Ian Paul

Ian Paul is a theologian, writer and speaker. Associate Minister at St Nic's, Nottingham and Honorary Lecturer at the University of Nottingham. Mac user and chocoholic. Ian Paul on Google+

Free healthcare cannot continue

by

So says a Conservative minister in admitting that Andrew Lansley’s NHS reorganisation was the ‘biggest blunder of the Coalition government.’ I never thought I would admit it, but I think he is right. The Health Service is facing massive, and apparently intractable, problems, and many believe that the ‘reforms’ just made them all worse. Unsurprisingly, … Continue Reading

Jesus’ view of mission

by

I spent part of last week at our excellent clergy conference in Swanwick. (I will leave it ambiguous as to whether the clergy or the conference was excellent—or both!). As is the practice with the Partnership for Missional Church approach to mission (being used in a number of diocese including ours), we repeatedly spent time reflecting … Continue Reading

More Perfect Union?

by

I’ve had quite a few interactions with Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham, mostly on line and (once) in person. On some occasions he has been reasonable, thoughtful and well-informed; on others, belligerent and polemical. So when I received this book for review, I was intrigued to know which way it would go. Unfortunately, it is … Continue Reading

Is gender difference innate?

by

Earlier this week there was a fascinating Horizon on BBC2 exploring whether there are basic differences between male and female brains. Horizon is sometimes a little thin on content and big on special effects, but this one was different—it was packed with fascinating and compelling information, and presented in a fascinating format. Michael Mosley, of … Continue Reading

To script or not to script?

by

Ed Miliband admitted this morning that he omitted two key sections from his speech to this year’s Labour Party conference in Manchester—one on immigration and the other on the budget deficit. How could he forget such important sections, when doing do inevitably leads to ruthless criticism? The answer is simple: he gave a 65-minute speech without … Continue Reading

What does it mean to be ‘lost’?

by

The idea that those outside the Christian faith are ‘lost’ has, in the past, been of central importance in evangelical devotion. Around 10 million times a year, Christians sing John Newton’s autobiographical devotional hymn: Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, … Continue Reading

Can we make sense of beheading?

by

It was surely only going to be a matter of time, following the execution of two Americans, that a British citizen was going to be the next victim of the brutal violence of the self-styled ‘Islamic State.’ David Haines was, by all account, an impressive individual, someone of ‘unstoppable energy’ who was deeply committed to … Continue Reading