Liz Truss: “I share the values of the Christian faith”
In a few weeks the United Kingdom will have a new Prime Minister. On current polling, it looks as though Liz Truss will be invited to kiss hands with the…
Society
James O’Brien: Kwasi Kwarteng’s tax cuts are “against Christ’s teachings”.
"I am a Catholic by birth, or not by birth, by baptism, which means I've been raised very much in the Christian tradition," James O'Brien told his LBC audience of 1.3 million earlier this week, talking about Kwasi Kwarteng's 'fiscal…
Diversity: Conservative Party shows Church of England how to do it
The eight candidates in the Conservative leadership contest are the most diverse and inclusive group of contenders for Prime Minister in history. They have risen on merit, and won the…
The Church cannot indefinitely sidestep its self-inflicted Covid damage
There was an excellent letter to the Church Times just before Christmas from the Archdeacon of Hastings, the Rev'd Dr Edward Dowler. It was subtitled 'Deeper questions that Covid measures…
Daniel Finkelstein: opponents of assisted dying are ‘radicals’
In his Times article today, Daniel Finkelstein insists that to legalise assisted dying (/suicide) would be "a small change"; a very modest development; a necessary and popular incremental reform. As…
Call for Evidence: How should the Government engage with faith groups?
The Prime Minister has appointed Colin Bloom (who may be known to some) as the Faith Engagement Advisor at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He is charged…
Vicar: ‘If you don’t worship in the CofE (or only come at Christmas), don’t complain about what we do’
The Rev'd Miranda Threlfall-Holmes had a premonition that her tweet would be unpopular, but still she shared her ecclesiology with the world: "People are only allowed to complain about the…
Trump should bring forward his Supreme Court Justice nominee without delay
The death of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a significant event on a number of levels. It is, of course, a personal sadness for her family and…
Diversity is deeper than BAME and LGBT: it is social, political, intellectual and philosophical
Lord Hall, the outgoing Director General of the BBC, has demanded that the Corporation improve the diversity of its staff to better reflect those who pay its TV licence. "You…
Archbishop of Canterbury in harmony with Tory Prime Minister
"Just because we're in the middle of a crisis, it doesn't mean that we can't have a vision for a future where justice and righteousness are the key stones of…
The Human Touch
This is the eighth contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. The author is a Christian and key-worker, who has had a busy week. Were…
Revealed, reclaimed, restored
This is the fifth contribution to His Grace’s emergency team ministry during the coronavirus pestilence. The author has a 30-year itinerant preaching and teaching ministry. He leads a large public…
Lowering the voting age to six isn’t a bad idea: it would give the family its rightful electoral status
Prof David Runciman (Cambridge University) is of the view that an ageing population is creating a democratic crisis: the views of those beneath the age of 18 – the current…
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…
Welby goes to the UN to speak about ‘pre-emptive reconciliation’ (aka friendship)
Yesterday, Justin Welby became the first Archbishop of Canterbury to address the UN Security Council. His subject was mediation and conflict resolution (he sits on the UN Secretary-General's advisory board…
Trump to Europe: “You are losing your culture”
While the media pore over Donald Trump's interview with the Sun, focusing on the possibility a post-(soft) Brexit US/UK trade deal ("..it will probably kill the deal") and Boris Johnson…
Why didn’t the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum speak up for Tim Farron?
Former LibDem leader Tim Farron delivered the Theos Annual Lecture last night, entitled: 'What Kind of Liberal Society Do We Want?' The whole speech is worth reading, because it is…
Justine vs Justin: the ‘not yet’ and ‘never’ of same-sex marriage in the Church of England
In an interview for Sky News last week on same-sex marriage and the Church, Justine Greening (the Education Secretary who also happens to hold the Equalities portfolio) told Sophy Ridge:…
Theresa May did not instruct the CofE to allow gay marriage
'Prime Minister: The Church should "reflect" on allowing gay couples to marry', declares the Telegraph; 'Theresa May Suggests Churches Should Consider Conducting Same-Sex Marriages', says Huffpost UK; 'May: Church should…
It’s not that Christians can’t lead political parties; it’s that Evangelical Christians can’t lead the Liberal Democrats
"To be a political leader...and to live as a committed Christian, to hold faithfully to the Bible's teaching, has felt impossible for me," said Tim Farron as he resigned as…