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Suffering and Poverty |
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| Tears, questions and theology 4 Jun 2010 This weekend, it is likely that the focus of the ‘Why?’ question will move from Derrick Bird onto God - especially if there’s a Christian in the room. Why does God allow things like this to happen? |
God's Presence in Haiti 22 Jan 2010 In the aftermath of tragedy, there’s an order of events we have come to expect. Disaster strikes… reports roll… humanitarian efforts commence… questions regarding God and suffering arise. The Haitian earthquake has been no different. |
Peace, Prosperity... and Climate Change 10 Dec 2009 When the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, it was hardly the land they wanted to be in – their longing was for Jerusalem. |
| Original Violence 27 Nov 2009 One of the less well noticed aspects of last week’s Humanist campaign was their suggestion that we allow our children to “freely explore their moral and philosophical beliefs, to maximise their own ability to explore the world for themselves.” They told us that “presenting only your own views…will not be very productive.” |
Service and Sacrifice 12 Nov 2009 Since September 11th 2001, Afghanistan has rarely been out of the news. |
Living Simply? 18 Sep 2009 Since the collapse of Lehman Brothers a year ago, the economic crisis has rarely left the news stories. This week, the Archbishop of Canterbury argued that there had been a lack of repentance and accepting of responsibility in the banking industry for the mistakes made. |
| Child Abuse and The Church 22 May 2009 This isn't the FNT I was planning to write. In my mind, I had this idea about writing an FNT which linked our recent loss of faith in parliament due to the MP's expenses scandal with the loss of faith in God that occurs when Christians behave badly, such as that detailed in this week's Catholic child abuse enquiry. |
Swine Flu 1 May 2009 In The Rise of Christianity, Rodney Stark, a sociologist, charts the phenomenal growth of Christianity in its first three hundred years, and attempts to offer some kind of explanation for it. |
The Value of the G20 3 Apr 2009 In last week's FNT, I drew attention to the 2000 report from the World Bank, Voices of the Poor. |
| God and the G20 26 Mar 2009 "This isn't going to be another Stop the War moment, where a huge march is held, the government ignores it and everyone goes home depressed." |
Does Religion Cause War? 9 Jan 2009 As the situation in Gaza becomes worse by the day, the apologetic challenge this weekend is most likely to centre on the role of religion in fomenting this conflict. |
Blame 14 Nov 2008 Isn't it clear, isn't it absolutely blindingly obvious that somebody was culpable? A child at the end of this perfect paper trail, a child died, and that's it, isn't it? |
| Sharing our Master's Happiness 26 Sep 2008 Amazing how quickly institutions can crumble, savings evaporate and careers come to a halt. It makes you think. |
Christ in the Credit Crunch 19 Sep 2008 If you were in denial about the credit crunch, you surely can’t be any more. |
The True Fast 11 Sep 2008 Right now, your Muslim friends are half way through Ramadan, their annual fast from sunrise to sunset, every day, for a month. |
| God on Trial 5 Sep 2008 On Wednesday night, BBC 2 broadcast God on Trial, a drama written by Frank Cotterell Boyce that depicts a group of Auschwitz prisoners accusing God of breaking his covenant with the Jews. |
Doing Good 27 Jun 2008 I'm sure somewhere there's a website which captures the stories the mainstream media don't cover. |
Saving the Children 22 Feb 2008 On Monday, Save the Children released a major new report: Saving Children's Lives. Its most significant finding is that, as one headline put it, "Wealth may not lead to health." |
| If God is a God of love... 27 Jul 2007 If God is a God of love then why does he allow so much suffering? |
Why God? Why? 1 Jun 2007 According to atheists, the presence of suffering disproves the existence of God. Therefore, the rational response for anyone who experiences suffering is to give up their faith. |
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Environment |
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| Mistakes, consequences and forgiveness 18 Jun 2010 For one month and 29 days now, a damaged oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has been pouring oil into the sea, polluting the water... |
Peace, Prosperity... and Climate Change 10 Dec 2009 When the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, it was hardly the land they wanted to be in – their longing was for Jerusalem. |
One Small Step 23 Jul 2009 Forty years ago this week the first man took his first step on the moon after an intense battle for political and cultural ascendancy between the Americans and the Soviets. |
| Preach the Gospel at all times. If absolutely necessary, use carbon. 8 Feb 2008 If you're an avid reader of the comments that are posted on our website each week you'll be aware that, according to one contributor, there are: 'Ten Top Subjects About Which Christianity Has No Contribution To Make'. |
I'm a Creationist - are you? 5 Oct 2007 I have a confession to make: I'm a creationist. Unfortunately, the Government doesn't agree. |
Britain becomes a Prozac Nation 17 May 2007 A new report by the mental health charity, Mind, revealed that over 31million anti-depressants were handed out last year. |
Politics |
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| The New Testament and the New Government 11 Jun 2010 It’s crucial to reject the idea that the New Testament and politics are un-connected or even incompatible. |
