Movement Magazine: issue 154

movement
THE MAGAZINE FOR CHRISTIAN STUDENTS
ISSUE 154 AUTUMN 2016
INTERVIEW:
STEVE CHALKE
We caught up with the
founder of Oasis UK
PAGE 12
THE BIBLE IS MORE
THAN JOHN 3:16
A Christian and an
Atheist read the Bible
PAGE 23
POLITICS AND
THEOLOGY A match
made in heaven? Selina
Stone investigates
PAGE 29
SPOTLIGHT ON THE
BOOK OF ESTHER
Anne Phillips uncovers
the story of Esther
PAGE 38

CONTENTS
EDITORIAL 4
COMING UP 5
NEWS 6-8
GROUP NEWS 9-11
REVIEWS 41-42
GROOVEMENT 43
INTERVIEW:
STEVE
CHALKE 12-16
The founder of Oasis UK tells us his
story and shares his thoughts on
student Christianity.
RESOURCE:
READING
THE BIBLE 17-20
Explore how the Bible as we know it
came about, and discover how we can
interpret the Scriptures today.
MY
FAVOURITE
SCRIPTURE 21-22
SCM members share their favourite
verse, passage or story from the Bible.
THE BIBLE IS
MORE THAN
JOHN 3:16 23-25
A Christian and an Atheist read the
Bible.
THE LONG READ:
POLITICS AND
THEOLOGY 28-31
SELINA STONE
Do politics and theology even go
together, and can any good come
from such a union?
BREXIT,
BLACKNESS
AND THE
CROSS 32-34
WHAT I
LEARNED IN
MY FIRST
SEMESTER 35-37
SCM members Mark Birkett, Alex
Young and Juliane Borchert share their
reflections.
A SPOTLIGHT ON
THE BOOK OF
ESTHER 38-40
ANNE PHILIPS
READING
THE BIBLE:
A MUSLIM
PERSPECTIVE 26-27
MONA SIDDIQUI
A reflection on the aftermath of the
EU referendum.
Take a look at one of the lesser known
books of the Bible to discover more
about Esther.
What does the Qur’an say about the
Bible?
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3

