Archbishops call the nation to prayer as Covid deaths reach 100,000
As the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 passes 100,000, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have written an Epistle to the Nation calling everyone to prayer. And if you…
Offence
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,…
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…
The curious case of Kristie Higgs: where is the Church of England?
Kristie Higgs is deemed to be a danger to children. So dangerous, in fact, that more than a year ago she was sacked for gross misconduct by the school where…
Church covers ‘offensive’ gravestone of GH Elliott, ‘The Chocolate Covered C____’
GH Elliott was a musical hall singer and dancer who died in 1962. So full of gaiety and laughter was his act that he was invited to appear in the…
Students’ Union president censured and censored over pro-life tweet
Gabriel Baraldi is a student a Bournemouth & Poole College. According to his Twitter biography, he is a "Tri-National Green Conservative Christian Vegetarian". His bio also used to say "@BPCollege…
BBC censors Sikh history in case it offends Muslims
Lord (Indarjit) Singh has been almost as permanent a fixture on BBC Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day' as the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines. The BBC likes a certain…
Government slaps secularists: “England has an established Church”
Amidst all the equality clamour and the siren voices of secularism, you can perhaps be forgiven for occasionally forgetting that England still has an Established Church, that its status is…
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…
Advertising Standards Authority probes billboards declaring ‘The Messiah has come’
Billboards have been popping up around London declaring 'The Messiah has come'. According to Harry Farley in Christian Today, these have attracted a number of objections, and the Advertising Standards…
The British Government has made it crystal clear that proclaiming the divinity of Christ is not a hate crime
The Catholic Herald has been banging on about this now for a whole week. Apparently, Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Ukip) asked Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Conservative) to confirm "that a…
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…
Lidl UK compounds cross removal by treating its customers as idiots
Lidl have been selling their own brand (Eirdanous) Greek food (moussaka, halloumi, meatballs, yoghurt etc) with a doctored image. Perhaps it wouldn't matter if they'd made the Aegean a little…
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…
The Real Easter Egg and Sainsbury’s unreal stock-check
It was kind of Steven at Sainsbury's to offer to check their stock of The Real Easter Egg at their store in Canterbury, following yesterday's revelation that Sainsbury's don't, in…
Sainsbury’s refuses to sell the Real Easter Egg – what’s their problem with Jesus?
The Real Easter Egg, which explains the real meaning of Easter (yes, it mentions Jesus), is on sale in Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons and dozens of independent retail outlets. But Sainsbury's…
Is it wrong to judge a blog by the comments it attracts?
"I guess I find it hard to take that particular blog very seriously really," wrote the Rev'd Canon Andrew Godsall, ministry development adviser in the Diocese of Exeter, of the…
Do we really need a faith minister for “fairies, goblins and imaginary friends”?
We live in an age of ever-increasing secularity, in which religious practice must be half-hidden and religious conviction often-denied. You have to excavate quite deep to discover the moral sources…
Fireman Sam slips on the Qur'an, and all Sharia breaks loose
Firstly, it wasn't Fireman Sam who apparently slipped on a page of the Qur'an; it was Elvis. But the headline 'Elvis slips on the Qur'an' would probably cause problems…
Welby defends the right to offend – kind of
During a House of Lords debate on the question of 'Islam: Extremism', the Archbishop of Canterbury interjected in defence of the right to offend. He said: My Lords, it…