Opinion

For whom the bell tolls: Why are we so bothered about Big Ben and the rest?
For whom the bell tolls: Why are we so bothered about Big Ben and the rest?

Who'd have thought that in the summer of 2017 once of the biggest news stories in the country would be about that rather old technology of bells?

Marriage is a gift from God: Why Christians must stop getting so hung up on who weds who
Marriage is a gift from God: Why Christians must stop getting so hung up on who weds who

People really do want to plight their troth and signify their commitment to one person forever.

Barcelona terror attack: Are we becoming desensitised to barbarity?
Barcelona terror attack: Are we becoming desensitised to barbarity?

Maybe those of us who can only watch on in horror can fall victim to the banality of evil too.

A level results and the subversion of truth – why Christian chaplains are dismayed
A level results and the subversion of truth – why Christian chaplains are dismayed

In many schools there has developed an overweening culture of micro-management of teaching and learning. Many creative teachers feel increasingly unable to teach in ways that they know to be effective. Chaplains look on, aghast, as politicians and leaders of quangos subvert truth and debase the true values of education.

If not after Charlottesville, then when? Why evangelicals must denounce Trump
If not after Charlottesville, then when? Why evangelicals must denounce Trump

It isn't too late to pull the support for Trump, even now. But if his prevarication in the face of an actual Nazi march in the heart of the old South isn't enough to make them do it, when, oh when, will they?

What does the violence in Charlottesville say about Trump\'s America?
What does the violence in Charlottesville say about Trump's America?

What happened in Charlottesville, where one person was killed and 19 injured when a car ploughed into a group of people protesting against a white nationalist, right-wing rally, has shocked America.

How seeds from a stranger became a symbol of hope
How seeds from a stranger became a symbol of hope

We all start off as strangers. It's random connections or, perhaps, a higher power that brings people together.

It's Nagasaki Day: Have Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un noticed?

The world has probably not been closer to nuclear war for decades. Given the temperaments of the two men responsible for the crisis, no one can see a good outcome.

Do our current laws on abortion save lives?
Do our current laws on abortion save lives?

Today, the news broke in Northern Ireland that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has formally acknowledged that it was reasonable for the claim to be made that at least 100,000 people are alive in Northern Ireland today because the province did not introduce the 1967 Abortion Act.

The Sunday Times got it wrong over Kevin Myers, but it is not an antisemitic paper
The Sunday Times got it wrong over Kevin Myers, but it is not an antisemitic paper

Yesterday, the Irish Sunday Times published an article by freelance contributor Kevin Myers, who is a well-known misogynist and Holocaust denier.

Trump and transgender military: The real problem for conservative Christians

Donald Trump's apparently unilateral decision to bar transgender people from serving in the US military has been much criticised for the shakiness of its reasoning.

Justine Greening thinks the Church should move with the times. We\'re good, thanks.
Justine Greening thinks the Church should move with the times. We're good, thanks.

It is good that we try always to be polite when discussing our political leaders, setting a tone of sweet reasonableness in contrast to the snarling cynicism that characterises so much public discourse.

Why are we outraged by BBC salaries?
Why are we outraged by BBC salaries?

We all knew the figures would be high, and yet somehow their release still staggered us.

Life expectancy isn\'t rising any more. This is what the Bible says about it
Life expectancy isn't rising any more. This is what the Bible says about it

Everyone knows we're living longer than we used to, but the trend is slowing, according to an expert on life expectancy

Why the High Court should reject assisted suicide - para athletes show us what is possible
Why the High Court should reject assisted suicide - para athletes show us what is possible

As the High Court in London deliberates on assisted suicide, the World Para Athletics Championships show how we should respond to disability...

What are the three pillars of Judaism, and why is \'hutzpah\' so important today?
What are the three pillars of Judaism, and why is 'hutzpah' so important today?

Jewish academic Irene Lancaster asks what are the three pillars of Judaism – what are the three things that hold Judaism up so that it carries on under adversity and refuses (despite the best efforts of others) to be swallowed up, fade away, or die?