Last week, firebrand politician George Galloway was elected back to parliament in the Rochdale by-election. The election campaign had been marred by controversy with the Labour Party withdrawing support for their own candidate after he made antisemitic comments. My friend Steve Kneale has written here about the result and lessons that the church might want… Continue reading What can we really learn from Rochdale?
Category: Opinion
Criminals, converts and asylum
Some high profile cases of asylum seekers who have processed Christian faith and then gone on to commit serious offences have been used by politicians to question the genuiness of claims and to accuse the Church of complicity. In the light if this Tim Dieppe of Christian concern has written and suggested that a high… Continue reading Criminals, converts and asylum
Did we miss a revival during COVID?
In a recent article, I picked up on the disappointment expressed by a number of people that they had longed and hoped for a revival to happen as a result of the COVID pandemic. The hoped that the existential threat of plague would move people to trust in God leading to spiritual growth among believers,… Continue reading Did we miss a revival during COVID?
Happy holidays?
In the run up to Christmas, there’s usually a bit of social media debate about whether or not Christmas as a Christian festival is gradually being cancelled. In the US, that takes the form of grumbles about the use of “Happy Holidays” instead of “merry Christmas”. I recently saw the argument made that we should… Continue reading Happy holidays?
Enjoy the feast -without feeling guilty about it
Today, all the decorations will be coming down in the shops and town centres, maybe you are making a start on taking the tree down too. After all the build-up, the commercials in November, the church planning meetings and carol service rehearsals, the leaflet deliveries, the shopping trips, Christmas is over so quickly, in just… Continue reading Enjoy the feast -without feeling guilty about it
Another fine immigration mess
The UK Government have recently announced their latest proposals to reduce immigration into Britain. It’s worth noting that over the past 14-15 years, or even further back politicians from across the spectrum have announced that they have a sure fire plan to get net migration back down to the tens of thousands. The current proposals… Continue reading Another fine immigration mess
Is peace in the Middle East still possible?
The recent Israeli-Hamas war has again raised the question about whether a true and lasting peace in the region is possible. There are two elements to the question right now. First of all, Israel’s objective in this current conflict is the elimination of Hamas with the hope that this will enable her citizens to live… Continue reading Is peace in the Middle East still possible?
On banning teaching children about religion until they are 18
You see all kinds of fascinating insights into society’s thinking on social media. Recently I saw a post on Threads (the Meta/Facebook alternative to Twitter) which argued that children should not be taught religion until they are 18. Specifically, they were observing that this is something China seeks to enforce and identifying it as a… Continue reading On banning teaching children about religion until they are 18
The distracted inquiry
It has been intriguing to pick up on the reporting of the UK’s COVID inquiry. Now, obviously what the media pick up on tends to be the sensational stuff, they are less likely to be interested in technical reporting about decision making. However, they are still reporting on things that have been given airtime in… Continue reading The distracted inquiry
Replacing Word Alive
The Word Alive Christian holiday convention usually takes place close to Easter each year, it’s a spin off from Spring Harvest and the Keswick Convention. However, the 2024 convention has been cancelled due to the Pontins site at Prestatyn being closed without warning. Some people have suggested that the week could be replaced with a… Continue reading Replacing Word Alive
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