Religion
The strange silence around the Southport attacks
There are certain rules in British public life that are worth noting. Such as this one: if someone is killed…
The tragedy of Scotland’s church sell-off
‘We are not a heritage society,’ insisted the Rev David Cameron, Convener of the Assembly Trustees of the Church of…
Why C of E bishops are so bland
Nolo episcopari. These were the words a person was expected to say on being offered an episcopal see. It basically…
A chillingly seductive glimpse of assisted dying
A few weeks ago, I was present when my aunt, a Canadian citizen born in the UK, chose to die…
The C of E’s raving madness
In February there was a commotion at Canterbury Cathedral. Or, to be more precise, there was a silent commotion. The…
Welcome to the new global theocracy
I had a revelation while watching the Olympics opening ceremony. It was during the infamous section that I (and almost…
The plotting to find the next Pope
The Hollywood adaptation of Conclave, Robert Harris’s thriller about a conspiracy to rig a papal election, won’t be in cinemas…
The C of E needs to talk about sex
My friend Andy is getting married. It’s about time – he and his girlfriend have a one-year-old daughter. He wants…
Does Keir Starmer’s atheism matter?
Good Friday, 2021, at Jesus House For All Nations church in Brent, north-west London. Face masked, head bowed, hands clasped,…
Scotland’s religious collapse
Last week, I had a drink with a Catholic priest friend who works with young people in custody. Inevitably, our…
Letters: save our churches!
Free the C of E Sir: Patrick Kidd’s article on the shortcomings of today’s Church of England maintains the importance of the…
A middle-aged man in crisis: How to Make a Bomb, by Rupert Thomson, reviewed
Travelling home from an academic conference, Philip Notman suddenly feels sick and disorientated. But it will take a long time for him to identify the cause, and possible cure
Why is it so hard to be a Christian in public life?
Is it any longer acceptable to be a Christian? News reaches me of a strange case involving the Liberal Democrat…
When was the last genuine royal tour of Nigeria?
Royal welcomes The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria last week. When was the last genuine royal tour of…
The triumph of Katharine Birbalsingh
There are two questions that need to be asked of any society: what is it that is going wrong; and…
Is the C of E about to say sorry for Christianity?
Is the Church of England going to apologise for Christianity? A report by something called the Oversight Group has declared…
Dinosaurs, dogma and the Victorian mind
The ‘monsters’ dug from the cliffs of Lyme Regis did not sit well with the literal reading of Genesis – but many other issues contributed to the famed Victorian crisis of faith
Britain’s Jews aren’t safe
The explosion of hatred and extremism prompted by the October 7 massacre was never going to limit itself to the…
The real problem with ChatGPT is that it can never make a joke
When Andy Stanton commands the AI program to tell him a story about a blue whale with a tiny penis, the result, as it unfolds, drives him a bit insane
Deus ex machina: the dangers of AI godbots
The rise of the godbots
Has the Vatican abandoned beauty?
Has the Vatican abandoned beauty?
The making of Mecca
Later this year, over two million Muslims will travel to Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, for the Hajj, one the five pillars…