Bearing one another’s burdens 14 May 2010 We like to form the associations and friendships which are convenient or felicitous, not those that have the potential to slow us down or inveigh against personal freedoms. |
Chaos, confusion and coalitions 7 May 2010 Confusion and complexity reflect our differences, and difference shouldn't be a threat, otherwise we would be afraid of everyone but ourselves. Difference should be a commodity that we cherish and value, that we protect rather than stifle. |
| My Manifesto 30 Apr 2010 Amidst the rhetoric about 'a big society', my interest is drawn towards the big silence. While there is much focus on how the manifestos will affect us, there is little attention for 'the other'. |
Embracing the unexpected 23 Apr 2010 After the first leaders' debate Nick Clegg's popularity soared and the eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajokull grounded all air traffic across Northern Europe for the best part of a week. |
Debating Reputation 16 Apr 2010 What role should personality and character have in the contemporary gladiatorial arena of party politics? |
| Christianity is political 8 Apr 2010 On the basis that Christianity is about loving God and loving neighbour rightly, what are the implications for politics? |
Tax avoidance 5 Mar 2010 Tax is unavoidable and unpopular. It is an often controversial subject which can reveal people’s ideological differences. And, none of this is new! The Gospels reveal that on more than one occasion people questioned Jesus about tax. |
A brief theology of anger 26 Feb 2010 Is Gordon Brown a bully? We may never know the truth behind the allegations. However, what does the Bible have to say about anger? |
| Respect, compromise and the pursuit of religious liberty 12 Feb 2010 When Devender Ghai, a devout Hindu, dies, he wants to be cremated on an open funeral pyre in accordance to his beliefs. Four years ago Newcastle City Council ruled that this would be illegal. Last year the High Court upheld this ruling. But this week the Court of Appeal has overturned these rulings, meaning that Ghai is a significant step closer to having his dying wishes become a reality. |
Looking for Good News 6 Nov 2009 My first interaction with the world each morning is to get the news on teletext and see what’s going on in the world and locally. |
Questioning Question Time 23 Oct 2009 In 1984, Jean-Marie Le Pen was given a slot on the French TV show L’Heure de Vérité (The Hour of Truth). |
| Doing God 9 Oct 2009 When both the politicians and the pop stars are ‘doing God’, you’ve got to feel sorry for the atheists. |
It's The Son Wot Won It 1 Oct 2009 There may not be that many FNT subscribers who read the Sun on a regular basis but for those that do the question is whether or not they will change their voting intentions now that Britain’s best-selling daily has come out for the Conservatives. |
Don't Be A Stranger! 26 Jun 2009 How ironic that in the week a survey revealed Belfast to be the UK’s most neighbourly city it made far more headlines for the racial abuse and intimidation handed out to a group of Romanian families. |
| Young People Matter 25 Jun 2009 Would you believe that 14-18 year olds in England are contributing over £300 million to the economy through volunteering and charitable giving? |
The Murder of George Tiller 5 Jun 2009 The murder of US late term abortion doctor George Tiller last Sunday, has sparked the debate again between the pro-choice and pro-life camps on both sides of the Atlantic. |
It Was Within The Rules! 15 May 2009 Each day this week the Daily Telegraph has exposed details of how MPs have used the Parliamentary expenses system, in some cases for their own financial advantage. |
| The Utility of Torture 17 Apr 2009 "It is 'obvious and unarguable' that no governmental interest is more compelling than the security of the nation." |
The Value of the G20 3 Apr 2009 In last week's FNT, I drew attention to the 2000 report from the World Bank, Voices of the Poor. |
God and the G20 26 Mar 2009 "This isn't going to be another Stop the War moment, where a huge march is held, the government ignores it and everyone goes home depressed." |
| Domestic Violence in the Bible? 13 Mar 2009 167 women are raped every day in the UK; 1 in 4 women will be the victim of domestic violence at some time in their life. |
Obama 23 Jan 2009 Like millions of people around the world I watched the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. |
Don't be a Stranger 28 Nov 2008 Mercy is a term we don't hear much in our common discourse. In our modern usage, "mercy" is often associated with weakness. |
| St Obama the Divine? 7 Nov 2008 If Barack Obama thought his 21 month epic election campaign was hard work or that he could now take a well earned break, he will be in for a shock when he reads today's papers. |
Hillary Clinton's Win 6 Jun 2008 Arguably, Hillary Clinton didn’t lose this week in her campaign to be the democratic nominee for president - she simply delayed it. |
Abortion 23 May 2008 Few issues in recent times have been quite so emotive as the debates this week about abortion. |
| Remembering Martin Luther King 4 Apr 2008 As they say in politics and media, "timing is everything". So I was pleasantly surprised to see the BBC 2 documentary last Saturday night on Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, coming a week before the 40th anniversary of King's death today. |
Obama the Evangelical? 29 Feb 2008 If you have been avidly following the US elections as I have, then you will be aware of the stories that have circulated suggesting that the leading Democrat candidate, Barack Obama, is in fact a Muslim. |
A safe bet for the Archbishop 15 Feb 2008 Of all the jobs in the world, there’s one I’m very glad I don’t have at the moment. The Archbishop of Canterbury. |
