It is actually a very good message from the Archbishop of York, and an excellent message for Sun readers, the weekly paper of which reaches the largest readership in the UK and just the right message from our church in Lent.

And everyone has heard of the Archbishop of York, who continues in a non-elitist way to reach out to the ordinary Briton on the football terraces and the greasy-spoon cafes, including the majority who read the Sun in a way in which the smug elitist Bishop of Bradford freshly minted from the ASBO Diocese of Southwark does not.  He presumably thinks the ordinary reader of the Sun should be reading the Guardian.

It really doesn’t matter what the supercilious Bishop of Bradford thinks.  The Archbishop of York will be read and talked about by the ordinary working person, whereas none of them will even be aware of the loony liberal catholic Church Times, and its effete readership.

I don’t have much time for Rupert Murdoch, but the Archbishop of York has it right in this case.

You have to cut the Bishop of Bradford some lack.
First, he’s being succeeded in his old post in Southwark in London by a liberal catholic John Clark from “Inclusive Church” who believes in same-sex marriage - which will go down a treat in Jeffrey Johns’ old diocese. Don’t know what Bishop Baines thinks on this - he was raised as an evangelical but I think he has “moved on”, as they say. Look for more warfare in the Church of England and its continued demise - to which Baines’ old boss Tom Butler contributed.
Second, Bradford must have about the lowest church attendance in Europe - there are more Muslims in mosques there than Anglicans in church, and it has produced some crazy jihadis. The cathedral is broke. Very hard soil for the gospel, I fear. But there are some strong (and large) “house churches”, probably more numerous in attendance than Anglicans.

This does not augur well for the next decade of the CofE. It seems things have descended into Bishop speaking against Bishop in the Press.

#2 clarin
Yes, and Jonathan Clark is not the end of the Inclusive Church trustees promoted by ‘bishop’ Chessum I gather.  We are seeing the results of the recent diocesan appointments including the Inclusive Church gang of four as we saw with ‘bishop’ Holtam this month.

All part of Rowan Williams’ efforts to screw up the Church of England, now he has made a complete shambles of Communion governance.

“Look for more warfare in the Church of England and its continued demise”
Sadly, with Rowan’s recent divisive diocesan appointments that is looking likely.

This does not augur well for the next decade of the CofE. It seems things have descended into Bishop speaking against Bishop in the Press.

With the large number of CofE Dioceses that have already rejected the Covenant, perhaps the press will be the only place of resolution

What can you possibly mean?

(BTW, the total votes in favour are still higher than those against, so the divisions will be deep ones no matter what the outcome).

Btw, the Archbishop of York has tweeted:

“I am writing another column in the Sun on Sunday tomorrow. Back by popular demand!”

- and here it is.  Excellent - good for the Archbishop.

LOL - one in the eye for the bish of Brad and the Welsh bloke no one has ever heard of.  Pass the HP sauce.

“Second, Bradford must have about the lowest church attendance in Europe - there are more Muslims in mosques there than Anglicans in church, and it has produced some crazy jihadis. The cathedral is broke. Very hard soil for the gospel, I fear. But there are some strong (and large) “house churches”, probably more numerous in attendance than Anglicans.”

You think? The pentecostal Abundant Life Ministries is based in Bradford. I haven’t heard the latest figures but its ASA in Bradford alone must be well over 1,500. There are numerous other evangelical and pentecostal churches in Bradford or nearby, with ASA in the hundreds. And yes, some of these churches use ‘house churches’ (as in fact do successful CofE churches in some places - I know All Souls Langham Place has used them for decades).  So yes, it would be a safe bet that attendance at non-Anglican protestant churches in Bradford is much more numerous than at the Anglican churches there.

“Hard soil for the gospel”? Only for some, apparently.