Here is part 2 of Sofia's story. If you've not read part 1, I suggest you start there. It is harrowing. But important. It is a testimony of experiences. This stuff happens. In our churches. Let us have ears to…
(more…)This is, I hope, the first of several posts from Sofia. Our friendship goes back a couple of decades and we’ve kept in touch for much of the time. We were invited to her wedding, although we’d been out of the country for several years and so had never met her husband. But we were excited for her.
We had no idea, of course, not least because we lived 100s of miles apart, what was happening and so never saw them interact. It wasn’t until many years later that she was able to start talking more openly about what she was going through. But I’ll let her take over from here, not least because she writes so powerfully.
Sofia’s story will speak for itself.
It's a standard question for writers (or indeed any type of artist), so E. M. Forster would often be asked who or what had influenced him. In response, he would question, perhaps surprisingly, whether 'influence' was an important category in…
Q regulars know that Turkey is a country close to my heart. I have just returned from my 15th (!) trip and so naturally it preoccupies my thoughts a great deal at the moment. During my previous trip, I'd heard…
Sacred Treasure Only just discovered the Visual Commentary on Scripture this week - WOW! Something that only the internet can make possible! Lots to explore here... Sam Allberry is onto something very important here: why do churches end up with…
Regulars will know that John Stott is a frequent focus here. I've just finished reading Alister Chapman's excellent, scholarly engagement with John Stott's legacy: Godly Ambition. A fuller review may come in time... But I will say this. Having spent 12…
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing all Q readers a very good 2019! Sacred Treasure Phil Whittall has done a remarkable job amassing various links under several banners. Here is his trio of Church and Gender articles, plus a whole load of…
Jeepers - it's been a whole year since I last did a Q Combo - need to get back into the habit. But this is definitely a combo with a difference. Both artist and poet are women who are still…
Shostakovich is a personal hero of mine. He walked a tightrope between the Gulag and compromise in the vortex of Stalinist Russia. But more than that, his music has brought me consolation, invigoration, provocation, and perplexity. Sometimes all at once.…
I was writing this for something else and, in the end, it wasn't needed. Not to worry. Here it is. Of course, it is definitely a bit random and niche, but that makes it all the funner, in my book. My…