Church of England Backs Plans for Trial Blessings of Same-sex Weddings

THE GUARDIAN: General Synod’s narrow vote in favour means services to celebrate gay marriages could be held within weeks

Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, backed the amendment to offer blessings to same-sex weddings on a trial period. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/AP
Dedicated church services to bless the weddings of same-sex couples could be held within weeks, after a narrow vote at the Church of England ruling body.

The General Synod backed a plan to hold standalone services of blessings for same-sex couples on a trial basis.

It means that gay Christians will be able to invite family and friends to a special service, which could be held on Saturdays, to bless and celebrate their weddings. Music, readings, confetti and other features would mean such services could look very similar to a standard church wedding. » | Harriet Sherwood | Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Church of England Parishes Close at Record Rate

THE TELEGRAPH: Startling figures come as dossier accuses bishops and senior clergy of driving through controversial plans to cut costs and vicars

The Church of England has been “dealt a death knell” as parishes close at a record rate, a Telegraph investigation has revealed.

Almost 300 have disappeared in the past five years alone, analysis of church data reveals, the fastest rate since records began in 1960.

The startling figures come as a bombshell dossier accused bishops and senior clergy of “putting a gun to people’s heads” to drive through controversial plans to cut costs, merge parishes and cut vicars.

The claims come against the backdrop of declining congregation numbers, leaving many clergy afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs. » | Gabriella Swerling, Social and Religious Affairs Editor and Ben Butcher | Saturday, September 2, 2023

I fear that it is only a matter of time before Islam will become the dominant religion in the UK. Brexit has helped accelerate the process, but so have our PC laws. One dare not speak out anymore, for fear of falling foul of them.

It is a curious phenomenon that, despite Islam being viewed by many rather negatively, it is growing apace. It is an appealing religion to many because it is a muscular and masculine religion.

Like it or not, Islam also offers simplicity and certainty in a complicated and uncertain world.

Saul of Tarsus hijacked the Christian faith; alas, not for the better. If one looks into Christianity’s history, the religion today bears little relation to the beliefs that Jesus taught. That is because Saul, later Paul, made the Church the Pauline Church, and in so doing introduced many myths that many young people are no longer willing to believe.

We are living in, and through, unnerving times. The UK is changing at such a rapid pace now that we Brits are in danger of losing all that we always held dear. – © Mark Alexander

Jesus Was Single and Single People Should Be Valued, Says Church of England

THE GUARDIAN: C of E report says church should not regard singleness as lesser than living in couple or family

Single people should be valued as much as couples and families, the Church of England has said in a major report that welcomes diversity in personal relationships.

The church should “not regard [singleness] as lesser than living in a couple relationship”, the report said, pointing out that Jesus was single.

“We have an amazing opportunity to reimagine a diverse society in which all families and loving relationships are valued and strengthened, promoting the stability that enables us all to thrive in a variety of family constellations, including being single. » | Harriet Sherwood | Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Love Matters.

Anglican Groups Revolt against Same-sex Blessing Plan

THE GUARDIAN: Conservative body in Church of England encourages dioceses to protest, and says opposition is growing

The C of E’s governing body voted in February to support a proposal by bishops to offer blessings on a voluntary basis for clergy. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty
Conservative clergy and parishioners have launched a small but vocal revolt against the Church of England’s plan to offer to bless the civil marriages of same-sex couples, a move that some Christians believe is contrary to biblical teaching.

In Buckinghamshire, a large group parish plans to refuse to offer blessings to same-sex couples in its seven churches and is taking steps to withhold its annual contribution of £235,000 to the diocese of Oxford in protest.

A group of traditionalist clergy in the City of London have unilaterally formed an independent structure within the C of E as an act of “resistance” to blessings. » | Harriet Sherwood | Monday, April 10, 2023

What’s It Like to Be Gay and a Priest? I Feel Like a Second-class Citizen in the Church of England

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The church made me answer prurient questions in order to be ordained – and if I were to enter a civil marriage, I’d essentially be sacked

Charlie Bell (right) and his partner. ‘Piotr and I won’t be getting married any time soon. The Church of England doesn’t want us to just yet.’ Photograph: Charlie Bell
In many ways, my partner and I are quite boring and conventional. We may have met through a dating app – very 21st century – but otherwise there’s been nothing particularly scandalous or unusual about how we do things. Quite frankly, most people wouldn’t bat an eyelid.