| The Blasphemy Debate 11 Jan 2008 Does God need legal protection? The answer is quite clearly no, as the former Archbishop of Canterbury articulated this week, when questioned about the potential abolition of the blasphemy laws. |
Blair's Faith 7 Dec 2007 There is something strange in the human psyche that means a man will tolerate being called a warmonger, but not tolerate being called a "nutter". |
Striking France 23 Nov 2007 I made a comment the other day that I'm ashamed of. I never thought I would utter the words... |
| See no evil 19 Oct 2007 "Our soldiers need better preparation for life after death, says army chief" ran the headline in this week's The Times. |
Burmese Morality and Coronation Street 28 Sep 2007 Fans of Coronation Street have been struggling with forgiveness this week |
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Miracles |
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| Wright on the Resurrection 7 Aug 2009 Various things could be said of Adam Rutherford's take on the resurrection (apart from the fact that the criticism doesn't seem to be engaging with the central issues, so it's hard to tell whether he's really heard the point or not). |
The Resurrection 9 Apr 2009 We may not like it, but for the majority of folk this weekend won't hold much spiritual significance. |
When is a miracle not a miracle? 18 Jan 2008 'A miraculous emergency landing' was the opening line in one of our papers this morning as it reflected on the Heathrow plane crash yesterday. |
| A Good News Story 14 Dec 2007 I got the shock of my life this morning. A newspaper actually had a headline that was positive news. |
The Miracle of Green Blood 15 Jun 2007 Science fiction became fact this week when the medical journal The Lancet reported the unusual case of a man with green blood. |
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Science |
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| Fear of aliens, fear of God 19 Feb 2010 This week, the release of over 6000 pages of reports that outline sightings of UFOs, provides fuel for both the light-hearted conversations and serious UFO research. |
Creation The Movie 25 Sep 2009 Today sees the release in UK cinemas of Creation, marking the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. |
One Small Step 23 Jul 2009 Forty years ago this week the first man took his first step on the moon after an intense battle for political and cultural ascendancy between the Americans and the Soviets. |
| Tree-surgery for Atheists 6 Mar 2009 Recently, Colin Blakemore tried to argue that the relentless march of science was leaving precious little room in which religion could survive. |
Can you do Darwin and God? 12 Feb 2009 Darwin was a Christian and he lost his Christian faith. |
The Science of Trust 9 Oct 2008 This morning, the Telegraph and the Today programme reported that sales of personal household safes had risen by 25 percent. |
| Stoned Moses? 7 Mar 2008 Here's a claim you might not have heard before: Moses was stoned when he received the Ten Commandments and the "revelations" on Mount Sinai resulted from an altered state of consciousness. |
I'm a Creationist - are you? 5 Oct 2007 I have a confession to make: I'm a creationist. Unfortunately, the Government doesn't agree. |
The Dawkins Doubters 7 Sep 2007 It has not been a great week for Richard Dawkins. A series of authors, who previously have been supportive, are now distancing themselves from the extreme nature of his views. |
| Biblical Truth at the British Museum 13 Jul 2007 It is not often that our national newspapers acknowledge the historical truth of the Bible, but that is precisely what has taken place this week. |
Biology's Dark Matter 22 Jun 2007 "Biologists have gone from thinking that they know what is going on in their subject to suddenly realising that they barely have a clue". |
The Miracle of Green Blood 15 Jun 2007 Science fiction became fact this week when the medical journal The Lancet reported the unusual case of a man with green blood. |
Wealth and Success |
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| The rich list 12 Mar 2010 The Bible doesn’t have the monochromatically negative attitude to money as is popularly believed. |
Tax avoidance 5 Mar 2010 Tax is unavoidable and unpopular. It is an often controversial subject which can reveal people’s ideological differences. And, none of this is new! The Gospels reveal that on more than one occasion people questioned Jesus about tax. |
Living Simply? 18 Sep 2009 Since the collapse of Lehman Brothers a year ago, the economic crisis has rarely left the news stories. This week, the Archbishop of Canterbury argued that there had been a lack of repentance and accepting of responsibility in the banking industry for the mistakes made. |
| Kaka 16 Jan 2009 What does conformity look like these days? |
The First Christmas Carol 19 Dec 2008 Do you ever wonder if we've got Christmas seriously wrong? |
St Obama the Divine? 7 Nov 2008 If Barack Obama thought his 21 month epic election campaign was hard work or that he could now take a well earned break, he will be in for a shock when he reads today's papers. |
| The Root of All Evil 30 Oct 2008 Sometimes jokes go more than a little bit too far, a lesson Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have no doubt learnt this week. |
Christ in the Credit Crunch 19 Sep 2008 If you were in denial about the credit crunch, you surely can’t be any more. |
Paul's Christmas Carol 20 Dec 2007 Do you ever wonder if we've got Christmas seriously wrong? I don't mean whether Jesus really was born of a virgin, or whether there really was a guiding star, or whether the angels really did appear to Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. |
| Money, money, money 21 Sep 2007 What would Jesus have made of the queues outside Northern Rock this week? |
