Gary Wilton wrote about the European Parliamentary elections in last week’s Church Times. See Don’t let the chance of big decisions pass by.
Grace Davie wrote at Cif belief in answer to the question Is Europe’s future Christian? Her answer was: Christian, but not as we know it.
Alister McGrath writes in The Times that A system of belief should not involve point scoring.
Sunny Hundal writes in the Guardian about interfaith dialogues.
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times that People need something irrational.
Earlier in the week, he wrote at Cif belief about Why I still have faith in politicians.
Andrew Brown wrote there also, about David Hume’s comment policy.
Justin Lewis-Anthony wrote about Why George Herbert must die.
7 CommentsGiles Fraser writes in the Church Times that MPs did not drop from the sky.
Last week, Paul Vallely wrote about The lost art of the expenses claim.
Terry Waite wrote earlier this week in The Times that We independents could bring on reform.
Jonathan Sacks writes today in The Times about How Jacob conquered the defining crisis of his life.
Jonathan Romain writes in the Guardian that Faith communities could improve places of worship by learning from football fans.
Andrew Brown wrote at Cif belief about the trip From Avignon to Geneva.
Mark Vernon reported from the Hay Festival on Rowan, Dostoevsky and a world without God.
15 CommentsNitin Mehta writes about Indian religions in the Guardian.
Also Stephen Bates reviews Rupert Shortt’s biography of Rowan Williams, see God’s squad.
In The Times Roderick Strange writes about Bede. See More than a brief flight through warmth and light.
At the Church Times Giles Fraser reflects on his job change in Seeking the reality of solid joys.
A week ago, Paul Vallely wrote Get some perspective on MPs’ cash.
And Adrian Thatcher wrote The Word was made of flesh and blood, not ink.
Over at Cif belief Ben White wrote Palestinian rights deserve Anglican action.
9 CommentsMarilyn McCord Adams writes in the Guardian about “The ‘size gap’ between God and man”. See Face to Faith.
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times about faith schools, see How schools ought to discriminate. So, last year, did Paul Vallely, see Beware the erosion of faith schools.
Simon Barrow and Jonathan Bartley respond to all this at Ekklesia in On not being idiotic about church schools.
Over at Cif belief Andrew Brown has written twice about the Californian teacher who described creationism as “superstitious nonsense”. See Enemies of creationism may be hindering science teachers and then Creationism judgement followup. (Original news story by Riazat Butt is here.)
Mary Boys writes in The Times that Christians should respect God’s covenant with Jews.
9 CommentsThe Church of England Newspaper published an editorial last week which suggested the Equality Bill, which was published last month and had its second reading on Monday, was all part of an anti-Christian plot. The full text of this editorial is reproduced below the fold.
I will be reporting here on the progress of the Equality Bill through Parliament, with emphasis on those aspects which are of particular interest from a Church of England viewpoint, as I have reported on many previous items of anti-discrimination legislation.
Those who are looking for more material along the lines of this CEN editorial will find it at such places as the website of the Christian Institute and at the website of Christian Concern for our Nation.
78 CommentsBoth The Times and the Guardian have Quaker columnists this morning.
B.P. Dandelion writes about how Uncertainty speaks volumes in the sound of silence.
Kathryn Lum writes about the Indian caste system in Face to Faith.
Giles Fraser warned in the Church Times Beware the dark side of liberalism.
Libby Purves was interviewed in the Church Times last week by Terence Handley MacMath.
Alan Wilson wrote about Social Media, Church and Bishopping.
Oliver O’Donovan wrote in the Church Times last week, How can people obey the scriptures?
(Full text of this lecture is at Fulcrum, and a critique of it by Adrian Worsfold is titled Postmodern Authoritarianism.)
11 CommentsGiles Fraser Church Times Why blogs can be bad for the soul
Theo Hobson Guardian: Comment is free Face to faith: Christians disillusioned with the churches should articulate an alternative
B P Dandelion Times Credo: Uncertainty speaks volumes in the sound of silence
Christopher Howse Telegraph Green men cut in church stonework
15 CommentsGiles Fraser Church Times No tasks left for the risen Jesus
Christopher Howse Telegraph The earth and the Son of Man
Several items from the Guardian’s Comment is free section.
