Tag: Public Theology

Pensions, social care and an honest election conversation about the future

In 2017, Theresa May in effect blew up her own election campaign by attempting to tackle the question of social care.  The taxing question was about how we meet the rising cost of supporting an increasingly elderly population.  Her focus was on the bill for providing residential care for those who needed support in day… Continue reading Pensions, social care and an honest election conversation about the future

Good for the economy?

D day draws closer for voters as we approach the 4th July General Election.  Previously, I’ve argued that: I said that I’d return to look in a little more detail at some of the big questions facing us.  At a General Election, these tend to involve: There are also the big ethical issues such as… Continue reading Good for the economy?

Farage returns -what should we make of it?

So, what are we meant to make of that?  It’s the start of week two of the General Election campaign and Nigel Farage has gone from insisting that he would not stand for Parliament this time round to not only standing in Clacton but being appointed leader of his party, Reform UK at an “emergency… Continue reading Farage returns -what should we make of it?

What about those who do not vote?

I’m planning to include a few articles here about voting and elections, given this is a big year for such things with an American Presidential Election and a General Election in the UK coming up. The recent by-election in Rochdale saw George Galloway win on 39% of the vote.  However, not only was this a… Continue reading What about those who do not vote?

Should pastors let people know their political position?

I asked two questions on Twitter, the first was about whether pastors/elders should declare their political allegiance in terms of party. The second question was related but slightly different. It asked whether or not pastors/elders should express their political views.  In both cases, the majority of those responding indicated that they thought that pastors should… Continue reading Should pastors let people know their political position?

Should we have locked down? And should the church have co-operated?

One of the big questions throughout COVID and since is whether or not lockdowns were the right response to the pandemic.  It is important to distinguish lockdown scepticism from COVID-scepticism.  Although many who were against lockdown were also sceptical about the threat from the virus, it was possible to be wary of the Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions… Continue reading Should we have locked down? And should the church have co-operated?

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?