Category Archives: Church of England and gender

Fight the good fight(s): the ordination of women and the human sexuality debate

Posted on August 15, 2019 by fluff35

I was struck recently by how all the celebratory pieces I was reading about the 25th anniversary of women priests were written from the point of view of those women whose vocations to priesthood were doubted (for many centuries) but … Continue reading →

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Intersex in history

Posted on May 26, 2019 by fluff35

The risk of saying anything about people with VSC is that, not being one of them, I may have no right to comment. But I’m a historian, and there’s a history here, and perhaps my role is to inform people of that. Continue reading →

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Men as the Brides of Christ?

Posted on December 15, 2018 by fluff35

Queer theology and how men have read the Song of Songs, courtesy of Stephen Moore Continue reading →

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Can women be laity?

Posted on September 25, 2018 by fluff35

Here’s one of those great questions with a history that we have somehow forgotten about… This week, I’ve had the interesting experience of being an oral history source: interviewed by a student writing her dissertation on the history of the … Continue reading →

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Pandora: the Greek Eve?

Posted on May 4, 2018 by fluff35

(John William Waterhouse, Pandora, 1896) I think this is the first time I’ve posted the same piece on two of my blogs, but the topic seems relevant to both, so here we go; this, like many of the pieces on … Continue reading →

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Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch: a sermon

Posted on April 27, 2018 by fluff35

April, 2018: In one of those moments of diary failure with which we are all familiar, I thought that this coming Sunday I was down to preach at the 10 a.m. service immediately before the Annual Parochial Meeting. Wrong. I’m … Continue reading →

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Nothing new here: how the human sexuality debate repeats the women priests debate

Posted on August 9, 2017 by fluff35

Should a sheep among wolves wear her wolfskin coat? Continue reading →

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No tongues?

Posted on June 25, 2017 by fluff35

It can be a difficult experience to attend a major Christian celebration at a point when the church is reeling from yet another scandal. Last week, the Gibb report into the disgusting behaviour of Bishop Peter Ball was issued, complete … Continue reading →

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Return to the public gallery

Posted on February 17, 2017 by fluff35

Having written to my bishops (replies received, thanks) and to lay representatives of my diocese on General Synod (wish I could say the same), I was sufficiently disappointed in the Bishops’ Report (GS2055) that I took the opportunity to go … Continue reading →

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Into Advent

Posted on November 27, 2016 by fluff35

  I’m trying to take Advent seriously this year by immersing myself as far as I can in the rich symbolism of watching and waiting, of light and darkness, of hope and fulfillment. So naturally it had to begin with … Continue reading →

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