Beckham - You're Hired! 8 Jun 2007 It's been a good week for some. Firstly, David Beckham, after months in the footballing wilderness, returned to triumph against Estonia. Secondly, Katie Hopkins impressed Sir Alan Sugar enough to win a place in The Apprentice final. |
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Arts and Contemporary Culture |
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| My Manifesto 30 Apr 2010 Amidst the rhetoric about 'a big society', my interest is drawn towards the big silence. While there is much focus on how the manifestos will affect us, there is little attention for 'the other'. |
The God-man Jesus and the scoundrel Philip Pullman 1 Apr 2010 Pullman’s gospel fairy-tale is hardly a threat to a Christian’s faith, but it could well be a stimulus which starts many people thinking. |
Change from the Inside 17 Dec 2009 As the Christmas party season kicks in and the food and drink is supplied in abundance, I’ve heard a huge number of people telling me how they’re planning to go on a diet in the New Year. |
| Friends 4 Dec 2009 “'I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour,” sang the Rembrandts in what became the theme tune to Friends – but not, it might seem, if you live in London and you’re under 25. |
Doing God 9 Oct 2009 When both the politicians and the pop stars are ‘doing God’, you’ve got to feel sorry for the atheists. |
It's The Son Wot Won It 1 Oct 2009 There may not be that many FNT subscribers who read the Sun on a regular basis but for those that do the question is whether or not they will change their voting intentions now that Britain’s best-selling daily has come out for the Conservatives. |
| Young People Matter 25 Jun 2009 Would you believe that 14-18 year olds in England are contributing over £300 million to the economy through volunteering and charitable giving? |
Chris Moyles Talks Up Church 19 Jun 2009 It's not that often that Radio 1 DJs extol the virtue of church, but that's precisely what Chris Moyles did on his breakfast show recently. |
Meeting Jesus 12 Jun 2009 One of the more unlikely poll findings you could imagine was revealed this week from the team that brought us Primeval. Three thousand people were asked which dead person they would most like to meet, and top of the list came Jesus Christ. |
| Working on a Dream 29 May 2009 Britain's got talent. Plenty of it. Each night this week a colourful array of singers, dancers, escapologists, DJs, comics, and musicians have graced the airwaves. |
Susan Boyle takes on Miss USA 23 Apr 2009 Miss USA or an unemployed, cat loving lady from Scotland… who would you expect to be the youtube sensation of the week? |
The Fear 19 Feb 2009 Everyone it seems is a bit scared these days. |
| Strictly 21 Nov 2008 Should John have gone or should he have stayed? In case you're not sure what I'm talking about, I'm referring to John Sergeant, who this week quit the hugely popular BBC1 show, Strictly Come Dancing. |
The Root of All Evil 30 Oct 2008 Sometimes jokes go more than a little bit too far, a lesson Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have no doubt learnt this week. |
The Apprentice 13 Jun 2008 On Wednesday night, Lee McQueen became the surprise winner of the latest series of The Apprentice. |
| Judge Not 25 Jan 2008 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" |
Pullman's 'god' 30 Nov 2007 This week, as The Golden Compass premiered in London, Philip Pullman has managed to pull off the rather unique trick of upsetting both Christians and atheists. |
Jesus and the WI 9 Nov 2007 Did Jesus enjoy jam making or wear a twin-set and pearls? Clearly not, but what this week has highlighted is that Jesus and the Women's Institute have more in common than you might think. |
| Jesus and Rugby 12 Oct 2007 The power of sport to bond people never ceases to amaze and few other things can create such a sense of unity amongst strangers. |
Burmese Morality and Coronation Street 28 Sep 2007 Fans of Coronation Street have been struggling with forgiveness this week |
Facebook 14 Sep 2007 This week the social networking site, Facebook, has angered privacy advocates by adding a public-search function. This means that soon anyone will be able to find Facebook members via search engines such as Google. |
| Is God punishing Jade? 20 Jul 2007 This week, Closer, the celebrity magazine, splashed the following on its front page: "Jade Goody: My miscarriage is God's punishment". |
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Life and Death |
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| Respect, compromise and the pursuit of religious liberty 12 Feb 2010 When Devender Ghai, a devout Hindu, dies, he wants to be cremated on an open funeral pyre in accordance to his beliefs. Four years ago Newcastle City Council ruled that this would be illegal. Last year the High Court upheld this ruling. But this week the Court of Appeal has overturned these rulings, meaning that Ghai is a significant step closer to having his dying wishes become a reality. |
Original Violence 27 Nov 2009 One of the less well noticed aspects of last week’s Humanist campaign was their suggestion that we allow our children to “freely explore their moral and philosophical beliefs, to maximise their own ability to explore the world for themselves.” They told us that “presenting only your own views…will not be very productive.” |
Service and Sacrifice 12 Nov 2009 Since September 11th 2001, Afghanistan has rarely been out of the news. |
| Whose Life Do We Value? 30 Oct 2009 It probably wasn’t a surprise to hear this week that the number of Down’s syndrome pregnancies has nearly doubled in the last 20 years, given that many women are increasingly delaying Motherhood. |
What Happens When We Die? 11 Sep 2009 What happens when we die? Perhaps surprisingly, that was the question being debated on Radio 4 this week in connection with a new book by neuroscientist David Eagleman. |
