A Czech protest song: the redemptive power of suffering
Yesterday, I left Hungary having had a great time at the ELF in Eger. So encouraging – and quite apart from the excitements of seeing folk on our network again and being involved in teaching, I was able to have some very encouraging conversations with folks from Austria, Greece, Macedonia and Bulgaria in particular. Things […]
Cold War insanity: you really couldn’t make this up
Have started Michael Dobbs’ recent account of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and am already gripped. But i nearly dropped the book on the floor when i read this paragraph, in the section about the CIA’s Operation Mongoose, headed up by Air Force General Ed Lansdale (photo below). As the target dates for causing havoc inside Cuba […]
Petina Gappah on John Simpson’s Head of a Negro
Just been leafing through the latest Tate magazine – one of my favourite bits is the regular feature MicroTate where people from different walks of life offer a brief reflection on something from the Tate collections. I was gobsmacked by this picture painted in around 1827: John Simpson’s Head of a Negro. It portrays such […]
Donna Tartt and Douglas Coupland on why we tell stories
In recent months, I’ve been working on the novels of Douglas Coupland, (an author I return to again and again), for a talk i’m giving at the ELF next week. In particular, I’ve found Andrew Tate’s book on his work exceptionally helpful. It’s packed with great insights and help. But the very last paragraph of […]
A global plea for sense for the Moroccan church
Life goeson beyond the boundaries of UK politics, of course. And for many, things are grim. A friend who works in north Africa has sent me this and is happy for me to post it. As many are aware, there have been some very alarming developments in this part of the world for the small […]
Lib/Con pact – combined threats or neutralised threats?
One of the neat, rehearsed lines Gordon Brown came out with at one of the leaders’ debates went something like this: The Tories are a threat to our economy; the LibDems are a threat to our security. The Tories will seriously damage our relationship with Europe; the LibDems will seriously damage our relationship with the […]
The Frog: a suitable poem for a Hung Parliament
Having been up for much of Election night, i feel rather deflated at the outcome. My quote of the night came in the fairly early hours on the BBC from one of my favourite modern historians, Peter Hennessy (right)– his book The Prime Minister (the office and its holders since 1945) is a brilliant read. […]
11th Hour aid for floating voters: Steve Turner’s Left Right
In a crisis, I find that Steve Turner can usually be relied upon to come up with something useful or constructive. And in this week full of talk of the spectres of hung parliaments and tactical voting, this poem seemed just the ticket. Hope it helps if you’re stuck… LEFT RIGHT by Steve Turner Left […]
The Mace: Losing it is NOT the end of the world!
The mace (left) is the symbol of the Sovereign’s power – and in Parliament, it represents her delegated authority. When the Commons is in session, it sits on the table just in front of the Government and Opposition despatch boxes. Without its presence, parliamentary activity is invalid and even illegal. For any Government in this […]
Something for the pain…
A number have been asking about the song I played at the end of my talk Sunday evening at All Souls. So voila. This is probably admitting a serious gap in my musical appreciation, but I knew next to nothing about the singer, Pierce Pettis. A friend only gave me this album on Friday, and I […]
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 20 (May 2010)
Sacred Treasure Mark Ashton writes powerfully and movingly about his battle with terminal cancer. Part 1 here. Not normally a total devotee (as some are in the habit of being!) but Mark Driscoll is at his most trenchant when talking here about ministry idolatry. Anglican Mainstream have helpfully listed the numbers of Anglicans around the […]
