The Alliance network has been encouraging incumbents who are unhappy with the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process to make known their church’s willingness to withdraw from Church of England structures.

Behind the scenes, the Alliance — a network of church organisations opposed to the changes brought by the LLF process — has been encouraging incumbents to persuade their PCCs to pass a resolution stating that, if the Church of England moves forward with either stand-alone services or clergy same-sex marriage, the parish will take at least one of a set of actions. Those include: seeking “alternative episcopal oversight”, a decision to “reroute their diocesan financial contributions”, and moves to “encourage ordinands to participate in an orthodox vocations programme”.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House of Bishops announced that full synodical approval would be required for either standalone services or clergy same-sex marriage, effectively stalling LLF (News, 15 October). The Bishops also announced that, as a result, they did not consider it necessary to develop any model of alternative episcopal oversight.

Read it all.

Exclusive from @PhrancisMartin: the Alliance network has been encouraging incumbents who are unhappy with the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process to make known their church’s willingness to withdraw from Church of England structures. https://t.co/EGumMC3ZNk pic.twitter.com/pHAEN3Ovwn

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) October 16, 2025

Once again the history of the church is instructive; any kind of acceptance of same-sex unions was unknown to Christianity before about the last hundred years, and has only found widespread traction in about the last thirty. (Of course, popes, televangelists and many others have had their moral failings, but these were always recognised as failings and a subject of scandal when revealed.) And once again this is in part because of extremely plain statements in Scripture. Such behaviour is an “abomination”; those who practice these things “will not inherit the kingdom of God”. There is a famous story about Sodom and Gomorrah with which you may be dimly aware. Scripture is at pains to point out that this sin, like all others, will be forgiven for anyone who repents; but it is a sin, and forgiveness does require repentance. (Of course, for all the creative reinterpretations that have flourished here as well, the real reason for the church’s shift is evident to anyone with half a brain: the culture moved, and the church wanted to move with it.)

Here there is an important difference from the issue of women’s ordination. While Scripture is clear on that topic, it is silent on its precise seriousness; most conservatives would not suggest that disobedience around women’s ordination is necessarily the death of faith. But the matter is very different with sexual immorality (of which same-sex unions are of course only one example); here God repeatedly warns us that unrepentant disobedience means judgement. To our culture, obsessed with sex and thereby cheapening it, this seems a strange overreaction. In reality, however, God could hardly do otherwise. Sex is deeply significant, the closest you can get to another human being and therefore an act with enormous power. Any parent can testify to its life-giving strength; any victim of sexual abuse, to its destructive force. God takes it seriously because it is serious.

Read it all.

Why Christians have an issue with Sarah Mullally — by @petermileach https://t.co/S0KODGQZhf

— The Critic (@TheCriticMag) October 11, 2025

Dear saints of God in the Diocese of Western Anglicans,

You may recently heard the sad news that Bishop Derek Jones of the Special Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (SJAFC) was issued a Godly admonition, followed by a special inhibition by Archbishop Wood regarding accusation of misconduct (not related to any sexual misconduct). Bishop Jones then chose to declare himself separated from ACNA.

I was Chair of the ACNA Governance Task Force that in 2014 created the ACNA Canon I.11 that authorizes and empowers, in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of the ACNA, the creation of a Special Jurisdiction for the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (SJAFC), under the supervision of the Archbishop and College of Bishops. I can attest to the facts stated in the Press release below–which I encourage you to read. I have been in regular communication with the Archbishop about this situation.

Bishop Jones has no authority under the Constitution and Canons of the ACNA to declare that all ACNA Chaplains in the SJAFC are no longer a part of the ACNA. Period.

Read it all.

Bp. Phil Ashey, previous chair of the ACNA's Governance Task Force, offers commentary on Bp. Derek Jones' disaffiliation. "Bishop Jones has no authority under the Constitution & Canons of the ACNA to declare that all ACNA Chaplains in the SJAFC are no longer a part of the ACNA." https://t.co/EhIlO6sSba pic.twitter.com/JwyONiftaA

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) September 26, 2025

The Representative Body (RB) of the Church in Wales has come under fire for the statement that it issued on 1 July in response to the situation at Bangor Cathedral.

Critics suggested that the action had been beyond the RB’s remit, and had given the then Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor, the Rt Revd Andrew John, little option but to retire with immediate effect (News, 28 June).

On 23 June, Archbishop John issued an unqualified apology for his part in the failings at Bangor Cathedral. Two reports commissioned by the Archbishop had recorded concerns about “weak financial controls” and “inappropriate behaviours” (News, 27 June).

The following day, the situation at Bangor was discussed by the RB, and a brief note was issued: “After extensive and detailed discussions, the meeting has been adjourned, and a statement will be issued in due course.”

Archbishop John announced his retirement three days later.

Read it all.

The Representative Body (RB) of the Church in #Wales has come under fire for the statement that it issued on 1 July in response to the situation at #Bangor Cathedralhttps://t.co/ObU1OOrCJx

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 23, 2025

This summer, the Office of the Archbishop received credible complaints regarding Bishop Derek Jones, alleging abuse of ecclesiastical power. These complaints did not involve physical or sexual misconduct, nor did they involve any doctrinal concerns.  Nevertheless, they were concerning because abuse of ecclesiastical power violates the trust that is essential for effective ministry.

