In 2019, Shemima Begum left Britain as a 15 year old to join ISIL along with two other school girls. In Syria she married a Jihadist and had children with him that died. She was later found in a refugee camp. The Home Secretary with Tribunal support determined that she should be stripped of her… Continue reading Shemima Begum
Category: ethics
Calvin on slavery
I thought it might be of interest to have a look at one of the Reformers and see how he handled the question of slavery in Scripture. So here’s some commentary on how John Calvin handles Ephesians 6. Calvin is of particular interest because as I’ve argued previously, he seems to argue from Ephesians 5:21… Continue reading Calvin on slavery
The danger of conclusions drawn from circumstances
Yesterday I wrote about the short term supply chain problems affecting various economies around the world and causing specific shortages in terms of food in the UK. I observed that people are quick to draw conclusions from correlations that support their particular political presuppositions so that some people are adamant that this has been caused… Continue reading The danger of conclusions drawn from circumstances
Did you vote for food shortages?
Although this site is primarily focused on pastoral and doctrinal issues, I often seek to engage with wider issues too including aspects of politics. This is because I believe we are here part of the world around us and meant to play our part in society. This means first of all that Christians should be… Continue reading Did you vote for food shortages?
Avoiding scaremongering
I want to share with you two examples of how the media’s handling of COVID-19 has been extremely unhelpful. The public have a significant part to play in response to the pandemic and therefore needs accurate information in order to make informed decisions. The first example was published in the Independent. You can read the… Continue reading Avoiding scaremongering
A man of their time?
Over the past year there’s been much discussion about how we should relate to and view Christians from previous generations, especially those who tend to hold hero status amongst us. This has been provoked by the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the tearing down of statues erected to historical figures often with a reputation for philanthropy but… Continue reading A man of their time?
Social Care – a proposal
On Monday I wrote about the proposals to provide for social care by increasing the National Insurance rate. I thought I’d sketch out a proposal of my own here to contribute to the debate. My proposal is as follows. First, scrap the current National Insurance system which in reality acts as another form of compulsory… Continue reading Social Care – a proposal
Vaccinating children – a middle road between the scare stories
There’s a strong possibility that the Government, on the advice of the Chief Medical Officers will decide to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to 12-15 year olds. Given that the JCVI have advised not to offer the vaccine on the basis of individual health benefit v risk calculations, this means that if you are a parent,… Continue reading Vaccinating children – a middle road between the scare stories
Some thoughts on social care and the elderly
It was the issue considered by many to have robbed Theresa May of a majority back in 2017 and it may well rob Boris Johnson of his when the next General Election comes (although he is presumably calculating that a short term loss of popularity won’t be sustained). The vexing question is concerning what to… Continue reading Some thoughts on social care and the elderly
Is food poverty real and do food banks help?
If you were to talk to people about the big needs in communities and how churches can help, you’ll find that they quite often settle on the assumption that a primary issue is food poverty. Furthermore, it tends to be assumed that a major solution to food poverty is the existence of foodbanks (alongside things… Continue reading Is food poverty real and do food banks help?
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