Faith in Action

Joy in Enough: Economics for People and Planet

4 Dec 2017

The Unfairness of an Economic System

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”  So goes Henry Ford’s oft parroted quote.  It is particularly popular with Donald Trump, who has tweeted it on at least three separate occasions.  Of course...

Read more

Many trans people are in danger for their lives, and some Christians don't help

28 Nov 2017

On Monday evening, walking to meet a trans friend for a meal, I felt low, which is unusual for me. Suddenly it dawned on me that my mood was due to a clip from a breakfast television discussion I'd watched earlier that day. Once again, someone was expressing alarm about trans people: convicted...

Read more

Sexual Predators, #metoo and #churchtoo

22 Nov 2017

Starting on Tuesday this week, there has been a new hashtag trending on Twitter. Following on from the viral #metoo hashtag on social media about the prevalence of sexual assault and abuse, #churchtoo has now appeared in the world of the internet to call out...

Read more

Durham SCM Groups: Building Inclusive Faith Communities in the North East

22 Nov 2017

Durham SCM Societies

It certainly feels more than four-and-a-half months ago that I was approached by our society’s current president, Catherine Wickens, with the idea of joining our two SCM groups – Durham MethSoc and St Oswald’s Student Group – and forming a new student...

Read more

Snowflakes and White Poppies

10 Nov 2017

In the Yorkshire Post this week, Anglican priest G.P. Taylor launched an attack on what he called the “snowflake generation”, for wearing white poppies.

In recent weeks, I’ve spent lots of time reading hostile, and often abusive, messages. Some...

Read more

The Poppy Question: An Anabaptist Response

9 Nov 2017

Which poppy would you wear as part of the Gospel’s Peace Witness?

It appears that white poppies are quite liked by Anabaptists both here and in Canada, even though occasionally British ones decide to wear none at all, and some Canadians wear both (as Quakers often do in...

Read more

The Strength to Remain (A Blog for Black History Month)

25 Oct 2017

Another black history month almost ends and it is still a good thing to honour and discover black historical figures that have been whitewashed from history pages. Though erased, they contributed to earth’s development. Although an excellent endeavour, black people have bigger fish to fry....

Read more

Loving the earth means being good stewards of creation

25 Oct 2017

In 1967, Lynne White Jr published an article entitled The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis, in which he argued that the Judeo-Christian view of nature and the natural world had contributed heavily to the environmental crisis. The paper kickstarted a new subdiscipline within the study of...

Read more

Jesus and Guns

16 Oct 2017

The shooting in Las Vegas is still fresh in my mind, partly because it was such a short time ago, and partly because it is the type of thing that happens too frequently in America. This happened in the country that has some of the highest church attendance in the West, where politicians readily...

Read more

Combatting Militarism In Universities and Wider Society

9 Oct 2017

Recruiting young hearts and minds

Today I identify as a pacifist, but that was not always the case. In fact, only a few years ago that couldn't have been further from the case. I grew up in a military family, and my Grandad received an award for bravery which led him to...

Read more