After prayerful discernment, and in accordance with Title IV of our canons, on September 12, Bishop Ray Sutton, Dean of the Province and Presiding Bishop of the REC, and I met with Bishop Jones to issue a Godly Admonition. This directive required Bishop Jones and his subordinates to cooperate with a formal investigation to determine if any of the complaints against him rose to the level of a presentable offense, a step that is in accordance with the standard disciplinary procedures outlined in Title IV of the ACNA Constitution and Canons. Regrettably, Bishop Jones refused to comply with this directive. On September 21, I issued a temporary inhibition to Bishop Jones that restricted him from ministry for sixty days.

The following day, September 22, the Executive Committee of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JFAC)sent a letter to the Archbishop announcing its withdrawal from the Province. While this action is deeply disappointing and particularly unsettling for our chaplains, I want to be clear: the Special Jurisdiction itself remains a canonical ministry of the Anglican Church in North America that was created and is sustained by our canons. The JFAC has purportedly withdrawn from the ACNA under Article II.3 of the Constitution, which pertains to dioceses or groups of dioceses organized into distinct jurisdictions.  However, because the Special Jurisdiction is not a diocese, but a canonical ministry established under Title 1, Canon 11, it does not have canonical authority to withdraw from the Province. The Special Jurisdiction, under which the chaplains serve,  continues to exist within the ACNA regardless of  Bishop Jones’s withdrawal or the withdrawal of any entities under his control.

Read it all.

"The Special Jurisdiction itself remains a canonical ministry of the Anglican Church in North America that was created and is sustained by our canons."
Read Abp Wood's full letter to the Province on the JAFC & Bp Jones's inhibition https://t.co/zI4T8IHvMh

— ACNA (@The_ACNA) September 23, 2025

Read it all.

Archbishop Wood inhibits Bishop Derek Jones https://t.co/bionOIAOuc via @Anglican Ink © 2025

— George Conger (@GeorgeConger8) September 22, 2025

When Gracy David first moved to the city of Jaipur in India’s Rajasthan state for an architecture internship nine years ago, the then-23-year-old was nervous.

It was her first time living away from her family and paying for her own rent and food with her small stipend. She didn’t know many people in the city and, beyond her work, had no plans in the evenings or weekends.

Yet through the Union of Evangelical Students of India (UESI), three Christian families in Jaipur welcomed her into their homes, giving her a “soft landing into adulting,” David recalled. They picked her up to attend church and invited her to Sunday lunches.

Read it all.

In India, Christian families are tackling Gen Z loneliness by inviting young people into their homes and lives.https://t.co/dhduRj4OLy

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) September 18, 2025

n a digitally oversaturated society like ours, distraction is a daily sparring partner. What begins as a quick check of the weather to decide what to wear on a morning run turns into 20 minutes of scrolling political takes or cat videos. Most of us don’t wake up thinking, I’d like to spend two hours watching Seinfeld reruns today, but here we are.

Our devices and internet algorithms are remarkably effective at capturing our attention and redirecting it from whatever we intend. Yet for all the well-earned anxiety about our attention crisis, a troubling tendency in our discourse is to conflate the predicament with concerns about productivity.

We can, and should, care about productivity and attention’s role in it. But when output and efficiency become our primary concern, it distorts the nature of attention. Attention becomes only a means to an end, problematically viewed as merely a “resource.” And the root of this problem is glimpsed in the most basic way we talk about attention: We pay it.

When we pay for something, we expect something beneficial or useful in return. When we pay, we’re the consumer—and we want to know that what we’re paying for is worth the cost. But attention isn’t something we pay. It’s something we should give.

.

We shouldn’t pay attention. We should give it.

That subtle shift in language “transforms how we inhabit our world.” https://t.co/bPt4H7Qhga

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) September 8, 2025

To:  The Clergy of the Diocese

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In recent days, the people of our Diocese and Province have witnessed unsettling developments related to the ecclesiastical trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch.

Given that two of our own diocesan leaders, Bishop David Bryan and Mr. Alan Runyan, have played major roles in this trial and have issued public and seemingly conflicting statements, this turmoil is being experienced particularly acutely within our Diocese. The discomfort we’re feeling is real and personal.

Before we address that discomfort, we offer this brief sketch of the key events that have led us to this place:

•    In 2021, accusations were raised against Bishop Steward Ruch regarding his handling of credible reports of sexual abuse that took place in 2019 by a Lay Catechist of a church within his Diocese, the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. The abuser was convicted in 2022 of multiple counts of child sexual abuse, and he also pled guilty to raping another victim in 2018 and 2020.

•    Two presentments were filed against Bp. Ruch, the first by three fellow bishops in December 2022 and the second by lay and clergy in June 2023. A presentment is a list of charges that are formally brought against a member of the clergy. Bp. Ruch was charged with habitual neglect of duties, causing scandal or offense, violating his ordination vows, and contravention of the canons of the church.

•    A Board of Inquiry convened in accordance with ACNA canons reviewed the presentments in 2023, and in both cases found probable cause to go to trial.

•    After a prolonged delay, the trial began on July 14th of this year with members of our Diocese in key positions: Mr. Alan Runyan serving as the Provincial Prosecutor and Bishop David Bryan serving as the President of the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. 

•    On July 18th, an incident occurred during the trial that led Mr. Runyan to conclude that the trial process had been irreparably tainted and that he must resign from his position as Prosecutor.

•    The Court has ordered the trial to resume on August 11th after the appointment of a new Prosecutor, and on July 23rd it issued a Limited Response to the Public Release of the Former Provincial Prosecutor’s Resignation Letter which was signed on behalf of all seven members of the court by Bp. Bryan as the trial court’s President. This response directly contradicts statements made in Mr. Runyan’s resignation letter, as well as corroborating statements made later by Mr. Runyan’s Assistant Prosecutor.

