Thinking Anglicans

The embarrassment of history?

In an earlier article, I linked to an article in the Church Times by Jonathan Clark explaining why The C of E is losing its own history.

More recently, Brian Crowe wrote in the Church of Ireland Gazette in response to that, the article was titled The embarrassment of history? Restoring proper confidence in our Anglican past.

That article can be read in full here.

1 Comment

opinions at the Festival of the Visitation

Joanna Collicutt asks in the Guardian Are we “hard-wired” to believe in God?

Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about John Wesley’s polygamous brother-in-law.

In The Times Anil Bhanot presents A Hindu view on the challenge to the sanctity of life.

Simon Barrow writes about Globalisation for Ekklesia see Hearing hope through the babble.

Nick Spencer writes for Fulcrum about Neither Private nor Privileged:
the role of Christianity in Britain today
.

Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times about Penalties of chaos in Chelsea.

The Church Times leader is about the Festival of the Visitation. See The song from the silence.

1 Comment

opinions just after Trinity

In The Times Roderick Strange writes about Corpus Christi in A simple supper in an upper room that feeds us still.

In the Guardian Stephen Heap discusses A truly secular approach can resolve conflicts between religious law and the law of the land.

Christians have no monopoly on morality, says Lisa Jardine, who is interviewed in in the New Statesman.

Also Julian Baggini writes that we need new ways to decide ethical issues in Now let the real battle begin.

Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times about Levelling with odd bedfellows.

Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about The voices that Joan of Arc heard.

1 Comment

opinions before Trinity

Christopher Howse writes in the Telegraph about the City Churches in After the fires of London.

Simon Barrow writes for Wardman Wire on The Struggle to be Truthful: Thinking Aloud.

In the Church Times Rebecca Paveley interviewed Gordon Brown, see Not strangers but neighbours.

Giles Fraser wrote that Doctor Who proves the success of the gospel.

The Times has The value of mercy as a means of overcoming anger by Usama Hasan.

The Guardian has Andrew Copson writing about humanism and the school curriculum in Face to faith.

10 Comments

opinions at Whitsun

Geoffrey Rowell writes in The Times about The celestial fire that brings us new life and inspiration.

Chris Duggan writes in the Guardian about our ecological sins. See Face to faith.

Christopher Howse writes in the Daily Telegraph about Boris Johnson and the Holy Trinity.

Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times about Maude Royden in Do people need saving from this?

At Ekklesia there are several items. First, and rather belatedly, a link to a paper published some weeks ago by Savi Hensman under the heading Listening and learning in the sexuality debate.

Jonathan Bartley asks Are Christians facing discrimination?

Simon Barrow writes a column titled Land of hope and glory?

And, finally, over in the Spectator there is an article by Theo Hobson ‘It’s Harder For Straights To Feel Christian Charity Than Gays’

9 Comments

opinions for Ascensiontide

Jonathan Sacks writes in The Times Teach your children well the power of Passover.

Steve Parish writes about zeal for the social Gospel in the Guardian’s Face to faith column.

Christopher Howse writes about Furnishings that cost Laud’s life in the Daily Telegraph.

In the Church Times Giles Fraser writes about how The battle of good and bad religion hots up.

Over on Comment is free Riazat Butt writes about Our dirty little secret.

9 Comments

opinions at Rogationtide

The Church Times has a leader about human rights: So, how safe are human rights? This refers to the recent address by Pope Benedict to the UN General Assembly, which is here.

And at Ekklesia Savi Hensman writes about Developing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Giles Fraser in the Church Times focuses more narrowly in Take these Nigerian taunts more seriously.

Christopher Howse writes in the Daily Telegraph about suicide bombers in A human bomb does not distinguish.

David Lunan Moderator-designate of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland writes in The Times about The words and the beliefs that determine our lives.

Jonathan Romain writes about faith schools in Face to Faith in the Guardian.

And Andrew Brown wrote last week in the Church Times about what happened at the Daily Telegraph, in Victim of the Telegraph cull.

6 Comments

opinions at Passover

Abraham Pinter writes that Passover is a good time to think about freedom of religious education in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column.

In The Times Roderick Strange writes that The resurrection of Jesus was real and physical.

In the Daily Telegraph Christopher Howse reports on Doing God in the land of Mammon.

The Church Times has an article by Jonathan Clark explaining why The C of E is losing its own history.

And last week in the Church Times Elaine Storkey wrote about Taking on the moral high ground.

Simon Barrow writes for Ekklesia about an issue in British parliamentary democracy, see Power to which people, exactly?

2 Comments

from the newspaper columns

Geoffrey Rowell writes in The Times that We need faith, and reality points us to a belief in God.

Christopher Howse writes in the Daily Telegraph about The burial of the heart.

Sunny Hundal writes about meaningless rituals in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column.

Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times about Why faith always asks questions.

The TLS carried this review of Rowan Williams’s Wrestling with Angels recently: Inside the mind of the Archbishop of Canterbury by David Bentley Hart. (h/t KH)

5 Comments

two more follow-ups on the embryology row

Simon Barrow wrote this article for the Wardman Wire: Flexing the Faith Muscle: Thinking Aloud. In it he looks at the style and tenor of church engagement with public life and the realm of politics – arguing that flexing the faith muscle in an overbearing way ends up being profoundly counter-productive.

Mary Warnock who among other things is a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s advisory group on medical ethics, wrote an article for the New Statesman which has been titled The politics of religion. In this she argues that religious belief is no basis for law-making.

7 Comments

opinions this weekend

Are religions becoming more extreme? Riazat Butt comments in the Guardian. A transcript of the lecture by Tony Blair to which she refers can be found here (pdf).

