Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine I argued that such a move did not fit with Vladimir Putin’s known and declared ambitions. It was not that I believed such an invasion could never happen, certainly not that I claimed the ability to predict the future. It’s just that Putin’s ambitions were understood to be the… Continue reading “Talk softly and carry a big stick” – latest thoughts on the Russian- Ukrainian War
Tag: Putin
Anatomy of an abusive relationship
Last week when talking with Ryan Burton King about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we discussed the response in Russia. Over the past few week’s we’ve seen a lot of examples of bravery from Russians willing to protest, most notably a young Russian TV editor who interrupted a news broadcast holding up a protest sign. At… Continue reading Anatomy of an abusive relationship
How might we talk to our children about Ukraine?
How should parents and Sunday School teachers talk to worried and anxious children about what is going on in the World around us It is many years since we’ve seen such horrific genocidal conflict so close to home and with a level of danger from nuclear conflict hanging oh too realistically in the air. If… Continue reading How might we talk to our children about Ukraine?
#PrayForUkraine
If you’ve not caught up with the latest #FaithrootsPodcast, here are the links to watch on YouTube or listen via Anchor and Spotify. In the conversation we discuss: Should pastors take sides and speak on political issues? 2. To what extent is the current situation about Spiritual conflict? 3. What is God doing in the… Continue reading #PrayForUkraine
We urgently need to do more for Ukrainian refugees
On Sunday, it was reported that only 50 refugees from Ukraine had been granted visas to come to the UK. A Guardian report on Monday suggested that it had risen to 300 with about 17700 applications in process so we should expect further visas to be granted, indeed the New York Times reports Priti Patel… Continue reading We urgently need to do more for Ukrainian refugees
Nuclear War and unaskable questions
One of the big questions concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been whether or not NATO/Western allies should respond by committing to help defend Ukraine beyond supplying weapons and imposing sanctions. Some have suggested that at a minimum, NATO could commit to enforcing a no-fly zone against Russia. Now, one of the primary reasons… Continue reading Nuclear War and unaskable questions
Don’t forget who the real enemy is
Back after 911, there was a particularly intense period when anyone of Asian or middle eastern appearance was at risk from backlash. Not only did people conflate the attack by Islamist extremists with an attack from all Muslims but also people who were not even Muslims but rather Sikhs and Hindus were conflated with the… Continue reading Don’t forget who the real enemy is
How do we pray for our enemies? #FaithrootsPodcast
As we continue to pray for Ukraine, how should we specifically pray concerning Putin? Do the imprecatory psalms like Psalm 69 help? How does this help us think about more personal examples of opposition, suffering and persecution?
Pray for Russia and for Russians
We have talked much over the past few days about what to pray for Ukraine. It’s also important to pray for Russia too. Today’s podcast raises the question “How do we pray for our enemies?” and so I talk specifically about praying for Vladimir Putin. You can listen here: or watch here: However, I want… Continue reading Pray for Russia and for Russians
The end of The World is not in Putin’s hands
One of the things people are most afraid of concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the potential for this to be escalated into a conflict between world powers with NATO sucked in and then the possibility of nuclear weapons being unleashed. Over the weekend, Vladimir Putin escalated the language on this. First, he warned that… Continue reading The end of The World is not in Putin’s hands
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