My article about the UK national anthem provoked a little discussion. Several people on social media commented that they agreed with me that it shouldn’t be sung in church. One reason given was that the Anthem includes verses which call for the defeat and destruction of the Queen’s enemies. Observations included that this was “more… Continue reading Praying for or praying against enemies?
Tag: Justice
Pints, cake and retrospective justice
#Partygate is the scandal that keeps on giving. In a bid to distract from their own troubles, the Tories have tried to put the focus on an incident during the local elections last year where Keir Starmer was videoed drinking beer in Durham. Their claim is that the leader of the opposition was also in… Continue reading Pints, cake and retrospective justice
Representative justice and mercy
The reaction to the Downing Street parties scandal has been fascinating. I wrote a little bit about his here the other day but I wanted to pick up a bit further on one particular response. It’s best represented by this tweet from Owen Jones. Obviously, Jones is driven in part by an assumption that punishment… Continue reading Representative justice and mercy
Statues, parties and rule breaking
There have been two big cases in the last few weeks which have got people talking about what it means to be a rule breaker and what lawlessness looks like. First, there’s the Colston case where the protestors who tipped the statue of a Bristol slaver trader into the sea were brought to trial only… Continue reading Statues, parties and rule breaking
Can a jury decide not guilty if they think the sentence is unjust?
Frances Crook, formally head of the Howard League For Penal Reform tweeted this comment. I’m not sure how long the tweet will stay up because it raises significant issues, not just in terms of morality but in terms of Legality Juries have a responsibility to remain within the Law and to fulfil the specific duties… Continue reading Can a jury decide not guilty if they think the sentence is unjust?
Shemima Begum
In 2019, Shemima Begum left Britain as a 15 year old to join ISIL along with two other school girls. In Syria she married a Jihadist and had children with him that died. She was later found in a refugee camp. The Home Secretary with Tribunal support determined that she should be stripped of her… Continue reading Shemima Begum
You say: Stop listening to the lies you and others tell you about yourself.
Here’s the audio and video versions of today’s #DailyDose. We often listen to lies about who we are both, including the lies we tell ourselves. We need to hear God’s truth.
Abolition of Slavery – late adopters?
I’ve written about how a careful reading of Scripture demanded the abolition of slavery. The existence of the slave trade and the continued ownership of African slaves went against God’s word, specifically Paul’s teaching in his letters (including in Ephesians 6). Those who were subjected to the brutality of slavery will have got it. Eventually… Continue reading Abolition of Slavery – late adopters?
How we respond to asylum policies is likely to depend on our presuppositions
Steve Kneale has argued here that we need a different type of blue-skies thinking to get to grips with the issue of asylum. He helpfully identifies a number of problems with the current situation and some of the suggested solutions. He then goes on to make some of his own recommendations. The challenge with responding… Continue reading How we respond to asylum policies is likely to depend on our presuppositions
The narrow gate
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few[1] We have been thinking about what it means to be part… Continue reading The narrow gate
Faithroots 