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The terrible quandary facing C of E evangelicals

The terrible quandary facing C of E evangelicals
George Crowder
George Crowder
Date posted: 1 Aug 2023

An informal update on Living in Love and Faith in the York General Synod only shed light on division and stalemate.

After the vote in February, much was left to be brought back in July. Though the synod voted in favour of the House of Bishops’ proposals, vital questions remained unanswered about the final form of the prayers, the pastoral guidance for their use and the provision for those who in conscience could not accept them. In truth, it was a vote to continue with a process, a process which was instantly hampered by the same profound disagreements that were aired in the debate. Church Society Associate Director, Ros Clarke, a member of General Synod, shared in the session that, ‘despite all the good conversations, the sharing and the hearing, the growing fellowship and friendships, there is a profound disagreement which continues to exist on these issues.’

Can the Church of England be revived?

Can the Church of England be revived?
Andy Mason
Andy Mason
Date posted: 1 Jun 2023

It would be easy to answer that question with a  quick ‘no’. After all, we Anglicans are facing huge problems: a loss of gospel truth, obstruction from bishops and ongoing spiritual compromise throughout the institution.

This present mess has been a long time coming, and it is, in many ways, no surprise. Surely, then, it is all over with the Church of England, and we should just leave such a moribund institution? There is, after all, nothing sacred about an ecclesiastical institution in and of itself, and we know that denominational borders are not the borders of spiritual Israel. Everything would be simpler if we just came out so that we could breathe freely once again!

Verwer’s challenge
editorial

Verwer’s challenge

A while ago, en adopted the logo at the top of this column which represents a person running the race of faith in Christ.

It’s a Biblical picture, of course, and it is one that the late George Verwer (p.2) used too.

The ‘disturbingly disingenuous’ claims of many bishops

The ‘disturbingly disingenuous’ claims of many bishops
George Crowder
George Crowder
Date posted: 1 Apr 2023

February’s General Synod vote to welcome the House of Bishops’ proposals was momentous and has thus provoked strong reactions.

Christopher Cocksworth, the Bishop of Coventry and leader of the Living in Love and Faith process, observed: ‘The proposed provision has united a broad alliance of evangelical networks, and some significant catholic voices, in suspicion, bewilderment, consternation and, among most [of] the evangelical spectrum, rejection.’

From royal events to churches – how do we welcome?

From royal events to churches – how do we welcome?
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023

Recent media coverage of the Royal Family has included concerns about racism, including one event at Buckingham Palace.

Lady-in-waiting Lady Hussey’s role had been to put guests at ease at a reception. Unfortunately, whatever her intentions, the opposite happened. There were also allegations from Prince Harry and Meghan about related areas. I’m not going to comment on those events which have received so much coverage and divided opinion. However, it makes me think about the difficulties we have trying to connect with one another.

Tears and shock as ‘faithfuls’ and ‘traitors’ misjudged

Tears and shock as ‘faithfuls’ and ‘traitors’ misjudged
Cassie Martin
Cassie Martin
Date posted: 1 Mar 2023

Who’s your 100%? Who do you trust the most?

Like many others, our family has been hooked on the BBC series The Traitors. The runaway success story of pre-Christmas broadcasting (helped by its positioning alongside the football World Cup), The Traitors has enjoyed an even stronger afterlife thanks to word of mouth and BBC iPlayer.

Do we still care about world mission?
editorial

Do we still care about world mission?

Over the past two years, most of us have understandably been rather distracted by the Covid pandemic and all the disruption this has brought.

At the same time, however, this has not stopped all sorts of issues coming to the fore – and (rightly) being discussed with passion among conservative evangelicals.

Of criminalisation and the civilising mission

Of criminalisation and the civilising mission
David Shepherd
David Shepherd
Date posted: 1 Jan 2022

A few months ago, a group of Ghanaian MPs tabled a draft bill aimed at criminalising the ‘public show of amorous relations between or among persons of the same sex’ and ‘intentional cross-dressing … with intent to engage in an act prohibited under the act.’

