Archbishops on Politics and Pullman, A challenge to Christian radicalism, and the lack of Religion in Video games

It's been a couple of weeks since I've done one of these because of essays, exams and a busy Easter Holiday but here's a couple of articles I've read in the last few weeks.

Rowan Williams reviews Philip Pullman's new book the Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ:
"On the back of the book is printed in large capital letters, "THIS IS A STORY". It's worth remembering that emphatic statement as you read the book. This is not a speculation about the beginnings of Christianity, a claim to have uncovered the real, suppressed history of Jesus. It is a fable through which Philip Pullman reflects on Jesus, on the tensions and contradictions of organised religion – and indeed on the nature of storytelling."

John Sentamu warns that cutting the public sector risks throwing away people
"Bismarck also said that politics is simply "the art of the possible". However, I am not a politician. I am a follower of Jesus, and I believe in Him anything is possible! Like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I am not an optimist but a Prisoner of Hope - and I am forever expecting the unexpected."

Jonathan Bartley looks at why society might have contempt for Christians
"George Pitcher, at the Telegraph newspaper, today takes up the point we made yesterday about the exaggeration of the Church of England bishops who claim that "there have been numerous dismissals of practising Christians from employment for reasons that are unacceptable in a civilised society". (An allegation also repeated as ‘fact’ with no substantiation at all by Jonathan Wynne Jones in the Sunday Telegraph)."

Sande Ramage looks at how radical Christianity needs to be
"'Radical', says Peter, means going to the root of the matter - and the root of the gospel is to not harm your brother and sister. For him, non-violent, direct action against systems of war springs from these deeply held values."

Owen Good looks at the depictions of Religion in video games or the lack thereof
"Games aren't the first to give us violent, blood-spattered tales of good versus evil; religions began that genre centuries ago. But incorporating the imagery and figures of faiths that are still practiced today remains rare. You're more likely to see only allegorical or completely invented representations of divinity or belief sets."