have been used by sociologists and political scientists to describe cultures for decades. Thick cultures are socio-centric; they tend to be...
Letter to the Editor: Irrational Optimism
Irrational Optimism Dear Sir, I read the latest [anon.] article from Anglican Futures, EC8087. It is helpful and clear but, for me, there is a deep undercurrent of a seemingly determined [irrational?] optimism. The article outlines the overall workings of...
Editorial: The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall has decided to leave the Church of England and become a member of the Roman Catholic Church. For eight years he has been the Provincial Episcopal Visitor for the Province of...
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Gospel-Driven Anglicanism
Gospel-Driven Anglicanism Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part 1 By Revd Dr Mark Pickles One of the most vital and pressing question for those in a doctrinally mixed denomination is, “At what point, if any ought we to leave the denomination”? Is there a non-negotiable,...
Save the Parish Campaign Update
Save the Parish Campaign Update The Save the Parish Campaign is still hoping to find members of the laity and clergy to stand for General Synod. They are looking to find laity candidates for the Dioceses of Bristol, Canterbury, Carlisle, Durham, Exeter, Hereford,...
DEVOTIONALS
Pilgrim’s Process: Common Grace by Peter Sanlon
Pilgrim’s Process By Peter Sanlon Common Grace Loving God is so important for satisfaction and joy in life, that it is easy to mistakenly think only spiritual concerns are important in life. There are many ways for this error to arise: We can think the only truly...
“Little” Thomas Bilney, Chuck Collins, Center for Reformation Anglicanism
“Little” Thomas Bilney Evangelist to Hugh Latimer You probably know the rockstars of the English Reformation (Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley), but do you know Thomas Bilney? Bilney (1495-1531) was the first Reformation Anglican at Cambridge University, the birthplace of...
Pilgrim’s Process by Peter Sanlon
Pilgrim’s Process By Peter Sanlon Shame Some cultures are shaped by what sociologists call a 'shame' culture. People are managed by fear of shame that is heaped on them for transgressing behavioural norms. Shame can be used in families to compel children...
Pilgrim’s Process: Spiritual Nourishment Needed by Peter Sanlon
We all need food to energise us for daily life. We all need food to energise us for our journey to heaven. There is something relationally encouraging and engaging about sharing a meal with a friend or family member. This is why the early church often ate together,...
JC Ryle on Sickness
Bishop JC Ryle on Sickness Lord, he whom You love is sick!" John 11:3 The chapter from which this text is taken, is well known to all Bible readers. In life-like description, in touching interest, in sublime simplicity — there is no writing in existence that will bear...
Heidelberg Catechism
Lord’s Day 4 Q & A 9 Q. But doesn’t God do us an injustice by requiring in his law what we are unable to do? A. No, God created human beings with the ability to keep the law.1 They, however, provoked by the devil,2 in willful disobedience,3 robbed themselves and all...
DOCTRINE
Gospel-Driven Anglicanism, Baptism: Part 3 by Mark Pickles
Gospel-Driven Anglicanism Part 3 By Dr Mark Pickles We pick up where Dr Pickles left off last time in his explanation of infant baptism. He had just quoted from the late RC Sproul’s question: “Isn’t it strange that this departure and deviation from the purity of the...
Transubstantiation: A Doctrine Worth Martyrdom?
Transubstantiation, a Doctrine Worth Martyrdom? by Chuck Collins It was on 16 July 1546 that Anne Askew was burned at the stake for denying transubstantiation. Director of the Center for Reformation Anglicanism, The Revd Canon Chuck Collins writes about, “Anne...
Apostolic Succession Re-Invented by Chuck Collins
Apostolic Succession Re-invented By Chuck Collins Protestants are the "Lutheran rebellion whose evil virus goes wandering about in almost all nations," wrote Pope Leo XIII in his August 1, 1897 encyclical "Militantis Ecclesiae.” Leo was one of the longest reigning...
Scripture or the Three-Legged Stool? by Mark Pickles
The question of ultimate authority is crucial for any church or denomination but is of particular significance within Anglicanism. The Thirty-nine Articles are unequivocal the Scripture is to be the Church’s final and ultimate authority. Article VI states that “Holy...
