Irene Lancaster

On the value of biblical interpretation
It's not so much about a straightforward formulae of prohibition as it is about clear principles.

There is much to appreciate in Melanie Phillips' first novel, The Legacy
Yes, this first novel by great journalist, Melanie Phillips, who always tells it how it is, manages the impossible.

What is Rosh Hashanah?
And why is it celebrated by blowing the shofar?

Can Bible-based Jews and Christians reclaim the vegan revolution?
Whether we can give up meat, fish and dairy entirely is not really the question. What is the question is how we can incorporate food into our lives (having taken medical advice of course) in such a way that our diets can help towards the betterment of the world.

On 21st century idolatry and its repercussions
Do you think it is right to trample over the needs of the local populace in order to build and worship idols? No - me neither.

Redemption: a gift of G-d or man?
The idolatry that has grown up around football since 1966 is an indictment of our age, in which our religious leaders no longer lead, and football has simply filled in the gap.

The benefits of radical amazement
What is needed is a combination of the childlike (but not naïve) approach to the beauty of life.

Goodbye Netanyahu, hello Bennett
Let us hope and pray that this is not only the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Israel, but also the continuation of all that was good in the previous chapter.

Lessons from the Book of Numbers on the nature of true belief
We're not promised a free lunch or a bed of roses.

Stepping up to the plate
Numbers 8-12 tells us to step up to the plate. But what does this actually mean?

What does it mean to be a pilgrim?
The walking was as important as the arriving.

Pesach: From the servitude of Egypt to service in the Promised Land
Jesus' sojourn in the desert when he faced evil forces was a type of Exodus for him â so what does this actually mean?

Lessons for a Covid world at Purim
As Esther reminds us, heroism consists of doing one's duty at the right time, something that is not always easy to decipher or to carry out.
What we can learn from the lessons of Sinai in a time of Covid
Isn't it amazing that the peak of the revelation at Sinai takes place in a biblical book named after a pagan from Midian, called Yitro (Jethro in English), who had previously been an advisor to the wicked Pharaoh.

What does Covid have to do with Exodus?
Exodus - and the humble almond - can teach a lot in this Covid time.

From Genesis to Exodus: New beginnings at this most unusual of New Years
As the world ushers in 2021 it reflects on a year like no other.