A few years ago an atheist friend of mine who worked for a homelessness charity said to me: ‘My motives are purer than yours. I do this work simply to help people, you do it so you can get into heaven.’ I did my best to explain that while I am motivated by my faith, I have… Continue reading ‘Endurance inspired by hope’: strong roots for social action
Category: Theology
‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The empowerment of Bartimaeus
In Mark’s account of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem, two of his disciples, the brothers James and John, approach him with a request. Jesus says: 'What do you want me to do for you?' It turns out their request is do with securing their own prestige and status. This then triggers a wider argument among… Continue reading ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The empowerment of Bartimaeus
The ecclesiastical doughnut: why the C of E is ungovernable
Last week saw yet another Church of England report into safeguarding and institutional failings in the handling of abuse allegations. Almost 400 new cases involving actions by clergy, officials and volunteers against children and vulnerable adults were uncovered. In a foreword to the report, Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell, the archbishops of Canterbury and York, wrote of… Continue reading The ecclesiastical doughnut: why the C of E is ungovernable
Dividing body, soul & spirit: Gnostic heresies live on – by Martin Kuhrt
Photo by Andreea Ch on Pexels.com When I was a student in the 1980s, one of my left-wing, feminist friends said that the Prime Minister of the time, Margaret Thatcher, ‘was not really a woman’. At the time, I laughed it off. But I thought about it again this week when the Labour MP Rupa… Continue reading Dividing body, soul & spirit: Gnostic heresies live on – by Martin Kuhrt
Farewell to Britain’s best public theologian
In the summer of 1997 I started a job with Centrepoint, the youth homelessness charity, as manager of a new hostel for young people in the City of London. One of the things I learnt on my first day was that it was going to be formally opened by the Queen. The official opening happened… Continue reading Farewell to Britain’s best public theologian
Bringing our anguish and complaints to God
Like so many, I am in anguish about the horrific war unfolding due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Feel-good, trite forms of Christianity are of little use in these times. The seriousness and desperateness of the situation reminds me of something Eugene Peterson said: “This is an urgent time and the task of the Christian… Continue reading Bringing our anguish and complaints to God
The book which has most influenced how we respond to homeless people
This article is based on my lecture at a British Academy conference at Lincoln University on ‘Representing Homelessness’ where I spoke on ‘theological representation’. It is a matter of historical fact that a huge number of the charities established to address homelessness were set up by committed Christians. Some retain a strong link to their… Continue reading The book which has most influenced how we respond to homeless people
Contradictions, errors & moral offence: how the Bible’s problems enhance its authority
Review of Inspired Imperfection: how the Bible’s problems enhance its divine authority by Gregory A Boyd I love reading the Bible. No other book comes close to consistently inspiring and challenging me. I read it every morning and, especially when reading the gospels, I often feel a tingle of excited joy about the depth and… Continue reading Contradictions, errors & moral offence: how the Bible’s problems enhance its authority
The terrible and wonderful reasons I lead – by Kevin Lewis
A few years ago I was given a brilliant book about running, except it wasn’t really about running, it was about cupcakes and suffering. It’s comic, very funny and surprisingly deep, and its called The terrible and wonderful reasons why I run long distances. If you hate running stick with me. The basic premise is… Continue reading The terrible and wonderful reasons I lead – by Kevin Lewis
A church as diverse as Jesus’ friends were – by Peter Graystone
I’m in my late 50s now. Well...63. It’s a time to reassess things. Try out new possibilities. I was thinking about applying for Love Island. Make some new friends, explore new ideas and meet some new challenges. New friends But if I was on Love Island, how would I choose my new friends? Maybe… Continue reading A church as diverse as Jesus’ friends were – by Peter Graystone
Grace + Truth 