Except, of course, for the fact that I’m a priest in the Church of England – and that’s where the problems begin. For while the rest of the country seems able to see the clear and unambiguous good that springs from same-sex relationships, the church continues to drag its heels. For years, in fact, it has told us that there’s nothing good at all about our love for one another – that it’s something to be shunned, embarrassed about, even erased. Our love is, ultimately, a problem.

The poverty of such a view has become increasingly obvious to those within the church and without, but the bishops of the C of E have resolutely refused to say anything at all for years. They - including those bishops who are secretly gay – have been cowed into silence by threats from those who oppose same-sex marriage. A few years ago, in 2017, they finally said something – recognising that the church’s record had hardly been positive towards LGBTQ people but coupled with a firm refusal to do anything about it. And the clergy of the C of E told them to get stuffed. » | Charlie Bell * | Friday, January 20, 2023

* Charlie Bell is an Anglican priest in the diocese of Southwark and a Fellow at Girton College, Cambridge

ALSO READ:

Archbishop will not give new prayer blessing for gay couples: The Archbishop of Canterbury will not use proposed new prayers to bless same-sex couples. »

The Guardian View on LGBT+ Anglicans: Finally Grounds for Hope?

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: A significant intervention by the bishop of Oxford points the way to overdue reform in the Church of England

For more than a decade, the Church of England has engaged in an agonised, divisive and often poisonous debate about the status of same-sex relationships. As attitudes in the wider national culture have transformed beyond recognition since the 1980s, the country’s established church has gradually become an anomalous outlier, steadfastly refusing to countenance same-sex marriages or the blessing of civil unions. Its doctrine continues to conform to the view that homosexual practice is “incompatible with scripture”.

Responding to the hurt and grief that this has caused LGBT+ members of its congregations – apparently equal in the eyes of God but second-class citizens in their own church – the C of E has, at best, wrung its hands sympathetically. To the deep disquiet of many bishops and much of the laity, the goal of maintaining unity, both at home and in the worldwide Anglican communion, seems to have led to the perpetuation of a derided status quo. » | Editorial | Monday, November 7, 2022

Related articles here and here.

Five More Anglican Bishops Back Same-sex Marriages in Church

THE GUARDIAN: Church of England bishops say clergy should be able to act according to conscience on issue that has divided Christianity

A blessing ceremony for a couple in a Catholic church in Cologne, Germany, in 2021.Photograph: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Five more Anglican bishops have publicly backed a call for the Church of England to lift its ban on same-sex marriage, in a sign that momentum may be building for a historic change.

The bishops of Worcester and Dudley have written to all clergy in their area saying “the time has come for the church to celebrate and honour same sex relations”. John Inge, a senior bishop, and Martin Gorick, a junior bishop in the diocese, said they favoured same-sex couples being able to marry in church, although clergy should be permitted to act according to their conscience on the issue.

Inge added in a tweet: “I stand convicted of being silent for too long in what, I persuaded myself, was the imperative of unity. I offer my apologies to all those who have been hurt.” » | Harriet Sherwood | Friday, November 4, 2022

Related article here.

Bishop of Oxford Says Church Should Marry Gay Couples

The Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft said his own views on same-sex marriage were "slow to change" | DIOCESE OF OXFORD
BBC: The Bishop of Oxford has said Church of England clergy should be able to bless and marry gay couples.

The Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft said he was sorry his views on same-sex marriage were "slow to change" and had "caused genuine hurt, disagreement and pain".

In an essay, he said clergy should also be allowed to marry a same-sex partner if they wished.

By law no Church of England minister can bless or marry gay couples.

He is the most senior cleric in the Church of England to so far speak out in favour of same-sex marriage.

The essay, Together in Love and Faith, sets out the ways Bishop Croft's own views on same-sex relationships have changed over the last decade.

"I need to acknowledge the acute pain and distress of LGBTQ+ people in the life of the Church," he wrote.

"I am sorry that, corporately, we have been so slow as a Church to reach better decisions and practice on these matters.

"I am sorry that my own views were slow to change and that my actions, and lack of action, have caused genuine hurt, disagreement and pain." » | BBC | Thursday, November 3, 2022

Senior bishops join chorus of calls for Church of England to allow same-sex marriage: Bishops across the country have called for the Church of England to allow same-sex marriage, after the Bishop of Oxford became the highest ranking church official to do so. »

Boris Johnson Should Be Ashamed of Savile Slur, Says Bishop

THE GUARDIAN: Paul Bayes, retiring bishop of Liverpool, calls for an end to ‘rancid and dangerous’ political culture in Britain

Paul Bayes, the bishop of Liverpool, said Boris Johnson should take ‘serious stock of his position’ after what he said about the Labour leader Keir Starmer. Photograph: Rebecca Lupton/The Guardian
Today’s political culture is “rancid and dangerous” and Boris Johnson should be ashamed of telling a lie that led to street violence, a senior Church of England bishop has said.

Paul Bayes, the bishop of Liverpool, said the UK was facing a “struggle between those in whose interest it is to fragment society and those who want to sustain the common good”.

Speaking on the eve of his retirement, Bayes also said church law should change to define marriage as between two people regardless of gender – a highly controversial move that would overturn centuries of traditional biblical teaching.

Bayes said Johnson should take “serious stock of his position” after he told parliament that Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute the paedophile Jimmy Savile. Two days later, Starmer had to seek refuge from a mob accusing him of being a “paedophile protector”.

Bayes said: “I do not believe that was an honest statement, and I think [Johnson] should be ashamed of it. And the folks who trotted out to say ‘it’s not really a problem, it’s all part of the rough and tumble of politics’ should share that shame …

“The parallel in my mind is Donald Trump. [Johnson] is showing us who he is, and people seem to want that in politics. And I regret that. We need a politics that doesn’t have room for lies told in the House of Commons that might produce street violence two days afterwards.” » | Harriet Sherwood | Saturday, February 12, 2022

C of E bishop backs prosecution of those who defy ‘gay conversion’ ban: David Walker says faith leaders should face full force of law if they don’t comply with proposed ban »

A Vicar's Wedding: 'He Loves God and He Loves Stephen'

THE GUARDIAN: Gay Anglican clergy to defy church's official stance on same-sex marriage » | Nicola Slawson | Sunday, August 21, 2016

Vicars Should Grow Beards to Reach Out to Muslims, Bishop Suggests

THE TELEGRAPH: Bishop of London says priests with hipster-style facial hair in Muslim areas ‘can only be applauded’

It brings together the most unlikely of bedfellows from Prince Harry to Gerry Adams and even – in many depictions – God himself.

Now the fashion for beards has been given the blessing of the Church of England, after one of the country’s most senior clerics praised vicars who grow them to appeal to Muslim communities around them.

The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, singled out two East End priests who had cultivated bushy facial hair “of an opulence that would not have disgraced a Victorian sage”, for special praise.

More than simply a fashion choice, the move reflected a desire to “reach out” to the community in their Tower Hamlets parishes, a large proportion of whom are of Bangladeshi origin, he said.

It is, he added, an acknowledgement of the fact that in many Middle Eastern and Asian cultures the hirsute appearance is more associated with “holy men” than hipsters.

It is, he added, an acknowledgement of the fact that in many Middle Eastern and Asian cultures the hirsute appearance is more associated with “holy men” than hipsters.

The bishop, who sports what he describes as a “modest” beard dating from the late 1970s, made the observation in an article for the Church Times tracing the history of facial hair over the last 2,000 years of Christianity.

In Islam beards are viewed as an “adornment” and Muslim men are encouraged to wear them to honour the Prophet Mohammed. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Friday, January 22, 2016

Calls to Refer to God as a Woman as Female Bishops Take Up Posts

Bishop Libby Lane at Chester Cathedral

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Support is growing within the Church of England to rewrite its official liturgy to refer to God as female following the selection of the first women bishops

Support is growing within the Church of England to rewrite its official liturgy to refer to God as female following the selection of the first women bishops.

Growing numbers of priests already insert words such as “she” and “mother” informally into traditional service texts as part of a move to make the language of worship more inclusive, it has been claimed.

