The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore–on the contrary: they thought Him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround Him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified Him “meek and mild,” and recommended Him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.

To those who knew Him, however, He in no way suggested a milk-and-water person; they objected to Him as a dangerous firebrand. True, He was tender to the unfortunate, patient with honest inquirers, and humble before Heaven; but He insulted respectable clergymen by calling them hypocrites; He referred to King Herod as “that fox”; He went to parties in disreputable company and was looked upon as a “gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners”; He assaulted indignant tradesmen and threw them and their belongings out of the Temple; He drove a coach-and-horses through a number of sacrosanct and hoary regulations. He cured diseases by any means that came handy, with a shocking casualness in the matter of other people’s pigs and property; He showed no proper deference for wealth or social position; when confronted with neat dialectical traps, He displayed a paradoxical humour that affronted serious-minded people, and He retorted by asking disagreeably searching questions that could not be answered by rule of thumb. He was emphatically not a dull man in his human lifetime, and if He was God, there can be nothing dull about God either. But He had “a daily beauty in His life that made us ugly,” and officialdom felt that the established order of things would be more secure without Him. So they did away with God in the name of peace and quietness.

–Dorothy Sayers in Affirmations of God and Man, ed. Edmund Fuller (New York: Association Press, 1967) p. 36

Every year for 15 years C.S. Lewis began Lent by rereading Dorothy Sayers’ screenplay, The Man Born to be King. That inspired me this Lent to make @Audible_com’s 1975 recording of the radio play my long-drive go-to. (Being a country priest, it didn’t take long to finish.)

The… pic.twitter.com/54jXE4wnqh

— Fr John Corrigan (@illativefaith) March 5, 2026

An arson attack on Jewish charity-owned ambulances in north London is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime and is being investigated by counter-terror officers, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Four Hatzola ambulances were set ablaze in Golders Green in the early hours of Monday, causing several explosions – caused by gas canisters onboard the vehicles.

No arrests have been made but CCTV, which appears to show three suspects dressed in black setting fire to an ambulance, is being investigated.

Det Ch Supt Luke Williams said the attack had not been declared a terror incident “at this stage”.

Read it all.

The Scottish Parliament’s rejection of a Bill to legalise assisted dying has been welcomed by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Revd Rosie Frew, and by Christian campaigners in the country.

On Tuesday evening, Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) rejected, by 69 votes to 57, the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, which had been introduced by Liam McArthur MSP. The Bill sought to allow an assisted death for terminally ill adults who had decision-making capacity and had six months or less to live.

In a statement issued shortly after the vote, Ms Frew said: “I recognise that the outcome will be a disappointment to many, but it was clear that the safeguards included did not offer sufficient protection.

“We have been consistent in our position that we need to prioritise the development of excellent palliative care services that are universally available and fully funded. Without that, had the Bill passed, we would fear that many vulnerable people might have seen an assisted death as their only realistic option.”

Read it all.

The Scottish Parliament’s rejection of a Bill to legalise assisted dying has been welcomed by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Revd Rosie Frew, and by Christian campaigners in the country#churchnews #churchtimes https://t.co/NhNTeIZ6GR

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 18, 2026

A senior adviser to the Nigerian president has rejected claims that Christians are being specifically targeted in violence across Nigeria, insisting the country is facing a broader security crisis rather than religious persecution.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser for information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, made the comments to Premier Christian News as he began a state visit to the UK, the first by a Nigerian leader in almost four decades.

The visit comes amid growing international scrutiny over attacks on Christians in Nigeria. More than 200 MPs have urged Keir Starmer to raise concerns about religious freedom when he meets President Tinubu in Downing Street on Thursday.

Last month, a US government report described Nigeria as the most dangerous place in the world to practise the Christian faith, warning that jihadist networks exploit weak enforcement and limited accountability to carry out sustained violence.

Meanwhile, the persecution watchdog Open Doors says nearly 3,500 Christians were killed in Nigeria last year, out of the 4,849 killed around the world.

