the Protestant Churches of Nauen District, Brandenburg OPPOSITION TO THE GERMAN-CHRISTIANS In the first part of this series we looked at the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Adolf Hitler’s rise to power that came from many members and pastors of the Protestant churches of the Nauen District near Berlin, an enthusiasm which persisted with some pastors,…
Author: The Meeting Place
Faith and Politics in 1930s Germany
the Protestant Churches of Nauen District, Brandenburg WELCOMING HITLER Twenty-five miles west of the centre of Berlin, and eleven miles outside its city limits, is the municipality of Nauen, in the Havelland district of Brandenburg, with eighteen thousand people living in the town and its surrounding villages. Havelland is a mainly farming and not densely…
First Thursday April 1st 2021
Summary of discussion Astra Zeneca in India had been granted a license to manufacture Covid vaccines at cost price [this was pre-the current surge in India’s own Covid cases], though there are questions about how available these will be to those who cannot afford to pay. The UK has ordered 400 million doses of vaccine,…
First Thursday March 4th 2021
Summary of the discussion: We reflected on the way many transactions today have shifted from being person-to-person (eg negotiating with an individual) to dealing with a computer. Is this only unwelcome to older people who were once accustomed to personal relationships, and now have difficulty in adjusting to dealing with machines- do others welcome it…
First Thursday summary, February 4th, 2021
The Government announced £1 billion funds to support the work schools would need to do to enable many children to “catch-up” after Covid: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/catch-up-premium-coronavirus-covid-19/catch-up-premium It is clear that the Covid lockdowns have had a serious impact on many children- not only through “falling behind” in education, but also in mental health. The Maudsley…
Britain and Europe
“How often do you go to the mainland?” asked the Christian Aid Partner from India, on a visit to the UK. It took a moment to realise what he meant. After all, we rarely think of Britain as a small offshore island. More common is the (alleged) 1940s newspaper headline: “Fog in Channel- Continent cut…
December 3rd 2020 First Thursday
Summary of the discussion We noted the practice of “Imprisonment for Public Protection” (IPP), in the news recently. IPP was created by the 2003 Criminal Justice Act, implemented since 2005, and used for crimes which do not merit a life sentence, but where the offender is considered to pose a danger to others. After 10…
November First Thursday
November 12th summary of the discussion. Covid was still top of the news “agenda” with the promise of vaccines soon to be available. The costs of some (eg Pfizer) are likely to be high (Astra Zeneca is likely to be cheaper and does not need minus 80 degrees Celsius for storage). Drug companies may reap…
Brexit Debate
Wednesday 21st October: Notes on “The Future of Brexit Britain” With Jonathan Chaplain and Andrew Bradstock, the joint editors. The initiative for the book was the strange silence from the Church of England about the Brexit Referendum- any personal statements made (eg from Bishops) were for Remain, but it was clear that many Anglicans were…
October 2020 First Thursday
Summary of our discussion: We noted that the “R” (reproduction) rate for Covid had recently fallen from 1.7 down to 1.1 [how long ago does that month seem now!!] The UK Agriculture Bill is going through Parliament at the moment (with a debate today). This has resulted from the UK leaving the EU, and therefore…