But calls for a full overhaul of liturgy to recognise the equal status of women have already been discussed informally at a senior level.

It comes after the “Transformations Steering Group”, a body which meets in Lambeth Palace to examine the impact of women in ministry on the Church of England, issued a public call to the bishops to encourage more “expansive language and imagery about God”.

Hilary Cotton, chair of Women And The Church (Watch), the group which led the campaign for female bishops, said the shift away from the traditional patriarchal language of the Book of Common Prayer in already at an “advanced” stage in some quarters.

“The reality is that in many churches up and down the country something more than the almost default male language about God is already being used,” she said. “Quietly clergy are just talking about God as ‘she’ every now and then.

“The response you often get at one end is ‘why does it matter because God is beyond all this?’

“At the other end the reaction is ‘you mustn’t because Jesus calls God father.” » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Sunday, May 31, 2015

C of E Crisis as It Loses 1.7m Followers - and Islam Gains 900,000: Former Archbishop Lord Carey warns: 'Church Is a Generation from Extinction'

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Lord Carey called for urgent action to reverse slump in followers / Britons identifying themselves as C of E or Anglican dropped to 17 per cent / Current Archbishop Justin Welby has also said decline needs tackling / Government statistician says figures are 'very serious' for Church

The Church of England has suffered a dramatic slump in its followers, shocking new figures show.

Between 2012 and 2014, the proportion of Britons identifying themselves as C of E or Anglican dropped from 21 per cent to 17 per cent – a fall of about 1.7 million people.

Over the same period, the number of Muslims in Britain grew by nearly one million, according to a survey by the respected NatCen Social Research Institute.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey warned last night that unless urgent action was taken, the Church was just ‘one generation away from extinction’.

The number of Anglicans in Britain has dropped from about 10.3 million to 8.6 million, and will raise fresh fears over the future of the Church of England, which has been in decline since the 1960s.

Lord Carey, who has warned before about dwindling congregations, said: ‘These figures are a call to urgent mission. I have no doubt at all that the Archbishops, together with the whole leadership of the Church of England, are doing all they can to reverse this trend.’

The current Archbishop, Justin Welby, has also called for the decline to be tackled and is introducing measures to streamline the Church and strengthen its leadership. Read on and comment » | Sanchez Manning and Jonathan Petre for ‘Mail On Sunday’ | Sunday, May 31, 2015

Welby Tells Church to Accept Gay 'Marriage' or Be Seen as 'Akin to Racists'

The Most Rev. Justin Welby

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Archishop of Canterbury insists it is not ‘wishy-washy’ to accommodate people with different views as the Church of England grapples with homosexuality and women bishops

The Archbishop of Canterbury has told the Church of England it may have to accept changes many members do not like for the sake of unity – as it prepares for a battle over wedding-like blessing services for gay couples.

The Most Rev Justin Welby acknowledged that many Anglicans would view the idea of special services honouring same-sex relationships as a “betrayal” of its traditions and even “apostacy” [sic] .

But he warned that others would see the Church as increasingly “irrelevant” and promoting attitudes “akin to racism” if it does not introduce them.

In a personal address to the Church’s decision-making General Synod, which is meeting in London, he urged members not to be afraid of “incoherence and inconsistency” in some cases and “untidy” arrangements to avoid splits.

He insisted that it was not “wishy-washy” to attempt to accommodate people with opposing views and said it was time for a massive “cultural change” in how it approaches disagreement. » | John Bingham | Wednesday, February 12, 2014

New Archbishop Says Church Had 'Made Views Clear' on Gay Marriage
The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby said the Church had “made our views clear” to the Government on gay marriage as he was sworn in to the role.

Read the article here

Women Bishops: The Church Has Lost Credibility in Society, Says Archbishop
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned the Church of England it has a “lot of explaining to do” after the rejection of plans for women bishops.


In a measured but devastating address to the General Synod, Dr Rowan Williams said that there was no doubt the church has “lost credibility” in society because of the vote.

He acknowledged that to many it would appear that the Synod was being held “hostage” by certain minority groups opposed to change.