However, Onanuga strongly rejected the idea that violence is targeted specifically at Christians.

Read it all.

A fleet of Currachs (longboats) weaved its way toward the shore, where a young Roman Brit and his family walked. His name was Patricius, the 16-year-old son of a civil magistrate and tax collector. He had heard stories of Irish raiders who captured slaves and took them “to the ends of the world,” and as he studied the longboats, he no doubt began imagining the worst.

With no Roman army to protect them (Roman legions had long since deserted Britain to protect Rome from barbarian invasions), Patricius and his town were unprepared for attack. The Irish warriors, wearing helmets and armed with spears, descended on the pebbled beach. The braying war horns struck terror into Patricius’s heart, and he started to run toward town.

The warriors quickly demolished the village, and as Patricius darted among burning houses and screaming women, he was caught. The barbarians dragged him aboard a boat bound for the east coast of Ireland.

Patricius, better known as Patrick, is remembered today as the saint who drove the snakes out of Ireland, the teacher who used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and the namesake of annual parades in New York and Boston. What is less well-known is that Patrick was a humble missionary (this saint regularly referred to himself as “a sinner”) of enormous courage. When he evangelized Ireland, he set in motion a series of events that impacted all of Europe. It all started when he was carried off into slavery around 430.

Read it all.

#OTD March 17, 461:
(traditional date)
Patrick, missionary to Ireland and its patron saint, dies. Captured by Irish raiders as a youth, he was enslaved before escaping to Gaul (modern France). Years later, after a vision calling him to return, he preached the gospel to the Irish,… pic.twitter.com/E5lnojcL5d

— ☧ Today in Christian History (@HistoricalRook) March 17, 2026

Almighty God, who in thy providence didst choose thy servant Patrick to be the apostle of the Irish people, to bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of thee: Grant us so to walk in that light, that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever.

Today's the feast of St Patrick, 5th Century Romano-British missionary to Ireland. He stands with St George in glass by the Harry Clarke workshop, c1950 in Plymouth Cathedral. He's one of the patron saints of Ireland, particularly associated with the Irish diaspora. pic.twitter.com/Jn7sRLoPve

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) March 17, 2026

The BBC reported on Monday that 100 Labour MPs had written to the Prime Minister arguing that, if assisted dying legislation does not pass, trust in politics will be undermined.

But the Labour MP Jessica Asato, who opposes the Bill, told the BBC: “The sponsor of the Bill has rejected 99 per cent of suggested improvements and amendments in the House of Lords and so it still contains all the same faults and issues. Any MP that voted to push this Bill through would do so knowing that it is unsafe and would harm vulnerable people.”

A new Whitestone poll of more than 2000 UK adults for Care Not Killing shows that the public wants Parliament to prioritise safety over choice.

Asked if they would support a law that enabled patient choice, but was implemented in a way that put other patients and vulnerable people at risk, respondents opposed the move by 42 per cent to 35 per cent. The proportion of those who “strongly” backed putting safety over choice was more than double the proportion of those who said the opposite (26 per cent to 12 per cent).

Read it all.

As the assisted-dying Bill runs out of debating time in the House of Lords, the Christian Labour peer Lord Rook on Friday tabled three amendments on protecting vulnerable people from coercion and safeguarding young people#HouseofLords #debate https://t.co/2Q3MhOVc5N

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 16, 2026

The Bishops’ Conference said it strongly disagrees with the Government’s position, noting that every organization has guiding values that shape its mission and practice.

“For many faith‑based organizations, including Catholic hospices and care homes, these values are fundamentally incompatible with the introduction of assisted suicide,” said Bishop John Keenan of Paisley, the President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland.

“The Bishops’ Conference maintains that no organization should be compelled by the State to participate in the deliberate ending of life when doing so would violate its ethical or religious principles,” the bishop said.

Anthony Horan, the Director of the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office, said the Scottish Government and Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) must accept that Catholic hospices and care homes cannot, in good conscience, provide any services under the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, nor can they be expected to refer anyone to such services.

“Assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel,” he told Crux Now.

Read it all.

Ahead of a key vote, the bishops of Scotland, along with pro-life leaders, have made a passionate plea to politicians to reject a proposed assisted suicide bill because it is “unsafe.” https://t.co/Jl3aGGoLhL

— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) March 6, 2026

Gregory I (540-604) was the first monk to become pope. He was born into the ruling class, but had given away everything he owned to become a monk. During his impressive papacy, he devoted himself to reforming the church and monasteries and to helping Italians who were suffering from famine, plague, and invasions.

Another of his lasting achievements was the conversion of Southern England. This area of Britain had been conquered by pagan Angles and Saxons, ‘the English’. But when King Ethelbert of Kent married a Christian princess, it seems Gregory saw an opening, and sent his prior Augustine (not to be confused with Augustine of Hippo, whom we have already met) to evangelize them. One story, that is not included in our excerpt from Bede, says that Gregory was inspired by the sight of some young English slaves whom he saw in Rome. Amazed by their fair hair, he asked who they were, and being told they were Angles, replied “Not Angles, but angels.”

Read it all.

Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor of the Church (604)

One of the greatest Popes, he healed schisms, revived discipline, aided the conversion of Spanish and French Goths, and sent St. Augustine of Canterbury to evangelize England. He set in order the Church's prayers and chant. pic.twitter.com/OvOwzSzqM4

— Memento Mori (@TempusFugit4016) March 12, 2024

Gracious God, we thank you for the life and witness of Saint Kessog, who brought the light of the Gospel to the lands of Scotland. Grant us grace that we may follow his example, be resolute in our faith even amidst great challenges, and bring peace, hope and love to everyone to whom we minister through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit ever reigns, one God over all. Amen (moved from yesterday).

Things named after St Kessog:
1. Kessog bridge📷
2. #Kessock area of #Inverness
3. Kessog oil field in the North Sea📷!

St Kessog often depicted in military dress holding a bent bow with an arrow in it, or sword! Claimed he was a soldier saint! 🎨Alan Lees. pic.twitter.com/HnOVlqxyVr

— Irish History Bitesize! (@lorraineelizab6) March 10, 2020

Three events, three continents, one week. A parliamentary by-election in Greater Manchester, England; a thunderous war and the death of a tyrant in Iran; and a terrorist attack in Austin, Texas. They seem unrelated. They are not. Together, they tell you where political Islam has got to—and more urgently, where its most committed adherents are heading next.

On February 26, the UK’s Green Party won a parliamentary seat in Gorton and Denton that the Labour Party had held for decades. The Green candidate, Hannah Spencer, secured nearly 15,000 votes. Matt Goodwin, the candidate for the conservative populist Reform party, came in second with about 10,500, while the Labour candidate slipped to third. The obvious question is how a party associated with bike lanes, green energy, and rewilding managed to seize a Labour stronghold in Greater Manchester.

The answer has nothing to do with climate policy.

The Greens ran two entirely separate campaigns. To progressive voters, they offered the standard mix of green and anti-austerity policies. To Muslim voters, who make up 30 percent of the Gorton and Denton electorate, they offered something else. Leaflets in Urdu, Bengali, and Arabic told readers that Labour must be punished for its complicity in the Israeli war in Gaza. The translated material framed the vote as a community act—a way for Muslims to speak with one voice. Spencer appeared in a keffiyeh outside a mosque. Green Party leadership gave interviews to 5Pillars, an Islamist-leaning outlet that has been involved in the circulation of antisemitic and homophobic content. The Green Party pulled LGBT-friendly content from its Muslim-facing literature in the campaign.

Observers of the election found that about 12 percent of ballots were cast by people engaged in “family voting,” with multiple adults present in the same booth. Britain banned the practice in 2023, but its frequency in Groton and Denton may reflect a deep-set patriarchal tendency among local Muslims.

After the victory, Green deputy leader Mothin Ali attended a London rally backing Iran’s regime—the same regime whose rhetoric targets Britain and whose operatives have been linked to terrorist plots on UK soil.

