In the late 1990s, I was the manager of a hostel for young people in central London. One of the residents, I’ll call him Will, had serious mental health problems. These manifested in paranoia and bizarre delusions about religious conspiracies and plots. Sadly, his health declined and the extremity of his behaviour increased. The worst… Continue reading We rarely know the impact of what we do (for good and bad)
Category: Ethics & Christian living
7 steps that helped me find healing from depression – by Martin Kuhrt
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 there was a lot of stigma.… Continue reading 7 steps that helped me find healing from depression – by Martin Kuhrt
‘Hopelessness is the enemy of justice’: personal belief & social change
Bryan Stevenson graduated in law from Harvard University and went to work for men on death row in Alabama. He established the Equal Justice Initiative to provide legal support for those who had not received fair representation and whose convictions were based on weak evidence. Just Mercy is a great film about the story of… Continue reading ‘Hopelessness is the enemy of justice’: personal belief & social change
Grace helps people engage with the truth
I am part of a Facebook group for cricket fans. (For US readers, this is the sport Robin Williams described as ‘baseball on valium’.) What strikes me is that comments and opinions on quite minor subjects (yesterday it was a radio commentator's retirement) often produce incredibly heated arguments. And quickly these rows descend into name… Continue reading Grace helps people engage with the truth
George Floyd is our brother, our father, our cousin, our friend – by Neil Charlton
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 saw Jerusalem packed with… Continue reading George Floyd is our brother, our father, our cousin, our friend – by Neil Charlton
Good Friday? Coronavirus, conspiracies and the cross
In recent weeks I have been sent a number of videos which share conspiracy theories about the ‘real cause’ of Coronavirus. Often they blend an pretty incoherent mix of pseudo-science (e.g. about the 5G mobile network), along with some character assassination (e.g. Bill Gates or Barack Obama) and a dollop of ‘end-time prophesy’ (often from… Continue reading Good Friday? Coronavirus, conspiracies and the cross
This Easter, more than ever, light can shine in the darkness – by Gordon Kuhrt
Some years ago my wife Olive and I led a holiday group to Corfu at Eastertime. The local people there certainly knew how to celebrate. The week before Easter was packed with events, especially on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. But the highlight for me came late on the Saturday evening – the night before… Continue reading This Easter, more than ever, light can shine in the darkness – by Gordon Kuhrt
Faith and courage in response to a deadly virus
In 1665, the people in the remote Derbyshire village of Eyam realised that their village had become infected with the bubonic plague. Fleas infected with the disease had been brought to the village in a bundle of damp cloth from London. The tailor who unpacked the cloth and hung it to dry in front of… Continue reading Faith and courage in response to a deadly virus
Why churches manage people badly (and what can be done about it)
In recent years, the church frequently has to respond to the scandal and upset created by safeguarding failures and other cases of serious malpractice. As we all know, these scandals powerfully undermine the integrity of the church’s witness. One key factor in ecclesiastical failures that is frequently downplayed is the poor state of basic ‘human… Continue reading Why churches manage people badly (and what can be done about it)
Not being afraid in a time of festive anxiety
All of us have many things that they can worry about – whether its money, work, family or tricky relationships. For some, fears grow into serious conditions which seriously impair their lives. When I became a parent it hugely expanded the scope and range of things I could be worried about. Anxiety easily becomes the… Continue reading Not being afraid in a time of festive anxiety
