Delay to the House of Bishops’ final decision on the next steps in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process (News, 16 December) has been criticised by campaigners on both sides of the argument.

The national director of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), Canon John Dunnett, said that the statement issued by Church House on Tuesday “reads like an admission of ‘Groundhog Day’.”

LLF was “eroding the collegiality of the House of Bishops and their ability to lead”, he said, and called for the Bishops to “either halt the project” or reconsider proposals for structural changes to the Church of England.

A form of “delegated episcopal ministry” to provide reassurance to opponents of the changes brought by LLF were rejected by the Bishops at their meeting in October (News, 15 October, 17 October).

Read it all.

The delay to the House of Bishops’ final decision on the next steps in the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process has been criticised by campaigners on both sides of the argument#llf #sexuality #samesexmarriage #churchnews #churchtimes https://t.co/8cQdJOMkVf

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) December 22, 2025

In 2016, Beijing launched a new aerospace conglomerate called Aero Engine Corp. of China. It had a challenging mandate: to develop top-line aircraft engines, a technology China had long struggled to master.

Less than a decade later, Beijing’s newest stealth fighters are entering service with what officials call “Chinese hearts,” or indigenously made engines.

The progress marked a milestone in China’s quest to forge an arms industry worthy of a rising global power. For years, China’s rise obscured a sobering reality: It couldn’t make all its own weapons.

Beijing is now not only producing its own armaments, it is also selling more abroad. In some military technologies, China appears to be matching major arms producers such as Russia and the U.S., or even pulling ahead.

The ability to churn out advanced armaments is a key element in Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s vision of making his country less reliant on the outside world for everything from food and energy to semiconductors. A more self-sufficient China is essential for preventing Western nations from locking it into a strategic stranglehold, Xi has argued.

Read it all.

How Beijing Built Arms Industry to Rival the West—New jet engines show results of China’s military self-sufficiency push@ByChunHan https://t.co/KKed5vXiO0https://t.co/KKed5vXiO0

— Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) December 22, 2025

Almighty and everliving God, who didst strengthen thine apostle Thomas with sure and certain faith in thy Son’s resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in thy sight; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

It's the feast of Saint Thomas.

According to Eusebius, he was a missionary to Parthia (Iran). Early tradition also places him in India. His statue at San Giovanni in Rome. #FeastDay #StThomas #Eusebius pic.twitter.com/a10bQygrf8

— Mark Werling (@MarkWerling5) December 21, 2025

Lord God Almighty, King of glory and love eternal, worthy art thou at all times to receive adoration, praise, and blessing; but especially at this time do we praise thee for the sending of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, for whom our hearts do wait, and to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, be honour and dominion, now and for ever.

—Prayers for the Christian Year (SCM, 1964)

#AdventAngels In Cramond Kirk, part of Edinburgh Northwest Kirk. By Alexander Strachan, brother of Douglas. pic.twitter.com/0Z8jbFVnK0

— Nancy Johnston (@jeelyeater1) December 22, 2025

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,
he has cast out your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall fear evil no more.

–Zephaniah 3:14-15

Ladybird Artists Advent Calendar, window 22
Durham Cathedral
Artist: SRBadmin pic.twitter.com/urdZ2Iy18u

— Helen Day (@LBFlyawayhome) December 22, 2025

Lord, open our hearts to your grace.

Through the angel’s message to Mary

 we have learned to believe in the incarnation of Christ your Son:

lead us by his passion and cross

 to the glory of his resurrection.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

 who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

 one God, for ever and ever.

Gorgeous! The Annuncation by Justus Amman de Ravensburg at Santa Maria de Castello, Genoa, shows a piece on the wall. Mary wears rings with embroidery hooks and the blue/white threads are in the basket behind Gabriel. pic.twitter.com/7fRRM6u6q4

— Dr Nicola Lowe (@church_art_hist) September 18, 2018

And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

–Revelation 12:1-10

Guido Reni, “Saint Michael the Archangel Defeating Satan” (1635) in Santa Maria della Concezione de Cappuccini, Rome. This Capuchin church was designed by A. Cassoni in 1626 and finished in 1631. pic.twitter.com/RIoAAgrVsI

— Mike Bowman (@mobozzen) September 29, 2025

Almighty God, who didst call thy servant Katharina von Bora from a cloister to work for the reform of thy church, grant that all of us may go wherever thou dost call, and serve however thou dost will, for thy honor and glory and for the welfare of thy whole church. All this we ask through Jesus Christ, our only mediator and advocate. Amen.

