O Almighty God, we pray thee, sow the seed of thy Word in our hearts, and send down upon us thy heavenly grace; that we may bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, and at the great day of harvest may be gathered by thy holy angels into thy garner; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Grand Rising…#WednesdayMotivation #winter #weather #StormHour #sunrise #grandrising #farming #croft #GoodVibesOnly #jefinuist #seatherapy #bluemind #Scotland #OuterHebrides pic.twitter.com/mXBVHGSnEP

— DaliMach (@frenchscotjeff) February 12, 2025

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything.

–2 Timothy 2:1-7

Guten Morgen und einen schönen Mittwoch. ☕️♡🍀 pic.twitter.com/P332dq2Pd7

— Constanze Riegel (@ConstanzeRiegel) February 12, 2025

The six Central Members of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) — those elected by General Synod — are “unanimous in their disquiet” over how proposals on changes to Standing Orders, to be debated on Thursday, were developed.

A background paper confirms that the proposals, which include ending the secret ballot and giving an extra vote to the chair in the case of deadlock, came from the House of Bishops in the wake of the CNC’s failure to appoint in Carlisle and Ely.

Moving a take-note debate on the CNC report on Tuesday, squeezed into the agenda on a day dominated by safeguarding, the Archbishop of York said: “We have to accept that from time to time a nomination isn’t made.

“But at the same time, I recognise from the many conversations and communications I have had that, when this happens, especially when it happens twice, confidence in the CNC process is affected, which has caused shock and dismay inside and outside the Church.”

Read it all.

The six Central Members of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) — those elected by General Synod — are “unanimous in their disquiet” over how proposals on changes to Standing Orders, to be debated on Thursday, were developed https://t.co/ZbR0CEqVYt

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 12, 2025

To understand Douthat’s method, recall a scene from the end of the third Indiana Jones film. Indy is faced with a choice: Let his father die or take a leap of faith. The leap in this case is literal, a physical step into a chasm with nothing to hold him up. He takes the step, and by a miracle of movie magic, doesn’t fall. There was a bridge in front of him all along, invisible to the human eye.

For some, this is a picture of true faith: a passionate, even reckless jump into the unknown, based on blind trust, not reason. Douthat demurs. As he writes, “Joining and practicing [some faith] is fundamentally a rational decision, not just an eyes-closed, trust-your-friends-and-intuitions jump.” You can and should consider the case in your mind.

Moreover, whatever the social benefits of church—and they are many!—they aren’t the place to start. They’re a byproduct of the thing itself, and that’s of interest only if it’s true. That’s why Douthat opts to “start with religion’s intellectual advantage: the ways in which nonbelief requires ignoring what our reasoning faculties tell us, while the religious perspective grapples more fully with the evidence before us.”

This is not a case for mere Christianity, then, so much as “mere religion.” Though Douthat ends the book with a chapter explaining why he is Roman Catholic, his aim is to clear the ground for religious commitment in general, to show why Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews as much as Catholics and Protestants are not exotic residue of a superstitious past.

Read it all.

Christianity is having a moment.

Intellectuals are converting. Atheists are softening. Agnostics are hungry.@DouthatNYT’s “Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious” is a response to this moment and to the readers he’s trying to reach. https://t.co/UfEYYzZxbb

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) February 11, 2025

Waffle House is typically a port in a storm. The breakfast restaurants are so unshakeable that the federal emergency-response agency uses their closure as an indicator of a severe natural disaster. Yet on February 3rd Waffle House wobbled—it announced a 50-cent surcharge per egg, citing rising costs due to avian flu. The shell-shock is widespread: the average cost of a dozen eggs is now over $7 (see chart), a 140% increase from a year ago. Even so, supermarkets are selling out.

The outbreak of avian flu, which began in turkeys in February 2022, has already led to the death of 150m birds, including 41m in December and January alone. The disease is now rife in dairy cows and has infected at least 67 people, mostly dairy workers. In January the first person died. Even so, with no reported human-to-human spread, experts say the disease does not currently pose much threat to people.

But it does pose an economic and political risk. The Department of Agriculture (usda) has already spent over $2bn trying to contain the outbreak. The costs to consumers are likely to be much higher. And the price of eggs has a particular political salience. In September J.D. Vance, then candidate for vice-president, highlighted its rise, saying that eggs were more expensive “thanks to Kamala Harris’s inflationary policies”. There is some truth to the accusation of federal bungling: the former administration’s response to avian flu was halting. Although the Trump administration cannot undo its mistakes, it can avoid repeating them.

