The lockdown horror stories are beginning again. Just as with the last lockdown we are now getting the stories of people innocently going out t exercise and being hit with heflt fines by jobs-worth police. Here’s the latest example. Covid: Women on exercise trip ‘surrounded by police’ – BBC News Now I’m probably a bit… Continue reading A walk in the park and a lockdown controversy
Category: ethics
The Rule of Law
What makes a democracy? Is it simply that people get to vote for their political leaders and their policies? Well, not quite. Even dictators are fond of plebiscites (the traditional reason given by older politicians against the use of referenda) and some of the most brutal and corrupt regimes officially have elections. Those tend to… Continue reading The Rule of Law
Was Jesus a refugee?
We are around about the stage of Christmas when people focus in on the visit of the magi and Joseph fleeing Herod with his young family to Egypt. Over the years, people have frequently drawn comparisons with the early life of Jesus and the experience of refugees forced to flee their own countries and seek… Continue reading Was Jesus a refugee?
Knowledge is power, France is Bacon
This little article had Sarah and me in stitches. Of course we were laughing with the poor guy, not at him because we’ve all been there at some point in our life, completely mishearing something leading to confusion. I remember my mum’s perplexed concern when I arrived home from school fresh from our first ever… Continue reading Knowledge is power, France is Bacon
Fallow Ground
Ancient Israel was expected to observe sabbath years (every 7) and jubilee years every 50. Those years were meant to allow for the release of slaves, cancellation of debt, return of property to tribal/clan ownership and rest for the land with the fields left fallow. Whilst those laws were specific to Israel and so not… Continue reading Fallow Ground
Do we worship freedom?
When he wrote Escape from Reason, Francis Schaeffer talked about how we have divided the word in half, below the line is the natural world and above it is the supernatural, what we look to for meaning, what in effect we worship. Once we remove from God from above the line we replace him with… Continue reading Do we worship freedom?
After Brexit: This is the beginning of the debate not the end
The Brexit transition period is over and so today, some of those who have remained opposed in principle to the UK leaving the UK have announced their intention to re-join. This is their democratic right and Brexiteers who campaigned for many years to leave should respect their right to campaign for what they believe in,… Continue reading After Brexit: This is the beginning of the debate not the end
In defence of safeguarding
In this month’s Evangelicals Now, John Benton, comparing Safeguarding policies to the controversy over VAR in football writes: Safeguarding in churches is of immense importance, both for the sake of children and adults. There have been too many people deeply damaged, not only by the more serious and criminal forms of abuse, but by mistreatment… Continue reading In defence of safeguarding
Isolation is a form of death
Early in the pandemic, I wrote an article called “There is more than one way to die.” I was concerned then and remain so today that in their desperation to prevent physical deaths from the virus, authorities would miss other deadly dangers. There are two strands to the point that there is more than one… Continue reading Isolation is a form of death
Freedom of Movement or engineered movement?
One of the problems that we have with talking about Freedom of Movement is that what people are usually either defending or objecting to is engineered movement. What do I mean by this. Well, it relates to a great question that people have been asking. Most debates about the costs and benefits of immigration focus… Continue reading Freedom of Movement or engineered movement?
