The Kirby Laing Centre (February 2021)

The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics (KLICE) has become an independent charity now called The Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge (KLC).

According to their website, ‘KLC is committed to foster and nurture public theology and Christian scholarship, rooted in spirituality, practiced in community, oriented toward the question how then shall we live?’

In the latest article in their Nuances in Public Theology series, KLC’s Director, Craig Bartholomew, reflects on the tools we need to integrate our scholarship and our Christian faith. The article (‘The Bible and Other Texts: The Character of Scripture and its Role in our Scholarship’) is available as a pdf here.

In addition, Ethics in Conversation (formerly Ethics in Brief) ‘offers succinct, insightful Christian perspectives on a range of contemporary ethical issues’. In the February 2021 edition, Matthew Wiley engages with Vernon White’s book, Purpose and Providence: Taking Soundings in Western Thought, Literature, and Theology. The review is available as a pdf here.

The Jubilee Centre and KLICE on Brexit

The Jubilee Centre and the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics have each recently posted items on Europe and Brexit, all written before this week’s announcement of a general election in June.

From the Jubilee Centre comes the latest Cambridge Paper, this one by Paul Mills and Michael Schluter:

Paul Mills and Michael Schluter, ‘Brexit in a Fractured Europe: A Relational Vision and Strategy for Reconciliation’, Cambridge Papers 26, 1 (March 2017).

Here is the summary:

‘The outcome of the UK’s referendum on EU membership has highlighted deep divisions within the populace, including among Christians, and increased the likelihood of further ruptures between the UK and EU27 as well as within and between the EU27 countries themselves. This paper first sets out the mandate for Christians to prioritise time and resources for peace-building within and between nations. It then presents an alternative ‘relational’ framework for peace-building within the UK and between the UK and the EU27. A Confederal model is then outlined as the basis for a new shared vision for reform within the EU. Within God’s Providence, we can pray that the Brexit vote will be seen in hindsight as a trigger for relationally-positive transformation, not just in Britain but across the Continent.’

From KLICE comes two comments, one from Richard Bauckham (‘Brexit: restoring self-governance’), and one from Nicholas Townsend (‘Thinking about Brexit after Article 50’).

Ethics in Brief Volume 21, Nos. 5 & 6 (2016)

Two issues from Volume 21 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Julian Rivers

Fundamental British Values and the Virtues of Civic Loyalty

This paper reflects the rise of ‘fundamental British values’ as a core part of the Government’s counter-extremism strategy. It identifies several problems with the idea of FBVs, and suggests that we need to recover the concept of civic loyalty instead. It is appropriate to promote this through education, which should in part seek to form pupils and students into virtuous citizens.

Kirsty Jones

Dementia: Living in the Memories of God – A Review

[From the Conclusion:] Offering an original and carefully constructed theology of dementia, Memories is essential reading for academic and pastoral work on disability and anthropology. Swinton effectively shows why the church should care about people living with dementia, and how it can care well. God, he emphasises, cares because he remembers persons as they were, are and will be, holding their reality in his hands and cherishing each moment of joy and sorrow. Remembering, for God, is purposeful and powerful; his memory is the foundation of humanity and each human life. Inspired by such a vision, the book moves us cognitively beyond narrow conceptions, emotively beyond apathy, and practically into action.

Ethics in Brief Volume 21, Nos. 3 & 4 (2016)

Two issues from Volume 21 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Philip J. Sampson

Evangelical Spirituality and Hunting

This article examines the current indifference of British evangelicals towards the ethical issues raised by hunting for sport. It calls for a retrieval of an older, Reformation tradition in which such hunting was seen as not only unethical but also spiritually dangerous. 

Andrew Sloane

‘Male and Female He Created Them’? Theological Reflections on Gender, Biology and Identity

This paper reflects theologically on gender, biology and identity in light of ambiguous sexual biology (‘intersex’) and psychology (‘gender dysphoria’). It affirms the goodness and diversity of bodily, sexed and gendered existence, while acknowledging the brokenness of the world and human experience of it. It closes with some suggested responses to these realities.

Ethics in Brief Volume 20, Nos. 5 & 6 (2015)

Two issues from Volume 20 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Stephen Williams, ‘Reason, Law and Religious Freedom’, Ethics in Brief 20, 5 (2015)

Judgement on the proper place of religious freedom in relation to law is affected by the perception of how religion stands in relation to rationality. Seven consequences of the supposition that religious belief is irrational are briefly set out, and their bearing noted on the question of conscience.

Amy Ross, Creation Care in Africa: Theology, Practice and Intercultural Dialogue, Ethics in Brief 20, 6 (2015)

This article reports on a recent ‘Creation Care’- themed conference for evangelical church leaders and environmental practitioners in East and Central Africa. It offers some reflections regarding ecotheology and Western Christian responses to the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation. The importance of international, faith-based dialogue about these issues is becoming increasingly recognised, and Christians have a crucial role to play both in the dialogue and the practical response that must result from it.

