The Church of England is sitting on an £11.6 billion endowment — yet parish churches are being closed, merged, and left without clergy or cash.

In this hard-hitting episode, Jamie Franklin interviews the Rev. Marcus Walker, rector of St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London and one of the key voices behind the Save the Parish movement.

They dig into:

• 🔥 The extraordinary growth at St Bartholomew’s (from ~50 to 250+) and why young adults are flocking to traditional high-church worship
• 💰 How historic parish money has been redirected while poorer churches struggle
• ⛪ The controversial push for 10,000 new lay-led church plants
• 📖 The Quiet Revival, the King James Bible, beauty, and why “relevance” often means the opposite of what people actually want
• ⚔️ What ordinary Anglicans can do to fight back

This is one of the most important conversations about the future of the Church of England right now.

Get involved:
🔥 Join Save the Parish → https://www.savetheparish.com/join/
🔥 Stand for General Synod → https://www.savetheparish.com/general-synod-manifesto-2026/#

Support the show:
🔥 Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/irreverend
🔥 Substack → https://www.patreon.com/c/irreverend
📧 Donate → irreverendpod@gmail.com

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Jamie shares encouragement from listener feedback and reflects on the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price — the Kingdom of Heaven is worth selling everything for.

This week’s topics:
- World Cup wrap-up: Why true unity comes from Christ, not global sporting events
- Andy Burnham’s speech as new Prime Minister — a return to 1970s economics?
- The Assisted Suicide bill returns to Parliament. (Write to your MP: https://righttolife.org.uk/jnmv).
- General Synod approves new “Festival of Creation in Christ” — theological renewal or net zero propaganda?
- Church decline and the state of theological education
- Free speech debate after a university employee’s arrest over vile posts celebrating Anne Widdecombe’s murder

Raw, honest, and unflinching. Subscribe and support the show if this content matters to you.

Support Irreverend:
🔥 Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/irreverend
🔥 Substack → https://irreverendpod.substack.com
🔥 Buy Me a Coffee → https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend

Email: irreverendpod@gmail.com

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In this week's episode of Irreverend: Faith and Current Affairs, Jamie Franklin opens with the Lord's Prayer and Jesus' Parable of the Weeds, reflecting on judgment, patience, and hope in dark times.

Jamie addresses:
- The murder of Anne Widdecombe and grim reactions from some public figures, including Peter Tatchell
- England’s World Cup progress and the heated debate around nationalism and Jude Bellingham
- Bernard Randall’s legal victory after years of being targeted for orthodox Christian teaching
- The Church of England’s continued push for £100 million in slavery reparations (Project Spire) amid parish struggles
- General Synod’s engagement with a controversial Palestinian Christian document on Israel
- A narrow defeat of a motion undermining traditional marriage teaching

Hymn of the Week: "Just As I Am" by Charlotte Elliott.

Raw, honest, and unflinching. Subscribe and support the show if this content matters to you.

Support Irreverend:
🔥 Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/irreverend
🔥 Substack → https://irreverendpod.substack.com
🔥 Buy Me a Coffee → https://www.buymeacoffee.com/irreverend

Email: irreverendpod@gmail.com

Share this episode with friends who need it. Come on England! ⚽

Support the show