Book Review: Keith Mascord “An Honest Faith: The Possible Friendship of Athens and Jerusalem’

Reviewer David Ellis writes: Keith Mascord faces up to the challenge to orthodox faith put by literary-historical analysis. First he “deconstructs" the Bible as history, and then re-establishes it as “mythology”, truthful, even if not true. Then he starts a discussion about the way ahead. This book reminded me of a Pauline Epistle for example 1 Corinthians, with a personal introduction, a teaching agenda, and then some theology. But above all it is, like the Epistles, a missionary not an academic work. The Author is the yeast, sharing his own struggles as he progresses from devout Evangelical to lecturer in Philosophy, and then to an Anglican Priest delisted for his liberal views. Like Paul he attacks his enemies. ... CLICK ON PICTURE FOR FULL REVIEW

2025-10-01T11:51:13+00:00By |Tags: |

In Memoriam Bishop Kenneth Fernado

The Rev'd Marc Millimoira writes in his memorial tribute to the late Bishop Kenneth Fernando: The Right Reverend Kenneth Michael James Fernando, 13th Bishop of Colombo from 1992 to 2000, was the quintessential Audacious Anglican who always tried to hold in balance (and often in tension) the different expressions of the Anglican Way while also courageously exploring new directions in theology, mission and ministry for the Church to be relevant as it engaged in the missio dei. ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE

2025-09-09T21:33:21+00:00By |Tags: |

Palestine: Inaction against Genocide and War Crimes – An Open Letter to the British Prime Minister

The Public Square Group in its Open Letter to the British Primes Minister writes: We write to you as a Christian group concerned with the social, political and economic wellbeing of our nation and the wider world. Now is the time for your Government to lend support to them, doing everything necessary to relieve starvation and do everything necessary for peace, humanity, and justice in Gaza and the West Bank. ... We are appalled by the atrocities being committed by Israel in Palestine, which amount to war crimes or genocide, or both. The declared policy of the State of Israel includes - attacking innocent civilians, predominantly including women and children; - using starvation as a means of war, and that - an entire population is being driven out of their homes. CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE

2025-07-30T14:43:37+00:00By |Tags: |

Genocide in Gaza and War Crimes in the West Bank – An Open Letter

In an Open Letter the Public Square Group authors write: We, along with so many of our fellow-citizens, are appalled by the atrocities being committed in Gaza and the West Bank, which is causing so much widespread starvation, death and destruction to thousands. ... It really is time for a strong public witness from our Church and nation ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE ...

2025-07-30T14:23:08+00:00By |Tags: |

Are Archbishops becoming an endangered species?

Editorial for the Feast of SS Peter & Paul. The Editor, The Rev'd Dr. Nicholas Henderson asks: "Are Archbishops becoming an endangered species?" The Archbishop of the Church in Wales has become the latest Archbishop to resign. This has come, in what must seem to many, to be confusing and complicated circumstances surrounding events at Bangor Cathedral. It was only earlier this year that the then Archbishop of Canterbury relinquished his position early over the Makin Report, a resignation for which latterly he has expressed some misgivings. One could add former Archbishops to the list who in the last few years have ended their tenure and then lost their permissions to officiate, again for rather confusing and complicated reasons. ... In this respect do we really need an Archbishop? CLICK ON PICTURE to continue.

Update on the assisted dying Bill passing in UK Parliament lower House

Rabbi Jonathan Romain - Chair, Religious Alliance for Dignity in Dying writes to clergy ministerial colleagues of all faiths updating on the passage of of the assisted dying Bill in th eBritish House of Commons: Although the Bill passed, it is by no means a "done deal'. It now has to go to the Lords, although it is reasonably likely to pass there despite the attempts there will be to derail it. But even if it does go through and comes into law, there will then be an interim period of some two years (up to a maximum of four years) when practical arrangements will be put into place (training, paperwork, monitoring body etc) so that it operates smoothly and with all the necessary safeguards. If it does become law, it will be another in the series of major social changes that have occurred through Private Members Bills in recent years: abolition of capital punishment, the legalisation of abortion, the decriminalisation of homosexuality. ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE

2025-06-27T21:12:19+00:00By |Tags: |

An Eastertide Message: For a better Zambia. By Trevor Mwamba

The Rt Rev'd Trevor Mwamba, President of The United National Independence Party of Zambia (UNIP) writes in his Easter message: "The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." (Matthew 28:5-6) The angel’s statement to the women on the day of resurrection was profound. What did it mean to the women and to generations of believers since then? More significantly what does it mean for us? ...There are three Easter challenges we wish to highlight that Zambians are faced with ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE

2025-05-18T21:03:40+00:00By |Tags: |

So how might the Church keep up?

Dr. Keven Hall writes: Matthew Syed in the Sunday Times (09/02/2025), writing of current distain for the institutions of democracy, exhorted western politicians to ‘find courage’. It might be said of church these days that, not just finding courage, but also combatting fears, are present necessities. Why do I write this? It’s all very well to make such exhortations, but how? How to find courage? How to combat fear? So how might church keep up? ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE

2025-05-14T21:33:31+00:00By |

Review: Embarrassed – Living with a faith that makes no sense to my friends

Book review: Embarrassed by Graham Turner - Living with a faith that makes no sense to my friends Dr. Margaret Jones writes - In this memoir Graham Turner is seeking to understand his ambivalence towards the Christianity which is depicted in the structures, language and worship of today’s churches. He fears that the church has become irrelevant to most people and an embarrassment to those who seek to follow Jesus and his message of love... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE

2025-04-20T20:41:36+00:00By |Tags: |

Editorial: Are we our own worst enemy?

The Editor: the Rev'd Dr. Nicholas Henderson writes in his Lent editorial: So, a potentially ‘level-3’ threat asteroid is heading towards us at 38,000 mph with a 3.1% chance of hitting the earth. Increasingly, sophisticated astronomical observations are spotting more potential rock-like visitors coming from the region between the planets Mars and Jupiter and sometimes further afield still. Dystopian disaster movies and a better understanding of the ancient ages of the earth, on news of space debris coming our way, are always mindful of the epoch and evolutionary changing possibilities of another Dinosaur like extinction event. These usually resolve the crisis by sending a rocket to blow the culprit to smithereens (not wise) or much better to nudge a change in its trajectory. Interestingly, this latter scenario has been tried out successfully raising hopes for a safer future. Safer for what, we might reply? Very likely the rocket rescue concerned might come from a multi-billionaire with seemingly a huge amount of non-elected power. The same kind of power that could potentially turn off satellite navigation on a whim and plunge nations of the world into even more chaos. ... CLICK ON PICTURE TO CONTINUE

2025-03-17T12:52:21+00:00By |Tags: |
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