Welby says he is now progressive on homosexuality, with "a radical new Christian inclusion," having abandoned his former ALPHA views which recognize sex only between a man and a woman in marriage.

"I gotta tell ya, I was shocked by the new revelation. Here I have been preaching God's love for absolutely everybody, ignoring the cross, and I had a Damascus road experience with God telling me that I had it all wrong and that all the talk of 'loving, liberating and life giving,' while distinctly ignoring the cross, which made loving, liberating and life giving, possible."

One report said that speculation is growing that Welby, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Eastern Orthodox Church might jointly issue a statement calling for a ceasefire. One doubts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take any notice of their "ceasefire" as rockets still rain down on Israel.

"One particular brand of ear-scratching falsehood plaguing the church around the globe is what's commonly called "the prosperity gospel." It takes many forms and can be dressed to look very much like the biblical truth. But ultimately, it appeals to our desire for ease, wealth, for instant gratification, and for being the center of the story. It promises a crown without a cross, which is not the way of Jesus."