Holy Week
“On the night he was betrayed.” Familiar words from most communion services. At the heart of Holy Week, the greatest week of the Church’s life, stands betrayal. Ou...
Blog
Avoiding The News
I have a confession to make – I’m avoiding the news. All of last year I was an avid watcher of Newsnight and reader of Guardian online (a cliché I know!). The slightest reference to developmen...
Ash Wednesday
This year was the first time I can remember Shrove Tuesday coinciding with my Birthday – which will now tell you all exactly when I celebrate that auspicious occasion. I love pancakes (lemon juic...
LGBTQ+ History Month
The approximately 172 days of January have passed, and we’ve made it into February. For those of us in the UK, that means it’s LGBTQ+ History Month, which exists to raise the profile of the oft...
Trees that Tempt, Seas with Shameful Secrets
A review, of sorts, of “Out Of The Woods”, by Luke Turner Image: Seaford Sunrise, Luke Dowding “I know a thing or two about compulsion, a misanthropic autopilot suddenly t...
Christmas
The temptation to start this with a pun about the Queen’s Christmas address was almost overwhelming, particularly as I’ve clearly been watching too much of The Crown on Netflix. And for many, n...
Truth is like poetry and most people…. hate poetry
“Truth is like poetry and most people…. hate poetry” Overheard in a Washington bar as quoted in “the Big Short” We are drowning in a world where truth is derided ...
Christians at Pride in Brighton
On August 3rd this year, about 60 of us, clergy and mixed congregations, walked together behind our banner ‘Christians at Pride.’ The banner had particular significance because it had b...
Dear Straight/Cis People
Dear Straight/Cis People, A note on Pride (as we’ve just had Pride in London 2019) Firstly you are welcome, please come and join us. I wanted to make this the first thing...
New Rules
In my humble opinion, Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” was THE pop song of 2017; not only did the summery tones capture the airwaves for the rest of the year, but the video was creatively executed and ...
It’s Annual General Meeting time again
It’s Annual General Meeting time again. Let’s be honest, very few of us would regard an AGM as the highlight of our social calendar, but I’d like to suggest that this annual gathering, this...
All Change, All Change!
When I first came to London in 1996, the bane of my existence was public transport and finding my way around. The Underground was fairly straightforward with maps posted everywhere to guide me, b...
Challenging power and privilege
February is LGBT History month. The theme this year is ‘Peace, Activism & Reconciliation’. In faith, as in politics, there seems to be much that divides us. In a recent conversation w...
Christians at Pride
I remember the first time I went to an LGBTQ Pride. I was still getting used to wearing a clerical collar, and hadn’t ever worn a rainbow before either. ...
The way of victory
When reminded that I had promised to write a blog for OneBodyOneFaith, I panicked and then prayed. I know that’s the wrong order, but I am only a poor sinner, so bear with me. Prayer is a...
‘Tis the season?
We are well into the season of carol concerts, nativity plays and Christmas parties! Nothing warms the heart like a chorister singing the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ by candle...
True Inclusion
True Inclusion by Brandon Robertson This is a powerful book. It pulls absolutely no punches in terms of identifying what true inclusion is and then challenging u...
Come out for trans equality
Easter Saturday fell on 31 March this year. It’s a time when we await with hope the triumph of life over death, of love over hate – and a time when we are also all-too-aware of the fragility an...
Spring Harvest not working for you any more? Read this!
If the Christian festival you've grown up with is no longer a place you can comfortably be yourself as an LGBTQ person, maybe it's time to look at ...
Tim Farron: we've no regrets
News this afternoon of poor Tim Farron, whose views on gay sex have hit the headlines again. According to an interview with Premier Christian Radio, Mr Farron 'regrets' telling ...
