Rev Dan

Before the next Archbishop of Canterbury is installed, serious safeguarding questions remain unresolved.In this video, I carefully walk through what Channel 4 News has reported about safeguarding concerns linked to the Diocese of London, the tragic death of Father Alan Griffin, and why these issues have resurfaced in the lead-up to the installation of the next Archbishop. I set out what is known, what is disputed, and what Bishop Sarah Mullally herself has said on the record, before reflecting on why safeguarding is not only an institutional issue, but a deeply spiritual and pastoral one for the Church of England.This is not a call for panic, punishment, or online verdicts. It is a call to finish the work before moving on, to choose transparency over momentum, and to walk in the light even when that light slows us down. Sources:Calls to halt Archbishop of Canterbury appointmentScandal surrounds incoming Archbishop of CanterburyAppointment of Archbishop of Canterbury ‘must be halted’ amid safeguarding concernshttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/17/delay-archbishop-canterbury-appointment-safeguarding/Statement from the Bishop of London on safeguarding (provided to Channel 4 News)https://www.london.anglican.org/articles/tatement-from-the-bishop-of-london-the-rt-revd-and-rt-hon-dame-sarah-mullally-dbe/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit monoingles.substack.com/subscribe

The House of Bishops were expected to decide this week on next steps in the Living in Love and Faith process. Instead, they pressed pause.In this podcast, I explain what the bishops actually decided, why they found it so difficult to move forward, and what this delay tells us about the deeper strain within the Church of England as we approach General Synod in February. This is not simply about one issue or one vote, but about leadership, clarity, and whether the Church can still speak plainly in a moment of profound disagreement.Along the way, I explore why public worship matters, why process and governance now sit at the centre of the debate, and why this pause feels different from others the Church has made in the past. Sources:House of Bishops continues work finalising Living in Love and Faith decisions, Church of England press release, 16 December 2025https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/house-bishops-continues-work-finalising-living-love-and-faith-decisionsBishops press pause on next steps for same-sex blessings and clergy same-sex civil marriage, Church Times, Francis Martin, 19 December 2025https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2025/19-december/news/uk/bishops-press-pause-on-next-steps-for-same-sex-blessings-and-clergy-same-sex-marriageHouse of Bishops meeting – October 2025, Church of England meeting summary, published 8 October 2025https://www.churchofengland.org/media/press-releases/house-bishops-meeting-october-2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit monoingles.substack.com/subscribe

This week the Church of England’s bishops meet to vote on the next steps in the Living in Love and Faith process. While this vote is often framed as symbolic or procedural, it raises serious questions about doctrine, worship, authority, and the future direction of the Church.In this podcast, I examine what the bishops are actually being asked to decide, the open letter sent to them by Inclusive Church, and the growing pressure surrounding the Prayers of Love and Faith. Drawing on Church Times reporting and the Church of England’s own Faith and Order and legal papers, I trace how theology, liturgy, discipline, and law are now being held together, and where the tensions lie.Public worship is never neutral. What the Church prays and performs shapes what the Church teaches and believes. That is why the distinction between pastoral care and doctrinal change matters, and why clarity is not the enemy of compassion.This podcast is for those who want to think carefully, pray faithfully, and remain rooted in Christ in a time of real pressure and confusion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit monoingles.substack.com/subscribe

Christmas is meant to centre us on Christ.Yet this year, it’s being pulled into public battles, headlines, rallies, and counter-campaigns.In this podcast, I step back from the noise and look carefully at what’s actually happening: why some people associated with Unite The Kingdom are turning up in church, how the UTK Christmas rally in London is being framed, why the Diocese of Leeds has launched a poster campaign in response, and how all of this is quietly affecting ordinary local parishes trying to preach the gospel faithfully this Advent.This is not a political podcast.It’s a pastoral one.Rather than caricaturing crowds or baptising fear as faith, I ask what a genuinely Christian response looks like when Christ is claimed by different causes, when slogans start to replace discipleship, and when the Church’s public witness risks being shaped more by headlines than by the incarnation.Along the way, we’ll talk about discernment, doctrine, parish life, cultural Christianity, and why Christmas ultimately belongs not to any movement, campaign, or nation, but to Jesus Christ alone.📖 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)If you’re trying to follow Jesus faithfully in confusing times, you’re very welcome here.Sources referenced in this podcast:• BBC News – Why Tommy Robinson supporters are turning to Christianityhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4p42kydx9o• The Telegraph – Churches use pro-migrant posters to challenge Tommy Robinsonhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/08/churches-pro-migrant-posters-challenge-tommy-robinson/• The Guardian – Church of England campaign challenging “Put Christ back into Christmas” messagehttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/07/church-of-england-campaign-challenging-tommy-robinson-put-christ-back-into-christmas-message• UTK Christmas Event Website – Putting the Christ Back Into Christmashttps://www.urbanscoop.news/utk-christmas/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit monoingles.substack.com/subscribe

When Kirk Cameron questioned the nature of hell, it reignited a debate the Church has quietly avoided. In this video, Rev Dan opens the Bible and asks a deeper question. If hell is only being switched off, then what exactly was Jesus warning us about? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit monoingles.substack.com/subscribe