In Depth:  Ben Chang

Ben Chang

During a recent trip to Ghana, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally renewed her commitment to a £100 million reparation fund in light of the Church of England’s historic investments in companies involved in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

The fund was originally pledged by Mullally’s predecessor Justin Welby, who argued that the reparations would give a "better and fairer future for all, particularly for communities affected by historic slavery".

Ben Chang

Recently, the Government published a report into unemployment amongst young people in the UK. The stark headline figure was that 12.8% of 16- to 24-year-olds, or one in eight, are not in education, employment or training (or “NEET”). In 2021, the figure was 9.7%. This works out at just under one million unemployed young adults in the UK today.

This trend in unemployment amongst young people is a huge societal problem. On a national level, it means that the government is receiving fewer tax receipts and facing greater demands on the welfare state.

Ben Chang

Over the last couple of weeks, proponents and opponents of assisted dying in the House of Lords have both publicly acknowledged that Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill will not be passed by the end of the parliamentary session.

Since the bill was voted through by majority in the House of Commons in June last year, the Lords have been debating the thousands of amendments put forward by a small number of peers.

Ben Chang

In the past few weeks, the governments in both the UK and France have taken initial steps towards potentially banning social media for children and teenagers.

Recent updates

Last Tuesday, the French National Assembly voted in favour of a social media ban for under-15s. The bill will now move on to the Senate (France’s upper chamber) for a further vote.

Ben Chang

Industrial action has become a regular part of many of our lives in the past few years. The latest in a long run of resident doctor strikes called by the British Medical Association threatens to disrupt NHS care just days before Christmas.

Over the festive period we are also set to see strikes affecting national bus and train services, air travel, and even cinema-going.

Ben Chang

In recent months, the online sphere has seen the remarkable viral rise of the long-form YouTube debate format.

For example, the popular “Surrounded” debates, hosted by the channel Jubilee, feature one prominent debater, or public figure, taking on 20 individuals with an opposing view, in a format that crosses a gladiatorial battle with speed dating.

Ben Chang

Over recent weeks, there has been growing public discussion about the concerning tech phenomenon known as “AI psychosis”.

The non-clinical term refers to the rising numbers of people who are being led into fixed false beliefs by AI large language models such as ChatGPT or Grok.

Ben Chang

On Friday, MPs backed the legalisation of assisted dying in England and Wales. Although the House of Lords may tweak and amend the legislation, it looks all but certain that assisted dying will become legal in some form in the UK.

Evangelicals have been members of a broad coalition of groups that have spent the last few months tirelessly fighting for this bill to be defeated. And many of us have prayed without ceasing that this day would never come.