MISSING: Twelve Primates – The Real Story of the Installation
From Anglican Futures –
“The Anglican Communion is made up of forty-two autonomous provinces who are meant to work together. They are aided in this by four ‘Instruments of Communion’, of which the Archbishop of Canterbury is one. It is no secret that for decades the Anglican Communion has been riven with disagreement over the authority of the Scriptures and the inability of the Instruments of Communion to maintain discipline and uphold Anglican doctrine.
Today, at the Installation of the Most Revd Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the extent and seriousness of that division was laid bare. All the pomp and ceremony could not hide the fact that the leaders of twelve of those forty-two provinces had refused to attend the service.
More importantly, those twelve provinces represented the leadership of the vast majority of Gafcon and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA) and by any reckoning the majority of the world’s Anglicans. Those who stayed away were…”
– Anglican Futures points out that most of the world’s Anglicans were not represented. Indeed, many of the world’s Anglicans may be unaware of the increasingly irrelevant event in Canterbury.
Related:
All Gafcon and at least most GSFA Primates passed the test of staying away from Archbishop of Canterbury consecration – John Sandeman at The Other Cheek.
Photo: Neil Turner / Lambeth Palace.
Installation Sermon by Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally
Sarah Mullally has been installed as the latest Archbishop of Canterbury. Her sermon has been published on her website –
“‘For nothing will be impossible with God’. (Luke 1.37)
May I speak in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
I am delighted to be with you today. Over the last week I have walked the ancient pilgrim path from St Paul’s Cathedral in London to Canterbury Cathedral. Each day my heart and spirits were lifted immeasurably by the people young and old we encountered, even though my aching feet and limbs tell a different story. …”
– Read it here. Most interesting to see what is not the focus.
And from our Presbyterian friends –
The Essence of Christianity – David Burke.
“Every now and then someone pops up on media and declares the essence of Christianity to be …. (fill in the blanks with your favourite cliché).
We don’t need to guess at the essence of Christianity. The Bible tells us.
Writing to Corinth, Paul reminds readers of the gospel which they had believed and by which they were being saved if they stuck with it:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures … (1 Cor 15:3-4, ESV). …”
See also:
The Installation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, brought to you by… – Anglican Futures.
Photo courtesy Lambeth Palace.
Has God changed his mind over same-sex marriage?
“Despite their setback over gay wedding celebrations, Church of England ‘progressives’ are still hell-bent on replacing Christianity with toxic neo-Marxist identity politics.
The February 2026 General Synod in Westminster saw the end of the Bishops’ Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process which they launched in 2020 to prepare the way for dedicated services of blessing for same-sex couples. …”
– At The Conservative Woman, Julian Mann echoes the alarm bells sounded by Martin Davie over a new move coming to the Church of England’s General Synod.
Anglican Heroes: Hugh Latimer — Church Society podcast
From Church Society –
“James Cary talks about the life and faith of Anglican reformer Hugh Latimer, to Ros Clarke.”
Also at the Church Society link –
James Cary’s documentary on Latimer.
(Image from the documentary, which is worth watching and sharing. 48 minutes..)
As Gafcon meets in Nigeria, the other Anglican communion reverses plans so Archbishop of Canterbury’s role is preserved
“As hundreds of Anglican bishops gather in Abuja, Nigeria to discuss the future shape of the Anglican Communion led by the vision of Gafcon, as the Global Anglican Communion, there’s been a change of plan from the rival establishment led from London. …”
– John Sandeman reports on the latest from what used to be known as the Anglican Communion.
Prayers of blessing STILL commended in the Church of England
From Anglican Futures –
“Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.
The Church of England has not “abandoned proposals to deliver blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in churches.” If only that were true.
What has happened is much more subtle and much more ‘English’. …”
– Read here.
“How to reconcile a fractious Anglican Church”
From The Religion and Ethics Report at ABC Radio –
“The world’s 85 million Anglicans have a new spiritual leader, as Dame Sarah Mullally officially begins her term as Archbishop of Canterbury.
She’s first woman to hold the position.
But her historic appointment has highlighted divisions in the Anglican world, including in Australia, where some conservatives have rejected her leadership.
GUEST: Bishop Mark Short of the Canberra-Goulburn diocese is the new primate of the Anglican Church of Australia. It’s his job to try to reconcile a fractious church.”
– Listen here.
CEEC’s National Director resigns as Honorary Canon over Prayers of Love and Faith
News from The Church of England Evangelical Council –
“Reverend John Dunnett, National Director, Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) and chair of the Chelmsford Diocesan Evangelical Network (CDEN) has resigned his title of Honorary Canon in response to the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith at Chelmsford Cathedral.
