In the book "Why democracies die" by Harvard University political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, coup-d'etat is not the most likely way. That, they say, is when the views of the opposition are no longer tolerated,. This tolerance involves accepting the results of a free and fair election where the opposition has won, in contrast with advocacy for overthrow or spurious …
Category: God
Stop, rest, delight and worship
Holy Trinity Church, HuddersfieldSunday 15th November, 2020 The east window at Holy Trinity Church, Huddersfield, lower panel, depicting, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, "I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, …
Virtue Signalling: a Christian perspective
The BBC I was triggered into writing this by an Independent article on new rules from the BBC about political neutrality. The new rules for staff who are required to be politically neutral include not attending “political protests”, such as Black Lives Matter events and LGBT protests. LGBT because it may include the 'controversial' transsexual …
Commitment, Consistency and Consequences.
Holy Trinity Church, HuddersfieldSunday 8th November 2020 There was an act of remembrance during this service. If you cannot make it to an act of remembrance, British Legion are recommending against doing this, you can start this YouTube service, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zHmIy98ltU, on Wednesday 11th November at 10 am and the act of remembrance will occur at …
What are the politics of the church?
The Church of England is getting political. First there was a letter from the five archbishops* of Britain saying that the 'Internal Market Bill will set a “disastrous precedent” by equipping ministers to break the law.' They urged the British Government not to break international law. Former Brexit minister, David Jones, said their comments went …
Forgiveness
Holy Trinity Church, HuddersfieldSunday 1st November 2020 "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." Detail from the east window of Holy Trinity, Huddersfield November, and the last day in October, is an odd time in Britain. We seem to do the dark side of things without the light. The darkness of Halloween without the …
How long O Lord, how long?
Waiting for God’s kingdom How long will it be before we can sing again?How long before we can share the peace?How long before we can share communion in both kinds? These are questions I have seen this week on social media. People are wanting things to get back to normal. They are asking for the …
Black history month and Harvest
Holy Trinity Church, HuddersfieldSunday 25th October, 2020 Detail from the Ruth Window at Holy Trinity Huddersfield, showing gleaning in the fields This last week was a very strange one for us. We were told on Tuesday that our Granddaughter had been sent home from school, coughing, we are in a bubble with her, our daughter …
Why the church?
I have recently come across a piece of paper, one of those out church uses in the house groups, as we called them back then, or Lent courses used these a lot. It is typewritten and Gestetner duplicated, apart from being electric driven our church was using Victorian technology right into the 1990s. A Victorian …
Prayer is like sunbathing
Holy Trinity Church HuddersfieldSunday 18th October 2020 Copyright problems this week The picture above is one I took of the window next to the organ on the north side of Holy Trinity, the only full length window in the building. This week this blog had a big problem with a picture I had used back …
Making an ass of myself 