Bullying report uses subjective definitions

The Report into Cultural Issues related to allegations of Bullying and Harassment in NHS Highland has been published and confirms that the whistleblowers have publicised legitimate concerns about bullying in NHS Highland. The Scottish Secretary for Health Jeane Freeman MSP apologised to those affected and said that the other health boards should learn lessons from …

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What constitutes a ‘good’ sermon?

The answer to this question is subjective, although it ought to be objective. The difficulty in making it objective is that everyone has a different idea of 'good'. The preacher will have a different assessment from his hearers, and the hearers will differ according to their readiness to receive instruction from the preacher. Even Jesus …

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Hate crime is selective secular morality

Hate is not a crime – it is a sin – a sin of thought, which may manifest itself in speech and behaviour. Christian societies do not criminalise hate but teach and encourage self-policing by naming and shaming sin. Secularism has no such ability so it calls in the help of criminal sanctions to force …

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Why we need Christian voices in public life

A "Christian Voice" is a Christian articulating a Christian perspective on issues. It is not enough to have a Christian perspective, but one needs to articulate it. The Scottish National Party measures everything in terms of Scotland, the feminists in terms of gender, the homosexuals in terms of sexuality, the Greens in terms of the …

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Misreading public confession

The predictable media storm has erupted around the notable example of public confession by Liam Neeson that he once felt that he wanted to kill a black man and that he harboured the intent for about a week almost 40 years ago. The reaction on social and main stream media is predictable. The public opening …

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Reunions and Partings

The One Show on BBC 1 tonight draws attention to reunions and partings. I was watching this programme because the results of the BBC programme 20th-century Icons are announced on it. The finalists were clarified in tonight's programme and I have updated my blogpost. However, the same show had a marvellous story about the reunion …

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When did BBC Question Time last change your mind?

Does the BBC flagship programme Question Time change anyone's mind? The standard of debate on BBC Question Time is poor and getting worse. We were told years ago that we needed female politicians who would bring civilised debate to male-dominated politics. I never believed it and I have seen no evidence that it has done …

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Christianity and secularism

Christianity is an optimistic worldview that faces the reality of human wickedness by addressing individual responsibility and accountability to God through Jesus Christ. Secularism is a worldview that denies the existence of God and acts as if mankind has enough collective goodness and goodwill to lift each other up and improve the lives of most …

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Market slump, after market high, is not unusual

After the US stock market highs of 2018, the US is set for the worst December fall since the Great Depression in 1931. The market was alarmed by the revelation that over the weekend the US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin took the unusual step of calling the chief executives of America's six largest banks to …

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