Facemasks and Faith; Injecting Hope into our Arms; the Criminalization of Baptisms and Free Speech; Lorraine Kelly and Christmas

A lucky dip this week as we desperately try and keep up with the mad goings on in the world. In our weekly look at science, we review the suppressed Danish mask study, which shows that wearing masks in the community made no difference to viral transmission - why does this sort of scientific evidence not affect government policy and what is the true significance of being forced to wear a mask in public? We also review the various disturbing announcements and suggestions made by state actors such as the Metropolitan Police and the Labour Party that any "misinformation" about coronavirus vaccines disseminated in public should be criminalized - why do the authorities want to shut down discussion of vaccines rather than having a debate in the public sphere? We also play out a widely commented upon clip of the health secretary Matt Hancock eulogising about the coming coronavirus vaccination programme. We discuss the NHS and the quasi-religious nature that it has taken on in our society. We touch on the story of a baptism in North London which was broken up by the police and Jamie gives a short summary of a series of excellent lectures given by Richard Turnbull for the Christian Institute. These lectures, entitled Christian Leadership in Times of Crisis, provide an overview of biblical and historical approaches various challenges, including times of plague, and contrasts that analysis with present day responses from our Christian leaders to the Coronavirus: Part One - Biblical Teaching on Leadership in Times of Crisis; Part Two - Christian Leadership in Times of Crisis; Part Three - A Failure of Spiritual Leadership. We end with our weekly 'Christmas Watch' section in which we note the government's ardent desire to give us at least a few days of Christmas and the penalty we might need to pay, and we comment on Lorraine Kelly's suggestion that Christmas "is gone" and that it is only a meal and a family get together anyway. Also Mentioned: A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers Scottish Episcopal Church - Updated Guidance on Coronavirus Contact Please send suggestions, comments, criticisms, questions to irreverendpod@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter @irreverendpod and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!

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