What’s wrong with the Church of England? — Church Society podcast

From Church Society:

“The second in the mini series looking at the Church of England featuring Charlie Skrine, James Cary, George Crowder, Lee Gatiss and Ros Clarke.”

Includes clips from the recent Junior Anglican Evangelical Conference.

– Listen here.

Bishops in Communion and Prayers in Love and Faith

“To say that the House of Bishops Occasional Paper Bishops in Communion, published in 2000, is not well known is an understatement. Twenty-three years after its publication very few people in the Church of England even know of its existence. However, despite this fact, Bishops in Communion remains an important document because the understanding of how bishops are meant to conduct their ministry which it puts forward continues to shape the way in which bishops operate in the Church of England today.

To put it another way, the actions that the bishops of the Church of England have taken, and continue to take, during the Prayers of Love and Faith process directly reflect the thinking about the role of bishops which is found in the pages of Bishops in Communion. …

The model of episcopal ministry set out in [the paper] sees bishops as facilitators. The job of the bishops, it says, is to ensure that dialogue between those of different views continues until a consensus emerges about the mind of Christ for his Church. This understanding of the bishops’ role is what shaped the Living in Love and Faith Process. The whole point of that process was to encourage an open process of discernment across the Church of England between those with different views about human sexuality.

If this is indeed the model that is shaping the way that the bishops are acting, it follows that the existence of the Prayers of Love and Faith proposals following on from Living and Love and Faith must mean that the bishops collectively believe that a new consensus has been reached. …”

– At his Reflections of an Anglican Theologian, Martin Davie looks at the self-understanding apparent in the Church of England’s House of Bishops – and why that is a huge problem.

Related:

Churches backing traditional marriage are cut loose by their bishops –

“Paul’s suffering supported his apostolic authority to appeal to these baptised Christians in virulently pagan Ephesus to stand together for the truth of the biblical gospel centred on Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God the Father almighty. Such unity based on a shared understanding of the essentials of Christian truth is vital if the Church is to be effective in proclaiming the gospel and defending it in a hostile culture.

Sadly, the deep doctrinal divisions in the Church of England undermined a united response to a recent attack on orthodox Oxford churches by the university’s powerful 3,000-member LGBTQ+ Society. …”

– Julian Mann asks how can bishops who support novel doctrines be a support for those churches which stick to the Bible.

Will there be a place for me in the Church of England?

“In August, the Church of England announced that a series of meetings were to be held in September ahead of the bishops presenting to November’s General Synod ‘proposals t o enable same-sex couples to come to church following a civil marriage or civil partnership for prayers of dedication, thanksgiving and for God’s blessing’. …

Where does this leave those of us who wish to uphold the faith ‘as we have received it’? Having been an ordained minister in the Church of England for more than 35 years, I wonder if there will be a doctrinal place for me in my later years?…”

– The CEEC’s John Dunnett asks the question and looks at what would be required – in Evangelicals Now, this copy with thanks to Anglican Mainstream.

Related:

The Church that needs you — Charlie Skrine at JAEC 2023.

The Church of England Evangelical Council.

The Church that needs you — Charlie Skrine at JAEC 2023

At Church Society’s JAEC (Junior Anglican Evangelical Conference) two weeks ago, Charlie Skrine, Rector of All Souls Langham Place, spoke on the topic “The Church that needs you”.

While he says that he expects the next ten years will be very difficult, he calls his hearers to stand with him in the Church of England. He reminds us, “You only live twice”, and outlines several scenarios where evangelical ordinands are absolutely needed. Sobering and a cause for much prayer.

Before his talk, Dr Ros Clarke asks him a few questions about his background.

Also at the conference,

Ros Clarke speaks on “The Church that England has”,

James Cary addresses the topic “The Church that England needs”, and

Lee Gatiss gives a Pastoral Charge from 1 Timothy 5.

Photo: Church Society.

New City of London Deanery Chapter commissions gospel worker

“On Wednesday 30 August the New City Deanery Chapter held a commissioning service for George Diwakar. George has now completed his training at Oakhill. His new role at St Helen’s will involve training associates and serving in gospel ministry across the congregations.”

As William Taylor suggests, unless the House of Bishops changes direction, there will be many others seeking to be commissioned outside the authority of heterodox bishops.

– Watch a five minute summary of the service here – and the full Commissioning Service here.

What do Anglican clergy think about ‘Christian’ Britain, sexuality, and clergy morale?

“At the end of July, Kaya Burgess, the Religious Affairs correspondent of The Times, sent out an email to 5,000 Church of England clergy, inviting them to complete a questionnaire giving their views on a whole range of issues, including whether Britain is a ‘Christian’ country any more, the Church’s teaching on sexuality, their own morale, and the leadership of the Church. …”

– At Psephizo, Dr Ian Paul provides some much-needed context and balance to the survey of Church of England clergy.

