Francis Hoyland, The Life of Christ 71: Christ foretells the destruction of the Temple The case for ecumenical collaboration and engagement By Rod Benson Public theology has a future wherever Christians take responsibility for the public consequences of their faith. Its task is to bring theological convictions into critical conversation with the institutions, practices and …
Selective compassion: How would Jesus respond?
Ed Sheeran By Rod Benson The controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour eventually reaches a question deeper than celebrity politics: can compassion remain morally credible when it becomes selective? Public culture is saturated with the language of kindness, inclusion, empathy and love. Yet those virtues are tested not when they are universally applauded …
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When artists speak: Moral responsibility and the limits of celebrity activism
Ed Sheeran and Macklemore. Image Credit: Christopher Polk By Rod Benson If artists possess the freedom to address political questions, what responsibilities accompany that freedom? The dispute surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s American tour illustrates why the answer cannot simply be that celebrities should speak whenever they possess strong convictions. Public platforms magnify both …
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Election is not exemption: Human rights, Scripture and sacred exceptionalism
Likud lawmaker Hanoch Milwidsky. By Rod Benson In remarks circulated on video in September 2026, Likud member of the Knesset Hanoch Milwidsky reportedly declared: “We are not like everyone else,” adding that laws applying to others do not apply to the Jewish people. According to the published English translation, he also described the Jewish people …
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Should artists stay out of politics?
Macklemore performs on stage at the Goldencoast Rap Festival in Corcelles-les-Monts on 3o August 2026. Photograph: Arnaud Finistre/AFP/Getty Images By Rod Benson The controversy surrounding Macklemore’s recent removal from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s 2026 Loop tour raises a question extending far beyond one rapper, one pop star or one geopolitical conflict. Should musicians use concert …