Ethics in Brief Volume 20, Nos. 3 & 4 (2015)

Two issues from Volume 20 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Philip Sampson, ‘The Curious Case of the Kind Evangelicals’, Ethics in Brief 20, 3 (2015).

Most Christians believe in kindness to animals, but few see it as an ethical priority. By contrast, evangelicals of the past showed a passionate kindness towards ‘God’s beasts’, and were pioneers of animal welfare reform from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Today, Christians in general, and evangelical Christians in particular, are more likely to be seen as part of the problem than as pioneering solutions. This article discusses the theological differences behind this contrast, and the practical implications for evangelism in a world of growing animal advocacy.

Andrew Basden, ‘The Rise and Demise of Thomas Cook Travel: A Case Study of the Relevance of a Christian Approach to Business’, Ethics in Brief 20, 4 (2015).

This article examines the rise of the Thomas Cook travel company, founded 150 years ago on Christian foundations, and its recent demise. We find that having Christians in charge of a business is not enough. Rather, what is required is an approach that is sensitive to the diversity and complexity of human social life. One such approach is deployed in analysing why Thomas Cook was originally successful but has now got into trouble. It is significant that it emerges from a Christian root.

A Further KLICE Briefing on the General Election 2015

The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics has posted another piece in a special series of eight extended Ethics in Brief essays on the main British political parties:

Nicholas Townsend

Blue Labour + Red Tory = Christian Democracy?

Christian Democracy is a largely continental European movement of which little is known in the UK. Yet it has many deep and valuable insights from which British politics could benefit. This article presents an overview of the history of the Christian Democratic movement, explains the content and coherence of its economic, social and political principles, addresses some of the sceptical questions it evokes and locates it in relation to the Red Tory and Blue Labour movements in the UK.

Some More from KLICE on the General Election 2015

The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics has posted a further two pieces in a special series of eight extended Ethics in Brief essays on the main British political parties:

Rhys Llwyd

Plaid Cymru, Welsh nationalism and Christianity – a historical perspective

Wales was once known as the ‘land of revival’ but now Wales is as secular as any other country in Western Europe. Many people today, including many Welsh people, know nothing of the role Christian leaders and thinkers had in the shaping and forming of modern Wales. The history of Welsh nationalism and, specifically, the role of Christianity in it, is a hidden mystery to the world as the vast majority of source material is only available in the Welsh language. This article offers a brief overview of the historical link between Welsh identity and Christianity up until the present day, with the aim of explaining the Christian roots and values of Plaid Cymru.

Tim Cooper and Colin Bell

A Greener Faith: Christianity and the Green Party

Christian churches and the Green Party call for countercultural action in order to bring into reality a vision of a world characterised by peace, justice and environmental sustainability. But do their underlying beliefs have enough in common for members to work together? This paper reflects on the origins and philosophy of the Green Party, draw parallels with Christian belief and practice, and consider whether environmental threats such as climate change might bring Greens and Christians closer together.

More from KLICE on the General Election 2015

The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics has posted a further two pieces in a special series of eight extended Ethics in Brief essays on the main British political parties:

Joshua Hordern

Christianity and Conservatism: Trust, Civil Society, Enterprise and Internationalism

As a form of political reasoning and practice, conservatism has much to commend it. Its characteristic focus on the what, why and how questions of conservation provides a helpful guide for thinking about politics. Attentive to these questions and inspired by Christian political thought, this vision of conservatism emphasises trust, both divine and creaturely; the interrelation of civil society with government; responsible enterprise; and sober internationalism.

Doug Gay

The Scottish National Party in Theological Perspective

Many commentators are predicting that the SNP could play a key role in the outcome of the 2015 General Election. They have surged in the polls following a tumultuous 2014 in which they led Scotland to a historic referendum on independence, which was rejected by a significant but not large margin. Few commentators outside Scotland know much of the history and background to the party. Many Christians also remain uneasy about explicit avowals of nationalism. This article explores the background to the rise of the SNP and suggests a theological route to evaluating nationalism and nationalist parties.

KLICE on the General Election 2015

The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics has commissioned some pieces in the run up to the General Election in Britain in May. They write:

‘Our major offering is a special series of eight extended Ethics in Brief essays on the main British political parties. Our contributions won’t advise you how to vote but may help to think more critically about your political allegiance. Some authors belong to and support the parties they discuss, others don’t.’