Read it all.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Iran Is Collapsing, but Islamism Is Spreading. Where will the baddies go next? To towns with charming names like Gorton and Denton? https://t.co/kjEf7vZCuL

— Ayaan Hirsi Ali (@Ayaan) March 2, 2026

Almighty God, who didst call thy servant David to be a faithful and wise steward of thy mysteries for the people of Wales: Mercifully grant that, following his purity of life and zeal for the gospel of Christ, we may with him receive the crown of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever (moved from yesterday).

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! Happy St David's Day!

The patron saint of Wales/Cymru, you can find depictions of him throughout Wales – like this window from St David's Church in Blaenporth, Ceredigion.

📸 1 © Llywelyn2000 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
📸 2 © Bill Nicholls (CC BY-SA 2.0) pic.twitter.com/PoO7ChzV01

— National Churches Trust (@NatChurchTrust) March 1, 2026

Almighty God, whose servant Chad, for the peace of the Church, relinquished cheerfully the honors that had been thrust upon him, only to be rewarded with equal responsibility: Keep us, we pray thee, from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and ready at all times to give place to others, (in honor preferring one another,) that the cause of Christ may be advanced; in the name of him who washed his disciples’ feet, even the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

2 Mar: d.?672, St Chad, bishop of Mercia #otd

He studied at Rathmelsigi in #Ireland

Some of his relics still survive pic.twitter.com/AOhHvifRpE

— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) March 2, 2026

A new annotated edition of the Bible, published by the Bible Society and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC), contains more than 1000 notes, prompts, stories, and features to help its readers to address “the nitty-gritty detail of life”.

Launched last month, the Everyday Faith Bible is designed to help readers to “follow Jesus every day of the week” through practical prompts, contextual notes, features, quotations, and real-life story examples.

It seeks to help people to connect with ancient texts in the 21st century by addressing “how the Bible speaks to the nitty-gritty detail of life in the UK today — from work meetings to football games to family dinners”, the LICC and Bible Society write in their introduction.

Read it all.

A new annotated edition of the #Bible, published by @biblesociety and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, contains more than 1000 notes, prompts, stories, and features to help its readers to address “the nitty-gritty detail of life”.https://t.co/x94ddfmRkL

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 27, 2026

Assisted suicide campaigners have repeatedly claimed that just seven Peers have been blocking the Bill by tabling lots of amendments.

A new analysis by Right To Life UK’s Public Affairs team has, however, confirmed that this spin from assisted suicide campaigners paints a deeply misleading picture of the actual situation in the House of Lords.

The analysis shows that nearly 80 Peers have so far tabled or signed amendments highlighting concerns with the Bill and that 131 Peers have either spoken against the Bill or signed amendments raising such concerns during its passage through the Lords.

This is significant because Bill supporters are seemingly attempting to persuade MPs to revive the Bill in the next parliamentary session and force it through using the Parliament Acts, on the basis that a small number of Peers have inappropriately blocked its passage. Our analysis shows this claim to be wholly untrue.

131 is an exceptionally high number of Peers opposing a Bill, particularly one where debates are reserved for Fridays when Peers are often not expected to be in Parliament. It is even more remarkable given that the Bill has not yet completed Committee Stage or reached its Report Stage or Third Reading. In addition to these 131 Peers, it is likely that more Peers will speak out during future sittings and it is known that many more Peers are opposed to the Bill. Others have already spoken out in the media or expressed concerns via written parliamentary questions.

Read it all.

BREAKING: UK Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide Fails After Massive Opposition https://t.co/rSU7BExTq4 pic.twitter.com/XyZHW46dcu

— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) February 26, 2026

Almighty God, who gave your servant Cumméne the White to guide the community of Iona with wisdom and to cherish the memory of Saint Columba; Grant that, as we recall his faithfulness, we may follow his example in studying your Word and bearing witness to your power, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (moved from Tuesday).

