Archbishop Justin Welby has conferred honorary doctorates on two people who played a central role in the Church of England’s landmark Living in Love and Faith project.The Rt Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, and Dr Eeva John (see photo) were each granted the Lambeth Doctorate of Divinity, in recognition of the “outstanding theological quality and intellectual rigour” of their work.The doctorates were conferred during a service in the Chapel at Lambeth Palace on Friday 15 October, in front of Bishop Christopher’s and Dr John’s family and friends.The Living in Love and Faith project was launched in 2017 to help the Church engage in learning together about questions of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.It resulted in a set of resources designed to help Church of England churches participate in a process of learning, listening and prayer together as part of discerning a way forward in relation to matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.Bishop Christopher was invited by the House of Bishops to lead the project from its launch, working alongside a coordinating group and more than 40 scholars in biblical studies, the sciences, history, theology and ethics.In his doctoral citation, Bishop Christopher was recognised for his theological leadership of the project, and for steering the work of the team and building relationships across different perspectives.“The way in which Bishop Christopher has led this process reflects the breadth of disciplines necessary to provide a genuine and deep understanding of the pluriform influences that affect life and that direct the experience of faith and relationship with God and indeed of the understanding of the triune creator God,” said the citation.Dr Eeva John was appointed in 2017 to the role of Enabling Officer for Living in Love and Faith and the Pastoral Advisory Group, Archbishop’s Council.Using her “keen and creative understanding of practical theology, attention to method, theological depth and extraordinary people skills”, her citation said, Dr John played a central role in coordinating the wide-ranging participation needed to ensure the project reflected a variety of voices and experiences.It is only the second time in his ministry that the Archbishop has chosen to exercise his legal right to award such degrees.The Archbishop said conferring the doctorates on Bishop Christopher and Dr John enabled him to give “a tangible and lasting expression” of his gratitude for their work and for the contribution of the dedicated team alongside them.
Christians working in the media have been speaking about integrity and truth, and the challenges they face in their jobs, with several leading journalists taking part in a special online service organised by the network Christians in Media.Lucy Denyer (see photo), associate editor of The Telegraph magazine, explained: "For me integrity means doing my job to the best of my ability, even when it's uncomfortable, because I trust God that he's called me to be there."She admitted: "It can be a tough working environment. Journalists are trained to ask hard questions, often they're cynical. But they are also taught to hold everything up to the light and question it for rigour or for truth – which is not so different to being a Christian after all."Warren Nettleford, ITV News and Channel 5 presenter, spoke about covering stories where teenagers had been killed.He said: "I've had to interview parents who have suffered a terrible loss, and you are there, knowing that your editor wants a story that will engage with viewers. At the same time you are there to ensure that the parents can say what they want to say. You don't want to verge on being sensationalist."So it's really important that you make sure that the parents can be heard – but you're not going over the edge to make it into entertainment."Tim Levell, programme director for Times Radio told the service: "Truth and integrity have always been important to me, but not just in the on-air output, but in my off-air dealings with people too."He also spoke about the importance of keeping confidences when colleagues have shared private information with him.Sandra Godley, BBC CWR radio presenter and gospel singer, recalled having to 'whistle-blow' on a work colleague."It was difficult, but it was the right thing to do," she explained.Tim Pemberton, Head of Religion and Ethics for the BBC's audio output, was the keynote speaker at the service that had been viewed around 500 times within hours of its launch.He spoke on Peter's denial of Jesus from Luke 22, and pointed out, "Speaking the truth can be threatening and costly. Jesus ended up on a cross for it."We have to face the fact that serious truth telling can lead to loss - of money, employment, relationships, status and, as we see in the gospel story, even your life."He said, looking across society, "Truth is now a cudgel, a weapon with which to beat and shame your opponents into submission. We are no longer open, honest enquirers. We are all warriors keen to prove our point. We no longer see people who simply disagree with us on an issue. We have to impugn their integrity and question their motives."He contrasted this with St Paul, writing to the Ephesians, and encouraging them to seek unity by "speaking the truth in love."Pemberton encouraged people "to seek one-ness by caring how my telling of the truth impacts my family, my friends, my opponents and my enemies. We all have a choice in this – to follow the status quo and add to the cycle of abuse and anger or to fulfil the promise of our good intentions, listen to others and make sure our contribution is insightful, courteous and positive. This is a radical, counter-cultural idea."He added: "Hopefully, none of us will face death for speaking the truth, like Martin Luther King, but we may need to confront the threat of ridicule, of loss of job, of loss generally. All we can do is prepare ourselves."Other participants in the online service, led by comedian Paul Kerensa, included young people currently taking part in a mentoring scheme run by Christians in Media.The service was held ahead of the annual Day of Prayer for Media, when churches and individual Christians have been encouraged to take part on Sunday October 31st.Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, a former communications director with the CofE, and the author of 'Responding to Post-truth' (Grove Books).
This weekend marks Bible Sunday and our joint parish Holy Communion service is at St Mary and All Saints' Church, Dunsfold at 10am. Reverend Rutton Viccajee is our celebrant.f you can't be with us in person you can join us remotely by clicking on the following Zoom link.https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5253921788?pwd=MC9kNmpldmFrRSsrV1pkc1k5aU1vZz09
A total of 21 grants have been made directly to the Church of England, with a further 12 Church of England churches being funded through a grant to the National Churches Trust. The Churches Conservation Trust, Friends of Friendless Churches, and Catholic Church were also successful in bids for funding. All of the funds awarded to places of worship will be channelled into work by specialist builders and craftspeople allowing these places to deal with urgent repair needs and continue to serve their communities.Places of worship make up the largest category of listed public buildings in England, totalling 14,600 across every community in England. These are cared for by faith groups and charities, and supported by philanthropic trusts. Much of the work to keep these places open and welcoming is done by committed volunteers who care for some of England’s most important heritage. Welcoming the announcement, The Church of England's lead Bishop for Buildings, Viv Faull, who is Bishop of Bristol, said:"The Culture Recovery Fund has been a lifeline for communities and today’s Heritage Stimulus Fund announcement is a further boost for projects across the country. "The appetite and enthusiasm for this scheme shows the scale of need across our churches and cathedrals and, while these grants will address just a small number of the churches requiring repair and improvement in the coming years, it will help them to continue to serve their wider communities as centres of heritage, community and faith.” The churches receiving grants are among 142 heritage sites to receive awards totalling £35 million today.Administered on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) by Historic England, the grants are aimed to support and bolster local economies and jobs across the country. Money from the government’s £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund is intended to open up heritage and the benefits it brings to everyone.
