Why the BBC keeps on blundering
The dust is settling on the BBC’s latest crisis over its sloppy editing of a Donald Trump video, but it…
The Church of England’s muddle over sex and marriage
Whatever you think of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, there can be no doubt about this: she firmly…
A female Archbishop of Canterbury changes everything for the CofE
Dame Sarah Mullally’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury is not a normal story about a woman being appointed to a…
Is Charlie Kirk a Christian martyr?
This feels deeply inappropriate, I thought, as I started watching Erika Kirk’s hagiographic eulogy. I am watching a grieving widow…
America’s troubled theopolitics
The bloody ideological instability of the United States – demonstrated this week by the horrific killing of Charlie Kirk –…
The vampiric desires of Putin and Xi
‘They’re vampires’ was my first thought. I had just heard the news that Putin and Xi were discussing how to…
Biddy Baxter’s Blue Peter and the end of a common culture
I haven’t written a poem in memory of Biddy Baxter, stern matriarch of Blue Peter, who died yesterday but here…
Bonnie Blue and the menace of ‘para-porn’
There are two proper responses to pornography it: to condemn it, and to ignore it. There are two other responses.…
The Church of England must stop feeling guilty about the Reformation
Thomas More has a richly ambiguous place in our religious and political history. Like a brave hero of conscience, he…
What liberalism’s critics get wrong
Perhaps we are living in the early sixteenth century. Think of the ideology of the West as a sort of…
What Alasdair MacIntyre got right – and wrong
Alasdair MacIntyre, who died last week, was one of the most influential thinkers of the past 50 years. It is…
How to save the Church of England
The Church of England’s various travails and dilemmas – on controversial issues, like sexuality and safeguarding – are on one…
How to fight back against Lily Phillips
Why is the pornification of our culture so difficult to oppose? Partly because it takes subtly different forms. There used…
Are Protestants free to criticise Catholicism?
The death of a Pope is a time for assorted reflections on the Catholic Church. Protestants can be wary of…
Lily Phillips isn’t an authority on sex
I wasn’t intending to write about Lily Phillips again. Her story would ideally be ignored. But if it does appear…
Are Brits really abandoning their Christian faith?
Many Brits who were raised as Christians have abandoned their faith, according to a report by the Pew Research Centre.…
My wife earns more than me – and it doesn’t feel great
This is the article I have thought about writing for years, but I have always ended up asking what would…
Jordan Peterson should make his mind up about Christianity
Jordan Peterson is a cross between a student who has lately discovered the meaning of life, and a professor who…
Are Christians allowed to judge the promiscuous?
I was planning to give my mother-in-law the new biography of Ronald Blythe this Christmas. Then I read a review…
How to save the parish church
Parish churches are in trouble: about fifty churches close every year, according to a report from Civitas. The review, published…
Shame on George Carey
There are many grey areas in this safeguarding saga. So it is nice when some black and white emerges. It…
Masterchef gives me the creeps
Eating porridge with my daughter this morning (me brown sugar; her honey) I was telling her about Ready Brek, and…
Are Christian holiday camps a force for good?
In my early teenage years, I attended Christian holiday camps very like the ‘Bash’ camps where John Smyth and Justin…
Why did so many Christians vote for Trump?
It’s hard to know what to say about Donald Trump. Well, maybe it’s easy enough if you’re a fan, or…
The trouble with Guy Fawkes night
My reaction to fireworks is a bit eccentric. Lovely, I think, but can’t they be more meaningful? To be more…