That country’s Anglican archbishop, Cyril Kobina Ben Smith, joined several other prominent Ghanaian Christian leaders in endorsing the bill. He wrote: ‘The church does not condemn persons of homosexual tendencies, but absolutely condemns the sinful acts and activities they perform.’

Anti-Semitism then and now
editorial

Anti-Semitism then and now

Do many people in Britain, including Christians, and our own evangelical constituency, lack insight when it comes to Jewish people and to the reality and impact of anti-Semitism?

The answer is yes. Read firstly Jewish believer Gary Clayton’s chilling history of Christian anti-Semitism (here). Read secondly the review of David Baddiel’s recent TV programme (Jews Don’t Count) by his fellow Jew, Joseph Steinberg, CEO of the International Mission to Jewish People (here), who will be joining our rota of occasional contributors in 2023. And thirdly read the thorough, wise and definitive judgement last week of the Disciplinary Tribunal investigating Stephen Sizer (here). (You can read the entire ruling online by searching online for ‘Church of England tribunal decisions’). There can be no doubt.

Trying to make the crooked straight? You will fail

Trying to make the crooked straight? You will fail
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022

Two corgis who belonged to the Queen, Sandy and Muick, watched her funeral procession and reduced our dog-loving nation to tears.

Since the Queen’s death, sales of corgis have gone up. The Kennel Club reports a 30-year high for the registration of the breed. I expect a few more breeders will seek to cash in on the craze, as puppies can sell for around £6,000. So if you want a puppy for Christmas, perhaps another breed might be better. Remembering the seasonal refrain, a dog is for life and not just for Christmas. Corgis are still not as popular as the UK’s favourite breed, which is, of course, a Labrador. I admit it – I am a besotted Labrador owner.

Anglican evangelicals are deeply troubled

Anglican evangelicals are deeply troubled
George Crowder
George Crowder
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022

Church of England bishops will meet this month to continue their deliberations about human sexuality and gender identity.

In this meeting, and then in a subsequent meeting of the House of Bishops (diocesan bishops plus elected suffragans), they will draw together proposals to put to General Synod in February 2023. It is most likely that this synod will be used to seek opinion on the bishops’ proposals rather than to ratify a new measure, but then this will frame the agenda for the July synod.

‘Sing us a song… We’re all in the mood for a melody…’

‘Sing us a song… We’re all in the mood for a melody…’
John Stevens
John Stevens
Date posted: 1 Nov 2022

A couple of weeks ago I had a great evening seeing a tribute band at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester. I had been given tickets as a birthday present by a friend. Elio Pace and his band played the ‘Billy Joel Songbook’. It took me back 40 years!

I had previously been suspicious about the idea of a tribute band, fearing it might be something like a poor karaoke performance. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The quality was outstanding, and about as close as possible to attending a genuine Billy Joel concert.

Is complementarian theology really abusive?

Is complementarian theology really abusive?
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Oct 2022

I recently found myself tagged in a lengthy Twitter discussion.

Megan Cornwell interviewed me for an article called ‘Is complementarian theology abusive’ for Premier Christianity. She posted a link, and the responses began. It was like watching a tennis match, a type of Twitter ping pong. Tweets passed backwards and forwards. The rallies were long. An accusation followed by a defence with a counterargument returned.

Could the jobs crisis be an opportunity for churches?

Could the jobs crisis be an opportunity for churches?
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Aug 2022

We live in unusual times. Job adverts have been carefully drafted and widely distributed, yet the deadline for applications comes and goes with no one expressing interest.

This scenario has been taking place up and down the country. Currently, there are record numbers of vacancies as firms struggle to recruit. We experience the outworking of this with scenes of airport chaos and rising NHS waiting lists. There are shortages across sectors, from probation officers and dental nurses to plasterers, construction workers, and the agriculture industry. Those wanting to learn to drive cannot find driving instructors or even book a test.

Do we tell half-truths?

Do we tell half-truths?
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Jun 2022

This year, there has been a stand-out new genre on streaming services: the scammer show.

These dramatic reconstructions of ‘fake it until you make it’ chart the rise and fall of charismatic individuals who persuaded people to depart with eye-watering sums of money. Among them, Inventing Anna is the story of the fake German heiress Anna Sorokin, WeCrashed tells of the Neumans who raised billions of dollars whilst running at a colossal loss and, in my opinion, the best, The Dropout charts the fall of the biotech company Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes.

