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Recent Posts
- Going quiet: working towards a new bishop May 24, 2026
- Five Guiding Principles and two key issues for the Church: recognising the wiggle room March 16, 2026
- Consider the lilies: on changing one’s mind February 15, 2026
- February 2026: Questions raised by Synod Questions February 7, 2026
- Concluding without ending: what happens next with Living in Love and Faith? January 25, 2026
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Category Archives: General Synod
LLF: Moving Forward as One Church
For those who don’t have the time or the inclination to read the latest document and the latest motion arising from Living in Love and Faith, which come to Synod in July – both in the 31-pages of GS2358 – here’s my … Continue reading
Posted in equal marriage, General Synod, Living in Love and Faith, marriage
Tagged CEEC, Church Society, ecclesiology, equal marriage, House of Bishops
3 Comments
Removing the fiction: wrangling bishops
It’s one thing to say that we respect our different theological convictions, but it’s quite another to say what you believe or who you are when you know you are going to attract criticism; and when you are the one without the power, and the person to whom you are speaking has all the power. Continue reading
Posted in General Synod
Tagged confidentiality, honesty, House of Bishops, Secretary General, transparency
1 Comment
Transparency, trust and bishops
I’ve been silent on this blog for a while. Partly that’s because I haven’t been involved in the three Working Groups which have been meeting to discuss various facets of the ongoing Living in Love and Faith discussions (even though … Continue reading
Hidden in plain sight: Soul Survivor again
Earlier this week there was a surprising announcement from Soul Survivor Watford of their new senior pastor. On X/Twitter, @needs_light tweeted that the person appointed is Simon Nicholls, a former Soul Survivor employee in a range of roles, and a … Continue reading
Posted in General Synod, Safeguarding
Tagged abuse, soul survivor, healing, Laya Watters, Robert Thompson, celebrity, Fiona Scolding
4 Comments
Jesus is coming, look busy: onwards with Living in Love and Faith?
There used to be bumper stickers with the message, ‘Jesus is coming – look busy!’ Leaving aside the dodginess of that idea – and here I’d mention the Archbishop of York’s counter-argument, Do Nothing to Change Your Life: Discovering What Happens … Continue reading
Not the Usual Suspects
It’s rare in my experience of the Church of England to find myself quoted by those higher up the food chain. When I was called to speak at the July Synod, I observed that ‘Notice Paper V – which sets … Continue reading
Posted in equal marriage, General Synod, Living in Love and Faith, marriage
Tagged CEEC, Eeva John, stakeholder groups
5 Comments
Next business, anyone? LLF, Synod, February 2024
So what happened there? You may well ask. A debate on LLF stopped by the procedural motion to move to Next Business… is that a further kicking of the proverbial can down the unending road, the road which we somehow … Continue reading
Questions of fornication
what is porneia, and what do studies of ancient sexuality say to modern claims about its meaning? Continue reading
Posted in General Synod, Living in Love and Faith
Tagged Andrew Cornes, Bible, christianity, fornication, God, Jesus, Kathy Gaca, marriage, porneia, sexual morality
5 Comments
One down, one to go: the LLF appointment saga continues
While last week was quite a week in the Church of England, this week is proving just as complicated. And it’s still only Tuesday… After last week’s shenanigans, late on Monday afternoon came the announcement of a second Interim Theological Advisor, … Continue reading
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