H1N1 17 Jul 2009 I don't know which worries me more: swine flu, or the response of the population to the virus in our midst. |
| The Murder of George Tiller 5 Jun 2009 The murder of US late term abortion doctor George Tiller last Sunday, has sparked the debate again between the pro-choice and pro-life camps on both sides of the Atlantic. |
Swine Flu 1 May 2009 In The Rise of Christianity, Rodney Stark, a sociologist, charts the phenomenal growth of Christianity in its first three hundred years, and attempts to offer some kind of explanation for it. |
The Utility of Torture 17 Apr 2009 "It is 'obvious and unarguable' that no governmental interest is more compelling than the security of the nation." |
| The Resurrection 9 Apr 2009 We may not like it, but for the majority of folk this weekend won't hold much spiritual significance. |
Does Religion Cause War? 9 Jan 2009 As the situation in Gaza becomes worse by the day, the apologetic challenge this weekend is most likely to centre on the role of religion in fomenting this conflict. |
Blame 14 Nov 2008 Isn't it clear, isn't it absolutely blindingly obvious that somebody was culpable? A child at the end of this perfect paper trail, a child died, and that's it, isn't it? |
| Deserving a Second Chance 4 Jul 2008 Three days ago, on a road I frequently go past, just 200 meters from my Church, another young person was fatally stabbed. |
Forgiveness 16 May 2008 "What, I wonder, do Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and all the other professional atheists who make good money out of knocking people's religious faith make of the behaviour of Margaret Mizen in the immediate aftermath of her son Jimmy’s murder?" |
Austrian Horror 2 May 2008 Few news stories these days have the power to shock us. Whether it's teenagers being stabbed in South London or genocide in Africa, we think we've seen and heard it all before. Yet, this week's revelations from Austria will probably have changed all that. |
| Is Torture ever OK? 26 Oct 2007 Is torture ever justified? Spooks - the BBC 1 spy drama - certainly gave the impression that it was this week. |
See no evil 19 Oct 2007 "Our soldiers need better preparation for life after death, says army chief" ran the headline in this week's The Times. |
The Value of Life 29 Jun 2007 Are all lives of equal value? Most of us would instinctively say yes, but it would seem that the government isn't quite so sure. |
The Bible |
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| The Top 10 Worst Bible Passages 3 Sep 2009 On Tuesday, the Daily Telegraph published what they called ‘The Top 10 worst Bible passages’. The list was taken from shipoffools.com who have been asking those who visit their website to vote on their least favourite verse. |
Wright on the Resurrection 7 Aug 2009 Various things could be said of Adam Rutherford's take on the resurrection (apart from the fact that the criticism doesn't seem to be engaging with the central issues, so it's hard to tell whether he's really heard the point or not). |
Happy Birthday Calvin! 10 Jul 2009 I'm sure by now you're getting fed up with the relentless media coverage of John Calvin's birthday. The endless documentaries, radio pieces and newspaper articles are just getting a bit too much - or are they? |
| Domestic Violence in the Bible? 13 Mar 2009 167 women are raped every day in the UK; 1 in 4 women will be the victim of domestic violence at some time in their life. |
What should evangelicals believe and do? 12 Dec 2008 This week, the Guardian website has been asking the question: What should evangelicals believe and do? |
Biblical Interpretation 4 Dec 2008 In Spring 2009, another new version of the Bible will be published - the Princess Diana Bible. |
| Paul's Christmas Carol 20 Dec 2007 Do you ever wonder if we've got Christmas seriously wrong? I don't mean whether Jesus really was born of a virgin, or whether there really was a guiding star, or whether the angels really did appear to Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. |
Biblical Truth at the British Museum 13 Jul 2007 It is not often that our national newspapers acknowledge the historical truth of the Bible, but that is precisely what has taken place this week. |
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Sport |
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| Sport Relief 19 Mar 2010 Sport has ability to both unite and divide. Sporting events can unite individuals and communities as we cheer on our sports stars and teams, while nations, communities, and even families, can be divided when two teams compete. |
Murray Fever 3 Jul 2009 "I'll be supporting anyone but England." "I think we both played like women in the first set." Two quotations from the notoriously outspoken Andy Murray. |
The Resurrection 9 Apr 2009 We may not like it, but for the majority of folk this weekend won't hold much spiritual significance. |
| Kaka 16 Jan 2009 What does conformity look like these days? |
Jesus and Rugby 12 Oct 2007 The power of sport to bond people never ceases to amaze and few other things can create such a sense of unity amongst strangers. |
Beckham - You're Hired! 8 Jun 2007 It's been a good week for some. Firstly, David Beckham, after months in the footballing wilderness, returned to triumph against Estonia. Secondly, Katie Hopkins impressed Sir Alan Sugar enough to win a place in The Apprentice final. |
Atheism and Other Religions |
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| Would You Ban the Burqa? 23 Jul 2010 Belgium, France and Syria have done it and so it seems to be the done thing now, to think about banning the burqa. |
