Today’s church gender debates must be re-centred on Christ
Matthew James Norris
Date posted: 26 Jul 2026
Over the past year, the Church of England has spent considerable time engaging in cultural debates about sex and gender identity. Yet across these discussions, one question remains strikingly absent – as shown by the Living in Love and Faith process, and Sarah Mullally’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury: what do these debates have to do with Christ and His relationship to His church as the fulfilment of creation?
Most public arguments about women in ministry, church order, or gender identity, tend to revolve around three familiar questions: the interpretation of key Biblical texts, the role of historical-cultural context, and whether individuals possess the relevant gifts or capacities. Those are not trivial issues. But they are not where Paul begins.
‘Allo ‘allo! ... c’est moi Adrian! Listen very carefully...
Adrian Reynolds
Date posted: 26 Jul 2026
Bonjour ! That’s French for “Hello!” I’m in France, you see, for what my family call “annual holiday” and I call “watching the Tour de France”. Yes, as this paper lands on your doormats, or this article is posted online, I shall be over the water, trying to rest, refresh and cheer on my favourite team.
My friends would tell you how much I love the Tour. It’s become an annual excursion. Even if you don’t like cycling or appreciate the experience, it seems to me that there are some clear parallels with the Christian life. And I don’t need much of an excuse to expound the event I love whilst also reflecting on some deeper Bible themes.
What on earth did Jesus mean by ‘judge not’?
Dave Burke
Date posted: 25 Jul 2026
When it was revealed that Donald Trump, in the first year of his second term, had increased his personal fortune by 2 billion dollars I posted my views on Facebook. Within minutes, I was firmly rebuked for criticising him. “The Lord told us not to judge people!” someone said. “Shame on you!” chimed in an irate supporter, “Pastors like you are ruining the church!”
The Lord’s command that we refrain from judging people is a sacred calling; an essential principle for every pastorally active Christian. We should refuse to judge when the answers seem easy to us, but impossible to those we try to support.
What stand-up comedy showed me about teaching the Bible
Rachel Jones
Date posted: 24 Jul 2026
Three weeks, more than 2,000 shows and 2.6 million tickets sold last year. August is the month of the Edinburgh Fringe.
While the Fringe is on the list of things I aspire to experience, so far my engagement has been limited to reading the round-ups of top jokes each year. Best one-liners from 2025 included: “We named our children War and Peace – it’s a long story” (Olaf Falafel), “This spider has been in my house so long, it should pay half the wifi. As a web developer, it can afford to” (Sikisa), and “Everyone is worried about AI. I’m more concerned with what the other vowels are up to” (Rob Auton).
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Why I believe God does give us more than we can handle
John the Baptist was dead. Beheaded. It was unjust, brutal, and senseless.
On hearing the news, Jesus left what He was doing and went with His disciples to a solitary place. He must have wanted to mourn, and pray, away from the crowds. But when He arrived, there was no solitude: somehow, word had spread about where He was going, and now a large crowd was waiting for Him.
Beyond the algorithm: Faithfulness in a 'viral' age
My son does social media for his part-time job. Part of the task is creating posts for the business's social media account.
The hope behind so much online activity is shared by many: that one day a post will "go viral", meaning that a post catches the algorithm, the numbers rise, strangers pass it to other strangers, then suddenly, thousands of people are paying attention (and buying stuff!).
Is your church healthy? A sabbatical may reveal the answer...
What would you say if I told you that your church has more to gain by a generous sabbatical policy than the pastor?
Given that few churches even mention the word "sabbatical" in their official documents, my guess is it would raise some eyebrows.
Why we think job creation is part of the church’s mission
Do you ever feel guilty and powerless as you walk past a homeless person?
Maybe you stop to chat. Maybe you take them into a fast-food outlet and marvel at how many spoonfuls of sugar go into their tea. Maybe you do nothing, and feel bad. Whatever you do or don't do, the feeling of powerlessness often kicks in.
Context is not a constraint. Be faithful where you are
Have you ever wondered why God brought you… here?
Not them.
What to do if your friend's Christianity 'peters out'
This is the second of a mini-series of articles looking at the four soils in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13v1-23).
There’s a phrase often used in our culture today. Apparently it derives from life in the American mines in the mid-19th century. Saltpetre (the common name for potassium nitrate) was an ingredient in the gunpowder used by miners to create explosions and make fuses. Dampness or wind often caused the spark to fizzle out before it reached the explosive. That experience became commonly known as “petering out”.
Why I took a stuffed parrot to CofE Synod
The General Synod of the Church of England has engaged over decades in a cycle of groundhog-day debates about human sexuality. Members employ the same stories and arguments over and over again.
Living in Love and Faith (LLF), the eight-year-long project of listening to one another, learning from the Scriptures and looking at current practice, ended in February this year. LLF was declared to be dead, to the relief of nearly half of those on General Synod. Others believe LLF is just resting. A new private member’s motion, brought by Helen King, stirred up yet another debate this July.
Coffee, cardboard boxes and the Kingdom of God
“Not everyone will see your children clearly. But then – some do. They show up, not out of duty, but love. They don’t judge, fix, or compare. They simply join. To those rare hearts – you are the ones who remind us... This is what the village looks like.” [1]
When a neighbour (let’s call her Liz) sent me this post, it brought tears to my eyes.
The liberty of exclusivity: Choice, freedom and Jesus
I was born in the mid-1970s when there were three television channels in the UK: BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. That was it. If you wanted to watch TV, you had very little choice about what to watch and no choice about when to watch it.
