Take up thy cross

Palm Sunday sees the start of Christ's journey to the cross. He was not alone in being crucified then and He is not alone now. A few days ago we witnessed the inaugurations of two of the most significant church leaders, Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby, both of whom...

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Happy Easter!

This year we searched in vain for packs of Easter cards with an icon depicting the Resurrection. There were plenty of cards to choose from with fluffy bunnies, flowers and eggs, even a few floral crosses but not what we wanted. After our initial disappointment I found...

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Maundy Thursday

Last week I addeddetails of work on a mosaic by iconographer, Aidan Hart. This led me to some equally amazing singing by a relatively small church choir sampled in the video above. I find their singing all the more poignant as the noise of the altar and sanctuary being...

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Not because she is a woman

Bravo!"More than a century of male-dominated baton wielding will finally be brought to an end when Marin Alsop becomes the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms. ... Ms Alsop, 56, was not chosen because she was a woman. Her musical strengths simply made her the...

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The burden of conscience

"Fight valiantly as a disciple of Christagainst sin, the world and the devil,and remain faithful to Christ to the end of your life."To the non-Anglican the Church of England must appear to be an archaic debating society in which the newly 'enlightened' struggle to drag reluctant...

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Margaret Thatcher: divisive to the end

This morning while hospital visiting I overheard an elderly couple telling anyone who was prepared to listen what a wonderful person Margaret Thatcher was. Clutching a copy of  the Daily Mail, the essential guide for working class Tories, they were pressing all...

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A pinch of salt

Photo: Jonathan_W flickrI thought of that advice while listening to this morning's homily on Good Shepherd Sunday when the vicar asked how we would know if the voice we heard was of a good shepherd or bad shepherd. My wife and I have listened to most shades of opinion over...

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St George's Day

Photo: Belfast TelegraphToday is St George's day. Reported in the Belfast Telegraph is a call by multi-faith campaigners for St George to be a symbol of unity. "The hijab, or headscarf worn by Muslim women, should be as welcome as "bangers and mash" in England, religious groups...

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'God save our gracious Queen'

Picture: BBCOn this, the 60th anniversary of the coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II, how apt are those opening words of theNational Anthem. As Supreme Governor of the Church of England she has been a rock on shifting sand. On this occasion I can do no better than quote fromthis...

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How has immigration changed Britain?

From BBC News Politics 30 April 2013"The BBC's Political Editor Nick Robinson visits Peterborough to find out how immigration has changed Britain.The former market town in Cambridgeshire, now a city, used to be "very English and very white", he says, but in the last decade...

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The changing face of Anglican clergy

As another woman is appointed to a senior post in the Church of England the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Revd Christopher Hill, said "Dean Gwilliams stood out from the rest"!No gold jewelry in evidence but the hair style must have afforded plenty of opportunity to demonstrate...

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Bedroom tax tragedy

"Bedroom Tax victim commits suicide: Grandmother Stephanie Bottrill blames government in tragic note."  This is one of the saddest stories I have read lately. The Samaritans, quoted here, said: "Although a catalyst may appear to be obvious, suicide is never the result of...

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The beauty of Orthodoxy

A very happy and blessed Easter to all my Orthodox reade...

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Two wrongs make a right - eventually!

Bevin Boys - from BBC Wales HistoryMembers of the Irish Defence Forces during the Second World War. (© UTV)Two images, both of sacrifice unrecognised, until now.The 'Bevin Boys' had a long struggle to be recognised for their contribution to the war effort. Their story is...

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Today's top story

I am not a soccer fan, nevertheless I understand why so many fans are wrapped-up in the 'beautiful game' which allows a degree of escapism from the trials of life but I despair that it dominates the news when matters of substance affecting the lives of people should make the...

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He ascended into heaven

Pietro Perugino 1496-98 The Ascension of Christ“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1...

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Dean of Llandaff resigns - Part 2

Regardless of one's views on the ordination of women it is very sad that the new Dean of Llandaff'sdream appointment turnedsour in such a short space of time but that has not stopped commentators such as those on Thinking Anglicans making political capital out...