Feb 24: Feast of Cumméne Find, ‘the White’, (†669), abbot of Iona. He was said to have written a book about Columba’s miraculous powers. His abbacy coincided with the Synod of Whitby in 664. Faílbe mac Pípáin succeeded him. 📸August Schwerdfeger pic.twitter.com/F0FaroQfQa

— North Ages (@NorthAges) February 24, 2026

A parish in Norfolk is marking the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia with a special service and a series of charitable initiatives to show its support for the Ukrainian people.

“This has been a cause really bringing people together — not just churchgoers but people across the community,” said David Styles, communications officer for the Norwich diocese.

“While some people have become desensitised after four years of war, local Ukrainians have been heartened by many messages showing they’re not forgotten.”

Mr Styles told the Church Times that St Peter’s, Sheringham, had marked the anniversary with a memorial service. It had also organised collections of clothing, medical supplies, children’s toys and fire-fighting equipment.

Read it all.

A parish in #Norfolk is marking the fourth anniversary of the invasion of #Ukraine by #Russia with a special service and a series of charitable initiatives to show its support for the Ukrainian people#churchnews #churchtimes https://t.co/QznWG2TN11

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 24, 2026

Now in similar manner, the Church of England Canon law on Marriage is cast as ‘unjust’ by an appeal to subjective feelings and desires. This is the basic thrust of Thompson’s argument which calls for acceptance of same-sex civil marriage.

Anglican divine Richard Hooker stated unequivocally that human authority in the sphere of law was totally subject to the moral law of scripture.  “Laws human are of force so far forth as they are agreeable to the law of God.”[x]Biblical law must always inform issues of justice, and the 39 Articles of Religion asserts this principle, “… it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God’s Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another.”[xi]

Christ definitely does not embody a law based on democratic human decisions which is in total opposition to God’s holy law. The people’s voice cannot take the place of God’s voice. After all, the people’s voice all too quickly turns into a baying for blood – as in, “Crucify him”^[xii].

Christ as the second Adam[xiii] points us back to the Creator’s original intention for human beings, as described in Genesis. His purpose for human sexuality – to bond a man and a woman in lifelong marriage so that children may be brought up in the knowledge and fear of the Lord[xiv]. Certainly, without knowing the purpose of humanity, we cannot know what justice is.

Read it all.

Is the penny dropping? Is clergy same-sex marriage a step too far for the CofE?https://t.co/81lNU3o0A5

— Anglican Futures (@AnglicanFutures) January 24, 2025

Asked whether enough has been done to build a sense of pride in nation since Brexit, Bishop North said: “No, I think I see almost the same division now.

“I see it lived out and played out in different ways. But I still see many people who feel embarrassed to speak about pride in nationhood, pride in the Royal Family and in the Armed Forces, as if that is somehow a language of the past.”

He added: “So I think we still have a really important national conversation about what it means to be British in such a complex global backdrop.” Bishop North urged leaders in the Church and in Westminster to do their bit to restore national pride as he called for Britons to have the courage to “reclaim” national symbols.

He urged people not to be ashamed of “some of the traditions around Britishness and Englishness, and for that not to be a source of embarrassment anymore.”

Read it all.

📄 Bishop of Blackburn defends Leave votershttps://t.co/KSLLqgMEIE @AJNewbury94 pic.twitter.com/OSbDGXWSMx

— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) February 19, 2026

A third of Church of England clergy could be suffering from depression, according to a Church report.

Some 16 per cent of 500 clergy polled “show indications of probable clinical depression”, with a further 13 per cent showing “indications of possible or mild depression”, the Living Ministry report on clergy well-being from 2017 to last year found.

This could mean that around 6,000 out of the 20,000 total clergy within the Church are suffering depression.

The Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis, wars, climate change and “social movements calling for gender and racial justice” are among the factors affecting clergy, according to the internal report.

Problems within the Church, such as dwindling congregations, safeguarding failures and the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2024, also added to their stress.

Read it all.

