Faith, politics, philosophy, Prue Leith & Canada’s conveyor belt of death
Rebecca Chapman
Danny Kruger MP is the Member of Parliament for Devizes and an evangelical Christian.
He has previously worked in journalism and in politics, having worked as a speechwriter for David Cameron, and as Political Secretary to Boris Johnson when he was Prime Minister. In 2006 he and his wife Emma founded Only Connect, a project working in prisons to stop criminals re-offending.
Reformed theology – and the coercive rhythms of today’s culture
Rebecca Chapman
James K. A. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin University, Michigan, where he holds the Gary & Henrietta Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology and Worldview.
He trained as a philosopher with a focus on contemporary French thought, Smith has expanded on that scholarly platform to become an engaged public intellectual and cultural critic. An award-winning author and a widely-travelled speaker, he has emerged as a thought leader with a unique gift of translation, building bridges between the academy, society, and the church. His most recent book, How To Inhabit Time was reviewed in en last month.
Greater love
Rebecca Chapman
Church leaders, clergy, and pastoral workers have gathered for a day based around the Greater Love Declaration, reaffirming the historic Christian understanding of love as described in John 15:13 – ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’
The morning opened with Matthew Roberts unpacking Jesus’ definition of love, and its radical message for sex, family and society. Attendees then heard from Dr Julie Maxwell on how children are being harmed by early sexualisation, with schools teaching gender ideology, queer theory and sex positivity, and how these lead to harm. Two thought-provoking panel discussion offered practical tips on how to speak out. The day closed with Ian Paul examining the church’s consistency in its teaching on sex and marriage, with humour and fervour.
In the room where it happens: transparency in the CofE
Amid all the difficult conversations taking place across the Church of England on sexuality and Living in Love and Faith (LLF), requests for greater transparency abound. We all want to make sure that our views are heard 'in the room where it happens’ – whether that is General Synod, meetings at Lambeth Palace, or residentials in Leicester.
Snippets of information trickle out: who has been invited to what, who was there, what was said or promised. Trust appears to be at an all-time low within our national church – but attempts are being made to rebuild it.