• Where is the Church’s Prophetic Voice?

    Where is the Church’s Prophetic Voice?

    “Many of us like to think we would, or even do, speak truth to power, but when we’re actually confronted with it, either in ourselves or our colleagues, we struggle to recognise it for what it is. After twenty-five years of worshipping and, latterly, discerning in the Church of England, I see plenty of power,…

  • What is Politics?

    What is Politics?

    There is a sentiment common around election time that if you do not vote, you have no right to criticise.  This is an understandable reaction, but whilst it is certainly true that one fairly consistent aspect of living in a ‘liberal democracy’ is a lack of voter turnout, it would be wrong to equate this…

  • Has the Church Abandoned the Poor?

    Has the Church Abandoned the Poor?

    In April 2018, Philip North, Bishop of Burnley expressed the opinion that there was “a widespread perception among northern DDOs [diocesan directors of ordinands] that candidates from working-class backgrounds with northern accents are victims of prejudice” in the selection process for ordination training.  Bishop North has, in recent years, become one of the sharpest critics…

  • Helmets, Museums, and Colonialism: What the Staffordshire Hoard Can Teach Us About Ourselves

    Helmets, Museums, and Colonialism: What the Staffordshire Hoard Can Teach Us About Ourselves

    Who looks after and displays historical artefacts matters.  Britain still flexes its colonial muscles, it just does so by using its cultural and academic influence more than its military influence.

  • The Church Can No Longer Be Politically Neutral

    The Church Can No Longer Be Politically Neutral

    I can still picture the moment I discovered that there are Christians who believe that climate change is a good thing because it will speed Christ’s return!  Much like the famed ‘rapture hatch’, it can be tempting to laugh at such eschatological clumsiness, but for the seriousness of its implications.  A similar story emerges with…

  • “Why Are You Not Communist Like Jesus Was?”: Anarchists on Christianity

    “Why Are You Not Communist Like Jesus Was?”: Anarchists on Christianity

    For some time now I have been thinking about how to open this blog up to allow voices other than my own to be heard.  Recently I ‘reblogged’ a piece from elsewhere for the first time, and soon a series of guest bloggers will be posting on issues close to them.  For this piece though, I…

  • The Problem With Policing

    The Problem With Policing

    Expressing your aversion to the police as an institution immediately elicits some variation of the same question each time: “what if someone’s breaking into my house?” or “what if someone attacks me?”.  People worry about being the victim of, or witness to a crime, and this is completely understandable.  Problems soon come though, when such…

  • 5 Steps to a Communist Christmas

    5 Steps to a Communist Christmas

    With Christmas Day imminent, it can be easy to get caught up in the last minute dash to the shops, or the frustration of planning something everyone will enjoy.  The whole Christmas season can become overshadowed by things that have no right to take up our time and thoughts, so with that in mind, here…

  • Joy in Enough: Economics for People and Planet

    “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”  So goes Henry Ford’s oft parroted quote.  It is particularly popular with Donald Trump, who has tweeted it on at least three separate occasions.  Of course it’s easy for someone like Donald Trump to say, starting out, as…