Welcome to issue 154 of
Movement magazine. You
might have noticed that SCM’s
image has had an update over the
summer, and we thought it only
right that Movement had a fresh
new look too!
Student Christian Movement
Grays Court, 3 Nursery Road, Edgbaston,
Birmingham, B15 3JX
t: 0121 426 4918
e: scm@movement.org.uk
w: www.movement.org.uk
Advertising
e: scm@movement.org.uk
t: 0121 426 4918
COMING UP
As well as updating the look of the magazine, we’ve also made
a few other changes. Movement will now be published twice
per year rather than once per term, and we’ve added more
pages so that we can bring you an even bigger variety of
features. We’re still committed to great, student-led content,
and we hope that you’ll enjoy what we’ve got lined up for this
and future issues.
This issue focuses on the Bible. Lots of people struggle with
how to approach reading the Bible - it’s a complex and varied
set of texts which can often feel quite intimidating. Throughout
this issue, our writers focus on various aspects of the Bible,
from what it is like to read the entire book in a year to sharing
their favourite verses.
Finally, this is my final issue of Movement as Editor, as my four
years on General Council have sadly now come to an end. I
hope you’ve enjoyed the recent issues and are, like me, looking
forward to what the future holds. If you have any ideas for
future content, or would like to contribute, then we’d love to
hear from you! Please email editor@movement.org.uk or get in
touch with the office.
DEBBIE WHITE
We are really grateful for Debbie’s commitment and enthusiasm
as the Editor of Movement, and would like to thank her for all
the hard work that has gone into each issue! The Editorial Team
Movement is published by the Student
Christian Movement (SCM) and is distributed
free to all members, supporters, groups, Link
Churches and affiliated chaplaincies.
SCM is a student-led movement inspired by
Jesus to act for justice and show God’s love in
the world. As a community we come together
to pray, worship and explore faith in an open
and non-judgemental environment.
SCM staff:
National Coordinator: Hilary Topp, Finance and
Projects Officer: Lisa Murphy, Groups Worker:
Lizzie Gawen, Fundraising and Communications
Officer: Ellis Tsang, Faith in Action Project
Worker: Ruth Wilde, Regional Development
Worker: Rach Collins, Administration Assistant:
Ruth Naylor
Editorial Team:
Debbie White and Lisa Murphy.
The views expressed in Movement magazine
are those of the particular authors and
should not be taken to be the policy of the
Student Christian Movement. Acceptance
of advertisements does not constitute an
endorsement by the Student Christian
Movement.
ISSN 0306-980X
SCM GATHERING
14-16 OCTOBER 16,
GLASGOW
SCM Glasgow is looking forward
to welcoming students and recent
graduates to the SCM Gathering
at Wellington Church this October!
Join us for a weekend of community
building and reflection, with bible
study, workshops and time for
worshipping together.
Our guest speaker is the Bishop
of Manchester, David Walker, who
will be joining us on Saturday. His
subject will be: ‘Young, Gifted and
Christian: What makes churchgoing
work for 20 somethings?’
There will also be time to relax with
a ceilidh on the Saturday evening
and time to explore Glasgow.
FAITH AND
FRONTIERS
TODAY
5 NOVEMBER 16,
COVENTRY
Project Bonhoeffer, our partners in
the Faith in Action project, will be
holding a day conference looking at
migration and the issues faced by
refugees. Guest speakers will include
Esther Reed, Associate Professor
of Theology at the University of
Exeter, and a member of Pax Christi
International. Tickets are just £5 and
a travel bursary is available for SCM
members.
SCM GATHERING
10-12 MARCH 17,
MANCHESTER
Join students and recent graduates
for our gathering in Manchester
this spring. We’ll be joined by guest
speaker Fr Timothy Radcliffe O.P., a
Catholic priest, theologian, and the
Consulter for the Pontifical Council
of Justice and Peace, who will be
speaking about vocation.
There will also be space for prayer
and worship, workshops and time to
explore Manchester.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK
YOUR PLACE, GO TO
WWW.MOVEMENT.ORG.UK/EVENTS
If you find it hard to read the printed version
of Movement, we can send it to you in digital
form. Contact editor@movement.org.uk.
Charity number 1125640
© 2016 Student Christian Movement
SAVE THE DATE!
MOVEMENT 2017: 9-11 JUNE 2017
Design:
penguinboy.net & morsebrowndesign.co.uk
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NEWS
NEW MEMBERS
ELECTED TO
SCM’S GENERAL
COUNCIL
New General Council members
were elected at SCM’s AGM on
Saturday 11 June, with six new
members elected to trustee and
portfolio positions. SCM members
also re-elected Emma Temple as
a trustee. The new GC members
join Dan Barnes-Davies and Taylor
Driggers, who are serving current
terms as Access and Inclusion
portfolio and International Students’
Representative respectively.
Freddie Alexander, who recently
graduated from the University of
Edinburgh, was elected as a new
trustee. ‘After helping to run SCM
Edinburgh, and being involved with
many SCM events nationally, I am
excited to be able to support and
help with the continued growth of
SCM,’ he said.
Caitlin Wakefield, a postgraduate
student at the University of
Glasgow, was also elected
as a trustee and LGBTQI+
Representative. ‘I am excited to
represent LGBTQI+ students on
GC and to raise topics of concern
for LGBTQI+ Christians and their
allies,’ she said. ‘I believe we should
represent within SCM the values
that we want to see in the wider
world, which means being visible
and making people welcome.’
The current members of General
Council are:
Freddie Alexander, Trustee
Dan Barnes-Davies, Trustee and
Access and Inclusion portfolio
Sarah Derbyshire, Trustee and
Events portfolio
Taylor Driggers, International
Students’ Representative
Ross Jesmont, Trustee
Gemma King, Trustee
Simone Ramacci, Science and
Religion portfolio
Emma Temple, Trustee and
Campaigns portfolio
Caitlin Wakefield, Trustee and
LGBTQI+ Representative
You can find out more about GC
and their roles at www.movement.
org.uk/general-council
SHARING STORIES
OF FAITH & HOPE
AT SCM’S SUMMER
GATHERING 2016
Students were refreshed and
challenged during our summer
event, ‘Stories of Faith’, held on 11
June 2016. The day event featured
workshops from Dr Richard
Goode and the Esther Collective,
and SCM’s AGM, which included
General Council elections and our
annual awards.
Participants heard from Professor
David Ford, who gave an ‘honest,
challenging, funny and very
intelligent’ talk about deepening
our approach to faith. ‘A wiser
faith and wiser understanding of
faith – that’s the aim of theology.
Intense study and discussion of
religious texts within the Christian
faith is important and healthy,’ he
said, to an audience of students
from a range of backgrounds and
denominations.
‘David Ford was excellent, with
many profound insights, and I came
away with lots of new ways to read
scripture,’ said one participant.
The day also included a Love Feast,
or agape lunch, led by Rachel
Allison from Birmingham Methodist
Society. Students, SCM members,
chaplains and staff all participated
in the celebration meal, which
was full of encouraging stories.
We heard about people’s journeys
into Christian activism through the
Catholic Worker Movement, and
the valuable role played by people
in supporting a journey into spiritual
discernment. We were led in a
closing prayer and worship session
by Soo Tian, a PhD student based
in Oxford. Huge thanks to Rachel
and Soo Tian for leading beautiful
services.
Thank you to everyone who made
this event possible, from those who
volunteered in the kitchen to those
who helped lead sessions and
organise different parts of the day.
You can view photos from the event
on our Facebook page.
SCM LAUNCHES
NEW ONLINE
PLATFORM
CONNECTING
STUDENTS TO
CHURCHES AND
GROUPS AT
UNIVERSITY
SCM Connect is here – a new
online directory where students can
search for, and connect to, local
churches and student groups in
their university city or town.
We launched the platform over the
summer and people can now join
up by going to www.movement.org.
uk/scmconnect. Churches can sign
up to become Link Churches, which
will automatically list their contact
details in the directory. Students
can register to search the directory,
connecting to Link Churches,
student groups and chaplaincies.
SCM Connect publicity materials
are also available to distribute to
young people, with a scannable QR
code that will direct people to the
platform via mobile devices such
as phones or tablets. If you would
like to connect people going to
university to SCM Link Churches
and groups, you can order SCM
Connect cards by emailing admin@
movement.org.uk.
SCM TO
ESTABLISH NEW
STUDENT HUB IN
MANCHESTER
SCM is pleased to announce
that a new student hub will be
established in Manchester this
September, helping to support and
resource students, groups and
local churches across the North
West of England. Our new Regional
Development Worker, Rach Collins,
will coordinate the hub’s work, and
will be based at St Peter’s House
Church and Chaplaincy.
‘We are thrilled to be able to grow
our work in the North West, which
means more students can find
places of welcome, support and
community this year,’ said Hilary
Topp, SCM’s National Coordinator.
‘We are enormously grateful for all
the generous support from friends
and donors who have helped to
make this new hub a reality. We
look forward to starting the work
in September, and welcome Rachel
Collins to the staff team to support
and train more student leaders and
groups.’
As part of the hub’s outreach, we
will work with more local churches
in the region to grow their mission
to students, and connect more
young people coming to university
for the first time to inclusive
Christian communities. In March
2017, the hub will host an SCM
Gathering with guest speaker
Timothy Radcliffe O.P., a Catholic
priest, theologian and Consulter for
the Pontifical Council of Justice and
Peace.
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SCM MOURNS PASSING OF
FR DANIEL BERRIGAN,
PEACE ACTIVIST AND PRIEST
GROUP NEWS
MEET RACH
OUR REGIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
WORKER
We’re delighted to welcome Rach
Collins to the staff team as the
Regional Development Worker
based at the student hub in
Manchester. Since studying Youth
and Community Development
Work at the University of Cumbria
in Lancaster, Rach has worked in
Methodist Churches with children,
young people and families. She has
a variety of random skills including
throwing bowls on a potter’s wheel,
face painting, puppeteering and
making balloon model dogs.
Rach is a Methodist and is involved
with Methodist Women in Britain.
She is a seventh generation
preacher and enjoys finding
ways of using creative prayer in
her services. In her spare time
she enjoys knitting, reading and
watching TV boxsets.
We were sad to learn of the
passing of Fr Daniel Berrigan, a
Jesuit priest and peace activist who
influenced many people within the
movement. Berrigan died at the age
of 94 on 30 April in the company
of family members. He spoke at
Seeds of Liberation, SCM’s annual
conference in January 1973, which
became a defining moment in the
movement’s history.
Writing in a blog post, SCM
member Ross Jesmont said:
‘Daniel Berrigan’s life is an example
of what is looks like to live with
integrity. To live a faithful witness
to Jesus’ teaching. In his addresses
to the SCM [in 1973] he taught the
importance of scripture and the
centrality of community. For me
his examples, words and questions
continue to shape my faith.’
Less than a year before the
conference in 1973, Berrigan had
been released from prison in the
United States, where he had been
held under charges of burning draft
files in protest against the Vietnam
War. He played a crucial role in
energising the anti-war movement
at the time, and in 1980 founded
the ‘Plowshares Movement’ by
protesting against the construction
of nuclear missiles at the General
Electric nuclear missile facility in
Pennsylvania, US.
At SCM’s 1973 conference,
Berrigan spoke about the need
for people to renew faith and
spirituality within the pursuit of
peace and justice. He spoke to an
audience of over 350 participants,
saying ‘Unlike the politicos who
have no time for religion, unlike the
religious who have no time for the
political, the new situation requires
a personal integration of two
traditions.’
SCM IN SHEFFIELD
Earlier this year St. Marks Church in Sheffield set up a
student group with an aim to discuss theological issues
and work cohesively as a group to implement positive
social change in the local community. So far, we have
had four meetings, with pizza, potato salad, and plenty of
thought-provoking debate, normally concluding with a trip
to the pub where the discussion often continues. Meetings
have also contained ‘questions in a teapot’ – where
members can ask questions for deliberation by the rest of
the group and also a spontaneous fancy dress session!
We have discussed a number of ideas for the new
academic year. These have included work with older
people in the church and raising money for charity. We’ve
partnered with the SCM group in Sheffield and hope
to continue their great work as most of their members
graduate this year.
From September, we hope to welcome and engage with a
host of new students, who may be interested in joining our
all-inclusive group and who are keen to openly question
and think about our faith as well as consider the active
impact we can have on those around us.
OLIVER GILES
BIRMINGHAM ANGLICAN
SOCIETY
The University of Birmingham AngSoc has enjoyed another
year of prayer and studies. This year we travelled to
Norfolk to enjoy a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady
of Walsingham. Whilst there, we submerged ourselves in
the history and culture of Walsingham, visiting the Slipper
Chapel and a variety of different masses held during the
weekend. We hosted a very successful Christmas dinner
where the Catholic Society and the Methodist Society
were in attendance. We also travelled on the Severn Valley
Railway to Bewdley in the summer term visiting the local
brewery and church.
AngSoc are looking to be more proactive in social action
over the coming year. We are looking to raise money and
awareness for Tearfund’s toilet-twinning project. Action
will also be taken to help the University community, from
litter picking to helping other societies with social action
like the Methodist Society’s Food Exchange project.
We also plan to work more closely with other Christian
and religious societies over the coming year, and we
would also like to look more at Christianity in Science by
celebrating Christianity in Science Week over the coming
term.
ELEANOR LITTLE
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SCM OXFORD
Oxford is a busy city when it comes to student groups,
but currently one thing is missing - a Student Christian
Movement group! To fill this void, SCM members in Oxford
have met for several social meals to exchange ideas and
hatch a plan to start a new SCM group. At one of our meals,
we had the chance to meet Martin & Ruth Conway who
were SCM staff members in the 1960s, and they shared
their experiences of being a part of and then working for
SCM.
There are lots of challenges in creating a group for suits the
needs of Oxford Uni and Oxford Brookes students, but we
hope to overcome them! For the new academic year we
are hoping to grow and to establish regular events taking
place at both universities. Our first focus will be to engage
with the incoming freshers to build an open, welcoming
community of students, who strive to support each other in
their growth in faith and act for justice in the world.
JULIANE BORCHERT
ABERYSTWYTH METHODIST
SOCIETY
It has been an exciting year for Aberystwyth MethSoc, and
this term has been no exception. We attended the excellent
MethSoc Gathering, where a number of Methodist Societies
from across the country met up at Cliff College for a
weekend of fun and fellowship.
Throughout the last few months, we’ve had various socials
and a particularly fun evening at Easter which we shared
with our International Students, complete with an Easter
Egg Hunt and a quiz! Being able to share our faith and help
provide a spiritual home for students is key to any SCM
group in my opinion, and I think that’s especially important
when home is a long way away.
We held our traditional Leavers’ Weekend in the summer
where the Leavers organised a meal for the church, a
sleepover, a ‘summer fete’-inspired evening on the Saturday
and of course, the traditional gunging of the current
MethSoc committee. All of these events managed to raise
over £300 for St. Pauls Methodist Centre, The Wallich and
Tearfund. It’s been a great year for Aber MethSoc, but I’m
looking forward to what is to come even more!
DANIEL LONG
SCM EDINBURGH
SCM Edinburgh has had a successful year, with a lot of
great events and quite a few new members. Some of
our most well attended sessions were a discussion on
Christianity and Money, and an event run in collaboration
with the Feminist Society on Religion and Feminism.
Alongside these topical discussions, we’ve also had a
number of Bible study sessions, and plenty of socials
involving food.
Next year we hope to continue to grow our group and are
planning an event on Faith and Politics for Freshers’ Week,
so new students have a chance to see what we’re about.
We’re also particularly excited about a series of events that
we’ve decided to call ‘What Would Jesus Brew?’ These
will be additional to our weekly Monday meetings and as
the name suggests, are all about drinking beer (or another
choice beverage) and talking about Jesus. The aim is to
connect with students who aren’t part of SCM and don’t
come to our usual meetings, and to hopefully start some
great conversations about faith.
LIZ MARSH
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INTERVIEW
STEVE CHALKE
Revd Steve Chalke MBE is a Baptist minister and founder of Oasis
UK, a charity committed to transforming communities by working
in an inclusive, integrated, empowering and comprehensive way so
that all people experience wholeness and fullness of life. He is also
the Founder and Chair of STOP THE TRAFFIK, a global coalition
of organisations working to end human trafficking. Holder of the
Guinness World Record for the most money raised by a marathon
runner, Steve lives in London with his wife Cornelia, where he acts as
the Senior Leader of Oasis Church Waterloo.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your spiritual journey. I’m Anglo-Indian, and
the first of four kids. Dad was from South India and was very dark skinned, so
I was the darkest skinned kid I knew. I grew up in a home that was very poor,
a home where I knew what it was like to face discrimination. My mum’s family
totally disagreed with the fact that she’d married someone who was effectively
a black man, and I think that that had quite a lot of a shaping effect on my life.
I became a Christian in secondary school. I liked a girl called Mary from the
school down the road, and I started going to a church youth club just to see her.
I’d been going for weeks and weeks and one Friday night my best friend told me
that Mary didn’t fancy me, and it was the worst thing that had ever happened to
me! As I wandered home that night I was contemplating my future without Mary,
a life that was meaningless and all that kind of thing - as you do when you’re 14
- and it was all very depressing. And then I thought, ‘what they tell me about who
I am at this church youth club is a lot better than who they tell me I am at school,
where they tell us we’re riff raff and will never amount to anything, that I’m going
to work with my hands not my head, that I’m not worth educating and won’t pass
any exams. At the church they tell me my life is crammed with meaning and that
I am made by God, in his image, and my life has huge potential’. I remember
thinking, ‘I might be stupid, but I’m not that stupid, I’m going to choose the
church’s story over the school’s story, and I’m going to keep going to the youth
club whether Mary fancies me or not!’
On the rest of the journey home, I decided that if I was going to be a Christian, I
was going to do it 100%, and that I would tell other people this incredible story
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I’d heard, and when I grew up I would be a church leader,
and run a hostel for kids who had never been shown that
anyone cared, and I’d start a school that was worth going
to, and a hospital. And on that night I committed myself to
live Christ’s way, and it was that night that’s directed my
life. And I’ve no idea how it happened, except that it was
a gift of God’s grace. This sense of direction came from
outside of me, and it’s an extraordinary thing.
How did you know that it was from God? I just never
doubted it. It wasn’t as though God shouted it at me or
anything like that, but I had this inner conviction that if it
was true that God made me, and that my life had purpose,
and that God was love and God loved everyone, then my life
needed to be dedicated to getting that message out there
and demonstrating it. It seemed to me to be the inevitable
outcome of choosing to believe these things. All these years
later this still fires and guides me all of the time, I’m still
committed to that exact same thing, to build communities
that demonstrate God’s love in tangible ways. And that was
the beginning of Oasis.
So how did you make it happen? Well I went back to my
youth group and talked to the leaders, and they asked me
to join their band to pay the bass, which was incredible
because I couldn’t play! And they taught me note by note
how to play their songs, and I was also learning from these
guys how to get organised, how to put publicity together
and how to create a plan so that people would turn up. Then
when I left school I worked in a factory in Kent, and I took
the money I earned and set up a youth group and a theatre
company at a church, and all the time I was learning about
leadership and organisation, and we put on productions
and the youth group flourished. Then I applied to Spurgeons
College to train as a Baptist minister, and they said I was too
young, so at the age of 20 I went and worked at a church
in Gravesend, running a youth group and developing a
children’s club, and it all went from there.
What motivates you? Well it comes back to what I said
earlier about the gift that I’d been given, that I never doubted,
that my task in life was to tell people, to demonstrate to
people, the Christian faith, and to run a church, a hostel,
a school and a hospital. My understanding of that vision
has changed, and the theology behind it has developed too.
What is the kingdom of God? It’s holistic, it’s integrated, it is
good news at every level - this gift has been what has kept
me going all this time.
In the leadership seminars that I run now I tell people
that they shouldn’t do something just because they think
it is a good idea, because when you commit yourself to
something that you think is a good idea, when the winter
comes, metaphorically and literally, and its warm inside and
you don’t want to go out to that meeting to get whatever it
is off the ground, you will be defeated, you will give up. For
me, my motivation is from outside of me, from God. That’s
what sustains me.
Your father experienced quite a lot of racism and
discrimination in his lifetime. Have you experienced
this, or was it a problem for you? No, it’s never been
a problem for me, but I did experience it. Throughout my
childhood I was called a half caste, everyone called me a
half caste. People are offended by the term these days, but
that’s what I was called growing up. My biggest pain as a
child was worrying about my dad. He used to do shift work
and I worried about him walking home, about him getting
beaten up.
As a teenager I had a couple of girlfriends, and their parents
never liked me because they worried that if we got serious
our kids might be even darker skinned than me. Britain has
changed a lot though and people are different, even if we
did vote out of the EU!
Do you think that Britain leaving the EU will have an
impact on tolerance and inclusion? I wish we hadn’t
voted out. I campaigned for us to remain because I care
passionately that we’re part of the wider world. But I do
think this - there’s an opportunity now for us to realise that
we are part of a wider world, and that we are global citizens.
That’s how I think of myself. Geography means this is the
place I call home but I consider myself to be a citizen of
Earth, and this doesn’t make me less committed to the UK,
it makes me more committed. And I believe that I should be
as committed to the abolition of poverty in Peru as I am to
the abolition of poverty in Peckham.
What’s your view of the current state of student
Christianity? I’m concerned about what is happening in
our universities, or what is not happening rather, because
at university young people are forming their worldviews.
One of the things that concerns me is that there is little
representation of a robust, joined up, integrated Christian
faith in our universities, and another thing that worries me is
that the representation of Christianity in universities is often
homophobic, anti-women in leadership, and represents an
overly simplistic theological view of the world that is not
just out of sync with where we are in the 21st century, but
with the bible itself. It’s not a grounded, developed, mature
theological stance based on a reading of biblical text and a
holistic application of those texts to life. All of that worries
me because I find as a local minister so many people who
have abandoned Christianity, and time and time again I hear
stories from people who were put off their faith by their
experiences at university, or that when they faced difficult
times the faith they’d been taught didn’t match up to the
life experiences that they had.
What is your hope for Christianity in universities? A
friend of mine said to me that he’d had a ten year gap in
his faith because he realised when he left university that
God he’d been told about didn’t exist, so he left the church.
Now he’s realised that the God that inhabits the universe
is bigger, better, kinder, fairer, more gracious and inclusive
than the God he’d believed in before. This is a problem. The
task in universities is to present a mature and biblical view
of who the God of love, the God of grace, really is, and to
present a clear understanding of the mission that he calls
us into partnership in.
There are always people in life who like a black and white
world. This is right, this is wrong. Do this you get that result.
I don’t think that the world that the bible talks about is black
and white. There are huge areas of greyness, and we find
those in life too. We should be equipping students earlier for
that, so that they don’t abandon their faith when they come
across these grey areas.
Christianity, following Jesus, is not like sailing on a cruise
liner, enjoying all of the food and relaxing and being
entertained, it’s more like being on a battleship. There’s a
fight on. There’s poverty everywhere, there is oppression
everywhere. Our task is to bring God’s kingdom to earth,
creating a world where God is in charge, not bankers and
bent politicians, and where the lowly are lifted up – like Mary
sang in the Magnificat. The cruise liner is sailing into oblivion
and its running out of fuel.
Where can you see God working in the world today? I
see God at work right across the world, and I think it’s the
church’s task to catch up with what God is doing and join in!
I remember talking to a young girl of about 15 who had just
given birth to a daughter, and I watched her looking down
at her baby, this scrap of life a few days old, and I could see
her praying. And perhaps she wouldn’t vocalise it and I’m
sure she wouldn’t express it in the way that I am doing, but
I could see it was there. And her prayer was ‘I’m not going
to give you up, I’m not going to let you go through what I’ve
gone through and suffer like I have suffered, I’m going to
get you out of here.’ That’s God’s spirit at work, and it’s our
task to join in with this.
Why does the church seem to get into such a mess
talking about human sexuality? I think the church is
frightened of sexuality, and has been less than honest about
sexuality. If you look at the track record of the church, it’s
14 MOVEMENT Issue 154
MOVEMENT Issue 154
15

