KLICE is a great gift, nestled as it is in Tyndale House and opening out on to Cambridge University. Since I arrived, I have been reflecting on how best to build on the rich legacy of my predecessor, Jonathan Chaplin. We have developed a vision for KLICE over the coming years and I am glad to report that this vision has started to develop real traction. It is this story that I want to tell in this and forthcoming editions of Sibylline Leaves. Our great desire is to do work that enhances the reputation of Christ. He deserves our very best, and our dream is to develop KLICE into an international centre for Christian ethics, producing scholarship at the highest levels and also at accessible levels, with a view to serving the church and contributing to the flourishing of the UK, Europe and beyond. With this in mind, we have moved forward in the following areas:

PHYSICAL AND ADMINSTRATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE: The KLICE office has been refurbished to provide work space for our team and a lovely meeting area. KLICE has urgently needed administrative support and I am glad to report that in January Dr David Armitage started work as our part-time Academic Administrator. We are immediately feeling the effect of his contribution, but our goal is to have our administration stable and functioning well by the end of 2019. Genevieve Wedgbury continues to do sterling work as our Development Officer, and during 2018 we witnessed a significant turnaround in our fundraising, for which we are most grateful. With David’s appointment, Genevieve is free to concentrate on this area, but bear in mind that she works for us just two days per week. With all our limitations, the good news is that we now have a team at the heart of KLICE; again a cause for celebration.

AN INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITY ROOTED IN SPIRITUALITY: There are so many areas of relevance to ethics – politics, law, medicine, media and journalism, science, business and marketing, to name just a few – that it is simply impossible for one person to attend in depth to all of these. What we need at KLICE is a community of scholars with expertise in these different areas. God has been truly good to us in this respect and we now have such a community. In March 2018 we launched the KLICE Research Institute (KRI). The KRI meets for one day per month to develop community rooted in spirituality, to enhance one another’s research and to work on joint projects together. The KRI is now made up of 11 scholars, with expertise in economics, media and journalism, marketing and business, art history, art, biblical studies, philosophy, theology, medicine, drama, and science. An astonishingly rich community with remarkable expertise has emerged. In future editions of Sibylline Leaves we will introduce you to the KRI community. During 2019 we focused on the ecology of Christian scholarship, building a common vocabulary, and began a communal project aimed at answering the question “What time is it in our culture?” Our hope is that the fruits of the latter will result in a publication.

NEW APPOINTMENTS: We have the scholars to do the work so urgently needed. Alas, in the UK it is increasingly hard to do academic work from an overtly Christian perspective. KLICE is a place where such research is possible, indeed required! Several members of the KRI are available for part-time and full-time work. Thus, a logical next step is to create the space for these people to do paid work in the service of Christ and his people. Again, I am delighted to report that we have made progress in this area:

• Business, Marketing and Entrepreneurship: Formerly Professor of Marketing at Anglia Ruskin University, Dr Sue Halliday has taken early retirement to devote half her time to working as part of KLICE. We have also received a generous donation for three years to support Sue’s work.
• Journalism and Media: Dr. Jenny Taylor, a close friend of Lesslie Newbigin, has years of experience in media and journalism. Through a generous donation we have been able to appoint her part-time as KLICE Fellow in Communications, Media and Journalism. We would very much like to move this to a full-time appointment.

GATHERING MOMENTUM: You will see from the above that considerable momentum is gathering at KLICE. Much of this has been slow, hard work behind the scenes. We are delighted now to be in a position to start telling the story of our new vision and how it is gaining traction. In future editions of Sibylline Leaves we will continue to tell the developing story. With time you will start to feel the effect of this gathering momentum through our publications, events, etc., but be aware that we are on the journey of the long obedience. We have made 2019 our year of consolidation and hope to end 2019 with our administration stable and well-functioning, and with a new website up and running.

Rev. Dr Craig Bartholomew

GETTING INVOLVED

At the heart of KLICE is Christian community. We invite you to become part of that community or to connect your community with ours. Send us your ideas and reflections. Make sure you are on our lists so that we can keep you aware of events and publications.  Above all else, the best way you can help us is by praying regularly for KLICE and our team. We are deeply aware that we move forward only with God’s help; pray that the Spirit will blow on our efforts and multiply them to serve the church and to bless God’s world.
If you feel so led, we would, of course, welcome your financial support. You can donate online via a link on the KLICE website or you can send a cheque to KLICE, Tyndale House, 36 Selwyn Gardens, Cambridge, CB3 9BA. Please note that donations can be directed to a specific area of our work, should you so wish. We are aware that many of you are engaged in comparable work to our own. Be assured of our prayers for your work.

