Here is how it plays out if we are not careful. A statue of a slave owning city father is taken down in Bristol. People then begin to talk about the unsavoury aspects of other people’s lives who have had statues put up to them, their ownership of slaves, their reference to other people in… Continue reading How (not) to let extremists win
Category: Opinion
Pride, Prejudice and Privilege in The Church
Yesterday, we talked about pride, prejudice and privilege in society. Today, I want to think more about it in the context of the church. One church that particularly struggled with division, rivalry and pride was the church at Corinth. Right at the start of 1 Corinthians, Paul has to rebuke the church because of this. … Continue reading Pride, Prejudice and Privilege in The Church
Protest
Here’s our #AfternoonTea discussion on protests. Key points include There is a long tradition of marching and demonstrating as a means of making our voices heard. There are democratic freedoms allowing us to do this and benefits include that it gives a sense of action and participation beyond simply marking a cross at the ballot… Continue reading Protest
We need to talk about privilege, pride and prejudice
I want to reflect a little further on the issues of prejudice, racism and classism and why these matter to the church. In so doing, I want to interact with an article that Garry Williams wrote on the matter for the Pastors Academy. I want to highlight four things he raised The problem of racism… Continue reading We need to talk about privilege, pride and prejudice
On tearing down statues
On the 9th April 2003, Iraqis gathered in Firdos Square following the Coalition invasion and tore down a statue of Saddam Hussein. The world watched on and cheered as this event symbolised the freedom of the Iraqi people from slavery and tyranny. This week we have seen further attempts to tear down statues, some successful,… Continue reading On tearing down statues
Who will you take the knee for?
Taking the knee started as a protest gesture by American Football players back in 2016 who refused to stand for their national anthem in protest at discrimination and police brutality. This week, people have been asked to “take the knee” around the world in solidarity with George Floyd and those affected by his killing. I… Continue reading Who will you take the knee for?
#BlackLivesMatter or #AllLivesMatter ?
My wife is a teacher. As a teacher, she wants to ensure that all of the children in her classes are treated equally and fairly. However, she has discovered over the years that “treating fairly” does not mean “treating the same.” She has learnt that if the gap is to be closed for boys then… Continue reading #BlackLivesMatter or #AllLivesMatter ?
Will we show that we see and hear them?
We’ve had some uncertain and frustrating moments over the past few months on Facebook. We’ve been livestreaming and suddenly our camera view has gone dark. We honestly have not known if have been seen and heard or if we have just been talking to ourselves. It helps when people send comments to say “we can… Continue reading Will we show that we see and hear them?
We are not being discriminated against
There must be some sense of irony that in the week that the death of George Floyd with a policeman’s knee to his neck led to mass protests, a number of prominent Christians wrote proceedings here in the UK about perceived discrimination against the church.[1] Those who are involved believe that the Government should recognise… Continue reading We are not being discriminated against
What if Lockdown was the wrong decision? Should we still comply?
I’ve spotted two examples questioning lockdown this week. The first is that some people have been arguing that lockdown was never required in the first place, that the curve was already being flattened before we entered lockdown. The other is specific to the measures concerning churches as the Christian Legal Centre/Christian Concern For our nation… Continue reading What if Lockdown was the wrong decision? Should we still comply?
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