always been on the wrong side of human history and human to ask ourselves what this actually means. Is prolonging life
issues. We believed that the world was flat, that it was at artificially through the use of expensive drugs, while people
the centre of the universe when it wasn’t, that white men on the other side of the world are dying in their 30s and 40s
could own black men as slaves, and that women should because of a lack of nutrition fair? Is that equality for every
not be in leadership. I think we need to look at this and ask citizen of the world?
ourselves how we have read the bible so wrongly. Then we
need to take what we’ve learned from history and apply If we want to change the world, where should we start?
that to how we treat the LGBTI community. I’ve had people We start where we live, and with what is in our hands. Use
say me, privately, that they support the full inclusion of the the gifts and talents that you have, and the values you live
LGBTI community in our churches, but this needs to be by, and start there.
said publicly. The Pope, and the Archbishop of Canterbury,
recently apologised for the way churches have treated LGBT Who is your favourite theologian? I love theology!
people, and an apology is a good place to start, but it’s only Probably Helmut Thielicke. He’s a contemporary German
as good as changed behaviour.
theologian, and his work is best summed up in one quote -
‘The task of the church is constantly to forward the gospel to
What do you think the next big issue to face the church a new address, because the recipient keeps on moving’. His
is going to be? I think the next big issue for us to get our whole body of work is about how we present the timeless
heads around is euthanasia. It’s a big issue because of truth about God in fresh ways in new cultural settings. He
the advances in medical science that keep people alive points out that Jesus didn’t just tell Old Testament stories,
longer, and this stacks up a huge number of moral issues he told new ones and he asked new questions, but his
for us. Obviously every human life is sacred, but we need message was the same truth.
To read our full interview with Steve Chalke, visit www.movement.org.uk/blog
RESOURCE
READING
THE BIBLE
In my Father’s house are many rooms. In
the body are many parts. In the vine are
many branches. In the books of the Bible
there are many genres - the poetry of the
Psalms, the narrative of the Gospels, the
exhortation and encouragement in the
letters, the visions of the dreamers. Each
is an important, separate, strand in its
own right, while also playing its part in the
whole. So how did the Bible come to us?
Adapted from a resource written by
Barbara and David Calvert.
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Reading the Bible
Origins
The books that make up the Old Testament
were originally written in Hebrew, and
are part of the history, laws, poetry and
prophecies of the Jewish people. At first,
much of this material was the spoken word,
layer upon layer of material passed on by
word of mouth and interpreted afresh by
each generation. Scholars are not sure
when the books were first written down,
but the period of writing covered several
centuries. By the first century AD, Jewish
religious leaders had laid down that certain
books were ‘holy’ – directly inspired by God
– and it is these books which now make up
the Old Testament. No original manuscripts
of the Old Testament have been found –
we have only copies of copies of copies.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947,
are the earliest Hebrew Bible manuscripts
known.
The first New Testament books to be written
were Paul’s letters. They were kept by the
churches that received them, but other
churches soon wanted copies. Before
the end of the first century AD they were
collected together, copied and circulated,
along with some other New Testament
letters, and Acts and Revelation.
Of the Gospels, Mark’s is usually thought
to be the first to be written, followed by
Matthew’s and Luke’s. Some scholars say
John’s Gospel was the last to be written in
about 100 AD, but many now believe that
the earliest edition of John’s gospel was
written very early on and maybe even as
early as Mark’s.
Each of the four Gospels is, in a different
way, an answer to the question that Jesus
poses to Peter: ‘Who do you say that I
am?’ Matthew offers us a picture of Jesus
as a messianic teacher, asking for faithful
obedience of his followers. Mark offers us
an edgy, secretive Messiah, who reveals
his identity erratically to a confused band
of disciples. Luke portrays Jesus as a social
prophet with a humanitarian message. John
shows us a cosmic Messiah who appears
from the time before time, revealing himself
in bold signs and gestures. Therefore from
the very beginning, ‘gospel truth’ has been
made up of a rich diversity of voices, stories
and images. The New Testament invites us
to engage with it in a journey of exploration
and discovery.
‘Come, divine Interpreter,
Bring us eyes thy book to read,
Ears the mystic words to hear,
Words which did from thee proceed,
Words that endless bliss impart,
Kept in an obedient heart.’
CHARLES WESLEY
Reading the Bible
How was the Bible written?
These early New Testament writings were
on papyrus. The Egyptians were first to
use stems of papyrus reeds as a writing
surface, and they would press out the fibres
of the stems lengthways, lay another layer
crosswise on top, and stick them together
with glue and water. Our word paper comes
from papyrus, and the word Bible comes
from the Greek word biblos, a book, which
in turn comes from the name of a port called
Byblus, from which papyrus was exported.
However, papyrus was difficult to produce,
not easy to write on, and not very durable.
Parchment, or vellum, was found to be more
satisfactory and the skins of sheep, goats,
calves or antelopes were scraped and
stretched to make it. Papyrus and parchment
were stored in rolls (as the Dead Sea Scrolls)
or in book form, called codices. Most of the
main early New Testament manuscripts are
in codex form.
Who could read the Bible?
By the Middle Ages the Church was very
powerful. From the early days the language
of the Church had been Latin, and to
maintain the power of the Church it was an
offence punishable by death to translate the
Bible into English or to have church services
in English.
Not until the 14th century did England have
a complete Bible in its own language. At that
time John Wycliffe and his followers, often
called Lollards, voiced many criticisms of
the Church. One of their chief complaints
was that the people could not understand
the priests’ mumbled Latin, and worse, that
the priests themselves could not understand
it. Under Wycliffe’s leadership, some of the
Lollards translated the complete Bible from
Latin into English, writing out each copy by
hand.
The Church still banned English Scriptures
in the 16th century when William Tyndale
translated his New Testament which
was printed in Germany. The books were
smuggled into England by sympathetic
merchants in bales of wool and wine casks
with false bottoms. A complete copy of the
first edition is now at the British Museum,
and the only other surviving copy, which is
incomplete, is in St Paul’s Cathedral library
in London. This illustrates the Church’s
efficiency in tracking down and destroying
Tyndale’s Testaments.
What are we reading today?
The King James Version, also known as the
Authorised Version which was published in
1611, was for 300 years the most widely
read book in the English language. Even
today the Authorised Version is what many
English-speaking people think of as ‘The
Bible’. But there is no such thing as ‘The’
Bible.
Many ancient texts have been discovered
since 1611, so the modern translations that
we use today, such as the Good News Bible
and the New Revised Standard Version, are
more accurate than the Authorised Version.
The modern translations of the Bible in
contemporary English come alive and really
feel like a word for today rather than a
word for yesterday. There are also many
paraphrased editions of the Bible available
today such as Gospels in Scouse and The
Message.
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19

