Wanted: Christians who can cause a little more offence
Would Luther have been a blast on Twitter? Historian Tom Holland thinks so. In an edition of 'The Rest is History' podcast, he observes: "What happens is that Luther obviously…
Hate speech
Freedom of speech is under threat, so what do we do about it?
In the great pyramid of liberty and the incremental progression of human enlightenment, freedom of speech is often celebrated as preeminent among civil liberties, but it was preceded by freedom of religion. In order for the mouth to be free,…
Hate Crime Bill: SNP seeks to regulate dinner table conversation in the home
There is something nasty in the SNP's woodshed; very nasty indeed. It isn't clear if it's a creepy person or a sinister political impulse, but it's nasty. Very nasty. Not…
If the SNP’s ‘Hate’ Bill becomes law, Scots’ freedom of religion will end
The SNP's Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill is currently wending its way through the committees and procedures of the Scottish Parliament. It provides for the modernising, consolidating and…
Franklin Graham ban: Rees-Mogg defends freedom of religion
While the General Synod of the Church of England was repenting of its 'white privilege' and committing to 'net zero' carbon omissions by 2030, the Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP…
CofE Social Media Charter neuters the prophetic and subsumes truth to ‘respect’
"I just signed up to #CofECharter," tweeted the former Times religious affairs correspondent (and quite delightful) Ruth Gledhill, precisely 48 seconds after the Archbishop of Canterbury had announced his initiative…
Christophobia: Met Police arrest street preacher and confiscate his Bible
Over the weekend a Christian street preacher was arrested outside Southgate tube station, London N14. It is reported that he was being 'Islamophobic', but what preceded the encounter with the…
Why are there anti-Christian extremists on the Commission for Countering Extremism?
"The Commission for Countering Extremism supports society to fight all forms of extremism", declares the Government website for the Commission for Countering Extremism. "It advises the government on new policies…
Bishop blocked by Twitter – for telling the truth about sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church
That notorious purveyor of hate and guile, the Rt Rev'd Dr Gavin Ashenden, has been blocked by Twitter. Actually, the tense is wrong: he was blocked by Twitter, but recanted…
Online hate: Twitter speaks what the heart is full of
Life is a lot of bitterness and hate: there are oppressors and victims; struggles, dilemmas and protests. There is suffering and pain, anxiety and change. There are cries for vengeance,…
Anti-Brexit bishops jump on Boris burqa bandwagon
This isn't a post about Brexit; it really isn't. Nor is it a post about banning the burqa. It isn't even a post about Boris, or whether what he said…
Met Police confirm that criticism of Islam constitutes ‘Islamophobia’
The Metropolitan Police Service report 'Hate Crimes against London's Muslim Communities' was published five years ago, and it outlines the everyday nature of Islamophobic incidents: The Islamophobic incidents reported to…
Jo Johnson’s muddled and aimless thinking about freedom of speech in universities
Universities Minister Jo Johnson delivered a much-trailed (..and here, here, here...) speech about the imperative of academic freedom of speech, which he says must be guaranteed on pain of universities…
Prince of Wales to UK Christians: “Do not take your rights of freedom of worship and freedom of expression for granted”
The Prince of Wales has visited London's Melkite Greek Catholic parish, based at St Barnabas Church in Pimlico. Coptic Orthodox Bishop Angaelos was in attendance, along with Syriac Archbishop Athanasius…
Church of England school headteacher brands Crossteach educational charity ‘extremist’
Dan Turvey B.Ed (Hons) NPQH is headteacher of St John's Church of England Primary School in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. "Christian values are at the heart of all we do…
Corbyn Monoxide: why does the Left get away with anti-Tory hate?
It's supposed to be a joke, of course, and we're all supposed to laugh. But imagine – just try to imagine – if these students had written such vile comments…
If a bigot can’t be PM, why should one be allowed to become an MP?
Jacob Rees-Mogg walks into a TV studio. Grand Inquisitor Piers Torquemorgan has wheeled out his rack; his beatific assistant Susanna Reid has greased up the Judas cradle. Heresy is not…
Prison chaplains may no longer convict offenders of sin: preaching must be ‘sensitive’
Remember the case of the Rev'd Barry Trayhorn, the 'tent-maker' (gardener) volunteer prison chaplain at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire? Being an ordained minister in the Pentecostal Church, he quoted Scripture…
Redefining hate: from diabolical anti-love to any criticism of the fragile self
This is a guest post by by the Rev'd Dr Gavin Ashenden. _____ During the General Synod debate on homosexuality I took to twitter. It’s like sitting up in the…
Government to establish ‘Commission for Countering Extremism’ – Be afraid. Be very afraid
"A commission for countering extremism will be established to support the government in stamping out extremist ideology in all its forms, both across society and on the internet, so it…