Articles of Faith

General Synod in York: Church of England votes for fairer votes

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:27:02 PDT

General Synod in York: Church of England votes for fairer votes

By Ruth GledhillThe Times, Articles of Faith

As debates at General Synod in York this week illustrate, the Church of England is trying desperately to make itself 'relevant' in a bid to halt a decline which has seen numbers halve in 40 years to present weekly attendance of 1.1 million. Numbers of children and young people have fallen by 80 per cent. We've seen the terrible vandalsim wrought on liturgy, the Bible and the fabric of so many churches in pursuit of this end. If you wish to learn more about the roots of the insidious destruction that has been visited on our established church over the last 40 years - the precise time almost of its catastrophic decline - visit the present exhibition at Lambeth Palacelibrary on the King James Bible and peruse the notes of Bishop John Robinson on the new Bible revision. Bishop John Robinson, you might be call, was the Bishop who didn't believe in God as most of the rest of the Christian world understands Him.

Even now, with all that has happened, this thinking is still present in the modern church. Rather than building confirmation up for example as the sacrament as it is in the Catholic Church and should be in the Church of England, as a rite of passage marking the move from childhood to adolescence, it is in danger of slowly being dismantled as a pathway to Holy Communion. A quick 'move to next business' removed the risk of confirmation being rendered unnecessary altogether. But in a separate debate the synod was told that new eucharistic prayers for children did not contain the word 'shed', as in 'shed the blood', because children are in danger of confusing that with garden sheds. No danger of teaching children then of the resonant beauty inherent in traditional wordings of the old liturgies. Let's everyone have to dumb down instead to the level of an untutored four-year-old. Actually, why not spend Sundays in the potting shed instead? Hundreds of thousands already do, and frankly, who can blame them?

So when the synod came to debate a motion which in my view is one of the most important to come before it for years, I was not expecting much joy.

At a recent consultation at St George's House, Windsor I was asked if there was any one thing the Church could do to help itself. My instant advice, which I have thought for many years, was: 'Change the way the General Synod is elected. Empower the laity in the pews. Make them the electorate.'

A few months later, as if by a miracle, a motion appeared from the London Diocese on the Synod order papers, proposing 'a thorough review of how the House of Laity of this synod and the houses of laity of diocesen synodsm are elected.'

The problem is at the moment the electorate for the laity on General Synod are these little-known and less understood bodies called Deanery Synods. They do good work, doubtless, but in a lifetime of churchgoing, of being on electoral rolls in different parts of the country, of visiting churches for my At Your Service column in The Times when for more than a decade I visited a different church every Sunday, I have never to my knowledge met a member of a deanery synod. I assume the parishes I have attended and visited must have had them. But never once have I known a deanery stand up and give a presentation about a deanery synod meeting, or write a news letter, or more recently, post on Facebook or Twitter about their latest deanery meeting.

Yet these are the people who elect the members of the General Synod. And the General Synod is the governing body of the Church of England, established by law, and the only law-making body in England outside Parliament. This means that even if you are not religious, not Christian, it MATTERS. The Synod claims to be a democratic serving an episcopally-led Church. Yet it blatantly is nothing of the sort.

Imagine the possibilities of people in the pews being allowed to vote directly for General Synod! Just think what we could do.

How would it work?

Each parish church has an 'electoral roll' which people who live in the parish or attend regularly can sign up to. There is an unspoken commitment in so doing to 'covenanting' or supporting the parish financial so it can pay its 'quota' or 'parish share' to the diocese, a sum calculated by the diocesan on the basis of the number on the electoral roll and the income of those registered. When you sign up to the roll, you are invited also to state the income bracket of your household. This gives the Church a good idea of its overall demographic.

But you still don't get to vote on who represents you on the General Synod and thus who decides on issues such as women bishops, homosexual blessings - and the slow undermining of the beauty of the liturgy.

Cost has always been one of the arguments against allowing universal suffrage for churchgoers. There have been reports into this, including a 1997 commission chaired by Lord Bridge, which recommended a new form of electorate for the General Synod. Lord Bridge drew back from allowing all those on the electoral roll a vote however for fears of irregularities and also of the cost of sending out papers and arranging votes. Adding the electoral college role onto the other, mission duties of Deanery Synods meant the electoral body was kept manageably small. And controllable.

But so much has changed since then. Now, it could all be done electronically, eliminating the need for paper - something the piles of reports and order papers at Synod this week show the Church, for all its endorsing the green carbon-footprint agenda, has failed to action yet in its own house.

And the new technologies and rapid flow of information they permit could also guard against irregularity if used properly. We can be certain that any irregularites that did occur would quickly be exposed on Facebook and Twitter.

The House of Clergy on the Synod is elected by all the clergy, so why shouldn't the House of Laity be elected by all the laity?

Clive Scowen's background paper sets out the arguments for change. Another note by the General Synod Secretary General William Fittall gives the background to the present situation.

Amazingly, many speakers in Synod opposed the change on the grounds that it was yet more naval-gazing when the Church should be looking outwards. They are too immersed in their own bureaucracy to understand, perhaps, the simmering decades of resentment among laity such as myself that they are cut out totally of the Church's democratic process by the way their Synods are elected. Why don't people such as me stand for election then?

Because we don't have time to sit on endless parish, deanery, diocesan and general synod committees. I know how long they go on for. My father was a vicar and almost every night of his life as a priest was spent at some committee meeting or other. People such as me have jobs to do, bed-time stories to read, houses to clean. But we still want to have the chance to vote for who will make the decisions that matter. But just look at the lengths I went to, to get a voice in the Church at a time when women couldn't even become priests. I became Religion Correspondent for The Times! And even then they wouldn't always listen. (Joke...!)

Could it be that another fear, barely stated but detectable between the lines of several speakers, is that of giving the laity the vote? Are they afraid of truly empowering people who they think of as 'troublemakers'? The 'mad people' as one of my fellow journalists in the press gallery at York just put it? A majority of churchgoers are women, and many of us are famously eccentric, in good old British tradition.

All bishops are men.

Just imagine if women in the church were given the power to start having real influence on the decisions that matter!

Well, you know what would happen, if you read this blog regularly. An awful lot of them think just like I do. Which is perhaps what the bishops are rather afraid of.

I sat there, thinking all this, as the Synod owned up in characterstically honest fashion to the utter failure of the present system to allow effective representation of young people and ethnic minorities in the House of Laity.

When it came to the vote, I was quietly hopeful, especially after a particuarly powerful speech by Robert Key, the former Tory MP for Salisbury. But I was not expecting much. Since when has the Synod understood an opportunity to save itself?

So imagine my astonishment when Clive Scowen's motion was passed with considerable majorities in all three houses.

There is to be a review of how the House of Laity is elected, and the review is even to be broadened to ensure that the diversity of church membership is properly reflected in the laity.

In other words, the people in the pews of the Church of England might be attached to the 'head' of the body. The parishes might connect with the General Synod. What happens at Synod will start to matter in a new way. The people in the pews might start to feel properly heard and understood. They will be empowered. The power that is unleashed will be formidable. The bishops and officials at the top should not fear this, they should welcome it.

This is potentially the most radical decision the Synod has taken for many years. I do believe it is not putting it too strongly to say that, if followed through effectively, this could save the Church of England. Even from itself.

Ruth Gledhill in The Times June to December 2011

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:27:34 PDT

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Dean of St Albans Dr Jeffrey John. Picture by Jack Hill.
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The Royal Wedding: Analysis of the Bishop of London's Sermon

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:41:38 PDT

The Royal Wedding: Analysis of the Bishop of London's Sermon

Ms Ruth Gledhill1 hour ago

The day after the Royal Wedding, the coverage of The Times was exemplary. Many people have asked me to publish an online version of my analysis of the Bishop of London's sermon, pictured here from our souvenir edition of Saturday April 30. So I do so now! On the right of the photograph, note the boys of the Chapel Royal, St James' Palace, in their distinctive uniform. Our son has just become a chorister with the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace. All the boys watched the wedding avidly, studying not the clothes, nor the hats, but the musculature of the boys from St James'. The reason? On 22 May there is a shared Evensong followed by a football match at St James' Palace when the two choirs take each other on. Our boys are the littlest because they start from the age of seven, while the St James' boys are all at the City of London school and much bigger and older. Last year we won a rare victory so this year we are Defenders of the Trophy. Wish them luck!

After that little digression, which I can justify because of the additional link that the Dean of the Chapels Royal is Richard Chartres, here's my analysis.

The Bishop of London's Address, with notes.

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.

Opens with a quote from a 14th-century nun who achieved power over the men who sought to control her life and marry her off by fasting. St Catherine wrote of her own 'mystical marriage' with Jesus. She died at 33, the same age as Christ.

Many are full of fear for the future of the prospects of our world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.

In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.

William and Catherine, you have chosen to be married in the sight of a generous God who so loved the world that he gave himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

In Christian theology, God's relationship with humanity through the gift of his son is the model for marriage between a man and a woman. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, has a glorious description of the 'marriage of the lamb'. The Bishop, who confirmed the new Duchess shortly before the wedding, is telling the world that this is a committed Christian couple taking on a Chrisitan commitment.

And in the Spirit of this generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to each another.

A spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves. Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this; the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.

It is of course very hard to wean ourselves away from self-centredness. And people can dream of doing such a thing but the hope should be fulfilled it is necessary a solemn decision that, whatever the difficulties, we are committed to the way of generous love.

Here he is being pastor to the couple but using it as an opportunity to be pastor to the watching world. Commitment, he makes clear, means having the capacity to forgive. That means not just embracing some vague concept not to be selfish. It means making a firm, positive decision to be unselfish in love.

You have both made your decision today – “I will” – and by making this new relationship, you have aligned yourselves with what we believe is the way in which life is spiritually evolving, and which will lead to a creative future for the human race.

We stand looking forward to a century which is full of promise and full of peril. Human beings are confronting the question of how to use wisely a power that has been given to us through the discoveries of the last century. We shall not be converted to the promise of the future by more knowledge, but rather by an increase of loving wisdom and reverence, for life, for the earth and for one another.

