Church of England Newspaper halts print publication
[Episcopal News Service] The Church of England Newspaper, believed to be the world’s oldest Christian newspaper, has suspended indefinitely its print production following the death of its owner and key financial backer.
“I’m sorry to inform you … that the Church of England Newspaper has had to review its operations following the passing of Keith Young, owner and director of Political and Religious Intelligence Ltd.,” Andrew Carey, editor of the Church of England Newspaper, said in a July 22 announcement. “Keith was generously the sole provider of additional finance to continue supporting the paper and we are now exploring all options to secure a future and hope that you will bear with us as we seek an orderly transition to serve our readers and subscribers, our advertisers and all other partners.”
The newspaper had been a staple source of Anglican news coverage since its founding in 1828 as The Record by a group of young evangelical clergy. One of its earliest subscribers and supporters was a young St. John Henry Newman, an English theologian and former Anglican priest who defected from the Church of England to the Roman Catholic Church in 1845 and later became a cardinal.
In its earliest years, The Record formed what became known as the “Recordite” faction in the Church of England opposing the Oxford Movement, also known as the Catholic Revival and the Tractarian Movement. The 19th century movement reasserted the apostolic and catholic heritage of Anglicanism.
In the 1950s, The Record merged with the Church of England Family Newspaper and became the Church of England Newspaper.
“In more peaceful times post-war, the [Church of England Newspaper] also made a considerable contribution to building up the evangelical institutions of the [Church of England] and supporting an open evangelicalism which up until today, I hope, remains thoughtful, orthodox, resourceful and generous. This is needed more than ever today,” Carey said.
The Church of England Newspaper will continue to send out a weekly newsletter and provide updates on publication changes.
