June 15th marks the 800th Anniversary of Magna Carta, the historic document credited for shaping the development of human rights, equality and democracy.
Churches and Christian-based organisations are highlighting the contribution that the Church and individual Christians have played in its formation, development and continue to contribute to the ideals of this most significant radical achievement within human history.
Wilberforce Publications in association with Voice for Justice has launched a book titled Magna Carta Unravelled, and subtitled ‘the case for Christian freedoms today’.
The publishers press statement expressed, “… the liberties and freedoms fought for and heralded in Magna Carta are under severe attack as controversial issues of religious freedoms, human rights, equality legislation and freedom of speech present significant challenges for our society today.
In the year of its 800th anniversary Magna Carta Unravelled traces the Christian origins and legacy of this great Charter of liberty, focusing on the current challenges to individual liberty examined by experts with unrivalled backgrounds in politics, academic philosophy, the law and the church.
Magna Carta Unravelled is an invaluable resource, offering penetrating insights from a variety of perspectives for those seeking a thoughtful approach to issues of freedom in our nation today.”
- Contributing writers for the book include:
- Baroness Cox
- Professor Roger Trigg
- Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali
- Barrister Paul Diamond
- Philip Quenby
- John Scriven
- Lynda Rose
- Robert S. Harris
Theos, a Christian think tank working in the area of religion, politics and society, has published a report titled, Church and The Charter, Christianity and the forgotten roots of the Magna Carter.
The Report is said ‘explores the ideological relationship between Christian theology and the most celebrated of the ideas that came to be enshrined in the Magna Carta…’ and ‘The Church and the Charter shows that the Magna Carta is a document shaped by the history of religious thought, just as much as it is an expression of ‘secular’ demands. And it deserves to be remembered and celebrated as such – as a seminal document in the development of political thought that owes a great debt to both the political clout of the English church, and to the ideological reflections of Christian theology’. The church and the Charter published by Theos
Premier Christian Radio – Society Sunday
On the 14th June, a day before marking the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta, using culinary terms, Premier Christian Radio served up Society Sunday, almost as a delightful antipasto. Society Sunday is a new annual Christian event designed by Premier to develop and deepen relations between faith groups and those in authority. The event received the backing of Faith Minister and Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles MP.
Society Sunday is to counter the trend not to acknowledge the good work that faith groups do in our communities and to demonstrate our prayerful support for the those working in civil life. Churches register to participate