Yesterday I had an incredible day that I will never forget. I was at Wembley stadium watching my team Crystal Palace win the FA Cup, the first major trophy the Eagles have ever won in their 120-year history. We have been to an FA Cup final twice before, in 1990 and 2016, and both times… Continue reading Glad All Over & rising up on wings like Eagles!
Category: Ethics & Christian living
The Anti-Greed Gospel
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Review of The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward; Malcolm Foley (BraznosPress, 2024) On a flight to New York last year, I watched Martin Scorsese’s film Killers of the Flower Moon. It is a… Continue reading The Anti-Greed Gospel
‘The Satanic Panic’ and other conspiracies…
January 1986. I was thirteen years old and had decided to ask a girl out for the first time on a proper date. I had met her at a youth group I went to on Friday nights. Its important to appreciate what a nerve-wracking experience it was to ask someone out in the pre-mobile phone… Continue reading ‘The Satanic Panic’ and other conspiracies…
‘Do not settle for a desktop theology’
Photo by Stanislav Kondratiev on Pexels.com Across the spectrum of Christian culture, one characteristic is shared by almost all traditions: the church uses a lot of words. Church services are jam-packed with songs, hymns, bible readings, sermons, liturgy and prayers. Religion and theology produce untold books, podcasts and blogs (like the one you are reading). And… Continue reading ‘Do not settle for a desktop theology’
Pope Francis: ‘We are tired of systems that produce poor people’
The death of Pope Francis today has created an incredible wave of sadness and appreciation for his life and ministry. Since becoming Pope in March 2013, Jorge Bergoglio's generosity, simplicity and passion for social justice has inspired those both inside and outside the Church. But as Paul Vallely's superb biography, Pope Francis: Untying the Knots shows, Bergoglio's journey to becoming… Continue reading Pope Francis: ‘We are tired of systems that produce poor people’
Humble confidence
Photo by Isaac Taylor on Pexels.com In Luke's account of the last supper, just after Jesus has shared the bread and wine, an argument about their comparative status breaks out among the disciples: “A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.” In response, Jesus says: “The kings… Continue reading Humble confidence
Divine hope, dusty religion
Photo by David Besh on Pexels.com Everyone reading this will have some good reason to be disillusioned with the church. I know so many people of my generation who have given up on church. Some have deconstructed their theological beliefs, others have become ground down by conflict or disappointment. Many continue to 'believe' in theory… Continue reading Divine hope, dusty religion
‘Paul’s Letter to American Christians’ by Martin Luther King Jr
Photo by Hugo Magalhaes on Pexels.com Below is an excerpt from a Martin Luther King sermon which imagined the apostle Paul writing a letter to American Christians in the 1950s. This sermon is re-produced in the book Strength to Love, a brilliant collection of King's sermons, which are still relevant and inspirational today. I am… Continue reading ‘Paul’s Letter to American Christians’ by Martin Luther King Jr
Religious nationalism: where do we draw the line?
Last week I watched the film Bonhoeffer about the German Lutheran pastor and theologian who opposed Hitler. The film begins at the end of his life, as the 39 year-old Dietrich Bonhoeffer is held as a prisoner by the Nazi regime and awaiting execution. A series of flashbacks record his wealthy upbringing, his beloved older… Continue reading Religious nationalism: where do we draw the line?
Porn & the Church: if we ignore it, maybe it will go away? – by Martin Kuhrt
'What have I done?' I asked myself. I had organised a conference on porn at my home church in Aylesbury. But a few days before, I began to feel a heavy sense of failure. Bad taste No-one’s going to come. People have told me they don’t like the way it had been advertised. I've been… Continue reading Porn & the Church: if we ignore it, maybe it will go away? – by Martin Kuhrt
Grace + Truth 