Displaying items by tag: Stephen Cottrell

Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell have expressed concerns over Michael Gove's plans to redefine extremism, warning that the redefinition could mistakenly target innocent individuals, exacerbating division and infringing on freedoms of speech and worship. Welby said that extremism is a shifting problem across all faiths, posing significant dangers, including the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia. He stressed the importance of involving diverse groups in defining extremism, cautioning against a government-only approach. The current definition of extremism includes opposition to fundamental British values like democracy and mutual respect for different faiths. The archbishops are concerned that Gove's forthcoming redefinition may disproportionately affect Muslim communities, increasing hate and abuse. They urged broader consultation and offered the CofE's assistance in facilitating community discussions. In response, the Government reiterated plans to appoint an independent adviser on anti-Muslim hatred.

The Church of England has backed proposals to allow prayers of blessing for same sex couples. Its position on gay marriage will not change, and same-sex couples will still be unable to marry in church. The plans, set out by bishops last month, have been criticised both by those who think they go too far and those who think they don’t go far enough: but the motion was passed in all three of synod's 'houses'. Priests will be allowed to bless gay couples, but can opt out: the first blessings could be in the summer. The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said the Church was ‘in a better place’ as a result of the vote. However, he and the Archbishop of Canterbury acknowledged that ‘deep differences’ remained. The CofE Evangelical Council said it was ‘deeply saddened and profoundly grieved’ by the move. A spokesman said, ‘The Church of England now appears set on a course of action that rejects our historic and biblical understanding of sex and marriage. This seems to us to be a lose-lose position for everyone.’

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, called on the Church of England to ‘learn afresh how to share the gospel in the world’. He said the Church’s voice remains over-dominated by people who are usually white, male, with a certain education, and over 60. He is engaging in wide-ranging discussion with people from across the church, and intends to draw in and listen to the voices of younger Christians and those whose voices are not usually so easily heard in Church. He said we are going to have to learn again how to love one another, love the world, and love God so that we can be the place where God is revealed, adding, ‘We have allowed ourselves to become tribal and divided, with secondary things obscuring our belonging to each other. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ in us; and through us may we learn afresh how to share the gospel in the world.’

The new Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has spoken of his desire to advance racial equality in the Church of England. He said he wanted to see the same change happen for the BAME community as has happened with women, who in recent years have become bishops for the first time. He said, ‘One of the failings of the church has been a form of tokenism without addressing the deep systemic issues of exclusion and prejudice, Jesus was a black man, and was born into a persecuted group in an occupied country.’ He added, ‘Jesus would have joined the Black Lives Matter protests. The Church of England leadership is still too white, and I hope under my watch we'll see further changes on that.’

As reported in May (see ), Rev John Parker resigned as governor of his local Church of England primary school after being silenced for raising concerns about a very young child being allowed to transition gender, and the school inviting transgender lobby group Mermaids to provide training to staff and governors. Recently his bishop, Stephen Cottrell, sent a letter to clergy in the area suggesting that John (and others) had made false claims about the circumstances surrounding his resignation. Now, in a turn of events, other ministers in the area have publicly backed John. They said the bishop had on various occasions told 30+ clergy that if they disagreed with the approach the diocese is taking on matters of human sexuality, they should follow their consciences and leave.