Letter To the Editor – Government
Dear Editor, Readers may appreciate the relevance of the following comments by Bishop Ryle in his Expository Thoughts on John 18:36 (Volume 3 page 274): “No government can expect to prosper which refuses to recognise religion, which deals with its subjects as if they...
Lancashire Judge Rules in Favour of Franklin Graham
In a strong and clear rebuke of the cancel culture sweeping the UK, a court ruled that the 2018 Lancashire Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham was discriminated against by the Blackpool Borough Council and Blackpool Transport Services Limited by taking down bus ads...
Spectator Cover Shows Empty Tomb for Easter Edition
Many of the readers of the English Churchman are also readers of The Spectator but the 3 April edition was a rather nice surprise. If you missed it, the cover featured an artist’s rendering of Jesus’ empty tomb. Bright morning sunlight showed the inside of a tomb,...
Christian School to Open in Aberdeen
Melville-Knox Christian School Aberdeen was recently formed after a number of encouraging developments amongst leaders and members of Reformed and confessional churches in the city. A series of preliminary discussions led to the establishment of Melville-Knox...
Unreserved Apology Thirtyone/8
The Revd William Taylor, rector of St Helen’s, Bishopsgate issued an apology to his congregation and those whom he might have hurt in his comments on the Thirtyone:8 charity’s review of the Jonathan Fletcher/Emmanuel Church Wimbledon investigation. In part, he said:...
Fletcher Report Impact of Harmful Behaviours
Impact of harmful behaviours From the evidence-gathering process of this Review, it is clear that JF engaged in a range of harmful behaviours that have been experienced by a number of people, through demonstrative accounts including a serious sexual act performed in...
Cancelled’ Christian actress to appeal tribunal ruling and unprecedented legal costs
A Christian actress will appeal an employment tribunal ruling which upheld her being ‘cancelled’ and hounded out of her promising career for an historic Facebook post. Seyi Omooba, 26, was removed from a lead role in a musical production of ‘The Color Purple’ after a...
Judge in Blackpool Finds in Favour of Franklin Graham in Bus Advert Dispute
Judge in Blackpool Finds in Favour of Franklin Graham in Bus Advert Dispute Judge Claire Evans ruled in favour of Christian evangelist Franklin Graham in a dispute over advertisements placed on public buses in Blackpool. The Lancashire Festival of Hope had its bus ads...
Church of England Cathedral Worship 2019 Statistics
Worship attendance A total of 37,300 people per week (82% adults and 18% children aged under 16) were reported attending usual cathedral services in 2019, a similar number to 2018 (37,100). Total weekly attendance is 13% larger in 2019 than it was a decade ago in...
The Revd Dr Lee Gatiss, Director of Church Society
The Revd Dr Lee Gatiss, Director of Church Society has offered a series of modern language versions of sermons from the Book of Homilies. These short excerpts give a flavour of the content. From Part 2 of the Homily Against Contention “It has been declared to you in...
The Importance of Doctrine
The proposed schedule for the 2021 Protestant Reformation Society’s Annual Autumn Conference has been announced. The conference is to be held at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford from Tuesday, 31 August through Thursday, 2 September. The conference is expected to go online if...
An independent review into allegations of misconduct against the Revd Jonathan Fletcher
An independent review into allegations of misconduct against the Revd Jonathan Fletcher has been conducted and made public by the UK’s only safeguarding charity, Thirtyone:8. Fletcher was minister at Emmanuel, Wimbledon from 1982 - 2012. It is reported that 98...
Leprosy Mission
Leprosy Mission The Unconditional Appeal Dame Darcey Bussell is championing a new campaign which sees churches build Hubs of Hope to help rid Mozambique of leprosy. As a result, Darcey is championing The Leprosy Mission’s new effort called The Unconditional Appeal....
Coalition of Northern Ireland Pro-Life Groups Call for
Coalition of Northern Ireland Pro-Life Groups Call for A coalition of Northern Ireland pro-life groups have jointly called for pro-life MLAs to walk away from Stormont until Westminster allows the Northern Ireland Assembly to determine abortion law in the Province. ...
Eighty Six Percent of General Practitioners Concerned About Coercive Abortions
Prudence Dailey Commentary Cranmer, The BCP, & Church of England This past Sunday—21st March—marked the 465th anniversary of the date on which Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake in Broad Street, Oxford. The location of the martyrdom is marked by an...
Cathedral Baptism and Thanksgiving Statistics 2019
During 2019, there were a total of 740 baptisms and 10 thanksgivings conducted in all Church of England cathedrals. This means that there has been a decrease of 10% in the number of baptisms over the last decade. The data shows a high point for number of baptisms in...