If your favourite programme was broadcast at 8pm on a Tuesday, you had to be there to watch it at 8pm on a Tuesday. If you missed it, you missed it. And that was that. No video recorders. No internet. No streaming. No catch-up. You missed it.
Christians, we need to talk about education
“Mind-blowingly reckless,” the judge remarked, as he issued a fine of £3,000. The crime? Breaching a no-fly zone during an air display at the annual Buxton Town Carnival.
The offending remote-controlled drone came within a whisker of a Hawker Hurricane as the WW2 plane roared past at 230 mph. There would have “without a doubt been fatalities” had they collided.
Godliness in politics
As I write, the old adage that a week is a long time in politics could not be more true.
Reflecting just on the death of Lord Mackay of Clashfern, who was a foremost Christian lawyer and politician, would be hard. However to be followed by the tragic news of the death of Anne Widdecombe was dreadful – if it was not for the gift of eternal life which both James and Anne had received and now enjoy.
Today’s church gender debates must be re-centred on Christ
Over the past year, the Church of England has spent considerable time engaging in cultural debates about sex and gender identity. Yet across these discussions, one question remains strikingly absent – as shown by the Living in Love and Faith process, and Sarah Mullally’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury: what do these debates have to do with Christ and His relationship to His church as the fulfilment of creation?
Most public arguments about women in ministry, church order, or gender identity, tend to revolve around three familiar questions: the interpretation of key Biblical texts, the role of historical-cultural context, and whether individuals possess the relevant gifts or capacities. Those are not trivial issues. But they are not where Paul begins.
‘Allo ‘allo! ... c’est moi Adrian! Listen very carefully...
Bonjour ! That’s French for “Hello!” I’m in France, you see, for what my family call “annual holiday” and I call “watching the Tour de France”. Yes, as this paper lands on your doormats, or this article is posted online, I shall be over the water, trying to rest, refresh and cheer on my favourite team.
My friends would tell you how much I love the Tour. It’s become an annual excursion. Even if you don’t like cycling or appreciate the experience, it seems to me that there are some clear parallels with the Christian life. And I don’t need much of an excuse to expound the event I love whilst also reflecting on some deeper Bible themes.
What on earth did Jesus mean by ‘judge not’?
When it was revealed that Donald Trump, in the first year of his second term, had increased his personal fortune by 2 billion dollars I posted my views on Facebook. Within minutes, I was firmly rebuked for criticising him. “The Lord told us not to judge people!” someone said. “Shame on you!” chimed in an irate supporter, “Pastors like you are ruining the church!”
The Lord’s command that we refrain from judging people is a sacred calling; an essential principle for every pastorally active Christian. We should refuse to judge when the answers seem easy to us, but impossible to those we try to support.
What stand-up comedy showed me about teaching the Bible
Three weeks, more than 2,000 shows and 2.6 million tickets sold last year. August is the month of the Edinburgh Fringe.
While the Fringe is on the list of things I aspire to experience, so far my engagement has been limited to reading the round-ups of top jokes each year. Best one-liners from 2025 included: “We named our children War and Peace – it’s a long story” (Olaf Falafel), “This spider has been in my house so long, it should pay half the wifi. As a web developer, it can afford to” (Sikisa), and “Everyone is worried about AI. I’m more concerned with what the other vowels are up to” (Rob Auton).
A culturally diverse Britain: How should we react?
Britain is becoming more culturally and ethnically diverse.
Hard data from numerous sources demonstrates this trend. 1 In addition, soft data from numerous church leaders and Christians backs this up. This is how the conversation goes: “Our communities are becoming more diverse, as people from other parts of the world and other parts of the UK move and settle here”. 2
England vs. Argentina and the verdict that matters most
For England supporters, Wednesday night was painful.
After taking the lead against Argentina, hopes of reaching another World Cup final were alive. But Lionel Messi reminded us, yet again, why he is one of football's greatest players. As former England goalkeeper Joe Hart put it, England "locked the door – they just forgot that Messi carries a skeleton key”.
How Hollywood can help us understand hospitality
Biblical hospitality – welcoming strangers – is fading in Western Christian life. Yet, Christine Pohl said “as a way of life, an act of love, an expression of faith, our hospitality reflects and anticipates God's welcome.” Maybe Hollywood can help us recover our sight.
The stories we tell train us in what to expect from strangers. Odysseus’ story paints a picture of what happens when we treat strangers as threats.
Prospective Christian leader, are you scared of failure?
When did it become unacceptable for leaders to fail? I don't mean in the category of moral failure, but rather being responsible for a leadership decision that frankly didn't work or, in hindsight, was a bad call.
The much-documented crisis in so few people choosing to train for ministry positions is complex, but my conversation with many who considered the path into Christian leadership but chose not to pursue it often was explained as a fear of being overwhelmed by criticism. It seems to me that the fear of failure in our culture has grown exponentially – and to the detriment of Christian leadership – precisely because it has become such a taboo.
Do we have a theology of unemployment?
Recently, the Government published a report into unemployment amongst young people in the UK. The stark headline figure was that 12.8% of 16- to 24-year-olds, or one in eight, are not in education, employment or training (or “NEET”). In 2021, the figure was 9.7%. This works out at just under one million unemployed young adults in the UK today.
This trend in unemployment amongst young people is a huge societal problem. On a national level, it means that the government is receiving fewer tax receipts and facing greater demands on the welfare state.