Knowledge can never be a bad thing but it alone, unaccompanied by love, will be fruitless. This wedding was the first big royal wedding of the internet age. The Church has been among the most eager to embrace the opportunities, but has also been careful to examine the spiritual implications. What the bishop says here can be summed up in one word: 'Respect'.

Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art. It is possible to transform as long as we do not harbour ambitions to reform our partner. There must be no coercion if the Spirit is to flow; each must give the other space and freedom. Chaucer, the London poet, sums it up in a pithy phrase:

“Whan maistrie [mastery] comth, the God of Love anon,

Beteth his wynges, and farewell, he is gon.”

The Franklin's Tale is a story of temptation, debt and equality with nothing at all of the fairytale in it, but which is honest about the potential for betrayal and redemption within the complexity of love. If anyone wonders how the couple can make things work against all the pressures, Chaucer has the secret: gentillesse, a French word for which it is, notably, hard to find a true English translation.

As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We are all incomplete: we all need the love which is secure, rather than oppressive, we need mutual forgiveness, to thrive.

Christians in Britain have been bewailing the advance of secularism, sometimes referred to as aggressive secularism. The Bishop gently spells out the cost of the West's retreat from God. No person, he says, can meet the entirety of another's needs. Only God can do that.

As we move towards our partner in love, following the example of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is quickened within us and can increasingly fill our lives with light. This leads to a family life which offers the best conditions in which the next generation can practise and exchange those gifts which can overcome fear and division and incubate the coming world of the Spirit, whose fruits are love and joy and peace.

I pray that all of us present and the many millions watching this ceremony and sharing in your joy today, will do everything in our power to support and uphold you in your new life. And I pray that God will bless you in the way of life that you have chosen, that way which is expressed in the prayer that you have composed together in preparation for this day:

God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.

In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.

Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The sermon ends with the couple's personally written prayer, a testament to the genuine Christian commitment that they have made. It was not in the order of service yet was possibly the most significant part. The Church is now offering it as a wedding prayer for all to use.

I actually 'went' to the wedding, after a fashion. I was among the few journalists assigned to St Margaret's Church next to Westminster Abbey where we watched everything on a fabulous feed from Clarence House on a huge screen, and heard the cheers from the crowds outside as the bride said: 'I will.' This is me and an old colleague at The Times, Boris Johnson, at the back of the Abbey. I am wearing Caroline Charles, Armani, Jimmy Choo shoes and my great aunt Lady Warr's old rose diamond brooch. I've decided not to regret the shoes, even though I ended the day with my feet literally dripping with blood after massive blisters meant I was forced to remove them. I spent the rest of the morning after the wedding walking the streets of London, barefoot.

Here links to some of my other Royal Wedding stories in The Times:

The ceremony: a message of love and hope

The Times
Published: 30 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Traditional yet modern, formal yet relaxed, uxorious yet innocent, grand yet humble. From the flourish with which the Archbishop of Canterbury donned his gold and red mitre to solemnise the marriage, to the statesmanlike gravity with which the Bishop of London expounded on marriage, the

Cartwheeling verger set for stardom

The Times
Published: 29 April 2011
Royal Wedding

An exuberant verger cartwheeled along the red carpet-lined aisle of Westminster Abbey as he celebrated the royal wedding. The clergyman waited until some 1,900 guests had left the abbey before seizing his chance to cartwheel down the carpet William and Kate had just walked along for the

Couple’s prayer to ‘serve and comfort the suffering’

The Times
Published: 29 April 2011
Royal Wedding

The newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today published a special prayer written for their ceremony in which they asked God to help them “serve and comfort those who suffer”. They also asked for spiritual guidance to maintain focus on the things that mattered, and that they

Kate will not promise to ‘obey' Prince William

The Times
Published: 29 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Kate Middleton will not promise to “obey” Prince William when the Archbishop of Canterbury solemnises their marriage at Westminster Abbey. Instead, like the Prince’s mother before her, she will pledge “to love and to cherish” her husband “till death us do part”. The choice of service

Royal couple choose traditional service

The Times
Published: 23 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton have chosen a traditional-language version for their marriage service, a decision taken partly to honour the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible this year. The Prince of Wales is patron of the King James Bible Trust, set up to celebrate the

Courage and clarity - Archbishop's wish for royal couple

Published: 21 April 2011
Royal Wedding

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for Prince William and Catherine Middleton to have “courage” and “clarity” as they embark on their public life together at Westminster Abbey next week. Dr Williams, who will officiate as the couple say “I do” and vow to love and cherish each

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Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 09 May 2011
UK News

The National Trust is halfway to reaching its £1 million target to secure an historic part of the North Wales landscape, only five weeks after the appeal was announced. The trust’s plan to buy the magnificent Llyndy Isaf, a 614-acre farm and wildlife haven in Snowdonia, is backed by celebrities

Archbishop of Canterbury condemns killing of bin Laden

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 06 May 2011
Middle East

The Archbishop of Canterbury was at the centre of a growing row yesterday after he criticised the manner in which Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan. Senior church and military figures lined up to argue over the raid and Washington came under increasing pressure for

We followed Islamic rules and eased him into the sea, says US

Martin Fletcher and Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 03 May 2011
Asia

It was not the burial that Osama bin Laden or anyone else would have anticipated: early yesterday his corpse was tipped into the sea from the deck of an American aircraft carrier. The US Navy Seals who assaulted bin Laden’s compound are believed to have taken his body to their base, probably Bagram

Bin Laden was buried at sea to avoid his grave becoming a shrine

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 02 May 2011
US & Americas

The speed with which the US dealt with the body of Osama bin Laden has surprised some but it was within the constraints of Islamic law which demands burial within 24 hours. In line with Sharia the body would also have been ritually bathed three times and shrouded in white. What was

Live coverage: DNA confirms terror leader's death

Nico Hines, Sadie Gray and Sadie Gray/Sadie Gray

The Times
Published: 02 May 2011
US & Americas

...Laden has surprised some but it was within the constraints of Islamic law which demands burial within 24 hours, writes Ruth Gledhill, The Times’s Religion Correspondent. Sharia was followed also in ritually bathing the body three times and shrouding...

Catholic agencies close down over new ruling on gay adoption

Ruth Gledhill and Rosemary Bennett

The Times
Published: 02 May 2011
UK News

Five Roman Catholic adoption agencies have closed since laws came into force requiring them to recruit gay couples, making it harder for some of the most vulnerable children to be found a home. Eight other agencies have risked their financial future by severing links with the Catholic

The ceremony: a message of love and hope

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 30 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Cartwheeling verger set for stardom

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 29 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Live: Royal newlyweds take surprise drive in The Mall

Philippe Naughton, Sadie Gray, Sadie Gray/Sadie Gray, Sophie Tedmanson and Sophie Tedmanson/Sophie Tedmanson

The Times
Published: 29 April 2011
Royal Wedding

...face coverings or be arrested. Adam says there are a number of people masking up around Soho Square... 11.44am Ruth Gledhill, our religion correspondent, points out that Bishop Chartres’ sermon ended with a prayer written especially for...

Couple’s prayer to ‘serve and comfort the suffering’

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 29 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Kate will not promise to ‘obey' Prince William

Valentine Low and Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 29 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Professor criticises "offensive language" used about animals

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 28 April 2011
UK News

A top Church of England theologian has ruled that animals must no longer be described as "beasts" or "wild" because of the "offensive and derogatory" nature of such terms. Rev Professor Andrew Linzey, of the University of Birmingham and St Stephen's House Oxford, says in a journal

Forget wealth, be happy, says Archbishop in his Easter sermon

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 25 April 2011
Faith

Corporate prosperity without personal fulfilment is an “empty thing”, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said yesterday. In his Easter sermon at Canterbury Cathedral, he said that there was more to life than gross domestic product. Dr Williams argued that true fulfilment could only

Religious leaders call for peace in Easter messages

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 24 April 2011
Faith

The Pope called for “diplomacy and dialogue” in Libya. In his traditional Urbi et Orbi address, to the city and the world, to many thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square in Rome. He prayed that human dignity “may overcome the darkness of division in the Middle East”. War and

Royal couple choose traditional service

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 23 April 2011
Royal Wedding

The rich and powerful should be forced to do good works, says Archbishop

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 22 April 2011
Faith

The rich and powerful should be forced to spend a few days each year doing good works such as serving school dinners and helping the poor, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Dr Williams, who last night washed the feet of worshippers at the traditional Maundy

Courage and clarity - Archbishop's wish for royal couple

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 21 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Archbishops and cardinals to join British on pilgrimage

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 21 April 2011
Faith

The former Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, and his successor, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, are among hundreds of British pilgrims expected to join the ranks of cardinals, priests and laity in Rome for the beatification of John Paul II. Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Archbishop

Catholics to welcome new priest — and his wife and 8 children

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 21 April 2011
Faith

When worshippers at Buckfast Abbey welcome their latest recruit to the Roman Catholic priesthood after Easter, they will be getting more than what they usually expect with a new ordinand. Ian Hellyer is due to be received into the Roman Catholic Church today and will be ordained a few

Pope Paul VI’s diamond cross and ring for sale on eBay

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 18 April 2011
US & Americas

A cross and ring belonging to Pope Paul VI are being sold on eBay with a starting price of £522,000, the Catholic Herald reports. The sale is being handled by US jeweller Alan Perry. The cross, described by the seller as “breathtaking”, has 12 large diamonds on the four arms,

Last Supper on a Thursday? You’re a day late

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 18 April 2011
Faith

Millions of Christians in the Western world will commemorate the Last Supper of Christ with His disciples on Maundy Thursday as Holy Week leads into Easter. But they will be a day late, according to research that has reopened the debate over whether the date of Easter should be

Churches aim for new roles in providing a focus for their communities

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 16 April 2011
Faith

St Cleopas, Toxteth Parishioners had been attending church services in a dangerously dilapidated mission hall ever since St Cleopas was knocked down in 1975. In 2005 the neighbourhood café, launderette and four shops also closed. An appeal was started to build a church and family centre.