Respect, compromise and the pursuit of religious liberty 12 Feb 2010 When Devender Ghai, a devout Hindu, dies, he wants to be cremated on an open funeral pyre in accordance to his beliefs. Four years ago Newcastle City Council ruled that this would be illegal. Last year the High Court upheld this ruling. But this week the Court of Appeal has overturned these rulings, meaning that Ghai is a significant step closer to having his dying wishes become a reality. |
Religion: A 'Get out of jail free' card? 5 Feb 2010 Shamso Miah, a devout Muslim, had been convicted of assault after he broke a man’s jaw following an argument in a bank queue. Booth QC suspended his six month jail sentence saying, “You are a religious man and you know that this is not acceptable behaviour”. |
| Original Violence 27 Nov 2009 One of the less well noticed aspects of last week’s Humanist campaign was their suggestion that we allow our children to “freely explore their moral and philosophical beliefs, to maximise their own ability to explore the world for themselves.” They told us that “presenting only your own views…will not be very productive.” |
What should we make of the atheist (non-bus) campaign? 19 Nov 2009 The Atheist ‘Bus Campaign’ is now back on our streets, although this time it’s not actually taking place on buses, nor is it particularly atheistic. |
Questioning Question Time 23 Oct 2009 In 1984, Jean-Marie Le Pen was given a slot on the French TV show L’Heure de Vérité (The Hour of Truth). |
| Creation The Movie 25 Sep 2009 Today sees the release in UK cinemas of Creation, marking the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. |
Young People Matter 25 Jun 2009 Would you believe that 14-18 year olds in England are contributing over £300 million to the economy through volunteering and charitable giving? |
Swine Flu 1 May 2009 In The Rise of Christianity, Rodney Stark, a sociologist, charts the phenomenal growth of Christianity in its first three hundred years, and attempts to offer some kind of explanation for it. |
| Absolute Evil 20 Mar 2009 Which of the following are you more certain of: 2+2 = 4 or what Josef Fritzl did was wrong? |
Tree-surgery for Atheists 6 Mar 2009 Recently, Colin Blakemore tried to argue that the relentless march of science was leaving precious little room in which religion could survive. |
Values 27 Feb 2009 This week, a BBC poll revealed that the majority of the population support the role of religion in public life. |
| Does Religion Cause War? 9 Jan 2009 As the situation in Gaza becomes worse by the day, the apologetic challenge this weekend is most likely to centre on the role of religion in fomenting this conflict. |
The Atheists on the Bus 24 Oct 2008 "There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy life." You may not have heard, but this slogan is to become a regular advert on London's infamous bendy buses. |
The Science of Trust 9 Oct 2008 This morning, the Telegraph and the Today programme reported that sales of personal household safes had risen by 25 percent. |
| Causing Offence 18 Jul 2008 This week, the Archbishop of Canterbury was in the headlines again for apparently being worried about causing offence to Muslims. Of course, the truth was somewhat different. |
The god Delusion 28 Mar 2008 Goliath told himself, 'My spear will skewer this child like a….' Thud. So ends the story of David and Goliath in a fantastic new book published by Scripture Union. |
The Dawkins Doubters 7 Sep 2007 It has not been a great week for Richard Dawkins. A series of authors, who previously have been supportive, are now distancing themselves from the extreme nature of his views. |
Faith and Reason |
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| Rev 16 Jul 2010 If you’re someone who wonders what the local vicar does Monday to Saturday this programme will be an eye opener! Already, the Rev has had a wide range of issues to deal with, not world-changing issues as such, but mini-crises that have consumed his time. |
The God-man Jesus and the scoundrel Philip Pullman 1 Apr 2010 Pullman’s gospel fairy-tale is hardly a threat to a Christian’s faith, but it could well be a stimulus which starts many people thinking. |
Creation The Movie 25 Sep 2009 Today sees the release in UK cinemas of Creation, marking the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. |
| The Top 10 Worst Bible Passages 3 Sep 2009 On Tuesday, the Daily Telegraph published what they called ‘The Top 10 worst Bible passages’. The list was taken from shipoffools.com who have been asking those who visit their website to vote on their least favourite verse. |
Wright on the Resurrection 7 Aug 2009 Various things could be said of Adam Rutherford's take on the resurrection (apart from the fact that the criticism doesn't seem to be engaging with the central issues, so it's hard to tell whether he's really heard the point or not). |
Absolute Evil 20 Mar 2009 Which of the following are you more certain of: 2+2 = 4 or what Josef Fritzl did was wrong? |
| Can you do Darwin and God? 12 Feb 2009 Darwin was a Christian and he lost his Christian faith. |
Stoned Moses? 7 Mar 2008 Here's a claim you might not have heard before: Moses was stoned when he received the Ten Commandments and the "revelations" on Mount Sinai resulted from an altered state of consciousness. |
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Lifestyle Issues |
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| Would You Ban the Burqa? 23 Jul 2010 Belgium, France and Syria have done it and so it seems to be the done thing now, to think about banning the burqa. |
Happy Birthday Social Trends 9 Jul 2010 The annual survey of life in Britain is forty years old this week, giving a trustworthy picture of how the nation has changed. |
Knowing me, knowing you 28 May 2010 Reports this week suggest that we are lonelier than ever before, sparking predictions that we are corporately heading towards a generation of Eleanor Rigbys united by our isolation. |
