In defence of the laws of war

PublishedAuthor's post-print version of an article published in Studies in Christian Ethics, Volume 28 Number 3 August 2015, DOI:10.1177/0953946814565314This essay warns that Nigel Biggar’s permissive reading of the classic, theological just war tradition is problematic especially when combined with his highly contextual approach to the United Nations Charter and laws of war. Two points are made: (1) When compared to Augustine’s grappling with the disordered loves of the Roman empire—including ‘foreign iniquity’ as an excuse for military action, the animus dominandi, and wars of a kind that generate more war. In Defence of War lacks a political realism robust enough to defend against leaving the laws of war in the hands of the most powerful nations. (2) When compared to Augustine’s engagement with why and how secular law must constitute the conditions for peaceable and ordered co-existence, In Defence of War fails to incorporate into its just war reasoning a defence of the legal regime necessary for the protection of international peace and security

Tax and international justice

Chapter from report published by Christian Aid. Author's version differs from text published online.Christian ethics is properly and centrally concerned with questions about social justice, including taxation. Biblical teaching does not yield a straightforward Christian policy on taxation but three features of biblical and traditional teaching bear directly on our topic. (1) Mark 12:13-17 demands that ‘giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s’ should be considered in the light of what it means to ‘Give back to God the things that are God’s’. This is the theological framework for everything said in this essay about taxation. (2) Deeply-rooted Christian teaching about common good has implications for how we think about taxation, including consideration of the ‘goods’ of trade. (3) Amidst the challenges of globalization, instruments, institutions, and mechanisms pertaining to taxation are urgently required to ensure the more just ordering of economic relations. Personal responsibility in the face of vast global realities is discussed

Just war reasoning in an age of risk

"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Just War Reasoning in an Age of Risk, New Blackfriars, Volume 96, Issue 1062, pages 206–222, March 2015, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nbfr.12119/full. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."The classic, theological tradition of just war reasoning (JWT) is not exhausted but needed more than ever in the shadow of global risks, when facing “hybrid” war, and when the difference between war and peace is said to be blurring. The tradition does not speak with one voice but debate within the tradition about the (un)acceptability of military action under conditions of uncertainty sheds light, in at least three ways, on ways of approaching the range of unorthodox tactics threated in conflict today: 1.How to be fearful. Fear and anxiety in an age of risk are potential threats to reason. The JWT has resources with which to consider “how to fear” wisely. 2.How to grapple with issues of classification, including what constitutes an attack equivalent to an “armed attack” under UN Charter Art 51. When, for instance, are cyber-attacks better dealt with under civilian, international commercial law, and when the laws of war? 3.How to approach new challenges in a principled manner. Are different principles or criteria needed to govern action (e.g., the criterion of intensity) or do immediacy and necessity remain the most critically important principles in our moral arsenal

Salvation in a social context: the impact of Hegelian social theory on modern understanding of soteriology, with particular reference to the Phenomenology of Spirit

The study is an exercise in interdisciplinary practice. It concerns the relationship between theology and socio-philosophy and considers the type of dialogical theory that is required in order to articulate the meaning of salvation socially. The intention is mediate a theological understanding of salvation through issues raised by Hegel in The Phenomenology of Spirit and which continue as matters of concern to his interpreters. The study is divided into three main /arts, Identity, Alienation and Community. Each part reP1.sents interrelated areas of human experience which bear upon Christian and nonChristian social theory. The Introduction and Part 1 outline difficulties on the side of faith in articulating an idea of God's salvation for the contemporary needs and goals of society. I paint in broad brush strokes the shape of the contention over how to speak about salvation in a social context, in particular, the dualism between talking of 'the social' either terms of the functions of collected individuals or as a single entity. Part 2 introduces critical interpretations of Hegel and his treatment of various social forms of alienation. Relevant contributions from contemporary non-Christian social theorists, Jurgen Habermas, in particular, are summarized and discussed. 1 In Part 3 I consider what is inadequate in Hegel's own superseding of the Christian understanding of community and ask: -What kind of thought is able to sublate Hegel's own inadequate notion of community?- Using analogical reasoning, I suggest that it is possible for theology both to learn from Hegel and his interpreters, and to criticize them. I look at some implications for Christian social theory today

Wealth and common good

Christianity is not always anti-wealth per se but has much to say about the use of wealth for common good not merely personal advantage. Wealth can be a trust held in the service of God. This essay revisits some of Jesus’ most famous sayings about wealth to consider the acquisition, use and relative value of earthly wealth, and the realities of economic inequality. The cost of wealth can be damnation or the responsibility of using it well for common good.Chapter from “Together for the common good: towards a national conversation”, ed. by Nicholas Sagovsky, Peter McGrail. SCM Press, 2015. 9780334053248. Deposited with the publisher's permission

The Art of Bible Reading: A New Approach

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleThe status, age and multi-layered nature of the Bible have always made it challenging to teach in an open, exploratory way in the classroom. A collaborative research project between the University of Exeter and the Bible Society has been exploring how art can be a stimulus for teaching biblical stories in RE

Expression of BNIP3 in invasive breast cancer: correlations with the hypoxic response and clinicopathological features

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) is a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family induced under hypoxia. Low or absent expression has recently been described in human tumors, including gastrointestinal tumors, resulting in poor prognosis. Little is known about BNIP3 expression in invasive breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of BNIP3 in invasive breast cancer at the mRNA and protein level in correlation with the hypoxic response and clinicopathological features.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 40 cases of invasive breast cancer, BNIP3 mRNA <it>in situ </it>hybridization was performed on frozen sections with a digoxigenin labeled anti-BNIP3 probe. Paraffin embedded sections of the same specimens were used to determine protein expression of BNIP3, Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) and its downstream targets Glucose Transporter 1 (Glut-1) and Carbonic Anhydrase (CAIX) by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BNIP3 mRNA was expressed in 16/40 (40%) of the cases and correlated with BNIP3 protein expression (p = 0.0218). Neither BNIP3 protein nor mRNA expression correlated with expression of HIF-1α expression or its downstream targets. Tumors which showed loss of expression of BNIP3 had significantly more often lymph node metastases (82% vs 39%, p = 0.010) and showed a higher mitotic activity index (p = 0.027). BNIP3 protein expression was often nuclear in normal breast, but cytoplasmic in tumor cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>BNIP3 expression is lost in a significant portion of invasive breast cancers, which is correlated with poor prognostic features such as positive lymph node status and high proliferation, but not with the hypoxic response.</p

Protective behaviour of citizens to transport accidents involving hazardous materials: A discrete choice experiment applied to populated areas nearby waterways

Background To improve the information for and preparation of citizens at risk to hazardous material transport accidents, a first important step is to determine how different characteristics of hazardous material transport accidents will influence citizens' protective behaviour. However, quantitative studies investigating citizens' protective behaviour in case of hazardous material transport accidents are scarce. Methods A discrete choice experiment was conducted among subjects (19-64 years) living in the direct vicinity of a large waterway. Scenarios were described by three transport accident characteristics: odour perception, smoke/vapour perception, and the proportion of people in the environment that were leaving at their own discretion. Subjects were asked to consider each scenario as realistic and to choose the alternative that was most appealing to them: staying, seekin

Communications Biophysics

Contains reports on nine research projects split into four sections.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 K04 NS00113)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 NS07047)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROl NS11153-03)National Institutes of Health (Fellowship 1 T32 NS07099-01)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-16861)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROl NS10916)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROl NS12846)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-21751)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 RO1 NS14092)Health Sciences FundNational Institutes of Health (Grant 2 R01 NS11680)National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 RO1 NS11080)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 GM07301