• Has the Church Abandoned the Poor?

    Has the Church Abandoned the Poor?

    In April 2018, Philip North, Bishop of Burnley expressed the opinion that there was “a widespread perception among northern DDOs [diocesan directors of ordinands] that candidates from working-class backgrounds with northern accents are victims of prejudice” in the selection process for ordination training.  Bishop North has, in recent years, become one of the sharpest critics…

  • Does the Church of England Face “Disestablishment by a Thousand Cuts”?

    Does the Church of England Face “Disestablishment by a Thousand Cuts”?

    In 2000, the then future Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, predicted that before long the Church of England would experience “disestablishment by a thousand cuts”.1  This did not happen during his tenure as Archbishop, and as we shall see, for various reasons it seems even less likely to happen under the current Archbishop of Canterbury,…