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…
Respect
By sacking its Chaplain, Trent College, Nottingham, rejects fundamental British values
Trent College in Long Eaton, between Nottingham and Derby, is an independent Anglican school, which used to have a chaplain. He was the Rev'd Dr Bernard Randall, a former chaplain at Christ's College, Cambridge, who is, by all accounts, a…
Manners maketh Man/Woman/Other
At the State Opening of Parliament yesterday, television footage showed the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition leading a long line of their parliamentary colleagues into the Upper Chamber…
When did traditional morality become ‘fundamentalist’?
It was a question posed by Professor John Milbank on Twitter a few days ago. Or, rather, it wasn't posed as a question, such as the 'when' inquiry into conceptual…
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…
Welby to MPs: ‘Respect the vote of the people and unite our country’
By their 'indicative votes' ye shall know them. Last night MPs tried to determine what, if anything, they preferred to Theresa May's 'deal', and they said 'no' to everything. Motion…
Nigel Biggar on the degeneracy of academic civility
Professor Nigel Biggar has written for the Times: 'Vile abuse is now tolerated in our universities'. He tells us: "The spitting hatred I suffered over my views on empire shows…
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…
Charlottesville: white supremacists are fundamentally anti-American and anti-Christian
Charlottesville has gone downhill a bit since The Waltons: the town where John Boy negotiated his first bank loan, Jim-Bob learned about his dead twin brother, and grandma and grandpa…
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…
Piers Morgan on the “evil cult” of Scientology – why is Dianephobia not a hate crime?
"Why do you not want to read the violent paragraphs of the Qur'an?" Piers Morgan was asked by Ramthrax on Twitter after interviewing the 'hate preacher' Tommy Robinson. To his…
Christian parliamentary candidate in Bradford excluded from Muslim only election hustings
George Grant is the Conservative Party's parliamentary candidate in Bradford West. He also happens to be a Christian, and is thereby excluded from Bradford's Muslim Women's Council General Election hustings,…
Welby dedicates the next year of his ministry to the defence of freedom and Judæo-Christian values
You might almost have missed it – especially if your favourite spiritual sport is Welby Wanging, which is open to all people irrespective of age, sex, sexuality, race, creed, religion,…
Cameron's Christian values are devoid of liberty, spirit and truth
At least No10 bothered to issue an Easter greeting this year. Last year they omitted to do so, and then refused to reply to a number of the politest…
'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…
The Church must challenge the State's fuzzy 'British Values'
Fundamental British values have been defined by the Government as: “the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs." According…
A National Register of Faith Leaders? Government plans to vet all ministers of religion
There was an odd article in the Telegraph last week. Odd because the headline, photograph and content didn't quite cohere. Andrew Gilligan has apparently got hold of a leaked…
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…
Voting is a moral obligation, but praying for those in authority is a divine command
On Saturday in The Times, Graham Tomlin, the widely respected principal of St Mellitus Theological College, wrote a profound article on the relationship between the authority of our political…
What are 'fundamental British values'?
In a context of fractious social division and increasing religious tension, the Government is on a quest for national identity, and education is the means by which it will…