Caroline Criado-Perez has left twitter. For those who don’t know, Criado-Perez is a campaigner and writer who led the campaign to reinstate a woman on the English bank-note. Following the success of this campaign she has been subject to hundreds of graphic rape and death threats from ‘trolls,’ mostly online via twitter and other social… Continue reading ‘Madwomen in the Twittersphere’ A Christian Response to Caroline Criado-Perez? – by Hannah Martin
Devon, Balcombe and Greenbelt: a fracking good summer – by Hannah Martin
I have just had a great summer. From a youth camp in Devon, to the anti-fracking protest camp at Balcombe and then onto the Greenbelt festival I participated in three very different communities. It wasn’t a relaxing holiday, more the body-aching-wood-smoke-smelling-when-will-I-see-hot-water-again kind. But I think I was hoping to be uncomfortable. I wanted to be… Continue reading Devon, Balcombe and Greenbelt: a fracking good summer – by Hannah Martin
Backing off Syria strikes doesn’t mean sitting idly by
Listen to the military hawks this week and you would think that by voting against military intervention the UK was sitting on its hands and doing nothing about an horrific civil war killing thousands and creating millions of refugees. Worse still it’s suggested that our international standing is ruined because we’re ‘doing nothing’ – as… Continue reading Backing off Syria strikes doesn’t mean sitting idly by
The five best books on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement
I have been taken aback by the response to my last post on the Secularisation of Martin Luther King. A few people who have got in touch admitted that they did not even know MLK was a Christian, let alone a church minister. Over the years I have gained a lot from reading about the… Continue reading The five best books on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement
The secularisation of Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King remains a hero to a wide range of people. But alongside the appreciation of his life and work, there is a consistent tendency of commentators to downplay or eliminate the Christian faith that King's civil right's activism was rooted in. A Baptist Minister Many people don't even know that King was, and always remained, a Baptist… Continue reading The secularisation of Martin Luther King
God does not have a mission for his church
Last weekend was a brilliant one in our local community. On Saturday, nine different congregations worked together to put on a Family Fun Day on Streatham Common. Over 2000 people came. Then, the next day, a joint 'Messy Church' service was held on the same spot to which the whole community was invited. Lots of… Continue reading God does not have a mission for his church
‘Hope in Challenging Times’
I love working for the West London Mission. We have just published our Annual Report which summarises what we have achieved in the past year. Its a great opportunity to celebrate and give thanks for the transformation we have seen in the lives of homeless and vulnerable people. This is what I wrote in my introduction: A… Continue reading ‘Hope in Challenging Times’
Power, corruption and lies
This week has seen two public institutions facing serious accusations of corruption. Firstly there were the claims by former undercover Police Officer Peter Francis that he was ordered to dig up ‘dirt’ on the family of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence. The allegations that Police were deployed secretly in an attempt to smear the victims… Continue reading Power, corruption and lies
Lost and Found: Faith and spirituality in the lives of homeless people – by Carwyn Gravell [review]
This article was originally published under the title 'Spirituality is part of caring' in The Church Times, 21st June 2013 In the day centre for homeless people that the West London Mission runs in Marylebone, the chaplain helps to facilitate a spirituality group, where rough-sleepers reflect and discuss the “deep things” of life. What I… Continue reading Lost and Found: Faith and spirituality in the lives of homeless people – by Carwyn Gravell [review]
A Bachelor of Science, but a Master of Procrastination – by Robbie White
Next week I will graduate from the University of Birmingham, marking the end of three exciting years full of some wonderful memories. However, there have been other times when I have felt less like a Bachelor of Science and more like a Master of Procrastination. A particular low was taking part in an all-day Fifa… Continue reading A Bachelor of Science, but a Master of Procrastination – by Robbie White
Grace + Truth 