Reading the Bible
How do we interpret the Bible?
The Bible becomes the word of God when
it interacts with human life. To understand
what the word of God is saying to us
today we need the interpretative tools
of experience, reason, tradition and
our knowledge and understanding of
contemporary world affairs, culture and
society.
The Bible is not a simple, uniform collection of
books. Its study can easily cause confusion
or disagreement. We cannot ask ‘What does
the Bible say about this or that? - expecting
definitive answers. The Bible doesn’t say
anything, but gives us snapshots of God
and God’s people so that we can work out
answers for ourselves. There are three basic
rules for bible study that can help greatly:
1. Respect the form.
A passage could be a poem, a prayer, an
account of an event, a parable, a drama,
a testimony… Each brings a perspective
from which the text can be read.
2. Scripture needs more scripture.
That is, the whole teaching on one major
issue is rarely captured completely in one
passage, and it needs others to give a
more rounded view. Many insights are
better than one.
3. Jesus is Lord over scripture.
If any teaching does not ring true to the
mind of Christ as we can discern it from
the New Testament, then it must give
way to Christ. Jesus is God’s living Word,
the revealing of God’s nature and will.
If you’d like to explore bible study
further, there are lots of resources
available on the SCM website
including electronic copies of our
‘Reading the Bible’ resource. Visit
www.movement.org.uk/resources
to find out more.
WE ASKED SCM MEMBERS TO SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE
VERSE, PASSAGE OR STORY FROM THE BIBLE:
My Favourite
scripture...
Revelation 21:1-7 is the
passage I always turn to
when I need to lift my
spirits and is quite tear
stained in my Bible.
DAN CRUICKSHANK
John 14:1-7 was a
real comfort when my
grandad died.
ABI NICHOLLS
Psalm 139. All of it. One
choir I used to be in sang a
setting of it and it became
something very special for
all of us at the time. I also
adore Gethsemane...there’s
something about the fact
that God incarnate is in
such a vulnerable position
mentally and emotionally
that I find incredibly
moving.
TAYLOR DRIGGERS
Isaiah 40:11 has long left
a strong impression on me.
I also like the story of Ruth
and Naomi, and the story
of when Samuel first hears
God speaking to him but
doesn’t realise it.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE
Matthew 14: 22-33 where
Jesus walks on water.
KENNETH
WILKINSON-ROBERTS
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It’s a cliché, but
1 Corinthians 13.
STEPHEN WIGMORE
1 John 4:16 has always
been a favourite. Such
a simple and powerful
summary of everything I
believe about God, I always
come back to it when I’m
unsure of my faith.
EMMA TEMPLE
Mine is James 2:14:17.
NICK GORE
Can I just have all of
Matthew 5?
Is that allowed?
ADAM SPIERS
I’ve always thought that
Job was beautiful. The bits
where god is like ‘I’ve looked
after and loved all these bits
of nature for years so why
wouldn’t you think I would
do the same for you’.
ROSINA PAIGE
Psalm 147:3-5 is a great
comfort. And Philippians
2:12-18 is a great
challenge. And I like that
both involve the imagery
of stars.
LYKARA RYDER
OK everyone has serious
choices and I feel awkward
now, but I was just going to
be like, 1 Samuel 16:12 in
the ESV where it says ‘Now
[David] was ruddy and
had beautiful eyes and was
handsome’. If I have to be
serious, Isaiah 56 and
Acts 8:26-40.
JADE CONSTABLE
I have several for
different reasons -
Galatians 4:11-12,
John 1:1-18 and a general
liking of Philippians.
GEMMA KING
I can’t decide! I love the
story of the prodigal son,
the idea that God comes out
to meet us whatever we’ve
done is a very powerful one.
As a teenager, my favourite
was Isaiah 40: 28-31
and those are words I’m
returning to now.
DEBBIE WHITE
I love love love the story
of the prodigal son, I think
it has such a powerful
message behind it. But then
I also love the story where
Mary Magdalene finds the
tomb open. The fact that
it’s a woman not a man
is another really powerful
message to me!
SARAH DERBYSHIRE
The prophets sure had a way
with words. My favourite
is Amos 5:21-24: ‘But let
justice flow like a river and
righteousness like a neverending
stream’.
THE BIBLE IS
MORE THAN
JOHN 3:16
A CHRISTIAN
AND AN ATHEIST
READ THE BIBLE
STEPHEN WIGMORE
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23

