Brexit Day – at last, a wide and liberal global future
When the majority of UK voters determined to leave the European Union on 23rd June 2016, it was met with much relief and rejoicing by many millions of people: The…
Human Rights
Kruger: we should not throw away the inheritance of our Christian culture
In his maiden speech on 29th January, a Conservative MP said something which even the Bishops in the House of Lords aren't saying. Danny Kruger, the Member for Devizes, made not only an unapologetic appeal to national identity, but also…
Manners maketh Man/Woman/Other
At the State Opening of Parliament yesterday, television footage showed the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition leading a long line of their parliamentary colleagues into the Upper Chamber…
Operation Yellowhammer: political advantage trumps right to privacy
The end of prolonged conflicts can be both brutal and swift. The American Civil War ended with Sherman’s brutal 'March to the Sea' and the First World War ended with…
Imposition or liberation? Abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland
"If I was a Northern Ireland MLA I’d vote for equal marriage, just as I did in Westminster," tweeted former LibDem leader and committed Christian Tim Farron. "But I support…
When did traditional morality become ‘fundamentalist’?
It was a question posed by Professor John Milbank on Twitter a few days ago. Or, rather, it wasn't posed as a question, such as the 'when' inquiry into conceptual…
Abortion banned in Alabama: a pro-choice/pro-life dialogue
This is a guest post by Neil Richardson, a church community worker in Croydon, teacher of Latin, and author of Courting Disaster. He is a passionate advocate for the rights…
Royal Assent: Crown neutrality on Brexit is unsustainable
The last time Royal Assent was withheld from a parliamentary bill was in the wake of the union of England and Scotland in 1707/8, when Queen Anne declined to support…
Hunt pledges UK power and influence to stem global persecution of Christians
As promised in December, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has launched his independent review into the persecution of Christians across the globe. Flanked by the Rt Rev'd Philip Mountstephen, Bishop of…
Legal Aid is in crisis: can the Church of England help ensure justice?
The Brexit drama is sucking the oxygen of publicity away from many other newsworthy stories, and one of the more regrettable casualties is the parlous state of our Legal Aid…
Gender Recognition Act: could reform be used to impose same-sex marriage on the Church of England?
"This week we will also complete our consultation on plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act," the Prime Minister confirmed in her video message at the Pink News Awards last…
Gay cake: why don’t CofE bishops care about freedom of religion?
It was a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court. The queer case of the 'gay cake' has been rumbling on for four long years, and the highest court in the…
Jimmy Carter acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with his God
He was President of the United States when Charlie flirted with Angels, Starsky tore around with Hutch, and Steve Austin cost $6million ($33million in today's bionics). He's mostly remembered for…
If Irish Catholic hospitals are forced to perform abortions, the Roman Catholic Church should close every one of them
Well, that didn't take long, did it? ‘Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has hit out at socialist parties and groups in the Dáil, accusing them of wanting to “turn religious people into…
Ireland abortion referendum: what is a child when set against the demands of freedom?
This is a guest post by Carl Jacobs: a Christian by grace, a Calvinist by conviction, an American by birth. Husband of one, father of two, an Engineer by profession,…
‘Hatred is not needed to stamp out evil’: Martin Luther King (Jr and Snr) remembered 50 years on
Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, one of the greatest figures of 20th-century America. Inevitably there will be much discussion of his legacy…
Labour MP’s campaign for the stillborn to be recognised by the State raises a few awkward questions about abortion
When Labour MP Sharon Hodgson rose to deliver her contribution to the debate on the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill, the House was sparsely attended, but all…
Would Muslims have been acquitted for breaking into BAE and trying to disarm Saudi-bound fighter planes?
Methodist minister the Rev'd Daniel Woodhouse and Quaker activist Sam Walton have been acquitted after breaking into a BAE Systems factory in Warton, Lancashire, armed with a hammer inscribed 'They…
Trump’s UN “hate speech” tells the world a few home truths
UN Secretary-General António Guterres doesn't like divisive political discourse: he prefers consensual dialogue about climate change; exhortations to build bridges rather than walls; measured denunciations of Israel rather than the…
Archbishop’s political adviser role advertised exclusively in Guardian and Economist
In the continuous stream of church life, things occasionally niggle. Some are easily shaken off with the passing of time, but others recur like an irritating charismatic leitmotif, keeping alive…