“This really is the worst way to conduct an opinion poll or survey. …

I completed the survey in August, but with just about every section I wanted to say ‘But that is a false dichotomy!’ or ‘Yes, but not for the reason you think’.”

“Most Church of England priests back gay marriage, survey finds”

“Most Church of England priests want the C of E to allow same-sex weddings and to drop its opposition to premarital and gay sex, according to a survey. …”

– Story from The Guardian.

Brett Murphy explains why he had to leave the Church of England

In an interview with Dave Piper at TWR-UK, Brett Murphy gives some of the background why he felt compelled to leave the Church of England. Link via Anglican.ink.

Earlier:

Rev Brett Murphy leaves the Church of England – 08 July 2023.

Brett Murphy — I have joined the Free Church of England (GAFCON) – 14 July 2023.

Update on the Church of England’s General Synod — July 2023

Tony Rucinski from the Coalition for Marriage in the UK speaks with the Rev Dr Ian Paul for an update on the July session of the Church of England’s General Synod.

What actually happened with the Bishops’ push for the blessing of same-sex relationships? “We’re in this sort of bizarre no-man’s land.”

Video here.

Link via Anglican Mainstream.

Confirmed: The C of E’s Net Zero mania

“Confirmation services in the Church of England are about to become politicised after the General Synod voted to include a liturgical response to ‘the climate emergency’.

The July sessions in York saw the bitter divisions in the C of E laid bare, particularly over sexual morality and in the row over the sacking by the Archbishops’ Council of two members of the Church’s Independent Safeguarding Board. It was on the last morning of the five-day hate-in that the Synod voted overwhelmingly for the ‘Responding to the Climate Emergency’ motion moved by the suffragan Bishop of Reading, Olivia Graham, on behalf of Oxford Diocese. …”

– Opinion-piece by Julian Mann at The Conservative Woman.

Direct link to the end of the debate on video.

The vast majority of Church of England bishops have failed miserably – so new leadership is needed

The Rev William Taylor, Rector of St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, has released a 9 and a half minute video on the continued fallout from the failed leadership of the House of Bishops. This includes new ways of ensuring leadership which is faithful to the Lord and his Word.

“The leadership of the House of Bishops of the Church of England has failed spiritually and practically. New leadership and new structures must arise to secure faithful future ministry. By setting up such legal structures, gospel ministry will be safeguarded.”

– Watch the video here.

Earlier:

A new deanery chapter for the City of London – 31 March 2023.

Synod’s Alpha and Christianity Explored snub

“The vote in July’s General Synod against an amendment affirming the Alpha and Christianity Explored courses in prisons showed a disturbing level of hostility towards the gospel message that charismatic and conservative evangelicals are proclaiming…”

– Story by Julian Mann at Christian Today.

Image: The scene at General Synod on July 8th.

Will the Archbishops allow General Synod to speak?

“As the summer session of the Church of England’s General Synod opens in York, the mood is more than a little ‘niggly’ according to the former Chair of the Prayer Book Society, Prudence Dailey. …

Dailey described Synod as being ‘bypassed and managed’ – pointing to the record number of ‘presentations’ that Synod was being asked to endure.…”

– Susie Leafe writes at Christian Today. Attendees at recent Lambeth Conferences have experienced being ‘bypassed and managed’ firsthand.

Picture: Susie Leafe speaks with Kevin Kallsen on Anglican TV in January 2023.

Rev Brett Murphy leaves the Church of England

The Rev Brett Murphy, well known through his posts on YouTube, has announced he has left the Church of England and his church in the Diocese of Leicester – to start a church plant with a fellowship many know and love.

It would be good to uphold him and his family (and others in similar positions) in your prayers.

Watch here. Do watch right to the end.

Lord’s Prayer opening may be ‘problematic’, says Archbishop of York

“The archbishop of York has suggested that opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, recited by Christians all over the world for 2,000 years, may be ‘problematic’ because of their patriarchal association.

In his opening address to a meeting of the Church of England’s ruling body, the General Synod, Stephen Cottrell dwelt on the words ‘Our Father’, the start of the prayer based on Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4 in the New Testament. …”

– Report from The Guardian.

To be fair, in his Presidential Address, the Archbishop wasn’t advocating for a change to the Lord’s Prayer, or necessarily endorsing the views of those who find the use of ‘Father’ to be ‘problematic’.

Rather, the thrust of his address was that Christians should be unified by their baptism into Christ, even when they disagree. The context, of course, is the push by the Bishops to bless same-sex unions, contrary to Scripture, and that is where the Archbishop’s words about ‘unity’, while sounding lofty, may be seen as rather hollow.

Decide for yourself – the Archbishop’s full remarks may be seen here.

Photo: The Archbishop of York speaking at General Synod on Friday 7th July 2023.

Related:

From the previous Archbishop of York.

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