•    On July 25th, the Assistant Prosecutor released a statement bringing further context to Mr. Runyan’s mid-trial resignation and making further claims of inappropriate conduct by Archbishop Steve Wood and members of his staff in the ACNA’s Provincial Office. Her letter also indicates that Bp. Bryan is not the member of the court whose actions led to Mr. Runyan’s resignation.

•    On July 29th, after reviewing some of the facts on the previous day, a Joint Statement from the College of Bishops and Executive Committee was released exonerating the Archbishop and Provincial Office staff. On that same day, Bishop Chip Edgar offered a response to the joint statement, clarifying that neither he nor any of the other bishops serving on the Trial Court or the Tribunal were party to it, and therefore it did not speak unanimously for the College of Bishops. The Joint Statement was later revised to include this fact.

•    A new Prosecutor has been appointed after the initial replacement for Mr. Runyan stepped down due to a conflict of interest. The trial is currently set to resume on August 11th.

•    Further details can be found on the ACNA website. Related material is also posted on Anglican Ink.

The Standing Committee of our Diocese has received numerous letters of concern, as well as requests for explanation and clarification of these events. We are grateful for all those who have reached out to us because it shows genuine care for others and a deep concern for the integrity of our Province. We thank you for sharing your questions, concerns, and feedback.

We recognize several distinct issues that have been raised by these events, including issues of justice, due process, and multiple allegations of misconduct. We note that some of these issues are of particular concern to the churches of our Diocese because of the individuals involved. As we consider these issues, we must also recognize that Bp. Edgar is currently limited in his ability to engage with these matters because he is a member of the Provincial Tribunal which serves as a court of final review for the proceedings against Bp. Ruch.

The issues raised by these events have caused serious alarm and forces each of us to prayerfully consider a proper response. Silence may signal complicity; haste may lead to harm. In this unprecedented moment, we risk either mistake with every decision we make. In our patient, prayerful discernment, we desire to bring clarity to misinformation and to direct what further action may be required by Bp. Edgar or us, if any.

As a council of advice to Bp. Edgar, it is our recommendation that we cautiously seek to navigate a path between these two devastating errors, and with earnest prayer we ask the Lord to guide us, correct us, limit any harm, and magnify any good that may result from our decisions. Lord, have mercy.

To that end, then, we submit to you the following:  

In consultation with the Standing Committee, Bp. Edgar has agreed to temporarily suspend episcopal visits by Bp. David Bryan. We think this temporary action is necessary given the significant contradictions between the statement of the court under Bp. Bryan’s signature and the statements of Mr. Runyan and his Assistant Prosecutor. We hope for the day when he can resume visits to our parishes, but we must patiently wait for the trial to conclude and for the facts of the proceedings to be released. 

With regards to the accusations made against Archbishop Steve Wood and members of his staff, we recognize that we are not the investigative or disciplinary arm of the ACNA. We are, though, the concerned representative body of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, and as such, we request an independent, third party investigation into the Provincial Office’s actions during the course of the trial, to begin no later than 60 days after the conclusion of the trial process. We invite other Dioceses of the ACNA to join us in this petition.

We refrain from making any comment on the trial while the proceedings are underway. We continue to pray God’s will be done, and trust his sovereignty in these and all matters.

To the victims of abuse in ACNA churches, especially those in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest who have endured a long and arduous ecclesial court process, we are pained by our Province’s failure in the swift administration of justice and the broken trust that has resulted. We grieve what you have endured, and pray that the love of Jesus made real to you will overcome the bitter failures of his church.

We remain fully committed to the future of the ACNA, yet we cannot ignore the obvious inadequacies in some of our processes or the questions of integrity regarding some of the people responsible for fairly administering them. We feel the outstretched arm of the Lord against our Province, and at the same time we see the mercy his pierced hands offer us in the repeated refrain of the prophet Isaiah: “For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 10:4)

In all of this, we call on the people of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina to lead in acts of mercy and charity, to persist in service to the least and the lost, to be humble in confession of our faults and unsparing in forgiveness for those who seek repentance, in all things striving to build up the body of Christ, the church. Let this be our witness, and may it lead to restoration.

In Christ’s service,
The Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina

The Rev. Jeremy Shelton
The Rev. Mary Ellen Doran
The Rev. Jamie Sosnowski
The Rev. Corey Prescott
The Rev. Bill Clarkson
Mrs. Lindsay Dew
Mrs. Shirley Wiggins
Mr. Robert Kunes
Mr. Ben Dixon
Mr. Terry Jenkins
Mr. Bobby Kilgo

Read it all there if you need the link.

Looking at the events of the past few years in the Church of Wales, beginning from the leadership of Bishop Rowan Williams who was also bishop of Monmouth, then Archbishop of Wales before becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury; the immediate past Archbishop of Wales, Archbishop Andrew John who ended in a most shameful circumstance, and the recent election of Bishop Vann, it may be said that biblical and godly leaders are now few in the leadership of the Church of Wales.

Thus, that an openly lesbian woman is the “right leader for the moment” in the Church of Wales shows how deep the church has sunk. Rather than advocating reconciliation as being championed by the new Archbishop of Wales, the important matter of the moment should be a call for genuine repentance. It is becoming clearer as echoed by Paul in Romans 1:28 in view of what had just happened in the Church of Wales that some in the global Anglican world have ultimately chosen not, “…to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.”

