Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

The Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt Rev David Urquhart, Convenor of the Lords Spiritual, has responded to Theresa May’s departure.  He said: “Theresa May has given dedicated and committed public service to the country during very difficult times. I wish her and Philip well as they prepare for life beyond Downing Street. “I am especially...

Churches across the UK are to launch Hope Spaces in 2020. The Talking Jesus research found that 41% of practising Christians say that a spiritual experience or an experience of the love of Jesus was a key influence in their coming to faith. The aim of Hope Spaces is to help people to experience God’s...

“The hardest work I have ever done and the most stressful.” That was how Archbishop Justin Welby described his time as a vicar. “It was isolated, insatiably demanding, and I was, on the whole, working without colleagues. That wears people down.” Stress, anxiety and other mental health issues account for one-third of all clerical sickness,...

During the 18th century many people in England were involved in the campaign to abolish the slave trade.  The CofE remembers especially William Wilberforce, Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Clarkson – three very different but all tireless campaigners against the evil practice. Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846) was an Anglican clergyman and one of the most prominent of...

What do you do with your used tin foil?  Councils are asking us to give it a good rinse from any food or grease, so that it can be recycled.  Foil trays could be added to your dishwasher, so that you don’t waste time or water washing them separately. As the Aluminium Recycling Packaging Organisation...

Christians have called on PM Narendra Modi to guarantee religious freedom in India, following the recent Indian elections which saw a landslide victory for the nationalist BJP. The tightening nationalist grip on India is concerning Christians who are suffering increasing violence at the hands of extremists. Christians warn that religious polarisation in India is now...

 Four Church of England cathedrals have benefited from a cash injection of over £8m to help them engage with their communities through imaginative outreach, arts, heritage and learning projects, thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Leicester, Lichfield, Newcastle and Worcester Cathedrals announced awards from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a wide range of...

When, in 2010, 4000 delegates from 198 countries gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, for the Lausanne Movement’s Third International Congress on World Evangelization, one unlikely speaker stood out from the rest.  She was a young North Korean orphan, dressed in her high school uniform, who told the story of her family’s escape from the...

The apostle Paul’s understanding of resilient ministry is summed up in 2 Corinthians 4:7: ‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.’ Here is the great paradox of the Christian life: God has placed His treasure (the life of His Son...

Despite a challenging year for investment markets, the Church Commissioners have reported a positive return of 1.8% in 2018. The value of the Commissioners’ investment fund now stands at £8.2bn. Holdings in strategic land, private equity, timber, infrastructure and indirect real estate combined to help to keep the fund’s performance in positive territory. Over the...

Have you ever suffered from gossip? Ever discovered that people are saying some really wild things about you?  If so, Joseph of Arimathea would understand – and sympathise with you.  This decent, godly man of the gospels seems to have fired the imaginations of all sorts of odd people down the centuries. Joseph was a...

We are drinking less alcohol. In fact, one in four adults in the UK does not drink at all. That is the finding of a recent study by the Lancet.  The trend is noticeable among millennials, with baby-boomers far more likely to drink alcohol – and consume it at higher levels.