De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

Premier reports that prominent Church of England evangelical Lorna Ashworth has left the Archbishops’ Council in protest over what she described a "revisionist agenda" and “heretical teaching”. Ashworth resigned yesterday over the Church’s increasingly relaxed approach to gay couples. She is one of a number of signatories who put their names to an open letter sent to the Telegraph in July , warning that the Church had "capitulated to secular values". In the past, she has spoken out against women bishops and gay marriage and in her letter of resignation, she is said to have stated:  “I refuse to be mistaken as one participating in the fanciful notion of ‘good disagreement’”. "In light of this revisionist agenda and the heretical teaching that comes with it, I am no longer willing to sit around the table, pretending that we, as a governing body of the Church of England, are having legitimate conversations about mission". The Archbishop of York, John ...

Lots on Twitter about Vicky Beeching "coming out" in The Independent today. My first response was "she wasn't out?" as I had always just thought she was SSA. I have always felt a great deal of empathy with Vicky, her perspective is occasionally predictable (see here for example), but more often intelligent and informed. I have always admired the preparation she does before she speaks on a subject. I guess the vacuousness I occasionally feel exasperated with could be my hang up, as to my ear, she tends to say predictable things about homosexuality, female ordination, the direction of the Anglican communion (i.e. more relativism, more liberalism, etc, etc, etc). But despite that, my overall take has been more positive than anything else. She is a person with sincere faith who has achieved a degree of success and has always tried to explain the relationship between modernity and Christianity. If anything, her over-apologetic style is what has frustrated me be...

The Church does not destroy, it sanctifies. That is, God can take anything and make it good and new... This is something Scott Hahn posted on Facebook yesterday: Here's a brief exchange I had with a dear 'FB sister' who raised a good question (based on Deut. 7) regarding the 'foreign gods' she saw inside the Vatican: "I'm an Evangelical very much hoping to become catholic, but this alarms me and is shaking my faith in the Catholic Church's judgment. I've spoken to a few Catholics, including priests, and they seem flummoxed. What are you thoughts? Kind regards, CA"   Dear CA, from antiquity the Catholic Church adapted a ancient imperial custom as a sign of celebrating the successful evangelization and conversion of various pagan lands and peoples; that is, when ancient empires (e.g., Babylon) subjugated other lands and peoples (e.g., Israel), they celebrated their victory by carrying back to their royal capital notable prisoners al...