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Tag Archives: power
Why don’t more people campaign about poverty?
This post is a reflection on some Facebook correspondence I found helpful. The starting-point was the quotation from the fourth-century Christian theologian John Chrysostom, pictured here. Some people responded by condemning him for his antisemitism, and attributing to his influence … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Ethics, Politics, Society
Tagged antisemitism, capitalism, Christianity, ethics, John Chrsostom, moral condemnations, poverty, power
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Why does it take an archbishop to crown a king?
There is a reason. It’s rooted in religious sensibilities since prehistoric times. But it’s a reason that only works with some religious traditions, not others. This post describes why: why we can’t escape the religious significance of coronations, but also … Continue reading
20 years on, have we learned anything?
It wasn’t just Tony Blair. He certainly got it wrong about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and that was his main argument in favour of attacking. But what if Iraq had had them? How would that have added up to … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Politics
Tagged Flannery and Marcus, hypocrisy, inequality, Iraq, power, Tony Blair, weapons of mass destruction
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Philanthropy and its statues
Should we pull down statues of slave traders? Statues to individuals are erected to honour them. They express the values of the people who put them up. They are a way of saying ‘here is a person who deserves honour’. … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Society
Tagged Edward Colston, inequality, philanthropy, power, Rhodes, slave-trading, slavery
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Power, responsibility and voting
Could we make decisions better than this? Continue reading
The meaning of the Magnificat
The Magnificat as Luke’s Christian programme Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Economics, Ethics, God, Politics, Society, Theology
Tagged childbirth, equality, gospel, Human rights, Luke, Magnificat, Mary, poverty, power, sanctity of life, status, wealth
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Poems for justice (3)
This is the third of three posts about the ancient Hebrew prophet Micah, based on sermons I preached at St Brides Liverpool. This one is about what we mean by peace. It focuses on Micah’s vision of everyone sitting under … Continue reading
Responding to sexual abuse
The recent revelations of sexual abuse horrify us, particularly when the victims were children. It is one thing to feel horrified, another to respond in a constructive way. Much of the public response has sounded to me like Guardian readers … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Marriage & sexuality, Society
Tagged libido, power, Sex, sexual abuse, Sexual ethics, shame
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Sex abuse and godly power
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) is currently investigating the Diocese of Chichester as part of its study of whether Church of England leaders have failed to protect children against sexual abuse. Abuse survivors sometimes say that in … Continue reading
Why progressives need God
This is an edited version of the talk I gave at St Denys Bookshop in Manchester, on 30th September. It describes my new book Why Progressives Need God, and why I wrote it. My background is in liberal theology. For … Continue reading