NEWS FROM THE KLICE COMMUNITY

• Dr Jenny Taylor published a must-read chapter ‘From Prophetic Press to Fake News’ in Vishal Mangalwadi, This Book Changed Everything: The Bible’s Amazing Impact on our World (2019, Kindle Books) loc: 5546 - 5950.
• Prof. John Wyatt gave the annual Chaplaincy lecture at Heriot-Watt University, focusing on Artificial Intelligence, a subject he also addressed with the Cardiff University UCCF Science leaders network. He discussed aspects of medical ethics with church leaders at the Faraday Institute, and again with the Conference of Evangelists. He also led seminars on a range of issues at the Pregnancy Centres Network conference, and gave the three keynote addresses at the Christian Medical Fellowship students’ conference. To find out more about John's work see here.
• Dr Nigel Halliday published ‘Edvard Munch: The Scream’ on ArtWay Visual Meditation February 3, 2019. Find it here.
• Matthew Mason has been editing articles for the next two issues of Bulletin of Ecclesial Theology, which will focus on ‘Theology After Darwin’, and include important engagements with topics such as suffering, creation and evolution, original sin, and transhumanism.
• Dr Craig Bartholomew wrote the Volume Introduction for Common Grace: God's Gifts for a Fallen World, vol. 2 (2019, Lexham Press) - a collection of essays by Abraham Kuyper.

ETHICS IN CONVERSATION

The latest issue of Ethics in Conversation is now available: 'A Jewel in the Crown of North America: Christian Higher Education' by Craig Bartholomew - see here.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Cowboy and Preacher

On 14th March KLICE is co-sponsoring a film screening and panel discussion on Christianity and environmental stewardship. The film is Cowboy and Preacher, and the panel includes Rowan Williams, Jonathan Chaplin, Hilary Marlow, and the filmmaker Will Fraser. This will take place at Magdalene College, Cambridge, from 4-6:30pm. For further details, and to register for this event, see here. The other co-sponsors of this event include CIRIS, the Faraday Institute, the Von Hügel Institute, and the Jubilee Centre.

The View from Sinai

Craig will be giving the 19th Annual Biblical Interpretation Lecture at the University of Gloucestershire at 7:30pm on Thursday 23rd May, speaking on The View from Sinai: Sinai and Public Theology. Entry is free but booking is essential. For further details, and to book, see here.

NORMAN ANDERSON LAW AWARD

Thanks to generous donors we are glad to announce that applications for this award for doctoral or post-doctoral study will shortly be open. It will provide a grant of ₤5000 per year for 3 years, available from September 2019. Details of the application process will be available from 1st April.

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

Sunday 27 January was Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK. This is an important day as we remember the terrible evil that broke out in Europe during World War II, of which Jews in particular were the target. It serves as a reminder of our need to be vigilant to do all we can to prevent the eruptions of evil and violence. I recently read two books about Holocaust survivors, Heather Morris, The Tattooist of Auschwitz (London: Zaffre, 2018) and Edith Egar, The Choice (London: Rider, 2017). Egar’s book is essential reading. Taken off to Auschwitz as a teenage girl, Egar barely survived, but went on to become a therapist in the USA, and her searing narrative combines her own experience with that of clients, intertwining her growth as a therapist with her own journey towards healing. Remarkable.

CHURCH LAND AND FARMING

Churches own a huge amount of land. It has long intrigued me how they might develop such land as healthy places that bear witness to the kingdom of God. See here for an astonishing story of how churches are working with farmers to make good use of land they own in the USA.

The name “Sibylline Leaves” has various connotations; we derive it from a description of the writings of J.G.Hamann (1730-88), one of the greatest but least known Christian thinkers. Hamann recognized the significance of the challenges presented in his day by the Enlightenment, and sought to produce a corpus of writings responding accordingly. Our hope is that our “leaves” will contribute towards understanding and responding to the challenges of our own day.