And he said that, irrespective of rules preventing the measure coming back for debate for several years, “parking” it would not be an option.

His comments came after almost three quarters of the General Synod voted in favour of allowing women to become bishops but the measure fell short of final approval by just six votes in one strand of the Synod, the House of Laity. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor, and Richard Alleyne | Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Archbishop Panel Split Over Church's Future
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The panel meeting to appoint the successor to Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is split over the future of the Church.

It is the decision that 77 million Anglicans around the world are waiting for: who will become the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

But nine days after the successor to Dr Rowan Williams was expected to have been named, the Crown Nominations Commission remains silent.

Its work is shrouded in secrecy, but a Sunday Telegraph investigation can reveal that its 16 members are split, not over women bishops or same sex marriages, but the future of the Church itself.

A substantial number of people on the panel would like a man who will reform the structures, finance and strategies of the Church of England and help “re-imagine” it for the modern age. » | Cole Moreton, and Edward Malnick | Saturday, October 06, 2012

My comment:

The next Archbishop of Canterbury should be one who understands fully the threat of Islam, and he should also be committed to the Good News of the Gospel, leaving no stone unturned to begin the task of filling the churches once more. Anyone who does not meet up to these three challenges does not deserve to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Women bishops and gay marriage are side issues. The future of Western civilisation is at stake. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Rowan Williams Resigns as Archbishop of Canterbury
THE GUARDIAN: Rowan Williams is to step down as archbishop of Canterbury at the end of 2012 to take up a university position at Cambridge


The archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to resign and return to academia as master of Magdalene college, Cambridge.

Williams, 61, will leave at the end of December in time to start his new role next January.

His time in office has been marked by a slowly growing schism in the worldwide Anglican church, which he has failed to heal. Williams has been attacked by conservatives for his liberal views on homosexuality and by liberals for failing to live up to these principles.

But he has been respected on all sides for his gifts as a preacher of great eloquence and flashes of clarity. » | Andrew Brown | Friday, March 16, 2012

Related »

THE GUARDIAN: Rowan Williams: from least loved to cleverest man in the Church of England – The archbishop of Canterbury's views on female and gay clergy caused hostility but his intelligence was undeniable » | Amelia Hill | Friday, March 16, 2012

Rowan Williams to Step Down as Archbishop of Canterbury
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has announced he is to step down after ten years as he admitted that the row over homosexuality in the Church has been a "major nuisance".

Dr Williams, 61, will leave at the end of December to take up a new role as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge next January. The Queen, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, has been informed.

His reign has been plagued by bitter rows over gay clergy and women bishops that have left him struggling to prevent the Church from unravelling.

Explaining his reasons for leaving, Dr Williams admitted that "crisis management" was not his "favourite activity" but denied the rows over homosexuality had "overshadowed everything".

But he said: "It has certainly been a major nuisance. But in every job that you are in there are controversies and conflicts and this one isn't going to go away in a hurry. I can't say that it is a great sense of 'free at last'."

Dr Williams said his successor would need the "constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros". » | John-Paul Ford Rojas | Friday, March 16, 2012

Gay Marriage: David Cameron Faces Church Backlash Over 'Cultural Vandalism'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron was accused of planning an “Orwellian” act of “cultural vandalism” by an alliance of bishops, Tory MPs and legal figures yesterday over his plans to allow homosexual couples to marry.

Mr Cameron, who has publicly pledged his support for gay marriage, is facing a growing backlash from within his own party over the proposal to redefine the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

He is now facing the prospect of an open breach with prominent religious figures – just a week after leading Conservatives voiced their support for Christianity following a series of court rulings which reinforced the secularisation of Britain.

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, yesterday joined Lord Brennan, the barrister and peer, to launch the “Coalition For Marriage”, a new cross-party campaign [to] designed derail the plans for homosexual marriage.

A clutch of Church of England bishops and other Christian groups have already pledged their support for the alliance which is seeking hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition to maintain the current definition of marriage.

Crucially, the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church yesterday threw its support behind the campaign, raising the prospect of support from the more than a million devout Catholics in England and Wales.

It is understood that leading bishops are considering issuing a pastoral letter to parishes across urging them to support the campaign. » | John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor | Monday, February 20, 2012