All Matters of Life and Death articles – Page 3

  • Screenshot 2024-10-08 at 16.24.06
    Shows

    Yoga, mindfulness and truly Christian meditation

    2024-10-09T17:00:00Z

    Yoga and mindfulness are everywhere in popular Western culture: in school PE lessons, in company retreats, prescribed by doctors, and even sometimes endorsed by churches. Are these harmless or even quasi-Christian practices we can all enjoy, or pagan-derived movements which believers should steer clear of? And is there such a thing as ‘Christian meditation’ we should all be leaning into instead?

  • Screenshot 2024-10-03 at 12.18.31
    Shows

    Remembrance and forgetting: Why is nobody talking about covid any more?

    2024-10-03T11:21:00Z

    Harrowing testimony from healthcare staff at the UK’s national covid inquiry has reminded us of the horrendous sacrifices made by doctors and nurses during the pandemic, just a few years ago. And yet the inquiry has drawn hardly any media attention, with most of us happy to move on with our lives and never think about those long months in lockdown again. But is this a wise, or even a Christian, way of dealing with trauma in the past?

  • Screenshot 2024-09-20 at 12.35.15
    Shows

    Will anti-obesity wonder drugs save our broken NHS?

    2024-09-25T11:02:00Z

    The new British government has been crystal clear that in their view, the National Health Service – a state-run socialised system which is quasi-worshipped by most Britons – is in long-term crisis. Services from family doctors to cancer treatment to A&E in hospitals are struggling and failing to hit targets, and constantly underfunded.

  • Screenshot 2024-09-18 at 10.25.49
    Shows

    Stigma, anti-depressants and emotional resilience: Rethinking mental health and the church

    2024-09-18T09:26:00Z

    Tim is away this week so we’re sharing a classic episode from the MOLAD vault. Since the covid pandemic there has been an alarming rise in people presenting with mental health problems.

  • Screenshot 2024-09-11 at 11.11.05
    Shows

    Assisted suicide: Euthanasia tourism takes off in the US amid fresh push to change law in Britain

    2024-09-11T10:11:00Z

    Today we pick up a number of stories and updates in the conversation around assisted suicide. Long since legal in a growing number of states in the US, a new report has detailed how things are liberalising further. Some states now permit non-residents to cross state lines solely to die, creating a new market in euthanasia tourism for those living in less liberal parts of America.

  • 25904_screenshot20220819at11.28.36_870188
    Shows

    Should robots be given human rights?

    2024-09-04T07:40:00Z

    A classic episode from the MOLAD vault today: If and when autonomous and intelligent robots come into existence, should they be granted rights, or even personhood? A growing number of technologists argue governments must lay out what status conscious and rational machines would have before they actually have been invented.

  • pexels-vidalbalielojrfotografia-4006979
    Shows

    Lucy Letby reconsidered: Innocence and guilt, partial evidence, and living with unknowns

    2024-08-28T18:00:00Z

    We covered the case of Lucy Letby – a neonatal nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven more – last year. Since then, there has been a growing campaign claiming she is the victim of a miscarriage of justice, as Letby herself appeals the judgement.

  • Screenshot 2024-08-22 at 09.48.58
    Shows

    What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

    2024-08-21T16:00:00Z

    ‘Let us make mankind in our image.’ But what does Imago Dei truly mean for us today? From abilities to relationships, how do we define being made in God’s image in a way that includes everyone? In an era challenging human uniqueness, understanding Imago Dei is key to upholding the value of all life. Let’s revisit this foundational concept and its importance in our modern world.

  • Screenshot 2024-08-07 at 11.00.04
    Shows

    The infected blood scandal

    2024-08-14T10:01:00Z

    A UK inquiry revealed NHS’s use of contaminated blood, causing infections like HIV. Particularly tragic were non-consensual experiments at a haemophilia school, resulting in deaths. This discussion probes the ethics of medical trials, healthcare improvements, and the role of Christian humility in medicine.

  • Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 10.26.41
    Shows

    Autonomous killer drones and the future of warfare

    2024-08-07T11:33:00Z

    This week’s focus is on two ethical issues: the rise of autonomous AI drones in Ukraine’s war, questioning the morality of machines in combat, and the ethical dilemma of surging frozen embryos from IVF in the UK, exploring solutions like embryo adoption. Both topics highlight the complex ethical implications of modern technology and medicine.

  • Screenshot 2024-07-30 at 15.29.19
    Shows

    Should Christians break the law? Civil disobedience, climate protest and heavy-handed policing

    2024-07-31T14:31:00Z

    A landmark court case in the UK recently saw five radical climate activists jailed for up to five years for their role in organising the blocking of a major motorway to protest against fossil fuels. 

  • Screenshot 2024-07-17 at 09.39.35
    Shows

    The unintended consequences of sperm donation

    2024-07-24T07:41:00Z

    A recent Netflix documentary, The Man With A 1000 Kids, has shone a light on the often under-discussed topic of sperm donation. It exposes a Dutch man as a prolific and deceptive sperm donor who compulsively fathers children around the world via donated sperm. 

  • Screenshot 2024-07-17 at 09.34.20
    Shows

    Neo-Luddism and the ‘myth’ of progress: Should Christians be pro or anti technology?

    2024-07-17T08:36:00Z

    In recent weeks we have discussed how to keep modern technology at arms-length (smartphones in the home) and our excitement at how humans may be about to untap God’s blessing in creation through technology (the solar energy revolution). Today we ask the question: can we really hold these positions simultaneously?

  • Screenshot 2024-07-10 at 10.15.21
    Shows

    Energy abundance: Is the coming solar power revolution a blessing from God?

    2024-07-10T09:16:00Z

    Even sober-minded experts are getting excited about solar power. Respectable estimates suggest the price of energy derived from sunlight will continue to drop spectacularly as the number of panels installed worldwide continues to explode exponentially. 

  • 38341_20240626t023942z_1341591718_rc2qi8ag8kjw_rtrmadp_3_usaassange_431543
    Shows

    Matters of Life & Death: Julian Assange, whistleblowers, and the Christian case for journalism

    2024-07-03T08:23:00Z

    The controversial hacker and activist (and maybe journalist?) Julian Assange was suddenly freed for five years in a British jail last month, after he reached a surprise deal with the US authorities over classified military files he published online more than ten years ago.

  • greg-rakozy-oMpAz-DN-9I-unsplash
    Shows

    Matter of Life & Death: Physics and the gospel: Richard Cheetham on how churches can embrace science once more

    2024-06-26T17:00:00Z

    Despite reams of research debunking the myth and countless examples of pioneering Christian researchers, many people still believe intuitively that somehow science and religion are in constant conflict.

  • alex-boyd-6-H23dfH7Qo-unsplash
    Shows

    Matters of Life & Death: Dependence - Should Christians embrace ‘being a burden’ on others as we get old?

    2024-06-19T16:00:00Z

    Tim’s been away this last week on holiday so we’re bringing you an episode from the Matters of Life and Death vault today. There is a looming ‘demographic timebomb’ – a growing mass of elderly and increasingly chronically ill people in many developed nations, expected to place huge strain on public resources.

  • Screenshot 2024-06-07 at 10.58.13
    Shows

    Matters of Life & Death: Are smartphones damaging our children? with Andy Crouch

    2024-06-12T16:00:00Z

    This week we interview the writer Andy Crouch on a question which has been everywhere in recent months: are smartphones damaging our children?

  • Screenshot 2024-06-05 at 10.06.50
    Shows

    Matters of Life & Death: How much is too much to genetically screen your children?

    2024-06-05T09:08:00Z

    In the first half of this episode we explore new research into public opinion around polygenic embryo screening. This technology allows people undergoing IVF to see what genes each potential embryo has and then choose to reimplant the one with the ‘best’ genetic make-up.

  • Screenshot 2024-05-28 at 13.08.40
    Shows

    Matters of Life & Death: Elections, the church and threats to democracy

    2024-05-29T10:16:00Z

    In this episode we reflect on why Christians are so politically engaged in Britain, with research suggesting they are much more likely to vote, join a party, and campaign than the general public.