Dilemmas of the Law in a Multicultural Society [part 2] by Jenny Taylor This principle is not only useless when it comes to protecting female citizens from religious exploitation by their unequal male relatives, it is more generally fallacious. Anthony Bradney based his doctoral research into the law’s purported neutrality by reference to the principle … Continue Reading
Dilemmas of the Law in a Multicultural Society [part 3] by Jenny Taylor 3. Some Twentieth Century Writers on the Religion and Law According to Phil Harris (1980), the law consists of rules that are normative, and invite official retaliation if broken. Ronald Dworkin (1985) defines the law somewhat loftily as ‘rule by a coherent … Continue Reading
Learning in Haiti by Elaine Storkey Being with Christians in other cultures is always a time of learning. This month’s lessons took place for me in Haiti, a Caribbean country described as one of the world’s poorest nations outside Africa. And indeed it is a place rife with problems. More than half of its population … Continue Reading
‘Law and Faith’: Lecture 1 LondonSchool of Economics, February 14 2008 Introduction: Signs of the Times I am grateful for, and honoured by, the invitation to start off this series on law and faith. A theologian lecturing in the London School of Economics feels much as an economist might if invited to preach in Westminster … Continue Reading
‘Law and Faith’: Lecture 1 London School of Economics, February 14 2008 All this, second, is part of the postmodern revolution which deconstructs more or less everything about the eighteenth-century western settlement. Technology has brought nightmares as well as blessings. Post-Enlightenment empire has enslaved more millions than it has liberated, has brought wealth to the … 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
republished, with permission, from the Diocese of Durhamsite Dear Friends, The astonishing misrepresentation of Archbishop Rowan in virtually all newspapers over the last few days, and the scorn and anger which this has fuelled, have caused many people within the church to ask what on earth is going on. The issues are complex, but let … Continue Reading
Prudence and Jurisprudence: Reflections on the Archbishop’s interview and lecture by Andrew Goddard As I start writing this on Friday evening, I’ve just watched the BBC Evening News and Newsnight (where Jeremy Paxman had the nice line – ‘How do you solve a problem like sharia’?). They are still dominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s … Continue Reading
Britain, Christianity and Islam by Ben White The differing responses to Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali’s interview with the Daily Telegraph on 6 January 2008 tended to focus on his claim that across Britain, “Islamic extremists have created ‘no-go’ areas” for non-Muslims. However, there is a different approach to a constructively critical engagement of Nazir-Ali’s … Continue Reading
Until recently, a large proportion of Christians in the West were unaware that Christian Palestinians even existed. While there may now be an increased awareness of the body of Christ in Palestine, when not being ignored (unintentionally or otherwise) by the majority, our Palestinian brothers and sisters are often either co-opted for anti-Islam propaganda or … Continue Reading