Christianity
-
Kafkaesque Incarcerated Existence: When life tragically imitates art
December 3rd this year marked the tenth anniversary of the supposed ending of one of the biggest and most damaging failures in criminal justice in England and Wales. It will be a decade since the abolition of a sentence which, early in its application, was labelled ‘kafkaesque’ because of its affects: the sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection, or IPP. Some years ago I read Frank Kafka’s The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926) and Amerika (1927 – Kafka’s unfinished first novel). When I transitioned vocationally from parish to prison ministry I was quickly struck by just how kafkaesque elements of incarcerated life were. However, this was not fiction but a…
-
Barth and Bonhoeffer’s Wartime Warnings Apply Today
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s name is well-known in Christian circles. His early resistance against the Nazi regime leading to his execution in 1945 has made Bonhoeffer into a modern Christian martyr. At times of social conflict, upheaval, and tyranny, Bonhoeffer’s legacy is often looked to as a moral guide. Karl Barth is less of a household name, but his own response to Nazism has inspired many as well. With both Barth and Bonhoeffer, what inspires Christians to this day is how their resistance to National Socialism arose directly from their theological convictions. As we watch the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, many rightly wonder what Barth and Bonhoeffer might have to say to…
-
What would Christ tweet? Being a Christian on social media
Over the past month the Bishop of Oxford – and other Church of England bishops – spoke out in support of same-sex marriage. Those of us on Twitter who are LGBT+ and dare to speak up for LGBT+ people have received a torrent of homophobic abuse. Indeed, as I write this, I am on day three of receiving homophobic abuse on Twitter for speaking in favour of same-sex marriage. The response has been deeply unpleasant. Trolling is too kind a word. It’s abuse and it has been relentless. What has surprised me the most is that the overwhelming majority of people sending me abusive messages appear to be Christians. A…
-
Personal Reflections on Interfaith Dialogue and its role in BIAPT: An Interview with Owen Griffiths
As part of interfaith week, we are interviewing a number of people connected with Practical Theology Hub about their work on interfaith dialogue. In this interview we ask Chair of the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology (BIAPT) and our Assistant Editor, Owen Griffiths, about his personal experiences with interfaith dialogue and its role within BIAPT. Tell us about yourself. I live in the Rhondda valley in South Wales and having been the minister of a small independent congregation for the past twenty years I will soon take up a new role as Minister of South East Wales Presbytery for the Presbyterian Church of Wales. I am the Chair…
-
“The Apocalypse as a Cosmotheandric Communion: A Hindu-Christian Dialogue” – An Interview with Shruti Dixit
As part of interfaith week, we are interviewing a number of people connected with Practical Theology Hub about their work on interfaith dialogue. In this interview we ask former member of our editorial team, Shruti Dixit, about Hindu-Christian dialogue and her recently published paper, “The Apocalypse as a Cosmotheandric Communion: A Hindu-Christian Dialogue.“ Tell us about yourself. I am currently a second-year doctoral researcher at the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics, School of Divinity, University of St Andrews, researching the plausibility of a Hindu-Christian dialogue based on the notion of end times. Due to my strong belief in impactful research, I am involved in multiple interfaith projects.…
-
Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue in Brazil: An Interview with Patricia Palazzo Tsai
As part of interfaith week, we are interviewing a number of people connected with Practical Theology Hub about their work on interfaith dialogue. In this interview we ask our Topic Editor for Buddhism, Patricia Palazzo Tsai, about interfaith dialogue and Buddhist traditions in Brazil. Tell us about yourself. My name is Patricia Palazzo Tsai – a Brazilian Mahāyāna Geluk Buddhist practitioner. I am serving as Topic Editor for Buddhism of Practical Theology Hub, Legal Director of Associação Buddha-Dharma in Brazil, Legal Director of Sakyadhita São Paulo, and I also teach at the undergraduate program of Buddhist Theology at Instituto Pramāṇa. Besides all this I am conducting my PhD research at…