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales. We will strive to uphold the authority of the Scriptures, our historic creeds, evangelism and holy Christian living. We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will build His Church and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16 :18). We call upon faithful Christians of the Anglican fold to denounce, reject, condemn and expel the rebels in our midst, while we realign ourselves with Anglican remnants scattered in troubled dioceses all over the world, under the umbrella of faithful Anglican Christian bodies like GAFCON.

Therefore, as a matter of urgency, the Church of Nigeria believes that this moment calls for prayer for the Church of Wales, hoping that the Church of England will not follow in her steps.

Read it all.

Nigerian Primate Archbishop Henry Ndukuba accused the Church in Wales of abandoning “the truth of God’s word by sacrificing the authority of the Scripture for a postmodern agenda that has no divine backing".https://t.co/fmTgJhPkD8

— The Christian Institute (@christianorguk) August 5, 2025

The Anglican Church in North America’s ecclesiastical trial of the Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch III is on hold until August 11, but a series of public resignations and allegations of procedural misconduct have demanded the attention of its members and governing bodies alike in the interim.

On August 1, the denomination announced the appointment of its newest provincial prosecutor to pursue the case against Bishop Ruch, who is accused of mishandling reports of abusive ministers in his Diocese of the Upper Midwest. Thomas Crapps, of the ACNA’s Gulf Atlantic Diocese, will step into the role—the third to fill it in as many weeks.

His immediate predecessor, the Ven. Job Serebrov, was appointed as prosecutor by Archbishop Steve Wood on July 22. Serebrov resigned nine days later, citing a desire to avoid the appearance of impropriety after anti-abuse advocates in the denomination raised concerns about his connection to an educational institution closely linked with Bishop Ruch’s diocese.

C. Alan Runyan preceded Serebrov as prosecutor, serving through the pretrial and five days of trial proceedings until his surprise resignation on July 19. Runyan alleged that on the final day of the prosecution’s argument, a member of the Court for the Trial of a Bishop questioned one of his witnesses for over an hour using information the court had previously ruled inadmissible, leaving the trial “irreparably tainted.”

Read it all.

The Ven. Job Serebrov, the replacement prosecutor in the trial of ACNA Bp. Stewart Ruch, has resigned. Taking his place will be Mr. Thomas Crapps of Tallahassee, Florida, says the Province. He will be the third person in the role since the trial began. pic.twitter.com/yunbIMtUG1

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) August 1, 2025

….Joseph was not Jesus’s only loss. His cousin, John the Baptist, was executed by a corrupt despot. Another blow. And then came Lazarus. When Jesus arrived and found him four days gone, he didn’t preach. He didn’t explain. He wept.

Jesus gets it. He gets me. His suffering wasn’t detached or sanitised — it was real, raw, and rooted in love. That truth became an anchor for me. Because, when I lost my dad, I didn’t need a theory. I needed a Saviour who understood.

And, even in his suffering, Jesus looked outward. The Gospels say that he had compassion on the crowds. The Latin root — compati — means “to suffer with”. That’s exactly what Jesus does. He co-suffers. He stays. He weeps with us.

IN THE early months of my grief, I found myself held — not just by God, but by the people he sent to walk beside me. Friends who prayed, cried, and remembered. Family who stood when I couldn’t stand alone.

Their presence reminded me of Ruth walking beside Naomi: “Where you go, I will go.” That’s what grace looks like — people who stay and pray.

Read it all.

A year after his father’s death, Craig Philbrick celebrates an unexpected gracehttps://t.co/ahyrhkXXG8

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 27, 2025

An attorney should not have to throw a tantrum for a court to follow its own orders. I’ve waited patiently for a week to observe how the Archbishop, his staff, and the Court would respond. Unfortunately, I am left alarmingly disappointed.

Even if you disagree with his choice to resign, Mr. Runyan acted with integrity. He immediately communicated with the Archbishop who was the source of his appointment. The Archbishop told Mr. Runyan he would speak with him before saying anything publicly. He did not do so. Instead, the Archbishop sent out a surprise communication to the Province on Sunday evening leaving Mr. Runyan no choice but to properly and promptly notify witnesses, who had given so much of their time, effort, and courage to this process, of his resignation. Simultaneously, the Prosecutor was locked out of his Provincial email account. This precluded him from the ability to send the Court his resignation letter causing him to ask the Archbishop to make that communication for him. Based on what the Court stated, apparently that was not done.

Just as the Archbishop’s letter hit your inboxes Sunday night, I received a notification in my inbox from the COO and ACNA Chancellor that they wanted to meet with me first thing Monday morning.

Given that I know this case, its history, its facts, and its evidence more comprehensively than anyone in the ACNA, I expected the call would be to hear my perspective of what happened and to discuss my willingness to continue to help. Instead, I was invited to consider my termination that day.

It struck me that the two of the people whose actions directly undermined the court process were now the same two wanting to discuss my termination. Oh, the irony! In the real world, the judge would be disciplined for judicial misconduct and those who gave him improper access to a party’s files would be fired and disciplined.

According to the Archbishop’s recent letter to the whole ACNA, rather than being reprimanded or removed, this same chancellor was then tasked with the important job of selecting the new prosecutor.Despite that, the fact of the matter is that there is no way a new prosecutor will understand in
a timely fashion the nuances, details, and context that make up this case. Thus, if this process moves forward according to the Court’s timeline, the Province will not be competently represented.

