We are witnessing an incredible response to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The thousands queuing for hours on end to file past her lying in State will be talked about for generations. And the funeral tomorrow will be a unique, global event like no other in history. The power of reaction to her death… Continue reading The God of small things
Author: Jon Kuhrt
Jon Kuhrt has worked with people affected by homelessness for over 30 years. He is a former government adviser on how faith groups address rough sleeping and is now CEO of Hope into Action. He lives with his wife in Streatham, south London and they have 3 children. He likes football....but loves cricket.
Farewell to Britain’s best public theologian
In the summer of 1997 I started a job with Centrepoint, the youth homelessness charity, as manager of a new hostel for young people in the City of London. One of the things I learnt on my first day was that it was going to be formally opened by the Queen. The official opening happened… Continue reading Farewell to Britain’s best public theologian
Something better than happiness
In the last 2 weeks I have been struck by the incredibly positive reactions of young people coming back from Christian summer camps. Even from those normally more reticent with their enthusiasm, I have seen faces light up and heard the superlatives flow: 'Amazing', 'brilliant', 'so good', 'incredible', 'definitely going back next year'. These camps… Continue reading Something better than happiness
Rough sleeping & the inverse reality of social media
The plight of another human being sleeping rough is one of the most visceral and obvious expressions of poverty and social exclusion. The instinctive empathy it provokes makes rough sleeping a potent subject on social media. For example, a few years ago a video went viral which showed how Amazon Prime could be used to… Continue reading Rough sleeping & the inverse reality of social media
‘A toolbox for peace & liberation’? An activist reads the Bible
Review of Open for Liberation: an activist reads the Bible – by Tim Gee (Christian Alternative, 2022) Tim Gee believes the Bible is chiefly a narrative of liberation for the oppressed. In Open for Liberation, he claims Jesus led an anti-colonial movement of the dispossessed which affirmed women's leadership, racial equality and sexual diversity. Gee… Continue reading ‘A toolbox for peace & liberation’? An activist reads the Bible
Pure Class: Flintoff’s challenge to cricket’s elitism
The issue of class is woven into the history of cricket like no other sport. As a non-contact game, it was more socially acceptable for the English upper classes to play alongside the working class. It was a shared sporting endeavour but without the potentially awkward physicality of rugby or football. Thus cricket helped forge… Continue reading Pure Class: Flintoff’s challenge to cricket’s elitism
Transforming leadership: the power of a fresh approach
New England Captain, Ben Stokes and new Coach, Brendan McCullum Just a few weeks ago, English Cricket was in deep crisis. The team had only won one Test match in 17 games. The team was thrashed by Australia last winter and beaten by the West Indies in the spring. The Director and Coach were sacked… Continue reading Transforming leadership: the power of a fresh approach
Colluding with chaos or maintaining healthy boundaries?
In my 20s, I was a member of a church near King’s Cross where we started a community project called Decorating and Gardening to do practical jobs for vulnerable local people. We called it D&G for short and borrowed the Dolce & Gabanna logo. We never heard from their lawyers. The first person we did a job for was a… Continue reading Colluding with chaos or maintaining healthy boundaries?
Faith don’t live here anymore
It could be logical to assume that belief in God, life after death or anything supernatural would lead to people who are less committed to issues in the here and now. Surely ‘pie in the sky when you die’ displaces a concern for ‘steak on your plate while you wait’? But actually, it is extraordinary… Continue reading Faith don’t live here anymore
The freedom of commitment
I have lived in Streatham, south London for almost 20 years. Over this time, I have spent many hundreds of hours on Streatham Common: playing with my kids, running a football club, volunteering on Love Streatham fun days, walking my dog and talking with friends. I even held my 40th birthday there which included a… Continue reading The freedom of commitment
Grace + Truth 