Nicholas Baines

LATEST ARTICLES ( 603 )

• Russian Roulette

  It's a bit of a game, isn't it?Keen to take the initiative, the USA and France ratchet up the pressure to attack Syria on the grounds that Syria must be deterre... Read more

  Posted on 10 September 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Questions, Church and Other Stuff

  

  The Diocese of Bradford is currently hosting the Bishop of Khartoum, Sudan, as we celebrate 30 years of a diocesan link. Talking with the bishop over the last... Read more

  Posted on 08 September 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• “Something Must Be Done…”

  

  If I had a pound for every time I get told, “something must be done” – about something – I would be a rich man. The trouble is, however, that the phrase only... Read more

  Posted on 01 September 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Syria

  

  Having had a big needle in my shoulder yesterday, I followed the Syria crisis developments without knowing whether to or how to respond. So much has been said... Read more

  Posted on 30 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• What Every Vicar Needs to Know

  

  Having just got back from holiday, I am missing the Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham. This also means I missed the launch of Jeremy Fletcher's advice to... Read more

  Posted on 25 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Safe and Sound

  

  Being away has made me feel a little detached from the sound and fury of home. But, as I used to work for them, I have followed the GCHQ/NSA business quite... Read more

  Posted on 22 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• The Language of Short-term Apathy

  

  Still away on holiday, I get back to wifi-land and get pointed to an article in yesterday's Observer newspaper. It seems that language learning in... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• 1848 and All That

  

  Going to university back in 1976 opened a new world to me. Never really having the confidence to read widely or expand my interests beyond finding intellectual... Read more

  Posted on 17 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Creation, Power and Truth

  

  Reading about the American Civil War, Leonard Cohen and the corruption of civilisation in Hitler's Final Solution – a corruption that enabled 'ordinar... Read more

  Posted on 15 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Nibbling Cows

  

  It has been remarked that my choice of reading material for a holiday is not 'happy'. The American Civil War, a biography of Leonard Cohen, and now a... Read more

  Posted on 14 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• A Case of Cohen

  

  Monogamy is not the first word that comes to mind when the name Leonard Cohen is heard. He was, to say the least, a bit of a lad. Read more

  Posted on 14 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• History and Memory (again)

  

  So, we read yesterday that the Israeli government has given permission for another thousand settlement homes to be built. And the outside observer might be... Read more

  Posted on 12 August 2013 RELIGION, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• Let the Games Begin…

  

  I am about to depart for a break. The timing is terrible. The new Premier League season begins on 17 August, my fantasy league squad is ready, and… er… I won’t... Read more

  Posted on 08 August 2013 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Orwell’s Nightmare

  

  I caught a hint of a glimpse of a headline somewhere yesterday while on the move. It simply raised the question of how we, citizens of a democratic country,... Read more

  Posted on 07 August 2013 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Immigration

  

  I was at the BBC studios in MediaCity, Salford, this morning to take part in a radio discussion about immigration. Well, not about immigration itself, but the... Read more

  Posted on 04 August 2013 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Strange World

  

  Yesterday was an odd one. It was Yorkshire Day here in … er … Yorkshire – the annual celebration of the White Rose counties just south of 'Desolation'. Read more

  Posted on 02 August 2013 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Word Changes

  

  I know this is a bit narky, but try substituting any other brand of human being for 'religious' or Archbishop of Canterbury' in the leader articl... Read more

  Posted on 30 July 2013 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Religion and Politics

  

  It is rare that a national newspaper editorial exposes its prejudices so clearly. And, tempting though it is to just smile grimly and let it pass, here goes... Read more

  Posted on 29 July 2013 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• Loadsamoney and God

  

  While in the USA this week I only picked up the odd headline about the Archbishop of Canterbury and Wonga. Now I am back I am rather surprised and encouraged... Read more

  Posted on 27 July 2013 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

• The Day Today

  

  I am sitting at Roanoke Airport in Virginia, USA, waiting for the flight to Atlanta to connect with flight to Manchester and back to home in Bradford. Read more

  Posted on 25 July 2013 RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY