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Hundreds of Anglicans have called on Church of England bishops to speak out against proposals to decriminalise abortion. The open letter was signed by 384 people, including 49 members of the General Synod, concerned over the manifesto commitments by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Many church leaders signed the letter, including Revd Dr Ian Paul, a member of the Archbishops’ Council, Revd William Taylor of St Helen’s Bishopsgate, and Revd Andrew Symes of Anglican Mainstream. ‘Most vulnerable’ The signatories said decriminalisation of abortion “would remove all sanctions in criminal law for those who perform abortions outside the limits set by...

Glenn Davies, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, has a message for people who disagree with him, and his diocese, about same sex blessings – they should leave the church rather than fight. “My own view is that if people wish to change the doctrine of our Church, they should start a new church or join a church more aligned to their views – but do not ruin the Anglican Church by abandoning the plain teaching of Scripture,” he told his Synod (church parliament) in his final address to them. “Please leave us. We have far too much work to do in...

The Church of England faces serious issues: membership and attendance have continued to drop with no end in sight, theologically conservative bishops threaten a massive boycott of the upcoming 2020 Lambeth Conference, and the Brexit question continues to divide British society. Amidst this, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was interviewed before the attendees of Greenbelt, a liberal Christian conference and festival held annually since 1974. While the festival offers music and art, the conference elements focus upon the role of the church in modern society. During this interview the Archbishop fielded questions from presenters and from an audience. Welby was...

300,000 miles on horseback -Francis Asbury, Circuit Riding Preacher "one of the builders of our nation" The King of England was the head of the Anglican Church from the time of Henry VIII. Beginning in 1535, all English subjects, including those in English colonies, were required to the Oath of Supremacy: "I (state your name) do utterly testify and declare in my Conscience, that the King's Highness is the only Supreme Governor of this Realm ... in all Spiritual or Eclesiastical things ... So help me God." For most of England's history from 1535 to 1829, not to take the...

ROCHESTER, England, July 29, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – The second-oldest cathedral in England has become a source of controversy for announcing it will soon host a decidedly unconventional secular feature within its historic walls: a mini-golf course. Founded in 604 AD, Rochester Cathedral is second in age among English churches only to Canterbury, and was consecrated by St. Augustine himself. Earlier this month, the cathedral’s current leadership announced it’s partnering with the Rochester Bridge Trust to temporarily install a “bridge-themed adventure golf course” in the Medieval Nave. Running through the month of August, the course is being billed as a free...

One decade after the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) was inaugurated, Anglicans returned to Plano, Texas to release a revised Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and hear presentations on Christian discipleship. Much like previous Provincial Assemblies, this one was characterized by the participation of Global South bishops exhorting adherence to orthodoxy amidst cultural headwinds. ACNA also continues to be shaped by constituent groups with significantly differing churchmanship. During the opening Assembly Eucharist, bishops clad in cope and mitre sang contemporary worship songs including Hillsong Music’s “Who You Say I Am”, a juxtaposition that seemingly only ACNA could facilitate. Assembly...

The Rev Andrew Foreshew-Cain had served as a vicar for around two decades until his fractious exit in 2017. His crime? Marrying his partner, Stephen, in 2014. While he kept his position at St Mary with All Souls, Kilburn, and St James’, West Hampstead, after his wedding, he says he was “blacklisted” from finding a new job. In 2017, he resigned, publicly condemning the church as “institutionally homophobic”. It was a bold statement, and one he knew would bar him from ever returning. While heterosexual priests can marry and have sex, gay clergy members are expected to remain unmarried and...

New Zealand catches me between two arms, as it were; one in the past and the other in the present. The past is a memory. It’s the memory of a man who was an awkward bearded Kiwi law don. He used to invite a number of us who were law students to his rooms in the late evening to argue over ideas. We drank and argued. He helped me to learn to think; more importantly, he taught me never to be afraid of ideas I found alien or alarming. Later, during the quarter century I taught at university, with a...

The Bishop of Liverpool has said he will attend an international summit of Anglican leaders without his wife next year, in protest at a bar on the partners of gay clergy. Rt Rev Paul Bayes described the decision to prevent same-sex partners of clergy from attending the 2020 Lambeth Conference as an "act of exclusion". In a message posted on Twitter, he said: "I deeply regret that, in the fractious complexities of our life as a worldwide people, this act of exclusion has taken its place. "It is a grief to me and to my wife, and to many others....

CHURCHES can adapt the liturgy for the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith “in a creative and sensitive way” to mark a person’s gender transition, the House of Bishops has said in guidance published this week. The House decided earlier this year that special liturgical provision on gender transition was not needed, after the General Synod requested that it consider the matter (News, 26 January). The resulting guidance, published on Tuesday, states that, where churches wish to recognise a person’s gender transition, baptism would be the “natural liturgical context for recognising and celebrating their identity in Christ and God’s love” for the...

