Latest News
Saving the bees – an update
Despite an international campaign on their behalf, the plight of the world’s bees remains critical. Apart from producing honey, these industrious insects play a vital role in pollinating food plants and an estimated one-third of our human diet depends on their efforts. As reported in the Friend (19 June)...
Alternative economies?
At the very beginning of this year, the Friend dedicated an entire issue to looking at ‘human economics’ or, in the words of the BBC’s Robert Peston, ‘the new capitalism’: that is, different attempts to experiment with ways in which economics operate on a human level. These attempts are...
Should assisted suicide be sanctioned by law?
Recent high-profile cases, such as those of Debbie Purdy and Sir Edward Downes, have intensified the debate about whether it should be made legal to assist a person to take their own life. The archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster, with chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks, published a joint statement objecting...
Quaker approach to business under the spotlight
Quaker attitudes to business and employment have been in the spotlight this week, following the attempted takeover of Cadbury by American food giant Kraft. On BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day on Friday 11 September Catherine Pepinster, editor of Catholic weekly The Tablet, used the news story to fulsomely praise...
The future begins today
‘How can we integrate our buildings with our witness and service, and with our testimonies for peace and justice? Ten years ago we saw a moral imperative – to minimise this Center’s impact on the earth. Friends Center now represents the marriage of our faith and our practice.’ In their...
Remembering the refugee children of the second world war
News round-up
Irish Friends focus on peace and sustainability; Climate camp glued to the issues; Goodbye and all that
News round-up
Tackling the pay gap from both ends
Church Action on Poverty, the ecumenical Christian social-justice charity, which has been championing the cause of low-paid workers through its Living Wage campaign, is now backing a call for a High Pay Commission to be set up that would launch a wide-ranging review of pay ‘at the top’. Using the...
New face for Quakers in London takes shape
Oliver Robertson reports on developments at the new Quaker Centre at Friends House