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Simon Barrow

  • December 25, 2007
    Christ is an unwanted gift for the religious

    Whether we love or hate Christmas, we know all about it. But the same may not be true of the coming of Jesus, says Simon Barrow. In Christ, God radically disrupts religious 'business as usual'.

  • December 13, 2007
    Mundane politics, moral time bombs

    Our parliamentary politics is about mediating different interests in a society of strangers, says Simon Barrow. But bioethical decisions confront us with the need to move beyond accommodation and confrontation to moral community.

  • November 19, 2007
    Open secularism meets open religion

    The debate about religion in public life is often cantankerous, says Simon Barrow. But a constructive new pamphlet on secularism from the Humanist Philosophers' Group shows us that a better standard of discussion is possible.

  • November 19, 2007
    Should religious dress and symbols be banned at work?

    Trying to make workplaces religion free is no solution to human fears about 'the other', says Simon Barrow, reflecting on recent cases of controversy involving religious dress and symbols in schools and companies.

  • November 13, 2007
    Moving politics beyond pantomime

    Modern democratic politics is in danger of turning into a beauty contest and an electoral pantomime, says Simon Barrow. It needs reconnecting with people in civil society, changing institutions and the grassroots.

  • November 2, 2007
    Police accountability and transparency is the issue

    The calls for Sir Ian Blair's resignation as chief of the Metropolitan police may be a distraction from the real issues, says Simon Barrow, reflecting on the 2005 Stockwell terror shooting tragedy.

  • October 17, 2007
    Learning to think without tanks

    Ekklesia is a think tank that promotes fresh forms of thought - without relying on tanks. In an interview with SCM, Simon Barrow explains what the deal is with post-Christendom and how to respond to the fuss about religion.

  • September 25, 2007
    Gordon Brown and the language of faith

    One of the more intriguing aspects of Gordon Brown's first Labour party conference speech as serving prime minister was his decision to use consciously biblical language as part of his argument against those employing religious rhetoric to oppose his family policy.

  • September 10, 2007
    Getting Iraq’s war surge to trickle towards peace

    Talk of the efficacy or otherwise of the surge is a smokescreen, says Simon Barrow. There is no long-term military solution to Iraq’s nightmare. But viable alternatives are being sought within civil society.

  • September 7, 2007
    Moving towards post-democracy?

    There is a growing disconnect with the aspirations of people whose concerns are not adequately mapped by the narrow economic, political and social assumptions of the main political parties, says Simon Barrow. Are we moving into post-democracy?