NAOMI
CAITLIN
Often, when I tell other non-religious
people that I’m reading the Bible with
my girlfriend, I get a blank look and a
‘why?’ Fair question, especially coming
from people who’ve known me for a
while.
Until I went to university, I was the kind
of atheist who had never given much
thought to religion, except to assume
that a) it was all a bit pointless and b)
nobody my age was actually, properly
religious - were they? And then I
moved into halls of residence and met
my neighbour, a Christian. We got on.
We became friends. Through her, I met
other Christians, and became friends
with them too. Then, just over three
years ago, I started going out with one
of them. And she’s not just a Christian,
she’s a theology student! Sometimes I
go with her to church, or to Bible study.
And although I can often be heard
loudly asking how this became my life
as I listen to yet another debate on the
finer points of Anglican theology, here I
am. Reading the Bible.
That’s a lot to tell someone in one go
though, so I say I’m doing it because
it’s interesting. Which it is. What I don’t
explain (because it’s personal and a bit
mushy) is that I want to actively try to
understand more about Christianity,
about the Bible’s place in it, and about
faith in general, not just to satisfy my
own curiosity but because it is a part
of who my girlfriend is. Before we got
together, I would never have guessed
how significant her faith and my lack of
it would be in our relationship. Reading
the Bible and talking through each
chapter has sparked some interesting
and revealing conversations about
where our beliefs intersect and diverge.
Inevitably, our longest and most
interesting conversations have been
about the Gospels. When Caitlin
converted, she accepted Jesus Christ
as her Lord and Saviour. For me, He’s
more of a vague acquaintance. It is
when we read the Gospels that I am
most aware that the Bible is not only
a cultural artefact but a holy text. I’m
sure that most of the people reading
this will consider that an eye-rollingly
obvious thing to say, but I haven’t
always known it and I think that’s true
of a lot of people who grew up without
a religion. It is sobering to remember
that what I see as an intellectual
exercise, Caitlin sees as central to her
faith.
Every story and every person in the
Bible has been different to what I was
expecting, and this is true of Jesus
as well. I genuinely thought that the
Bible was going to be full of boringly
good people being boringly virtuous
- how did that rumour get started?!
The Jesus I am confronted with in the
Gospels is neither the gentle hippy
that many other atheists talk about
(‘he was just a great moral teacher!’),
nor the terrifying judge that people
wearing sandwich boards in the city
centre shout about. What I am mainly
struck by is that what Jesus is asking
you to do is really hard. It is nice, as
an atheist, to be free to disregard the
difficult, boring or unpleasant parts of
the Bible, to not have to wrestle with
Jesus’ commandment to give up all
material possessions, or to cut off my
right hand if it causes me to sin. Still,
this experience has made me examine
my own beliefs and behaviour. Like
Harry Potter, I have to choose between
what is right, and what is easy.
I could talk a lot more about what
I’ve got from this experience - how
disappointed I was when I found out
that Exodus isn’t quite the same as
Dreamworks’ The Prince of Egypt,
how much I’ve enjoyed telling various
long-suffering friends and relatives
what went down between Jacob and
Esau, how I instantly became obsessed
with John the Baptist - but ultimately
what it has been is a challenge. I have
questioned my own thoughts and
reactions every bit as much as I’ve
questioned Caitlin’s, and I certainly still
have more questions than answers.
And I’m still not a Christian. But I think
it’s been good for me, and I want to
keep going.
NAOMI BERRY
With glee, I suggested to Naomi that
we take part in my Church’s ‘Bible in
a year’ challenge. I didn’t think that
this would stop the barrage of daily
questions about Christianity, but I did
think that it would give her context
for my own explanations of theology,
orthodoxy, and the quirks of the
Church.
Naomi is intelligent, and I knew she
would love the strangeness of biblical
texts, especially the Hebrew Bible. The
trickster Jacob and the fool Esau, the
drama of Exodus, and the polemic of
David’s psalms delighted her, and it
has been even more delightful for me
to read these with her. Bible study has
been fun with texts from the Hebrew
Bible. Reading Ruth together was
wonderful because we were able to
discuss the various interpretations
of the relationship between Ruth and
Naomi, arguing over which made the
most sense and conceding that more
than one reading can be applied.
Reading the New Testament has been
less fun for me. Because it is more
central to my faith, the challenges that
came from Naomi felt more personal
to me. I didn’t mind laughing over the
stupidity of Abraham trying to pass
his wife off as his sister, but I did mind
criticism of Jesus. I was constantly
gauging her reaction to Him and giving
my own explanation of the text, figuring
out where I stood in relation to it and
trying to convince her to agree with me.
It reminded me very much of reading
these texts myself for the first time; I
converted from atheism at 19, went
to university to read English and came
out with a Theology degree specialising
in biblical studies. Because of my
experience of studying the Bible with
other Christians and other students, I
thought I would be able to approach
this objectively. I was prepared - I had
my theology textbooks, my knowledge
of biblical exegesis, and some of the
apologist arguments I was fond of
when I first converted.
But objectivity has not happened.
Something about reading the Gospels
with someone who I love and respect,
and in our home, meant that I was
much closer to reading it devotionally,
but I was still being confronted with
criticisms I would expect to be fielded
in a university or evangelistic setting. I
had read the Gospels critically before, I
had read them with Christians before,
but never before had I read it in a
personal way with someone who wasn’t
a scholar and wasn’t a Christian, but
who early on grasped the elementals
of exegesis. I’ve suddenly become
equally yoked with someone in terms of
biblical interpretation, except that their
views often differ greatly from my own.
This hit me harder than I expected,
especially when Naomi didn’t like
something that Jesus said or disliked
one of my favourite verses. However,
giving concise reasons for why I
found something beautiful or morally
challenging helped me to understand
my own relationship to the Gospels.
I feel like layers of interpretation and
certainty have been pulled away and I
am left looking at the Bible in its raw
and powerful complexity. And this
will happen again and again as I keep
rereading it. And I will encourage
others to read the Bible for themselves,
and not as a means of conversion. The
Bible is more than John 3:16, and more
than an ancient text. It is a holy text,
but it is also a cultural artefact. There
is so much interpretation, so much
which needs to be contextualised,
dissected, explained and contested.
We have as much right to embrace this
odd collection of books as previous
generations have - creating meaning,
and insight, and most importantly
destabilising the truths, reactions and
certainties we had previously taken
from them. We should remember
this, the weirdness of these texts,
their plurality and mystery and the
fascination that they hold not just for
Christians, but for everyone. Reading
the Bible is an end in itself, not merely
a means to substitutionary salvation.
CAITLIN WAKEFIELD
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25

READING THE BIBLE
A MUSLIM
PERSPECTIVE
There are various ways of approaching and understanding the Bible
from an Islamic perspective. What does the Qur’an itself say about
the Bible? What does the Qur’an say specifically about Christianity
or Christian communities? What are the socio-legal aspects of
Muslims living with people of different faiths?
It is important to note first of all that there is no Qur’anic equivalent of the term `Bible’, though
the Qur’an refers to this scripture in a number of ways. The most common are Torah (tawrat),
Gospel (Injil) and Psalms (zabur). These scriptures are cited in the context of God having sent
previous revealed scriptures and messengers to people for guidance. Muslim creed demands
that the believer accept these previous revelations as divine truths, although in the Qur’anic
context, the tension is around the validity of these texts as they now stand within their respective
communities. Reference is often made to the corruption or distortion of the original books.
In its regard of Christianity, there are diverse views in the Qur’an. On the one
hand, the Christians, like the Jews and other believers, will be saved on the
Day of Judgement. But there are serious differences between the Qur’anic
message and its statements about the ways in which these two faiths have
developed. The major doctrinal point of departure lies in the Qur’anic plea to
the Christians regarding Jesus and God’s unity. The Qur’an (4:171) urges the
Christians to speak about God with truth and not to exaggerate in their claims
for Jesus’ divinity. In the Qur’an and thus for Muslims, Jesus is only a human
messenger of God, even though he was born when God cast His own spirit
into Mary. Jesus is therefore `Isa, son of Maryam’ (Mary) and not `Isa, son of
God’. In Islam, God’s unity cannot be compromised in any way. Throughout
history, Islam and Christianity have met on so many levels, but always parted
in their different understandings of the relationship between God and Jesus.
Despite a certain ambivalence towards Christianity in the Qur’an, it would
be fair to say that Muslims generally view Christians as belonging to the
monotheistic tradition of religious faith. This is partly because of Christianity’s
own theological claim that the Christian believes in one God and that the Trinity
does not refer to three separate gods. Furthermore, there developed a special
socio-legal relationship with Christians and Jews on many levels. Muslim men
may marry Christian women, the meat of Christians is permissible to Muslims
and the Christians were given the status of dhimmi or protected minorities
under Muslim expansion and during Muslim rule.
But in much of popular
dialogue, the focus is neither
on scripture nor prophecy,
but rather on the areas of
justice, respect and mutual
acceptance which both
faiths recognise as a social
and theological imperative
for meaningful co-existence.
In Islam, God’s unity
cannot be compromised
in any way. Throughout
history, Islam and
Christianity have met on
so many levels, but always
parted in their different
understandings of the
relationship between God
and Jesus.
Today, our increasing emphasis on inter-religious dialogue and inter-
textual readings of each other’s faith has allowed believers and scholars
to rethink areas of both controversy and mutual understanding. For
some Muslims, the later event of the Qur’an as revelation and Islam as
a religion has meant that they do not need to explore the truth claims
of prior faiths – they must simply accept Christianity in its predominant
form, because the Qur’an states it. For others, the tension lies in
whether and how the Christian can accept the prophecy of Muhammad
as a legitimate event in history. But in much of popular dialogue, the
focus is neither on scripture nor prophecy, but rather on the areas of
justice, respect and mutual acceptance which both faiths recognise as a
social and theological imperative for meaningful co-existence.
Mona Siddiqui is Professor of Islamic and Inter-religious Studies and
Assistant Principal Religion and Society at the University of Edinburgh.
This article was originally published in SCM’s Reading the Bible
resource.
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27

