Photo by Su00e9rgio Souza on Pexels.com In recent decades, 'deconstruction' has become the standard term for dismantling one's inherited religious beliefs—a stripping away of layers to find what is 'real'. But what, really, does it have to do with faith at all? Where is Jesus in the deconstruction narrative? Too often, it looks like a… Continue reading Beyond deconstruction: why I choose to reconstruct my faith – by Tobias Mayer
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‘Counter Christianity’: transaction or community? – by Jon Swales
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com These reflections were stirred afresh at the Hope into Action annual conference, Rooted: Homelessness Ends in Community and in particular during the seminar Rethinking Poverty and Our Response facilitated by Jon Kuhrt and Rachel Arnold. There is a kind of Christianity that excels at projects. The foodbank is… Continue reading ‘Counter Christianity’: transaction or community? – by Jon Swales
Walking the way of love with those on the margins – by Debs Green
Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto on Pexels.com I've had the privilege of working for Hope into Action for the past seven years. We provide supported housing for people experiencing homelessness, but we are passionate about offering far more than just accommodation. By partnering with local churches, we address not only the poverty of resources, but… Continue reading Walking the way of love with those on the margins – by Debs Green
East of Eden: Unite the Kingdom – by Jon Swales
Note: This poem was uncomfortable to write and may be uncomfortable to read. It holds together voices that clash — bishops, marchers, migrants, parishioners — in order to lament the fractures of our nation and to seek Christ at the centre. The discomfort is part of the truth. Thomas, parish priest, opens the Bishop’s statement… Continue reading East of Eden: Unite the Kingdom – by Jon Swales
The jolt I needed to talk about my mental health – by Ash Wilcox
Photo by Emmanuel Codden on Pexels.com I was a successful professional, a Head of Communications, full of confidence and creativity. I had won multiple awards, was a Fellow in my industry, and was used to managing large teams with budgets into the millions. And to my friends, I presented as a more laid back, seemingly… Continue reading The jolt I needed to talk about my mental health – by Ash Wilcox
Agnostic, academic, believer: my journey to faith in Christ – by Paul Anderson
Photo by Nikolett Emmert on Pexels.com I am used to writing precisely manicured documents tailored to appeal to audiences whom I understand. Sometimes that’s been Government Ministers, Civil Servants, MPs, Council Officials, academics – you get the picture. When Jon asked me to write some thoughts on my own journey to Christianity, my initial reaction… Continue reading Agnostic, academic, believer: my journey to faith in Christ – by Paul Anderson
The personal cost of political service – by Helen Dennis
After 11 years of planning committees, resident engagement events, surgeries and political meetings in cold church halls, I have decided to hang up my councillor lanyard today. My decision to run came on the back of years in the Christian Socialist Movement (now Christians on the Left) and a formative time working in parliament for… Continue reading The personal cost of political service – by Helen Dennis
Moral excommunication & the progressive left – by Jon Swales
Something feels fractured in the UK right now. There is a new hardness in the air. You can feel it on the streets, hear it in conversations, see it in our politics. For immigrants, refugees, Muslims, and people of colour, it can feel like the ground is shifting beneath their feet. Phrases like “send them… Continue reading Moral excommunication & the progressive left – by Jon Swales
The trouble with the ‘inclusive’ Jesus – by Ian Paul
This is a longer guest article re-produced with permission from Ian Paul's blog Psephizo. I wanted to share with G+T readers as it grapples with the inescapable tension in the gospels between the inclusivity of Jesus and the startlingly exclusive claims he makes. As we approach Holy Week this biblical tension is worth reflecting on.… Continue reading The trouble with the ‘inclusive’ Jesus – by Ian Paul
‘Bigoted woman’ or Rochdale Pioneer: Gillian Duffy changed British politics – by Jonathan Thomas
Gillian Duffy meets Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Rochdale, 2010 election campaign Everyone loves wallowing in nostalgia. And recently I was commissioned to write the story of the last 30 years of immigration in the UK. This was a period dominated at its outset by an era of expansive immigration policy under New Labour. It was… Continue reading ‘Bigoted woman’ or Rochdale Pioneer: Gillian Duffy changed British politics – by Jonathan Thomas
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