| A brief theology of anger 26 Feb 2010 Is Gordon Brown a bully? We may never know the truth behind the allegations. However, what does the Bible have to say about anger? |
The demise of reliability 29 Jan 2010 Employers have long considered reliability to be a desired character trait amongst employees. However, in the news this week, we've discovered that thinking such as this might be discriminatory! |
Change from the Inside 17 Dec 2009 As the Christmas party season kicks in and the food and drink is supplied in abundance, I’ve heard a huge number of people telling me how they’re planning to go on a diet in the New Year. |
| Peace, Prosperity... and Climate Change 10 Dec 2009 When the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, it was hardly the land they wanted to be in – their longing was for Jerusalem. |
Friends 4 Dec 2009 “'I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour,” sang the Rembrandts in what became the theme tune to Friends – but not, it might seem, if you live in London and you’re under 25. |
Original Violence 27 Nov 2009 One of the less well noticed aspects of last week’s Humanist campaign was their suggestion that we allow our children to “freely explore their moral and philosophical beliefs, to maximise their own ability to explore the world for themselves.” They told us that “presenting only your own views…will not be very productive.” |
| Looking for Good News 6 Nov 2009 My first interaction with the world each morning is to get the news on teletext and see what’s going on in the world and locally. |
Whose Life Do We Value? 30 Oct 2009 It probably wasn’t a surprise to hear this week that the number of Down’s syndrome pregnancies has nearly doubled in the last 20 years, given that many women are increasingly delaying Motherhood. |
Living Simply? 18 Sep 2009 Since the collapse of Lehman Brothers a year ago, the economic crisis has rarely left the news stories. This week, the Archbishop of Canterbury argued that there had been a lack of repentance and accepting of responsibility in the banking industry for the mistakes made. |
| H1N1 17 Jul 2009 I don't know which worries me more: swine flu, or the response of the population to the virus in our midst. |
Don't Be A Stranger! 26 Jun 2009 How ironic that in the week a survey revealed Belfast to be the UK’s most neighbourly city it made far more headlines for the racial abuse and intimidation handed out to a group of Romanian families. |
The Murder of George Tiller 5 Jun 2009 The murder of US late term abortion doctor George Tiller last Sunday, has sparked the debate again between the pro-choice and pro-life camps on both sides of the Atlantic. |
| Domestic Violence in the Bible? 13 Mar 2009 167 women are raped every day in the UK; 1 in 4 women will be the victim of domestic violence at some time in their life. |
A Good Childhood 6 Feb 2009 I could spend an age dissecting the latest Children's Society's findings in yet another report that highlights how we’re failing our children; instead I'll address the core problem it highlights. |
The Root of All Evil 30 Oct 2008 Sometimes jokes go more than a little bit too far, a lesson Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have no doubt learnt this week. |
| Speed and Son Solicitors 17 Oct 2008 When you get caught speeding or kill someone by driving too fast, contact Speed and Son solicitors. |
Made in his Image 3 Oct 2008 On my desk sits an old cross, two pieces of gnarled wood roughly held together by a nail. |
Sharing our Master's Happiness 26 Sep 2008 Amazing how quickly institutions can crumble, savings evaporate and careers come to a halt. It makes you think. |
| Christ in the Credit Crunch 19 Sep 2008 If you were in denial about the credit crunch, you surely can’t be any more. |
Holidays 1 Aug 2008 What do our holidays reveal about us or, more importantly, the God we follow? |
Mosley's Morality 25 Jul 2008 FNT reader: What do you think of what Max Mosley did? Was it wrong? Their friend: Well, I think it's fine - I mean I wouldn't do it myself - but, as Mosley said, it's none of anyone else's business what consenting adults get up to in private. |
| Sexual Sin 20 Jun 2008 How on earth did we get to the situation where evangelicals are defined by their attitude to sexuality? |
Sex 16 Nov 2007 In conversations with non-Christian friends, one of the commonest objections to Christianity I have come across is, "But what’s wrong with sex before marriage?" |
Money, money, money 21 Sep 2007 What would Jesus have made of the queues outside Northern Rock this week? |
The Church |
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| Rev 16 Jul 2010 If you’re someone who wonders what the local vicar does Monday to Saturday this programme will be an eye opener! Already, the Rev has had a wide range of issues to deal with, not world-changing issues as such, but mini-crises that have consumed his time. |
Knowing me, knowing you 28 May 2010 Reports this week suggest that we are lonelier than ever before, sparking predictions that we are corporately heading towards a generation of Eleanor Rigbys united by our isolation. |
The problem of us vs. them 21 May 2010 When conflict escalates between two sides the differences become more pronounced, the two sides become increasingly opposed, and the possibility of constructive conversation becomes harder. |
| Friends 4 Dec 2009 “'I’ll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour,” sang the Rembrandts in what became the theme tune to Friends – but not, it might seem, if you live in London and you’re under 25. |
Whose Life Do We Value? 30 Oct 2009 It probably wasn’t a surprise to hear this week that the number of Down’s syndrome pregnancies has nearly doubled in the last 20 years, given that many women are increasingly delaying Motherhood. |
