I want to deal here with the issue of protest marches taking place this weekend concerning what is happening in Gaza. Since October 7th, it seems that each weekend there have been mass demonstrations on the streets of London and other cities reacting to Israel’s response to the atrocities that happened that day. It’s important… Continue reading Remembrance or protest?
Tag: Israel
Praying in response to an international crisis
In the last few years there have been two horrendous conflicts that have moved the church to prayer, one has been the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the other has been the horrendous atrocity by Hamas on the 7th October followed by Israel’s response into Gaza. How can we pray well in such situations? First,… Continue reading Praying in response to an international crisis
The people of God
Faithroots Podcast from Revelation 7
Antisemitism Myths
Over the past few weeks there has been a substantial increase in the number of reported incidents of antisemitism in the UK. One of the big challenges with antisemitism is that it tends to get ignored or treated differently to other forms of racism and this is in part, I believe because of the following… Continue reading Antisemitism Myths
What does a ceasefire involve?
We rightly desire a swift end to the horrific conflict in Gaza and so we are praying for peace. The horrific cost to life even in these past few days has led many people to call for a ceasefire. It’s important as we seek peace to understand exactly what a ceasefire would mean. There are… Continue reading What does a ceasefire involve?
Grieving the evil of war
I recently wrote that “war is an evil”. I wrote this to respond to and distinguish from Scott McKnight’s argument that war is itself a crime, it isn’t just about the committing of war crimes. What this enables us to do is to recognise that sadly, in a fallen world, war is sometimes necessary and… Continue reading Grieving the evil of war
Israel, Jews, Zionism and antisemitism
One of the little examples of semantics that tends to come up when talking about antisemitism is the potential difference between being antisemitic and anti-Zionist. It’s probably helpful first of all to talk about terms. Jews: A recognised ethnic people group with minorities around the world. There are 7.8 million Jews in the modern state… Continue reading Israel, Jews, Zionism and antisemitism
It’s complicated … and it isn’t
In the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were those who argued that our responsibility as Christians was simply to pray for and work for peace. This was often accompanied by calls for a ceasefire. Similarly, there have been those who have responded to events in Israel and Gaza with similar appeals for… Continue reading It’s complicated … and it isn’t
A primer on International law and ethics for those engaging with current news stories
Back when I was at University, I had the opportunity as part of my Law degree to study a subject called “International Law.” At the time, that specific area of law was the poor relation of all other options offered by the faculty. In fact, there was still significant debate about whether or not it… Continue reading A primer on International law and ethics for those engaging with current news stories
On the balance of probabilities: Evaluating evidence and making your mind up about disputed claims
This week, in the middle of the Israel-Hamas conflict, an explosion was reported at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza city. This was initially reported, all around the world as an Israeli missile strike causing 500 deaths, Many got the impression that the hospital had been destroyed or severely damaged. The hospital is run by the… Continue reading On the balance of probabilities: Evaluating evidence and making your mind up about disputed claims
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