Category: Opinion

“I’ll wait for Survation”

Survation famously got their 2017 General Election prediction pretty near right when all the other pollsters floundered. So in 2019, when nearly every pollster was calling it for the Conservatives as a clear win, a frequent refrain from those rooting for Jeremy Corbyn was “I’ll wait for Survation”. The hope and belief was that once… Continue reading “I’ll wait for Survation”

COVID Passports revisited

The possibility of vaccine passports is back on the table again. On Monday the Prime Minister announced that these would be imposed on nightclubs as mandatory in September and that unlike with previous/voluntary options, the requirement would be for patrons to show they had been fully vaccinated. Currently, the COVID vaccine scheme offers three options… Continue reading COVID Passports revisited

COVID forecasting – Rear view mirrors and uncertainty

What kind of COVID numbers can we expect to be seeing over the next few weeks?  Knowing what we might expect to see is crucial for those involved in making the big decisions because  case numbers impact on hospital admissions and that in turn has an impact on mortality figures.  Those involved in leading churches… Continue reading COVID forecasting – Rear view mirrors and uncertainty

Keep the Nightclubs closed

Where is the biggest risk going to be over the next few weeks as we move out of the final stages of restrictions? I suspect it won’t be in churches as we move back to normal worship, it is clear that churches are seeking to do this responsibly. It won’t be in your local supermarket.… Continue reading Keep the Nightclubs closed

The future of Christian magazines

It was something that you used to eagerly look forward to, the day when the latest editions of Evangelicals Now and Christianity Magazine were available in your local Christian bookshop. Nowadays I get my copy through the post and in fact can read most of the content online, often before my print copy arrives. But… Continue reading The future of Christian magazines

Is it time to stop publishing the COVID case data daily?

There are increasing calls, not just from politicians but from scientists too for the daily update on COVID cases to end. Some countries have already moved to weekly reporting. The argument is that reading about exponentially growing cases serves to increase anxiety among the public. It also means we don’t look at COVID in perspective.… Continue reading Is it time to stop publishing the COVID case data daily?

Out of lockdown – a further update and more thoughts on masks and contact tracing

I’m trying to include a regular update on Faithroots regarding the COVID-19 situation and the move towards ending all restrictions here in England and the wider UK. My aim is to try and help church leaders stay abreast of what might be happening and plan accordingly.  Obviously, I’m not an epidemiologist or an immunologist, just… Continue reading Out of lockdown – a further update and more thoughts on masks and contact tracing

Gay Conversion Therapy: You can’t use already criminalised behaviour to justify criminalising legitimate behaviour

The I newspaper recently reported a very distressing case of a woman claiming that her pastor raped her in order to “cure” her of her Lesbianism.  If true, then this is another horrendous example of abuse in the church.  It may not be possible now to establish the truth concerning the allegations about he pastor… Continue reading Gay Conversion Therapy: You can’t use already criminalised behaviour to justify criminalising legitimate behaviour

COVID Reopening – brace yourselves and hold your nerve!

I’ve been trying to give a regular update for church leaders on how things are looking regarding final reopening on the 19th July.  So first of all, the not so good news.  You’ll be fairly well aware of this by now.  Over the past few weeks we’ve seen COVID-19 cases increasing rapidly. The increase seemed… Continue reading COVID Reopening – brace yourselves and hold your nerve!