Urgent help is needed to save thousands of crumbling churches

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 16 April 2011
Faith

The most comprehensive survey of Britain’s churches ever carried out has shown a “critical” number in desperate need of financial help. Nearly 4,000 of the nation’s 47,000 churches — 8 per cent — are in poor or very poor condition, needing an average of £80,000 spending each for repairs

Church gives City a lesson in being a smarter investor

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 15 April 2011
Faith

The investment arm of the Church of England outperformed many companies in the financial markets last year with an above-average 15.2 per cent return on investments. The Church Commissioners, who manage the £5.3 billion Church investments which they grew from £4.8 billion in spite of

London village: Kew

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 15 April 2011
London Homes

It has royal connections, schools, restaurants, green spaces to rival that of Kensington and is only 20 minutes out of London on the District Line. But the added draw to Kew, in the borough of Richmond, is the largely period housing that, although not cheap, is a fraction of the price

Kate’s confirmation is good news for the country

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 14 April 2011
Royal Wedding

Over the past century, church membership and the number of confirmations have fallen. But more recently the Church of England has reported an increase in adult confirmations, such as that of Kate Middleton. What’s the point of confirmation? Like baptism, it is an initiation ceremony. The particular

Divorce is no obstacle as vicar becomes the new Bishop of Salisbury

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 13 April 2011
Faith

A vicar described as a “rising star” in the Church of England is to become the first clergyman married to a divorcee to be made a bishop. The Rev Nicholas Holtam, vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, Central London, has been approved by the Queen to take up the post of

‘Alien monstrosity’ has backing

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 12 April 2011
UK News

The Muslim community in Britain is split along traditionalist and progressive lines, with most condemning France’s burka ban but a minority of liberals condemning the full veil as an “alien cultural monstrosity”. Taj Hargey, imam of the Oxford Islamic Congregation and chairman of the

St Paul’s Cathedral to gain giant rusty nail

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 09 April 2011
Faith

A few weeks after the Christian Church marks Easter, a 12-metre nail is to be hammered into the ground outside St Paul’s Cathedral. The modern sculpture by Gavin Turk, one of the generation of Young British Artists who came to prominence in the 1990s, will stand between Sir Christopher Wren’s

Fury as top scientist Lord Rees takes £1m religion prize

Hannah Devlin and Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 07 April 2011
Science

An eminent scientist has provoked a controversy by accepting a £1 million prize for contributions to life’s spiritual dimension. Lord Rees of Ludlow, the Astronomer Royal, who was president of the Royal Society until last year, was named as winner of the annual Templeton Prize in

A royal prayer before school gets out for the wedding weekend

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 02 April 2011
Royal Wedding

The Church of England is publishing royal wedding prayers for well-wishers to say in the run-up to the big day. In the first prayer, released to The Times, young children are invited to pray for the safety and happiness of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The Church regularly issues prayers

Poetic justice for inmate who robbed Larkin

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 02 April 2011
UK News

Philip Larkin came second to a group of amateur poets when an inmate plagiarised one of his best-known compositions for a poetry competition in a prisoners’ magazine. Larkin’s poem, Talking In Bed, took second place in the prisoners’ magazine Inside Time. It lost to Relating, by

‘...help them to look after each other always’

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 01 April 2011
Faith

Few people now will be unaware that at the end of this month Prince William and Catherine Middleton will stand before the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey and pledge to love and cherish each other, “till death us do part”. To celebrate the event the Church of England is

Zurbarán paintings saved for the nation by multimillionaire

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 31 March 2011
Visual Arts

A multimillionaire fund manager has given £15 million to save the Zurbarán paintings for the nation. The 17th-century portraits of Jacob and his sons by the Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán have been at Auckland Castle, home to the Bishop of Durham, since 1756. The Church

Pope calls for peace in Libya and the entire North African region

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 27 March 2011
Faith

The Pope has called for an end to arms in Libya and voiced his fears for the safety of civilians. Benedict XVI was believed to be advocating an end to the use of international force in the country when he called for “the suspension of the use of arms” in his Sunday blessing of pilgrims

Choice of coaches means Kate and William will be seen — rain or shine

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 22 March 2011
UK News

Prince William and Kate Middleton will leave Westminster Abbey after their wedding service in a procession of five carriages drawn by Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays. The veteran horse, 17-year-old Daniel, will draw the carriage occupied by the Queen. The newlyweds will ride at the head of the

Libya day 3: as it unfolded

David Charter, Deborah Haynes and Nico Hines

The Times
Published: 21 March 2011
Middle East

...the chaplain at RAF Marham, the Norfolk base for Tornado attacks, has told The Times’s Religion Correspondent, Ruth Gledhill, that the action in Libya is “the lesser of two evils”. Read her interview with him on her blog. 10.26 GMT...

‘Most people would feel this is the lesser of two evils'

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 21 March 2011
Defence

In Marham, Norfok, the mood on the shabby housing estate by the RAF base was sombre. “We watched the Tornados take off with their bombs and we heard them come back,” one observer said. “We assume they dropped their bombs.” “We are not allowed to talk about it,” said another, in the store

Three former Anglican bishops are elevated to ‘Monsignor’ by the Pope

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 19 March 2011
Faith

Three former bishops in the Church of England have been elevated to the rank of “Monsignor” by the Pope, with one of them being granted the highest possible ecclesiastical title for a non-bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. The three new Monsignori are founding members of the new

Chapel Royal choir to sing at royal wedding

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 16 March 2011
Royal Wedding

Choristers from the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace will join the choir of Westminster Abbey to sing at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The two choirs will sing a selection of well-known hymns and choral works chosen by the couple. The London Chamber Orchestra, the

Increase in Church of England members defecting to Catholic Church

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 16 March 2011
Faith

Nearly 1,000 members of the Church of England have quit their parishes and begun worshipping in the Roman Catholic Church, according to figures released yesterday. At least 600 laity were expected to join the new ordinariate, set up by the Pope to receive disaffected Anglicans, but the first

Anglo-Catholicism

The Times
Published: 11 March 2011
Letters to the Editor

Sir, In Ruth Gledhill’s report about Anglicans moving to the Ordinariate, she writes in her “Q&A” section: “Is this the end for Anglo...

Go in peace: vicar leads his flock to Rome

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 11 March 2011
Faith

In a converted church hall, their vicar shorn of his elaborate High Church clerical vestments and in a simple shirt and tie, 60 former parishioners from St Barnabas in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, gathered after a momentous journey, reversing centuries of religious history. It was only three

Anglican defectors mark start of Lent by joining Catholic Church

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 09 March 2011
Faith

At least 600 Church of England lay members and 20 priests will mark the start of Lent today by joining the Roman Catholic Church. They represent the first wave of laity joining the Ordinariate, the new body set up by the Pope for groups of former Anglicans, and are from more than 30

Sexist scholars framed Eve for Original Sin’

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 08 March 2011
Faith

Ancient Bible scholars "framed" Eve as the architect of "Original Sin" out of sexism, according to a leading academic. Far from being responsible for the "Fall of Man", she was actually the wife of God himself. Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou, senior lecturer in the Hebrew Bible at the

‘St Shahbaz’ would be a potent message

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 07 March 2011
Faith

For all practical purposes, Shahbaz Bhatti died a martyr, the Archbishop of Canterbury writes today. The Church of England does not canonise saints but the Roman Catholic Church does, and Mr Bhatti was Catholic. Some Catholics are asking that Pakistan’s martyr to religious freedom be

Vicar will conduct final service . . . then lead 70 parishioners to Rome

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 05 March 2011
Faith

Amid billowing clouds of incense and the encircling gloom of an oversized Victorian Anglican church, Father Ed Tomlinson will celebrate his last Mass tomorrow as vicar of St Barnabas, a glorious, cavernous neo-Gothic red-brick confection in Tunbridge Wells. Appalled by the Church of

Financial sector has failed to serve society, says Archbishop

Jill Sherman and Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 04 March 2011
Faith

The Archbishop of Westminster has condemned the financial sector for failing to “wake up” to its moral responsibility to “serve society”. The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, suggested that a spiritual and religious response to the economic

Pope: Jews not to blame for Jesus's death

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 02 March 2011
Faith

The Pope has stated explicitly that the Jews are not to blame for the death of Christ. In a new book published next week, Benedict XVI says there is no scriptural justification for the claim of “deicide” - that Jews killed the son of God. The charge of deicide, based on texts in

Christian couple lose battle to foster children because of views on gays

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 01 March 2011
Faith

Faith groups are warning that any fostering of children by Christians is now in doubt after the High Court ruled against a couple who want to foster but oppose practising homosexuality because of their faith. Eunice and Owen Johns, aged 62 and 65, from Derby, sought a court ruling that

The Times leads industry with 18 nominations for press awards

The Times
Published: 26 February 2011
Media

...other newspaper. Three of our specialist reporters — Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent; Sean O’Neill, Crime...Brian Deer The Sunday Times Chris Giles Financial Times Ruth Gledhill The Times Deborah Haynes The Times Jason Lewis Mail...

Support builds for gay marriage in Church of England

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 21 February 2011
Articles of Faith

...hereafter for ever hold his peace.Ruth Gledhill on Twitter caspari caspari Chairing...video -- Canon Giles Fraser tells Ruth Gledhill why Church should ... http...18 hours ago RuthieGledhill Ruth Gledhill @ @TeeBylo thank u for trying...

Religious blessings for gay couples backed by senior clergy

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 20 February 2011
Faith

Senior clergy in the Church of England are showing signs of moving towards acceptance of same-sex blessings as a senior government minister disclosed plans to liberalise gay marriage laws. further In an interview with The Times, Canon Giles Fraser, chancellor at St Paul’s, London said: “I am in

Gordon Brown abandoned 'Council of Faiths' idea because of fears over 'slide into theocracy'

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 20 February 2011
Articles of Faith

...eT8qJo 1 hour ago RuthieGledhill Ruth Gledhill Churches open door to Muslim...twitpic.com/41t3mc *Ruth Gledhill likes I Speak Because I Can by...Check out my latest blog on Ruth Gledhill's site. God and Cities - a...

