Church of England Newspaper suspends publication
The Church of England Newspaper’s Editor, Andrew Carey, has announced that there will be no further published editions of the CEN until further notice. Instead, a weekly newsletter (by email?) will be sent out “for the foreseeable future” –
“In 1828, a group of young evangelical clergy set up a newspaper called The Record. One of its earliest subscribers and supporters was a young John Henry Newman. The Newspaper formed what became known as the ‘Recordite’ faction in the C of E opposing Tractarianism. It was in the 1950s that the Record merged with The Church of England Family Newspaper to become CEN. …”
Victorian Inquiry into Cults
“A new submission by Freedom for Faith warns that the Victorian Government’s inquiry into cults, coercive control, and high-demand groups may pose serious risks to religious freedom if not carefully scoped and defined.
While commending the inquiry’s aim to protect individuals from abuse, the submission emphasises that poorly drafted laws could stigmatise or even criminalise legitimate religious practices. …”
– Read more at Freedom for Faith (especially if you are in Victoria).
Anglican Communion (Nigeria) restricts political activities in Churches
“The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has banned politicians from using its lectern for campaign matters.
At the just concluded episcopal consultation at Nike Diocese in Enugu, the Anglicans set guidelines for the reception of politicians and government officials in Church services/programmes across all its Churches. …”
– Report from The Source Magazine Nigeria.
Has Living in Love and Faith come to an end? An open letter to the Archbishop of York
At Psephizo, Ian Paul writes to the Archbishop of York:
“Dear Stephen
I read with interest your address to York Diocesan Synod on 5th July, and one word leapt out for me: ‘final’. Near the end of your address, you comment:
The Living in Love and Faith process is not yet complete. Some final proposals will be brought to the February 2026 meeting of the General Synod.
If that is the case, I am and countless others (on all sides of this debate) will be delighted. This has been a disastrous and divisive process since 2017; I wonder whether you realise how damaging it has been, and whether you will ever publicly acknowledge that. It sprang out of Justin’s spontaneous and ill-conceived phrase ‘radical new Christian inclusion rooted in scripture and Christian theology’ which was both incoherent (how can this be new if it’s rooted in existing theology?) and immediately open to misinterpretation …”
– Read it here.
Image: Ian Paul speaks at last year’s Church of England General Synod.
Mass, indulgences and relics at Canterbury Cathedral
“Nearly 500 years after the English Reformation, Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the Protestant Church of England, will be given over to a Roman Catholic Mass, celebrated by the pope’s own representative in the country in honor of the martyr Thomas Becket, who died in the cathedral in 1170.
…the Mass will award those in attendance a plenary indulgence … celebrated by Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, apostolic nuncio to the United Kingdom …
And while the only relics left at the cathedral are some bloodstains of Becket’s, the Roman Catholic parish of St. Thomas, also in Canterbury, has acquired a relic — a bone of Becket’s, which will be taken to the cathedral for the Mass.”
– At Religion News Service, Catherine Pepinster previews the Roman Mass to be held in Canterbury Cathedral tonight, Australian time.
Outprinting the Prosperity Gospel in Southern Africa
“Seven years ago, Tommie van der Walt went to his elders with an idea.
‘I wanted to train pastors,’ he said. He especially wanted to train pastors in impoverished and underresourced areas. And he wanted to do it, in large part, by using books.
It sounds like the beginning of a great plan. Van der Walt lives in Africa, which is overrun with syncretism and the prosperity gospel. The need to train pastors is obvious.
But relying on books wasn’t as intuitive. First, getting books to Africa is prohibitively expensive. The shipping takes months. And if you do manage to get books there, Africa’s oral tradition and lower literacy ratesmean they’re likely to sit unread.
Not only that, but somebody else had beaten him to it.
‘Guys like Joel Osteen pay for imports or for printing,’ van der Walt said. It’s a financial strategy: ‘They pay for their resources to be dirt cheap, because they know if you read their books or see them on TV, you’ll give them money.’
It’s working—over the last 10 years, the prevalence of the prosperity gospel has been ‘getting worse,’ says pastor and TGC Africa Council member Conrad Mbewe. ‘One reason is that there is very little antidote for it.’…”
– A fascinating story of God’s grace at work – from Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra at The Gospel Coalition.
Photo: Gospel Coalition.
Alternative Anglican Ordinations: seven South African deacons
Law and Religion UK introduces a guest post on recent events in London:
“Seven lay ministers from dioceses across the Church of England were ordained in May 2025 by a visiting Anglican bishop from South Africa.
In this guest post, Andrew Atherstone provides the first report of this event, based on interviews with several of the leading participants.
‘On Wednesday 21 May 2025, the Archbishop of York received notification from the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa (REACH SA) of their plans to ordain “missionary clergy” for ministry in England.
“A group of churches from various Church of England dioceses”, declared Bishop Martin Morrison from Gauteng, “have approached us with a request: that we consider ordaining a number of emerging leaders, all of whom are appropriately selected and theologically trained.” Following the commendation of the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) in December 2023 by the Church of England’s House of Bishops, these young leaders found themselves unable “in good conscience” to pursue ordination through the normal channels, and their congregations were deeply concerned that “no clear or lasting pastoral provision has yet been made”, especially in terms of “legal and permanent structural protections or future ministry pathways”.
Therefore, Bishop Morrison explained to the Archbishop, REACH SA had decided to accede to their request for ordination. He emphasised: “This decision has been made with the aim of sustaining and advancing faithful Anglican evangelical witness and to ensure we do not lose a generation of gifted gospel workers to ordained ministry.”
