Home ›

The Jonathan Bartley Column

Comment and opinion from Ekklesia's director, Jonathan Bartley
You can follow Jonathan on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/Jon_Bartley

  • 27 Dec 2007
    The real offensiveness of Christmas

    Christmas is offensive, and always will be, says Jonathan Bartley. It legitimates the undermining of those in authority. But it is also about looking after not just those who are “deserving” of love, but those who appear disreputable and unworthy.

  • 13 Nov 2007
    Service provision: Why does government want to court the churches?

    Among secular groups there is puzzlement and annoyance that government continues to 'pander' to weakened churches in areas like public service provision. This is because, says Jonathan Bartley, they have not grasped the mutual interests involved. These are as much a threat to the churches as an advantage.

  • 18 Oct 2007
    Making sense of religion in America

    Those hoping that when George W. Bush departs the Oval Office, religion will accompany him are likely to be disappointed, says Jonathan Bartley, if a book by the former Guardian religious affairs correspondent is right.

  • 7 Sep 2007
    Looking for grace in place of mortgage

    Recent stock market turmoils have disturbed the faith of financiers and scuppered the vulnerable, says Jonathan Bartley. Rather than accept that profit must always be the motivator, institutions can be built around alternative values.

  • 15 Aug 2007
    We need more peaceful troublemakers

    The sixtieth anniversary of India's independence reminds us, says Jonathan Bartley, that the nonviolent activism of Gandhi and the the peaceful and environmental 'awkward squads' point to a more hopeful form of politics and social change.

  • 18 Jun 2007
    Why can't a church school keep faith with disabled children?

    Britain's schools, including those run by faith groups, talk of inclusion. But Jonathan Bartley's son Samuel has found that the church and education authorities are reluctant to put their money where their mouth is.

  • 27 Apr 2007
    Is 'Christian nation' rhetoric aiding the far right?

    The uncomfortable fact is that the church's Christendom ('Christian country') assumptions put it into the position of arguing the same political point about national identity as the BNP. A different way forward is needed.

  • 20 Apr 2007
    When the Saints go marching out

    Jonathan Bartley reflects on the legend of St George, his subversive story, and how he has been co-opted by the powerful

  • 14 Apr 2007
    Beyond a sweet and sticky Jesus

    In the brutality of the crucifixion, the political and religious order that put Jesus to death was laid bare. But the church has sweetened and sanitised its saviour far more than chocolatiers can ever do, says Jonathan Bartley.

  • 9 Mar 2007
    Remembrance is not enough

    As the bicentenary of the end of the transatlantic slave trade approaches Jonathan Bartley says we are enslaved until Africa is free

  • 1 Feb 2007
    How will they know we are Christians?

    The announcement that there will be no opt-out for Catholic adoption agencies from the Sexual Orientation Regulations, has been interpreted as posing a threat to the involvement of churches in public life.

  • 18 Jan 2007
    Going beyond fight or flight

    On the third Monday of every January, the United States marks Martin Luther King Day. The national holiday celebrates the birth and life of the civil rights activist and Baptist minister, whose Christian convictions about justice and the Gospel led him to a path of non-violence and peacemaking.

  • 9 Jan 2007
    The End of Christendom as a Political Threat

    Anxious claims about anti-Christian discrimination come under scrutiny

  • 4 Nov 2006
    What are the chances of a holy war? by Jonathan Bartley

    Probing the possibility of emerging Christian violence

  • 13 Oct 2006
    A compromised political witness by Jonathan Bartley

    How Establishment confuses faith in politics