Weapons of Mass Instruction, by Simon Cohen of Global Tolerance

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 19 February 2011
Articles of Faith

(Imam Mohamed Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, by Global Tolerance)Weapons of Mass Instruction: A guest blog for Articles of Faith by Simon Cohen 2000 people –“ mainly women and children –“ are killed every day as a result of armed violence, yet something as harmless as a humble banana has more

Pope John Paul II’s coffin to go on show for prayers of the faithful

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 19 February 2011
Europe

The coffin containing the body of Pope John Paul II is to be exhumed so that Roman Catholics can pray before it when he is beatified on May 1. More than a million people are expected in Rome for the Mass in St Peter’s Square on the Feast of Divine Mercy, the focal point of three days of

Vatican blocks second term of Caritas head

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 18 February 2011
Faith

The Holy See has blocked the appointment of one of the most powerful women in the Roman Catholic church from serving a second term as head of its global development agency. According to The Tablet, the UK-based Catholic weekly, Caritas Internationalis “is reeling” after the Vatican took the highly

Does God care more about Cities than Towns and Villages?

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 17 February 2011
Articles of Faith

A guest blog for Articles of Faith by Alan Molineaux Does God care more about Cities than Towns and Villages? A recent church leader’s conference in Belfast had as its theme the idea that cities are strategic for the growth and continuation of the church. This along with similar themes heading our

Government will today announce equal religious rights for civil partnerships

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 17 February 2011
Articles of Faith

...equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. See the story in The Times today by Richard Ford and Ruth Gledhill.The change, which will be entirely voluntary and will not force any religious group to host civil partnership registrations...

Civil partnership revolution begins

Richard Ford and Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 17 February 2011
Faith

Gay couples may be allowed to marry in register officer under government plans to create equality between civil marriages and civil partnerships. The far-reaching move is heralded today as the Home Office announced that the ban on religous premises holding civil partnerships is to be

New research shows rise in numbers of gamblers, problem gamblers and women gamblers

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 16 February 2011
Articles of Faith

New research shows increases in numbers of gamblers, problem gamblers and women gamblers. The survey shows that nearly three-quarters of adults in the UK engaged in gambling in 2010, equivalent to 35.5 million adults.Read my news story in The Times here.Later, the Gambling Commission issued this

Britain - a nation of 35.5 million gamblers

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 15 February 2011
UK News

Nearly three-quarters of British adults — about 35.5 million people — took part in some form of gambling last year, according to new research showing a dramatic rise in the numbers of gamblers, problem gamblers and women gamblers. According to the Gambling Commission report on 7,756 people, which

More clergy defect to Catholic Church over women bishops

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 14 February 2011
Faith

Four Anglican clergymen have announced their resignations from the Church of England as traditionalists continue their exodus in protest over the consecration of women bishops. Father Simon Ellis, Father Ed Tomlinson and Father Ivan Aquilina, leading the Derbyshire, Tunbridge Wells and

On Valentine's Day, an African primate tells warring Anglican archbishops: 'Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself.'

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 14 February 2011
Articles of Faith

...according to its liturgy, is plainly discriminatory. In the US it would be unconstitutional under the First Amendment.'Ruth's latest tweets: Resignations of Church of England clergy joining the #Ordinariate announced today. http://bit.ly...

Gays to be allowed to marry in church

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 13 February 2011
Faith

The Government is planning to change the law to allow same-sex couples to marry in a religious ceremony in church. Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat Equalities Minister, is to publish plans to lift the ban on same sex partnership ceremonies being held in places of worship. Such ceremonies

Persecution Index: Middle East's largest Christian population facing uncertain future, says Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 12 February 2011
Articles of Faith

...the world, spoke exclusively to Ruth Gledhill of The Times about his concerns...ruthiegledhill: RuthieGledhill Ruth Gledhill The part Unitarians, along with...FvHgQnLG 11 hours ago RuthieGledhill Ruth Gledhill Beautiful - @thetimeslive teams...

Persecution Index: What steps is UK government taking on Afghanistan persecution of religious minorities?

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 10 February 2011
Articles of Faith

Said Musa is a 45-year-old father of six who is facing execution in Afghanistan for converting to from Islam to Christianity. He is one of two Christian converts in Afghanistan currently facing the death sentence for apostasy. Said, a charity worker who is disabled with just one leg and who has

Church ready to accept its first divorced bishop

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 10 February 2011
Faith

A divorced man could soon be made a bishop in the Church of England for the first time after its governing body signalled backing for the consecration of divorced and remarried clergy. The General Synod, meeting in London yesterday, rejected an attempt to introduce an extra vetting process for

Lent: a time for humilty and humour in the Church of England

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 09 February 2011
Articles of Faith

'The Church must continue to influence debate,' the Archbishop of York told General Synod yesterday. Riazat Butt's report is in The Guardian. The theme of his speech was touched on earlier by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his sermon at the synod eucharist: 'The story that Jesus told about the

Bless me, Father, for iHave sinned... the confession app

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 09 February 2011
Faith

Roman Catholic bishops have approved a new iPhone and iPad app that allows users to make confession with a virtual “priest” over the internet. “Confession: A Roman Catholic App”, which went on sale through Apple’s iTunes website for £1.19 last week, offers “a personalised examination of conscience

'A rare lot of nonsense. For heaven's sake grow up!' Church of England and the Ordinariate

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 07 February 2011
Articles of Faith

The Church of England has said that "it is desirable" that clergy leaving the CofE should relinquish their Orders, in order to clarify the legal position. See our report in The Times here. The headline on this blog is taken from one of the comments there.The Times package includes a Sky video with

Clergy defecting to Catholic Church risk ‘heresy trials' for disobedience

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 06 February 2011
Faith

Church of England clergy who resign and become Roman Catholic priests in the new Ordinariate group set up by the Pope could be subject to Anglican “heresy trials” for disobedience. As the General Synod, the Church’s parliament, opens today in Westminster, legal advisers have warned in

If you annoy me, said Evelyn Waugh, 'I'll put you in my next book!' War-time reminiscences of Times/Sternberg award winner John Majendie.

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 02 February 2011
Articles of Faith

By Ruth GledhillTomorrow at Downing Street, John Majendie will receive The Times/Sternberg Active Life Award. I went to see him at...

Church condemned for plan to sell historic paintings

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 29 January 2011
Visual Arts

The head of the British Museum has condemned the Church of England for plans to sell off a £15 million set of historic Spanish paintings that have hung in a bishop’s castle for 260 years. Neil MacGregor, an Anglican who last year presented the BBC’s History of the World in 100 Objects, called for

UK Muslim numbers ‘to double’ by 2030

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 27 January 2011
Faith

The number of Muslims in Britain is expected to almost double in the next 20 years, giving it the largest increase in Europe, according to a report published today. The number is expected to increase from 2.9 million in 2010 to 5.6 million in 2030 according to the US-based Pew Forum on Religion and

Vatican letter on priestly sex abuse a cover-up?

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 24 January 2011
Articles of Faith

John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter writes: 'A January 1997 letter from the papal ambassador to Ireland, communicating the opinion of the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy about a set of proposed Irish policies on priestly sexual abuse, confirms that in the late 1990s the Vatican was

'We will find a way out of the impasse!' Twelve Anglican Catholic bishops seek a new way.

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 24 January 2011
Articles of Faith

...opposed to women's ordination but who wish to remain within the fold of the Church of England.Today in The Times, Ruth Gledhill writes on the Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting in Dublin this week that is to go ahead, in spite of a boycott...

Church unity blow as archbishops boycott summit

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 24 January 2011
Faith

One in three of the archbishops who lead the Anglican Church are expected to boycott a key summit in Dublin this week in a further blow to the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury and his goal of unity. The Times has learnt that up to 13 archbishops are to stay away from the Primates’ Meeting,

Parishioners ready to join the Roman breakaway

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 24 January 2011
Faith

More priests and laity from the Church of England’s Anglo-Catholic wing have pledged to join the Roman Catholic Church. Seven more clergy and about 300 members of six congregations are committed to joining the new Anglican Ordinariate, the extra-geographical organisation similar to a diocese set up

Retired Vatican prelate lays bare extraordinary divisions in Rome

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 21 January 2011
Articles of Faith

Cardinal Walter Kasper appears to have told the Archbishop of Canterbury at a farewell dinner, the night before the ordinations of Frs Newton, Broadhurst and Burnham, that 'the day of tomorrow is not an easy one for you. It is not a day of victory for one side, it should be for both a day of

Pastor Terry Jones ignites new Koran controversy as Home Office bans him from Britain

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 20 January 2011
Articles of Faith

Premier Christian Radio broke the story that Pastor Terry Jones was planning to visit Britain in February. Today the Home Office have banned him, as I report in The Times. Premier reported yesterday: The American pastor who wanted to burn the Koran could be coming to the UK in February.

Controversial American preacher barred from UK

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 20 January 2011
US & Americas

The Home Office has barred the controversial American preacher Pastor Terry Jones from the United Kingdom as he unveiled proposals to “put the Koran on trial” in the US. The extremist Christian pastor sparked outrage when he announced plans by his Florida-based church to burn copies of the Koran to

Baroness Warsi: Islamophobia has 'passed the dinner party test.'

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 20 January 2011
Articles of Faith

...that Islamaphobia has passed ‘the dinner table test’ as an acceptable subject of conversation in Britain. Read Ruth Gledhill's news story here. Here are some excerpts. “I have sensed that people were fed up of the patronising, superficial...

