Reflections on the Workings of General Synod

This article is based on a paper delivered to the Ecclesiastical Law Society's day conference in 2022. It is a reflection on the workings of General Synod from the perspective of an author who has been a member of Synod for around 36 years. The article examines three discrete themes: (i) the problem of authority in the Church of England, (ii) the shortcomings of Synodical government, and (iii) the urgency of mission. It examines these themes by considering, among other things, the Church of England's response to a number of contemporary issues: its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, proposed reform of its governance structures, its ability to respond to issues concerning sexuality and racial justice, and the proposals for reforming the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011, as set out in GS 2222.

Tying the Knot: The Formation of Marriage 1836–2020 Rebecca Probert, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2021, xii + 283 pp (hardback £85), ISBN: 978-1-316-51828-1

Tying the Knot: The Formation of Marriage 1836–2020 Rebecca Probert Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2021, xii + 283 pp (hardback £85), ISBN: 978-1-316-51828-1 Readers of this Journal will already be familiar with Professor Rebecca Probert's recent work, from her paper at the Ecclesiastical Law Society's ‘Solemnization of matrimony: past, present and future’ day conference in 2021 and her subsequent article, ‘Getting married: the origins of the current law and its problems’.3 Probert is the leading scholar on the history of marriage and family law and her previous significant works include Marriage Law and Practice in the Long Eighteenth Century and The Changing Legislation of Cohabitation.4 She is also a specialist consultant to the Law Commission on their current Weddings Project. [...]it considers the evidence as to how couples actually married in this period. [...]it assesses to what extent the law has facilitated couples getting married in accordance with their own beliefs.