THE LONG READ
POLITICS
AND THEOLOGY
A MATCH MADE
IN HEAVEN?
Do politics and theology even go together? That is the response I usually get
when I use the phrase ‘political theology’. People gasp at the suggestion that
it is possible for good to come from such a union, and it is understandable.
History does not paint an encouraging picture. Christian theology has been used to justify all manner
of political evils including colonisation and the massacres that accompanied them, the transatlantic
slave trade, and the oppression of people of other faiths. At times when the Church has enjoyed
political influence within the government, it has often failed to speak out against injustice, instead
being seduced by the trappings of wealth and power.
However, is this the whole story? Is it possible for Christian ideas to have a positive impact in the
social and political arena? As a Christian, can your faith contribute to the good of the people and
world around you?
What do we mean by ‘theology’?
For some, the word ‘theology’ causes knee-jerk reactions including eye-rolling, reaching for the
phone or slouching across a sofa for a nap. People can become disengaged as they prepare to be
bombarded by long words they don’t understand and long names that are even more difficult to
pronounce. Talk of ‘theology’ can come across as confusing at best, and condescending at worst.
The majority of people worshipping in churches will not have the chance to engage in the formal
study theology at any particular level. This word then creates a barrier between academics and
clergy, and those who may say ‘I am just a normal Christian’.
However, rather than defining theology as an academic pursuit reserved for the brightest among us, we
should really think of it as a process of learning that every single person engages with. A person who
does not believe in God is still impacted by theology because so many people in the world do believe
28 MOVEMENT Issue 154 29

and live their lives in the light of this faith. If theology is simply
an understanding of God, then it is clearly open to more
than just clergy or academics. Every person who believes
in God believes particular things about Him, even if these
things are limited or cannot be expressed coherently. Every
Christian relates to God on the basis of a certain theology or
understanding. Your theology might involve seeing God as a
loving father, or as a harsh judge; this will impact the way you
express your faith and relate to God and others. All theology
is practical; it all impacts the way we think, live and behave.
So what is ‘political theology’?
If we accept that all theology is practical, then political
theology specifically regards the practical impact of Christian
ideas on the social and political world. This does not mean
choosing the bits of scripture that we think of as being
explicitly political and forcing them into a jigsaw to create
one picture, as a systematic approach might do. It is about
understanding that every idea has political implications. For
example, the incarnation is not just an idea to be understood
and talked about; it impacts our sense of identity as believers
to whom Christ has drawn near. This in turn can transform
the way we see our role in the world; we are called to draw
near and reach out to those who are different from us. This
will radically change the way we relate to those who do not
share the Christian faith and to the world beyond the church
along with its systems and structures.
So what do I mean when I say ‘political’? Far from having
a narrow understanding of politics, it can be more helpful
to have a broader definition that goes beyond the formal
How can political theology
change the world?
Religion is often in the news for all the wrong reasons. From
child abuse scandals in the Catholic Church, to terrorists
claiming the Muslim faith, religious groups are increasingly
seen as dangerous. On the one hand, the reaction of wider
society is to push religion back into the private. Many
humanists would take this view as well as many others who
do not recognise religion as a positive influence on society.
On the other hand, there is a desire to publicly scrutinise
religion, to pull it into the light as it were, in order to see
what is really going on. So how might the church handle this
complex relationship with the public square?
By engaging with political theology, Christian leaders have
the opportunity to wrestle ‘with the Bible in one hand and
the newspapers in the other’ 1 . This is an essential aspect of
contemporary ministry where congregants as well as nonbelievers
are relentlessly bombarded with information from
around the globe. Such a process of deep reflection has
the potential to transform leaders as they begin to grapple
with their own story, values and opinions, the realities of
the world, and biblical truth. It is an inevitable challenge if
the Church is going to develop a coherent voice that can
engage confidently and humbly with the conversations in the
public square. The task of political theology is both internal
and external; to generate reflection within the church which
will reform its structure, values and activities in order that it
may effectively serve God in the wider world as a redemptive
force for the sake of the common good.
In our generation,
we can be
overwhelmed by
huge questions
and the realities
of injustice. I
find solace in
remembering that
in the relatively
short time I have
on earth there is
something I can
do, but this is not
everything.
the direct links between religion and politics
by working for the All-Party Parliamentary
Groups on freedom of religion or belief 3 .
Through my work in Brixton I developed the
ability to build power with people rather than
over them. I learned to listen to peoples
stories and to tell my own, and develop
Christian leaders by teaching them to act in
public life.
These are a few things I have learned so far
in exploring political theology in practice:
1. The means are as important as the end
So many people talk about vision; for their
life, for their church; for their community.
We are caught up in a daydream, imagining
all the new things that are possible in life.
We are pushed to dream bigger, to have a
broader vision and to do all we can to make
it happen. We pray ‘your kingdom come’ and
we use all our energy to pull it down pronto!
However, in the process, it is so easy to
forget that how we get there is as important
as getting there (wherever ‘there’ is). If we
use manipulative and underhanded tactics
to get to where we think we need to go, will
that count as success in the end? God does
not simply give us a vision to get to, he is
clear that our character should reflect him
in the process.
fulfil our own self-interest? It is possible that
in our pursuit of good things we neglect the
people God made, and has called ‘good’?
This is especially common in areas of work
which are all for good causes. The core of
my work as a community organiser is oneto-one
meetings with leaders to ensure that
people are loved not used. Do we spend
time getting to know the people around us?
How much do we really value people in our
actions and encourage them to flourish?
3. God really is in control, but you need to
do your bit
Finally, on the road to seeing the world
changed, there will always be moments of
challenge which will threaten your resolve
and your focus. In our generation, we can
be overwhelmed by huge questions and
the realities of injustice. I find solace in
remembering that in the relatively short
time I have on earth there is something I
can do, but this is not everything. I cannot
fix the global economy, end poverty and
eradicate injustice, and for whatever reason
God does not do these things either in the
way we think he should. An understanding
of the sovereignty of God which includes a
human call to responsible action is definitely
required to enable balanced and hopeful
engagement.
government structures of Westminster, ministers, MPs and
local councillors. If we only think of politics in these terms,
often called ‘representative politics’ then only a few people
will ever get to truly shape the world we live in. However,
if we go back to an earlier understanding of politics as
governing the city or ‘polis’ as Aristotle called it, then there is
much more room for involvement. Politics in its truest sense
is about making decisions and governing the common life;
the life we share with those around us. Political theology is
about bringing Christian theology to bear on these decisions
and the processes and structures behind them.
If we want to change the world, we must begin by considering
how the world needs to be changed and then what role we
might play in bringing about that new reality.
When I first began exploring these questions I had the
opportunity to both reflect in the classroom and in practice
through broad-based community organising with Citizens
UK 2 I was accepted onto the Buxton Leadership programme
at the Centre for Theology and Community which enabled
me to work in the House of Lords and also as a community
organiser in Brixton. In both contexts I was able to explore
how Christian values could contribute to public life. I saw
2. People must come before programme
God loves people, but often we fail at this.
Maybe we think that although God says that,
what he really loves is success and progress.
Sometimes we are tempted to stand on the
heads of other people if it means we can build
a global ministry or launch a social justice
project. This is symptomatic of a failure to
take God’s love seriously. Do we love people
practically by making decisions that are for
their own good as opposed to using them to
Selina Stone works for the Centre of
Theology and Community, and directs the
William Seymour Programme engaging
Pentecostal churches in community
organising, harnessing potential for the
development of leaders and congregations.
To find out more about Selina’s work and
the centre’s internship programme visit
www.theology-centre.org
1
Karl Barth 2 www.citizensuk.org
3
www.freedom-declared.org
30 MOVEMENT Issue 154 MOVEMENT Issue 154
31

BREXIT
THE CROSS
Since the EU referendum there has
been a rise in racially motivated hate
crimes in the UK. How can we as
followers of Christ respond and show
God’s love in the world?
I remember waking up the morning
after the result and realising that
something enormous had just taken
place. I’d stayed awake as long as
I could the night before – hoping
that somehow my attentiveness
to democracy might mean a good
outcome. I was wrong. There was a
palpable heaviness in the air, and I
could see it in the faces of the people in
the pub I’d chosen to have my morning
coffee in – people were unusually
quiet. There’s something in me that
suspects that that atmosphere was
not so different to the atmosphere on
that first Holy Saturday – the day after
Jesus’ crucifixion. The unbelievable
had occurred, many people’s worst
dreams were realised – the Son of
God had died, brutally, and now was
the time to wait, to despair, to feel, in
silence and contemplation – until the
great mystery of God unfolded. Now,
I wouldn’t want to suggest that the
triumph of the Vote Leave campaign is
basically comparable to the crucifixion
of Our Lord, but I do want to share
some reflections.
As I write this there has been a terrorist
attack in Nice, an attempted military
coup in Turkey, a number of police
officers killed in the United States in
Dallas and in Baton Rouge, the United
Kingdom has voted to renew Trident,
and in the midst of all of this is the
rising threat of Donald Trump and an
increasing number of racial incidents
in the UK following the referendum. It
is not a perfect world – and the world
in which Jesus rose up from the dead
in was not a perfect world either. This
paradox – the stark reality of the cross
and the evil of the world - was made
clear for me the Sunday morning after
the referendum. My church in Cardiff
had been vandalised – someone had
covered the doors of the Church in red
paint, and thrown red paint all over the
entrance and floor. No specific shape,
no writing – just a bright red mess.
Like the disciples, in that empty space
following the crucifixion and even
after the ascension, I had to find some
way of making the crucified, risen and
ascended Christ particularly present
for the gathered people of God that
morning after a week that had been
so harsh, and which felt personal
because of this act of vandalism. In a
week of so much bad news I had to
preach the Good News of the Gospel,
and it was hard to find!
Now, as a black Methodist Minister
living and serving in Cardiff – vandalism
was nothing new, nor was hate crime.
I had experienced it at my home, and
continue to from time to time. But
this time it wasn’t an attack on me,
nor was it an attack on an ‘other’
part of the community – it was an
attack on us, the body of Christ in this
place. Like the disciples enduring the
vulnerability of losing their Shepherd,
I could see my own flock looking to
me for solace, and I was looking to
the Lord for wisdom, courage, and
patience. What I really wanted to do
was yell, break something, help my
flock to realise that this is what many
of us ‘immigrants’ and descendants of
‘immigrants’ have endured as a reality
long before Brexit was ever a thing,
and if this is how it feels to come to
Church and find this, what would it
feel like if this had been your front
door? If you could put a face or voice
to the crime?
Like the disciples
enduring the
vulnerability of losing
their Shepherd, I could
see my own flock looking
to me for solace, and I
was looking to the Lord
for wisdom, courage, and
patience.
BLACKNESS AND
32 MOVEMENT Issue 154
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33