Prejudice against Muslims has become acceptable ‘dinner-table talk’

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 20 January 2011
Politics

Prejudice against Muslims has “passed the dinner-table test” and become widely socially acceptable in Britain, according to Baroness Warsi, the Conservative chairman. In a speech at the University of Leicester today, Baroness Warsi will warn of increasing misunderstanding and intolerance towards

Persecution Index: 'Despair and helplessness' as attacks on Christians continue in Jos, Nigeria

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 19 January 2011
Articles of Faith

See end for European Parliament resolution against religious persecution in fullSince the Christmas Eve attacks, which I wrote about for The Times on Christmas Day, it has dropped out of the headlines but for the unfortunate Christians living in Jos, life continues in conditions of persecution

Vatican ordered Ireland’s Catholic priests not to report clerical abuse

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 19 January 2011
Faith

Ireland’s Catholic bishops, accused by the Pope last year of having failed “greviously” to deal properly with child abuse, were ordered by the Vatican not to report suspected child abusing priests to police. In a letter sent to the bishops in 1997 and reported tonight by the broadcaster RTE, the

Persecution Index: church minister shot dead in Jamaica

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 18 January 2011
Articles of Faith

This blog marks the recommencement of my Persecution Index series. If I can ever negotiate the unfathomable mysteries of Pluck, I will attempt to list the archive of previous posts in the series.Today, from Kingston, Jamaica, the city where I spent my own early childhood imbibing Anglo-Cathoic

Judge rules against Christian b&b couple but allows appeal

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 18 January 2011
Articles of Faith

The Christian Institute, who supported the couple at the Bristol bed and breakfast in their court battle to be allowed to refuse accommodation to a gay couple, have posted this report on the judge's ruling today. 'I do feel that Christianity is being marginalised in Britain. The same laws used

Faith Factor: Week Three

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 18 January 2011
Articles of Faith

The big news this week: All Faiths has been signed by WarnerIf the pen is the tongue of the mind, then music is the quill of the soul.'So says ne of the seven members of All Faiths, Rabbi Danny Bergson, Community Rabbi at Newton Mearns Hebrew congregation in Glasgow, who spoke to me, above, when we

Anglican bishop ‘humbled’ by conversion

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 18 January 2011
Faith

A married former Anglican bishop with children and a grandchild is to sit alongside Roman Catholic bishops at their permanent assembly for England and Wales and have equal and unprecedented status with full voting rights. The only thing that Father Keith Newton, Ordinary of the new Anglican

‘I do not look back on the Church of England with bitterness’

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 17 January 2011
Faith

A married former Anglican bishop with children and a grandchild is to sit alongside Roman Catholic bishops at their conference and have equal and unprecedented status with full voting rights. The only thing that Father Keith Newton, Ordinary of the new Anglican Ordinariate, will not be able to do

Church of England to fight the “new atheism”

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 17 January 2011
Faith

The Church of England is to commit itself to fighting the “new atheism” with bishops leading the charge against attempts to marginalise Christianity. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Dr Rowan Williams and Dr John Sentamu, along with the Church’s bishops are backing a new plan to combat the

Father Keith Newton, complete with Pectoral Cross and episcopal ring, speaks for first time about Ordinariate

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 17 January 2011
Articles of Faith

Father Keith Newton, Ordinary of the new Anglican Ordinariate, spoke for the first time about his conversion to Catholicism today. He revealed that he will have a full vote at the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, unprecedented for a married man. He will even have superior voting rights to

The evangelicals who don't like to evangelise

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 16 January 2011
Articles of Faith

Ruth Gledhill's story in The Times tonight throws new light on Britain's evangelical...this video. It contains interviews with Phil Green, Amy Orr-Ewing and Ruth Valerio. Read more at Inspire magazine.

Anglican defectors set out on road to Rome

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 16 January 2011
Articles of Faith

Ruth Gledhill broke the story in The Times on 1 January of the receptions of John Broadhurst, Keith Newton and Andrew Burnham into the Roman...

The Evangelicals who refuse to spread the Gospel

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 16 January 2011
Faith

Surprising numbers of “evangelical” Christians do not believe it is their duty to “evangelise” or attempt to convert non-believers to Christianity, according to new research. A survey of 17,000 Christians showed nearly three out of ten do not agree that it is a

Humbly before God, three former Anglican bishops ordained Roman Catholic priests at Westminster

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 15 January 2011
Articles of Faith

Ruth Gledhill reports for The Times on the ordinations of the three former Anglican bishops. Catholic ordinations make wonderful picrtures, and here are the best from today.

Former Anglican bishops ordained as Catholics

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 15 January 2011
Faith

Three former Anglican bishops were ordained Roman Catholic priests today in an unprecedented service that will change the Christian landscape in Britain. Father Keith Newton, Father John Broadhurst and Father Andrew Burnham were ordained into the new Ordinariate, an extra-geographical body

Pope John Paul II and the Miracle of Divine Mercy

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 14 January 2011
Articles of Faith

Ruth Gledhill's story on the beatification of Pope John Paul II is running in The Times. Bess Twiston Davies has researched the link between...

Does Sarah Palin really understand what she is saying?

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 12 January 2011
US & Americas

Sarah Palin has shown once again that she has little comprehension of the power of loaded words. “Journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible,” she says in a video message

Sarah Palin: journalists and pundits must not manufacture 'blood libel'

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 12 January 2011
Articles of Faith

Just hours after such a tragedy, she said, 'journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.' She said violence is not the answer. 'When we take up our arms we are talking about

Anglican bishops to be ordained Catholic priests on Saturday

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 11 January 2011
Faith

Three former Church of England bishops are to be ordained Catholic priests on Saturday as the Pope formally establishes the new “Anglican Ordinariate” in England and Wales. The Roman Catholic Church disclosed more details of the new extra-geographical organisation for defecting Anglicans as a

Bless me, Father, for iHave sinned :-(

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 09 January 2011
Faith

A new era begins: Father John Broadhurst on the start of the new Anglican Ordinariate

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 03 January 2011
Articles of Faith

...could not be the case. 'I think we are in a mess really.' To join the human rss for Articles of Faith, email ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.ukCatch up on archives for the blog hereLike Articles of Faith on FacebookFollow Articles of Faith...

Conversion tables

The Times
Published: 03 January 2011
Letters to the Editor

Sir, Ruth Gledhill’s article on conversion to Islam (Dec 29) matches my own research on those in the UK who change faith and highlights how...

Secularism the same as fundamentalism, says Pope

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 01 January 2011
Faith

The persecution of Christians was highlighted in the Pope’s new year message. He condemned violence against Christians in countries such as Iraq and the “more subtle and sophisticated forms of prejudice and hostility” in other areas. Pope Benedict XVI spoke out for religious freedom and criticised

Welcome to the new decade. Oh, yes it is

Sally Baker

The Times
Published: 01 January 2011
Feedback

...fun.” February brought this puff for our online content: “Expert analysis on the latest religious issues in Ruth Gledhill’s bog.” Patrick Routley wrote: “I suppose it’s as good a place as any.” In March we redesigned the...

Losses could be devastating for Archbishop

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 01 January 2011
Faith

If John Broadhurst’s move to Rome is as influential as it has the potential to be, then similar journeys by Anglican clergy, laity and possibly even incumbent bishops will be figuring high on many Anglican lists of new year resolutions. At any other time in the past four centuries, the simultaneous

You, the editor

The Times
Published: 29 December 2010
Letters to the Editor

...was pleased to see an abundance of stories concerning public health and science throughout the newspaper. Alongside Ruth Gledhill’s report on Neanderthal gastronomy and Ben Macintyre’s pro-research Opinion article, I was particularly impressed...

Caught between cultures: how Muslim converts are left to fend for themselves

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 29 December 2010
Faith

Thousands of British Muslim converts are cast adrift by their communities and offered inadequate support by mosques, according to an unpublished report seen by The Times. After the most comprehensive survey of Muslim converts in Britain, the influential Islamic organisation Faith Matters calculates

Church liberals must stop feeling like victims

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 28 December 2010
Columnists

...believe Christ bought for all humanity on the Cross, whether male or female, evangelical or liberal, straight or gay. Ruth Gledhill is religion correspondent

Neanderthals’ diet was probably more New Man than caveman

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 28 December 2010
Biology and Evolution

Neanderthal Man may have had a bad press. The popular image is of a hairy, grunting brute gnashing on a steak so rare it bleeds blood like gravy. However, new research shows the Neanderthal diet was probably more New Man than caveman, closer to the dainty fruit and vegetable pickings of nouvelle

William spends day on rescue duty

Ruth Gledhill

The Sunday Times
Published: 26 December 2010
National

Meanwhile, his wife-to-be, Kate Middleton, arrived at her parents’ home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, for a family lunch

32 Christians killed in Christmas bombings

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 25 December 2010
Faith

At least 32 members of the Christian community in Nigeria were killed in a multiple bomb attack as they made their way to church. The attacks happened in the city of Jos, an area caught in a violent conflict between Muslims and Christians. Around 74 other people were injured. Gregory Yenlong, the

Pope makes broadcast history on Thought for the Day

Ruth Gledhill, Sadie Gray and Sadie Gray/Sadie Gray

The Times
Published: 24 December 2010
Faith

The Pope made his international radio debut today, telling the people of Britain he was praying for Christ to dispel the “darkness” in their lives and wishing them a “peaceful and joyful Christmas”. The broadcast for Radio 4’s Thought for the Day was the first time that a Pope has recorded a

A quickstep to happiness helps the hearts of older romantics

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 24 December 2010
Times Appeal

Ken and Eleanor Pattison, aged 82 and 79, met at a youth club and have been dancing ever since. In a newly built hall in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, next to the tastefully refurbished cloistered nave of a fire-damaged Victorian church, they lead a cheerful troupe of over-50s through the Mayfair

Prayer is Pope’s thought for the day

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 24 December 2010
Faith

The Pope will today tell the people of Britain he is praying for Christ to dispel the “darkness” in their lives and he will promise hope of a God who offers freedom “from whatever weighs us down.” Wishing the people of Britain a “peaceful and joyful Christmas” in his unprecedented broadcast for

Is one of these women a future Archbishop?

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 23 December 2010
Faith

In the secular world, it is a time of increased job opportunities for women. In the nation’s established Church, however, women who become priests face the stony surface of a vaulted ceiling that prevents them progressing to the episcopate. Moves to consecrate women bishops are proving so

'Sod the National Secular Society: This is Christmas'

Ruth Gledhill

The Times
Published: 22 December 2010
Articles of Faith

Today we learned that the Pope is to do Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Eve. Regular thoughters, such as Rob Marshall (1 Jan) and Giles Fraser (27 December) are delighted. But the National Secular Society is not so happy. I broke the story on Twitter after receiving this from

(For more stories, visit The Times website via one of these links and search either name or subject in the search box. )

Persecution Index: links to Ruth Gledhill's series @thetimeslive

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 08:30:08 PDT

Persecution Index: 'From Nowhere Came The Killings.' Archbishop Ben Kwashi of Jos, Nigeria on recent massacres of Christians

Ms Ruth GledhillApril 14 2011 7:09AM

Archbishop Ben Kwashi of Jos, northern Nigeria, visiting London this week, tells me what life is like for Christians in his country at present. He starts by talking about the massacres at Christmas, which we covered in The Times.

