Tim Harford on the Paradox of Work

There’s a short but interesting article here by Tim Harford on what he calls ‘the paradox of work’.

Taking its cue from an analysis of ‘a Depression-era make-work project for white-collar Americans’, it underlines the importance of work and community contributions in addition to family and close relationships.

Basically, whilst work is often ‘the least enjoyable thing’ in people’s lives, ‘there are few more reliable sources of dissatisfaction and disappointment than being unemployed’.

‘The stories people told about themselves, and especially the stories women told about themselves, did indeed often mention friends and family. But they also emphasised, over and over again, the importance of work as a foundation for a meaningful life.’

Theos Report on Power

The latest report from Theos has recently been published:

Madeleine Pennington and Paul Bickley, A Theology of Power (London: Theos. 2026).

Here’s some brief blurb:

‘We live in an age of strongman leadership on the global stage.

‘From Putin to Trump, our global leaders wield their military, financial, and political power in a way that profoundly challenges historical norms. Is there a more constructive way to think about power?

‘In partnership with Christian Aid, Madeleine Pennington and Paul Bickley explore what power means through a biblical lens.’

More information is available here, and a pdf of the full report is available here.

Christian History Magazine on the Council of Nicaea

The latest issue of Christian History Magazine is devoted to: ‘Debating Jesus’s Divinity: Revisiting the Council of Nicaea on its 1700th Anniversary’.

From the blurb:

‘In 2025, Christians around the world celebrated the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. This historic council of the early church (a story which Christian History first told in issue #85) dealt with a conundrum that the modern church sees as a settled matter – Jesus is God, but how? What does it mean when the Bible says he is begotten? Are there degrees of divinity? How is Jesus both God and man?

‘In this refreshed issue of CH, discover the discussions and debates that reached a boiling point in the fourth century between church leaders concerning this all-important question of Jesus’s divinity. Meet the major players at the council and discover how their involvement led to the creation of the Nicene Creed.

‘You’ll also see how the Nicene Creed wasn’t exactly the “be all, end all” of church doctrine at the time, and how more councils, creeds, and conflicts followed in the decades afterward. But from this chaos emerged the clarifying work of pro-Nicene church fathers who led the church to a strongly trinitarian consensus, giving us the legacy we treasure today.’

The whole magazine is available as a 5.33 MB pdf here.

Stewardship: Generosity Report 2026

The organisation Stewardship recently published their third generosity report, seeking to capture ‘fresh insights into the impact of faith on generosity and the factors shaping Christian giving across the UK today’.

The key highlights are as follows:

Trust and generosity

1. Trust in local church leads to greater generosity

2. Regular teaching on generosity helps build trust

3. Trust leads to gratitude and joy in giving

Giving habits

4. Fewer Christians are giving in response to appeals

5. Over 25% of Christians give from savings

The future of giving

6. The wealthy, the young and ethnic minority Christians expect to give more

7. Younger givers are more open to teaching on generosity and appeals to give

8. Younger Christians talk more about giving

Further information is available here, from where (with an email address) a pdf of the report can be downloaded.

The Intellectual Legacy of Herman Dooyeweerd (1894–1977)

Maarten Verkerk, Gerrit Glas, and Suzan Sierksma-Agteres, The Intellectual Legacy of Herman Dooyeweerd (1894–1977): A Hopeful Philosophy for Our Time, trans. David Hanson (London: Amsterdam University Press, 2025).

The above book is open access, available as a pdf and epub from here.

The abstract:

‘Herman Dooyeweerd (1894–1977), a renowned philosopher and legal scholar, has been regarded as one of the most original philosophers the Netherlands has ever produced. In 1935, he published his seminal work, A New Critique of Theoretical Thought, which offers an in-depth analysis of the foundations of culture and science. Dooyeweerd develops a sophisticated and impressive conceptual framework to analyse reality. He demonstrates that every philosophy, all science, and every political ideology is driven by underlying religious or worldview perspectives.

‘The work of Herman Dooyeweerd is currently attracting global interest. From the United States to Korea, from New Zealand to Brazil, and from the United Kingdom to South Africa, professionals across various disciplines – philosophers, engineers, politicians, economists, and others – are expanding upon his ideas within their respective fields. At the same time, his work is becoming increasingly relevant as contemporary society displays characteristics reminiscent of those observed in European culture a century ago. The Intellectual Legacy of Herman Dooyeweerd (1894–1977): A Hopeful Philosophy for Our Time introduces his most significant concepts and numerous examples of their contemporary applications.’