29 January 1499: b. Katharina Von Bora, 'die Lutherin', became the ex-nun wife of ex-friar Martin Luther. She was, when she married him, a former #Cistercian nun: 'I feel neither passionate love nor burning … but I cherish her', said he. But they made a very good go of it. pic.twitter.com/SL4kUfmAux

— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) January 29, 2025

We beseech thee, O Lord, to purify our consciences by thy daily visitation; that when thy Son our Lord cometh, he may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Einen schönen Samstag wünsche ich dir liebe Hannelore ❄️ pic.twitter.com/MwwstYhcLd

— Renate Umundum (@RUmundum) December 20, 2025

For thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I purposed to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I did not relent, says the Lord of hosts, so again have I purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear not. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, says the Lord.”

–Zechariah 8:14-17

Bit of a foggy start to the morning here! pic.twitter.com/JZ30PXBI16

— David Oxtaby (@Disc_light) December 20, 2025

It is not my habit to comment on the contents of sermons in this blog. However, the Dean of St Edmundsbury, The Very Reverend Joe Hawes, used his sermon at St Edmundsbury Cathedral last Sunday to comment on the Living in Love and Faith process[1] and it seemed to me to be important not to let the points he made about this subject go unchallenged.

The Dean makes five points in relation to the LLF process, and I shall consider each of them in turn.

The first point he makes is that he feels able to affirm:

‘… with heartfelt certainty, that although I get it wrong pretty regularly and need to hearken to the Baptist’s cry to repent, who I am in my creation, is essentially what God intended. That I am not an aberration, a mistake on God’s part, but, like all of you, a gift from God, and trying in my life, to be a gift back to God through loving service.’

The question that this statement raises is who the Dean thinks God created him to be. If he means that his creation as a male human being made in the image and likeness of God is willed by God and is ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31), I don’t think that there is anybody in the Church of England, even those who the Dean calls ‘hard line fundamentalists,’ who would disagree with him.

If, however, what the Dean means is that he was created by God to be a gay man then there would be many who would rightly disagree with him. This because, to quote Sean Doherty (who is himself same-sex attracted):

‘God did not create straight women, straight men, gay women and gay men. God created two sexes, with the capacity to relate to one another sexually.’ [2]

This truth is taught in the creation accounts in Genesis 1 and 2 and, as Paul notes in Romans 1:26-27, it is also taught by nature in the sense that the observation of human biology teaches us that human beings have bodies that are designed to engage into the kind of ‘one flesh’ sexual union with a member of the opposite sex that has the capacity to produce offspring.

In the light of this truth the Pauline teaching that same-sex sexual attraction and the same-sex sexual activity that results from it are a result of the Fall makes perfect sense. If human beings are created to have sex with members of the opposite sex, it follows that desires and actions that are contrary to this must be seen not as a reflection of God’s original creative intention, but as a result of the distortion of the created order consequent upon demonic and human rebellion against God.

Read it all.

I have just published a new blog post, 'Why the cupboard is bare – a response to the reflections of the Dean of St Edmundsbury'https://t.co/fzxq2YZ4wr

— Martin Davie (@MartinBDavie) December 13, 2025

What I saw on Bondi was pure evil. The terror, screams and lifeless bodies. It felt like the Nova Music Festival all over again, except this time it was on the beach I’d grown up on—an Australian sanctuary. I’d moved my family here to escape war and was taking up a new job to help combat antisemitism.

Over the past two years, that scourge has surged unabated. The Jewish community has warned time and again that when hatred is allowed to fester, when it is excused, normalized or mainstreamed, it inevitably leads to violence. The Bondi attack is the deadly manifestation of the failures to heed those calls.

The warning signs were impossible to miss. On Oct. 9, 2023, while Jewish bodies were still being identified in Israel, crowds gathered outside the Sydney Opera House chanting: “Where are the Jews?” Synagogues have since been firebombed, schools have required heightened security, and families have been harassed. Each incident has been met with predictable statements of concern, promises of review and assurances of action. None came. If the horrors of last week are not to be repeated, Bondi must become a turning point.

Australia doesn’t need another inquiry, strategy document or press release expressing sorrow. We need urgent, decisive action. Our laws must be enforced. Incitement must have consequences. Intelligence must be acted on and radical Islamic extremism must be confronted, not managed.

Read it all.

