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Last week, King Charles III and Pope Leo IV made history in the Sistine Chapel by praying side by side—’a first for the leaders of the Church of England and Catholic Church’ according to the BBC. For some, this seemed like a historical ecumenical move; Stephen Cottrell called it a ‘step towards the full visible … Continue Reading
Joshua Penduck writes: On a cold and wet evening sometime in early 2021, my church’s ministry and management team met on Zoom to discuss the first chapter of the then new Living in Love and Faith material. I knew that that there were mixed opinions on the team. I didn’t realise just how mixed. The … Continue Reading
On Wednesday at about a quarter to five, the House of Bishops released a very significant statement, following their meeting the previous week in which they spent six and a half hours discussing the next (and final?) steps in the LLF process. The timing was odd; my understanding was that they were planning to release … Continue Reading
Andrew Atherstone’s new publication, “Draw Near With Faith”: Invitations to Holy Communion, is out now with Grove Books. I asked him why we need the booklet, and what questions it is trying to answer. IP: What gave you the original idea for this booklet? AA: Almost all my writing begins as a personal question, on … Continue Reading
Dear Stephen I read with interest your address to York Diocesan Synod on 5th July, and one word leapt out for me: ‘final’. Near the end of your address, you comment: The Living in Love and Faith process is not yet complete. Some final proposals will be brought to the February 2026 meeting of the … Continue Reading
The lectionary readings for Trinity 1 in Year C are Galatians 3.23-29 and Luke 8.26-39. In Gal 3, Paul is dealing with the question of the relationship between faith and law, something he will revisit in next week’s reading from Gal 5. Both are from God, so cannot be fundamentally opposed. And yet Paul sees … Continue Reading
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
I write a quarterly column for Preach magazine, in which I explore a significant word, phrase, or idea in the Bible, or a theme or section of Scripture, and the ideas that it expresses. At the end of this piece I list the previous articles I have written for them. Here I explore the importance … Continue Reading
Dear Stephen In our working relationship, I have always sought to be open and honest with you. I have also always sought to follow Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18: if you have an issue with a brother, go to him first privately, and only if he will not listen should you then go to others, … Continue Reading
The lectionary New Testament readings for the coming week, Epiphany 2 in Year C, are 1 Corinthians 12.1-11 and John 2.1-11. For written commentary on John 2 (the wedding at Cana), see here, and for the video discussion of John 2 see here. (The sound quality leaves something to be desired—but the quality of the … Continue Reading
The NT epistle reading for Epiphany 2 in Year C is 1 Cor 12.1–11. Although well-known in some circles, this might be a less familiar reading in others. It appears to be about ‘spiritual gifts’, but Paul redefines the discussion by casting it as teaching about what it means to be spiritual, and roots it … Continue Reading
Ian Paul: theologian, author, speaker, academic consultant. Associate Senior Research Fellow, Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology; Associate Minister, St Nic's, Nottingham; Managing Editor, Grove Books; member of General Synod and Archbishops' Council. Mac user; chocoholic. Tweets at @psephizo
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Gospel commentary index Lectionary Year A
Andrew Goddard Bible biblical interpretation Biblical literacy biblical theology Church of England culture discipleship discussion doctrine eschatology evangelism gay General Synod Grove guest Hermeneutics History hope interpretation James Blandford Baker Jesus John's gospel Justin Welby leadership lectionary Luke Luke's gospel Matthew ministry mission New Testament Paul politics power preaching Revelation same sex marriage same sex unions sexuality theology video Year A Year B Year C
