At my church this week, I am speaking about Mary's Song from Luke 1. The German pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote: 'This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings… This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. The… Continue reading In Honour of Mary’s Song – by Dave Andrews
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‘Here Are Your Gods!’ by Christopher Wright [Review] – Greg Smith
This is a short and easily readable book, aimed at a student or educated lay Christian audience. The author is an established Old Testament scholar and missiologist, working for the Langham Partnership. It offers a clear, conservative exposition of key biblical texts about idolatry, with a radical, practical and political application in today’s world. Political idolatry The… Continue reading ‘Here Are Your Gods!’ by Christopher Wright [Review] – Greg Smith
Finding Light in Deepest Dark – by Corin Pilling
After a challenging year, we're all adjusting to new expectations of Christmas. The year has taken its toll and even as we rally for the celebrations, many of us are exhausted. The run up to the end of 2020 has been incredibly hard, impacting our emotional and mental wellbeing as we struggle to respond to… Continue reading Finding Light in Deepest Dark – by Corin Pilling
Let’s be encouragers in this time of anxiety – by Olive Kuhrt
Martin Rinkart (1586 -1649) was a church minister in Germany during the savage Thirty Years War. Thousands died in the vicious conflict but after the fighting, a terrible famine and plague killed thousands more. Such was the severity of the war and it’s consequences that 30% of the population in his region died. Rinkart often… Continue reading Let’s be encouragers in this time of anxiety – by Olive Kuhrt
Why I’m no longer talking to Black people about race (the way I used to)* – by Adrian Lock
(*with apologies to Reni Eddo-Lodge, author of Why I’m no longer talking to White people about race) An open letter to other White people in the UK... Dear fellow faded Africans, On the 25 May 2020, the death of George Floyd rocked our White world. In the following weeks, global protests even reached the bastion… Continue reading Why I’m no longer talking to Black people about race (the way I used to)* – by Adrian Lock
7 steps that helped me find healing from depression – by Martin Kuhrt
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com Mental weariness. Bodily exhaustion. Self-condemning thoughts. Poor self-esteem. Regret. Shame. Desperation. At its worst, depression can feel like a living death. Until about the age of thirty, I did not understand that I had an issue with depression. When I was growing up it was not well understood and… Continue reading 7 steps that helped me find healing from depression – by Martin Kuhrt
Something YOU can do on Windrush Day – by Adrian Lock
On Windrush Day, today, we celebrate the contribution of so many from the Caribbean that responded to the UK government’s request for help to rebuild post-war Britain.They came, suffered ongoing racial abuse, but struggled through, becoming part of the nation’s backbone, fulfilling so many of our keyworker roles, which many of their children and grandchildren… Continue reading Something YOU can do on Windrush Day – by Adrian Lock
Confessions of a racist – by Adrian Lock
No-one I know wants to be called a racist. Do you? All my White friends would be horrified by the accusation. We would all sign up to a ‘progressive’ set of values that would say diversity is ‘a good thing’ and racial discrimination is a ‘bad thing’. We are all horrified by the killing of… Continue reading Confessions of a racist – by Adrian Lock
The Silence of the Leaders – by Adrian Lock
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com “Unless you’re part of the solution, Adrian, you’re part of the problem” said my Black female colleague. It was a statement that felt unfair and shook my sense of identity to the core. The year was 1999 and the government body I was working for was still digesting the… Continue reading The Silence of the Leaders – by Adrian Lock
George Floyd is our brother, our father, our cousin, our friend – by Neil Charlton
Photo by Kelly on Pexels.com Last Sunday my church celebrated Pentecost. Over 50 different nationalities are represented within our fellowship in Streatham, south London.It was great to see an online montage of many of our members dressed in their national attire. It’s a beautiful reminder of the multicultural birth of the church. The Pentecost festival… Continue reading George Floyd is our brother, our father, our cousin, our friend – by Neil Charlton
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