“This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health, but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished, but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is… Continue reading “This is my life. I want no other”: faith, politics & belonging – by Ian Geary
What is the point of church?
A while ago I visited a church in East London doing great work with people who are homeless and vulnerable. I saw these words above the inside of the door: "You are now entering a place of worship" At first I assumed it was the standard wording you see in religious buildings asking for respect.… Continue reading What is the point of church?
Sex, power & cheap grace: a short film everyone should watch
"We wake up tomorrow in a Christian nation...will women have the vote tomorrow if we could wave that magic Christian wand?" "No" For Our Daughters is a short film about sexual abuse of women in the US evangelical church and how church culture perpetuated these injustices and covered it up. It contains powerful testimonies of… Continue reading Sex, power & cheap grace: a short film everyone should watch
World Homeless Day: 7 ways Christians can respond to the crisis
In 2010 Ed Walker had recently returned to the UK after working for many years with Tearfund in Africa. He was in his local park with his daughter when he met a man sitting on a bench who was homeless after just being discharged from prison. The man had nowhere to go because he had… Continue reading World Homeless Day: 7 ways Christians can respond to the crisis
‘Does charity work?’ Challenging the non-profit comfort zone
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com A number of years ago I was co-leading a seminar at the Greenbelt festival on homelessness. In this context, we knew there was a danger that it would simply be full of people agreeing that homelessness was ‘A Bad Thing’ and that ‘the government should do more’. So to mix it… Continue reading ‘Does charity work?’ Challenging the non-profit comfort zone
The deepest grace & truth: the crux of Christian faith
Review of The Wood Between the Worlds: a Poetic Theology of the Cross – by Brian Zahnd (IVP, 2024) There is nothing more central to Christian theology than Jesus’ death on the cross. As Brian Zahnd puts it: “Everything about the gospel message leads to the cross and proceeds from the cross…the crucifixion of Jesus… Continue reading The deepest grace & truth: the crux of Christian faith
‘Life to the Full’: Labour Party Conference sermon
The text of a sermon I gave at the Labour Party Conference Church Service on 22/9/24. The bible readings were Isaiah 65: 17-25 & John 10:7-18 In the field of homelessness, where I have worked for 30 years, you cannot avoid the twin issues of politics and faith. Rough sleeping is a sensitive political issue… Continue reading ‘Life to the Full’: Labour Party Conference sermon
Let’s all be more Freddie Flintoff
I loved the first series of Field of Dreams (see this blog) where former England cricketing legend, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff formed a cricket team of lads from his home town of Preston. Most had never played the game before and they all faced various challenges including neuro-diversity, homelessness and mental-health issues. (And before people who… Continue reading Let’s all be more Freddie Flintoff
“Though this world is broken, we know His justice shall win”
Lee Abbey Camp 2024 banner - created by Sabryanne I am just back from another brilliant week at the Lee Abbey Youth Camp. The camp is all about building a community with 150 others bonded by God's love. We sleep in tents in a field by the sea, eat food cooked over open fires and… Continue reading “Though this world is broken, we know His justice shall win”
The priest, the pay-off & an institution paralysed by fear
Blackburn Cathedral Revolutionary France, 1790s: a mob is rampaging through the streets of Paris, smashing up shops, looting and assaulting people. Trailing fifty yards behind the chaos is an older man struggling to keep up. As he stops and leans on a wall to take a breath, a man asks him ‘My friend, why do… Continue reading The priest, the pay-off & an institution paralysed by fear
Grace + Truth 