Christianity
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Achieving Authenticity: Dyslexic theology in response to festive Bible reading challenges
I’m doom scrolling on social media when I find myself stopping to read this post: Maybe it’s time to start A New Christmas Tradition. Beginning December 1st, read one chapter of the book of Luke in the Bible each evening. There are 24 chapters. On Christmas Eve you will have read an entire account of Jesus’ life and wake up Christmas morning knowing WHO and WHY we celebrate! At first, I’m mildly amused. The comments are filled with people saying, “I’ll be doing this,” and that it’s “not difficult to achieve.” As a researcher looking at dyslexia and reading the Bible, this is gold. But as a dyslexic Christian who…
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Refreshments, Art, and Play: Reflections on Community Service
When visiting the UK last summer my wife was surprised by our experience of churches. They had art exhibitions, offerings of cake, tea and coffee, and perhaps the most impactful for my wife were the areas within church buildings where children could play with toys and read. One church we visited was running a Beatrix Potter exhibition – by its very nature child-centric – that combined many of the above noted elements (refreshments, art, and play) leaving a deep impression. These features appeared to the two of us to be services for the public good, which were offered regardless of the religious beliefs or intentions behind the organisers or the…
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Evangelising Africa in the 21st Century: What it Takes to Create Impact and Convert Souls
Missionaries first arrived in Africa employing various strategies to convert native populations, such as providing education, healthcare and other civilizing services, that were often successful at drawing followers to Christianity. Recently, however, many of these duties have fallen to governments instead, leaving a lesser role for churches in these areas. Yet despite this shift in responsibility, churches continue to play an essential role in education and healthcare provision. Due to decreasing church attendance rates in Africa, churches need new methods of evangelism to attract and keep followers. I will share my own experiences on what has proven successful at engaging people and cultivating commitment to church attendance. Church-run institutions across…
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Lollipops and Paper Hearts: The Trauma of Embodying False Truths
Picture this: it’s Friday evening. The church hall is full of excitable teenagers – gossiping, sulking, judging. Staccato bursts of high-pitched laughter punctuate the rumble of conversation. Eventually, they settle down. Today, their youth leader tells them from the front, they will be continuing their series looking at identity, specifically, today they will be looking at…pause for dramatic effect (or maybe to steel the nerves)…sex and sexuality. Giggles, embarrassed snorts, guffaws. “Alright! Settle down!” Following a short sermon-style talk that details “God’s plan for sex: marriage,” the children are separated. The boys follow the male youth leader into a side room. The pastor’s wife, who is a special guest this…
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Growing closer to God through stained-glass windows: A dyslexic autistic perspective
Introduction Over the last few years, through encounters with Christians or churches, I’ve discovered the stained glass of an artist called William Wilson (henceforth WW). I find WW’s stained glass lovely to look at. But it also lets me improve my knowledge of the Bible, and that in turn lets me feel closer to God. By contrast, I’ve had limited success using more “mainstream” means to grow my faith, such as reading the Bible or attending church activities. That’s partly because I’m dyslexic and autistic. Dyslexia and autism are groups of traits or characteristics. So there’s overlap between how they present in different individuals. But there’s also diversity within the dyslexic and autistic communities: each…
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Authority Recognized and Challenged: Approaching the Bible as Practical Theologians
Introduction How might practical theologians engage with the Bible as practical theologians? In December 2022, eighteen of us met together for a symposium at the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham, England, to delve into this question. This article is a reflection on that symposium by the convenors and three delegates on different aspects of the event. Taking a step back for moment, the symposium was organised by the Bible and Practical Theology special interest group, part of the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology (BIAPT). The special interest group (SIG) was founded in 2011 by Zoë Bennett and Andrew Rogers[1] due to the growing sense of unease about…
