Story #1: The Last Train to Christmas The film The Last Train to Christmas focuses on a troubled nightclub owner, Tony Towers (Michael Sheen), who takes a train from London to Nottingham on Christmas Eve with his fiancé. On route, they are joined by his brother and his wife. But this is no ordinary train… Continue reading ‘Christmas Eve Life Evaluation films’ and what they tell us
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.
‘Looking in the rubble for the finger-prints of God’
In the final scene of The Crucible, the flawed hero, John Procter, is hanged along with two innocent women. They are executed at the order of the Church authorities because they refuse to admit guilt in the witch trials in their town of Salem, Massachusetts. As the nooses are put around their necks, the three… Continue reading ‘Looking in the rubble for the finger-prints of God’
God’s Unlikely Revolutionary
Is there any story in history as sentimentalised as the birth of Jesus? Nativity plays are fun and cute, but the biblical accounts of Jesus' birth are very different. Jesus was born into a situation of fear, hardship, shame, rumours of illegitimacy and all within a context of imperial oppression. God's revolution The word ‘revolution’… Continue reading God’s Unlikely Revolutionary
The line separating good and evil
Trevor Huddleston was an English monk and priest who lived in South Africa during the 1940s and 50s. He became famous for his opposition to apartheid and his outspoken criticism of the South African government. He would later become a Bishop and Archbishop. As a white, Oxford-educated priest, his presence and commitment to racial justice… Continue reading The line separating good and evil
Men, grief and talking the talk
On International Men’s Day last year I wrote about how the Beer Club I am in with old school mates had gone online during Covid. The main point of the article was about the need for men to talk openly about how they are. A poll on the article showed that almost a quarter of… Continue reading Men, grief and talking the talk
Crossing Jordan: Peterson & polarisation
Jordan Peterson provokes intensely strong reactions. Maybe you have just experienced one in seeing the title and image of this blog post. Peterson's talks and lectures online are incredibly popular, especially with young men. His book 12 Rules for Life and his famous interview on Channel 4 News with Cathy Newman (since watched 34 million… Continue reading Crossing Jordan: Peterson & polarisation
3 lessons for the Church from the Yorkshire Cricket racism scandal
Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) is one of the most famous sporting institutions in the world. They have won the County Championship a record 33 times and have produced cricketing legends such as Sir Len Hutton, Fred Trueman, Geoffrey Boycott and the current England captain, Joe Root. Stubborn But even within cricket’s conservative culture, YCCC… Continue reading 3 lessons for the Church from the Yorkshire Cricket racism scandal
‘A slur which insults and wounds’: racism is not banter
Azeem Rafiq's father at Yorkshire CCC yesterday I am a member of a Facebook group for cricket fans. Over the last few days, there has inevitably been a lot of discussion, some of it very heated, about the racist bullying that Azeem Rafiq has faced at Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC). If you are not… Continue reading ‘A slur which insults and wounds’: racism is not banter
‘Bleeding for Jesus’ by Andrew Graystone [review]
The Riot Club is a film about an elitist drinking club at Oxford University. At one of their gatherings, events get badly out of hand and a pub landlord ends up being killed. In the ensuing investigation, the students agree to not cooperate with the authorities in order to protect the club. Bleeding for… Continue reading ‘Bleeding for Jesus’ by Andrew Graystone [review]
Child sacrifice: the other side of missionary life
Home is Where: The Journeys of a Missionary Child by Margaret Newbigin Beetham From the 1930s to the 1970s, Lesslie Newbigin was a missionary and Bishop in South India. When he ‘retired’ back to England, he pastored an inner city church in Birmingham, lectured and wrote a series of highly influential books. No Christian writer… Continue reading Child sacrifice: the other side of missionary life
Grace + Truth 