Reflections on leaving the Church of England

“Having served for 23 years as an ordained minister in the Church of England, I was recently licensed as minister of Emmanuel, Morecambe in the Free Church of England, a smaller Anglican denomination which formed in the mid-19th century. …

People have asked me what has changed in the CofE in recent years such that I have decided to leave it now and whether this decision has involved some soul-searching.”

– Julian Mann shares something of his journey, at VirtueOnline.

Why one Minister left the Church of England

Julian Mann, who has recently joined the Free Church of England, explains why he finally decided to leave the Church of England.

At the Free Church of England website.

ReNew Conference hears call to mission in the light of the future

“The annual gathering of conservative evangelical English Anglicans addressed the uncertainties of ministry in the present, given the challenges offered by the Church of England and Western culture, and emphasised the certainty of a future under Christ’s just reign promised in Scripture. …

The theme of the Renew Conference, attended by nearly 500 people from 270 churches, was ‘multiplying ministries in the light of eternity’.”

– At Anglican Mainstream, Andrew Symes gives an encouraging report on this year’s ReNew Conference in the UK.

A Christian light in the Westminster gloom

“In a House of Commons dominated by anti-Christian political correctness, it is important to celebrate any attempt, however small, to stand up for countercultural Christian orthodoxy.

Conservative MP Sir John Hayes has recently given a reason to thank God for a cheeringly cheeky move to promote traditional Christianity in Parliament. …”

– The Rev. Julian Mann is grateful for some in Parliament who seek to hold the Church of England to its founding doctrines.

Norwich Cathedral: Bishop delivers sermon from helter-skelter

“The bishop had climbed to the top of the helter-skelter before edging halfway down the slide, where he stopped to deliver his sermon.

He then received a loud cheer as he whooshed to the bottom. …”

– Story from BBC News. Photo: Bill Smith / Norwich Cathedral.

Cathedral gimmicks illustrate spiritually blind Britain and mute Church

“No doubt buoyed by the old cliche that there is no such thing as bad publicity, the Church of England continues to include in its own Daily Media Digest several reports and opinion pieces in a number of media outlets about the installation of a golf course and helter skelter in Rochester and Norwich cathedrals.

While some have defended the gimmicks as harmless ways of raising money and attracting to an experience of the sacred those who would never normally darken the doors, there have been criticisms (for example here and here) from those pointing out that this trivialises the Christian faith and is a sign of lack of confidence in the gospel…”

– Andrew Symes writes at Anglican Mainstream.

Richard Coekin on The Pastor’s Heart

On the latest edition of The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with Richard Coekin, leader of the Co-Mission network in London.

Watch or listen here.

Norwich Cathedral erects 50 foot helter skelter in Nave

Not to be outdone by Rochester Cathedral’s indoor crazy golf course, Norwich Cathedral has built a 50 foot (15 metre) helter skelter in its Nave.

To be fair, the helter skelter is part of the Cathedral’s strategy to connect with the community and to open up conversations about the gospel:

“Could the playful presence of a helter skelter help to open up conversations about the building, help open up conversations about God? This unexpected presence in the Cathedral would act as a draw. Climbing to its top, the visitor will literally see the Cathedral differently. They will also come closer to the roof bosses and to the story they tell, the story of Salvation. …

in the South Transept will be a Bible Box, offering the opportunity to literally sit inside the Word of God. Surrounded by all the words of Scripture, and the story of Salvation …

And in the East end of the Cathedral will be displayed stories from individuals explaining how Jesus has helped them see life differently. …

The fun comes in the shape of a helter skelter. The serious comes in creating opportunities for reflective, God-shaped conversations. It is playful in its intent but also profoundly missional. It is the Cathedral doing what it has always done – encouraging conversations about God. By its sheer size and grandeur it speaks of the things of God; it points beyond itself. Its sheer presence helps to keep the rumour of God alive and plays its part in passing on the story of Salvation.”

Image: Norwich Cathedral.

Rochester Cathedral opens crazy golf course to tee-up younger generation

“Not content with offering a venue for weddings, baptisms and holy communion, Rochester Cathedral in Kent has added crazy golf to its repertoire. …”

– Story from Sky News. Image: Lesley Olley via Rochester Cathedral.

C of E’s Newcastle Cathedral plans a weekend festival of LGBT events

From Church Society:

“Newcastle Cathedral is planning a weekend festival of LGBT events in July. These events include a panel discussion on ‘Queering the Church: beyond tolerance to inclusion’ featuring, among others, ‘a nonbinary genderqueer transgender person’ who is an ordained deacon.

