Christianity
An exhilarating chase: The Runner, by Scarlett Thomas, reviewed
Modern capitalism is this philosophical thriller’s dominant theme, with the protagonist on the run from assassins chasing a Bitcoin bounty
Looking for Katrin: Rory MacLean goes in search of his dead wife
In an attempt to find some meaning in his grief, the author explores how different faiths, philosophies or ‘timeless traditions’ embrace the afterlife
The Byzantine empire ends in an orgy of rape and slaughter
Massively outnumbered and abandoned by Christian Europe, Constantinople’s inhabitants finally succumbed to the Ottomans after a devastating 53-day siege
The brutal excommunication of the Society of Saint Pius X
On Wednesday, the largest traditional Catholic order of priests in the world, the Society of Saint Pius X, consecrated four…
Blame the Enlightenment for species extinction
Even such a key figure as Adam Smith believed that we would reach economic fulfilment before turning to the ‘real problems’ of nature and human life
What’s really behind Trump’s clash with the Pope?
Donald Trump’s latest clash with the Catholic Church stunned even the most hardened veterans of culture-war X. According to the…
Religion has been resurrected in British politics
British history is littered with elections and Elections. The first type, common or garden elections, are fought with prosaic issues…
Gen Z are turning to the Book of Common Prayer
‘No one pretends that modern services will fill the churches. But adult converts ought to be able to step naturally…
I stand by my comments about Islamic public prayer
Following my appointment as shadow justice secretary, I was moved to a bigger office in parliament. Where once I enjoyed…
Why Leonard Cohen felt empowered to pronounce benedictions
The musician, who never really abandoned his Orthodox Jewish hinterland, took to heart the fact that being a kohen entitled him to dispense priestly blessings
Christian nihilism is taking over American life
There’s something very religious about nihilism. For proof, look to the new capital of American nihilism, Minneapolis. A callousness toward…
Electrifying: Annie & the Caldwells, at Ronnie Scott’s, reviewed
Annie & the Caldwells are a long-running family gospel ensemble from West Point, Mississippi – father and sons playing guitar,…
What is it about Bob Dylan that sends writers mad?
Though a witness to many seminal Dylan moments, Ron Rosenbaum has produced what feels like a long voice-note after the pub, full of bluster, conspiracy and giddy conjecture
Jack Rankin: No to Reform
No to Reform Sir: Perhaps because I have been candid about the Conservative party’s failures in office, I am mooted…
At 53, I’m training to be a priest
I have recently begun training for holy orders in the Church of England. I know, they’re getting desperate. My motivation…
Iranians are risking everything to convert to Christianity
Apostasy – specifically, conversion to Christianity from Islam – is punishable by death in Iran. Suspected Christians are routinely imprisoned…
Should I wear a burka in the House of Lords?
On Advent Sunday, our grandson Christian became a Christian. He was baptised, sleeping, in the font of our parish church.…
The radical message of Christianity
A meeting planned in secret. A message deemed subversive. The authorities both antagonised and confused. The gatherings of the early…
Why is the modern Church embarrassed by angels?
One day while walking in Peckham Rye Park, William Blake saw angels sitting in the trees: ‘bright angelic wings bespangled…
Why Charlie Kirk was a modern prophet
Most of us indulge in mild fortune-telling. We think ‘If the light changes before I count to five, I’ll get…
Film and TV are run by satanists
I once came up with a brilliant idea for a children’s Sunday-evening TV series. It would follow the adventures of…
What we need from our new Archbishop of Canterbury
There have been 106 Archbishops of Canterbury since Gregory the Great declared Augustine his ‘Apostle to the English’ in 597.…
Was Serbia the real birthplace of the Renaissance?
Where did the Renaissance begin? There has been an official answer to that question since 1550, the date that Giorgio…
Centuries of cross-currents between Christianity and Islam
Elizabeth Drayson celebrates a long and fruitful exchange of views about the arts, sciences, literature and mathematics
The political resurrection of Christianity
There is a passage in Milan Kundera’s novelisitic essay ‘Testaments Betrayed’ where he writes about the nature of history. Man…
