Apology Required

There is a time and a place to say things, but there is also a way to say them, and sadly I don’t always get the way right. I’m not one to pretend I don’t disagree; to me, harbouring disagreements makes friendship disingenuous, and pretending I don’t want the church (indeed, the whole Church) to change isn’t going to convince many of you. But sadly I wrote my thoughts out in about the least sensible way possible on Wednesday, and what has followed has been a necessarily painful learning process. And so I’m going to say sorry. For openness and accountability’s sake, the original is still available for viewing.

Male Liberation Rant

Yesterday I had a rant with a female colleague about under representation of Women in the Church in which I work, particularly in visible positions of power, and the need for such things as the ever-infuriating “Men’s Weekend”. On top of the discussion of Men’s Clubs in Universities, this week has already had more than its fair share of thwarted Feminism and fail-Feminism, and I’ve had enough. And I’m male for crying out loud.

From Slaves to Oil to Sunlight

Africa has supplied the wants and desires of the global north with many many things over the years through the process known as colonialism. People talk about our times as being “post-Colonial”, as if somehow the process of Colonial resource extraction has ended and the people of Africa can once more live at peace without Europe sucking them dry of anything of any value. But then, if solar-energy is the solution to Climate Change, and Africa has lots of sunlight, why not just exploit Africa for that too?

Building National Pride in Palestine?

I’m often aware of the tension that exists between my passion for justice for the Palestinians, as such, a national grouping, and my disgust at anything to do with National Pride. I find the copious numbers of England flags that appear during major football competitions mildly disturbing, an affront to my Internationalist, anti-statist leanings, and so news that Israel is blocking construction of Palestine’s national football stadium leaves me a bit stuck.

LCpl Joe Glenton: The War is Local

On Saturday I took part in a stall and vigil protesting at the incarceration of York Soldier Lance Corporal Joe Glenton. It was an intense affair, with media interest normally not shown to a mere anti-war stall, hundreds signing petitions and some very heated exchanges. The struggle to end the Afghanistan War is no longer just about a place several thousand miles away, it has come home.

The News: Is Vanity Fair?

Curious to discover why such a thing might happen, I read an article on the censorship of Enid Blyton by the BBC. It was rather amusing to note the short sightedness of the controllers of the airwaves and their own personal opinions on the author. I did wonder why this was news. Its hardly current celebrity gossip either. No, despite the disguise as a news article, it was an advert for a program. I was pretty pissed off to be honest.

David Cameron and the Prodigal Son’s Brother

I was visiting my Sister’s church in Durham today, St Nicks, also know as the church on the market place, and had a really great time. The sermon looked at the part of the Prodigal Son story after the bit everyone knows, the part where the eldest son refuses to join the party. The preacher referenced a writer* who said that Jesus sought to appeal to the unreligious, not to the generally conservative types that the UK church most often appeals to.

Ubuntu and the Freedom Society

I had an unfortunate encounter with a member of the Freedom Society very recently, and was genuinely shocked by some of the arguments being made. Despite the noblest of intentions in the title, I find everything about them absolutely infuriating, and here are just some of the reasons…

Transsexual Jesus Sparks Glasgow Church Protests

I saw the headline for this article on my RSS feeder and knew I’d be writing about it as soon as I had the chance. The entire subject, from Christian pressure groups, to a personal engagement with Jesus by a trans author, was bound to turn my head. So here goes…

Does anyone want to solve abortion?

Of all the most personal issues that get kicked around as a political football, abortion is probably the most distasteful and most distressing. Any and every debate seems a million miles divorced of the realities that often underlie the decision to seek an abortion, which in our divided world can make one case almost entirely different to another.