Across the years there have been various attempts to dispense with prayers in Parliament of the United Kingdom. The latest is headed by MP Crispin Blunt of Reigate, a former career soldier. He told the House of Commons that beginning sessions with prayer is “not compatible with a society which respects the principle of freedom of and from religion.” But with the apparent … [Read more...] about Bp. Tomlin: Parliament Needs Prayer
Parliament
Brothels Exploit Young Women
People who rent out holiday cottages in the U.K.’s famous Peak District should beware that short-term lets are being used by unscrupulous sex traffickers as “pop-up brothels,” the Bishop of Derby has warned. The Rt. Rev. Alastair Redfern said vulnerable young women, many of them from Eastern Europe, are being trafficked to the area as sex workers. Redfern who has been … [Read more...] about Brothels Exploit Young Women
New Debates, Few Insights
Postcard from London In the United Kingdom, two seemingly unrelated topics regularly cause fractious and polarized debate, with few fresh insights into the divide between secular and religious life. The first is presence as of right of 26 bishops in the House of Lords. The second is the 2-minute, 45-second Thought for the Day heard at peak time on Today, BBC Radio’s flagship … [Read more...] about New Debates, Few Insights
Peerage for Richard Chartres
Postcard from London Invariably retiring Archbishops of Canterbury and York are honored with a seat in the House of Lords. It’s rare, however, for other retired bishops to be so elevated. Last week the Prime Minister’s office announced that the Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon. Richard Chartres, who retired as 133rd Bishop of London in March, is to be a life peer. He will sit on the … [Read more...] about Peerage for Richard Chartres
Somewhere, Ian Paisley Is Smiling
Postcard from London Aboard a flight to Rome to cover Archbishop Robert Runcie’s official visit to the Vatican in 1989, I set eyes on the Rev. Ian Paisley a few rows ahead. When I sidled up and introduced myself — I edited The Church of England Newspaper then — he extended a hand and fixed me with a characteristic Paisley grin. “I read your newspaper every week in the … [Read more...] about Somewhere, Ian Paisley Is Smiling
Australia’s Marriage Debate
The Rev. Stephan Clark, rector of St. Mary Magdalene’s, Adelaide By Robyn Douglass There might be wars abroad and economy to fix, but the Australian government has focused recently on same-sex marriage. When it was elected in July, the government promised a plebiscite on the question. As voting is compulsory in Australia, the poll would have given a … [Read more...] about Australia’s Marriage Debate
No to Suicide
The Parliament complex in Wellington • Midnighttonight/Wikimedia Adapted from Gavin Drake, ACNS Three members of New Zealand’s InterChurch Bioethics Council (ICBC) have made an oral submission to Parliament’s Health Select Committee as part of their campaign against the legalization of assisted suicide or euthanasia. The ICBC made a written submission to … [Read more...] about No to Suicide
Names Govern Thought
Church of England press release, via Thinking AnglicansThe Church of England’s view of the long-established meaning of marriage has been outlined in a new report — “Men and Women in Marriage” — published this week by the Church’s Faith and Order Commission.The publication ... includes a foreword from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York which commends the document for study. … [Read more...] about Names Govern Thought