Read it all.

Not much can be done about current egg prices in America and the government expects them to rise even further. But other elements of the outbreak can be managed https://t.co/UJbzL6hMgQ

Photo: Getty Images pic.twitter.com/MX8yYBWOBA

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) February 10, 2025

Read it all.

The Archbishop of York @CottrellStephen , giving his presidential address at the beginning of the General Synod’s meeting in London on Monday afternoon, pleaded to be given time to lead the Church of England out of its #safeguarding crisis#synod https://t.co/AzMDrJhoNP

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 11, 2025

“Where does Jesus want to take us in the adventure of discipleship? Where does Jesus want to take us in the adventure of discipleship?

Every word in that question is carefully chosen. I want to focus in on that little word, adventure. Most of us don’t think of discipleship and following Jesus as an adventure, but the Bible does.

There is a great moment in Jeremiah early on in the story. Jeremiah has been called, and the Lord has known him since he was in his mother’s womb. But things have gotten started, and there have been ups and downs, and Jeremiah feels like there’s been more downs than ups. And he’s getting tired. So he prays to the Lord, and he basically says, This is getting too hard. What do you think you’re doing? Can you make it a little easier? And the Lord responds in this way, chapter 12, verse 5. If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan, (where there may be things like lions roaming around)?

“Eugene Peterson wrote a whole book on that verse and that theme. Its title is Run with the Horses, the quest for life at its best. That is the way that discipleship has been understood in the tradition that’s handed down to us. An incredible adventure, a breathtaking life of excitement and thrills, an unpredictability, a life which is full of deep purpose and faith.

Oh, it sounds like our Lord even. The glory of God, Irenaeus once said, is a human being fully alive. Well, if you want to know what God wants for humanity, look at Jesus, he’s fully alive, all the time. He’s giving life, he’s living life, he’s being life, he’s life incarnate. That’s what God wants for us.

Jesus says it this way in John 10, verse 10. I came that they might have life and have it abundantly. You all with me so far? Okay, so here’s the question. How do we do that? How do we get that kind of life? How do you live a life that is an adventure of discipleship? All right, well, I appreciate you asking a question. Turn to Luke chapter 5 and this magnificent story of the miraculous catch of fish…

Or you may download it there.

🚶 where will your adventures take you today?

📍 Richmond Park

📸 James Kliffen pic.twitter.com/KbSmZp3QxB

— The Royal Parks (@theroyalparks) February 11, 2025

O God, the blessed assurance of all who trust in thee: We give thanks for thy servant Fanny Crosby, and pray that we, inspired by her words and example, may rejoice to sing ever of thy love, praising our Savior; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

#OTD February 5, 1864:
Already known as a poet, Fanny Crosby, at age 44, writes her first hymn. Over the next 50 years, she composes more than 8,000 hymns, including classics like Blessed Assurance and To God Be the Glory, becoming one of the most prolific hymnwriters in history. pic.twitter.com/j6RkRaG0CK

— ☧ Today in Christian History (@HistoricalRook) February 5, 2025

Lord of the hosts of heaven,
our salvation and our strength,
without you we are lost:
guard us from all that harms or hurts
and raise us when we fall;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

After a very moody day in Staffordshire, the cloud finally lifted a little to let the sun rays shine through…
This little guy was a bit more confident than his skittish friends #mood #winter #landscape #sheep #clouds #andscape #nature #countryside #farmlife pic.twitter.com/q1OZ4aeW7S

— Anne Kirkham (@anna__bella_k) February 11, 2025

Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob,
his anger mounted against Israel;
because they had no faith in God,
and did not trust his saving power.
Yet he commanded the skies above,
and opened the doors of heaven;
and he rained down upon them manna to eat,
and gave them the grain of heaven.
Man ate of the bread of the angels;
he sent them food in abundance.

–Psalm 78:21-25

Morning everyone I hope you are well. The road to Brothers Water. At just under 1500 feet, the highest pass in the Lake District. Kirkstone Pass has its own beauty plus a pub at the top after a long walk. Have a great day.#LakeDistrict pic.twitter.com/CU0Ya37qDJ

— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) February 11, 2025

The Archbishop of York, giving his presidential address at the beginning of the General Synod’s meeting in London on Monday afternoon, pleaded to be given time to lead the Church of England out of its safeguarding crisis.