Chelmsford Cathedral used the controversial Prayers of Love and Faith for the first time in a Sunday service on 16 November 2025. …”
– Read here.
Related:
Chelmsford Cathedral to Introduce “Prayers of Love and Faith” for same-sex couples –
“The prayers will be offered as part of the cathedral’s worship life, reflecting its commitment to pastoral inclusivity and spiritual support. …”
Will the new Archbishop of Canterbury be any different?
“The election of the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury will be confirmed at St Paul’s Cathedral on the 28th January.
She inherits a Church and a Communion in crisis.
It is profoundly regrettable that the lack of decisiveness of Mullally’s predecessors will now become her problem. The failure to deal with progressive teaching at home and abroad, and the fallout that comes from decades of prioritising the reputation of the institution over and above the needs of victims of abuse, means Sarah Mullally has a very full inbox. …”
– Sadly, the writer of this opinion piece at Anglican Futures does not have high expectations.
Courageously Staying in The Church of England
From Church Society –
“Lee Gatiss, Chris Moore and Ros Clarke discuss what it takes to stay in the Church of England and faithfully contend for the gospel.”
– Listen here.
Have the bishops put the LLF Travelator into reverse?
“Just over two years ago, an Anglican Futures blogger adopted the concept of the ‘Travelator’ as a way of explaining how the process of changing the Church of England’s practice and teaching about sexual relationships works.
The blog explained how David Porter, the then Archbishop of Canterbury’s Strategy Consultant, ensured that the process would itself become the outcome, by legitimising the questions being asked and preventing any ‘end point’, other than the introduction of blessings and/or same-sex marriage, with the expectation that those who disagree are required to ‘walk together’/ ‘agree to disagree’.
Just like a Travelator – once the first step is taken, there is no way off.
Today, however, some are suggesting that the House of Bishops’ latest statement represents a reversal of the Travelator. If this were true it would be a cause for great rejoicing amongst orthodox Anglicans throughout the Anglican Communion.…”
– Is the LLF Travelator really going into reverse?
Anglican Futures has six reasons why it isn’t.
Churchgoers vow to stop donating to collection plates if cash goes towards slavery reparations
“Six in 10 Anglican churchgoers would divert their donations elsewhere if Church [of England] funds were allocated to slavery reparations, a new study has found. …”
Church’s net zero crackdown forces parish to rip out new boilers
“The Church of England has ordered a parish to rip out new gas boilers because they are not ‘sustainable’.
Christ Church Chineham, in Basingstoke, Hants, spent £18,200 last year replacing two failing gas boilers, with the new ones expected to last for at least two decades.
But the parish will now be forced to remove the system and pay for an eco-friendly replacement after a church court ruled it had not ‘adequately explored more sustainable options’ before installing them. …”
– Report from The Telegraph, via Anglican Mainstream.
MPs tell incoming archbishop to halt £100 Million reparations plan
“A cross-party group of 27 Members of Parliament and peers have called on the Archbishop-designate of Canterbury, the Rt. Rev. & Rt. Hon. Sarah Mullally, to intervene and halt the Church of England’s proposed £100 million slavery reparations fund.
In a letter first reported by The Sunday Times of London (28 Dec. 2025), the parliamentarians warn that the plan—known as ‘Project Spire’—risks setting a ‘worrying precedent’ by encouraging other institutions to divert charitable resources to political or symbolic causes. …”
– George Conger reports at Anglican Ink.
What are the (Church of England) bishops up to now?
“On Tuesday, 16th December, the House of Bishops of the Church of England announced that ‘more time’ was needed to finalise its ‘proposals on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process’.
While they said that the decisions they took in October had not been ‘contested’, they ‘identified some areas where further clarification is needed and agreed to continue work on a letter to the Church summarising LLF and setting out an agreed position.‘ Later in the press release it was explained that the text of the letter would ‘take the form of a statement from the House,‘ which would have a degree of authority in any future dispute.
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell also reassured the Church that the bishops ‘remain on course to bring proposals to Synod for consideration in February.’
This has led many observers to scratch their head and ask ‘What are the bishops up to now?’
Of course, unless there is a leak from the House of Bishops, the Church will need to wait until January to find out for sure. Meanwhile, this blog explores the possibilities that arise from a careful reading of the both the statements and the theological and legal advice the bishops received.…”
– Curious. Read it all at Anglican Futures.
But see this post at Church Society from 7th November 2025: Why we can’t have the Prayers of Love and Faith after all.
Image: Archbishop Stephen Cottrell speaking at the Church of England’s General Synod in February 2025.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…