Two have already been posted:

2015 Election Series No.1 (January 2015)

Paul Bickley, The State of the Parties

It is nearly 150 years since a large part of the (male) urban working class were enfranchised by the Representation of the People Act 1867. For much of that time mass democracy has been realised through the mechanism of mass-membership political parties. This system is facing fundamental challenges. Do these amount to a crisis? This article explores the nature of the challenges facing political parties, and the implications for a Christian understanding of citizenship.

2015 Election Series No.2 (January 2015)

Stephen Backhouse, We Are All Liberals Now: Freedom and Liberalism in the Liberal Democrat Party and Beyond

The Liberal Democrats are one of the smallest parties, but they have the biggest ideas. One cannot have liberalism without ‘liberty’. Liberty is a value that infuses all western politics and is not confined to any one party. The importance of liberty for the liberal western consensus arose from Christian reflection on the nature of creaturely and Divine life. Yet behind the one word ‘liberty’ lie two competing, even opposite, meanings. The liberalism of the Liberal Democrat party and beyond exists in tension with the liberty of Christianity, but is not for that reason inimical to it. Western liberalism can be a good home for Christianity, for after all, Christians helped to create it.

Ethics in Brief Volume 20, No. 1 (2014)

An issue from Volume 20 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, is now available online:

Bethan Willis

Justice after Conflict

Pursuing justice after conflict poses particular problems. There is an urgent need to restore relationships in order that peace might be maintained, but often processes of justice compound existing divisions by causing further injustices (real or imagined) to those involved. This article draws on two theologians, Nicholas Wolterstorff and Miroslav Volf, to find theological resources in the Trinity and eschatology which might address this issue. These doctrines suggest particular characteristics of justice which might be brought to bear on existing post-conflict processes, in order to reshape them in ways which both offer a better outcome in practice and more closely pursue the justice of God.

Ethics in Brief Volume 19, Nos. 5 & 6 (2014)

Two issues from Volume 19 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Julian Rivers, ‘Good News for Law’, Ethics in Brief 19, 5 (2014).

This article seeks to direct our attention away from more familiar instances of current Christian engagement with law to consider broader underlying trends. Modern law is characterised by the breakdown of older distinctions between democracy and rights, government and civil society, the sovereign nation-state and other levels of legal authority, and law and ethics. There is a characteristic Christian theology of law which should lead us to be concerned about the postmodernism, legalism, statism and imperialism implicit in these developments. Christian engagement with law has never been more necessary, for the gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed good news for law as well.

Ian Clausen, ‘Love or Nothing? Locating the Question of Modern Belief’, Ethics in Brief 19, 6 (2014).

What is the essence of modern belief? Two scholars offer different answers to the question of modern belief that challenge some basic assumptions about our current secular age. While Simon May develops the claim that moderns believe in love, David Bentley Hart defends the view that moderns believe in nothing. Which of these judgements on modern belief is correct, and why does it matter? After exploring how the two judgements may not stand in complete tension, this article follows May's advice in rethinking our notion of love to rediscover the central questions that religion aims to provoke.

Ethics in Brief Volume 19, Nos. 1 & 2 (2013)

Two issues from Volume 19 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Claire Hordern, ‘Defining Death: New Pathways to Consider’, Ethics in Brief 19, 1 (2013).

By drawing on recent neurological research this article challenges some prevailing medical assumptions about the definition of death and explores some of the philosophical contours of the brain death debate.

Benjamin S. Wall, ‘Disability in the Christian Tradition: A Reader: Theological Contributions to Disability Discourse’, Ethics in Brief 19, 2 (2013).

Disability in the Christian Tradition: A Reader, edited by Brian Brock and John Swinton, is an indispensable contribution not only to the field of disability studies but also to any contemporary attempt at engaging in serious anthropological, theological, and ethical discourse. This article provides a summary sketch of the book tracing some of the issues it addresses.

Ethics in Brief Volume 18, Nos. 3, 4, 5 & 6 (2013)

Further issues from Volume 18 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Roger Abbott and Robert (Bob) White, ‘Haiti – An Unnatural Disaster’, Ethics in Brief 18, 3 (2013)

This article brings geophysical and theological perspectives to bear on the historic influence of social, economic, and political factors that turned Haiti’s 2010 earthquake into an unnatural disaster. These factors have disabled the native endurance of the majority of Haitian people, and the necessary adaptive requirements of the state, in developing disaster mitigation strategies.

Andrew Goddard, ‘Reframing The Same-Sex Marriage Debate’, Ethics in Brief 18, 4 (2013)

In addition to opposing the government’s flawed proposals to allow same-sex couples to marry, Christians need to see these derive from more fundamental differences in understandings of marriage. We therefore have to consider the place of such different views in British society and the respective roles of religion, the state, wider society and marriage law in this new situation.