Anglican Futures on LLF Document
Anglican Futures takes a look at the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) document. For a fuller treatment on the subject see their blog at: www.anglicanfutures.org. Anglican Futures works with churches and clergy both in and outside the official Church of England...
Murcott: 12 Infallible Proofs
Murcott Twelve Infallible Proofs Ever since Christ’s Resurrection, the most unlikely tales and feeblest of fables have been propagated in an attempt to fracture the Christian faith. Yet, Acts 1:3 says that Christ showed Himself alive “by many infallible proofs”, being...
COLUMNIST
Formularies for What? Center for Reformation Anglicanism
Formularies for What? Part 1 By Chuck Collins I eavesdropped on a conversation once in which a very nice lady said, “I love being Episcopalian; you can believe anything and still be one!” She would agree with William James who famously said, “Anglicanism remains obese...
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Gospel-Driven Anglicanism
Gospel-Driven Anglicanism Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part 1 By Revd Dr Mark Pickles One of the most vital and pressing question for those in a doctrinally mixed denomination is, “At what point, if any ought we to leave the denomination”? Is there a non-negotiable,...
Prudence Dailey Commentary: Putting the Cart Before the Horse on Sexuality Issues
Prudence Dailey Commentary Putting the Cart Before the Horse on Sexuality Issues Only a recently arrived visitor from Mars could be unaware of the long-running debate raging within and around the Church concerning matters of human sexuality, pitting the Church’s...
Prudence Dailey Commentary, “Woke: A Danger for the Church
‘Woke’: A danger for the Church Prudence Dailey Commentary The phenomenon of ‘wokeness’ has in recent times risen to the forefront of public consciousness, and it often appears that the Church itself is not immune. What exactly is ‘woke’, and why might the Church...
GS2222 A Proposal for Disenfranchising Parish, Clergy, & People
GS2222: A Proposal Disenfranchising Parish Clergy and People Commentary by Emma Thompson A lovely book on the mediaeval parish, Katherine L French’s ‘The People of the Parish’, tells us of communities’ pride in their churches. Those of us who are ‘somewhere people’...
Transubstantiation: A Doctrine Worth Martyrdom?
Transubstantiation, a Doctrine Worth Martyrdom? by Chuck Collins It was on 16 July 1546 that Anne Askew was burned at the stake for denying transubstantiation. Director of the Center for Reformation Anglicanism, The Revd Canon Chuck Collins writes about, “Anne...
EDITORIALS
Editorial: Organising Suggestions for Members of the Next General Synod
Editorial Organising Suggestions for Members of the Next General Synod Since the elections for the next General Synod are rapidly closing in upon us, we offer a few ideas for special interest groups for the new members to throw their support behind to make this the...
Three of Two Hundred Thirteen
Three of Two Hundred Thirteen In Lewis Carroll’s 1871 novel, Through the Looking Glass, his character, Humpty Dumpty is having a conversation with Alice from Carroll’s earlier novel, Alice in Wonderland. "I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said. Humpty...
Editorial: The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall has decided to leave the Church of England and become a member of the Roman Catholic Church. For eight years he has been the Provincial Episcopal Visitor for the Province of...
The Political Hypocrite and the Mancunian Episcopate
The collective societal gasp at CCTV images of the Health Secretary and his paramour was quite understandable. There for all the world to see, was Matt Hancock engaged in behaviour that he had criminalised for the rest of the country. Hands, Face, Space? His...
Editorial: Church Matters Worthy of Further Notation
Church Matters Worthy of Further Notation Try as we might, we inevitably find ourselves not able to print all the stories that really are worthy of publication. Such a matter is merely the by-product of limitation of space. The ink is willing but the paper is weak. ...
Atheists Seeking Secretary
If you missed the story of Mr Seth Mahiga, you missed an encouraging bit of information. Mr Mahiga hails from Kenya and, was until very recently, an atheist. In fact, he was so committed to atheism that he was Secretary for the group, Atheists in Kenya Society. It...
