- Generative artificial intelligence will become significantly disruptive of many sectors this year. Education practices will change quickly as a result of this but education will be but one of many areas of life to be affected.
- No progress for those seeking marriage equality in the Church of England. There will be a lot of talk about moving towards some form of official blessings for same-sex couples which would have the effect of thwarting those seeking actual equality, making it more difficult to achieve. Further division amongst pro-gay activists in the Church of England.
- Indyref 2 will not happen on 19 October 2023 as Nicola Sturgeon had hoped, which is a shame for those seeking to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK as the autumn will be the high water mark for the Indepedence movement. It will be downhill into the next General Election after that.
- Trump and Biden will both declare that they intend to run for the US presidency in 2024 and American politics will continue to be all about Donald Trump.
- Covid recovery remains bumpy, particularly through supply-chain problems due to mismanagement of Covid in China.
- No conclusive end to the war in Ukraine this year.
- Governments in Westminster and Holyrood will announce some kind of “new deal” for the National Heath Service.
- UK Government will not succeed in blocking Scottish Gender Recognition Reform.
- Liam McArthur’s bill in the Scottish Parliamant to allow doctors to participate in the killing of terminally ill patients will fail to receive parliamentary approval but will receive more support than similar proposals have before.
- Changes announced to the UK honours system, perhaps at the time of the Coronation, to remove references to empire. OBE becomes Order of British Excellence.
15 responses to “Crunch time for the Church of England”
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Dear Rosemary et al,
What is happening in our world-wide church is about sex and the expression thereof. For far too many, anything other than a man and woman together in missionary position is an abomination that cannot be tolerated. Anything else is seen as against the norm and so not worthy of affection by the Almighty. Now who are we to know the Almighty’s mind? I am not prepared to put myself in that category; I’ll let Him do any judging that is required of His creatures. He made us as we are; I’ll let Him do the balancing.
On the subject of Lay-Presidency, if we are Anglicans, we have some concept of order within the Church. I have tried without joy to put myself forward for consideration for selection, having had a number of clergy recommend me. Until such time as HMC (Holy Mother Church) sees fit to put me along that path, the last thing I would want is to suspend the Church’s historic view on discernment and ordination. [The reader in my congregation said awhile ago that she thought I was even more of a “priest” than she herself. If somehow we were removed from any normality and there was no priest at all, perhaps then in that extremis, I would consider presiding but only with the support of all those in that situation and on the understanding of all that any celebration was deficient of ultimate authority.] If we are to be Anglicans, then authority (power) has a source and that is the Church itself.
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You miss my point Ross. I don’t want to be anything … other than the author I am.
But to say somebody cannot be something just because she is a woman, demeans all women. Plenty of Rectors are male.
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The Church of England has been prevented from carrying toxic baggage by those who represent Wisdom. It is beyond argument that Wisdom was manifest in opposing sexual identity terms as the decision was arrived at faithfully by many thoughtful and well informed souls. We have continued reason to call ourselves a people Holy to the Lord as we have respected our eternal DNA. Thia cannot be removed from our mouths or shoved in an amendment or a cupboard forever and I am laughing and rejoicing at this thought. Alleluia!
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