Having headed off an attempt by one member to prevent him from delivering his presidential address, the Archbishop apologised again for failures, and insisted that he could be trusted to steer the Church back into calmer waters before the appointment of the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

“I know that trust has been broken and confidence damaged. And I am more sorry about this than I can say. I know mistakes have been made. I know that I have made mistakes. But I am determined to do what I can with the time given to me to work with others.”

In recent weeks, some Synod members on social-media and other platforms had urged Archbishop Cottrell not to give the presidential address, in view of the calls for his resignation over his handling of the David Tudor safeguarding matter while he was Bishop of Chelmsford (News, 20/27 December 2024).

Read it all.

The Archbishop of York @CottrellStephen , giving his presidential address at the beginning of the General Synod’s meeting in London on Monday afternoon, pleaded to be given time to lead the Church of England out of its #safeguarding crisis#synod https://t.co/5Fc4pxqkve

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 10, 2025

Nigel Richards is the reigning world champion of Scrabble in Spanish. Just don’t ask him to order a coffee in Madrid. The 57-year-old New Zealander doesn’t speak a lick of Spanish. 

During the deciding match in November’s Spanish World Scrabble Championship in Granada, Spain, Richards racked up triple-word scores with ENRUGASE (“to wrinkle up”) and ENHOTOS (an archaic word for “familiarity”), before clinching victory with TRINIDAD and SABURROSA (an obscure word that describes the coated residue of the tongue). 

Not that Richards knew the meaning of any of those words. 

One Spanish TV broadcaster called his win the “ultimate humiliation.” The global Scrabble community wasn’t so surprised. Richards had done this before—in French. 

Read it all.

How good is Scrabble’s GOAT? He wins in languages he can’t speak. “He memorizes words as soon as he reads them once…For him, all words are equal in his memory, and he doesn’t need to know their meaning." https://t.co/BzfRLNqVCH via @WSJ @natasha_dangoor

— Gráinne McCarthy (@grainnemcc) February 10, 2025

Every week, behind a half dozen security doors that lead to Unit 2—Tennessee’s death row—Kevin Burns holds a worship service. He leads Communion, prayer, liturgy, and a sermon with men who share his sentence.

Burns, 55, has been on death row at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville for 30 years, convicted of felony murder in two young men’s deaths in 1992. A group that included Burns robbed another group and shot Damond Dawson, 17, and Tracey Johnson, 20. This particular murder charge, felony murder, applies to those present during an inherently dangerous crime even if they did not kill. Burns maintains his innocence in their killing.

For years, Burns has led Bible studies and prayed with other men on death row, going on to become an ordained minister in 2018 and start The Church of Life within prison walls.

Read it all.

The Church of Life might be the only congregation planted on death row by a prisoner serving a death sentence.https://t.co/9RSgYKZMtE

— kate shellnutt (@kateshellnutt) February 10, 2025

Assist us, O God, to love one another as sisters and brothers, and to balance discipline with love and rules with compassion, according to the example shown by thy servant Scholastica; for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Today's the feast of St Scholastica, 6th Century foundress and sister of St Benedict. here she is on the early 16th Century roodscreen at Wiggenhall St Mary the Virgin, Norfolk, a church now in the care of @TheCCT. 1/2#MedievalWomen#MedievalMonday pic.twitter.com/nkogyvvDpl

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) February 10, 2025

O Lord, our heavenly Father, keep your household the Church continually in your
true religion, that we who trust in the hope of your heavenly grace may always be
defended by your mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

'Look, up at the sky.
There is a light, a beauty up there, that no shadow can touch.'

J.R.R. Tolkien
. pic.twitter.com/k0CUvqjSS3

— Grace (@BeOrNotToBe_1) February 10, 2025

See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God.

Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.

–Galatians 6:11-18

On a gloomy February day it has been great to see the signs of spring approaching in the last week 💛

📍 Hyde Park pic.twitter.com/bl8BktleGB

— The Royal Parks (@theroyalparks) February 10, 2025

O God,
you know us to be set
in the midst of so many and great dangers,
that by reason of the frailty of our nature
we cannot always stand upright:
grant to us such strength and protection
as may support us in all dangers
and carry us through all temptations;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Ich wünsche euch einen schönen Sonntag! pic.twitter.com/V2XFlzQNMe

— Die Bergziege (@brauchtfreiheit) February 9, 2025

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?—

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor lose courage when you are punished by him.
For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

–Hebrews 12:1-6

Steps well travelled. A beautiful start to Sunday here in Glastonbury this morning. Taken at sunrise from Glastonbury Tor. pic.twitter.com/Psya0S4i5Q