David Bryant Guardian: Comment is free Face to Faith Tolerance of other faiths is not enough – we must strive for true acceptance
Chris Liley Guardian: Comment is free Why I chased the BNP from my cathedral
Giles Fraser St George the immigrant
Jonathan Sacks Times Credo: Sunday shopping has not made us better or happier
50 CommentsGiles Fraser Church Times Liberation at the heart of Easter
Christopher Howse Telegraph A Christian world under Islam’s rule
Paul Handley Comment is free Belief The Anglican schism widens quietly
Roderick Strange Times Credo: When doubt is not an enemy but an ally of faith
8 CommentsLucy Winkett Telegraph As the bad news gets worse, the Good News keeps getting better
Rowan Williams Mail on Sunday Archbishop on Easter – Article for the Mail on Sunday.
Rowan Williams Lambeth Palace The Archbishop’s Easter Sermon
John Sentamu Sunday Times New life, new spirit
Giles Fraser Guardian The merciful crucifixion
Jane Williams Cif Belief God’s life is inexhaustible
Jonathan Bartley CifBelief Easter and anarchy
30 CommentsJohn Polkinghorne writes in The Times about Motivated belief and the stringent search for truth.
And Tom Wright writes there also, see The Church must stop trivialising Easter.
Nick Jowett writes in the Guardian about the tradition of laughter at Easter.
Alan Wilson wrote on Comment is free: Belief about hearing the Easter story as if for the first time. Read Just tell Olive to get stuffed.
Jonathan Bartley wrote in last week’s Church Times about how the Church is in danger of undermining its own message. Read Actions speak louder than words.
Yesterday’s leading article in The Times is related to the preceding item, see The spiritual challenge.
Giles Fraser wrote in the Church Times about The real vampirism in society today and last week’s column was The ultimate rebrand of the cross.
15 CommentsGeoffrey Rowell writes in The Times about The ride to salvation in lowly pomp on a donkey.
David Monkton writes in the Guardian that The events of Palm Sunday remind us that spin is no modern invention.
Savi Hensman writes at Ekklesia about Resisting the urge to scapegoat.
Paul Vallely writes in the Church Times that The light of spring symbolises hope.
The Church Times leader is about changing the Act of Settlement and the Royal Marriages Act: The insults of the past.
Earlier in the week, before the announcement of the appointment of Vincent Nichols to be Archbishop of Westminster, Andrew Brown wrote Can we build a society without myths? in response to Britain has sold its soul to pursuit of ‘reason’ over religion, Catholic Archbishop warns in the Telegraph.
In connection with that appointment, Andrew Brown wrote A new combative style in the Catholic church. (See also here, and here.)
2 CommentsJonathan Sacks writes in The Times that Darwin pointed the way to an unselfish evolution.
Oliver Rafferty writes in the Guardian that: The ideas that led to George Tyrrell’s excommunication still confront Christianity.
For extra measure, Catherine Robinson writes in the same paper that Tim Berners-Lee’s invention symbolises Unitarian desire to foster communication.
In the Church Times John Packer argues in The West needs to understand faith that there is a dangerous ignorance of religion in the West’s foreign policy.
Giles Fraser writes there about Philip Blond, in Behind the allure of the Red Tory.
The best comment I saw about the parliamentary debate yesterday on the Royal Marriages and Succession to the Crown (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill 2008-09 was the Channel 4 News interview with David Starkey. There is a link to the video clip from this page. (For the best background briefing paper see this – H/T Ruth Gledhill.)
15 CommentsChristian peacemakers must play a major role in healing Northern Ireland’s pain, says Roy Searle in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column.
Morals: the one thing markets don’t make said Jonathan Sacks yesterday in The Times.
Roderick Strange writes in The Times today about Embracing the precious gifts of our Lenten practice.
At Total Politics Andrew Hawkins reports on a survey to answer the question, Is the Church of England still the Tory Party at prayer?
Tony Blair wrote an article for the New Statesman on Why we must all do God, and Andrew Brown wrote a critique of this at Comment is free titled Doing God – the vague way.
Giles Fraser wrote in the Church Times that Humankind needs limits for reality.
The Church Times has a leader headed God as father and mother.
6 CommentsTerry Philpot wrote for the Guardian about the RC adoption societies, see Face to Faith.
Sara Maitland wrote in The Times about Why the Via Dolorosa can be a powerful experience.
Giles Fraser wrote in the Church Times about Grounding ideology in people. See New England – Kirsty MacColl at the Church Times blog for background material.