Morrison’s letter was copied to the Bishop of London (in the absence of an Archbishop of Canterbury) and to the Bishop of Leicester (lead bishop of the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) project until his sudden resignation in early June). …’ ”
– Read the full report here. (Paragraph breaks added for clarity.)
NSW Budget Pathetic on Pokies Harm
“It’s time to put airbags on pokies!
Today’s NSW Budget is pathetically weak on gambling harm.
In fact, NSW tax revenue from pokies in pubs and clubs will reach a record level – $2.6 billion in the next financial year! That’s rising by 6% per annum – faster than the inflation rate.
This comes off the back of NSW residents who lose over $24 million every day on poker machines — more than $1 million an hour! …”
– Here’s this week’s media release from the Dean of Sydney, Sandy Grant.
Photo: Wesley Mission’s Stuart Cameron and Anglican Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant in 2022, courtesy SydneyAnglicans.net.
Double the number of reformed evangelicals in Australia over twenty years
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“In a bold move, a meeting of movement leaders from across Australian Reformed Evangelicalism has resolved to work together to see their numbers double over twenty years, through seeing sinners saved.
Leaders gathered for a mini summit organised by The Gospel Coalition Australia at Sydney’s Moore Theological College last week.
Gospel Coalition Australia Chair Rory Shiner says given the unparalleled theological and missional unity between the different organisations there’s a significant window of opportunity to work productively together for God’s glory.
They agreed to work towards an effective target of growing five percent per year through conversion growth. …”
– Rory Shiner, Sarah Kuswadi, Andrew Heard and Gary Millar join Dominic Steele.
Church of England responds to House of Commons votes
“There have been two instances this week of votes in the House of Commons on issues where members have been free to vote in line with their personal opinions. The Church of England has issued press releases in each case.
First, a change to the law on abortion was approved …
Second, MPs in the House of Commons voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, with 314 votes in favour and 291 against, a majority of 23.”
– from Thinking Anglicans. Not a good time for the not-yet-born, the old, or the very ill in England.
Gafcon Sunday 2025 Preparations
From Gafcon:
“Pray that the celebration of Gafcon Sunday on June 29th 2025 will a joyful day of thanksgiving for the movement and ministry of Gafcon, as we long to see the Bible at the heart of the Anglican Communion.
Pray that the two-minute video will be played in churches around the world so that the Gafcon family will be encouraged to grow in their participation in our shared mission, and that this will help strengthen the understanding of the four key purposes of Gafcon.
Pray also that churches and individuals will be stirred up to give generously to Gafcon, to provide for our urgent need of funds as we continue and develop our ministry of guarding God’s gospel, to his great glory.”
Here’s the two-minute video.
And this page might be helpful in explaining what Gafcon is about.
Australian Presbyterian Overseas Work
It’s easy to live in an Anglican bubble. In this article, Kevin Murray, National Director of Australian Presbyterian World Mission, gives a taste of what our Presbyterian brothers and sisters are doing –
“From time to time I’m asked to speak at a church missions dinner and over the course of 30-45 minutes I take those present on a whirlwind tour of just some of the things that we do as a church overseas. Afterwards someone will approach me and say ‘I had no idea we are doing so much!’
Here’s a small sample from some of our Partner Churches…”
– Read it at AP, The Australian Presbyterian.
Prayer for Peace in the Middle East
From Gafcon:
“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ within our Gafcon family,
I bring you greetings in the mighty name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
We are grieved by the escalating violence between Israel and Iran.
With heavy hearts, we watch as this conflict brings death, destruction, and unspeakable suffering to the innocent.
Each of those killed or wounded—Israeli, Iranian, or others caught in this conflict—are made in the image of God. Reports of civilian casualties, including children, drive us to our knees in lament and prayer.
I ask you to join me in prayer.
Pray for this conflict to cease. Pray for the protection of the innocent. Pray for the wounded and for the bereaved. And pray that the Lord will raise up peacemakers in our time.
For, our Lord Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). We must all be voices for peace in a world that too often chooses the way of violence.
As we pray for Israel and Iran, let us also remember the long-suffering people of Sudan, Eastern Congo, Ukraine, and all others who are suffering in this moment.
Even now, we do not lose hope.
For, Jesus Christ was born into a world torn by conflict. Through the cross, he reconciled not only humanity to God but enemies to one another: “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14).
In this season of Pentecost, may the Holy Spirit rekindle in us the ministry of reconciliation and prayer—for the sake of a world in need.
The Most Reverend Dr. Laurent Mbanda
Chairman, Gafcon Primates Council
Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda
Bishop of Gasabo
Monday, 16th June 2025.”
– via e- mail.
Bishop of Leicester steps down as lead on Living in Love and Faith
“The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, has announced that he is stepping down as lead bishop for the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process.
On Facebook on Friday afternoon, he wrote that he was doing so ‘with a very heavy heart’. He was ‘hugely grateful to the staff team that I have worked with over the last 18 months and similarly the Working Group members who have given hours of their time to seek an agreed way forward in the Church of England on matters of sexuality, relationships, and marriage. I hope it may yet be possible to reach such an agreement, but I don’t think that can happen under my leadership.’…”
Image from an October 2024 (now deleted) video by Bishop Snow.
75 Years of Church Society
In the latest Church Society podcast with Ros Clarke:
“Church Society is celebrating 75 years since its formation from the Church Association and the National Church League in 1950.
In this episode of the podcast, we hear from Andrew Atherstone, Gerald Bray and Lee Gatiss about the history of Church Society before 1950, in the past 75 years, and into the present day.”
– Listen here. 35 minutes.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…