LETTERS
Letter to the Editor: Irrational Optimism
Irrational Optimism Dear Sir, I read the latest [anon.] article from Anglican Futures, EC8087. It is helpful and clear but, for me, there is a deep undercurrent of a seemingly determined [irrational?] optimism. The article outlines the overall workings of...
Letter to the Editor: Covid Restrictions
Covid Restrictions Dear Sir, I refer to the letter in Issue 8084 entitled ‘Power belongeth unto Christ’ which Scripturally outlines where all power belongs and exposes the inconsistencies of our Government and their COVID restrictions on the public worship of...
Letter to the Editor: Welcome the Afghani Refugees but Know the Problems
Welcome the Afghani Refugees But Know the Problems Dear Sir, There is widespread sympathy for resettling Afghans into Britain fleeing from tyranny and persecution and I am supportive of it. Many of them are Muslims and will have every facility to follow their...
Separation May be the Only Answer
Sir, Thank you very much for the fine Editorial (Issue No. 8086). It is always good to be reminded of the true position of the Church of England, as received from the English Reformers. It was also refreshing to read Rev. John Dunn's excellent letter and analysis of...
Silence on Pro-Life Issues, Letters
Silence on Pro-Life Issues Dear Sir, What is blatantly obvious in twenty- first century worship is that most churches are silent on pro-life issues to the point it is a taboo subject for a variety of puerile excuses. Many Christians prefer to avoid the subject as a...
MORE NEWS
Church in Wales Embraces the Zeitgeist
The Church in Wales Embraces the Zeitgeist Meeting on Monday 6 September, the Governing Body of the Church in Wales, voted to approve same-sex blessings but stopped short of approving marriage. The change does not allow for same-sex marriages in a Church in Wales...
The History of Christianity in Britain and Ireland
The History of Christianity in Britain and Ireland From the first century to the twenty-first Gerald Bray Apollos, 2021 (ISBN: 978-1-78974-120-9, 693pp) Throughout his long academic career Bray has ably straddled both doctrine and ecclesiastical history, so it is no...
Anglican Futures: Knitted Together In Love
Anglican Futures "Knitted together in love" - Should Christian Communities be 'Thicker'? The terms 'thick' and 'thin' have been used by sociologists and political scientists to describe cultures for decades. Thick cultures are socio-centric; they tend to be...
Formularies for What? Center for Reformation Anglicanism
Formularies for What? Part 1 By Chuck Collins I eavesdropped on a conversation once in which a very nice lady said, “I love being Episcopalian; you can believe anything and still be one!” She would agree with William James who famously said, “Anglicanism remains obese...
Editorial: The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
The Departure of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet The Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall has decided to leave the Church of England and become a member of the Roman Catholic Church. For eight years he has been the Provincial Episcopal Visitor for the Province of...
Former Bouncer Becomes Boys’ Brigade President
Former Bouncer Becomes Bew Boys’ Brigade President The Boys’ Brigade UK and RoI has elected Rev Dez Johnston to the role of President. The uniformed youth organisation provides opportunities for children and young people to learn, grow and discover in a safe, fun...
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Gospel-Driven Anglicanism
Gospel-Driven Anglicanism Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part 1 By Revd Dr Mark Pickles One of the most vital and pressing question for those in a doctrinally mixed denomination is, “At what point, if any ought we to leave the denomination”? Is there a non-negotiable,...
TRENDING
Letter to the Editor: Welcome the Afghani Refugees but Know the Problems
Welcome the Afghani Refugees But Know the Problems Dear Sir, There is widespread sympathy for resettling Afghans into Britain fleeing from tyranny and persecution and I am supportive of it. Many of them are Muslims and will have every facility to follow their...
Letter to the Editor: Irrational Optimism
Irrational Optimism Dear Sir, I read the latest [anon.] article from Anglican Futures, EC8087. It is helpful and clear but, for me, there is a deep undercurrent of a seemingly determined [irrational?] optimism. The article outlines the overall workings of...
