The Supreme Court has ruled that religious education provision in Northern Ireland was unlawful. A child that did not share the Christian views of the syllabus was discriminated against by a syllabus developed by the Roman Catholic Church, Methodists and Presbyterians. As it happens, there are probably questions I would have about such a syllabus… Continue reading The minefield of when a state provides religious instruction
Category: News
Why do I debate with others online?
A lot of what I post here consists of Bible exposition, theological writing and practical pastoral or ethical advice. This reflects that my main aim here is to provide teaching and training resources for those who want to be better equipped, particularly for urban context ministry. I also comment on current affairs as this helps… Continue reading Why do I debate with others online?
Why we remember
It’s 107 years since the end of the great war that was meant to end all wars. It didn’t. In fact a second world war was fought just 21 years later. We were meant to learn from the evils of that war too, particular the horrors of the Holocaust yet antisemitism and the appeal of… Continue reading Why we remember
Gospel departure in Halifax
Hope Church, a former Evangelical Church in Halifax has left the FIEC and become part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Evangelicals Now report on this here. I was already aware of this happening and it has been in process for some time. Evangelicals Now have offered their own response here. Frankly it’s dreadfully weak. Yes,… Continue reading Gospel departure in Halifax
Prince Andrew and the Gospel
This week, Prince Andrew, or Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as we now must know him, was stripped of all his royal titles. He is also being exiled from his palatial home at Windsor. This is due to the scandal he has brought on the Royal Family due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein and the specific, horrific… Continue reading Prince Andrew and the Gospel
Police intelligence and the Maccabi Tel Aviv ban
I see that a rumour is doing the rounds which seems to have originated from an unnamed source in the Guardian, that the reason for the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban at Aston Villa was not to do with the safety of Israeli and Jewish fans at the game but police intelligence that the fans… Continue reading Police intelligence and the Maccabi Tel Aviv ban
More thoughts on the football fan ban
Since the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from their game with Aston Villa, there has been much debate online. Some people have reacted strongly against the decision and even gone further, demanding that the communities in Birmingham linked to petitions and protests against the fans coming be deported. I’ve responded to that argument… Continue reading More thoughts on the football fan ban
Please don’t play their game
I live what counts to me as walking distance of the Aston Villa football ground. It’s actually 50 minutes walk away from the ground. Where I currently live is predominantly but not exclusively white working class. However the next few streets along are increasingly Asian and whilst there is a Sikh Gudwara just round the… Continue reading Please don’t play their game
October 7th Lest we forget
Today is the 2nd anniversary of the atrocity committed by Hamas, an antisemitic terrorist organisation. There are still many Israelis grieving the loss of loved ones. There are still many with physical and emotional scars because of the violence they suffered. There are still hostages that have not been allowed to go home to their… Continue reading October 7th Lest we forget
Approaching October 7th – some reflections on Israel Hamas and antisemitism
We are approaching the 2nd anniversary of the October 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel. Since then, Israel have been involved in an ongoing military attack into Gaza which started as an effort to free the hostages taken but has become more than that, an existential struggle to try and destroy Hamas completely. Here are… Continue reading Approaching October 7th – some reflections on Israel Hamas and antisemitism