Israel at 70: a blessing to all the nations of the earth
On 14th May 1948, 70 years ago today, David Ben Gurion declared the independence of the State of Israel. In celebration of this momentous anniversary, God raised up Netta Barzilai,…
Values
What makes Jair “God above everything” Bolsonaro a far-right politician?
Those stupid people have gone and done it again. Not content with Brexit, Trump and Orbán, or the rise of the National Front, Alternative for Germany, Golden Dawn or the Lega Nord, the anti-globalist far-right populists have now taken over…
How Bishop George Bell became a victim of Church of England ‘spin’ and a narrative of ‘decisive leadership’
This is a guest post by The Very Rev’d Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. _______ Some may begin to wonder how exactly the Church of England’s National…
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,…
Turkey purge: is military coup a lesser evil than Erdoğan's Islamism?
Following last week's military coup – which is never the answer to anything – President Erdoğan is purging Turkey's civic institutions of every whiff of opposition, dissent, criticism and…
Brexit: a supreme act of foolishness perpetrated by racists, bigots and small right-wing men
Never in a decade of blogging has so much bile and vomit been spewed in this direction. Oh, we've had our fractious moments over the years, but nothing, ever,…
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…
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…
Brussels attacks: suppressing the facts and muzzling the truth
To every thing there is a season.. ..a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.. (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4,7) Horror, disgust…
EU Referendum: Welby asks the fairest questions of all
The froth masks the urgency of the substance; the heat deflects from the dominant paradigms of light. The EU Referendum debate is being reduced to a Tory pantomime of…
Vatican says UK is "better in than out" of the EU
"The Vatican wants Britain to stay in the European Union, the Pope's foreign secretary has declared." So writes the Telegraph, noting that Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with…
The Woolf Institute is wrong: Christianity is needed in public life now more than ever
This is a guest post by Will Jones who holds a PhD in Political Philosophy from the University of Reading and a diploma in Biblical Studies from Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He currently works…
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…
Paris attacks: "They are cutting us all down, one by one."
World leaders will today wear their best grave faces and pronounce their most solemn sympathies. There will be a chorus of condemnation with a recapitulation of our common humanity.…
Corbyn courts the churches, but Labour loathes Christianity
Can you imagine what it must be like to be a Labour MP at the moment? It’s like the scruffy kid at school who doesn’t make friends easily and…
Reimagining Europe: Church wades in to EU referendum
"In less than two years we will have a referendum on our place in Europe," writes the Archbishop of Canterbury on 'Reimagining Europe' – the Church's new blog dedicated…
"Thatcher Rest In Hell" – Durham Miners' Gala rejoice over Thatcher effigy in coffin
"The Durham Miners' Association has been shocked and saddened at the news last week of the death of three stalwarts of the socialist and labour movement," wrote the Friends…
Osborne's Sunday trading proposals put markets above family and community
Back in 2012 when it was announced that Sunday trading laws would be relaxed during the London Olympics, voices from the Church of England along with various others raised…
"How can a Christian vote Tory?"
It has been the most frequent question posed over the past month or so – sometimes emailed or DM'd; most often tweeted, and frequently interrogated in the chat threads.…
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…