Christopher Smith considers the recent excitement about the possibility of life on Mars There was a great deal of excitement at Michaelmas this year, generated by a press release from NASA claiming that there is running water – that is [...]

Arthur Middleton In a sermon (edited below) preached in the Grosvenor Chapel, London, in Lent 1921, Bishop Charles Gore spoke of the ethical character of the Kingdom of God in the Beatitudes. Among these are three great paradoxes. People are [...]

Arthur Middleton on Thomas Ken's Exposition of the Church Catechism (1685) Thomas Ken set the education of the young as one of his priorities and showed his zeal for this in his Manual of Prayers. What dismayed him was finding [...]

‘Thurifer’ enjoys the season, laments the young, and proposes a return to active ministry Gentleman’s Relish Autumn is my favourite season. In my garden the leaves on the trees have turned from dull green to flaming orange or bronze; while [...]

John Twistleton looks at the spirituality and use of this Orthodox prayer ‘Be so kind, Reverend Father, as to show me -what prayer without ceasing means, and how it is learnt?' ‘The continuous interior Prayer of Jesus is a constant [...]

GOYA National Gallery Until 10 January 2016 According to Simon Schama, Graham Sutherland's portrait of Sir Winston Churchill is one of the greatest portraits of the twentieth century. Shortly after it was displayed in public for the first time the [...]

Take the road south from Llandrindod Wells, and turn right after a mile or so. As you crest a rise, the hidden church with whitewashed walls suddenly reveals itself ahead, in a hollow by the Ithon. Its patron is Cewydd, [...]

Lord Williams of Oystermouth on Laudato Si’: Part 1 Perhaps the first thing that needs to be said about Pope Francis's encyclical on the environment is that it is an entirely natural development not only of the theology of Evangelii [...]

Corinne Smith on ministry to the dying I first met Alice (not her real name) when I was on-call one weekend at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, where I was working as chaplain. The ward had called me because Alice was [...]

Ross Playle considers the importance of Church Schools to our national life At the start of June I undertook two weeks' classroom experience at St Stephen's CofE Primary School, in Lewisham, South London. Having never made any past observations in [...]