As Christians, it can be easy for us
to forget that many people for many
reasons live most of their lives at the
foot of the cross, or under the weight
of their own cross. Not because they
want to, but because that is where
their place in the world puts them.
A theology of suffering is not simply
textbook material for those of us whose
life is too often a life of endurance
rather than enjoyment because of the
skin we wear, the sexuality we have
on our earthly possessions and human
successes, but on how well we have
loved.’
In this post-referendum Britain, we
have to remember that there is no
referendum on the values of the
Gospel, nor shall there ever be. Now,
more than ever, is the time for the
Church be the Church, to find her
voice and her confidence, and for
each and every baptised Christian to
WHAT I LEARNED IN
MY FIRST SEMESTER...
As an undergraduate
student
been given, or the social class into
take to heart the words of Jesus who
In this post-referendum
Britain, we have to
remember that there is no
referendum on the values
of the Gospel, nor shall
there ever be.
which we are born. Yet, the power of
the cross is one which stands to set
all people free, and has something
radical and new to say to every time
and place and situation.
It could be one of the deep sins of
White Christianity that it seeks too
often to avoid suffering, and therefore
disembodies black experience in
many parts of the world, but also
the experience of the immigrant, of
the differently abled, of the LGBT
community, and of the poor – all those
that the world, and sadly even the
Church, might treat as less than fully
human. For far too long it has been
acceptable for good Christian people
to keep their faith private, and their
convictions concealed, meanwhile the
EDL, Britain First, the KKK and other
far-right groups take up the cross
with more courage and passion than
some of us who truly profess Christ
crucified. But when people are facing
prejudice and hatred which is always
enhanced and enabled by our silence
– then for Christ’s sake, we have to do
something. St John of the Cross puts
it beautifully when he says: ‘In the
twilight of life, God will not judge us
said that he came:
‘to proclaim good news to the poor…
freedom for the prisoners and
recovery of sight for the blind, to set
the oppressed free and to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favour.’
This is what the Kingdom looks like
to Jesus, and it will take each of
us to play our part – to take up our
cross, and to follow him – always
remembering, even in the midst of
our very complicated and dark world,
that evil may have its hour, but God
shall have his day. Until then, we do
the Kingdom things. We praise God,
we trust God, we love each other
recklessly, and we press on to Glory.
In the hope, strength and grace of the
One whom death could not hold!
Revd Jarel Robinson-Brown is a
Methodist minister in Cardiff and
blogs at changedfromgloryintoglory.
wordpress.com
MARK BIRKETT The most valuable
lesson I learned was about the importance
of independent learning. During my first
year at university I have been asked
to engage with various set texts and
complete numerous essays, yet it is the
independent learning I have undertaken
that, for me at least, represents the
biggest step forward in my development.
For the first time in my life I have picked
up an academic book free from feelings
of obligation, and instead with a genuine
curiosity and interest. Part of my course
is philosophy, a subject that often gets
accused of being pointless - tackling
abstract concepts with little practical
appeal. I would certainly not attempt to
disagree with this analysis; philosophy
has too often been hijacked by an
academic elite that tackle philosophical
issues that are detached from the stress
and anxiety of day to day existence.
To be honest, I don’t much care if the
table in front of me is real or not, I’m far
more preoccupied with whether or not
these neurotic thoughts I’m having qualify
me to be institutionalised. In fact, forget
about whether or not I exist, because
clearly I do - I’m more interested in how
I should navigate my existence without
going insane. I have come to appreciate
the brilliance of a practical philosophy
that frees itself from the chains of
dusty books and deep meaningful looks
into the distance. A philosophy that
doesn’t require you to talk utter trash,
though you tend to anyway, but instead
encourages you to engage with people
and contemporary issues.
I have become particularly fond of
the wisdom bestowed by the stoic
philosophers who never cease to remind
me that life can be lived differently. It
seems strange to me that ancient Greek
philosophy can be applied to modern day
living, but perhaps I’m naïve to think that.
I can’t help but imagine Seneca would
not have been quietly practicing his
philosophy in his room while next door a
group of plastered students sang painfully
loudly along to Robbie Williams’ Angels.
‘So when I’m lying in my bed, thoughts
running through my head…’ has never
been so poignant a lyric! On reflection,
I have mostly ignored the syllabus at
university, but this has probably been one
of the better decisions of my life. If the
worst comes to worst, I have a promising
career as a Robbie Williams tribute act!
In fact, forget about
whether or not I exist,
because clearly I do - I’m
more interested in how
I should navigate my
existence without going
insane.
34 MOVEMENT Issue 154
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35

training for ministry
ALEX YOUNG The motto of the college where I am
training for ministry is nec taken consumebatur, which
refers to the burning bush of Exodus, burned but not
consumed. How appropriate, given that my first year has
been such a baptism of fire! Like Moses, my calling was
answered with the question ‘Really, God?’ And I have
been aware from the moment of my reluctant acceptance
through to the terror of the exam hall just how much
equipping I need!
I have a music degree, so this isn’t my first go at studying,
but training for ministry and studying in Cambridge has
taught me a lot already. On the Cambridge side of things,
I have learnt how to read really fast, what it feels like to
have to google many of the words your lecturer is using,
how nerve wracking it is to casually discuss your ideas
with three of your peers and an eminent theologian in a
living-room-like study, and that the formality that seems
to control this place only actually exists on the surface.
Cambridge is pretty friendly really! On the ministry side
of things, I have learnt the ups and downs of living in a
small Christian community, the importance of hospitality,
the tricky but liminal times where personal life and calling
intertwine, the curse of ‘seminary sickness’ (always talking
about theology) and the openness to explore and question
all that God is and can be. More importantly, I’ve learnt to
never trust the diary of a church secretary!
The real learning and transformation, though, has been in
my understanding of myself. I have grown in confidence
and bravery, realising that it is not what I am, but who I
am that defines me. I have cultivated strong boundaries,
but am gradually learning an openness with my time and
questions. Most excitingly, though, I have learnt that there
are people out there who are ‘my tribe’, just as crazy as
me, unique, wonderful and full of the joys of the fat pigeon
(a new name we have coined for the Holy Spirit). One of
these is my amazing fiancée, who I have been blessed to
meet this year, and am marrying this summer.
The real learning
and transformation,
though, has been in
my understanding of
myself. I have grown in
confidence and bravery,
realising that it is not
what I am, but who I am
that defines me.
AS AN international
postgradUATE STUDENT
JULIANE BORCHERT Last year I moved a thousand kilometres to work
on my dream research project. I arrived in Oxford knowing I would have to
find new friends, navigate an unfamiliar university system and adjust to my
new life as a PhD student. I also knew that adapting to a different culture and
language would be stressful, but I thought I would be immune to the culture
shock. I had been to England several times before. I had lived in the US for an
exchange year and speak English very well. I had done this before, and thought
everything would go smoothly. But apparently this is not how it works!
I had to accept that navigating subtly different social rules and conventions is
hard, and that no matter how good my English is, using it every day is tiring. I
found myself irritated by small things like the unbearably fluffy consistency of
British bread or the fact that rye flour is not available in most supermarkets. I
had to realise that I was overwhelmed, and my tendency towards perfectionism
was making me nervous and anxious. After a friendly chat with the brilliant
college chaplain, a self-help book on overcoming perfectionism from the
library and a conversation with the college welfare officer, things were put
back into perspective for me. I learned to accept the help that was offered and
started to change some unhelpful patterns.
Just as I was starting to feel more at ease and began to not only settle into my
new country of residence physically but also emotionally, the aftermath of the
Brexit vote left me wondering if I still felt safe speaking my first language in the
street. Once my initial emotions had calmed, I was reminded how privileged I
actually am. As a well-educated, white, able-bodied, cis woman from Western
Europe I can easily fulfil any stereotypical expectation of what a Brit should
look like and can pass as one (as long as I do not say my name). The likelihood
of me becoming the victim of a racist or xenophobic attack is minute. But
the fact that for a second, even I worried about this, showed me how hostile
the atmosphere had become. Currently, I am trying to learn to see this as
a challenge and a call to learn how to build a better, more tolerant and just
I had to accept that
navigating subtly
different social rules and
conventions is hard, and
that no matter how good
my English is, using it
every day is tiring.
society.
So what have I learnt? Not enough - yet. But I am gradually
learning to live.
36 MOVEMENT Issue 154 MOVEMENT Issue 154
37

