Freemasonry and the Church of England

In 1987 a General Synod report concluded there were ‘a number of very fundamental reasons to question the compatibility of Freemasonry with Christianity’. That has remained the Church of England’s view on compatibility, but despite this, questions about the relationship between Freemasonry and Christianity remain one of the most contested areas about new religious movements.

In this session Anne Richards will guide us as we look at the history of the Church’s engagement with Freemasonry, compare denominational response, and look at the issues involved in thinking about compatibility.

Anne Richards is the Church of England’s National Adviser for Mission Theology, New Religious Movements and Alternative Spiritualities. She is responsible for answering all the enquiries on these matters which come into the National Church Institutions, from questions about angel visitations to whether it is dangerous to undertake Zen meditation. Anne works with INFORM at Kings College, London and with a range of NRM watching institutions around the work. She is also the convener of the Mission Theology Advisory Group (MTAG) resourcing churches in the areas of Spirituality, Theology, Reconciliation, Evangelism and Mission (STREAM).