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
New book from author of The Shack – ‘Cross Roads’ + your chance to win a free copy
Today, WM Paul Young is launching his second novel Cross Roads. His first novel The Shack was a global bestseller, shifting over 600,000 copies in the UK and 18 million copies globally. I must confess that I was not a huge fan of the style of writing of The Shack but the book still had… Continue reading New book from author of The Shack – ‘Cross Roads’ + your chance to win a free copy
Why the Church of England must say YES 2 Women Bishops – by Stephen Kuhrt
These are exciting times for the Church of England. The appointment of Justin Welby to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury has been met with considerable enthusiasm across the Church. There is a desire to reflect his optimistic vision for the relevance of the church and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Before then, we face… Continue reading Why the Church of England must say YES 2 Women Bishops – by Stephen Kuhrt
Congo violence is closer to home than we think
Fighting in the Congo between the ‘M23’ rebels and FARDC government troops reached Goma on the border with Rwanda today. The city of almost 400,000 people, almost the size of Bristol, has so far escaped direct fighting. Hundreds of thousands have already fled their homes in the East of the country this year trying to… Continue reading Congo violence is closer to home than we think
Gaza, London, Streatham & the randomness of violence
Photo by Roy Reyna on Pexels.com After a meeting this Thursday, I got the underground from London Bridge station back to my office. As I walked onto the platform, a man spat on the ground just as I walked past. Instinctively I glanced up but I continued walking along the platform and a few yards… Continue reading Gaza, London, Streatham & the randomness of violence