What do we learn from a dramatic cave rescue?

What do we learn from a dramatic cave rescue?
John Stevens
John Stevens
Date posted: 1 Mar 2022

In January, George Linnane joined the South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team. He volunteered after he had spent 54 hours trapped in a cave in the Brecon Beacons and was rescued by 300 volunteers. He joined the team ‘so I can help the next poor soul who finds themselves in this situation’.

As we approach the A Passion for Life Mission, and our churches begin to return to normal ministry after Covid, this story is a reminder of the essence of evangelism.

Beware of gospel-ending conversations

Beware of gospel-ending conversations
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Apr 2022

Jimmy Carr’s comedy is certainly not to everyone’s taste: he has built his career on telling risky one-liners.

In his Netflix show His Dark Materials (the clue is in the name), he played with the idea of career-ending jokes, and one such joke may have proved his point.

Tipping points: loveless marriages & abusive churches

Tipping points: loveless marriages & abusive churches
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Feb 2022

en continues to seek to provide a forum for us all to learn as broadly as possible from sinful and shameful abusive actions. Our foremost thoughts and prayers must be with the survivors and victims.

It is the straw that broke the camel’s back. The final straw is small; it barely weighs anything but, added to the burden already carried, it crushes.

We need to be bold when the moment arises

We need to be bold when the moment arises
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Oct 2021

I have found a new role model. A woman prepared to act against her family for the sake of the Lord and his people.

She used her abilities and the resources at her disposal to serve the Lord’s cause even at the risk of her own life. She is a little intimidating because she seemed so in control despite her vulnerability. Her nerve extended to extreme violence. She is Jael, and we read about her in the book of Judges.

After the fall of Afghanistan, is there hope?

After the fall of Afghanistan, is there hope?
Dave Burke
Dave Burke
Date posted: 1 Oct 2021

About 300 yards from my house is the grave of an 18-year-old paratrooper killed in Helmand province.

I’ve never been convinced by the reasons given for our Afghan adventure, and why this young man was put in harm’s way by our government. We have now abandoned Afghanistan and we are left wondering if there is any hope for that country.

Out of the blue

Out of the blue
John Benton
Date posted: 1 Aug 2021

The Psalmist writes of crying to God ‘out of the depths’. I’m sure many of us have been there at times during lockdown.

The job I do at present for the Pastors’ Academy in providing support for church leaders tends to lead me into some pretty depressing situations. I don’t get a balanced view of churches. I’m like a doctor. It’s generally those who are ill and unhealthy who turn up at the surgery.

What can cricket’s new competition teach us?

What can cricket’s new competition teach us?
John Stevens
John Stevens
Date posted: 1 Sep 2021

This summer has seen the start of a new cricket competition, The Hundred. This has been developed to make cricket more accessible.

Each side faces 100 balls, bowled in lots of t e n balls rather than six- ball overs. The shorter games produce greater excitement, are more attractive to families and provide entertaining television. Needless to say, traditionalists are outraged. Simon Heffer has written that it is a ‘bastardisation of a once-great game.’ Many have repeated the obvious cliché that The Hundred is ‘just not cricket’.

Remembering unsung heroes this summer holiday

Remembering unsung heroes this summer holiday
Keith Sinclair
Keith Sinclair
Date posted: 1 Aug 2021

If you are able to enjoy a holiday this August, why not give a thought to the unsung heroes of the last year.

As I write, the news is full of the resignation of the Health Minister, Matt Hancock, for breaching the Covid guidelines; no one seems to me much interested in his breaching of the seventh commandment on adultery, though I hope he will become repentant about that as well.

Church volunteering and exhaustion in the pandemic

Church volunteering and exhaustion in the pandemic
Karen Soole
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Aug 2021

If you want to waste time on the internet, put church names into the search engine of the Charity Commission and see how many ‘volunteers’ they have.

Lots of churches do what ours has done. The number of volunteers recorded is the size of the church family – it seems that everyone who belongs to the church is a ‘volunteer’.

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