Hanukkah teaches us that light isn’t inevitable. We must defend it. If Australia wishes to remain a country where Jewish life can flourish openly and safely, this moment must change us all, writes @Ostrov_Ahttps://t.co/ESem8brzKS

— Wall Street Journal Opinion (@WSJopinion) December 18, 2025

The Sandford St Martin Trust has welcomed the review by the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, of the BBC’s Royal Charter, but recommended reinstatement of the Corporation’s obligations to represent the UK’s diverse belief communities.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Trust called for “formal opportunities for representatives of faith communities to participate meaningfully in the public consultation as part of the Charter Review”.

It also urged the BBC to commit itself to commissioning and making available “programming and content that reflect the full diversity” of the UK. It cited 2023 Ofcom data, which included the finding of a 42-per-cent decline between 2010 and 2022 in the time devoted to religion and ethics programmes by public-service broadcasting networks.

“This included near-zero provision from Channels 4 or 5, raising concerns about religious literacy, cultural understanding and representation,” the Trust said.

Read it all.

The @sandfordawards has welcomed the review by the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, of the BBC’s Royal Charter, but recommended reinstatement of the Corporation’s obligations to represent the UK’s diverse belief communities#BBC #RoyalCharter #DonaldTrumphttps://t.co/Jl7np1og8c

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) December 17, 2025

In this final week of Advent, as I’m trying to focus my heart and mind on the glorious celebration of Christ’s birth, I’m finding my thoughts diverted away from the incarnation to issues concerning the recent verdict and order in the trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch. 

I know many of you are in the same place. I get it. 

There are plenty of questions and concerns about the way the trial was handled, what was and was not included, and what was implied in the order. Those of us in diocesan leadership are attending closely and have already been working on how we might respond. 

That said, while the administrative and canonical challenges of our province are significant, we have to remember that they are not “the main thing.”  

As we come to Christmastide, I am urging you—as your bishop—to set these concerns aside for a brief season….

Read it all.

The Bishop of the #Anglican Diocese of #southcarolina–'There are plenty of questions and concerns about the way the trial was handled, what was and was not included, and what was implied in the order. Those of us in diocesan leadership are attending closely and have already been… pic.twitter.com/mKB4EVKT2F

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) December 19, 2025

God, whose everlasting arms support the universe: We offer thanks for moving the heart of Lillian Trasher to heroic hospitality on behalf of orphaned children in great need, and we pray that we also may find our hearts awakened and our compassion stirred to care for thy little ones, through the example of our Savior Jesus Christ and by the energy of thy Holy Spirit, who broodest over the world as a mother over her children; for they live and reign with thee, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Três meses após sua chegada ao Egito, um bebê, cuja mãe tinha falecido, foi entregue aos cuidados da missionária Lillian Trasher (1887-1961), e assim começou o Orfanato de Asyut fundado pela missionária Lillian Trasher. pic.twitter.com/TbXTdZPHpy

— Daiane Cavalcante (@DaianeF007) March 25, 2024

O Almighty Father, fountain of light and salvation, we adore thine infinite goodness in sending thy only begotten Son into the world that, believing in him, we may not perish but have everlasting life; and we pray thee that, through the grace of his first advent to save the world, we may be made ready to meet him at his second advent to judge the world; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ladybird Artists Advent Calendar
Window 19

‘December’ (1955)
Artists: Edith Hilder, Rowland Hilder pic.twitter.com/3WzGIxDeBG

— Helen Day (@LBFlyawayhome) December 19, 2025

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth; and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; and they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

–Revelation 5:6-14

Glen Orchy, Scottish Highlands pic.twitter.com/rj1jcViNCk

— YorkshireLass (@MaureenPlatts) December 18, 2025

The court also assigned minimal weight to the testimony of two prosecution witnesses, stating they “had not participated in diocesan leadership” and “possessed no firsthand knowledge” of Bishop Ruch’s conduct. 

Speaking with The Living Church, both witnesses disputed this characterization. The first witness served for almost two years on the diocese’s standing committee and two of its subcommittees, and the second witness led in creating a deanery child protection policy, then served on a diocesan task force to create its first protective standards in the aftermath of the Rivera disclosure.

“The [court decision] states again and again that too much of the testimony on the prosecution side was secondhand, based on emotion or opinion rather than on firsthand experience,” the first witness told TLC. “First of all, that’s false, and second of all, it’s really offensive to see misrepresentations of one’s service in the official record.”

“The court’s description of the development of safeguarding in the [Upper Midwest] does not comport with my experience as a Pastor to Children and Families in the diocese for nearly two decades,” the second witness added.

Ruch’s defense witnesses included five bishops, who testified that Ruch acted “in accordance with safeguarding expectations” and did not exhibit “patterns of neglect or inattentiveness.” 