Alexandru Popescu wrote at Comment is free about An iconic power.
James W. Jones wrote in the Church Times last week about Churches talking past each other. Many in the C of E misunderstand the Episcopal Church in the US, he says.
Robert Pigott at the BBC has written another Faith Diary.
17 CommentsIn The Times John Shepherd writes about Revelation and the straitjacket of human language.
The Guardian has Simon Rocker writing about the Haredim in Face to Faith.
Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times that Jade Goody shows how to die.
Nick Baines wrote about Martin Niemoeller in Death of a Hero.
Alan Wilson wrote about How our grandpas twittered…
Simon Barrow wrote at Ekklesia that Faith needs a freedom agenda. Savi Hensman wrote about Moving faith forward on civil liberties. Vaughan Jones wrote about Humanity and justice is ‘modern liberty’ for Christians.
0 CommentsGiles Fraser writes in the Church Times about Sodom and Gomorrah. See Meeting the stench of the slums.
Jonathan Sacks writes in The Times that ‘Faith is the defeat of probability by possibility’
Comment is free Belief asks Are Christians persecuted in the UK? Answers come from Mark Vernon, Terry Sanderson, Jenny Taylor, Jonathan Bartley, and Bishop Alan Wilson.
Alan Wilson also wrote on his own blog: Mushing our Brains on Facebook?
Robert Pigott at the BBC launched a Faith Diary with a survey of public opinion. The full results are available here as a PDF. Ekklesia reported on this as Mixed picture emerges on British attitudes to religion in public life.
1 CommentToday is the day on which the Church of England commemorates George Herbert.
Justin Lewis-Anthony has published a series of articles on his blog under the title Killing George Herbert, arguing that:
For three hundred and fifty years the Church of England has been haunted by a pattern of parochial ministry, based upon a fantasy and untenable for more than a hundred of those years. The pattern, derived from a romantic and wrong-headed false memory of the life and ministry of George Herbert, finally died on the South Bank of the Thames in the mid 1960s… and nobody noticed…
Read KGH : Death to Herbertism for the rest of the introductory article, below which is a list of links to all the articles.
For today’s blog entry see KGH: Memento Mori II.
These articles are but a prelude to Justin’s book, which is coming soon, see If You Meet George Herbert on the Road, Kill Him: Radically Re-thinking Priestly Ministry.
Meanwhile, his other book, Circles of Thorns: Hieronymus Bosch and Being Human, is available and has been designated as Mowbray’s Lent Book 2009. Peter McGeary reviewed it recently for the Church Times.
Study guides are available starting here.
11 CommentsUpdated Monday afternoon
Geoffrey Rowell writes in The Times that The synod is the place to challenge the unjust and evil.
Andrew Motion said in an interview with Janet Murray in the Guardian that “All children should be taught the Bible at school”. Theo Hobson in the Spectator was not impressed.
Sunny Hundal writes in the Guardian that It is worth having a healthy debate on the interaction between faith and violence.
Jonathan Bartley writes at Ekklesia about Hearing what children are saying.
At Comment is free Theo Hobson and Julian Baggini discuss Is Christianity a good influence on British culture?
On the BBC Radio 4 programme Today (Baroness) Sayeda Warsi argued that politicians are ‘ignoring’ polygamy. See Politicians ‘ignoring’ polygamy and also Happily married?
Update
Giles Fraser’s article in last week’s Church Times is now available, see Why is the Left so anti-Jewish.
I wrote recently about a Theos report on Rescuing Darwin. Andrew Brown has now written at Comment is free about Science vs superstition, not science vs religion.
Last week in the Church Times Andrew Davison wrote that The C of E should nurture theology. For more about the Returning to the Church conferences, go here.
Giles Fraser wrote about the Credit Crunch, see The crunch needs global resolution. And don’t miss the lucid explanation of the Credit Crunch by Andreas Whittam Smith in a synod paper, The Inernational Financial Crisis and the Recession.
Earlier this week, Jonathan West asked Should I worry about the church?
The Archbishop of York wrote in the Daily Mail The intolerance towards Christians in the public sector is an affront. Another copy is on the archbishop’s own website.
Jenny Taylor wrote in The Times Let us use chastity to channel the soul’s energy.
Elizabeth Gray-King wrote in the Guardian about Valentine’s Day.
33 Comments