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Dean of Llandaff resigns

A Press Release from the Church in Wales has announced the shock resignation of the new Dean of Llandaff after only two months in the post, hardly enough time for the paint to dry on the Deanery walls. The fact that the Archbishop has asked the Archdeacon of Llandaff, the...

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The Dean of Llandaff resignation saga

Photo: Church TimesThe reason for the Dean of Llandaff's resignation after only two months in post is as obscure now as it was when the announcement was made. At the time the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, said that he would be making no further comment. Dr Morgan...

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Woolwich response: Deceptive, stupid or just plain ignorant?

A Baghdad church. More 'religion of peace' imageshereIt is entirely understandable that the authorities would want to avoid a backlash after the random, callous murder of an innocent British soldier in Woolwich. Less understandable is the response of the Prime Minister who defended...

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Whitsun treat par excellence

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place" - not in Jerusalem on this occasion but inSwanbridge! Swanbridge            Photo:Francis FrithThree years ago I searched for an image of a typical Whitsun treat. I found...

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It's about equality, stupid!

It is Whit Monday! Formerly a public holiday and remaining so in many Christian countries but no longer here in the United Kingdom where we have the Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May. Today sees the return to the Commons of the Marriage (Same-sex Couples) Bill which,...

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Archbishop was 'un-Christian' in woman bishops campaign

Possible contenders                             Photo: The IndependentEarly in his occupancy of the seat of St Augustine it was said that Rowan Williams should have had a minder to avoid him saying things...

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Christ is coming

A simple story from the blog Christ is in our midst! in a two-part video here and here.The message is clear but challenging in today's world. It is very easy to make excuses for not giving money to the beggar or taking in the needy. There are alternatives. The parable of...

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Our 'multi-cultural' society

I missed the Channel 4 programme,Make Bradford British, but since it has been referred to so many times and debated on the BBC's Question Time I caught up with it on 4OD. There is a Telegraph review here. Reading the review, I see I was not alone in thinking that Rashid,...

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Different, but inferior?

Traditionalist Anglicans will be familiar with the sort of tactics used by the inappropriately namedEqual Love campaign. In 2010 The Rev Sharon Ferguson, a lesbian church minister fighting to overturn the ban on same-sex marriages revealed that she had...

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Self or selfless?

The current debate on gay marriage ignores an important aspect of marriage - children. Children may not be in the minds of all gay or lesbian couples but if they are, they ignore the fact that it is normal for a child to have a mother (female) and a father (male).In probably...

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"Archbishop Barry Morgan throws his mitre into the ring for Canterbury appointment."

The news in the Telegraph that Twitter users are "invited to help choose the new Archbishop of Canterbury" has already produced this interesting response from an alert member of the Church in Wales where their Archbishop has long since been keen to advance his Arch-Liberal credentials:Timothy...

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A special case

If, like me, you find it difficult to get your head around a figure of 6 million pounds, a little surfing on the internet can help. The mansion shown above cost Adele ?6million, the sort of figure a banker might expect as just one year's bonus.As the average young personstruggles to...

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Jesus was a Muslim!

Much has been written recently about the cross and whether it is appropriate for Christians to wear it as an expression of their faith. At the same time in Afghanistan the cross has been publicly burned by Muslims who complain bitterly about any form of disrespect shown to their...

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Hold Thou Thy Cross

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.The Archbishop of Canterbury has angered many campaigners with his suggestion that the cross itself has become a religious decoration. As ever with...

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The unacceptable face of Islam

Above is the face of an Islamist, Mohamed-Merah. Below are the faces of the Rabbi and little children he murdered in cold blood simply for being Jews.He had alreadyassassinated four French soldiers in France, his countrymen, for what he regarded as a higher ideal.Shot...

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Second Class or Second Rate?

I am becoming increasingly tired of pressure groups complaining about being 'second class' if they don't have exactly what they want, when they want it and as they want it.This claim grew ever louder in the campaign for the ordination of women to the episcopate....

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No Respect

George Galloway's'Blackburn triumph' victory in winning the West Bradford by-election for his Respect Party has brought into sharp focus the power of the ballot box where many apparently disaffected young Muslims registered disapproval of their lot in the traditional...

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