laudable Practice

Ye shall pray for Christ’s holy Catholick Church; that is, for the whole Congregation of Christian People dispersed throughout the whole World ... The words from the Bidding Prayer in the Canons of 1604 came to mind last Thursday as I stood amidst the splendour of Saint Stephen's Basilica in Budapest. The Bidding Prayer echoes, of course, the Prayer for the Church Militant: beseeching thee to inspire continually the universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord: And grant, that all they that do confess thy holy Name may agree in the truth of thy holy Word, and live in unity, and godly love ... That the Christians of Hungary - Roman Catholic and Lutheran, Calvinist and Orthodox - were intended to be included in these prayers is evident from Archbishop Matthew Parker's 1566 prayers "for the preseruation of those Christians and their Countreys, that are nowe inuaded by the Turke  in  Hungary". These prayers were published by royal authority, to be used ...

At the Coronation of His Majesty the King, the Archbishop of Canterbury said this prayer over the oil with which the King was to be anointed: Blessed art thou, Sovereign God, upholding with thy grace all who are called to thy service. Thy prophets of old anointed priests and kings to serve in thy name and in the fullness of time thine only Son was anointed by the Holy Spirit to be the Christ, the Saviour and Servant of all. By the power of the same Spirit, grant that this holy oil may be for thy servant Charles a sign of joy and gladness; that as King he may know the abundance of thy grace and the power of thy mercy, and that we may be made a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for thine own possession. Is this Christian Nationalism? On Sunday 10th November this year, Remembrance Sunday, the Bishop of London will lead the nation in Christian prayer , before the Royal Family, representatives of the Government and Parliament, the Armed Forces, and ex-servicemen's organisations...

While most of us were still tucking into festive mince pies on 27th December, the Bishop-elect of the Diocese of British Columbia in the Anglican Church of Canada  took to Twitter to chastise the United Conservative Party of Alberta, the governing party in that province (the UCP won the 2019 election with 54% of the vote, to the Opposition NDP's 33%).  What had the UCP done to deserve such a public rebuke from a Bishop-elect?   The UCP had quoted Scripture in a Christmas Tweet .  Yes, this was the offence.   Now one might have thought that an Anglican Bishop-elect could have quietly approved of a political party speaking in the public square in a manner which reflected the truth that Christmas is not merely a social and commercial festival but is rooted in the celebration of the Incarnation (with all of its consequences for our common life and respecting the dignity of all).  But no.  The Bishop-elect strongly disapproved. She did so on two ...

The Archbishop of York recently described the Church of England's ' vision for the 2020s ' as defined by " three qualities we seek: to be a simpler, humbler and bolder church ".  These qualities are to find expression in the Church of England becoming "a Church of missionary disciples" in which "a mixed ecology is the norm", rather than the parish being central.  This is to be the answer to the "deep thirst in the Church and in the world for theological and spiritual renewal". As a number of commentators have pointed out, this vision sits uneasily beside classical Anglican (and not merely CofE) forms, commitments, and virtues.  Above all, it might imply what we might term a 'Hauerwasian turn': a turn away from an incarnational commitment as a national church to a sectarian congregationalism.  At heart, it appears to be a decision to embrace a very different theology of the Church, of mission, and of culture.   What, then, migh...

It was the most poignant photograph of this year's Remembrance-tide in the United Kingdom.  Her Majesty the Queen standing before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey , accompanied by a military aide and the Dean of Westminster.   The photograph also captured an aspect of the Anglican experience that too often provokes embarrassment amongst or downright rejection by contemporary Anglicans.  Here was Westminster Abbey, a royal church dedicated prayer at the heart of national life.  The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a honoured focal point for the national memory.  Her Majesty herself is an anointed monarch and a faithful Anglican, whose messages at Christmas (and Easter Day past) almost certainly do more to commend the Faith than numerous episcopal statements.  The military officer accompanying her has sworn by Almighty God allegiance to her, and is ministered to padres, the majority of whom are Church of England clergy.  The photog...