Church of England’s General Synod meets in York this weekend
The Church of England’s parliament, the General Synod, meets in York this weekend with an agenda omitting debates on the issues of same sex blessings and safeguarding scandals which have created headlines in the past year. Instead, members will discuss £1.6 billion three-year national spending plans, clergy pensions, a redress scheme for victims and survivors of church-related abuse, church growth and outreach. The synod papers can be found here .
Bishops asked whether Living in Love and Faith has ‘run into the sand’
At its opening session this evening, bishops will attempt to answer 217 questions on a wide range of topics. On Gaza, they were asked if they would condemn the unabated killing of civilians, but the Bishop of Gloucester said there will be no further statement beyond calling it a grave sin. On the MPs decision to decriminalise abortion, the Bishop of London said Lords spiritual will address the change. On the Living in Love and Faith same sex blessing process, bishops were asked if it had “run into the sand”. The Archbishop of York said: “The LLF team and Programme Board will also continue to work on a range of scenarios and associated risks that might arise if no agreement can be reached on the current draft proposals”. The Times and Telegraph have picked up the question on moves to allow non alcoholic wine and gluten free bread in communion services, currently being reviewed by the Accessible Liturgy Working Group.
£30 million to rejuvenate Church of England churches
The Church of England has announced that almost £30 million has been awarded for work to support parish revitalisations, new congregations, parish growth and mission to children and young people across four dioceses in the Church of England. The Diocese of Birmingham has been awarded £17.8 million for 47 parishes in estates, rural areas and areas of deprivation, two “flourish” churches for school communities and a new congregation for students. Gas Street church, an HTB plant, “will have an important role to play”. The Diocese of Liverpool has been awarded £6.2 million to support mission plans for every church including youth ministry. The Diocese of Chichester has been awarded £1.9 million to revitalise parishes, mission and ministry to children and young people including the rejuvenated St Richard’s Hollingdean, another HTB plant. The Diocese of Salisbury has been awarded £1.6 million to establish a network of 13 “mission hub” churches in rural, market towns and urban communities.
Government urged to take ‘radical action’ on child poverty
Government statistics show that the number of households affected by the two-child limit benefit cap, has increased three per cent in a year. 469,780 Universal Credit households are affected, involving 1,665,540 children – representing one in nine children. The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, the Church of England’s lead bishop on poverty, said the numbers represent stories of hardship, anxiety and resilience. He calls on the government “to take ambitious and radical action in its child poverty strategy to make sure every child grows up with enough and feels enough in and of themselves.”
CofE progress towards racial justice ‘painfully slow’
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has described progress towards racial justice in the Church of England as “painfully slow”. He was writing in the foreword to a book on racial justice in the church “Being Built Together Volume 1”, from the Racial Justice Unit of the Church of England. It includes recommendations for action, theological foundations for racial justice work, a history of the Church’s journey towards racial justice and recommendations for key reforms. The Archbishop said much had been achieved in the last four years during which the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice reported on the extent of the problem and what needed to be done, “but we are still far from where we want to be, where we need to be, as a Church”.
Other news:
Vatican possible venue for Ukraine Russia peace talks
Pope Leo XIV took time out of his holiday to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in advance of the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference which is taking place this week in Rome. In a meeting at the Pope’s summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, they discussed the Vatican as a possible location to host peace talks ending Russia’s invasion and “the urgent need for a just and lasting peace”. A Vatican statement said the Pope expressed his sorrow for the victims and “renewed his prayers and closeness to the Ukrainian people, encouraging every effort aimed at the release of prisoners and the search for shared solutions”. Yesterday morning, Russian drones circled the Vatican’s embassy in Kyiv, followed by explosions and damage to the embassy’s roof and garage area.
Hot debate during online consultation Islamophobia definition
The Islamophobia Working Group, set up by the government to newly define Islamophobia, has set up a meeting with MPs and peers, as part of its work to produce a definition. Politics Home reports that it has seen a letter inviting MPs to the meeting, saying that the definition must be “compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression”. The task is to review the current definition produced in 2019, by the APPG on British Muslims: “‘Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”. This is criticised for being too vague, conflating race and religion and restricting free speech. The online consultation runs until 20 July and has already caused heated debate. An open letter from many organisations including the Network of Sikh Organisations, says “the proposed definition blurs the crucial distinction between race and religion. Islam is a belief system that, like all others, must be open to scrutiny, criticism, mockery and even condemnation”. Nick Timothy MP claims Labour is rigging the consultation and warns of “Islamic blasphemy laws”. The Middle East Eye complains that the working group is vetoing people giving evidence and has not consulted the Muslim Council of Britain. The working group is led by former Attorney General, Dominic Grieve.
British Jewish representatives meet Israeli opposition leader
The Board of Deputies has hosted a roundtable of Jewish community leaders with Yair Golan, leader of Israeli opposition party ‘The Democrats’. He gave an assessment of the current situation and his ideas for the defence of Israel’s democracy and judiciary, and an inclusive approach to all streams of Judaism, and to Israel’s Arab minority. Representatives of leading Jewish organisations briefed him on the impact of the ongoing conflict on the British Jewish community, rising antisemitism and Israel-Diaspora relations. Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said they will continue to engage with Israeli leaders from government and opposition as part of ongoing efforts to stand up for peace and security in Israel and the Middle East. He said: “Our community cares deeply about Israel’s welfare and security, and at this pivotal moment it is vital that Israel’s political leaders understand our concerns and hopes for the region”.
‘South West Awake’ day of prayer along the infamous coastal path
Thousands of people from Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset are being encouraged to gather along the 630 mile South West Coast Path tomorrow, 12 July, to pray for communities across the region. The “South West Awake” event started in 2023 after the national prayer event “Thy Kingdom Come”, and last year 7,000 people took part. The route has taken particular significance this year, after controversy around the book and film “The Salt Path”, a memoir by Raynor Winn recounting her and her husband’s 630-mile trek along this very path after losing their home and receiving a terminal illness diagnosis. A report in the Observer alleged the story was misleading, but Ms Winn denied her account was a fabrication.
The ChatGPT Tongues Challenge – can AI interpret speaking in tongues?
Leonardo Blair, a US reporter with The Christian Post, has investigated claims that Chat GPT can interpret speaking in tongues (glossolalia) – when someone prays in a language they have not learned and cannot identify, in an experience where they feel they are taken over by God. He reports that the “ChatGPT Tongues Challenge” is a YouTube / TikTok trend which is attracting Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians. In one example, someone recorded their prayer, uploaded it to ChatGPT which identified and translated it as “ancient Sumerian”. A Christian positive psychology coach, known as Well Diva, who uploaded her experience on TikTok, found people criticised this as demonic, but she said the translation accurately reflected what “she was feeling in her spirit” when she prayed. Blair then experimented with his own speaking in tongues, and found the chatbot said the translation was “a creative interpretation, not a literal translation, since the original doesn’t map to any known language.”