A series of priests, deacons, and laypeople from the diocese also testified, persuading the court with respect to the charge that Ruch habitually promoted abusive ministers – some of whose backgrounds included solicitation of a prostitute and second-degree attempted murder, and some of whom reoffended – was not negligence but “difficult and imperfect work of assisting fallen men and women who sought vocational calling” that Ruch undertook with sincerity.

Read it all.

New for @Livng_Church: The ACNA court's ruling in the matter of Bp Stewart Ruch, its first ever acquittal, followed a decision to set aside two of three independent investigations and to admit additional evidence. https://t.co/YMgjiZQkOH

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) December 19, 2025

President Trump vowed on Saturday to retaliate against the Islamic State after an attack in central Syria killed two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter, the first American casualties in the country since the fall of the dictator Bashar al-Assad last year.

“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There will be very serious retaliation.”

The soldiers were supporting counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State group in Palmyra, a city in central Syria, when they came under fire from a lone gunman, according to American officials. Syrian security forces subsequently killed the gunman, American and Syrian officials said.

Read it all.

3 Americans Killed in ISIS Attack in Syria, Trump Says, Vowing to Retaliatehttps://t.co/HfAjRZka0C

— Hussam Hammoud | حسام (@HussamHamoud) December 14, 2025

Chinese intelligence is continuing a massive hack of US telecom networks in a cyber campaign that allows it to access the communications of almost every American, according to a top Democratic senator. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee who recently got a briefing on the extensive cyber campaign known as “Salt Typhoon”, said China was still infiltrating the US system.

“I believe they are still inside [our networks],” Warner told a Defense Writers Group event. Warner said he received a “really frustrating” government briefing with conflicting accounts about the Trump administration’s response to Salt Typhoon. According to the senator, the FBI said US networks were “pretty clean” despite contradictory evidence from several intelligence agencies.

“Other parts of our community are saying, ‘Hell no, it’s still going on’,” said Warner, who added that he had eight documents from agencies raising concerns about Salt Typhoon which has been ongoing for at least two years. “It is baffling to me that this is not a bigger issue,” said Warner, who lamented that it might take some kind of “catastrophic event” before the US government became more serious about tackling Salt Typhoon.

Read it all.

US has failed to stop massive Chinese cyber campaign, warns senator https://t.co/XvpxOYEqVp

— Financial Times (@FT) December 12, 2025

‘We are aware that an assessment such as we request raises practical questions and anxiety about what might be revealed. We ask you to remember alongside us that, in the words of our Lord, “there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” [Luke 8:17]’.

Read it all.

Out of love for the church and concern over the crisis, scandal, and abuse; we call for a fully independent, third-party assessment in the ACNA.
We invite all current or former ACNA clergy and laity to read and sign our open letter: https://t.co/NFEbBmH7p6

— anglicanrenewal (@anglicanrenewal) December 17, 2025

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Wir wünschen allen einen schönen und gemütlichen 3. Advent! ✨ pic.twitter.com/BOpttptt1A

— Senatskanzlei Berlin (@RegBerlin) December 14, 2025

O Lord our God, in whose hands is the issue of all things, and who requirest from thy stewards not success but faithfulness: Give us such faith in thee and in thy sure purposes, that we measure not our lives by what we have done or failed to do, but by our obedience to thy holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

Guten Morgen mit einer kleinen Winterimpression, heute aus Slowenien. #Slowenien pic.twitter.com/DLE77Z6VDb

— Thomas Stiegler (@StieglerThomas) December 18, 2025

And the angel who talked with me came again, and waked me, like a man that is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps which are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Then the angel who talked with me answered me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerub′babel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerub′babel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerub′babel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerub′babel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” And a second time I said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the oil is poured out?” He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” Then he said, “These are the two anointed who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

–Zechariah 4:1-14

Loch mood pic.twitter.com/L8scowifO1

— Paul Willson (@pauljwillson) December 18, 2025

The Rev. William Barto, a canon lawyer who is a priest in the Reformed Episcopal Church, a subjurisdiction of ACNA, said the decision was “sorely lacking” from a legal standpoint. He said it “reads more like a journal of the trial process” rather than a considered judicial decision, noting that half the document is focused on critiquing ACNA’s response to the allegations.

Barto told RNS in an email that the document and the process that led to it “demonstrates unequivocally that the ACNA can no longer leave ecclesial disciplinary matters on the back shelf.” He said the denomination must determine what role tribunals should play in the disciplinary process: “Are they judges or juries? investigations or trials?” he asked. He called for court members to receive further training in canon law….

A spokesperson for the denomination confirmed that there is a planned audit of the [Bishop] Ruch trial proceedings.

