Church of England

In defence of faith

14 December 2024 9:00 am

For what should we give thanks this Christmas? The faith that sustains millions through life’s challenges and inspires countless acts…

Letters: Labour’s attack on farmers

30 November 2024 9:00 am

Losing the plot Sir: Your leading article ‘Blight on the land’ (23 November) is right to call out the hypocrisy…

Justin Welby shouldn’t have resigned

16 November 2024 9:00 am

There is no proper reason for the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. No iniquity was proved against…

After Welby: what’s next for the Church of England?

16 November 2024 9:00 am

It’s taken him more than a decade, but Justin Welby has finally united the Church of England. The petition calling…

Resignations alone won’t fix the Church of England

15 November 2024 1:54 am

Will there be more resignations following the departure of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury? The Church is, as on…

Letters: the problem with emojis

19 October 2024 9:00 am

Industrial waste Sir: I endorse your concerns about the closure of Grangemouth and Port Talbot and the statement that ‘if…

Why C of E bishops are so bland

12 October 2024 9:00 am

Nolo episcopari. These were the words a person was expected to say on being offered an episcopal see. It basically…

The C of E’s raving madness

14 September 2024 9:00 am

In February there was a commotion at Canterbury Cathedral. Or, to be more precise, there was a silent commotion. The…

The C of E needs to talk about sex

13 July 2024 9:00 am

My friend Andy is getting married. It’s about time – he and his girlfriend have a one-year-old daughter. He wants…

The problem with flexible working

29 June 2024 9:00 am

Lots and lots and lots of fuss about betting on the general election. Less attention is paid to the biggest…

The Church of England’s volunteering crisis

18 May 2024 9:00 am

John Betjeman knew that a church cannot run on prayers alone. ‘Let’s praise the man who goes to light the…

Has the C of E got its reparations bill all wrong?

27 April 2024 9:00 am

Reparations have a troubled history, and rightly. The word itself, in its familiar sense, seems to have been a euphemism…

Is the C of E about to say sorry for Christianity?

16 March 2024 9:00 am

Is the Church of England going to apologise for Christianity? A report by something called the Oversight Group has declared…

Is the Church of England giving up on Sunday worship?

26 August 2023 9:00 am

Is the Church of England giving up on Sunday worship?

God the ‘Father’ isn’t sexist

9 July 2023 10:00 pm

Calling God ‘Father’ may be ‘problematic’, pronounced the Archbishop of York at Friday’s formal opening of the General Synod. Watching…

The Queen’s life was anchored by Christianity

17 September 2022 9:00 am

The Queen’s life was anchored by Christianity

‘Jerusalem’ is a rousing anthem – but who knows what the words mean?

9 July 2022 9:00 am

‘Jerusalem’ may be our unofficial national anthem, but don’t ask anyone who sings it to tell you what it means, says Philip Hensher

In defence of meddlesome priests

14 June 2022 11:55 pm

The British constitution is best understood as a dinner party. Imagine the key institutions of national life personified and sat…

The art of changing your mind

23 April 2022 9:00 am

Some years ago there was a study at Harvard that tried to find out what people did when they held…

How do we celebrate Easter in the shadow of war?

16 April 2022 9:00 am

This week has been Passiontide, which means lots of wonderful plainsong in the choir of Canterbury Cathedral as my predecessors…

Letters: In defence of the police

19 February 2022 9:00 am

A health-care disaster Sir: Kate Andrews’s piece on who really controls the NHS (‘Waiting game’, 12 February) gives us a…

Bring back communion wine

12 February 2022 9:00 am

Don’t deny me my communion wine

Letters: Unfair care costs will turn the red wall blue

15 January 2022 9:00 am

Take care Sir: Your editorial (‘Counting the costs’, 8 January) makes valid points regarding the funding of social care. The…

The churches must stay open

26 December 2021 6:00 pm

Hooray for Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who used the one day of the year when his pronouncements are amplified by the…

Why is Microsoft offended by ‘Mrs Thatcher’?

18 December 2021 9:00 am

The interregnum between incumbents is a well-known and often elongated process in the Church of England. I have recently witnessed…