Proceeding with the same tainted court and simply appointing a new prosecutor flies in the face of Mr. Runyan’s prescient warning that “this is not simply something that can be casually overlooked for expediency’s sake.”

Read it all.

ACNA members, I don’t post church news often, but this is serious. If our disciplinary processes are undermined everyone is vulnerable.

I have known Runyan and Thebeau for over 8 yrs. If they are concerned we should be too and do what we can to help.https://t.co/ENOLIjUG9H

— Andrew Gross (@frandrewgross) July 26, 2025

Although it is not our normal practice to speak publicly while proceedings are ongoing,
because the communication from the former Prosecutor was made public, the Court finds it
requires a limited response. This is particularly true when it calls into question the integrity of
the Court and the fairness of the trial in In the Matter of the Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch, III.
The full seated Court has reviewed the recent publication of the letter by the former
Provincial Prosecutor concerning testimony and internal proceedings of this Court. The letter
includes commentary on confidential deliberations, public criticism of a sitting member of the
Court, and a call for the release of trial records—despite a standing order that the proceedings be
conducted in camera. These actions have contributed to public confusion, diminished trust in the
process, and placed pressure on a tribunal still actively engaged in the work before it.

The full Court has met to review, in detail, the exchange referenced in Mr. Runyan’s
letter. We affirm without hesitation that the questions posed by every member of this Court to the
witness in question were appropriate and fell squarely within our responsibilities. The line of
questioning, in fact, was based upon questions concerning the Province’s own exhibit directed to
his own witness. The former Prosecutor, who was present, invited to redirect the witness, and
given multiple opportunities to speak, raised no objections at any time during the line of
questioning he now complains of to the Archbishop. In fact, the objections he did raise in
response to defense questions were heard and, on multiple occasions, sustained.

Read it all.

Ruch tribunal president rejects resigned prosecutor’s allegations of misconduct https://t.co/hVAUCpXwnz via @Anglican Ink © 2025

— George Conger (@GeorgeConger8) July 23, 2025

The theory of clergy work/life balance is on every diocesan website, and many others besides, discussed at length from all viewpoints. The general conclusion today seems to be that a 48-hour week is about right, plus a bit more if you are going to be very conscientious, with one 24-hour period a week not working, and maybe an extra day off a month — all this, wrapped in language that makes it plain that it is up to the individual to take responsibility for their own health and well-being.

So much for the theory; but what about the reality of life in a parish, where the daily torrent of emails, phone calls, diocesan directives, pastoral demands, and personal challenges threatens to overcome the hapless priest, submerging them beneath a tide of operational activities? Only a lone hand is left above the waves, holding aloft a small white piece of plastic, the symbol of their calling, hoping that they can get to the shore of annual leave before they drown.

This is exaggeration, perhaps, but probably a feeling that few have escaped at least some time in their lives — a state of “overwhelm” which I have certainly experienced and prefer to remain clear of, if at all possible. The pastoral calls made upon us, however, the late nights spent crafting sermons or creating props for family-friendly services, the early waking hours reflecting on church finances, or the stomach-sinking safeguarding issues — these are all part of the priest’s daily lot. A strategy that enables us not only to survive, but to thrive, must be worked out if we are to remain as parish clergy for any length of time.

Read it all.

In the parish: the theory and reality of clergy work/life balance https://t.co/A7fcAAiN26

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 11, 2025

Safeguarding arrangements at Blackburn Cathedral are “inadequate” and require immediate action, an independent audit has concluded.

The audit was carried out by the INEQE Safeguarding Group as part of a rolling programme across the Church which is due to be completed by 2028.

It began in October 2024, two months after the BBC reported that a member of the cathedral Chapter, Canon Andrew Hindley, had been forced to retire by the then Bishop of Blackburn in 2021, and that a six-figure sum had been paid to him in a legal settlement (News, 16 August 2024). Canon Hindley has insisted that he has never posed a danger to young people or been a safeguarding risk.

The audit report was published last week. It concludes that, while there are some positive aspects to the cathedral’s safeguarding, including good practices in chorister safeguarding, these are “significantly undermined by critical vulnerabilities that demand urgent and comprehensive attention”.

Read it all.

Safeguarding at Blackburn Cathedral ‘inadequate’ INEQE audit reports https://t.co/opNLGbdP3B

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 9, 2025

The Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andrew John, has announced his immediate retirement, four days after issuing an unqualified apology for his part in the failings at Bangor Cathedral.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, he said: “Dear friends, I am writing to you to announce my immediate retirement today as Archbishop of Wales. I also intend to retire as Bishop of Bangor on August 31st.

“It has been an enormous joy to serve in the Church in Wales for over 35 years. I cannot thank you enough for the privilege of working at your side for the sake of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

“I would very much like to thank the clergy and congregations of this wonderful diocese before I retire and I will be in touch again about the way in which this might happen.”

Read it all.

The Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andrew John, has announced his immediate retirement, four days after issuing an unqualified apology for his part in the failings at Bangor Cathedral.https://t.co/KCcwPrGBK3

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 30, 2025

In the document, published on the diocese of Guildford’s website last week, Bishop Watson suggests that the decision not to use Canon B2 to introduce services of blessing for same-sex couples, but instead to allow their introduction after simple majority votes in the Houses of the General Synod, has caused several problems.

The most significant, he writes, is that “we have bypassed a serious attempt to discern the mind of the Church . . . so dramatically raising the theological and emotional stakes.”

