Jonathan Chaplin A ‘Draft Explanatory Note’ intended to be attached to the House of Bishops’ Response to LLF has come to light. Its stated purpose is to ‘anticipate some likely questions the Response raises’ and to ‘enhance the theological integrity and intellectual honesty’ of the Response. It seems not to have won sufficient support for publication. We … Continue Reading
A 2003 survey found that 42% of Anglican clergy and 35% of laity favoured a complete severance of constitutional ties between the Church of England and the state. Whatever the comparable figures today, it is reasonable to assume that a substantial minority of English Anglicans continue to harbour significant doubts about the church’s established status. … Continue Reading
As part of its series responding to Living in Love and Faith, Fulcrum is inviting various writers to express their thoughts as a way of nurturing respectful dialogue. Jonathan Chaplin writes in response to the Church of England Evangelical Council’s video ‘The Beautiful Story’. A response to this article, written by Andrew Goddard, is accessible … Continue Reading
The Church of England has so far been unable to bring any authoritative collective voice to the national conversation about Brexit. Why is this and what should it be offering?
“Dear Wormwood, It falls to me again at this time of year to remind you and your field staff to remain on a heightened state of alert as Christmas day approaches…. “
How are we to form Christian scholars in disciplines other than theology so the Church can offer public, intellectual engagement not only on those preoccupying internal academic debates within the theological guild or those currently animating the Church itself, but also those arising in ‘secular’ disciplines other than theology?
Whatever its limitations, “Who is my neighbour?” significantly raises the bar for official church statements on politics. It shows how theological truth can speak effectively and illuminatingly to the political health of the nation at a moment of crisis and opportunity. It thus plausibly carries a claim to prophecy.
The decision is a far-reaching one, so it is important to be clear on exactly what it is about. I offer here no argument for or against independence but merely one proposal as to how to construe what is being decided.
A comment on the most controversial funeral of the century.......
Dr Jonathan Chaplin is a Fellow of Wesley House, Cambridge where he contributes to the Centre for Faith in Public Life. An Anglican, he is author of Beyond Establishment: Resetting Church-State Relations in England (SCM 2022). He writes here in a personal capacity.
In the wake of the GS vote on women Bishops – it is time to ask this vital question.