In Depth:  Ryan Burton King

letter from Ukraine

Ryan Burton King

February marked four years since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and 12 years since the Russo-Ukrainian War began with the invasion and annexation of Crimea. With so many other things going on in the world, an easily bored news cycle that eagerly moves on to the “next thing”, and limited attention spans, it can be far too easy for those of us in the UK to forget the significance and severity of what is happening, and I fear at times that its relevance is not felt nor its relationship to other conflicts grasped.

The horrors of World War Two serve as a helpful benchmark by which to consider what is happening in Ukraine. It is the most brutal war in Europe since then by total deaths, military casualties, urban destruction, confirmed civilian deaths and general intensity. It is the largest inter-state European conflict since World War Two, and the most strategically important.

Ryan Burton King

“I’m not a racist.” My observation is that if this were in fact the case, such protest would be unnecessary. I have learned to brace for what inevitably and almost immediately follows.

Seldom however, are these the first words spoken. Various thoughts and reflections slowly simmer and are finally brought to the boil of whatever "controversial" words apparently require this disclaimer. Indeed, the door of the conversation often bears no resemblance to this hinge on which it opens, or the grim hallway beyond.

Ryan Burton King

A speaker at the recent Unite the Kingdom march in London called for banning all public displays of non-Christian religions. But is he right?

Here's what he said: “Ban any type of public expression in our Christian nation from other religions. Ban Halal, ban Burqas. Ban mosques, ban temples, ban shrines - we don’t want those in our countries."

Ryan Burton King

Prior to his election to a second presidency in November 2024, Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that he would easily and swiftly bring the conflict to an end.

“It’s a very easy negotiation to take place. I will have it solved within one day, a peace between them”, he said as early as March 2023, in a Fox News Interview with Sean Hannity.

Ryan Burton King

In March 2024, I spoke at a summit in Kyiv that launched an effort among Ukrainian Baptists to plant 1,000 new churches by 2036. Surveying the lay of the land there, I believe that this is an achievable vision, and that now is most certainly the right time.

Laying the matter of a full-scale invasion and war to one side, planting a church is – at the best of times - fraught with difficulties, never mind cooperatively planting 1,000. Wisdom is needed.

Ryan Burton King

The lad in the middle of the photo accompanying this article is me. The boy on the bicycle to my right is Moti. The boy on my left is Zami.

I last saw them when I was 11 years old after moving house from Stamford Hill in London, still home to a significant Jewish population. Though a brief friendship in the scheme of things, these Jewish boys played an important role in my formation, life and mission as a Christian. Seldom a day has passed since our first meeting that I have not thought of or prayed for Moti and Zami - and Asher, Joshua, Samuel, Yitzahk and many others whose names sadly now escape me.

Ryan Burton King

On 24 February 2025, thousands of Ukrainians and their families and friends crowded into London’s Trafalgar Square for an evening of prayers and protest, speeches and music, marking three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Particular excitement was caused by the appearance of the 'Iron General', the popular former commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhnyi, who took up a new post as ambassador to the United Kingdom last year. But the mood was inescapably sober, and reflected a new sentiment absent from previous gatherings: betrayal.

Ryan Burton King

Black History Month originally sprang out of African American joint celebrations of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’s February birthdays. 'Negro History Week' began in February 1926 to recognise African American contributions to society and raise awareness to the prejudices they had and continued to face.

This week for designated learning emphasis was well established by 1976, when the United States celebrated its bicentennial, and the week expanded to a month. To mark the inaugural Black History Month, President Gerald R. Ford said, 'We can seize the opportunity to honour the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history. I urge my fellow citizens to join me in tribute to Black History Month and the message of courage and perseverance it brings to all of us.'

Ryan Burton King

On 29 July 2024, a knife rampage at a holiday dance class left three little girls dead and an additional 10 people, including several children, fighting for their lives.

It is always paramount, no less in moments of extreme grief and inconsolable anguish, that we labour to appropriately respond rather than aggressively react. If we lose sobriety of mind and self-control in body, then we may lose all respectability in our actions. The alleged perpetrator was captured and arrested, alive, and has now been charged. The community should have been allowed to grieve in peace, and the justice system permitted to follow usual due process.