Category: Blog

Being Interrupted by Al Barrett and Ruth Harley London SCM Press, xvi + 262 Pb, £25.00 ISBN 978- 0-33405-862-5  There are several interconnecting ‘disciplines’ at work in the crafting of these 16 chapters which work together in the offering of an integrated and practical theology of mission. Ecclesiology, missiology, doctrine, biblical studies, theological reflection, cultural […]

Present in Every Place?: The Church of England’s new churches, and the future of the parishWill FoulgerSCM Press £25(978-0-334-06203-5) 117pp I live and work in Salisbury with a population of about 70,000. There are seven benefices and at least eighteen places where Anglican worship is offered. The city is dominated by the soaring spire of […]

Reimagining Ministerial FormationDavid HeywoodSCM Press £25 2021 xii + 181pp(978-0-334-06042-0) The middle over fast flowing river with some unpredictable storm clouds on the horizon is not the best vantage point from which to stand back to discern and evaluate. I read this third volume of Heywood’s work through the lens of leading Sarum College, a […]

Light to Those in Darkness Total Pain and the Body of Christ Charlie Bell SCM Press 2023 978-0-334-06400-8 £25.00 Charlie Bell is a force of nature. Indefatigable, passionate, intelligent, and grounded are some of the virtues and characteristics that have shaped his learning. A qualified psychiatrist lecturing in medicine in the University of Cambridge he […]

There can be no doubt that these recent weeks have been traumatic and testing for the Church of England and for the public face of religion. Two things have occurred that bear upon the shape, processes and content of this book which make it important for these debates. The first is a serious lack of […]

I have been sorting through files and bits of writing and I thought that this was worth sharing again ! The Living Fountain: Remembrances of Quaker Christianity Benjamin Wood,  John Hunt Publishing 2023 Many of the readers here will have experienced Quakerism in and through their presence of meeting houses and their active engagement in communities. […]

Christian B. Miller, The Character Gap: How Good Are We? (OUP, 2017) Two conversations about character and choice shaped the reading of this short and illuminating exploration of the nature of character. The first, with a High Court judge with long experience of working with families and children explored the nature of restorative justice in the light […]

Talking about Dying  – Help in Facing Death and Dying Philip Giddings, Martin Down, Elaine Sugden, Gareth Tuckwell Wilberforce Publications, 2017, 182pp., pbk , £8.00 It remains somewhat of a persistent paradox that despite our faith in a crucified and risen Lord, Christians find it difficult to engage with, prepare for and reflect on death. I […]

Andrew Roots biography reads – Andrew Root, PhD (Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. He is most recently the author of Evangelism in an Age of Despair and the six volume Ministry in a Secular Age series (including Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Congregation in a […]

Many of us would do well to engage in some theological reflection on the way in which our Christian faith has been shaped and formed. Listening to the ongoing debates within the General Synod of the Church of England has been both illuminating and disturbing in equal measure. This is a legislative body and a […]

This article first appeared in a book by Helen Orchard exploring spirituality in healthcare contexts. It draws heavily on my doctoral research. I share it here simply because I think it still has something to say as we consider the nature of ministry particularly when working in sectors outside of the Church. I seek to […]

The title of this book is alluring. Halik offers his reader a masterful analysis of the challenges that face the Christian faith. His argument is that our present crisis is a crossroad. One road ( and perhaps the one we journey on in this country ) is leading to division and irrelevance. At the present […]

As world leaders gather for the Funeral Mass at St Peters Basilica followed by his burial at Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore I share some happy memories of the hospitality of ( now HE Cardinal ) Rolandas Makrickas and the community there to journey with them during Holy Week in 2024. A wonderful week with […]

Easter Day is the occasion when, year on year, Christian people throughout the world celebrate the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. It is an awesome mystery as well as conviction that we should share and show others of the wonder and love of God made real in Christ. The disciples and successive generations of Christians […]

My first experience of silence ( real silence) was with the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God at Fairacres in Oxford in 1979. I was an undergraduate reading theology at Kings College London. I have an abiding memory of the intensity of the silence and worship. I have been a regular visitor […]