"A troublemaker plants seeds of strife" Proverbs 16:28 "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are… Continue reading Sowing the seeds of strife
Category: Social commentary
Navigating narratives: from the ‘Brat Pack’ to today’s misinformation
The 'Brat Pack’ were a group of young American actors who defined the cinema of my early teenage years. It was a play on the 1950s/60s group of Hollywood actors and entertainers known as ‘the Rat Pack’. Films like The Outsiders, St Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club portrayed the struggles of young people in… Continue reading Navigating narratives: from the ‘Brat Pack’ to today’s misinformation
Being a ‘public Christian’
Photo by Kaique Rocha on Pexels.com When it comes to matters of faith in public life, we are living in fascinating times. 15-20 years ago the militant ‘New Atheism’ of Richard Dawkins was on the rise and it seemed everyone was reading The God Delusion. But the mood-music has changed. Dawkins himself recently described himself… Continue reading Being a ‘public Christian’
Not in my backyard: my Tunbridge Wells winter #1
In the mid-1990s I worked in a large hostel in Hackney, East London for 140 homeless men and women. But the organisation I worked for had an opportunity for someone to be seconded for 5 months to a Housing Association in Kent who needed a manager to establish a new winter shelter for rough sleepers.… Continue reading Not in my backyard: my Tunbridge Wells winter #1
Expensive litter: the e-bike corporate fly-dump
The fly-dumping of unwanted rubbish is a big problem in my neighbourhood. The entrances to the park behind our house are a favourite place for people to leave mattresses, old toys and other waste. Added to this are the cowboy builders who leave construction debris, as well as those who are paid to dispose of… Continue reading Expensive litter: the e-bike corporate fly-dump
A modern Ecclesiastes: Matthew Perry & the Big Terrible reality of addiction
Matthew Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is a poignant and moving book which is rendered tragic by the author’s death last year aged just 54. Matthew Perry had just about everything most men could dream of. He had ‘the best job in the world’ starring in the world's most popular TV… Continue reading A modern Ecclesiastes: Matthew Perry & the Big Terrible reality of addiction
Why ‘New Atheism’ grew old
Ten years ago, when I worked at the West London Mission, I invited an atheist sociologist to speak at our Annual Conference. His name was Carwyn Gravell and in a beautifully lyrical Welsh accent, he introduced himself: "I am an atheist, but I am not of the Richard Dawkins kind. I am not at the… Continue reading Why ‘New Atheism’ grew old
Overcoming polarisation, avoiding disaster – by Jonathan Thomas
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com In times of explosive and frightening polarisation one can despair of finding common ground. I grew up in such a world, a teenager in the mid 1980s, at the height of the Cold War. The US and the USSR held two competing ideologies, totally incomprehensible to each other. They were… Continue reading Overcoming polarisation, avoiding disaster – by Jonathan Thomas
No free lunch: the parable of the banker and the extra sandwich
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com A banker was recently sacked by his employers CitiBank for an expenses claim he submitted for two sandwiches whilst on a work trip. Szabolcs Fekete, who had worked for Citibank for 7 years as an analyst specialising in financial crime, had claimed that he had eaten both sandwiches. But actually,… Continue reading No free lunch: the parable of the banker and the extra sandwich
What we can all learn from ‘The Great Escaper’ – by Jeremy Sharpe
‘The Great Escaper’, starring Michael Caine and the late Glenda Jackson, tells the true story of Bernie Jordan who ‘escapes’ from his seaside care home to attend the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings in France. Its a film that gives a fascinating insight into the lives of many older people, both positive and negative.… Continue reading What we can all learn from ‘The Great Escaper’ – by Jeremy Sharpe
