Category: ethics

Boycotts, Blockades and Sieges

Israel has announced over the past few days that electricity and other supplies to the Gaza Strip are being cut off.  This alongside warnings for non-Hamas civilians to move away from where Has operatives hide out.  I believe the cutting off of essential supplies to be wrong. It will be harmful to many Palestinians who… Continue reading Boycotts, Blockades and Sieges

Does God sometimes reward sin?

When Abraham goes to Egypt because of a famine in the land of Cannan and  attempts to pass off Sarai his wife as being just his sister, the consequences for Pharoah are serious. God strikes Egypt with plagues.  However, Abraham, himself appears to do well out of it. First, we are told that “when Pharaoh’s… Continue reading Does God sometimes reward sin?

Is it really “just” cultural?

One of the pushbacks I’ve seen against the criticism of TGC’s decision to name its new projects after, at the time, living Christian leaders is that it’s a cultural issue.  The argument seems to be twofold.  First, that it’s just grumpy Brits who are raising concerns, as though that invalidates the concerns raised.  Secondly, that… Continue reading Is it really “just” cultural?

Slave Trade whataboutery ethics

As someone with a particular interest in the history of the slave trade and abolition, I  was intrigued by this tweet about a different aspect to the story. We focus primarily on the trans-Atlantic Slave trade which saw black Africans trafficked to the Americas, Caribbean and Britian.  However, there was a history of Europeans being… Continue reading Slave Trade whataboutery ethics

Typical? When our old testament heroes prove flawed

The other day I wrote responding to an article arguing that Abraham didn’t really lie when he passed  Sarah off as just his sister.  The reality is that when we read through the lives of people in Scripture we discover lots of things that would leave us deeply uncomfortable, horrified even about their behaviour.  Our… Continue reading Typical? When our old testament heroes prove flawed

When your agenda affects how you read everything

I referred back to the EHRC investigation into antisemitism the other day.  What is fascinating and frankly distressing, is the way in which so many people engaged in politics have made strong decisions about the investigation. The people who are adamant that the whole thing was a scam are quick to assert that Jewish members… Continue reading When your agenda affects how you read everything

Antisemitism and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Part revisited

I am returning to a subject that I’ve talked about a few times, the issue of antisemitism especially when it creeps into public life.  I’m returning to it now because it has remained a significant issue and because it particularly related to what happened in the Labour Party between 2016-2019.  When there’s a change of… Continue reading Antisemitism and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Part revisited

Did Abraham lie? How not to rescue a patriarch

Tim Suffield argues here that when Abraham went to Egypt and agreed with Sarah that they would say she was his sister, that he was not lying and that he has unfairly got a bad press because of this.  The basis of Tim’s case is that Abraham was in fact Sarah’s half-brother according to Genesis… Continue reading Did Abraham lie? How not to rescue a patriarch

The pastor’s role and the Christian Sabbath

I’ve been handling a couple of recurring themes over the past few weeks. First there has been the question of the Christian Sabbath and then there has been the question of whether or not pastors have jobs, whether they work or whether their role is leisure. The two issues dovetail neatly into another question that… Continue reading The pastor’s role and the Christian Sabbath