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
Category: Ethics & Christian living
‘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
Bad apples in rotten barrels – by Stephen Kuhrt
Jimmy Saville and the BBC; Wayne Couzens and Metropolitan Police Force; Paula Vennells and the Post Office. When stories of abuse or corruption emerge the immediate focus is often on those individuals who’ve directly committed the crimes. But in almost every case, what is then examined is how the institution they worked within colluded with… Continue reading Bad apples in rotten barrels – by Stephen Kuhrt
The best rebellion is living joyfully – by Anna Price
Artwork by Sophie Killingley Perish and Fade Some seem to glide through life perhaps without a care in the world, good things happen to them, they ‘just’ fall in love or easily find success. But those who have a need to rebel are not drifting through life easily. Rather, they experience a deep dissatisfaction. They… Continue reading The best rebellion is living joyfully – by Anna Price
The crucible of truth
The legacy of John Smyth’s sadistic abuse has had far-reaching consequences which will rumble on. In almost 1500 years never before has an Archbishop of Canterbury resigned. Smyth's appalling crimes have been transposed, compounded and institutionalised through both the active cover-up and the passive inaction of others. The yeast has worked through a whole batch.… Continue reading The crucible of truth
Compassion or coercion? Grace, truth & Assisted Suicide – by John Clifton
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com On Sunday, I took a risk. I was preaching to a congregation I didn’t know and I chose to speak on the emotive topic of assisted suicide. With the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill approaching on 29th November, I felt it was vital… Continue reading Compassion or coercion? Grace, truth & Assisted Suicide – by John Clifton
Corruption, lies & the power of truth: ‘Mr Smith goes to Washington’ is a film for our times – by Stephen Kuhrt
Senators Joseph Paine (Claude Raines) & Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart). Click to watch trailer. As Christmas approaches, many will repeat the annual ritual of watching It’s a Wonderful Life. A lesser-known film with an equally powerful and important message is Mr Smith goes to Washington. Produced seven years earlier in 1939, it has the same… Continue reading Corruption, lies & the power of truth: ‘Mr Smith goes to Washington’ is a film for our times – by Stephen Kuhrt
Why Justin Welby must resign – by Stephen Kuhrt
Photo: Flickr The Makin Report, published this week, chronicles the appalling, sadistic and spiritualised abuse carried out by John Smyth and the abject failure of the Church of England to respond adequately to this. John Smyth’s abuse represents pure evil. But just as evil is the vast number of professing Christians who knew about Smyth’s… Continue reading Why Justin Welby must resign – by Stephen Kuhrt
Grace + Truth 