H1N1 17 Jul 2009 I don't know which worries me more: swine flu, or the response of the population to the virus in our midst. |
| Happy Birthday Calvin! 10 Jul 2009 I'm sure by now you're getting fed up with the relentless media coverage of John Calvin's birthday. The endless documentaries, radio pieces and newspaper articles are just getting a bit too much - or are they? |
Young People Matter 25 Jun 2009 Would you believe that 14-18 year olds in England are contributing over £300 million to the economy through volunteering and charitable giving? |
Chris Moyles Talks Up Church 19 Jun 2009 It's not that often that Radio 1 DJs extol the virtue of church, but that's precisely what Chris Moyles did on his breakfast show recently. |
| Meeting Jesus 12 Jun 2009 One of the more unlikely poll findings you could imagine was revealed this week from the team that brought us Primeval. Three thousand people were asked which dead person they would most like to meet, and top of the list came Jesus Christ. |
Child Abuse and The Church 22 May 2009 This isn't the FNT I was planning to write. In my mind, I had this idea about writing an FNT which linked our recent loss of faith in parliament due to the MP's expenses scandal with the loss of faith in God that occurs when Christians behave badly, such as that detailed in this week's Catholic child abuse enquiry. |
What Men Want 8 May 2009 This week, Christian men’s magazine, Sorted, reported the results of a survey of over 400 readers, asking their view on Church. |
| The Resurrection 9 Apr 2009 We may not like it, but for the majority of folk this weekend won't hold much spiritual significance. |
The First Christmas Carol 19 Dec 2008 Do you ever wonder if we've got Christmas seriously wrong? |
Don't be a Stranger 28 Nov 2008 Mercy is a term we don't hear much in our common discourse. In our modern usage, "mercy" is often associated with weakness. |
| Jesus Christ is on the street weeping 10 Jul 2008 "Jesus Christ is on the street weeping. Did you see the newspaper that said the church is navel-gazing while our children are being slaughtered and killed?" These were the words of the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, in a speech last weekend. |
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Miscellaneous |
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| Happy Birthday Social Trends 9 Jul 2010 The annual survey of life in Britain is forty years old this week, giving a trustworthy picture of how the nation has changed. |
Blame and Punishment 2 Jul 2010 When something goes wrong, we want someone to carry the can. We want to see them suffer for their sins. We want to know that they will not do it again. |
Imagining that Jesus is Lord 25 Jun 2010 To say Jesus is Lord is to acknowledge Jesus’ rightful place as ruler over everything. It’s a phrase that I find both natural and unnatural; it seems to fit and misfit at the same time. When I’m at church it fits so naturally, but the fit doesn’t seem quite as snug as I sit on the tube reading the newspaper. |
| The God-man Jesus and the scoundrel Philip Pullman 1 Apr 2010 Pullman’s gospel fairy-tale is hardly a threat to a Christian’s faith, but it could well be a stimulus which starts many people thinking. |
Striking Justice 26 Mar 2010 How would Jesus respond in a strike situation? Would he join or cross the picket line? |
Fear of aliens, fear of God 19 Feb 2010 This week, the release of over 6000 pages of reports that outline sightings of UFOs, provides fuel for both the light-hearted conversations and serious UFO research. |
| Values 27 Feb 2009 This week, a BBC poll revealed that the majority of the population support the role of religion in public life. |
What should evangelicals believe and do? 12 Dec 2008 This week, the Guardian website has been asking the question: What should evangelicals believe and do? |
Quality Statistics? 9 May 2008 Once again, it would seem the media have been misleading us. Yesterday, it was revealed that in the 2005 British Comedy Awards the winners of the People's Choice Award were not in fact the people's choice. |
| Social Trends 25 Apr 2008 Every year, the government produces an annual report detailing the Social Trends of the United Kingdom. This year's report has just been released and its section on religious participation is making the atheists angry. |
The indifferent culture 18 Apr 2008 At the weekend, Eleanor Mills, writing in The Sunday Times, described an occasion where a whole bus full of people failed to intervene to stop a violent offender. |
A Good Week 20 Mar 2008 It's been a good week for the church, and a bad week for the secularists. |
| Faith at Work 14 Mar 2008 This is a story you will not have heard. Outside of Wales it received very little coverage and didn't make any headlines. |
Hookers for Jesus 1 Feb 2008 "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews…To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings." (1 Corinthains 9:19-23 The question of how far we can take Paul's principle was raised for me this week by the news coverage of Annie Lobert's unusual outreach methods. |
God is not dead 2 Nov 2007 What do God and Fidel Castro, the atheist Cuban leader, have in common? Not a lot, but they have both had the misfortune to be declared dead prematurely |
| Sorry - again! 6 Jul 2007 Twice this week, reports of the actions of two high profile Christians have made the task of evangelism that little bit more difficult. |
D'oh - I got it wrong 25 May 2007 Until this week, I thought the only thing the Mars Corporation and I had in common was our love for the cocoa bean - but not anymore. We've both realised the need to say sorry. |
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