Jonathan Chaplin “Dear Wormwood, It falls to me again at this time of year to remind you and your field staff to remain on a heightened state of alert as Christmas day approaches…. “
How are we to form Christian scholars in disciplines other than theology so the Church can offer public, intellectual engagement not only on those preoccupying internal academic debates within the theological guild or those currently animating the Church itself, but also those arising in ‘secular’ disciplines other than theology?
Whatever its limitations, “Who is my neighbour?” significantly raises the bar for official church statements on politics. It shows how theological truth can speak effectively and illuminatingly to the political health of the nation at a moment of crisis and opportunity. It thus plausibly carries a claim to prophecy.
The decision is a far-reaching one, so it is important to be clear on exactly what it is about. I offer here no argument for or against independence but merely one proposal as to how to construe what is being decided.
A comment on the most controversial funeral of the century.......
Continue ReadingThe Church of England and the Funeral of Baroness Thatcher
Jonathan Chaplin is Director of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics. He writes here in a personal capacity.
In the wake of the GS vote on women Bishops – it is time to ask this vital question.
A Time to Marry – Twice by Jonathan Chaplin I was married twice in the same day and I would like to recommend the practice. It is a perfectly normal occurrence in the Netherlands, as it is in many other countries where civil marriage ceremonies are entirely separate from the religious ceremonies taking place in … Continue Reading
Can the State 'Redefine' Social Institutions? by Jonathan Chaplin As the argument over gay marriage begins to generate heat if not yet light it is evident that a fundamental question in the debate is going to be whether it is within the moral authority of the state to “redefine” something like marriage at all. While … Continue Reading
Law, Faith and Freedom: a critical appreciation of Archbishop Williams’s lecture by Jonathan Chaplin The hysterical furore triggered by the ill-informed commentaries on Archbishop Rowan Williams’ lecture on ‘Civil and Religious Law in England’ is now subsiding and it is time to take stock. What has occurred is depressingly similar to an equally unedifying public … Continue Reading