An Excerpt of the Analysis of the Living in Love and Faith Document
By the Revd Simon Austen Most would have by now heard of the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith document which was written as an attempt to explain both sides of the SSM/Ordination debate. The Revd Simon Austen, Rector of St Leonard’s with Holy Trinity in...
Independent Advisory Group Statement on the Thirtyone:8 Jonathan Fletcher Report
See the full statement: https://soulinformation.org/iagstatement Independent Advisory Group Statement on the Thirtyone:8 Jonathan Fletcher Report "It is essential to make two matters clear at the outset. First, none of what follows should be understood as an attempt...
Journalist Loves the Book of Common Prayer
A leading London journalist has declared her love of the Book of Common Prayer from an early age. ‘I grew up with the Prayer Book,’ reports Lucy Denyer, deputy comment editor at the Telegraph who recalls being taken to church every Sunday during her childhood. She...
Interview with Peter Hitchens
Interview with Peter Hitchens For decades, Peter Hitchens has been a very public figure. He’s a journalist, columnist, TV commentator, former Marxist, and always clearly spoken and quotable. The English Churchman interviewed him on his public role as a Christian who...
Pilgrim’s Process
Revd Dr Peter Sanlon As pilgrims trying to discern our next steps in life, we need a vantage point. From where do you hope to see clearly? Many of us think that information will enable us to work out what has to be done next. We have all scoured reams of government...
Letter to the Editor Hate Crime Law
Letter to the Editor Regarding the new 'Hate Crime Law' proposed in Scotland, which is reported to define, "Religious phobias as hate crime"; I ask, "Is the Westminster Parliament supreme in the United Kingdom?" If the answer is, "Yes it is," then why is a lesser...
Are you a Lucky Dipper
A Short Devotion Are You a Lucky Dipper? Do you read the bible methodically or are you a lucky dipper? To be more explicit, do you start at the beginning of a book and work your way through, or do you merely open the bible and let your eyes alight upon the first...
BCP Worship
BCP Worship Fourth Sunday in Lent 14 March 2021 Lessons Psalm 122 Exodus 16:2-7 Galatians 4:21-end John 6:1-14 Collect Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully...
Whalley Abbey Director Licensed
The licensing service for the new Director of Whalley Abbey, Rev. Adam Thomas, took place at nearby Whalley Parish Church, the Diocese of Blackburn announced. Due to pandemic restrictions attendance numbers at the service were limited. The current plan is to have...
Trinitarian Bible Society Bookmarks
Trinitarian Bible Society’s Scripture Bookmarks The Trinitarian Bible Society has released a new series of Scripture bookmarks. Founded in 1831, the Society has long been active in promoting Scripture knowledge. These bookmarks are appropriate for giving as Sunday...
Anglican Jurisdictions in UK
TAGS: EC8075, Church of England, Church of Ireland, Free Church of England, Nigerian Chaplaincy, GAFCON, ANiE, ACE, AMiE, Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church, REACH Anglican Jurisdictions Within the United Kingdom One aspect of the current ecclesiastical climate is...
Disorientation and the Inevitable Crisis of Biblical Illiteracy
In Yuval Levin’s much-praised recent book, The Fractured Republic, the political analyst comments on how one of the defining marks of American public life thus far in the twenty-first century is undoubtedly disorientation. He writes:“It’s as if we cannot quite figure...
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali on GAFCON-UK
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali on GAFCON-UK Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester, is now one of the leaders of GAFCON and GAFCON-UK. Known for a towering intellect shaped by the gospel, Bishop Michael finds himself in the position of one of those...
Pilgrim’s Process
Pilgrim's Process Believers are pilgrims journeying to heaven. The image of a believer navigating through this world on the way to the Celestial City was immortalised in the famous English allegory - Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress.' First published in 1678 the book...
For Difficult to Find Books
For Difficult to Find Books If we were to do a survey of the readership of the English Churchman readers, it is likely to be there are two characteristics held by almost all; 1.) self-identify as a Christian; and, 2.) self-identify as a reader. Whilst there are book...
Reformed and Protestant Online Resources for Lockdown
Reformed and Protestant Online Resources for Lockdown An easily overlooked treasure is found on YouTube. The Revd Dr Ashley Null, noted Anglican Reformation scholar, spoke on the Faith of the Book of Common Prayer at the inaugural lecture of the Clive West Memorial...
Church Society Director Offering Sermons from the Book of Homilies in Modern English Online During Lent
Church Society Director Offering Sermons from the Book of Homilies in Modern English Online During Lent Revd Dr Lee Gatiss, Director of Church Society and noted Church of England preacher and writer, will be offering daily segments from the First Book of Homilies set...
