Current Events
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Compassionate Collaboration, Christian Mission and the Bank of Dave
A glimpse of Jesus’ compassion appears in Matthew 9:35-38. In one of the more well-known images of Christian witness, Jesus responds to crowds “harassed and helpless” with a call for collaborators (“Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (38)). The verses in Matthew are one of a cluster of Gospel narratives in which Jesus is described as a shepherd, sent by God to strengthen the weak and heal those damaged by sin, greed and betrayal.[1] A contemporary image of compassion and collaboration appears in a recent movie, Bank of Dave (2023). Movies, along with other forms of popular culture, are not commonly used as…
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Practical Theology comes of age with “Together in Love and Faith”?
By any standard the publication of Together in Love and Faith: Personal Reflections and Next Steps for the Church (Oxford: Bishop of Oxford) in October 2022 is a remarkable work. It sets out the metanoia in thinking and action over discernment regarding same-sex relationships and marriage (p. 2) that has taken place in the Evangelical Bishop of Oxford Steven Croft and his recommendations on the subject for the Church of England. Reactions to its publication have inevitably been strong and diverse with respondents stating he has gone too far or not far enough. It is not my intention in this short paper to evaluate his arguments, rather I am wanting…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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“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.…