We are working with local evangelical ministers to support them in responding to this event. …”

– More here. (Image via Anglican Ink.)

Related: How LGBT Pride Month Became a Religious Holiday – Joe Carter

“We do not love our neighbor when we tell them they can continue to engage in unrepentant rebellion against God.”

Archbishop of Canterbury on pilgrimage to Walsingham

“The Most Reverend Justin Welby appeared as a guest preacher at the National Pilgrimage to the Anglican Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham. …

The Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham has a long religious history, dating back to 1061 when it is said that the Virgin Mary led Richeldis de Faverches to Nazareth in spirit and asked her asked her to build a replica of the house where the Annunciation occurred.”

– Story from Eastern Daily Press in Norwich.

What is the Anglican Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham? From their website:

“After nearly four hundred years, the 20th century saw the restoration of pilgrimage to Walsingham as a regular feature of Christian life in these islands, and indeed beyond. In 1897, there was a Roman Catholic pilgrimage to the restored 14th century Slipper Chapel, now at the centre of the Roman Catholic National Shrine.

Fr Hope Patten, appointed as Vicar of Walsingham in 1921, ignited Anglican interest in the pre-Reformation pilgrimage. It was his idea to base a new statue of Our Lady of Walsingham on the image depicted on the seal of the medieval Priory. In 1922, this statue was set up in the Parish Church of St. Mary, and regular pilgrimage devotion followed. From the first night that the statue was placed there, people gathered around it to pray, asking Mary to join her powerful prayer with theirs. This work of intercession continues to this day.”

The Archbishop has visited Walsingham several times previously.

Earlier: Reversing the Reformation? – Church Society.

(Photo: The Anglican Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham.)

Vicar resigns as primary school imposes transgender ideology

“A Church of England primary school has taken the unprecedented step of allowing a child to transition from a boy to a girl in the school without informing parents until the day of the transition or putting any agreed policies and procedures in place. A rare audio recording has also revealed how the school brought in controversial trans lobby group Mermaids to train staff and governors. …

The Christian Legal Centre is supporting the courageous Rev. John Parker who resigned as a governor after his concerns were ignored and silenced.”

– See the video from Christian Concern.

See also:

“After his worries were dismissed by the bishop, Mr Parker quit the church where he had been a vicar for 14 years, and also the school after seven years as governor.”

– from The Daily Mail, via Anglican Mainstream.

Reversing the Reformation?

“A number of events have happened in the past few weeks which make one wonder what on earth has happened to this nation’s ‘Protestant Reformed Religion established by Law.’  This phrase is, of course, is taken from the Coronation Oath, and is meant to describe the Church of England.

More often than ever it seems important to remember what is actually established by law and what is commonly found to be contrary to it.  Canon A5 tells us that:

‘The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures.  In particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal.’  — Canon A5

In other words, the doctrine of the Church of England is that of the Bible and those who agree with it. When asked ‘what do those people who agree with the Bible look like?’ — the Church of England replies, ‘they look like those who uphold the 39 Articles of Religion, the 1662 BCP, and the Ordinal.’

There are no prayers to Mary, or asking for Mary’s prayers, in the BCP. There is no veneration or adoration of statues or images in the BCP. Indeed there are no images or statues at all, nor are there pilgrimages, or a sacramental confession. Quite the contrary in fact. …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Adam Young points to some disturbing developments in the Church of England.

Related:

Journey with Mary from The Ascension to Pentecost: A guide to praying with Mary for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (“Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement … started in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York…”)

(Photo of the statue of “Our Lady of Walsingham” being carried into Westminster Abbey, courtesy Westminster Abbey.)

Tactics, not truth, over same-sex marriages

“It would seem that the response by the bishops of the Church of England to the latest attempt in the House of Lords to force clergy to conduct same-sex weddings was driven by tactical considerations rather than by transcendent truth.

Although the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft [pictured], resisted the amendment by Lords Faulkner and Collins to remove the CofE’s exemption from solemnising same-sex marriages, his remarks were notable for their political tone…”

– The Rev. Julian Mann discerns an attempt by the Bishop of Oxford to placate the 100+ evangelical clergy in his diocese who signed a letter ‘of grave concern’ in January.

Gospel Flourishing in a Time of Confusion — new book from Church Society

At Church Society’s website, there’s news of a new book to help evangelicals in the midst of a very confused Church of England.

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