Tag: Public Theology

Questioning authority

One of the questions that came up during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to be debated since has been over the extent to which the church should have complied with Government guidance and regulations. To some extent, the debate was about the extent to which Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 applied in terms… Continue reading Questioning authority

Were COVID measures outrageous and unprecedented?

One of the frequent complaints during and after the COVID19 pandemic was that the decision to bring in a lockdown, including and particularly the closure of churches was disproportionate and outrageous.  The belief is that Governments used the pandemic as a pretext. To bring in draconian rules to restrict our civil liberties. It has been… Continue reading Were COVID measures outrageous and unprecedented?

Is war a crime?

Scott McKnight writes: “Why do more Christians not recognize what war experts know, namely, that “we fight war crimes but have forgotten the crime of war”?” https://scotmcknight.substack.com/p/sponges-and-war-immoral-word-choices?r=1nrx1&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post I must admit I’m not too sure who these “war experts” are or what it is that makes someone a “war expert.”  However, I am not convinced by… Continue reading Is war a crime?

Is modern Israel the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy – and should that affect our view of Israel?

There’s a lot of prophecy that points to an age of prosperity and peace for the people of Israel.  Various Scriptures describe a situation where exiles return to the land, many enemies are defeated, the Temple rebuilt, God’s King reigning and the nations looking to Israel’s King for wisdom, teaching and leadership. Well, there seem… Continue reading Is modern Israel the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy – and should that affect our view of Israel?

Please stop playing political football with education

I think there’s been more plans and initiatives to shake up education during my life time than I had hot school dinners back when I was a kid.  I’ve seen GCSEs replace the old GCE/CSE split, the expansion of Universities and introduction of tuition fees.  During my life time, we’ve bounced between child centred learning… Continue reading Please stop playing political football with education

Antisemitism and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Part revisited

I am returning to a subject that I’ve talked about a few times, the issue of antisemitism especially when it creeps into public life.  I’m returning to it now because it has remained a significant issue and because it particularly related to what happened in the Labour Party between 2016-2019.  When there’s a change of… Continue reading Antisemitism and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Part revisited

If Sabbath is a creation ordinance, then…

I recently argued that one of the reasons why we should continue to keep a sabbath holy is because it is a creation ordinance.  In other words, our relationship to Sabbath is based not just on the laws given in Exodus- Deuteronomy but relates to something given by God at creation.  “The Sabbath was made… Continue reading If Sabbath is a creation ordinance, then…