Comfort and Conviction
Biblical Truth
for today's Anglican church
We are an evangelical think-tank, dedicated to encouraging biblical convictions and supporting people through publications, lectures, and research grants.
new book
Rachel Ciano examines the early use of the term ‘evangelical’ during the English Reformation, long before the rise of modern Evangelicalism. Focusing on the Henrician and Edwardian periods, Ciano highlights how ‘evangelical’ became a key identi er for reformers embracing justi cation by faith alone, clerical marriage, and scriptural authority. She o ers a fresh perspective on the development of evangelical identity and its role in shaping England’s religious landscape in the sixteenth century.
new book
Christian Doctrine series
In this short and stimulating guide to the doctrine of THE PERSON OF CHRIST, Mark Smith explores the biblical witness to Jesus as both fully God and fully man. He shows how these truths were articulated and defended in the debates of the early church, and why they remain deeply relevant to the lives of Christians today.
The second half of the book then dives into the Christological content of the Anglican formularies (the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and the Book of Common Prayer). Here we discover how the Church of England possesses a rich storehouse of refl ection on the identity of Jesus Christ – not only as a doctrine to be understood, but as a person to be worshipped and adored.
new book
What can be learned from Thomas Cranmer’s theology of the Trinity, and why does it merit closer examination? THOMAS CRANMER AND 'OF FAITH IN THE HOLY TRINITY' considers Cranmer’s Trinitarian theology from various angles, drawing on his writings, including the 1553 Articles of Faith and the 1552 Book of Common Prayer.
It explores his theological debt to the Church Fathers, fellow Reformers, and Medieval theology, demonstrating how Cranmer articulated a fully historic, orthodox, and Reformed doctrine of the Trinity. Rather than leaving behind a comprehensive theological treatise, Cranmer’s greatest achievement was imprinting the realities of the triune Godhead in the hearts and minds of the English-speaking world through his liturgy.
The book concludes with reflections on Cranmer’s Trinitarian legacy, noting his influence on subsequent generations of Anglicans and addressing contemporary concerns in Trinitarian theology, seeking enduring insights from Cranmer’s work. It aims to encourage us to follow Cranmer’s lead in knowing, trusting and delighting in Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Deaconess Margaret Rodgers AM (1939–2014) was a leader in the Deaconess community, an historian and researcher, and a shrewd, media-savvy tactician within the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
She served as Principal of Deaconess House, the CEO of Anglican Media and the Archbishop’s Media Offi cer, and had the distinction of being the fi rst woman elected to the Synod’s Standing Committee. Despite poor health, she used her aptitude for committee work to contribute to a wide variety of corporate governance in the Anglican world and beyond.
Presented as the Donald Robinson Library Lectures in 2023, these essays provide the first scholarly assessment of Margaret’s life and work, and include a chapter on the history of the Deaconess Institute in Sydney.
Driven yet reserved, fearless yet gracious, Margaret Rodgers seems to be an enigma as a powerful woman in a complementarian diocese. However, this book reveals her to be servant-hearted and dedicated to using her gifts to serve the church.
Recent releases
What is orthodoxy? In recent controversies in the Church of England and in the wider Anglican Communion, those who insist that the Church's traditional teaching about marriage and celibacy cannot be altered are increasingly described as 'orthodox', a claim that has been disputed on the ground that orthodoxy is defined by the great creeds and confessions of the Church, none of which mentions the subject.
This briefing argues that orthodoxy extends well beyond what the creeds and confessions state. It is rooted in the mind of Christ which is revealed to us in Holy Scripture and encompasses every aspect of life.
The House of Bishops’ background paper for the July 2024 meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod, LLF: Moving Forward as One Church, is based on the belief articulated by Bishop Martyn Snow in the Preface, ‘Unity matters – it really matters.’ As the word ‘one’ in the paper’s title indicates, what the bishops want is for the Church of England to remain united as one church, and they see the proposals contained in the paper as a way to achieve this.
This little book is an important resource for anyone wanting to understand why the way forward for the Church of England proposed by the bishops is theologically untenable and what a better approach would like.