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) February 9, 2025

O God of Love, thou didst deliver servant Josephine Margaret Bakhita from the bondage of slavery to serve you in true freedom; by her example help us to see those enslaved among us, and work to release them from their chains. In your mercy, give to all survivors healing from their wounds and joy in their liberation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself, 'Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?'" Saint Josephine Bakhita (1869 – 1947). More: https://t.co/WWzvuOO3sW pic.twitter.com/qVR9QNI4mA

— Bishop Earl Boyea (@BishopBoyea) February 8, 2025

Out of the depths, O Father, we wait for your wisdom. Out of the silence, O Jesus, we listen for your voice. Out of the heavens, O Holy Spirit, we wait for your gifts.

–from the Kikuyu people of Kenya (slightly edited; KSH).

Grand Rising#WeekendVibes #SaturdayMotivation #winter #weather #StormHour #sunrise #grandrising#GoodVibesOnly #jefinuist #Scotland #OuterHebrides pic.twitter.com/2VD9oD9gpa

— DaliMach (@frenchscotjeff) February 8, 2025

For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up; but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another…

–Psalm 75:6-7

Cambridgeshire is not as well known for its spires as neighbouring Northants and Lincs, but there's a memorable group of them along the A14 between Huntingdon and Thrapston. Spaldwick is the biggest. The church against it, with aisles and a clerestory, is not a small one. 1/3… pic.twitter.com/1CJHgvf8GA

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) February 8, 2025

“Detaching the Church of England’s safeguarding staff from their current employers will almost inevitably create additional barriers to communication and cooperation, harming service delivery. Given that ‘service delivery’ in this context involves protecting children and vulnerable adults, any barriers whatsoever could have the most serious consequences,” the letter says.

“There is no doubt that transferring staff from 85 current employers to one yet-to-be-created employer will be destabilising, expensive, and likely to take far longer than expected,” the letter argues. “No other equivalent organisation in the UK employs its safeguarding staff in a separate body.”

It continues: “The disruption to recruitment and retention of staff, to existing relationships, and to morale would be considerable. Moreover, new structures bring new problems: a large national organisation is at least as likely to multiply layers of management as it is to improve frontline service delivery.”

Read it all.

Safeguarding professionals across the Church of England have urged the General Synod’s members not to back a proposal to outsource their work to a new national body https://t.co/aXrKJSuLfH

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 5, 2025

While it’s true that traditional monasticism is declining in many historic Christian traditions, new monasticism—the contemporary reappropriation of monastic wisdom—is still very much alive. More than that, the movement is gaining a new and growing following among the next generation and is meeting universal human needs that are felt more now than ever.

In our global digital age, many Christians are rediscovering the importance of community, the value of rhythms and routines amid chaotic circumstances, and the need for deeper commitment to spiritual formation. Over the past five years alone, the pandemic, incidents of racial injustice, and the church abuse crisis have led to a wake-up call. We are realizing that it may be worth sacrificing modern comforts and conveniences to live out our highest ideals and potential as God’s people and that we may need to look back in order to go forward.

Some believers have been sensitive to these needs for a long time—people who consider themselves “new monastics” (like me), who are fascinated by the desert elders’ courage to relocate to abandoned places. We are intrigued by the idea of living in a close community and making serious commitments to fundamental values. We wonder if establishing communal rules for life might tame the wild horse of late modern culture and help us better order our lives around the gospel.

Today, this reappropriation is taking the form of devotional apps like Lectio 365, introductory virtual classes on contemplative prayer, repurposed convents in Europe, and prayer spaces in alleyways and financial districts. It looks like Christian university campus houses establishing their own rules of life or communal discipleship programs, and small “colleges” of Christian students attending larger universities. It is happening through globally dispersed organizations like OMS, which takes prospective members through stages of preparation and vow-taking in a digital initiation process modeled after traditional religious orders.

Read it all.

“The entire town feels like it is in a pandemic, locked up without being able to go out and enjoy our lives due to violence.”

That is how “Jorge” – not his real name – feels about his neighbourhood of Guayaquil, a city in southern Ecuador.

His father, Marcos Elías León Maruri, was kidnapped there by the Los Tiguerones gang.

A person is killed every two hours in Ecuador and seven are kidnapped daily, according to government figures.

That’s why security is the top issue for voters ahead of the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, in which incumbent Daniel Noboa is being challenged by 15 other candidates.

