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Response from the College of Bishops
The following is the response from the College of Bishops to the group of more than 50 lay readers and clergy of the church who wrote expressing concern in unusually strong terms to a set of guidelines that the bishops introduced with no consultation last year. This has already been published online elsewhere and so…
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Marriage isn’t enough
I’ve been asked recently by a lot of people whether I’m pleased that the new legislation has gone through allowing same-sex couples to get married. I am pleased, of course. I helped to work for it and I’m delighted to see happy smiling faces of couples I know who are now as hitched as anyone…
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Advert – Canon Missioner
There’s a post advertised in the Church Times this week that it seems appropriate to highlight here too. We’re advertising for a new Canon Missioner for the diocese. This person will have a liturgical base in St Mary’s so as well as going out and about in the diocese, will be taking part in things…
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For the cartoonists
I used a cartoon, and a religious cartoon at that, on, my blog yesterday and yet I live. I sometimes pray for satirists – those who come to occasional services in St Mary’s may occasionally have heard me do so. They don’t usually get enough prayers. Today, sadly, the thoughts of the world are with…
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How it feels to be gay in the Scottish Episcopal Church
I’m aware that this cartoon was drawn for another situation. However, this is kind of how it feels to be gay in the Scottish Episcopal Church at the moment. My guess is that other people feel it too. We need to pray for a different style of leadership. Urgently. My thanks to Dave Walker for…
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The Straight Civil Partnerships Question
The question is this. If civil partnership is opened to straight couples then would someone in such a partnership be eligible to be considered for ordination? It is a simple question but carries enormous complexity with it and can help to illuminate where we are in the changing world of legal relationship states. I first…
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Scottish Episcopal Church News for January 2015
Scottish Episcopal Church News The following post contains news from around and within the Scottish Episcopal Church for January 2015. George Square Tragedy in Glasgow The Rt Rev Gregor Duncan, the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway was in George Square just after the recent tragedy involving a bin lorry. The accident took place just yards…
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New Year Predictions 2015
Here are my New Year Predictions for 2015 Those who voted YES in the Scottish Referendum will continue to behave as though they won. This may be unhelpful. Those who voted NO in the Scottish Referendum will continue to behave as thought he referendum never happened. This may be unhelpful. There will, I fear,…
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Review of Last Year’s Predictions
Well, clearly it behoves me to consider last year’s New Year Predictions and see how I did. Remember those people who used to say, “But what is a blog…?” Well this year you are going to be hearing them say, “But what is a mooc…?” Well, I think I got that partially right. Lots of…
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Review of the year on the blog
Well, everyone else is doing it so I might as well look back over the last year and pick out a few highlights from the blog. I began the year by declaring that The Archbishop of Canterbury is not a Pope and defended him from other people making demands that he rebuke the Nigerian Church.…