Signs of hope on Palm Sunday

Shadow of palm leaves

Bishop Steven reflects on the quiet revival taking place in our churches among Gen Z and young people for Palm Sunday.

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A moment of jeopardy

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, spoke in the House of Lords yesterday as the House debated Further discussions with the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. "My Lords, I always rise to speak…

Evangelism in today’s culture

Rethinking evangelism

An (unauthorised) background paper for the General Synod. The General Synod of the Church of England meets in London next week (20-23 February, 2019). The main theme of the Synod is evangelism in different shapes and forms. On Wednesday we…

How do people come to faith? Catechesis 101

It was good to welcome over 450 clergy and LLM’s to five different Bishop’s Study Days across the Diocese of Oxford in November. We welcomed a guest theologian at each of the study days who gave us a deep dive into the Christian tradition.…

Come to the waters: preaching between Epiphany and Lent

Happy New Year! There are eight Sundays this year between Epiphany and Lent. As we continue our journey of renewing catechesis across the Diocese, may I offer you some suggestions for your preaching and notices and pastoral conversations? It…

Do not be afraid

There is a refrain which runs through Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus: “Do not be afraid!” How we need to hear it. The angel speaks with Zechariah: “Do not be afraid”. The angel visits Mary: “Do not be afraid”. The angel stands…

Let’s raise a glass

Let’s raise a glass this week to the people who... ...are making holes in oranges and assembling Christingles; to the wardens who open and close the church; to the volunteer cleaners who scrub candlewax out of the carpet and polish the…

The Four Temptations: an open letter to Parliament

Dear Members of Parliament and Peers, You will be held in prayer by the Diocese of Oxford this week as you continue to debate Britain’s exit from the European Union. The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke in the House of Lords debate last…

Lift up your hearts and sing

I’ve invited the Diocese of Oxford to dwell in the Word this year in two passages from Colossians (1.15-20 and 3.12-17). We are exploring what it means to be a more Christ-like Church, contemplative, compassionate and courageous for the sake…