We reported on these findings in 2024. Not to suggest the issues have been resolved but the Church has since announced a package including a rise in the stipend and funding for Clergy Support Trust & St Luke’s Healthcare.https://t.co/qbn7kO8kjv

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) February 10, 2026

Romsey Abbey has been named a Demonstrator Church as part of the Church of England’s ambition to become net zero by 2030.

The abbey is currently working with two heritage consultancy firms to explore sustainable upgrades to its lighting and heating systems, with partial funding from the Church of England.

Jan Bartlett, lead churchwarden for the zero carbon initiative at Romsey Abbey, said: “The CofE’s Demonstrator Churches project aims to support high carbon emitting churches with zero carbon projects.

“Romsey Abbey is fortunate to have been selected for Demonstrator Church status and this year we will be receiving financial support towards the technical advice we need to take forward our heating and lighting projects.”

Read it all.

Abbey working towards a greener future is recognised by Church of England https://t.co/TMdfMT3U0v

— Hampshire Chronicle (@hantschronicle) February 9, 2026

The flag of St George is a symbol of “unity” and “inclusion” and “cannot be owned by any one group or cause”, a group of seven bishops has said in a statement to mark Racial Justice Sunday (8 February).

The statement was issued by the Church of England Bishops’ Working Group for Promoting Unity in our Nation, which was set up late last year by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in response to concerns about the use of Christian symbols by far-Right pressure groups (Features, 6 February). The group is developing resources to help churches to celebrate St George’s Day (23 April).

The group is chaired by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, and its other members are: the Bishop of Kirkstall, the Rt Revd Arun Arora; the Bishop of Barking, the Rt Revd Lynne Cullens; the Bishop of Bradford, Dr Toby Howarth; the Bishop of Croydon, Dr Rosemarie Mallett; the Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy; and the Bishop of Birmingham, Dr Michael Volland.

The statement acknowledges that “many in our communities are concerned by both the perceptions and realities of the issues of migration,” and calls for “mature debate on the different impacts of immigration (recognising that we cannot have unregulated borders). Alongside this we believe that our country must remain welcoming to those who are genuinely fleeing war or persecution.”

Read it all.

‘The cross of St George, the flag of England, should be celebrated as a symbol of unity in our nation, rooted in our Christian heritage.’

Read the joint statement from leading Church of England bishops. https://t.co/NDqK9AZFwF

— The Church of England (@churchofengland) February 8, 2026

The Church of England General Synod opens in London today, with an agenda including the first address by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally.

There will be a discussion on ending the Living in Love and Faith project, a church wide discussion on same sex relations and blessings, which reached an impasse over deep divisions.

Decisions remain to be taken on stand-alone services for same sex couples and whether same sex clergy may be married in civil ceremonies.

Other issues on the agenda are safeguarding, working class clergy, poverty and banning ‘oasis’ floral foam.

The Telegraph has published a chart showing a decline in the number of people on the electoral roll of churches in each of the dioceses, a long term trend.

February's General Synod opens today.

Here's what's coming up on the first day of the Church of England’s Synod.

📺 You can also tune in live to all the events this week at https://t.co/1Sfh2FBPZS.#GeneralSynod pic.twitter.com/DSZCfQDWDI

— The Church of England (@churchofengland) February 9, 2026

Heavenly Father, let our memory provide no shelter for grievance against each other, let our heart provide no harbour for hatred of each other, and let our tongue be no accomplice in the judgement of each other, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (moved from yesterday) [using a slightly edited form of a Celtic prayer].

Feb 8: Feast of Ælfflæd (†714), abbess of Streanæshalch (Whitby). Her father Oswiu, king of the Northumbrians, vowed to consecrate her in infancy to the religious life if he defeated Penda, pagan king of the Mercians. This he did. Cuthbert’s girdle cured her of paralysis. pic.twitter.com/P70HTNZaVf

— North Ages (@NorthAges) February 8, 2026

A “BOLD reshaping of the Church in Plymouth”, intended to help to double church attendance in the city, is among the initiatives to be funded by a new £10-million Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB) grant for the diocese of Exeter.