'We had hoped and we thought we were working for peace. People were coming together. You would imagine that December being the festive period, it was going to be fine for everybody. … Then from nowhere we heard of killings in the centre of the city of Jos.'Read more…

Persecution Index: 'The terrorist methods of intimidation, kidnapping and killing religious minorities.'

Ruth Gledhill

Archbishop Bashar Warda of Northern Iraq: 'In many countries, like Iraq, the situation for Christians seems to be worsening, sometimes to the point were we wonder if we will survive as a people in our own country. But this is not a time to hide our faith or our identity over such struggles. In Iraq, 40 yf war and oppression have strengthened our endurance and our resolve to stand strong and to claim our legal and historical right as a Church and as a people in Iraq. We have not come this far to give up.'
Read more…

Persecution Index: Christians feel 'absolutely unsafe' in Pakistan after minister gunned down by religious zealots

Ms Ruth Gledhill7 hours ago

Speaking at Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s London Conference in October 2009, Shahbaz Bhatti had said, “This position [as Minister] cannot change my determination to pursue justice, because I live for religious freedom and I am ready to die for this cause”. And now he has.

Bishop Azariah condemns the murder of Shahbaz BhattiBishop Samuel Azariah, Presiding Bishop of the Church of Pakistan has condemned the brutal murder, by religious fanatics, of the Federal Minster for Minorities Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti on Wednesday the 2nd of March, in Islamabad.The Bishop said that the Christian Community are not only sad and hurt at this heinous act, but consider themselves absolutely unsafe in the present circumstances of Pakistan. We do not have the freedom of expressing our point of view. He also stated that the Government has either lost the will or the control over groups and individuals who freely go around killing leaders in the name of Religion. Bishop Azariah stated that it is a fact that the Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan are not only being misused but are being abused by the religious zealots. This is just another example of it. If this is not controlled neither will Democracy, law and order, or justice prevail in Pakistan. Authorities have failed to bring about fair justice to people who are doing such criminal acts in the name of religion. The Bishop asked a question why is religion being allowed to be distorted by a few and why is the majority in the sin of silence?Read more…

Persecution Index: Middle East's largest Christian population facing uncertain future, says Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali

13 February 2011

By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent, The Times

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, who retired early as Bishop of Rochester in the Church of England to concentrate on advocacy work for persecuted Christians around the world, spoke exclusively to Ruth Gledhill of The Times about his concerns for the future of Egypt.

'Mubarak has been doing a very difficult balancing act. There is heavy-handedness we could have done without. But he has kept Egypt open and moderate. The thing to see is whether what replaces him is more or less moderate. That will be the acid test. In Iran, what replaced the Shah was not open and moderate. If Islamist parties of different kinds win a majority in the next election or win the presidential election, will they remain committed to the multi-party democracy through which they will have won such an election? Or will they replace it with theocratic rule?' The bishop sees worrying signals. 'Ayatolla Ali Khamenei, spiritual leader of Iran, preached in Iran on Friday the week before last in Arabic. He called on the Egyptian people to bring about an Islamic revolution in Egypt.' Read more…

Persecution Index: What steps is UK government taking on Afghanistan persecution of religious minorities?

Posted by Ms Ruth Gledhill at February 10, 2011 2:34 PM GMT on community.thetimes.co.uk

Persecution Index: 'Despair and helplessness' as attacks continue in Jos, Nigeria

Ms Ruth Gledhill6 minutes ago

See end for European Parliament resolution against religious persecution in full

Since the Christmas Eve attacks, which I wrote about for The Times on Christmas Day, it has dropped out of the headlines but for the unfortunate Christians living in Jos, life continues in conditions of persecution barely imaginable to those of us in the comfort and security of the West. The plight of Christians in such places is highlighted in a new EU resolution, of which I have produced the complete text below, thanks to Chris Gillibrands at CathCon. This is an ongoing situation of terrible violence which I also reported, with Jonathan Clayton, last March. Read more…

Persecution Index: 'Despair and helplessness' as attacks on Christians continue in Jos, Nigeria

Ms Ruth Gledhill4 hours ago

See end for European Parliament resolution against religious persecution in full Since the Christmas Eve attacks, which I wrote about for The Times on Christmas Day, it has dropped out of the headlines but for the unfortunate Christians living in Jos, life continues in conditions of persecution barely imaginable to those of us in the comfort and security of the West. The plight of Christians in such places is highlighted in a new EU resolution, of which I have produced the complete text below, thanks to Chris Gillibrands at CathCon. This is an ongoing situation of terrible violence which I also reported, with Jonathan Clayton, last March.
Read more…

Persecution Index: church minister shot dead in Jamaica

Ruth Gledhill Tue 18 Jan 2011

In Kingston, Jamaica, the city where I spent my own early childhood imbibing Anglo-Cathoic Anglicanism thanks to my father's work as a missionary teacher, a minister of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been shot dead. He was caught in a police shoot-out, it appears.

Faith Factor: a diary of the world's first multi-faith pop group All Faiths

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:27:07 PDT

This page on the blog has links to Ruth Gledhill's Faith Factor series, a blog diary for The Times blog Articles of Faith charting the progress of the world's first multi-faith pop group All Faiths.

The band has been put together by Jeff Chegwin and Nick Patrick. The members are Rabbi Danny Bergson from Manchester, Buddhist nun Anni Choying Drolma, Anglican vicar Tony Luke, the Sufi singer Ustad Ali Hafeez Khan, the professional Hindu singer Chiranjib Chakraborty, Father John Glynn of the Roman Catholic church and Ruth Gledhill.

A holding website has now been published for the band:
http://www.allfaiths.org.uk/

The first, teaser single Faith Unites Us All, written by Jeff Chegwin, Nick Patrick and Ronan Hardiman, is available on itunes.

Below are the intros and links to Ruth's Faith Factor diary for The Times.

Faith Factor Week Four: The Singing Buddhist Nun

Ruth Gledhill

In our new band All Faiths, created by Jeff Chegwin and Nick Patrick, the duo behind the soldiers, we are especially honoured to have the singing Tibetan nun Ani Choying Drolma as a member. Above is the interview I conducted with her recently. Her voice soars, pure and high as the breeze on peaks of the Himalayas themselves. Hear her on the first single from All Faiths, available for download on iTunes.

Earlier Faith Factor diaries in the series can be accessed here.

The Times of India recently ran a big feature on Ani. Sudeshna Sarkar wrote: Read more…

Faith Factor: Week Three

The big news this week: All Faiths has been signed by Warner!!

'If the tongue is the pen of the mind,
then music is the quill of the soul.'

So says Rabbi Danny Bergson, one of the seven members of All Faiths. He is Community Rabbi at Newton Mearns Hebrew congregation in Glasgow, spoke to me, above, when we met at The Angel recording studio in a former United Reformed church in Islington, north London to record our first 'teaser' single, Faith Unites Us All, which can be downloaded on itunes.Read more…

Faith Factor: Week Two

Faith Factor: Week One

Ms Ruth GledhillDecember 3 2010 2:03PM

What little girl does not dream of being a singer, a dancer?

Articles of Faith Archive Jan to June 2011

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:47:34 PDT

Is God speaking to us through our wild weather?

Ms Ruth GledhillJune 30 2011 3:25PM

This video shows the scenes on Tuesday of this week, when a fine day turned foul with nigh-on Biblical ferment. After days of fabulous sunshine, there was thunder, lightning and huge hailstones crashed down. Then it rained, and then of course the sun came out.Read more…

The Church and the 'demon drink': dethroning King Alcohol

Ms Ruth GledhillJune 29 2011 4:00PM

I have just celebrated my 26th anniversary of freedom from King Alcohol. Drink took me to places that I don't want to discuss in my blog at The Times. I was extremely fortunate that I understood the seriousness of my addiction and was given the grace to stop when I was just 25 years old.Read more…

Paedophile priest Fr Kit and the Rosminians: 'I would prefer sad story to remain private.'

Ms Ruth GledhillJune 27 2011 5:46PM

The Times has been forwarded a press statement from Father David Myers, leader of the Rosminians in the UK. Reports of this clarification have appeared at places such as Independent Catholic News.
Because the latest statement from Fr Myers was put together using a Word, it is quite easy to track the editing process that led to the final version. I post both versions below.

Father Myers is frank in his internal correspondence in his desire for the story to remain 'private'. This is not quite so apparent in the final version.Read more…

Please God, make me slim!

Ms Ruth GledhillJune 24 2011 3:52PM

Many religious people are strong-willed when it comes to food because their faith demands regular periods of fasting. Faith diets have become popular in the last few years with proponents urging people to turn to God not food to meet their spiritual needs.

The principles are similar to those used by self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which advocate using a "Higher Power" instead of alcohol to deal with difficult feelings. Groups such as Overeaters Anonymous have adopted the 12-step programme of AA to achieve the same goal with food. The big problem with food is that, unlike alcohol, it cannot be given up altogether if the overeater is to remain alive.

Is belief a balm for broken Britain? Listening out for the 'still, small voice of God' with the Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Ms Ruth GledhillJune 22 2011 12:13PM

In an article in last Saturday's Times,I reported the concerns of the Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks about the internet. The article tied in with an interview of Lord Sacks by James Harding, editor of The Times, and an extract from his new book, The Great Partnership. My news story was based on an interview he did with The Jewish Telegraph and on this paragraph in the epilogue to the book, billed as a 'Letter to a Scientific Atheist'.