Bishop Watson refers to a paper published by the Church’s Faith and Order Commission, which says that there is no agreement on the nature of the disagreement between those who support changes and those who oppose them. Many, Bishop Watson writes, believe that the disagreement is about “the role of scripture in shaping our theology, liturgy and daily life”.

Read it all (registration or subscription).

“Integrity” has been “trumped by expediency” in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process, the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Revd Andrew Watson, has saidhttps://t.co/p463Nl4rR2

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) May 7, 2025

Matthew Hunter woke up disoriented, his cheek against concrete. He looked around and saw a rectangular bench, a camera and a toilet. There was no window. He sat up and noticed what he was wearing: cargo shorts and a Mötley Crüe T-shirt, same as the night before. Socks but no shoes.

Hunter, who had been an officer in the Des Moines Police Department for 21 years, was on the wrong side of a cell door. He searched his memory, straining to make sense of how he got there, but found only fragments. Long stretches of the previous night had gone dark. He remembered arriving at a relative’s house in his Chevy Silverado pickup truck, walking inside with his wife for a family celebration. He recalled finishing a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He would learn more about what happened later from body-camera footage and police reports, which said he tried to drive off in his truck, insulted officers, called them “podunk” and worse, banged his head against the side of a police van, threatened a jail guard, collapsed on the ground and wept inconsolably.

He had been in trouble long before that night. Hunter, who was 45 and recently promoted to sergeant, had been spiraling for months, ever since his best friend died by suicide. Hunter and Joe Morgan had been paired up as partners early in their careers, patrolling the mostly blue-collar neighborhoods of the city’s east side. Morgan was a couple of years older and more seasoned; he previously worked at a smaller agency and served as chief in a town of 500 before joining Des Moines, the state’s largest Police Department. The two men clicked instantly and became close. Both fanatical Minnesota Vikings fans, they found much to commiserate about during football seasons. When it snowed, they wore matching hats with furry flaps covering their ears.

On Sept. 16, 2020, Hunter was in his bedroom, changing out of his uniform, preparing to help his wife make dinner for their three children, when he received a call. “Joe Morgan just killed himself,” a sergeant told him. Hunter didn’t believe it at first. If he had been asked to name cops who might hurt themselves, his friend would not have been on the list.

He climbed into his truck and drove five minutes through the suburbs to Morgan’s home, parking on a quiet street with tidy lawns. He walked past a dozen patrol cars and approached the crime-scene tape that circled his friend’s driveway. He had ducked beneath yellow tape hundreds of times in his career, but that night he felt his pace slow, as a familiar act suddenly became filled with foreboding. He approached the officers crowded around Morgan’s S.U.V., peered between them, then stepped closer. He saw Morgan lying on his back, his shirt removed. One of his flip-flops, left behind as officers had dragged him out of the driver’s seat, dangled from the S.U.V.’s running board. There was a dark hole in his friend’s chest.

Read it all.

Why Do More Police Officers Die by Suicide Than in the Line of Duty? – The New York Times https://t.co/sA6gMgjwpc

— Mental Ammo (@MentalAmmo) May 8, 2025

The letter, published on the website of the think tank Theos on Sunday, is signed by 112 women, who include the Bishops of London, Gloucester, Stepney, Dover, Lancaster, Bristol, Croydon, and Aston. Among the other signatories are the director of Theos, Chine McDonald; the Assistant Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain, Dr Naomi Green; the President of the Catholic Union of Great Britain, Baroness Hollins; and the chief executive of Jewish Women’s Aid, Sam Clifford.

The letter says that the Bill “has insufficient safeguards to protect some of the most marginalised in society, particularly women subjected to gender-based violence, and abuse by a partner, who also experience intersecting barriers to a full and safe life”.

It continues: “We are concerned that the proposed legislation could create a new tool to harm vulnerable women, particularly those being subjected to domestic abuse and coercive control, by helping them to end their lives.”

Read it all.

Eight bishops have joined more than 100 women of different faiths in signing an open letter that says that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill “could create a new tool to harm vulnerable women” https://t.co/lClQBm12qF pic.twitter.com/5HhlO4ZBlK

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) April 7, 2025

In a statement to the Church Times on Wednesday, the Dean of Newcastle, the Very Revd Lee Batson, said that he was “deeply proud of the Cathedral’s ongoing ministry to those who have suffered abuse in their lives.

“It was this that informed the unanimous decision made solely by the Dean and Chapter to inform the Archbishop that we will not be hosting him as part of his Lord’s Prayer tour.

“This decision was made independently by the Cathedral’s governing body and applies specifically to this event. The well-being of survivors remains our highest priority, and Newcastle Cathedral will always strive to put them first.”

Read it all.

Newcastle Cathedral has withdrawn its planned participation in the Archbishop of York’s Lord’s Prayer Tour https://t.co/2jimmZfksw

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) April 2, 2025

Biblical scholars, particularly those working in the Hebrew Bible, have found the lens of trauma particularly illuminating. Reading biblical texts such as Job or Lamentations — and even the Psalms — through this lens helps to make richer sense and deeper meaning of both the text and the ways in which it can be read today. Ericka Dunbar, for example, reads the book of Esther through a trauma-informed lens of sex trafficking to produce a reading that brings to the fore overlooked elements of the text, and that speaks to contemporary experiences in the African diaspora.

Interestingly, far less work of this nature has been done in dialogue with the New Testament. It has been suggested that some of Paul’s writings would benefit from a trauma-informed reading, but not many theologians have attempted this. Without trying to diagnose ancient characters with trauma, other scholars (me included) have wondered what it might mean if the followers of Jesus at the foot of the cross experienced trauma responses after Jesus’s death. What might this indicate about the life of the Early Church? Could we imagine Jesus himself as one who has experienced trauma? Such questions need much more exploration.

