Category: ethics

Getting out of lockdown: Between idealism and pragmatism

Followers of Faithroots will know that I’ve been pushing hard at the question “Is there a way of helping us get back to full in person corporate worship sooner rather than later.”  That is the context for any discussion on the proposed vaccine/immunity passporting scheme.  Now, I want to be clear here that my long… Continue reading Getting out of lockdown: Between idealism and pragmatism

Cancel Culture and the death of academia

I’m continuing to reflect and write about culture in the light of recent abuse scandals and I want to pick up on something that has come up in social media conversations.  As we begin to consider the question of healthy church culture, our attention is drawn to examples of leaders, speakers and writers who have… Continue reading Cancel Culture and the death of academia

Is the UK institutionally racist? Responding to THAT report

The other week, the Government published a report looking at racism in the UK in the light of last year’s #BlackLivesMatter protests (Report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities).  The publication was accompanied by headlines[1] to the affect that There was no evidence of deliberate institutional racism The UK was in fact a… Continue reading Is the UK institutionally racist? Responding to THAT report

Scandalised

One of the really sad things about recent abuse scandals in the church is the way they mirror some of the horrific things we see in the world around us.  We should be able to respond and to offer something that is beautifully counter cultural.  Yet instead, we are seen to ape some of the… Continue reading Scandalised

Conservative evangelical theology SHOULD mean there is no excuse for abuse

Predictably, one of the responses to two high profile cases of abuse has been for some to identify a specific problem with conservative evangelicalism and therefore with its underlying theology..  conservative evangelical, or more properly, “Reformed Theology” holds that. God is the great and glorious Lord, the Triune God who is love, holy and just. … Continue reading Conservative evangelical theology SHOULD mean there is no excuse for abuse

Vaccine Passports – what are our priorities?

There’s ongoing debate about the pros and cons of Vaccine passports. The concerns are particularly coming from those who see such measures as an assault on individual liberties. This means that we’ve seen some Christian leaders speaking out against them. The fear cited is that such measures will lead to people being excluded from church… Continue reading Vaccine Passports – what are our priorities?

Responding to the abuse reports -what next?

We’ve been hit hard by a series of reports and investigations into abuse and bullying over the past few month including Acts29 and Steve Timmis, RZIM, John Smyth and Jonathan Fletcher.  The response has been intense and emotional.  It’s included a lot of good, helpful and right things Deep probing questioning as people have wanted… Continue reading Responding to the abuse reports -what next?

It’s not just whether we get out of the pandemic but how that matters

The British approach to vaccine roll out has on one level been impressive. There were two important decisions made. The first was to go in early and negotiate contracts to ensure a good supply of the vaccine. The second was the calculated risk to extend the period between first and second dose in order to… Continue reading It’s not just whether we get out of the pandemic but how that matters

Abolition of Slavery – late adopters?

I’ve written about how a careful reading of Scripture demanded the abolition of slavery. The existence of the slave trade and the continued ownership of African slaves went against God’s word, specifically Paul’s teaching in his letters (including in Ephesians 6).  Those who were subjected to the brutality of slavery will have got it. Eventually… Continue reading Abolition of Slavery – late adopters?