So often, we restrict our response to a situation before it even begins. Until 1969, to land on the moon was deemed impossible. Before 1953, it seemed unmanageable to climb Mount Everest. New Year’s resolutions are written off before they’re attempted. Exercise plans are tucked away in fear that …
2020 Vision
Many of us will have just returned back to work after the Christmas break, hopefully well-rested and feeling ready for the new calendar year. Many of us will have used holiday time to reflect, and many of us will have spent time thinking ahead and anticipating what this next year might …
Week Four: Room for All
The Beginning "They couldn’t believe what they had seen. Nothing ever happened to them – their life was just the hillside, sheep and more sheep. But today! Today they had seen a miracle. In all their days counting sheep, the Shepherds had never imagined that they might feel the way they had …
Week Three: Home
Ellie's Story "My name is Ellie and I’ve been homeless for a few months now. It’s tough out here, and for a woman, it’s dangerous too. For 15 years, I had a house, where I lived with my three children. Now, I get shelter where I can or sleep on the streets, and my children aren’t with me …
Getting to the heart of the general election
Any election is about choices. But the widely different visions for the future course of the UK on offer at this general election mean its result will have decisive repercussions for years to come. We consider some of the major issues at stake and explore how Christians might approach them, in the …
How would your grandchildren vote?
Economic theory has often led to election campaigns that centre on the individual’s needs of the here and now. ‘Discounted utility’ assumes that immediate gratification is worth more than reward later. Maybe you’ve watched the video where a young child is left in a room with a marshmallow and told …
Week Two: The Outsiders
Lina's Story "At nine months pregnant, when she should have been picking out her baby’s first outfit, Lina received a letter from the Home Office stating that she would be evicted from her accommodation. “When I looked at the date of the letter, it was dated 27 April. On my due date”, she …
Churches hosting hustings: a good opportunity?
In a guest blog, Rev Bryan Kerr explores his experience of leading hustings events during elections. It was during an interview, as Tony Blair was answering a question on his faith, that his former director of strategy and communications Alastair Campbell, interrupted and quipped, “We don’t …
How many children are “Growing up Poor”?
There are a number of measures of child poverty and all agree that child poverty is rising. Tonight’s Channel 4’s Dispatches programme “Growing up Poor” gives some of the children affected by poverty the chance to tell their own stories – and is incredibly powerful as a result. It is great …
Preaching on the General Election
This December, many church leaders will find themselves with the opportunity to speak with their communities about the General Election. For some, this will be expected, and congregations will be looking for guidance. For others, this will be a step into new territory, and may face hostility from …