General Synod

Yeah, there's some differences, key polity differences, between the CRC and the RCA.

In the CRC, that's more authority in the General Synod, so that you can...

Conservatives can mobilize and do something good at the General Synod.

And they have.

And they have, and the General Synod can then affect more broadly the things, where...

The RCA, each classist, which is just what we call the Presbytery, each classist would become really a safe haven.

And there was no provision, like the PCA has a provision that you can...

If you get enough people, enough Presbyterians, you can get into another Presbytery and ask them to give an account for something and initiate some process of discipline or inquiry.

But should we work through the Church of England structures or withdraw from spiritual partnership with compromised or apostate bishops? The landscape has significantly changed in the Church of England in the last few weeks and We're just not entirely sure what it's changed to.

The results of voting for the Church of England General Synod elections are in, following a major mobilisation by conservative evangelicals, by charismatic evangelicals and traditional Anglo-Catholics, and a parallel mobilisation by liberal revisionists.

Orthodox Anglicans are in a strong position in the House of Clergy and Laity, but there are also more revisionists elected as well.

The group promoting same-sex marriage within the Church of England, they claim their numbers are up significantly.

Vaughan, John, thanks for talking to us.

We'll come to your pastor's heart in a moment.

But, John, perhaps we can start with you, and can you give us a picture of the General Synod election results? Because you've been in the smoky back rooms of evangelicalism, crunching the numbers.

Dominic, thank you so much.

What do you actually think? What do you think about Project Spire? What do you think about the general approach of the bishops? What do you think about the net zero stuff? What do you think about all of this? And the other thing I would say is, you know...

General Synod elections have just happened.

It's the people in General Synod.

Somebody wrote to me and said, oh, he wished he'd spoken out more strongly against Project Spire.

These things have to be spoken out against in General Synod, including the net zero nonsense as well, which is another complete and total waste of money, you know, I'm afraid to say.

These things need to be spoken out against.

You know, you need to speak out against them in general.

And change was clearly what was needed.

And one of those church wardens, who was not an evangelical Christian, but he was a very committed churchman, He was on General Synod.

He was involved in various sort of church councils.

He really spoke up for me, I think.

Uh, and no doubt there are I- Irreverent fans also, uh, amongst us, so that's, that's fabulous.

Um, a fortnight ago we had William Nye here, who had been formerly the King's Private, uh, Principal Secretary, and then, uh, Secretary of the Archbishop's Council, and Chair or something or other of the General Synod.

Uh, so I, I feel like we've, uh, w- we've had the gamekeeper, now we've got the poachers.

[laughs]

Tell the senior leaders that they need to look after the welfare of their clergy and volunteers properly, and also to make sure that the income from endowments gets to the parishes where it's needed rather than foundering in the sands of administration or politicized initiatives.

At this very moment, if you have a vote in the current election for the General Synod or know anyone who has a vote by virtue of serving on local deanery synods, urge them to vote for candidates who clearly support the Save the Parish manifesto, which seeks such protection for clergy, volunteers, and the proper use of historic endowments.

Declaration of interest, I am standing in the Exeter Diocese.

A strong return of Save the Parish candidates will make a great difference to how the Church stewards its people and its patrimony.

So that's what Bijan says.

I think he's making a good case there and, uh, broadly speaking, a case that I would agree with.

Um, it didn't go as, it doesn't go into loads of detail about the Save the Parish manifesto there or, or, or some of the counterarguments that people might make against, um, that particular course of action or indeed what other courses of action might be open to people who want to, um, make a, make a difference, you know, standing for General Synod or, or other things that, that people might do in a more strategic or I suppose you might say political way.

Um, but there is probably more that could be said, um, on that matter.

Today, at a moment when Jews face levels of hatred unseen since the Holocaust, history demands extraordinary moral clarity.

Instead, the Church of England's General Synod, uh, which was several weeks ago, chose in July, actually in July, to give prominence to what they called a moment of truth: faith in a time of genocide.

And, uh, it referred to is- it's referred to as Kairos II, a document that accused Israel of genocide.

It portrays Zionism as an inherently colonial, exclusionary ideology.