Germans stockpiling food and water? What do they know that we don't?
Goodness! The Bishop and I travelled to London the other day to see the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Try as we might, we couldn’t find any works by Landseer…
Education
Chobham Academy makes Islamic religious observance mandatory for pupils of all faiths
According to Ofsted, Chobham Academy in the London Borough of Newham is an outstanding school. It is important to begin with that observation, because the school's leaders, governors and sponsor (Harris Federation) clearly have high expectations of pupils and teachers,…
Ukip's "positive vision" for British Islam: ban all Muslim schools
Ukip has a Muslim problem, which is fine if they're not particularly concerned about courting the Muslim vote, but not fine if it leads to the formulation of policies…
Turkey purge: is military coup a lesser evil than Erdoğan's Islamism?
Following last week's military coup – which is never the answer to anything – President Erdoğan is purging Turkey's civic institutions of every whiff of opposition, dissent, criticism and…
May's 'one nation' mission: let's talk about white working-class boys
"But David’s true legacy is not about the economy, but about social justice," explained Theresa May in her first speech as Prime Minister. "David Cameron has led a 'one…
Michael Gove doesn't want to be PM: he wants meritocracy and freedom
"Michael Gove won't admit it, but tonight's EU debate is his first audition for the Tory leadership," wrote Asa Bennett in the Telegraph. Except he didn't because it wasn't.…
Gender identity and the plastic nature of self-definition
One school in Brighton (Brighton College) has decided to allow its students to decide for themselves whether they wish to dress as a boy or as a girl, irrespective…
Marsha Levine – the Cambridge academic who refused to answer Israeli child's question, citing BDS
Dr Marsha Levine was a fellow and senior research associate in the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge University, which "serves as an interdisciplinary hub aiming to provide…
Helen Mirren: "I love Israel – I think it's a great, great country"
In 1967, shortly after the Six-Day War, Helen Mirren worked on a the HaOn kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. She hitch-hiked throughout Israel, and slept…
A Christian approach to immigration cannot be simply opening the doors to everyone
One of the handful of joys that blogging brings me is the opportunity to get to know a lot of people who have a similar interest in the relationship between religion and politics.…
Bradford ex-Muslim Christian converts "have given up on the Church of England"
"Muslim family are driven from their home... after they converted to Christianity." "Neighbours vandalise car and call them 'blasphemers'"; "windows are constantly smashed"; "family attacked in the street"; "Bradford…
Warwick University Student Union incites hatred by banning criticism of Islam
The timeline: 1. Warwick Atheists, Secularists and Humanists (WASH) applies to have Maryam Namazie – a prominent, intelligent, secularist political activist – speak at the university. 2. Warwick University…
As 40% of adults think Jesus is a myth, has Religious Education failed?
Richard Dawkins and the other prophets of atheism love to tell us that in the fabricated battle between religious belief and rationalism, there can be only one winner, and…
'Prevent Duty' teacher: "If you say homosexuality is wrong, you might be breaking the law"
Last Friday (18th September) the BBC Radio 4 Today programme discussed the Government's 'Prevent' strategy, which places a statutory obligation upon all schools and children's services to incorporate into…
We need more Christians in politics – and banking, education, media…
Another of Justin Welby’s visions has begun to bear fruit. Yesterday, Lambeth Palace hosted the launch of the much-heralded Community of St Anselm. In a special service in the…
Reimagining Europe: Church wades in to EU referendum
"In less than two years we will have a referendum on our place in Europe," writes the Archbishop of Canterbury on 'Reimagining Europe' – the Church's new blog dedicated…
Bishop of Willesden accuses George Osborne of bringing back workhouses
You can understand the despair in the House of Bishops. Not only did the Conservative Party win an outright majority in the 2015 General Election, but Labour is in…
Cameron can no more "destroy the Caliphate" than he can abolish the New Jerusalem
David Cameron's long-awaited speech on Islamic extremism (aka Islamism) was sort of worth waiting for. As he expounded his 'One Nation' vision to defeat the "poison" of extremism, he…
Evangelical Alliance spins its own research to attack Government over poverty
The recent report from the Evangelical Alliance on attitudes to poverty has caused something of a storm in a teacup. The press release accompanying the launch stated: Evangelicals have…
Votewise 2015: a biblical case for localism, subsidiarity and restored national sovereignty
Over the last couple of months this site has covered some of the most prominent publications that have sought to define an appropriate form of Christian engagement with political…