Excerpts from the new book: Invisible Divides: Class, Culture & Barriers to Belonging by Natalie Williams & Paul Brown (SPCK, 2022) Paul: I remember the culture shock I experienced when I first walked into a church as a 25 year old bricklayer. I'd only gone because my girlfriend persuaded me. I felt completely out of my… Continue reading Is church just for the middle class?
Charity Detox: the difference between the crisis & the chronic
Two months ago, I read US activist Robert Lupton’s book Toxic Charity: how churches and charities harm those they help. I have just finished his follow up book Charity Detox: What charity would look like if we cared about results. Lupton acknowledges the controversy stirred by his previous book but his views are forged by… Continue reading Charity Detox: the difference between the crisis & the chronic
The holiness of existence
A review and reflection on the novel Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford Francis Spufford is a great writer. His book Unapologetic is the one of the most original books about Christianity I have read and his debut novel Golden Hill won numerous awards. Light Perpetual is his second work of fiction. (Fascinatingly, Spufford has also… Continue reading The holiness of existence
The divine circuit breaker
A few years ago I was accused by someone of serious malpractice and discriminatory behaviour. I believed the accusations were cynical and baseless and contested the claims, but it led to a legal action which involved a whole week in court. In the end, I was completely exonerated but the whole process involved a considerable… Continue reading The divine circuit breaker
Barabbas’ Good Friday
by Martin Kuhrt When Pilate was addressing the crowd, with Jesus standing before him, he was sitting on the judge’s seat, just outside the Praetorium. This contained both his own Jerusalem residence and a Roman military barracks. It was strategically situated next to the Temple mount. It is likely that Barabbas, who had been convicted… Continue reading Barabbas’ Good Friday
The ironic consequences of believing we are good
The podcast, The Holy Post gives a thoughtful Christian take on current affairs which is fresh, well-informed, non-tribal and often very funny. In a recent episode they interview the New York Times journalist and Yale lecturer David Brooks. Brooks is an interesting voice because he is a moderate conservative who spend much of his time… Continue reading The ironic consequences of believing we are good
Reality is liberating, even when things go wrong
This week, something I was responsible for did not go well. I won’t go into details, but I found it difficult and stressful. Like everyone, I want to be involved in work and activities which go well and to be associated with things which are effective and successful. But of course, it is when things… Continue reading Reality is liberating, even when things go wrong
Lazarus: friendship, trust and joy coming back to life
This week I was invited to speak at an event hosted by Lazarus, a new initiative to support people affected by homelessness which is launching in London. Lazarus runs communities made up of formerly homeless people living alongside young professionals. Over 250 people live in their communities across Northern Europe and Mexico. It is yet… Continue reading Lazarus: friendship, trust and joy coming back to life
The 7 Deadly Sins of Managing People Badly…
Herd immunity
Amid all the terrible carnage caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one of the most chilling aspects is the vice-like grip that Putin has over the Russian media. Hearing Russians who believe that this war is merely a defensive ‘special military operation’ to ‘de-Nazify’ and liberate Ukraine is almost as scary as anything else.… Continue reading Herd immunity
Grace + Truth 