Ekklesia | Columns | The Giles Fraser Column

Being tested by the text

Giles Fraser — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:38:02 +0100

Talmudic study opens the door to an understanding of obedience that does not crush the enquiring mind, says Giles Fraser. The text of Scripture, rightly understood, both questions us and affirms our questioning.

We need both the rational and the non-rational

Giles Fraser — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:10:00 +0100

Try to imagine a world in which only things acceptable to pure reason are deemed legitimate, suggests Giles Fraser. It would be to imagine the most desperately impoverished cultural and emotional (let alone spiritual) desert.

The dark side of liberalism

Giles Fraser — Sun, 17 May 2009 21:20:23 +0100

Few words are bandied about with such casual abandon as “liberal”, says Giles Fraser. It can stand for the liberality and generosity vital to any outlook, but it can also mean an exulting of individualism and a damaging denial of inherited wisdom.

Sharing a liberation meal

Giles Fraser — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:35:11 +0100

The 'freedom principle' is not some alien liberal implant into historic Christianity, says Giles Fraser. It is the essence of the Easter and Passover message.

The cross is anti-sacrificial

Giles Fraser — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:36:17 +0100

The Cross of Christ is God's identification with the victim, says Giles Fraser. It abolishes the order of sin and death by abolishing sacrifice, not sanctifying it.

Facing human limitations

Giles Fraser — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:23:27 +0100

We got suckered by Fichte’s freedom fantasy, says Giles Fraser. The credit crisis is a reminder that, however clever we think we are, we cannot escape the limitations of reality.

Learning to die well

Giles Fraser — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:32:16 +0000

The idea of preparing for death makes sense, says Giles Fraser. In a society that fears dying it has taken a reality TV celebrity to remind us of what is truly important in negotiating mortality.

Acting hopefully in a Slumdog world

Giles Fraser — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:13:39 +0000

The slums of West Africa and of Mumbai are a reminder that the world's horrors are immune to pieties and romanticism, says Giles Fraser. What is needed is compassionate action.

Deadly procedure, life-giving action

Giles Fraser — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:34:40 +0000

The Church of England's General Synod produces the headlines, says Giles Fraser. But this is not the true church. They are somewhere else, trying to make a real difference to the world.

The challenge of growing up

Giles Fraser — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:24:00 +0000

Growing up does not always come with age, says Giles Fraser. Many people are little more than moral babies, well into their 30s and 40s. Real growing up is a moral business, concerned with overcoming infantile self-obsession.

Both victims and perpetrators

Giles Fraser — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:22:16 +0000

In the grey zone, we are all both victims and perpetrators, says Giles Fraser, who has visited one of the major sites of the slave trade. In the grey zone, morality is no longer simple. We need honesty, wisdom and divine mercy to face the facts hopefully.

Obama and the challenge of hope

Giles Fraser — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:15:57 +0000

If the Obama presidency is going to make good on its promise of hope, says Giles Fraser, it will have to do so in places like the unloved west side of Baltimore.

Living in a debtors' prison

Giles Fraser — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:47:24 +0000

Debt isn't just a political and economic issue, it's a human tragedy, says Giles Fraser. And it raises the most profound spiritual, ethical and pastoral questions for us all.

The challenge to 'get real'

Giles Fraser — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:39:35 +0000

These days we are often encouraged to 'get real'. But what does this mean, in the world at large and in the church in particular, asks Giles Fraser. It means returning to practicalities in a new way.

Peace, goodwill and gender politics

Giles Fraser — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:27:43 +0000

The Christmas message is one of deliveerance from fear, says Giles Fraser. But the approach the Pope has taken to 'human ecology' heads perilously in the other direction.