Whoever wins will be tasked with restoring security to the country, which has gone from being one of the safest to among the most dangerous in the region.

Read it all (Hat tip-BBC World News America).

Ecuador chooses president against backdrop of gang violence https://t.co/LGXIXTbUaa

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 7, 2025

Big Tech’s massive spending on artificial intelligence is set to continue unchecked in 2025 after Amazon topped its rivals with a planned $100bn-plus investment in infrastructure this year.

Spending by the four leading US tech companies had already surged 63 per cent to historic levels last year. Now executives are vowing to accelerate their AI investments, dismissing concerns about the vast sums being bet on the nascent technology.

Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta have reported combined capital expenditure of $246bn in 2024, up from $151bn in 2023. They forecast spending could exceed $320bn this year as they compete to build data centres and fill them with clusters of specialised chips to remain at the forefront of AI large language model research.

The scale of their spending ambitions — announced alongside their fourth-quarter earnings — has surprised the market and exacerbated a sell-off caused by the release of an innovative and cheap AI model from Chinese start-up DeepSeek in late January.

Read it all.

Big Tech is set to spend over $300 billion on AI this year. pic.twitter.com/7AL7J7i5mY

— Brew Markets (@brewmarkets) February 7, 2025

They are often called “dual diagnosis patients:” those who are in need of both mental health services and substance abuse treatment. Getting them better treatment and offering more treatment through Medicaid could help to reduce South Carolina’s high rate of opioid overdoses, officials said.

Nationally, about 35 percent of mental health patients have a dual diagnosis for substance use but under South Carolina Medicaid, it is less than 1 percent of patients. Officials say it is clearly underdiagnosed and may be due to a problem drug treatment centers have in being able to bill Medicaid for some services. The state got a $7.2 million federal grant to implement a new model that makes integrated care easier and SC Medicaid is also pursuing more than $5 million in next year’s budget to increase reimbursements.

Interim Director Eunice Medina of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Medicaid in South Carolina, made the need clear in her budget presentation Jan. 22. Speaking to members of the House Ways and Means Healthcare Subcommittee, she pointed to some grim statistics: South Carolina had the 10th worst opioid overdose rate in 2022 and those deaths had risen six percent from the previous year.

Read it all.

More substance use treatment and mental health care through Medicaid could lower deaths https://t.co/hUD1lMpElt

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) February 3, 2025

God of our salvation, by your Spirit help us to turn away from those habits which harm our bodies and poison our minds and to choose again your gift of life, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen (slightly edited; KSH).

Happy Friday all! pic.twitter.com/H0lIoPLo56

— David Oxtaby (@Disc_light) February 7, 2025

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Eli′jah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli′jah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only.

And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Eli′jah must come?” And he said to them, “Eli′jah does come first to restore all things; and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Eli′jah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

–Mark 9:2-13

A Fabulous February Friday… what more can I say!

Dog walked and it is a beautiful morning in Inverness

Scottish Highlands 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿☀️😎#ThePhotoHour @WoodlandTrust 🐿️👣🐾 #LoveUkWeather@metoffice #Mindfulness pic.twitter.com/Heje6vn4NQ

— Cloudymamma (@cloudymamma) February 7, 2025

Independent safeguarding was once unthinkable, but today few observers think the Synod can afford to vote down the proposals. Given the revelations of the past few months, it would be approaching institutional suicide for the Church to reject the opportunity to rebuild trust and demonstrate its determination to stop abusers and keep vulnerable people safe.

But in the desperate rush to be seen to be doing something to stop the relentlessly critical headlines, few have considered what independence will not fix. The same people who investigated Perumbalath and concluded there was no evidence he was a safeguarding risk will still constitute the safeguarding team; they will just work for a different employer. Safeguarding cases will still be based on the often-conflicting accounts of the only two people in the room at the time of the alleged incident. There will still be cases that cannot be resolved in the way survivors and their increasingly vocal advocates would like. Who will listen to and support dissatisfied and wounded survivors, if not the Church? And what happens when the independent safeguarding authority clears someone the CofE hierarchy believes to be guilty?

Safeguarding independence will not be an end the Church’s state of permacrisis. In fact, the Synod vote will probably create as many new problems as it solves old ones. The weary vicars wondering when they can stop bracing for the next scandal cannot relax yet.

Read it all.

"If the Church of England was not in crisis before, it certainly is now."

Tim Wyatt: There is no solution to the Church of England permacrisis https://t.co/T7bXLQP72Y

— The New Statesman (@NewStatesman) February 6, 2025