Plymouth, the largest urban centre in Devon, with a population of about 270,000, and higher than average levels of deprivation, had been identified as an “area of concern” by the national Church, the Suffragan Bishop of Plymouth, the Rt Revd James Grier, has said.

There are “whole communities in the city that have never been reached by their parish church”, diocesan recruitment material says. Amid “declining attendance, leadership gaps, and financial pressures”, the clergy vacancy rate (one third, amounting to ten posts) has created “a rare opportunity to shape a new culture: one that’s rooted in mission, built on collaboration, and open to growth”.

Bishop Grier, who was born in Plymouth, said that an audit of the city had been expected to recommend significant pastoral reorganisation, given the ratio of clergy to congregation size. “In practice, what the review said was, ‘There is no excuse for these churches not to be growing.’”

Read it all.

Plymouth, the largest urban centre in Devon, with higher than average levels of deprivation, has been identified as an ‘area of concern’ by the national Church https://t.co/mUglWQBXUK

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 6, 2026

The impact of the Tudors on Wales, England, and Europe is known to every school pupil in Britain: King Henry VIII and his succession of wives, his part in the Reformation that spilt the continent, and the Church of England that emerged from and has somehow survived these turbulent beginnings.

Visitors will soon be able to see where it all began, in the 1400s: the family church of the Tudor dynasty. No need to book, queue, or register months in advance: the medieval St Gredifael’s, Penmynydd, on Anglesey, is to become the newest addition to the collection of buildings maintained by the Friends of Friendless Churches (FoFC). Yet this marks a big improvement in the church’s fortunes: it has been closed for more than ten years. The FoFC, with the help of an anonymous benefactor, are to carry out repairs and reopen it for visits and occasional acts of worship.

Wales’s religious heritage is disappearing, or being sold off, at possibly the fastest rate since the Reformation. According to the National Churches Trust (NCT), 25 per cent of historic churches and Nonconformist chapels in Wales have closed in the past decade. The National Churches Survey, published by the NCT in October, found that those who ran nearly ten per cent of places of Christian worship in Wales believed that they would “definitely” or “probably” not be open for worship in five years’ time.

Dwindling congregations and soaring maintenance bills have resulted in congregations’ merging, relocating, or closing their buildings, and the auctioning or demolition of churches. A handful, such as St Gredifael’s, are saved by heritage charities such as the FoFC.

Read it all.

"Wales’s religious heritage is disappearing, or being sold off, at possibly the fastest rate since the Reformation."

Declining attendance means closure for churches in #Wales, but valuable history could be lost, reports Abigail Frymann Rouch https://t.co/7zLUeIUczJ

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 1, 2026

Everliving God, we rejoice today in the fellowship of thy blessed servant Brigid, and we give thee thanks for her life of devoted service. Inspire us with life and light, and give us perseverance to serve thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end (moved from yesterday).

Today's the feast of St Brigid of Kildare, 5th/6th Century Abbess and Mother Saint of Ireland. She stands with her wolfhound in glass of c1920 in Plymouth Cathedral that's credited to Hardman & Co (but could it be by someone more interesting?) pic.twitter.com/yG0XJ4y4At

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) February 1, 2026

William Nicholson’s original script will barely be changed in the production at the Aldwych Theatre, which opens next week, apart from updating a story that a character reads from a newspaper. Raised as a Roman Catholic, Mr Nicholson initially had no time for C. S Lewis, sharing his mother’s view that the Narnia author was a “drippy Protty”. But, when his colleage in the BBC’s religious department Norman Stone — filmmaker, Lewis fan, and Christian — suggested creating a television drama about Lewis’s relationship and marriage to an American mother-of-two, Joy Davidman, Mr Nicholson was transfixed by their slow-burn love story.

“I personally connected, as a much younger person — I was 36 at the time — to the whole question of fear of commitment in love, which is maybe more of a male thing, but it was certainly something I was experiencing. I wanted to love and be loved, but was very afraid of committing myself to a full love affair, love relationship, marriage, children.”

