When I wrote in response to the recent letter from lawyers and former judges about Israel and Gaza, I highlight that one problem with it was that it encouraged a form of logical fallacy which is known as “appeal to authority”, or if you want to posh term “ad verecundiam.” Fascinatingly, the problem with this… Continue reading The problem with the “appeal to authority” fallacy
Category: ethics
Israel, red lines and the arms trade: How do we know if a red line is crossed?
I recently wrote about a letter from lawyers concerning the ICJ’s interim ruling on whether Israel were in breach of the Genocide Convention. In the discussion around that article, someone asked me: “what ‘red line’ Israel would need to cross before we should stop arming them?” My response was to note first that before we… Continue reading Israel, red lines and the arms trade: How do we know if a red line is crossed?
Taking God’s name in vain and loving your neighbour
Recently I was listening to a sermon on the two greatest commandments. The preacher pointed us back to the original command to “love your neighbour” in Leviticus 19. Something about the context caught my eye and so I’ve come back for a second look. The command is found in Leviticus 19:18. You;; notice that it… Continue reading Taking God’s name in vain and loving your neighbour
Has Hamas changed?
On Sunday, I wrote about the six month anniversary of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. I repeated there my concern that Israel’s attempt to defeat Hamas by conventional military means in an urban area is likely to fail. We are already seeing the enormous cost of the conflict in Palestinian lives and wider suffering. At… Continue reading Has Hamas changed?
Why I responded to Matthew Parris’ Times article about euthanasia
Last week I wrote in response to Matthew Parris’ article in the Times where he argued that not only should euthanasia be legalised but that if this led to social pressure on the terminally ill and vulnerable that this would be a welcome thing. My article was published online by Evangelicals Now and I also… Continue reading Why I responded to Matthew Parris’ Times article about euthanasia
South Africa, Israel, genocide and a letter to the Government
This week, a long list of lawyers including barristers, solicitors and even some former Supreme Court judges signed an open letter to the Government, calling on it to act against Israel in response to accusations of possible or potential genocide. The signatories argued that measures should include the suspension of arms sales to Israel and… Continue reading South Africa, Israel, genocide and a letter to the Government
Responding to Matthew Parris on taboos and assisted dying
This article also appears in the April online edition of Evangelicals Now One of the concerns many of us have raised over the years is that legalised euthanasia (or assisted dying as it is now commonly described) would lead to increased pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives. We were laughed at for this… Continue reading Responding to Matthew Parris on taboos and assisted dying
Can babies sin? Navigating a current controversy
Apparently, the latest dispute to occupy people’s head space and get a thousand fingers tapping passionately at their keyboards, is the question about whether or not it is possible for babies to sin. The big claim has been that if you are reformed, then you should recognise that babies sin. The practical focus seems to… Continue reading Can babies sin? Navigating a current controversy
Do Complementarians have a “slavery problem”?
This was an argument I saw made the other day on social media. It’s not a new one -and in fact is one I’ve interacted with in detail before. The argument runs as follows. Conservative Evangelicals rely on the household code that Paul uses in Ephesians 5. However, Paul also includes a code for Slaves… Continue reading Do Complementarians have a “slavery problem”?
What about those who do not vote?
I’m planning to include a few articles here about voting and elections, given this is a big year for such things with an American Presidential Election and a General Election in the UK coming up. The recent by-election in Rochdale saw George Galloway win on 39% of the vote. However, not only was this a… Continue reading What about those who do not vote?
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