Mark Campbell, ‘Strasbourg, Conscience and Religious Belief’, Ethics in Brief 18, 5 (2013)

This issue of Ethics in Brief assesses the meaning and possible impact of the recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights in four well-publicised freedom of religion cases arising in the UK. While the decision demonstrates the limitations of the European Convention on Human Rights in protecting religious freedom, it does contain grounds for cautious encouragement. The article also addresses some of the general issues raised by the decision.

Jonathan Chaplin, ‘Nicholas Wolterstorff, Justice in Love – A Review and Response’, Ethics in Brief 18, 5 (2013)

Nicholas Wolterstorff’s book Justice in Love (2011) is an important new exploration of the relationship between these two vital and often misunderstood ethical concepts. This article surveys the book and assesses some of the issues it raises.

Ethics in Brief Volume 18, Nos. 1 and 2 (2012)

The first two issues from Volume 18 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Tom Miller, ‘The Folly of Attributional Personhood’, Ethics in Brief 18, 1 (2012)

Following the Enlightenment and Empiricist movements, neuroscience has become increasingly harnessed by secular philosophers and ethicists in an attempt to determine scientifically who or what a person may be. However, such an approach is problematic given that the history of cognitive neuroscience is littered with patients who, after sustaining brain damage, lose focal cognitive abilities without apparently diminishing their value and worth as a person. This article explores the historical foundation of this materialistic approach to personhood and its scientific, philosophical and ethical consequences.

Jonathan Chaplin, ‘A Time to Marry – Twice’, Ethics in Brief 18, 2 (2012)

This article argues for a separation between the two stages of the solemnization of marriage: the civil and the religious. While this would be a good thing in itself, the possibility that same-sex marriage could soon be legalized adds greater urgency to the question and requires the church to reflect more urgently and boldly than it has done so far, both on the relation between church and government with respect to marriage and on its own distinctive theology of marriage.

Ethics in Brief Volume 17, Nos. 5 and 6 (2012)

The next two issues from Volume 17 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Will Kynes, ‘God, Justice, and Society: An Overview’, Ethics in Brief 17, 5 (2012)

This non-evaluative overview of God, Justice, and Society: Aspects of Law and Legality in the Bible summarizes Jonathan Burnside’s introduction to biblical law and his demonstration of its value as a resource for modern legal issues.

David Williams, ‘Animals and God’s Plan for the World’, Ethics in Brief 17, 6 (2012)

This article offers a veterinary practitioner’s view of contested issues around proper care of animals. It considers the significance of the Genesis mandate to rule and subdue the earth and addresses further biblical themes in conversation with non-Christian voices both ancient and modern. The author suggests that, in both word and deed, Christianity has more to contribute to the question of animal welfare than is often assumed.

Ethics in Brief Volume 17, Nos. 3 and 4 (2011)

The next two issues from Volume 17 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

David John Sandifer, ‘Is Christian Forgiveness Conditional?’, Ethics in Brief 17, 3 (2011)

The duty of Christian forgiveness has traditionally been understood to extend to all offenses. Recently, however, an interpretation has arisen to challenge this, arguing that Christians are only called to forgive those who demonstrate genuine repentance. This article argues that this view is based on a fallacious analogy between God’s forgiveness and ours, and that it runs counter to both the direct teaching of Scripture and the thrust of Christian discipleship.

Christopher Orton, ‘UKIP and the Common Good’, Ethics in Brief 17, 4 (2011)

This paper addresses the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and its call for Britain to withdraw from the European Union (EU). The paper does not argue for or against withdrawal but aims to help Christians reflect theologically on the question. The first section briefly considers two of UKIP’s 2010 General Election policy statements. Whilst UKIP demonstrate some openness to the theological tradition of ‘common good’ thinking, Christians will still find their basic policy commitments problematic. The second section explores the kind of ‘common good’ argument for withdrawal that Christians might find persuasive. It suggests that British trade policy might provide a basis for such an argument, but insists that more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

Ethics in Brief Volume 17 (2011)

The two issues from Volume 17 of Ethics in Brief, published by The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, are now available online:

Robert White & Jonathan Moo, ‘Environmental Apocalypse and Christian Hope’, Ethics in Brief 17, 1 (2011)

In an age when many have begun to consider widespread environmental collapse inevitable, the certain hope held out in the Christian gospel rules out both complacency and despair. Scripture’s vision of a future for all of creation that is secure in Christ and given by God’s grace challenges Christians to a radical environmental ethos that is marked by wisdom, self-sacrifice, perseverance, love and joy.

Colin Bell, ‘The Church’s Response to the Coming “Crisis of Sustainability”’, Ethics in Brief 17, 2 (2011)

The level and types of human activity on planet Earth need large-scale and immediate change. In this article secular debates are considered in the light of various theological principles – our mandate from God at creation, hope, Sabbath, simplicity and community – to show that the church has a relevant voice. Proposals are then made for constructive actions the church can and should take.