Earlier in the week, Riazat wrote about the issue of whether the British educational system is failing Muslim pupils, see Wanted: faith in the future.

Face to Faith this week is by John Newbury and is about religious broadcasting.

Christopher Howse writes in the Daily Telegraph about Thomas Tallis and The Spectator.

Jonathan Sacks writes in The Times that Genesis tells us we have a duty to protect the planet.

In the Church Times Giles Fraser writes about Earth Hour in Let there be dark.

3 Comments

opinions after Easter

James Mawdsley writes in The Times about The proper place of the Church in debates of state.

Michael Horan writes about the Resurrection in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column.

Christopher Howse writes about Pictures from a lost village in the Daily Telegraph.

Simon Barrow writes at Ekklesia about The God elusion.

Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times that After the fire comes the resurrection.

And in last week’s Church Times Paul Oestreicher wrote This is not a religion of the book.

Also Una Kroll wrote Abandon establishment, and gain autonomy.

47 Comments

opinions on Easter Eve

David Stancliffe writes in The Times about How an election in Sudan signals a new resurrection.

Earlier in the week, Andrew White wrote there about Iraq five years on.

Last Sunday, John Cornwell asked in the Sunday Times Are Muslim enclaves no-go areas, forcing other people out (hat tip Andrew Brown).

Christopher Howse explains in the Daily Telegraph Why the Big Bang is not Creation.

At Ekklesia Simon Barrow follows up on the article by Peter Selby linked here yesterday with Why the church needs a new foreign policy.

And he also wrote Resurrection is no Easter conjuring trick.

In the Guardian Danny Rich writes about how Purim is a timely reminder of past persecution of the Jews and the fragility of Israel in Face to faith.

Giles Fraser also writes there today, about A funny kind of Christian.

And in the Church Times he wrote about Trusting in God beyond my death.

17 Comments

opinions on Good Friday

The Church Times leader is titled Only perfect love can cast out fear.

Last week, in the Church Times Peter Selby wrote about Why war is never a final solution.

The Guardian carried a leader today titled In praise of… the Council of Nicaea.

Justin Lewis-Anthony wrote about Gambling and Good Friday.

2 Comments

opinions before Holy Week

Mordechai Beck writes in Face to Faith for the Guardian about how the real reason for the veiling of religious women may be lost in the sands of time.

Dave Walker on the Church Times blog has all the gen on the BBC Passion.

Giles Fraser in the Church Times wants us to Learn from Anglicans’ secular cousins.

In The Times Jonathan Romain writes about a New prayer book for Britain’s Reform Jews.

Christopher Howse writes in the Daily Telegraph about The city lost in the sands.

Savi Hensman writes for Ekklesia about Being on the side of the crucified.

15 Comments

opinions before Passiontide

Geoffrey Rowell writes in The Times about Egeria the fourth century nun and the litany.

Christopher Howse writes in the Daily Telegraph about What the maker of mosaics saw.

Pete Tobias writes in the Guardian about Moses and the burning bush, see Face to Faith.

Giles Fraser asks in the Church Times Is it time to snub the Pope now?

Simon Barrow wrote on Ekklesia about Fairness, trade and free market ideology.

13 Comments

opinion columns

Three articles by Giles Fraser this weekend.
In the Guardian he writes in Intimations of mortality that we have lost the art of plain speaking when it comes to death – and that is not healthy for children.
Also in the Guardian he previews the BBC’s Passion (to be broadcast in Holy Week) in Thou shalt not offend anyone: BBC’s Jesus is nice but dull.
And in the Church Times he asks Is Fairtrade the same as fair?.

In the Guardian’s Face to faith column David Bryant writes that the perspective shift urged by the philosopher Martin Buber has the power to heal our world.

In The Times Jonathan Sacks writes Lose faith in God we will lose faith in humanity.

Also in The Times Libby Purves asks whether Oxford scholars should be forced to say grace in Oxford scholars’ grace protest: principled or petulant?

4 Comments

opinion columns

In the Guardian’s Face to Faith column, Alex Klaushofer says that Lebanon’s pluralism could teach the west much about religious tolerance.

In The Times Roderick Strange writes that Water can bring us death or a new life in Christ.

Christopher Howse writes in the Daily Telegraph about Rock of Ages and the rebel pilgrims.

Stephen Brown writes at Ekklesia that Church and media need new understanding, says Lutheran bishop (German readers can learn more here).

Paul Vallely writes in the Church Times that Religion can be a solution in Kosovo.

Also, Giles Fraser explains Why I worry about moral foreign policies.

7 Comments

opinions after General Synod

Terry Philpot writes about Catholic care homes in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column.

Usama Hasan writes in The Times about What is Sharia?

Giles Fraser writes in the Church Times that the Democrats now do God.

Christopher Howse following the archbishop’s lead tells more Ronald Knox jokes in When Islam and the C of E unite.

Craig Brown tries to be amusing in Dr Rowan Williams’ ‘Cat Sat On The Mat’.

And for a real contrast to that, try the sermon given by Rowan Williams at the memorial service for Charlie Moule last weekend.

6 Comments

opinions on some other topics

Sharia-free zone

Giles Fraser wrote in the G2 section of the Guardian about his recent American travels, God moves to the left.

And he also wrote in the Church Times about Lambeth: a conference of shame.

Christopher Howse wrote in the Daily Telegraph about Dog-collars on the footplate. (Note to American readers: “footplate” is explained here.)

John Wilkins writes in The Times that Divine justice is perfect and tempered with mercy.

Alec Gilmore writes in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

18 Comments