Process, representation, and the next Archbishop of Canterbury

Andrew Goddard writes: On Tuesday 27th May, in the week when the first Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) meeting takes place to begin discerning who should be nominated as Archbishop of Canterbury, the Canterbury Diocese Vacancy-in-See Committee (ViSC) elected its three representatives. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this final stage in the process once again highlights problems with the … Continue Reading

Canterbury tales: what happens next?

Andrew Goddard writes: This week the number of confirmed members of the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) rose from 3 to 14 with only 3 names left to be determined and announced (those from Canterbury diocese). A helpful website provides details of each of the people and the 3 non-voting members.  What can we learn … Continue Reading

The Supreme Court ruling on ‘sex’: no more ‘Humpty Dumpty’

Mark Bratton writes: In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, Humpty Dumpty scornfully says to his conversation partner Alice, “When I use a word, it means what I choose it to mean – neither more or less” “The question is”, said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is”, … Continue Reading

Can we imagine a future together? A review

Michael Hayden writes: Bishop Martyn Snow, Lead Bishop for LLF, has just published a booklet. The challenge is in the title: can we possibly imagine a future in which we can stay together in the Church of England—or is it time to give up and separate? Bishop Martyn has spent a considerable amount of time … Continue Reading

The Hidden Limits of Class in the Church

John Smith writes: My wife sent me a text message a few months ago: ‘Could this be a possibility?’ Attached was an advertisement for a teaching post at a theological college. She thought that here was an opportunity, in that the college was giving preference to candidates who were female, from a non-white ethnic background, … Continue Reading