Last week, politicians in the State of New York passed legislation enabling the killing of unborn babies throughout all nine months of pregnancy, right up until the moment before birth. A full-term baby can now be killed. This legislation is a disastrous development for all of us. One of the foundational responsibilities of the State is to provide physical security to the vulnerable, and none are more vulnerable than babies. I am profoundly saddened by the blatant disregard for the value of life exhibited by the politicians who have done this and by the evident celebration exhibited in the New...

UNITED KINGDOM, December 11, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – While the Church of England – the largest Christian denomination in the United Kingdom – is stopping short of calling its newly instituted blessing for “transgenders” a second baptism, priests are being directed to offer baptism-style ceremonies for those announcing their new sexual identity. In a newly issued pastoral guidance, clergy are being told to call men by their new female names, and women by their new male names. The guidance declares, “For a trans person to be addressed liturgically by the minister for the first time by their chosen name may be...

A group of Ohio religious leaders criticized lawmakersÂ’ efforts to pass protections for unborn babies Thursday during a pro-abortion protest at a church in downtown Columbus. The event at Trinity Episcopal Church, coordinated by the Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, included Christian and Jewish leaders who oppose a bill to prohibit abortions after unborn babies have a detectable heartbeat, about six weeks of pregnancy.The state House passed the bill in November, and the Senate is considering it this week. It is expected to pass the Republican-controlled legislature. HAPPENING NOW: Faith leaders organized by @OhioRCRC are speaking against bans on...

Glenn Beck has recently raved about a book on the faith of George Washington, helping to propel the book to #1 on Amazon for six days in a row. MediaMatters, which is funded by George Soros, accuses this book of being “revisionist history.” But just who is rewriting history? The book in question is near and dear to my heart, because I co-wrote it. The chief author of George Washington’s Sacred Fire is Dr. Peter Lillback, president of Westminster Theological Seminary, who researched the subject for some 20 years before we met. We began to collaborate in late 2004, and...

As the Prince of Wales accompanied Meghan towards the altar, where Harry was waiting, Handel’s Eternal Source Of Light Divine played. The spell-binding cantata was sung in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel by Welsh soprano Elin Manahan and featured David Blackadder as the trumpet soloist. The Duke of Sussex has revealed he picked the poignant music his wife walked down the aisle to. Harry, speaking in the audio commentary notes for a new Windsor Castle exhibition about his wedding, said: “I was looking for something completely different and ended up stumbling across this piece of music. “Something that epitomises the...

LEICESTER, United Kingdom - Catholic schools in the Republic of Ireland can no longer give preference to Catholic students. Richard Bruton, the Irish Minister for Education and Skills, made the announcement Oct. 3 on Twitter. Unlike in the United States, the government funds religious schools in Ireland, and about 96 percent of elementary schools in the country are under the patronage of a religious group, and approximately 90 percent of these schools are run by the Catholic Church. In some areas of the country - mostly in and around the capital Dublin - there are more students seeking places in...

LEICESTER, United Kingdom - In the wake of Ireland’s May 25 referendum legalizing abortion in the country, the Irish Labour Party has started a petition seeking a referendum to end religious schools in the country.Unlike in the United States, the government funds religious schools in Ireland, and about 96 percent of elementary schools in the country are under the patronage of a religious group, and approximately 90 percent of these schools are run by the Catholic Church.“It’s time for a national conversation about how we achieve a modern, secular and equality-based education system for the Ireland of today, and what...

* The Archbishop of Wales, John Davies, has been accused of ‘sowing confusion’* He said it was ‘terribly hard’ for people to grasp the idea of a bodily resurrection* The Archbishop, 65 was elected in September to head the Church in WalesOne of Britain’s leading Anglican clerics has sparked controversy by casting doubts over the Resurrection of Jesus – just days before Easter. The Archbishop of Wales, John Davies, has been accused of ‘sowing confusion’ over the biblical story that will be celebrated by millions around the world today. Asked in an interview about the New Testament account of Jesus...

The Church of England’s most senior clergyman has attacked Brexit and told Britons they must welcome mass immigration in an extraordinary political opinion piece. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby made his intervention in the Mail on Sunday, which like Welby backed the Remain campaign during the EU referendum.

The Church of England is facing as many as 3,300 potential sex abuse cases in the form of concerns and allegations, as revealed by the Church's lead bishop on safeguarding issues. The Times reported on Thursday that Peter Hancock, bishop of Bath and Wells, shared the latest figures, which concern sex abuse against children and vulnerable adults reaching up to 2016, during a three-day meeting of the General Synod in London. Hancock did not make it clear whether all the complaints are new or a combination with longstanding ones, but even if a fraction of them are upheld, the CofE...