The Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics

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Political & Legal Ethics

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Events

Research

Reading

Links

Resources

Publications

Parliamentary Brief, 'We don't do God?', Jonathan Chaplin.
Theos report, Multiculturalism: A Christian Retrieval, Jonathan Chaplin.
Cardus policy journal, 'Why a "Just Society" must also be a "Big Society"', Jonathan Chaplin.
God and Government, eds. Nick Spencer and Jonathan Chaplin, (SPCK 2009)
'One Nation but Two Cities' - Christianity and the Conservative Party, Joshua Hordern.
'Building Jerusalem?' - Christianity and the Labour Party, Paul Bickley.
'Experiments in Living' - Christianity and the Liberal Democrat Party, Stephen Backhouse.

Audio/Video

'Is There a Future for Multiculturalism?', Jonathan Chaplin (Audio & Video)
'A Christian View of the Role of Government', Jonathan Chaplin (Audio)
Interview on PM’s speech on ‘Christian Britain’, Jonathan Chaplin, (Video)

Ethics in Brief

UKIP and the Common Good - Christopher Orton
Civil Partnerships, Religion, and the State - Andrew Goddard
Christianity and the Political Parties - KLICE and the Bible Society
How Should Christians Vote in 2010? - Jonathan Chaplin
Political Forgiveness - Harry Bunting
Talking God: The Legitimacy of Religious Public Reasoning - Jonathan Chaplin
Has Multiculturalism had its day? Towards a Christian Assessment - Jonathan Chaplin & Jenny Taylor
Understanding Liberal Regimes of Tolerance - Jonathan Chaplin
Christian Justification for Democracy - Jonathan Chaplin
The Abuse of Equality - Julian Rivers

KLICE Comment

Jonathan Chaplin writes on multiculturalism.

Media

Jonathan Chaplin on 'The problem with Julian Baggini's secular state'.
Jonathan Chaplin writes on a setback for secularism.
All Jonathan Chaplin articles in the Guardian.

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Events

Future

KLICE Summer School for lawyers and legal professionals, September 14-16. More information here.

Past

Colloquium on ‘Biblical Law’, March 2012

Co-sponsored by KLICE and the Cambridge Inter-faith Programme. Based around a new book by Jonathan Burnside entitled God, Justice and Society: Aspects of Law and Legality in the Bible(Oxford University Press, 2011). Dr. Burnside is Reader in Biblical Law at the University of Bristol and chair of the KLICE Advisory Council. Plenary speakers included Professor Bernard Jackson (Liverpool Hope University, formerly University of Manchester), Professor Gordon McConville (University of Gloucester) and Sheikh Michael Mumisa (University of Cambridge). Jonathan Burnside and Professor Nicholas Aroney (Faculty of Law, University of Queensland) responded to the plenary speakers.

'Beyond Individualism', November 2011

KLICE was represented at a conference entitled ‘Beyond Individualism’ organised by the European Christian Political Movement (ECPM), held in London on 24-25 November. The event was attended by over 100 participants. Speakers included Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Os Guinness, John Milbank, Phillip Blond, Luke Bretherton, Maurice Glasman, David Campanale and Alan Craig. KLICE, along with Theos, the Jubilee Centre and CARE, was a ‘partner’ in the event, which was co-sponsored by ECPM, Christian Concern and the Christian People’s Alliance. Jonathan Chaplin attended on 24 November and gave a brief response to John Milbank. KLICE Research Associate Christopher Orton represented KLICE on 25 November.

Seminar of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI), November 2011

Jonathan Chaplin presented a paper entitled ‘Governing Diversity: Public Judgment and Religious Plurality’ at a seminar of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI), University of Edinburgh, 14 November. The paper engaged with an article written by Professor Oliver O’Donovan (Edinburgh) entitled ‘Reflections on Pluralism’. Professor O’Donovan gave a response.

'Is There a Future for Multiculturalism?', October 2011

Organised by the public theology think-tank Theos and LSE Forum on Religion, at London School of Economics on October 20. The event marked the publication of Jonathan Chaplin's recent Theos report, 'Multiculturalism: A Christian Retrieval'.

