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Category - establishment

  • 29 Apr 2011
    The mytho-poetics of royalty

    Monarchy as an institution rooted in inherited wealth and pure eugenic privilege stands in contrast with, and contradiction to, the levelling Gospel of Jesus Christ, argues Simon Barrow. But a kind of mythology and ritualising in the popular imagination prevents both Christians and others from seeing what is really going on, and what is wrong with it.

  • 29 Apr 2011
    Beyond 29 April: Equity after monarchy

    In a culture seemingly dominated by royalist propaganda, particularly around the wedding of William and Kate, here are plenty of reasons to be republican, says Phil Wood; not all of them honourable. Some may be in danger of reinforcing what they oppose. But for Christians, the case for disestablishing the kingdom and the church derives from a higher level of subversion, and a vision of equity before monarchy which people from many backgrounds are seeking.

  • 13 Apr 2011
    Truly a Crown of church-state thorns

    My colleague Symon Hill's appearance on 4though.tv this evening (13 April 2011), arguing that the mutual inherence of an Established Church and the institution of monarchy compromises the Gospel message of freedom and identification with the least in society (http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14559), comes weeks away from the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

  • 13 Apr 2011
    Towards a non-monarchical church

    The Channel 4 television 'beliefs' slot, 4thought.tv - which unlike BBC Radio 4 'Thought for the Day' is open to both believers of all stripes and non-believers - has been asking if we should be proud of the Queen's close ties with the Church of England, or if these ties are anti-Catholic and exclude other beliefs in multicultural Britain.

  • 25 Dec 2010
    The curious politics of the King James Bible

    A very curious thing happened this afternoon. The Queen began her traditional Christmas Day television and radio broadcast with seven paragraphs on "the King James, or Authorised, Bible, which next year [2011] will be exactly four centuries old"... before concluding that it was all done "to build communities and create harmony, and one of the most powerful ways of doing this is through sport and games."

  • 15 Aug 2010
    A level playing-field for British Christians

    Christian groups who fear discrimination say they want a "level playing-field" for British Christians. But if we are to take this concept seriously, let's not only support religious liberty for all people but also give up the privileges that are granted to Christians and denied to others. This would be a powerful demonstration of Christian love in action.

  • 16 Jun 2009
    Church of England supremo enters six horses at Ascot

    I see that the Queen is entering a record six horses at Ascot this year.

  • 27 Mar 2009
    Succession debate points to disestablishment
  • 27 Mar 2009
    Bid to end Crown's discrimination against women and Catholics

    A Liberal Democrat MP today introduced a private members Bill in the House of Commons seeking to change the rules of succession to the throne, including giving women and Catholics equal rights.

  • 26 Jan 2009
    New call on government to end ban on Catholic monarch

    A Scottish Nationalist MSP has added further weight to appeals from both civic and religious groups for the UK government to end the long-standing ban on a Roman Catholic becoming king or queen.