BBC questions whether it’s appropriate for Christian MP to display her faith
"Was it appropriate for this MP to go to work with a cross on her forehead?" asks BBC Politics, with the presumption that she should be somehow "embarrassed" by such…
Public life
Prayer as harassment: the curious case of Christian Hacking
When does prayer become harassment? That's the essential question at the heart of the recent arrest of a Christian called Christian Hacking, who was praying in a public space outside the Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Ealing, West London. He…
Rev’d Dr Gavin Ashenden resigns as Chaplain to the Queen
After a conversation instigated by officials at Buckingham Palace, it is with regret that the Rev'd Dr Gavin Ashenden – theologian, academic, columnist and occasional contributor to this blog –…
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…
The destruction of Andrea Leadsom: is it no longer permissible to be proud of motherhood?
"I absolutely am a Christian and I am very proud of it," Conservative leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom told Channel 4 News. "And it absolutely acts in the background in…
Batley and Spen by-election: you don't respect a murdered MP by suspending democracy
"Following the tragic killing of Labour MP Jo Cox, the Conservative Party has decided not to contest the forthcoming by-election as a mark of respect to a much-loved and…
Should Christians in the public sector 'keep mum' to get on?
"Christianity is being subtly 'silenced' within the public sector in the UK because of a civil service culture which treats speaking about faith as 'not the done thing'," writes…
Stephen Crabb has no need to be ashamed of his Christian faith
Who could have imagined just 15 years ago at the turn of the century that we would now be living in such unpredictable times? What seems like a permanent…
Woolf Institute: Butler-Slush and the demand for more multifaith mish-mash
So, the Woolf Institute, whose declared mission is concerned with "combining theology with the social sciences and the humanities", in pursuit of "interfaith" "social solidarity" and "common purpose", convenes…
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…
Cameron's good life is not unambiguous, but it is the best of the goods on offer
Everyone strives for the good, but no one ever quite possesses it. It is a future project of hope and value. It might even belong to the past, because…