The Christmas story has for centuries motivated the long history of the church’s commitment to helping society’s poor and downcast. Indeed, it was a cluster of Christian and Jewish charities which led the first serious concerted action against homelessness in the 1960s and 1970s.
Month: December 2016
Explainer: why some churches teach that women are ‘separate but equal’
Complementarianism is the idea held in some faiths that men and women play different, complementary roles in life, society and – particularly – religious practice. Rather than regarding women as essentially inferior or incapable of leading, women are regarded as “equal”. This view is a way of interpreting patriarchal religious doctrines and reconciling their authority … Continue reading “Explainer: why some churches teach that women are ‘separate but equal’”
A ‘British Values’ oath has worrying echoes. There are much better ways to boost integration
For Catholics, the idea of an “oath for all holders of public office”, which the communities minister Sajid Javid proposed yesterday, has unpleasant connotations. For most of the last 500 years, Catholics were forced onto the margins of society by such measures as the oath of royal supremacy and the Test Act. Still, we … Continue reading “A ‘British Values’ oath has worrying echoes. There are much better ways to boost integration”
Professor Francis Davis discusses the impact of immigration on UK Churches on BBC Radio 4
Professor Francis Davis discussed the impact of immigration on UK Churches on the BBC Radio 4 show Beyond Belief on December 5, 2016. The topic of the show was introduced on BBC Radio 4’s website with the following words: “Churchgoing in the UK is in steep decline, but between 2005 and 2012 attendance rose by … Continue reading “Professor Francis Davis discusses the impact of immigration on UK Churches on BBC Radio 4”
Birmingham University lights up red for the persecuted
Lord Alton renewed his leadership of the national community working to mitigate abuses on the grounds of freedom and belief this week. It was wonderful to see his old friends Baroness Patricia Scotland (Commonwealth Secretary General), and Archbishop Justin Welby on board to support the initiative and significant swathes of the English North West rise … Continue reading “Birmingham University lights up red for the persecuted”