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

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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

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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

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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

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Power, responsibility and voting

Could we make decisions better than this? Continue reading

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The meaning of the Magnificat

The Magnificat as Luke’s Christian programme Continue reading

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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

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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

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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

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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

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