Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Through Our Long Exile – doing theology with Ken Leech
ISB11 What does Mr X’s case mean for Church of England safeguarding?
Simon Cross ViaMedia.News Why Progressive Christians Must Reclaim the Case for Church – Or Face the Consequences
Andrew Rumsey (Bishop of Ramsbury) Down in The Effra Blank Arcades
Helen King sharedconversations Living in Love and Faith, October 2025: What’s changed?
Thank you Colin for your timely reminder of the work of Ken Leech. He also founded the homelessness charity Centrepoint. I was fortunate enough to hear him give an excellent talk on the Battle of Cable Street about 30.years ago.
Really appreciate Colin’s piece too. Would be interested if he could unpick this part, as it chimes as true but would like to understand it a bit better:
“Theology has been co-opted by certain forces within late capitalism.”
I made this comment elsewhere. A couple of people approved and no-one said they thought it a bad idea, so in the interests of being constructive, I’d like to share it again here and get people’s reactions. Would it help if the new ABC made a public statement on coming to office that “many of us want to be fully inclusive of LGBTQI+ people but unfortunately church politics has led to a powerful traditionalist element being able to block the rules from being changed” ? This would seem to me to have a number of benefits: It’s entirely true, clear… Read more »
This is an excellent idea Nigel for all the reasons you describe.
I doubt the timing is coincidental. Were I the incoming ABC I would tell the House of Bishops that I didn’t want my term of office to be dominated by LLF and same sex marriage.
I also think that is right, too. While there are ongoing injustices against LGBT people in the Church of England, I think poverty and homelessness ought to be higher priorities.
I agree, Kate (if I have understood you correctly), that it makes sense at this point to draw a line (for now) under these painful and divisive discussions. My suggestion is about HOW to get more good out of drawing that line. And I 100% agree with you that part of the reason for drawing that line is to be able to focus on other super-important things that have been squeezed out in recent years.
“It’s not insulting to ,,, conservatives’. I’m afraid it most certainly would be. Conservatives believe their convictions on this are based on scripture and their faithfulness to ‘orthodox’ church doctrine. A new Archbishop saying the present situation is ‘unfortunate’, and due to ‘church politics’ and that ‘a powerful traditionalist element’ has been able to ‘block the rules’ is hardly going to make them feel understood or respected.
Arguably, the ‘unfortunately’ does indeed insult conservatives. I think the statement as phrased above would cause uproar.
A happy and blessed All Saints’ Day, everybody! In all your ‘thinking’, don’t forget to do a bit of celebrating, in the company of that ‘great cloud of witnesses’!
We must think politically about this. Full equality is a distant prospect within the existing structures of the Church of England so I believe we must look to where the Church of England is vulnerable. On Monday 27 October King Charles laid flowers at the national memorial to LGBT armed forces veterans. He was deeply embarrassed by one single heckler complaining about Prince Andrew. Why did nobody ask why he is “Supreme Governor” of an institutionally homophobic Church ? The appointment of every single homophobic Church of England Bishop was approved by King Charles. If people say King Charles has… Read more »
There are VERY many in ‘our national church’ who represent inclusivity.
Please do not tar us all with the homophobic brush.
What we need to stop is the House of Bishops behaving as a cabinet and peaking as one when we know full well that many support equal marriage.
They should note the deans of Canterbury, Southwark and Salisbury, each of whom seems to have more intellectual and moral authority than the HofB!
Simon Cross defines the church as “ a practice, a discipline.” I have always thought of the church as a local group of identifiable believers committed to Christ and each other, working together to glorify God and to serve his mission. The church is the gathered people of God, rather than a practice or a discipline.