I don't follow the workings of the Church of England closely but twitter alerted me to this address by the Bishop of Sherborne supporting the Anglican Communion Covenant. here I share it because the contrast between a bunch of grapes or a bag of marbles is new to me; and I like it. It resonates... Continue Reading →
Driscoll saga #cowardlymybutt – Hero, victim or?
Yesterday was the 2nd Anniversary of the Earthquake in Haiti, it was also the day when Christian Today website published a quotation in which American preacher Mark Driscoll appeared to suggest that British preachers were a “bunch of cowards who aren’t telling the truth” (source). Unsurprisingly many people in the UK were furious (eg: Krish... Continue Reading →
What’s influence?
Whilst the dictionary suggests it is about the power of producing effect, particularly in people and the ability to bring something about; it seems to me that influence is a bit more subtle than this. Even if it is, ultimately, about power it is about unacknowledged power rather than authority per se. As I’ve pondered... Continue Reading →
Media storm virtue and risk
Not much blogging recently due to various factors. But to prove I'm still alive and watching the news.... The TV and internet are full of stuff about News International and the allegations of criminal wrongdoing. There is clearly a desire to ‘get Murdoch’ which recent events have now unleashed. But before we loose perspective we... Continue Reading →
Big Society and local Church
Last night we hosted a local Churches Together event where we invited our local MP (the Conservative David Rutley) to talk about the ‘Big Society’ and discuss the part that churches play in it. I thought the evening went well. It was a good opportunity for dialogue as well as questions, and I’m sure there... Continue Reading →
Good thinking +Rowan but poor politics
The Archbishop of Canterbury has caused a political stir today with his guest editorial in the New Statesman (text here). Some will argue that he should keep his opinions to himself but I disagree. As a bishop it is right that he should speak about issues which concern wider society; one of the few reasons... Continue Reading →
Why we should support Cameron’s commitment to development aid.
Elements of the media (Mail) have the government’s aid budget in their sights (though not all see Telegraph here). Why at a time of reducing government spending should we ring fence International Aid? The answer is we should do it because it is the right thing to do and, in addition, it is Britain’s national... Continue Reading →
Super injunctions – the law is an ass
Today Sir Fred Goodwin (former head of the Royal Bank of Scotland before the crash) has been named as one of the people who has a super injunction to prevent details about his life been discussed in the media; though anyone who uses the internet as a source for news has known about it for... Continue Reading →
Politics: I love it
After Thursday's local elections, devolved assembly / parliament elections and the AV referendum it is time to reflect on the political tea-leaves. How will the Liberal Democrats respond to such a bad week? The only option is to keep calm and carry on. They built a record in local government through focusing on doing a... Continue Reading →
Christians, Internet and responding to Osama Bin Laden’s death
Now back home after the Baptist Assembly I've been catching up on the news and am struck by the way that Christians are responding to Bin Laden's death at the hands of the US military. Within a few hours on Monday my Facebook and Twitter feeds had references to Biblical passages, then later in the... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 