Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and Pastor, who was killed in a Nazi concentration camp, is undoubtedly a Christian hero. But in a Church plagued by theological tribalism, the legacy of such heroes can become a sharply contested. Different tribes claim the legacy of such heroes as their own as lives are analysed and attributes… Continue reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas [review]
‘The Lion’s World: A journey into the heart of Narnia’ by Rowan Williams [Review]
The Narnia books had a very significant role in shaping my Christian faith. I read them as a young teenager and then around the time I decided to be a Christian at 16, I re-read them. No books, before or since, have given me the experience of entering another world like these did. Yet it… Continue reading ‘The Lion’s World: A journey into the heart of Narnia’ by Rowan Williams [Review]
Speak the truth about staffing problems
This is an expanded version of a previous R&R post Why churches manage people badly which was published in The Church Times last week: Managing people decently is an essential part of Christian work - not a bureaucratic luxury, argues Jon Kuhrt Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com The organisational dysfunction exposed by the Archbishop… Continue reading Speak the truth about staffing problems
Our Olympic positivity can last – but we’re going to need practice
Photo by Donald Tong on Pexels.com One of the best things about the Olympics was the regular positivity it bought to every day conversations. I first realised quite how far this had filtered through the nation’s psyche when I read the comments after this Charlie Brooker article in the Guardian. The space ‘below the line’… Continue reading Our Olympic positivity can last – but we’re going to need practice
Three days to stop the bookies’ take-over of our high streets
One of the most depressing sights in many communities is the huge number of betting shops that seem to spring up everywhere. In the poorest communities, shops are closing, businesses are struggling...but the numbers of bookies is ever on the rise. A key factor in this development is that planning law means that local councils don't… Continue reading Three days to stop the bookies’ take-over of our high streets
Are Christian festivals the new denominations?
I got an email the other day from a good friend who I have not seen for a while asking me about my summer. He is not a Christian but he knows a lot of people who are, and he asked me a question that got me thinking: "So what's your poison: new wine, greenbelt, spring harvest?… Continue reading Are Christian festivals the new denominations?
The Paralympics, Stoke Mandeville and the Church in Action – by Martin Kuhrt
Dr Ludwig Guttmann was the founding father of the Paralympics. He was an eminent Jewish doctor who had fled Nazi Germany just before the start of the Second World War and became head of the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville, near Aylesbury. There, 'Poppa' Guttmann, organised the first Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948 which began… Continue reading The Paralympics, Stoke Mandeville and the Church in Action – by Martin Kuhrt
The joys of a dirty weekend away: Greenbelt 2012
If you were in the Cheltenham area on Saturday then you would have witnessed a downpour of rain which was almost Old Testament in its proportions. The racecourse with its 20,000 campers was almost submerged; Greenbelt became Mud-belt and the stewards and organisers did an amazing job to keep the whole thing going. The rain… Continue reading The joys of a dirty weekend away: Greenbelt 2012
Why churches manage their staff badly
The other day I was talking with four friends, all of whom are committed to their local churches and also work for Christian organisations. As we chatted, someone shared a situation in their work where a blatantly unjust situation was not being tackled. She outlined the grief it was causing and her frustration about how… Continue reading Why churches manage their staff badly
‘There is nothing we can do to make God love us more & nothing we can do to make God love us less’
At the Spirituality discussion group at the centre for homeless people that the West London Mission runs in Marylebone, I led a reflection on Jesus' Parable of the Lost Son from Luke 15. To help us we used Rembrandt's famous painting The Return of the Prodigal Son which I took off my office wall and leaned… Continue reading ‘There is nothing we can do to make God love us more & nothing we can do to make God love us less’
