Some while back, the proposed definition of “Islamophobia” was leaked. There were numerous responses and I particularly engaged with Tim Dieppe of Christian Concern at the time. The definition has now been officially published and Tim has written for Evangelicals Now again here. Because I’ve already given a detailed response, I don’t think there is… Continue reading A brief response to Tim Dieppe (Christian Concern) on the Government’s working definition of anti Muslim hatred
Category: ethics
Proxies and war
Supplying arms for free is not generally considered an act of war. It’s this consensus that Western powers rely on when supplying weapons to Ukraine. However, one might observe that Russia doesn’t accept that. Of course Putin isn’t that concerned by the niceties of International Law, though even he will seek a veneer of legal… Continue reading Proxies and war
Just calling something illegal does not make it illegal
You will notice that since the Iraq War, it has been common place to insert the word “illegal” as an adjective to describe any war that is opposed. As it happens, I am waiting for a court ruling to determine that war to have been unlawful (which is probably the better term as “illegal”… Continue reading Just calling something illegal does not make it illegal
The ethics of war – USA/Israel v Iran a case study
Martyn Whittock has written for Evangelicals Now engaging with the question of whether the Iran-USA war is a just war. As he explains: “Christian Just War theory represents one of the most influential ethical traditions for evaluating the moral legitimacy of warfare. Developed within Christian theology but later influencing secular international ethics and law, the… Continue reading The ethics of war – USA/Israel v Iran a case study
Is the Church the Christian Nation (initial response to a debate between Aaron Edwards and Bob of Speaker’s Corner)
I’m currently listening to a podcast presented by Aaron Edwards and “Bob of Speaker’s corner” where they are seeking to set up a debate on Christian Nationalism. The idea is that they are inviting all comers to turn up on their zoom call and debate with them.. It sounds like a rather fraught approach to… Continue reading Is the Church the Christian Nation (initial response to a debate between Aaron Edwards and Bob of Speaker’s Corner)
Iran what next?
On Saturday evening, reports were coming in that the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameni was dead. However, we still had to await official confirmation, alert to the possibility of body doubles among his security . On Sunday, it was confirmed by the Iranian news agency that Khameni’s body had been removed from the rubble after… Continue reading Iran what next?
Wolf kings
One thing that stood out for me in the book “Invading Babylon” was the idea of mountain or wolf kings. These are those seen as having cultural, political or religious power and influence. The argument as we saw in a previous article was that these kings do not have to be virtuous to survive and… Continue reading Wolf kings
What is Christian Nationalism?
This is the unedited version of an article I recently had published by Evangelicals Now. You can read the published version here. Do you remember 6 years ago, we were becoming aware of a new coronavirus, nnovel because this particular strain of virus had not been seen before. It seems to have originated in a… Continue reading What is Christian Nationalism?
Does Restore Britain have anything to offer Christians?
Some Christians have been hoping for their political white knight to turn up, a UK answer to Donald Trump, someone who might not be a Christian yet but someone who at least can promote a political brand that aligns with their specific ideology. Last year, it seemed that Tommy Robinson was the man they were… Continue reading Does Restore Britain have anything to offer Christians?
The Reformers and the Christian State
The Reformers including Luther, Calvin and Zwingli were acting in a context in which it was the established norm that the state was Christian. If the early church fathers were acting pre-Christendom and we live in a post Christendom world, Calvin and the early reformed lived within Christendom. Whilst the radical reformers would in effect… Continue reading The Reformers and the Christian State