In it, the Chief Rabbi writes: 'The new communications technologies are changing almost everything we knew and not so long ago took for granted: the nation state, the idea of national cultures, the nature of politics and economics, the character of war and the fragility of peace, the structure of human groups, even, possibly, the architecture of the human brain. We suffer from information overload and attention defecit. The Internet makes it hard for us to distinguish between truth and rumour and is the most effective disseminator of paranoia and hatred yet invented.Read more…

'Rebuke to Archbishop of Canterbury' in Times poll

Ruth Gledhill

Sam Coates and Michael Savage report the latest Times Populus poll in the paper today:

'Evidence has also emerged that voters do not trust the party to look after the economy. A Populus poll for The Times suggests that even Labour voters are losing faith in the ability of Mr Miliband and Ed Balls to repair it. Only 23 per cent of voters now say they trust the Labour leader and the Shadow Chancellor to run the economy better — a 10 per cent drop since the last time Populus asked the question in March. This contrasts with 41 per cent who say they trust David Cameron, Nick Clegg and George Osborne “to manage the economy in the best interests of Britain” — down 3 per cent since March. The Government trio have extended their lead over their rivals from 11 points in March to 18 points today.'

Our poll this week also included a question about the latest political intervention of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Links to my own coverage of that issue can be seen on my new public Times profile, which is outside the paywall.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/profile/Ruth-Gledhill

Church in the past, present and future: the Ordinariate, Flying Bishops and Catholic vocations:

Ms Ruth GledhillJune 3 2011 7:44PM

With the first priestly ordinations due today, I spoke to Mgr Keith Newton, head of the Ordinariate, about its past, present and future.Read more…

On becoming a global citizen

Ms Ruth Gledhill9 minutes ago

A reflection by Maryam Duale, the Tony Blair Faith Foundation Muslim Faith Acts FellowRead more…

How to elect an Anglican bishop without cruelty

Ruth Gledhill

In Andrew Brown's Guardian scoop about the late Dean of Southwark's memo, which can be read about in full at Thinking Anglicans, he didn't mention what was for me personally one of the most significant aspects. I am indebted forever to Colin Slee for his unexpected little 'rave from the grave' for me. He said: 'Ruth Gledhill may be regarded as a vixen by the establishment of the CofE but she is a very good journalist.' The more serious points of course were the failings that Colin exposed in the workings of the senior appointments process in the Church of England. Below, Jim Naughton writes exclusively for Articles of Faith on the contrasting, superior process used by The Episcopal Church in the US.

How many gentle flowers grow in an English churchyard garden?

Ms Ruth Gledhill1 hour ago

The Church of England is urging us all to take a close look at the wild plants in our local churchyards.

This is what they say. I've illustrated their release, below, with photographs I've taken at my own local parish church, St Anne's in Kew, which is currently fundraising for its Tercentenary Appeal. You can see more of these photographs and others like them at my Flickr page. I made the video, below, also at St Anne's, featuring the beautiful English folk song, Country Garden. Soon, my husband Alan Franks and I will be releasing some songs he has written, with a strong spiritual theme.

Barack Obama at Westminster Abbey

Ms Ruth Gledhill1 hour ago

(photos Peter Nicholls, The Times)

Our live coverage of President Barack Obama's state visit to Britain, with some of my own tweets and pics, is here. But I thought readers of this blog might like a little more detail from inside Westminster Abbey where I was honoured to have a place, at one point being about two feet from the President himself. It was very thrilling!
Read more…

Oxford University: Joint Review of the Faculty of Theology, March 2010

Ruth Gledhill

In my story in The Times today, we report: 'For more than 800 years, the University of Oxford has led the world in the study of the divine. For centuries, it has sat alongside Cambridge as the leading centre for the study of the Bible. Now academics are considering a proposal to rebrand theology at Oxford as “religious studies” because of the growing demand from students who wish to study Islam, Hinduism and Judaism as well as Christianity. The requirement to have an A level in religious studies to study religion at Oxford is also to be dropped.' Oliver Kamm in his commentary says: 'Oxford’s Faculty of Theology insists that its core subject matter of biblical studies, doctrine and church history remains intact. But it is hard to avoid inferring that the faculty’s ferment is further evidence of the cultural decline of Christianity. That decline is an accomplished fact. Oxford’s faculty would be right to acknowledge it by changing its name and radically revising its subject matter.'Below I reproduce the original review and the faculty board response. The next important meeting will be in October.Read more…

Richard Dawkins: Religion Must Not Be Allowed To Hijack The Bible

Richard Dawkins: 'Religion must not be allowed to hijack the great cultural resource of the Bible.'

Ruth Gledhill

In a video posted on YouTube to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, Dr Dawkins, geneticist and author of The God Delusion, says religion must not be allowed to hijack the Bible. See my story in The Times.
Asked by Frank Field MP, chairman of the King James Bible Trust what the Bible meant to him, he said: “I think it is important to make the case that the Bible is part of our heritage and it doesn’t have to be tied to religion. It’s of historic interest it’s of literary interest and it’s important that religion should not be allowed to hijack this cultural resource.”
“You can’t appreciate English literature unless you know something about the Greek gods. You can’t appreciate Wagner unless you know something about the Norse gods. You can’t appreciate English literature unless you are to some extent at least steeped in the King James Bible.”Read more…

'Death knell' of the Church of Ireland: Time to 'wake up and smell the coffee,' says Archbishop

Ms Ruth Gledhill1 hour ago

As the Queen visits

Articles of Faith Archive 2010

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:30:41 PST

'Sod the National Secular Society: This is Christmas'

Ms Ruth Gledhill20 minutes ago

Prejudice eclipsed as pagans to be 'counted' in census for first time

Ms Ruth Gledhill10 hours ago

In The Times today we report the rare coincidence of the winter solstice (or summer solstice for Australians) and the full lunar eclipse. Read the story here. This is the first time these two astronomical events have come together since 1638 and with the new year today makes it a triple yule celebration for Britain's pagans.
To join the 'human RSS' for Articles of Faith, email ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk

Follow this blog on Twitter @articlesoffaith and its author @ruthiegledhill. Follow faith in The Tims @timesfaithRead more…

Archbishop Bernard Longley to be Catholic ARCIC co-chair

Ms Ruth Gledhill20 minutes ago

Archbishop Bernard Longley is to be the Catholic co-chair of the third ARCIC, or Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. This is significant because of Archbishop Longley's record as a conservative. Coming in the context of the Ordinariate being launched at about the same time the third series of ARCIC talks will be announced, it shows that Rome is taking dialogue with the Anglicans more seriously than ever in light of recent developments.Read on for Chris Gillibrand's analysis. Read more…

Faith Factor: Week Two

Ms Ruth GledhillDecember 12 2010 7:27PM

Faith Factor: Week One

Ms Ruth GledhillDecember 3 2010 2:03PM

What little girl does not dream of being a singer, a dancer?

Advent is here! 'Freedom from the burdens of the past.'

Ms Ruth GledhillDecember 1 2010 4:00PM

The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu has today launched his personal Advent Calendar. He will post an update every day. This is what he says in the first:

He writes: 'I'm someone who loves Christmas. It's an exciting time. I also love the anticipation of what is going to come. So I thought I would set up an online advent calendar on my website, so you can come and spend a couple of minutes each day with me reflecting on the big day that lies ahead – the birthday of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. Because Jesus was born, we can all be free from the burdens of the past and have hope for the future! Wonderful!'

Articles of Faith Archive November 2010

As Anglicans divide over unity document, Gene Robinson proclaims: 'I am wildly conservative theologically!'

Ms Ruth GledhillNovember 28 2010 7:09PM

We reported last week: 'Liberals and conservatives in the Anglican Communion have condemned the new Anglican Covenant, the document intended to bring unity to the fractured Church, just as the General Synod of the Church of England voted it through. Bishops, clergy and laity on the synod voted overwhelmingly to send the covenant to the 44 dioceses for debate before final approval in 2012, the year that the synod will also have to vote on women bishops.' Today, I was invited onto the BBC's Sunday Sequence to discuss the covenant and the synod vote in favour. The week before, I was on Sunday, discussing the same thing. A few days before this, I interviewed Gene Robinson, the bishop whose consecration in New Hampshire helped spark the entire crisis. In this video from the interview, he says, perhaps surprisingly to some, that he is in fact 'wildly conservative' theologically.

The original Saturday interview in The Times is here:
http://bit.ly/abZ68n

Read my news story here http://bit.ly/bZK7dj and commentary here on the courage of The Episcopal Church http://bit.ly/8Y1XL2.

'Religion is a force for good.' 'Oh no it's not!' Tony Blair versus Christopher Hitchens

Ms Ruth GledhillNovember 28 2010 6:32PM

In the Sunday Times, Chris Ayres writes this debate up under the heading, 'Dying author gives Blair a taste of hell.'

He writes: 'Outside the 2,700-seat auditorium in downtown Toronto, the temperature was below freezing. Inside it was arguably even chillier. Tony Blair had no doubt expected a spirited exchange when he first agreed to debate with Christopher Hitchens, the British writer and atheist, arguing in favour of the motion that religion is “a force for good in the world”. What he got on Friday night in Canada was something a lot more personal, however. By the end of the two-hour session, the former prime minister — who once said he did not like it when politicians “make a big thing of their religious beliefs” — had been accused of indirect complicity in the deaths of millions, mocked for being “unintentionally funny” and even scolded for using recycled parables. '

I thought it would be useful for Times and Sunday Times subscribers to have the chance to read the transcript in full, if they so wishes, so thanks to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation it is reproduced below, with pictures from Canada by Tom Sandler.

Muslims live in fear of 'exponential' increase in Islamophobia

Ms Ruth GledhillNovember 25 2010 4:24PM

Robert Lambert, formerly of the Metropolitan Police, and Jonathan Githens-Mazer were among the most vocal critics of the Government's Prevent strategy. Now they have written a report which is uncompromising in its analysis of the rise of Islamophobia in Britain. Read more details in our report here. Meanwhile,the day after the Queen went shoeless to visit a mosque in Abu Dhabi at the start of a five-day state visit to the Gulf, a number of news reports in the UK lend credence to the Lambert report.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury condemns suspension of Bishop Pete

Ms Ruth GledhillNovember 23 2010 6:26PM

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton has intervened in the debate over Bishop Pete Broadbent's anti-Royal Wedding comments. Lord Carey told The Times: 'I am shocked to learn of the Bishop of London's judgement on Pete Broadbent. True, Pete was silly to utter such views but the penalty is far too severe. How often in the past have bishops ignored heretical comments by clergy? But this is not a matter of heresy, or immoral lifestyle, but personal opinions given because Pete assumed we live in a free country where comments of such nature are part of the course.

