Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com Are you part of a home group at your church? Looking for some resources to help explore what the Bible says about poverty and injustice? Amos: God’s Word to a World of Injustice I wrote this 6 session course on the book of Amos back in 2011. No biblical… Continue reading The Amos Course: God’s Word to a World of Injustice
Robin Hood ethics: should I rob the rich to feed the poor? – by John Bavington
Photo by George Chambers on Pexels.com I work in a boarding school where the fees are nearly £28,000 pa (or only £19,000 if you come as a day pupil). “It’s not the real world”, some would say. But they are wrong. This is a part of the real world. The world in which rich and poor co-exist,… Continue reading Robin Hood ethics: should I rob the rich to feed the poor? – by John Bavington
Tranforming communities: what the world can learn from the Philippines – by Tom Graham
Photo by Marfil Graganza Aquino on Pexels.com It’s a village community Christmas party, and a bunch of over-enthusiastic men are on stage, dressed as lady boys, dancing enthusiastically to the repetitive and yet (dare I say it?) catchy tune of Gangnam Style. Whilst everyone enjoys the show, you imagine these Alpha-males will regret their performance… Continue reading Tranforming communities: what the world can learn from the Philippines – by Tom Graham
Infanticide…and other Christmas themes
This morning, I watched my five year old daughter make her acting debut in her school Nativity Play. It had everything to be expected – excitable shepherds, pretty Angels, proud parents and a clip-clopping Donkey. It was cute, fun and everyone had a good time. It's important to remember though that Nativity Plays, like Children's Bibles,… Continue reading Infanticide…and other Christmas themes
A vital subject but a narrow perspective: Tim Chester’s ‘Unreached’ [review] – by Greg Smith
Tim Chester and his group of collaborators are to be praised for the work they do in living incarnationally in some of the toughest neighbourhoods in Britain. They seek to bring the Good News of Jesus to local residents and to plant culturally relevant churches among them. The book draws on this experience and is… Continue reading A vital subject but a narrow perspective: Tim Chester’s ‘Unreached’ [review] – by Greg Smith
Reversing the mad consumerism of Christmas
Photo by Szymon Shields on Pexels.com Every day, on the way to work, I get a bus up Oxford Street. I get off just outside the famous department store, Selfridges, and walk round the corner to West London Mission offices. The Christmas decorations, sponsored this year by Marmite, have been up since October. Walking in the… Continue reading Reversing the mad consumerism of Christmas
The Fifty Shades of Christian Fiction: ‘Cross Roads’ by Wm Paul Young [review]
What has Wm Paul Young, author of The Shack, got in common with EL James, author of record breaking series Fifty Shades of Grey? Well, for a start they have both sold millions of books. But also, both writers have catapulted a relatively marginal genre of literature, namely erotica and Christian fiction, into the global… Continue reading The Fifty Shades of Christian Fiction: ‘Cross Roads’ by Wm Paul Young [review]
Why I’ve switched off Facebook today
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Along with thousands of others I’m participating in a boycott (is abstention a better word?!) from Facebook today for one day to highlight their UK tax dodging. Facebook earned £175,000,000 in advertising sales in the UK in 2011, they paid just £196,000 in UK tax. That’s just 0.1% of their… Continue reading Why I’ve switched off Facebook today
So what fiction has inspired you most spiritually? Our competition winners…
Thanks to everyone who entered our competition this week and sent in emails in response to this question: Which works of fiction (book or film) have inspired you most in your spiritual journey? You can see the five winning responses below. We selected a range of genres and themes, including Hollywood, humour and hell, and… Continue reading So what fiction has inspired you most spiritually? Our competition winners…
“Hard cases make bad law”: 3 principles for alcohol pricing
Photo by Ben Prater on Pexels.com The government has announced its plan to set a minimum price of 45p per unit for alcohol. This will mainly affect strong beer, cheap wine and spirit bottles, but not pubs. This is a big change and they’ll be a swirling vat of arguments over the next few weeks,… Continue reading “Hard cases make bad law”: 3 principles for alcohol pricing
Grace + Truth 