Lewis’s loss of his mother at the age of ten probably affected the author’s ability to form close relationships, Mr Nicholson thinks. “When the person who is most central to your life, who gives you your sense of being loved, disappears and leaves you in pain, it’s reasonable to conclude that something closed off at that point, and had to be opened again. I responded to the fear of being made vulnerable by love. I made that one of the central themes, because that related strongly to me. I wasn’t married at the time; so I was able to channel a bit of myself into Lewis, and Lewis into myself.”

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"Shadowlands speaks to something deep in all of us about loss, love and loss, and the fear of loss."

The story of C. S. Lewis’s marriage, exploring love, loss, and faith, is back on stage, says @SusanGrayMeets #CSLewis #Shadowlands #grief #theatre https://t.co/ltrjwQftU9

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) January 31, 2026

ames Edward Lesslie Newbigin was born on December 8, 1909 in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England to Annie Affleck and Edward R. Newbigin, a shipping merchant. His earliest memories were happy ones, with a caring mother and a devout and politically radical father. He attended a Quaker boarding school called Leighton Park in Reding, Berkshire. By the time he headed to Queen’s College, Cambridge in 1928 he had left his religious upbringing but not dismissed it as irrational. In the summer of 1929, at age 19, while serving the unemployed of South Wales, Lesslie’s sleep was blessed with a vision of the Cross that touched the depths of human misery and offered hope. He was quickly drawn into evangelistic and ecumenical relationships and in 1930, at a Student Christian Movement (SCM) gathering in Stanwick, experienced a call to ordained ministry. On completion of his degree, he moved to Glasgow to work as staff secretary for the SCM. He returned to Cambridge in 1933 to train for ministry at Westminster College and in July 1936 he was ordained by the Presbytery of Edinburgh to work as a Church of Scotland missionary stationed in Madras, India. One month later, he married SCM colleague Helen Henderson, and together they set off for India where they lived for decades and together had one son and three daughters.

Newbigin took quickly to the native Tamil language, and began his work as a village evangelist. He became troubled by the competing denominational missions that often resulted in a separation of converts by caste. He saw this as a public contradiction to the gospel of reconciliation, and a primary obstacle to missionary work. In response, Newbigin became one of the key architects seeking the local organic reunion of the church. On August 15, 1947, India gained its independence from Britain. A month later, on September 27, 1947 the Church of South India was founded, which brought Congregational, Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations into organic union. That same year, at age 37, Newbigin was elected and consecrated one of the new Church’s first bishops, over Madurai and Ramnad. He served there for 12 years, during which he read what he called the “seminal” works of Roland Allen, and thus became “anxious to win the local village congregations away from a wrong kind of dependence on the mission bungalow.”(1)

The “South India miracle” quickly made Newbigin a prominent figure in the growing international ecumenical scene. He was a consultant for the inaugural assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1948. Between 1951 and 1953, Newbigin served on the “Committee of Twenty-Five” theologians in preparation for 1954. In fact, he was elected chair of the high-powered committee, which included Karl Barth, Emil Brunner and Reinhold Niebuhr. It was during this decade that Barth wrote the three ecclesiological paragraphs in his Church Dogmatics and that Newbigin published The Household of God—his most systematic book on ecclesiology. An insider (peritus) at Vatican II claimed Newbigin’s Household of God influenced the writing of Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic statement of the church which stressed its missiological and eschatological nature as a pilgrim people.

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An absolutely essential Newbigin text, but often overlooked. This is one of the first I tend to recommend. It's later Newbigin, lecture form, clear and pointed. pic.twitter.com/SQnvOt84Xv

— Cody Whittington (@_cwhittington) December 10, 2023

Almighty God, we give you thanks for the ministry of Lesslie Newbigin, who labored that the Church of Jesus Christ might be one: Grant that we, instructed by his teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

We can all use a Barthian Bishop in our life.

1.29

Feast of Leslie Newbigin pic.twitter.com/X30DHb91Uo

— David Szomor (@curiouscurate) January 29, 2026