Pope eases absolute ban on condoms

Ms Ruth GledhillNovember 21 2010 10:20AM

From my story in The Times today:

The Pope has reversed decades of Roman Catholic teaching by saying that it is acceptable for some people to use condoms.

In a ground-breaking interview in a new book, Pope Benedict XVI says that condoms are justified in some cases, such as male prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of Aids.

Osservatore Romano has published the text of the interview in Italian.

The top flight Catholic blogger Pia de Solenni has an excellent analysis of what the Pope actually said. Here is the accurate English translation from the book itself, coming out on Tuesday, of the relevant passage.

Confirmation diary - final week: How can I not be ashamed of Not Ashamed?

Kat BrownNovember 18 2010 4:01PM

Our last class was a bit…how do I put this. Drastically underwhelming?

“Was that it?” whispered a woman leaving after me. “It would have been nice to go over any lingering doubts instead of just a spot of deep breathing over a picture of Jesus’s baptism.”

Here are my lingering doubts about properly joining the church.
Read it all here:

- Attitude to abortion. Every woman should have the right to choose, this goes hand-in-hand with contraception (Pope! Sort this OUT). I think very few women go lightly into the abortion clinic. Denouncing them for whatever reason is neither helpful nor constructive, to say nothing of the Bible being very quiet on whether it’s a sin or not. (very interesting essay on this here:

If you're happy and you know it...The Anglo-Catholics are definitely not the happy-clappy wing of the Church of England, especially not now with so many upset over women bishops. But contrary to impressions that might have been given by certain other publications, by no means all, perhaps not even many, are leaving the Church of England to join the Ordinariate. The site Thinking Anglicans has all the best links to latest developments on this story. I interviewed David Houlding, of the General Synod's Catholic Group, whose philosophy could best be summarised as 'bloom where you're planted.'

November 12
'Choose life' for Sudan. A Catholic bishop speaks out
By Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala'We will be faced in two months time with a momentous decision in our history. The world will be watching how we treat this moment of great opportunity - a moment that must not be wasted. It is a moment that calls upon the people of Southern Sudan to think and vote with their consciences, without manipulation or intimidation, to freely exercise their choice.'

Confirmation Diary - week 5: Holy Communion and belonging

Kat BrownNovember 11 2010 11:31AM

Facing a 45 minute commute meant lazily plumping for the Family Service for my first non-Christmas visit to church in years. I needn’t have spent the 15 minutes I did worrying about what to wear: a woman in a jewelled minidress and four-inch Jimmy Choos was busy sparkling up the next set of pews along. The problem with going to a new church on your own is that you don’t know the ritual. You might know the overarching plot, but not the twiddly bits in between, which explains why during the march up to the altar for communion, I, alone in my pew, ended up standing for five minutes after everyone behind me had sat back down again. Embarrassing.

How do these cuts benefit the family? Another bishop speaks out.

Ms Ruth Gledhill November 9 2010 3:01PM

Recently, as reported in The Times, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke out on his concerns about government cuts. The Archbishop of York has written on this blog about his fears, demanding that the bankers should be targeted as much as the poor. And now the Bishop of Liverpool James Jones has stepped into the debate.

Bishop of Fulham: 'I'm like the knight in Monty Python. But I'm giving up before my legs get chopped off.

Ms Ruth Gledhill November 8 2010 4:23PM

Bishop of Fulham John Broadhurst, who will leave his Church of England tied house and move to a property he owns in Wellinborough in April, told me: "People say it is to do with women bishops. That is the background on which it all sits. It is to do with an offer from the Pope which I think we cannot say no to.

Confirmation Diary: Week 4 - Getting atheists to engage with these diaries - more kittens?

Kat Brown November 5 2010 3:34PM

When I’ve mentioned to people that I’m getting confirmed in a few weeks, they look confused. “Aren’t you a bit OLD to be doing that?” is one response, looking me up and down and mentally putting me in some horrible white dress.

A Call to Arms! Chris Gillibrand calls for 'counter revolution'

November 4 2010 12:09PM

The conservative Catholic blogger Chris Gillibrand recently spoke to members of the Traditional Britain group. He began by quoting Lord Acton after the declaration of the Infallibility of the Pope in 1870, which he had opposed.

November 3, 2010
Wallace Benn prophesies war over women bishops

October 2010 Articles of Faith Archive

October 28 Confirmation Diary - Week three: The Holy Spirit

October 26 Confirmation Diary: The 10 Commandments - is swearing the last religious taboo?

October 25 Rowan Williams and the Pope 'should get out more'.

Friday October 22 Archbishop of York attacks cuts. Bank bonuses 'a gravy train running out of control'.

Thursday October 21
See below for the latest from Chris Sugden at Lausanne CapeTown2010

Kat Brown Confirmation Diary Week Two
Confirmation Diary Week 2 - Jesus, problematic fig trees and going Bible hunting
(Missed an earlier one? Here is The Times archive of Kat's diary.)

Wednesday October 20
Rev Jesse Jackson attacks spending cuts as hitting poor hardest

Wednesday October 20
On a day of devastating cuts in public spending, Joel Edwards tells Ruth Gledhill of The Times that it is time to fight poverty, now! Micah Challenge and the Millennium Development Goals.

Tuesday October 19
Women bishops placed in jeopardy in Church of England in first analysis of General Synod elections. Multimedia.

CAPE TOWN 2010 (also on Twitter @CapeTown2010)

Thursday October 19
Lausanne Day 3: Cyber wars at Lausanne Congress

Wednesday October 18
Lausanne Day 2: The worldwide Church in Development and in the Global Anglican Crisis; Chinese Christians prevented from attending

Tuesday October 19
Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Conference on evangelisation. The second of Dr Chris Sugden's daily reports for The Times.

Monday October 18
Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Conference on evangelisation. The first of a series of daily reports for Ruth Gledhill's Times blog Articles of Faith by Dr Chris Sugden.

Friday October 14
The canonisation of Mary MacKillop. Her relative, Bishop Joe Toal, talks to Ruth Gledhill of The Times about her Scottish roots and the pilgrimage by 140 Scottish Catholics to Rome for the ceremony.

Thursday October 14
New viral campaign launched on the pop veteran's 70th birthday to make his 1982 record Little Town the Christmas Number One

Thursday October 14
Kat Brown's confirmation diary week one.

Wednesday October 13
From darkness into the light: former hostage Terry Waite talks exclusively about the issues facing the Chile miners on their release

Sunday October 11
Archbishops Rowan Williams and Daniel Deng: Sudan 'sleepwalking to disaster.' Multi-media blog on the humanitarian crisis facing Sudan.

Saturday October 10
The new Equality Act: too kind or too harsh to religion? Will it force religions who oppose homosexual relations to hold civil partnership ceremonies on their premises? Or does it go too far in protecting religious privilege? See an expert legal view from top employment lawyer Kiran Daurka.

Wednesday October 6
Rescuing religion from the nutters. New Christian Kat Brown writes the first in a series of guest blogs for Articles of Faith on the process of getting confirmed.

Monday October 4
Is Ann Widdecombe too strict for Strictly? Ruth Gledhill gives Ann advice on how to use her feet better to win over the judges, and how to capitalise on her unique understanding of Catholic liturgy and ritual in this context to win marks through the spirituality of dance.

Saturday October 2
As niqab and burka bans proliferate, a Muslim woman, Zara Khan, writes for Articles of Faith on why she is proud to wear the full veil.

See September's archive here.

To join Ruth Gledhill's 'human RSS feed' for Articles of Faith, email her.

Follow @TimesFaith.

September 2010

30 September
Druids granted charity status as a religion for the first time ever.

For the first time ever, Druidry has been recognised as a religion in English charity law, Articles of Faith can exclusively reveal, with charity status granted today to The Druid Network.

29 September

Ed Miliband says: ‘I don’t believe in God’ as churches hit by record numbers of Christians, seminarians

29 September

Iran stoning case: Islamic legal expert John Strawson comments: 'I think that this case highlights the appalling way in which the Iranian regime is willing to sacrifice the rights of citizens in its attempt to crush its internal opposition and in its propaganda campaign against the West. Islamic law is not fundamentally about punishment but about achieving justice. The Prophet Mohammad is reported to have said “avoid punishment at all costs, even invent an excuse.” The Iranian government in pursuing this woman, in my view is not enforcing Islamic law but breaking from its spirit and intention. This case illustrates the political manipulation of Islam which discredits Islam by a self-serving political clique that have very no real credentials authorities in Islamic law.'

28 September

To do God or not to do God: guest blog on science religion debate by Andrew Wilson

27 September:

We need our eyes opened: Archbishop of Canterbury in the pulpit.

27 September 2010

Who's Jewish here? Sukkot in China, guest post by Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore

24 September 2010

Rowan Williams and the questions of unity and truth. Blog accompanying Ginny Dougary interview where Rowan said he had no problem with gay bishops so long as celibate.

24 September 2010

Koran burning: how can such primitive protests figure in our era? Blog related to news story aboout arrests for 9.11 Koran burning incident in UK.

23 September 2010

We are not ashamed. Blog with video by Ruth Gledhill of Christian protestors claiming workplace discrimination and launching new Advent campaign.

19 September

Sun shines on Newman beatification

16 September

Some of Benedict’s speeches during the papal visit plus a full translation of what Kaspar actually said.

16 September

Archbisbop Vincent Nichols: Church has made a mess of its response to child abuse

14 September

Comments from David Cameron and others on why we should welcome the Pope prior to his visit.

Articles of Faith Archive 2009

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:31:29 PST

coming soon

Articles of Faith Archive 2007 & 2008

ruth.gledhill@thetimes.co.uk (Ruth Gledhill) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:31:11 PST