Being Clearly and Positively Anglican
Being Clearly and Positively Anglican In the first post in this series, we thought about what it will mean for us to be faithful to the biblical gospel and biblical priorities for church life as they find expression within authentic Anglicanism. Drawing on the...
Welby, Cottrell, LGBT Month
Welby & Cottrell celebrate LGBT+ History Month By Justin Welby February 11, 2021 A message from the Archbishop of York and me on LGBT+ History Month: Across the United Kingdom, for a number of years, February has been associated with LGBT+ History Month and many...
Jesmond Conference to Feature Revd David Holloway
Jesmond Conference to Feature Revd David Holloway Good Disagreement? The Jesmond Conference is for Anglicans seeking to consider British society in the light of Biblical truth. It aims to stimulate discussion, prayer and action. Previous conferences have dealt with...
Hundreds Compete for Cranmer Awards
Hundreds Compete for Senior & Junior Cranmer Awards Twenty-two young finalists selected from schools, churches and festivals across the country will compete for this year’s senior and junior Cranmer Awards this month. Despite the Covid pandemic, enthusiasm remains...
FIEC – 2021-02-17
UK Federation of Independent Churches Ninety-nine Years and Counting The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches is almost a hundred years old. It was founded in 1922 to fulfil the vision of Rev E J Poole-Connor for an association of independent churches that...
Popular online training tool is praised by clergy and ordinands
An online training tool for ordinands, launched by the Prayer Book Society (PBS) four years ago, is proving popular with theological college students and parish clergy who are using the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) for the first time. ‘The Prayer Book is proving to be...
6% of C of E Clergy voted Conservative in 2019
February 2021 A Savanta ComRes poll was published just over a week ago on the political affiliation of Church leaders, and it has not had much coverage. In fact, it does not appear to have any media coverage at all, which is a little odd given the nuggets of insight...
2019 Church of England Parish Finance Report
The Church of England has just released its Parish Finance Report for 2019. It is not the most exciting thing to read but it does open a window on the state of our Established Church. We reproduce the summary from page 7 of the report for our readers’ cogitation....
General Synod Update
Last November, the General Synod of the Church of England held its first formal online Group of Sessions. As anyone who can imagine spending three days on Zoom might understand, this was not an experience to be relished: it was therefore a relief to learn that the...
Less is not more. Theological education and mission attrition
3 February 2021 David Baldwin Cultural & Mission Lecturer Oak Hill Is it just me, or do missionaries often seem to be in a breathless hurry? Thankfully, students at Oak Hill with a heart for global mission don’t seem to be dashing off to “save the world”...
Looking back at the Queen’s Coronation Oath
You might have missed it, the sixty-eighth anniversary of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. February 6th rolls around each calendar year whether you think about it or not. It always happens. Sadly, Covid-19 has seen to it that there were few services...
Prof. Robert E.L. Rodgers (1938 – 2021)
A native of Bangor Co. Down, ‘Bob’ Rodgers was raised by his grandmother, who gave him her own surname. He was converted at about 12 years of age through the instrumentality of an Aberdeen man, a visiting speaker at a local Brethren children’s work. After service in...
Review – Inward Baptism: The Theological Origins of Evangelicalism by Baird Tipson (OUP, 2020)
In this volume Tipson traces through 250 years of church history to explore the origins of one of the key characteristics of Evangelicalism – an emphasis on ‘inward baptism,’ or to use another description, a ‘conversion experience.’ Tipson hypothesises that Luther’s...
Lord Carey’s Statement on (PTO) Reinstatement
The Bishop of Oxford has reinstated Permission to Officiate (PTO) for Lord Carey, who has issued the following statement. “Following helpful and friendly discussions with the Bishop of Oxford, I am pleased to say that my Permission to Officiate has been reinstated. My...
Three Evangelical Bishops for Ireland
By the Rev’d Dr Alan McCann “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was...
Growing popularity of 1662 prayer book services in a London church draws big congregations from across the capital
The growing popularity of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) used by St Marylebone Parish Church, opposite Madame Tussauds in London’s Marylebone Road, accounts for its consistently high levels of attendance at services by worshippers ranging in age from a few...
Bishop of Lincoln Reinstated
(Daily Telegraph) The first serving bishop to be suspended in modern times has been reinstated after 20 months as the Archbishop of Canterbury offered an apology for his “ordeal”. The Telegraph can reveal that Christopher Lowson, who was the Bishop of Lincoln from...
The Church Which Christ Builds
Bishop J C Ryle "Upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!" Matthew 16:18 Do we belong to the Church which is built upon a rock? Are we members of the only Church in which our souls can be saved? These are serious...