In the field of trauma theologies, a range of themes and questions have exercised scholars. At the forefront of this field has been the work of the aforementioned American theologian Dr Rambo. Her theological work on Holy Saturday has proved significant in the field. She argues that many Christians rush from the crucifixion to the resurrection too quickly, and overlook — theologically, liturgically, and pastorally — Holy Saturday. It is Holy Saturday, when death and life are mingled, boundaries are blurred, and there is not yet the hope of Easter Day, which tells us something of the experience of trauma.

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In this month's Theology Matters, @kmrodonnell explains the growing interest in trauma theologyhttps://t.co/ahND251G2r

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 28, 2025

Jipp’s view is that Paul wants to offer “a robust theory of how relation to Christ is humanity’s supreme good, and is, therefore, necessary for human flourishing”, and he is right to insist on the importance of facing the inevitability of death”, as our “fundamental human predicament”, which means that in this life human flourishing is unobtainable because of the undeniable presence of sin and death (“this present evil age” — Galatians 1.4). But for Paul, of course, death is not the end; our only hope is that God has raised Jesus from the dead. Paul sees the possibility of a “transformed moral agency”, whereby we are seen to think, act, and feel in a way that is orientated towards, and therefore unified by, loving and worshipping God.

This is a very rich and powerful doctrine, in which Christ is seen as the “foundation of a new epistemology for persons-in-Christ”. Love is absolutely central here, making of us a sacred community, related to Christ and to one another, where the Church has to be a reconciling and forgiving community.

Jipp offers a very attractive vision of how “persons-in-Christ” can speak to our world. What, in your view, does it mean for any of us to flourish and live a good life in the world? I strongly recommend this book; it is not easy reading, but sheds interesting new light on the remarkable apostle Paul and his very telling use of athletic and military imagery.

Read it all (registration or subscription).

Book review: Nicholas King looks at being in Christ in St Paul's theologyhttps://t.co/baVGtgLjKc pic.twitter.com/ICUNsKhtA0

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 21, 2025

If they’d been asked to write an autopsy of their marriage, Walter and Amanda Smith might have agreed that the cause of death was their lack of understanding of the institution. By the summer of 2021, they were like two people who had formed their own country before agreeing on the rules of citizenship. Walter was drinking too much and going through the motions; Amanda felt trapped and separated from the identity she’d been handed as a child. “I was raised to be a ray of sunshine inside,” she liked to say. “I’m supposed to be the joy of the room.” To which one day Walter blurted out, “You are not a ray of sunshine. You’re a black cloud.” Since they’d collided 10 years earlier in a Texarkana roadside bar — Amanda was the waitress who didn’t mind that Walter had already had too much to drink — they’d never spent a night apart. Both were easy on the eye and quirky and impulsive and extraordinarily willful. Both were also unhappy. Walter had ballooned to 250 pounds and was going through two six-packs of Budweiser a night. Amanda had decided that marrying Walter Smith after knowing him for only five months was the biggest mistake of her life — which was saying something.

Still, at first glance, they appeared to have built a life together. They’d bought a place with land around it outside De Queen, Arkansas. Walter had taken a good, if all-consuming, job fixing anything that broke inside a massive coal-fired power plant an hour’s drive away. At one stretch, he worked 12-hour shifts for 93 straight days. They’d accumulated a vast number of animals: chickens, goats, rabbits and cats, along with a surprising number of dogs. “I pick up dogs off the side of the road,” explained Amanda. Inside of six years, Amanda had given birth to three children and was pregnant with a fourth. Walter insisted on naming their first, a boy. Hunter, he’d called him, after one of his favorite writers, Hunter S. Thompson. By cobbling together names from Amanda’s side of the family, he’d named their second child, too, a daughter: Alaina. After that, Amanda seized back the naming rights and, for reasons Walter has never learned, called their third child Henry. The fourth time around, Amanda was racked with indecision. “Infant Smith,” read the baby boy’s birth certificate for the first three months after his birth. “I thought, she’s going to come up with some wild shit,” Walter said. “And one day she says it: Johnathan. And I’m like, ‘You got to be sh*&^ing me.’ It took you three months to call him John Smith?”

At a glance, they were a union, but by the summer of 2021, they were engaged in something closer to civil war. “I’m doing all the things I’m supposed to do,” Walter said. “But I wasn’t willing to do the shit that made her happy. I was doing the shit that would shut her up. I would do everything I could to keep her off my ass so she would feel guilty to ask me to quit drinking.” For example, he knew that Amanda wanted to rely less on processed foods and more on what they grew themselves. The soil on their farm was poor — just gravel and red clay that required a pickax to dent. And so before Amanda could think to ask him, Walter hauled in endless sacks of enriched soil and erected four massive garden beds.

As he worked, Alaina, then 5 years old, went out to watch and play. She loved hanging around her father. Making mud pies was her favorite hobby. Walter thought nothing of it until he looked up and saw Alaina enveloped in a dust cloud. “Hey, baby, get out from downwind of that,” he said. For a moment, he worried about the effect on her lungs of the dust. But then Alaina moved, and Walter returned to the job of making his wife unhappy.

And so their small nation was divided when its first external threat presented itself. The moment from Sept. 10, 2021, is still vivid in Amanda’s mind. “Hunter runs in and says, ‘Mom, when I’m talking to Alaina, she’s not talking back to me.’”

