Blog

  • It actually is time. Today.

    It actually is time. Today. Congratulations everyone.

  • The Peace and Unity and Order of the Church

    One of the things that I’ve occasionally raised in blog posts is the question of whose responsibility it is to promote the unity of the church. I think this was focused for me particularly at the consecration of the Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane just over 9 years ago when the preacher preached…

  • New Statement from College of Bishops

    There’s a new statement from the College of Bishops today about same-sex marriage. It can, and should, be read in full – see here: College of Bishops Guidance re Marriage 2014 I’m appalled by its contents and in particular appalled at the way the Bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church are treating gay clergy and…

  • Breastfeeding in church?

  • 10 questions arising from the misogyny of a “headship” bishop

    Plans were announced last night to appoint a new bishop in the Church of England who will specifically believe that women are subordinate to men to minister to, encourage and represent those in the Church of England who believe this, ie that men have been given headship over women by God, to be true.  (This…

  • What does it mean to belong?

    So, here’s the thing. Over the last few weeks we’ve been doing our usual gathering of names for the congregational roll at St Mary’s. We ask people here to fill in a form each year before the AGM indicating that they want to be included on the congregational roll. It has taken a few years…

  • Quiet Wednesday – one week to go

    Guest blog post from the Vice Provost, the Rev Cedric Blakey Quiet Wednesday is the idea at St Mary’s Cathedral, an antidote to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. A day with no work, no shopping, no card writing or food prep. A day, well up to 6 hours, without emails, blogging or social media. A…

  • Episcopal Novelty and the Church of England

    I seem to have caused a small flurry (a flurryette?) of comments over on a thread on Thinking Anglicans by expressing the view that the Church of England is in the process of introducing a novelty into the episcopate that is undesirable and which they should at least have consulted the rest of the communion…

  • World AIDS Day 2014

    Here’s the final video in the series of conversations that I’ve been having with Marion Chatterley the Chaplain at Waverley Care. World AIDS Day video 2014 from Kelvin Holdsworth on Vimeo. In this video, the tables are turned and Marion gets to ask me the questions. She starts by asking me why churches don’t seem…

  • What if Jesus chose the wrong brother?

    Can you just suspend your cries of heresy whilst you read this one blog post? Because it will make you think, that’s why. What if Jesus chose the wrong brother on whom to found his church? What would the church look like if he had chosen Andrew instead of Peter? People rather like doing speculative…