Category Archives: Ethics

Earthquake and the finger of blame

‘An act of God caused the earthquake in Turkey – murderous corruption caused so many deaths’ writes Constanze Letsch in the Guardian. Good point. Without the corruption, the earthquakes wouldn’t have killed people. But our culture prefers to blame ‘acts … Continue reading

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Excessive wealth undermines the nation

According to the High Pay Centre, the Chief Executive Officers of the FTSE 100 (the 100 companies with the most money listed on the London Stock Exchange) had earned more, by 2.0 pm yesterday, than the median UK worker will … Continue reading

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On the causes of price rises

A fact for today’s newspapers: food prices rose by 13.3% in December. Here are some statements I found. I was hoping to add what the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail said about it but I couldn’t find a mention. … Continue reading

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The brain and its priorities

This post is a plug for the talk by Iain McGilchrist which went live on Friday. Entitled ‘The Brain and a Sense of the Sacred’, it’s still available here. McGilchrist is best known for his book The Master and His … Continue reading

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Christianity and government: swapping prime ministers doesn’t cure the disease

Saint Lawrence. 14th century manuscript illustration It isn’t clear what Conservatives think conservatism is any longer: what aspect of actually existing British society (rather than ersatz Victorian fantasy) they seek to conserve, or even what they think the roots of … Continue reading

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Growth growth growth: who benefits?

This post is a continuation of my last one in which I argued that the economic policy of the British Government is a replica of ancient Mesopotamian imperial practice. This post gives greater detail.

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Love? Faith?

On 1st September the long-awaited report on the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith process was published: Listening with Love and Faith. It’s not exactly a heavy read. There are lots of pictures, graphs, stories and quotations. Most … Continue reading

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The holiness of nation states

This is the second of two responses to William Cavanaugh’s The Myth of Religious Violence. I wasn’t expecting it to be bang up to date with this morning’s news, but last night’s response by Liz Truss to a question about … Continue reading

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History began when I was a child

We’re halfway through Modern Church’s annual conference, ‘Living I Faith, Hope and Love’, Modern Church’s response to the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith, the latest of its publications struggling to justify a ban on same-sex marriages. Sadly … Continue reading

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Amos then and Britain now: the similarities

This post is part of my sermon for this coming Sunday, based on the Lectionary reading Amos 8:1-12. I’m publishing it now in case any preachers want to pinch bits. I summarise the context of Amos’ prophecies, what he was … Continue reading

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