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Putting a face on rare deadly diseases, federal bureaucrats, dedicated medical researchers, and working class America all in one brilliant piece of beautifully written journalism from Michael Lewis: https://t.co/1u4fGFcaoO #Balamuthia #CUREIDs

— Stephanie Sy (@TheStephSy) March 13, 2025

The new Interim Dean of Winchester, Canon Roland Riem, has promised transparency and “radical candour” in response to a review, published last week, which identified leadership failings at Winchester Cathedral (News, 3 March).

In a statement read out to the cathedral’s congregation on Sunday, Canon Riem said that the Chapter would publish updates on its response to the review at three-monthly intervals.

Canon Riem, who was previously Vice-Dean of the cathedral, was confirmed as Interim Dean after the Very Revd Catherine Ogle brought forward her planned retirement.

In a statement last week, she apologised on behalf of the Chapter, saying that, although it had to accept “collective responsibility”, as its leader, she had decided to step back immediately (News, 7 March), ahead of her planned retirement.

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The new Interim Dean of Winchester, Canon Roland Riem, has promised transparency and “radical candour” in response to a review, published last week, which identified leadership failings at Winchester Cathedralhttps://t.co/GbElq3J8JX

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 12, 2025

A review of Winchester Cathedral identified “significant failings in leadership and management”, the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, said on Monday, when a summary of the review was published.

The Dean, the Very Revd Catherine Ogle, has announced that she will immediately hand over leadership of the cathedral, before her previously announced retirement on 1 May. The Vice-Dean, Canon Roly Riem, is to take charge of implementing the review’s recommendations, many of which, Dean Ogle said, were “already under way”.

In a statement, the Dean apologised on behalf of the Chapter to “everyone who has been hurt by the events of the last few months”. The Chapter, she said, had to accept “collective responsibility”, but, as its leader, she was stepping back.

Bishop Mounstephen said that “no one person is entirely to blame.” He also sought to emphasise that Winchester was not a “failing cathedral”, and that the reviewers had found “much to celebrate”.

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It's difficult to understand exactly what happened at Winchester Cathedral, but review refers to failures of management & a “culture of secrecy, due to a misunderstanding of appropriate confidentiality and the aversion of key individuals to conflict”. https://t.co/E7rFLuvkoG

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) March 4, 2025

McDermott in his opening address maintained that North American culture “didn’t make sex important enough” and instead saw it “reduced to a recreational exercise.”

The prolific author observed that it is de rigueur to say that sexual difference is a cultural distinction. But, male and female brains are differently wired even before environmental differences can occur.

“Why does God create so that tensions in marriage can make us into better people?” McDermott asked. “We’re being created for something else.” Marriage, he described, is a sign in the visible world of a future love and union that surpasses what we enjoy today.

“It is not good to live as though my sexuality makes no difference,” McDermott stated. “I must live in relation to the other.”

Read it all.

“The profound implication of having been made in God’s image affects every aspect of our lives,” @jadykoch explained in framing the To Be Human conference. “Our work and witness as Christians in the world upholding this truth is needed now more than ever.” https://t.co/FV1vaKYb7G

— Jeff Walton (@jeffreyhwalton) March 3, 2025

Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back 
                           Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack 
                           From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
                           If I lacked any thing.

A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
                           Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
                           I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
                           Who made the eyes but I?

Truth Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
                           Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
                           My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
                           So I did sit and eat.

Today, the calendar in Common Worship (CofE) commemorates the Welsh-born English poet, orator and priest, George Herbert (1593-1633) with a Lesser Festival. #GeorgeHerbert pic.twitter.com/FnyhernyJY

— Mark Coughlan (@mjc0ughl4n) February 27, 2025

Ten members of the clergy, including two bishops, could be subject to disciplinary proceedings in connection with the abuse perpetrated by John Smyth, if the President of the Tribunals permits the National Safeguarding Team (NST) to bring complaints under the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM) out of time.

They include a former Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, and Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury.

The announcement, made by the NST on Tuesday, concludes a four-stage process considering the actions of clergy named in the Makin review of Smyth’s abuse (News, 5 December 2024). The review culminated in recommendations by a panel; and these were reviewed by an independent barrister.

The Church House statement said that the panel had “considered the safeguarding policies and guidance which were in force at the relevant time, the facts of the particular case, the relevant legal considerations and whether there is sufficient evidence to justify proceedings”. The barrister had concurred with all of the panel’s decisions.

Read it all.

NEW: Ten members of the clergy, incl Lord Carey and Bishop Paul Butler, could be subject to disciplinary proceedings in connection with the abuse perpetrated by John Smyth. I've had a look at the ten, & context for bringing such complaints under the CDMhttps://t.co/6xdMFl6x9v

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) February 25, 2025

The Church of England’s governing body has rejected a fully independent safeguarding model to deal with abuse cases.

Synod members instead adopted an alternative proposal described as a “way forward in the short term” ahead of a move to full independence in the future.

But child safety expert Prof Alexis Jay – who had called for a fully independent model – described the decision as “deeply disappointing” and “devastating for victims and survivors”.

The vote comes after a turbulent period for the Church, which has seen the resignation of former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over his handling of an abuse case and criticism of Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell’s links to another.

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This is disappointing, short-sighted, and very concerning. Fully independent oversight of safeguarding is essential.

BBC News – Church of England rejects fully independent safeguardinghttps://t.co/2IzYb8sKYN

— Prof Michael Green FCCT (@Michael_S_Green) February 11, 2025