Read it all.

NEW from me this evening: ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch found not guilty on all counts. The decision comes more than six years after a 9-year-old child first came forward with sexual abuse allegations against a lay minister in Ruch's diocese. https://t.co/yKckPyrY28

— Kathryn Post (@kathrynmaepost) December 17, 2025

One of those men, Nephtali Matta, works as the “Alpha Coordinator” at Ruch’s flagship church, leading regular discussions on Christianity. But Matta was arrested in Colorado in 2011, charged with attempted second-degree murder of his first wife, and spent nearly 480 days in jail. He later pleaded guilty to felony menacing and was released. He then moved to Illinois, joined Rez in Wheaton and was eventually hired to work part time.

The church’s interim head pastor, Matt Woodley, told The Post this year that he oversaw Matta’s hiring and that Ruch does not hire or oversee non-clergy employees. But the authors of the clergy-and-parishioner presentment have told The Post that the denomination’s bishops — as defined by the church’s own canons — are “administrators of godly discipline and governance” and “overseer[s] of the flock.”

The clergy-and-parishioner presentment also said that Ruch allowed John W. Hays, a registered child sex offender, to attend Rez as a worshiper, even though Hays had pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two boys years earlier. Hays’s presence at Rez became publicly known only when the watchdog group ACNAtoo published a blog item about it on its website.

The court’s ruling did not address Matta or Hays.

Read it all.

THREAD: The ecclesiastical court's acquittal of N. American Anglican Bishop Stewart Ruch bemoans the "narrative capture" of the case and claims that advocacy groups "exerted ongoing and distorting influence" over the investigation. But the verdict does not address many key areas:

— Ian Shapira (@ianshapira) December 17, 2025

‘There seems to be a kind of conspiracy, especially among middle-aged writers of vaguely liberal tendency, to forget, or to conceal, where the doctrine of Hell comes from. One finds frequent references to the “cruel and abominable mediaeval doctrine of hell,” or “the childish and grotesque medieval imagery of physical fire and worms.”…But the case is quite otherwise; let us face the facts. The doctrine of hell is not ” medieval”: it is Christ’s. It is not a device of “mediaeval priestcraft” for frightening people into giving money to the church: it is Christ’s deliberate judgment on sin. The imagery of the undying worm and the unquenchable fire derives, not from “mediaeval superstition,” but originally from the Prophet Isaiah, and it was Christ who emphatically used it. . . . It confronts us in the oldest and least “edited” of the gospels: it is explicit in many of the most familiar parables and implicit in many more: it bulks far larger in the teaching than one realizes, until one reads the Evangelists [gospels] through instead of picking out the most comfortable texts: one cannot get rid of it without tearing the New Testament to tatters. We cannot repudiate Hell without altogether repudiating Christ.‘ 

–Dorothy Leigh Sayers, Introductory Papers on Dante (Harper: London, 1954), pp. 44-45

“[Jesus of Nazareth] was not a kind of demon pretending to be human; he was in every respect a genuine living man. He was not merely a man so good as to be ‘like God’—he was God.

“Now, this is not just a pious commonplace: it is not a commonplace at all. For what it means is this, among other things: that for whatever reason God chose to make man as he is—limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death—he [God] had the honesty and courage to take his own medicine. Whatever game he is playing with his creation, he has kept his own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that he has not exacted from himself. He has himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and the cramping restrictions of hard work and lack of money to the worst horrors of pain and humiliation, defeat, despair, and death. When he was a man, he played the man. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well worthwhile.”

—Creed or Chaos? (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1949), page 4 (with special thanks to blog reader and friend WW)

Dorothy L Sayers died on December 17th 1957. In the second of a two part series, we look at her successful career as a detective story author and her turn to theology in the last two decades of her life.https://t.co/BaAlhRdLQ2

— Orwell Society (@Orwell_Society) December 17, 2025

Incarnate God, who didst grant the grace of eloquence unto thy servant Dorothy to defend thy truth unto a distressed church, and to proclaim the importance of Christian principles for the world; grant unto us thy same grace that, aided by her prayers and example, we too may have the passionate conviction to teach right doctrine and to teach doctrine rightly; We ask this in thy name, who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever.

Bluntisham, Cambridgeshire, for #SteepleSaturday. The writer Dorothy L Sayers grew up in this parish. Her father was the rector, a bellringing enthusiast who restored the bells here and became the model for the Reverend Venables in her book The Nine Tailors.

The landscape of… pic.twitter.com/32423XEicR

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) July 5, 2025