‘Stay Alert’ is a perfectly sensible slogan
The Government is coming under a lot of criticism for its 'Stay Alert' messaging as we move incrementally out of the coronavirus lockdown. 'What exactly does this mean?' has become…
NHS
Care in a covid climate: in defence of Justin Welby
"The Archbishop of Canterbury has been secretly volunteering as a chaplain at St Thomas’s Hospital during the coronavirus lockdown, the Telegraph has learned." The Telegraph learned this when the rest of the world learned it; or at least when readers…
Canon Simon Butler responds to Archbishop Cranmer & Fr Marcus Walker
This is a guest post from Canon Simon Butler, vicar of St Mary's, Battersea. ____________ I’m grateful for being given a right of reply to the article about an exchange…
Nobody claps for Jesus
This is the 12th contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. It comes from Mike Stallard, who has been in education all his life, and is…
Legal Aid: why is the Government riding roughshod over the rights of the poor?
It is a well established part of the life of General Synod that the clergy and laity can submit motions for debate to the Business Committee. Synod time is both…
Four-day week: mandatory indolence or an interfaith ‘sacred weekend’?
When Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell mooted imposing a four-day week on the British economy (that is, a four-day working week; Labour has no plans to re-calibrate or 'modernise' the solar…
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.…
Compassionate Conservatism and Social Justice – bedfellows or bugbears?
Talk to most Labour supporters about 'compassionate conservatism', and they'll scoff at the very notion, as though the evil Tories had stolen the robe of Christ and were masquerading…
Assisted Dying: Canon Rosie Harper condemns "extreme and emotive claims" of "a certain section of believers"
The Archbishop of Canterbury couldn't be any clearer: 'MPs must not take risks with the lives of vulnerable people', he writes in the Evening Standard. He is unequivocal, too,…
Assisted suicide and the unbearable indignity of the insupportable life
"I can't take this anymore," said Chantal Sebire (left), as the cancerous bulge ate into her nasal cavity and gnawed at her brain, robbing her of sight, taste and…
If the BBC is "our cultural NHS", it's another state religion
According to Shadow Culture Secretary Chris Bryant, the BBC is the nation’s "cultural NHS". He said it to the Royal Television Society, and wrote it for HuffPo UK. And…
This is how the 'Christian vote' now looks
During the run up to May’s General Election, we had a few polls that attempted to gauge what the Christian vote would look like. Carrying out such an exercise…
An open letter from a disabled Christian to Conservative voters
This is a guest post by Tanya Marlow - a disabled Christian and founder of Compassionate Britain, and author of Coming Back to God When You Feel Empty. She was formerly a lecturer…
Competence over chaos: Britain votes for a new moral vision
The choice was between "competence or chaos", as David Cameron kept on saying. All the predictions talked about a knife-edge vote, and all the personalities sank into morass of…
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…
Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive the politicians who trespass against us
Trust – or more precisely the lack of it – has arguably been the defining theme of this General Election. This was plainly demonstrated during last week’s BBC Question…
The Epistle of St Nigel: Ukip’s crass ‘Christian Manifesto’
Ukip have issued a 'Christian Manifesto'. They haven't issued a Muslim one, or a Hindu one, or a Sikh one, or a Buddhist one. Nor have they issued a…
Blukip: why doesn't the Right show a bit more love?
Can you imagine Norman Tebbit, Simon Heffer, Nigel Farage and Peter Hitchens indulging in a group hug? No? Too macho? Okay, let's feminise it. How about Margaret Thatcher, Ann…
The only Church mentioned by 'Judæo-Christian' Ukip is prefixed with Winston
For those who favour the secession of the United Kingdom from the European Union - and there are many millions who do, cutting right across the mainstream of political…
Without Christian vision the future of politics looks bleak
A couple of days ago my NASUWT magazine dropped through the letterbox and, as always, it makes for pretty depressing reading. If the contents are to be believed, most…