Civil Society and Christian Social Thought, October 2011

Jonathan Chaplin gave a lecture on 'Civil Society and Christian Social Thought' at a conference of Faith in Europe, held in Cropthorne, Worcestershire.

Law & Ethics Summer School, September 2011

15 lawyers and others involved in legal work gathered in partnership with The Lawyers Christian Fellowship, held in the peaceful surroundings of Tyndale House. The school helped Christian lawyers who wish to engage more effectively and more theologically in the challenging climate of contemporary law and ethics. We looked at topics such as natural law, biblical law, international law, justice, justice mission, human rights, equality and the role of government. The course leader and academic coordinator was Dr David McIlroy, barrister, theologian and author of 'A Biblical View of Law and Justice' and 'A Trinitarian Theology of Law'.

The Challenge of a Secular Age, July 2011

Jonathan Chaplin spoke on 'Between Theocracy and Secularism: Religion and the State in Britain Today' at the IOCS 12th Summer School, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

God and Government Conference, November 2010

KLICE was active at a conference in London hosted by the think-tank Theos on the theme of the book God and Government (SPCK 2009), co-edited by Nick Spencer (Theos) and Jonathan Chaplin (KLICE). The book is the fruit of a joint Theos-KLICE project. 140 attended the event, which was co-sponsored by Conservative Christian Fellowship (CCF), Christian Socialist Movement (CSM) and Liberal Democrat Christian Forum. Jonathan Chaplin gave a plenary lecture (available in text and audio), and a presentation in a CSM session, and Joshua Hordern gave a presentation on his publication One Nation but Two Cities (one of the 'Partisan' series) in a CCF sesion.

Consulation on Equality and Religious Liberty, June 2010

KLICE hosted an invited inter-denominational seminar on the growing tensions between equality laws and religious liberty, held at the London offices of the Evangelical Alliance. The event was motivated by the desire to develop credible, balanced and informed responses to the questions arising in this area, and which are attracting increasing media attention. The event was a working consultation designed to produce a document of direct use to practitioners facing questions on these issues on a regular basis. Sessions addressed the current state of the law, the issue of ‘discrimination’, and the positive contribution of religion to society. Over 20 experts participated, representing 15 different bodies engaged with the questions.

'Justice: Rights and Wrongs. A Colloquium', May 2009

Held at Christ Church, Oxford, with Prof Nicholas Wolterstorff (Emeritus, Yale University) and sponsored by the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life and KLICE. Joshua Hordern (Edinburgh) prepared a precis of the book for conference registrants. Prof Wolterstorff’s book was published by Princeton University Press in 2008. Richard Bernstein of the New School for Social Research describes it as "the most impressive book on justice since Rawls's A Theory of Justice". The conference papers, plus a response by Prof. Wolterstorff, appear in a special issue of Studies in Christian Ethics in Spring 2010, guest edited by Jonathan Chaplin. An extended version of Professor Wolterstorff's response to his commentators is available here.

'Responding to Secularism: Christian Witness in a Dogmatic Public Culture', April 2009

65 people attended a day conference on mission and contemporary culture co-sponsored with the 'Gospel and Our Culture' Network. Dr Dominic Erdozain (King’s College, London) spoke on the growth of secularity in modern British culture click here for text of lecture. ProfJohn Stackhouse (Regent College, Vancouver) spoke on public engagement in a secularised culture. Rev J Andrew Kirk (formerly University of Birmingham) spoke on Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age click here for text of lecture. Dr Elaine Storkey (TEAR Fund) spoke on responding to the secularist worldview.

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Research

Projects: KLICE is currently engaged in two exciting projects in partnerships with Theos and the Bible Society, both aimed to disseminating the fruits of academic political theology to wide audience of practitioners. See the Projects page for further information.

Award 2010-2013: We are pleased to announce an award in Law and Ethics. For more details of the 'Professor Sir Norman Anderson award', please click on 'Leadership Programme'.

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