History
The Church Times was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the Anglo-Catholic cause in the Church of England at a time when priests were being harried and imprisoned over such matters as lighting candles on altars and wearing vestments, which brought them into conflict with the Public Worship Regulation Act, intended to “put down” Ritualism. The paper defended the spiritual independence of the Church of England in spite of the Church’s Established status. Many of the ceremonial and doctrinal matters that the paper championed are now accepted as part of mainstream Anglicanism.
Since the mid-1950s, the paper’s sympathies have broadened, embracing the principle of diversity in the worldwide Anglican Communion, and looking more favourably on other Christian denominations. The paper carries more editorial and advertising than any of its main rivals for an Anglican readership.
Throughout its life, it has scrutinised the actions of the church hierarchy, besides covering the work of the parishes. It has provided extensive coverage of meetings of the Church of England’s central bodies, including the Convocations, the Church Assembly, and the General Synod. Its published annual Indexes have always described it as an “ecclesiastical and general” newspaper, and it has always included world events in its coverage. Much of its space has always been given over to serious book reviews, and, more recently, coverage of the arts.
The paper’s regular columnists include Paul Vallely, the associate editor of The Independent, and the author Ronald Blythe. Giles Fraser, the priest and media commentator, was a regular columnist from 2004 to 2013.
It has been nicknamed (mainly among Anglo-Catholics since the 1970s or 80s) "Jezebel's Trumpet" (alluding to Jezebel the wife of King Ahab of Israel; II Kings).
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