Church of England

A vision for ministry and training

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Dr Jon Coutts is a Canadian who recently joined the faculty at Trinity College, Bristol; he blogs at http://thissideofsunday.blogspot.ca. I conducted a virtual interview with him exploring issues around ministry and ministry training, and I think his answers are truly fascinating. We have things to offer other contexts—but we also have important things to learn … Continue Reading

Same-sex marriage and the second Jeremy

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As most of the nationals reported (in fairly short articles), a second clergyman has had permission to officiate refused by the Bishop of Winchester, Tim Dakin, because he has entered a same-sex marriage. As with the previous case, this also involves a Jeremy. (What is it with Jeremys? Is there some nominative determinism at work?!) Jeremy Davies was … Continue Reading

Is the Lord’s Prayer offensive?

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While I have been in the States for the weekend, I gather that back in the UK you’ve been experiencing a little local difficulty in relation to prayer, free speech, and the cinema. Digital Cinema Media (DCM), owned by Cineworld and Odeon and controlling about 80% of cinema advertising, decided not to screen a 60-second … Continue Reading

Debating the Pemberton Tribunal

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At the end of last week I cancelled my planned writing schedule in order to enter what felt like a parallel universe as I was invited to debate with Jeremy Pemberton on BBC 2’s Victoria Derbyshire programme regarding the tribunal ruling that Jeremy had not been discriminated against by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham. … Continue Reading

Pemberton v Inwood: judgement day

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Peter Ould comments: The Employment Tribunal hearing the case of Jeremy Pemberton against Bishop Richard Inwood has delivered its verdict, dismissing all the claims made. The case revolved around the refusal of a licence to Jeremy Pemberton for a new hospital chaplaincy job on the grounds that he had entered a same-sex marriage. Pemberton claimed … Continue Reading

Are we being honest about ordination training?

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There are some compelling arguments for the (relatively new) pattern of ‘contextual training’ for ordination. Steven Sherman, in his snappily titled Revitalizing theological epistemology (2008), argues that the historic separation of the seminary from the local church has created major problems for our whole concept of how we grow in the knowledge of God. His primary target … Continue Reading

Does the C of E ordain ‘priests’?

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Over the summer I enjoyed reading Graham Tomlin’s recent book The Widening Circle: priesthood as God’s way of blessing the world. Graham has just moved from being Principal of St Mellitus College in London, which has been seen as the pioneer of the new pattern of ‘contextual’ ordination training, to become Bishop of Kensington. I had … Continue Reading

Are food and sex ‘things indifferent’?

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Last month I was involved in a debate with Loveday Alexander, former Professor at Sheffield University, on what the biblical texts might say to the current debate about same-sex marriage. Loveday and I both contributed chapters to the resource book produced to support the Shared Conversations across the Church of England which are coming to … Continue Reading

(How) can we live with disagreement?

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Earlier this year, I took part in a consultation on the current conflicts in the Church of England, particularly on sexuality, and whether it is possible to disagree well. Out of that discussion has come the book Good Disagreement? edited by Andrews Atherstone and Goddard and published very promptly by Lion Hudson. The back cover blurb runs … Continue Reading

What does it take to grow?

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A few years ago I was in conversation with someone who had been in theological education, but was now returning to parochial ministry. ‘I am going to go and grow a church’ he quipped; ‘It’s not that hard.’ He was heading to an inner urban area, and whilst I admired his optimism, I winced at … Continue Reading

Gender, representation and Synod

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There have been some interesting responses to my previous post on Synod, representation and gender—thanks to all who provided corrections to the data for individual diocese, and filled the gaps. Two kinds of responses predominated in the conversation on Facebook, which became quite lively. They are encapsulated by the response of my colleague Amanda Digman … Continue Reading