A SPOTLIGHT ON
THE BOOK OF ESTHER
The book of Esther deserves more attention than it often receives: for many
Christians it is suspect. However, included in our canon, it stands with every
other biblical book as ‘the word of God’.
Origins and historical context
Although the book can be dated anywhere between
465 BCE (the death of ‘Ahasuerus’) and 70CE, recent
scholarship has narrowed its composition down to
the late 5th or early 4th century, which is not long
after the events it purports to describe.
Its setting is the Persian Empire, after Cyrus (whom
Deutero-Isaiah heralded as God’s servant - Isaiah
45. 1-7) had allowed the captive Israelites to return
home. Many, however, had become assimilated into
Persian society and prospered, so remained there in
the Diaspora. The policy of the Assyrian empire that
had defeated and deported them (before they in turn
were overrun by the Persians), was to encourage
integration between its subject peoples to cement
loyalty to the state rather than to particular lands.
This was especially problematic for Israel for whom
not only nationhood but faith was founded on God’s
promise of the land, so they developed strategies
both outward (e.g. the synagogue) and inward
(e.g. collecting their oral and written traditions) for
maintaining their identity away from ‘home’. Although
Esther contains no mention of God, nor does it reflect
Jewish faith practices, attentive reading reveals
resonances throughout with Israel’s historic faith
story. ,The story also recounts the origin of one of
the most popular Jewish festivals, Purim, the only
festival not ordained in the Pentateuch .
Is Esther fact or fiction?
The reality, as in all scripture, is nuanced: it depends
what we mean by ‘true’. If we’re asking whether
it is an historical account of something that really
happened, then almost certainly it isn’t. Xerxes 1
(Ahasuerus) was away at war when these events are
supposed to have happened, and his wife Amestris
was a member of a prominent Persian family. There
are many other historical inaccuracies. It does
broadly reflect its time and location, though, so its
setting appears authentic.
However tenuous its relation to historical events, it
is best understood as a comic tale told from a faith
perspective, a literary work of great skill, unique in
the Bible. Beneath its ‘burlesque’ the story reveals
universal truths about God and all humankind.
Importantly for us its themes, seen through the
life of Christ, both connect with our own faith and
resonate with social and political structures of our
contemporary world.
Characterisation
Analysis of Esther as a literary work is fruitful.
Characterisation through direct speech and narration
is, with the exception of Esther, static: once we’ve
established that Haman (evil) and Mordecai (good)
are stereotypes, and Ahasuerus is weak and selfindulgent,
we know what to expect and can laugh in
38 MOVEMENT Issue 154 MOVEMENT Issue 154
39

anticipation of the outcome as the tale unfolds. Indeed,
characters can be paired in different combinations
throughout the story, either complementing or
opposing one another.
Hadassah (her Hebrew name indicating either ‘myrtle’
or ‘to conceal’) or Esther (her Greek name probably
meaning ‘star’) alone appears to grow. It is usually
assumed that she is meekly biddable, passively
accepting her entry into the beauty competition and
its attendant treatments: as time passes after her
coronation she matures till she is ready to accept a
leadership role in a patriarchal culture. Such a drastic
change of character maybe misses the mark, however.
It was by the king’s command that Esther was
‘rounded up’ (kidnapped?) along with innumerable
other young women. She had no choice in it. But in
response she adopts a strategic approach by which
she begins to gain the experience and wisdom she
will draw on later. She does now have a choice, either
to use her wits to win the contest or be condemned
to a life of sexual slavery (2.13-14). She sets about
playing a power game with Hegai, winning his favour
and therefore advantages. By so doing she also gains
allies among the other servants. When her turn
comes for her night with the king, she astutely asks
Hegai what gift to take; if anyone knows what would
give the king ‘pleasure’, Hegai does! Without Esther’s
success, of course, there would be no story, but her
strategic approach to her enslavement is consistently
overlooked.
Esther and Vashti are both strong characters
whose actions shape the narrative and determine
its outcome, so the story has more significance in
feminist and liberation scholarship than it has often
been credited with.
Theological reflections
How do we assess the book of Esther theologically
when God does not apparently feature? Even without
being named, the God made known in call and
covenant throughout Israel’s history is here acting,
in character, behind the scenes. God may be hiding,
or ‘veiling’ (Debra Reid’s preferred word), but God’s
providence is clear: just note all the coincidences by
which ‘good’ is victorious.
In and after the Exile, the Jews struggled theologically
to conceive of God’s presence beyond Israel and the
Temple: this story provides evidence not only that God
is everywhere the people live, but is also active there
in salvation. The book’s acceptance by Jewish leaders
as authoritative back in Jerusalem demonstrates that
the lesson was learnt and kinship between Diaspora
and Israeli Jews honoured, despite distance and
rivalries, ensuring a festival begun in Persia became a
legitimate part of the religious calendar.
Although hidden, God is revealed to be at work in the
words and actions of faithful people, and readers are
invited to discover and live by faith in the same divine
presence. In later post exilic times, prophecy (God’s
new word) was believed to belong to the past: fresh
ways of ‘hearing’ had to be learnt, as in Esther, surely
paving the way for us to hear God’s Word anew in
due time.
Further reading
Debra Reid: Esther (IVP, 2008)
Timothy K. Beal: The Book of Hiding. Gender, Ethnicity,
Annihilation and Esther (Routledge, 1997)
Kathleen M. O’Connor Humour, Turnabouts and
Survival in the Book of Esther in Athalya Brenner
ed Are We Amused? Humour about Women in the
Biblical Worlds (T&T Clark, 2003)
Want to delve deeper?
You can find bible studies for passages in Esther on the
SCM website at www.movement.org.uk/resources.
Anne Phillips is a Baptist minister, now living in
beautiful Derbyshire after spending many years
working as an educator in churches and theological
college.
REVIEWS
THE JESUS
DRIVEN LIFE
Reading the Bible can be hard,
especially as a follower of Jesus. If we
take Jesus seriously, we cannot but take
him non-violently. If we take Jesus
non-violently, we will need to challenge
the violence we find in our Bible and in
our theology. We can take the Scriptures
at face value and be told that us
Christians are nothing like our Christ,
or we can read the Bible the way Jesus
read it, and completely change the way
we live our faith.
The Masked Saint
Directed by Warren P. Sonoda
Certificate 12
Released 23 May 2016
This is the premise on which Michael
Hardin’s The Jesus Driven Life is built.
This 388 page volume is meant to be
read as a study, so it is perfect to be used
in group meetings, but it also reads like
a novel, so don’t be surprised if you’ll
want to finish it all in one setting!
In this book you will embark on a
journey and discover that you had never
read your Bible right before! From the
Old Testament to the Revelation of
John, Michael will show you how Jesus
wanted Scriptures to be read, and in
doing so he will reveal to you what the
real Jesus is like.
He will challenge you to really look
at the texts, help you rediscover why
people were so shocked by what Jesus
was saying.
SIMONE RAMACCI
THE MASKED SAINT
The Jesus Driven Life:
Reconnecting Humanity
with Jesus
Michael Hardin
Paperback
ISBN: 9781514759653
As a fan of WWE wrestling as a child, I jumped at the chance to review The Masked Saint for
Movement. The Masked Saint is a well-made film, with great shots, pace and casting. It featured
realistic scenes of wrestling and touched on the theme of including outsiders in the church, which I
really liked. However, I found it overly simplistic in its portrayal of faith, it has more cheese than a four
cheese pizza. Whilst it looks at the theme of faith and violence, it's through the lens of 'ministers should
be nice and polite', with no mention of Jesus's commitment to peace and non-violence. Perfect for a lazy
Sunday afternoon, but it really is two stars at best.
LIZZIE GAWEN
40 MOVEMENT Issue 154 MOVEMENT Issue 154
41

THE PRACTICAL
PROPHET
There are two kinds of prophets:
those who foretell the future and
those who confront their own
generation with the will of God.
Moira Chan-Yeung’s biography
of Bishop Ronald Hall, using new
material that she has gleaned
from personal and institutional
archives, reveals Bishop Hall as
a prophet who confronted and
challenged both Christians in and
the Community of Hong Kong and
Macau.
For many who know Bishop’s Hall’s
name, it will be associated with the
ordination of the first woman priest
in the Anglican Communion,
Li Tim Oi. It was an action which
was pragmatic in circumstances
where there were no male priests,
but it was also to be personally
costly.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that
being a Christian involves two
things: prayer and righteous action.
Bishop Hall’s understanding was
similar, describing it as prayer
and love-in-action. A major focus
of his episcopal ministry was
concerned with Social Welfare, and
in particular housing and education
The Practical Prophet:
Bishop Ronald O. Hall of
Hong Kong and His Legacies
Moira M. W. Chan-Yeung
Hardback
ISBN: 9789888208777
for the poorest in society. On
Bishop Hall’s retirement the Hong
Kong government recognised the
enormous contribution he had
made to the development of their
entrepreneurial society. Moira
Chan-Yeung recounts how Bishop
Hall organised provision of one
decent meal a day for the poorest
children, with the result that their
academic results improved. Much
of his vision was inspired by the
writings of the Victorian Christian
Socialist F. D. Maurice.
Perhaps his most important legacy
was to work for the embedding
of Christianity in Chinese culture,
a culture which recognised the
contribution of the elderly and the
family. His ministry bequeathed the
foundations for a truly indigenous
Church.
This is a book which ought to be
given to and read by, amongst
others, all those who have
leadership roles in Christian
communities.
THE RIGHT REVD BARRY
ROGERSON
GROOVEMENT
154 CROSSWORD CLUES
Across
1. Occasions for an insect’s madness (9)
6. Signs of extreme boredom on backwards tin road (5)
9. Low, endless feeling (3)
10. Compression point bone turns me around (7)
11. French one half-tilted before (5)
12. Partly back-slapping mate (3)
13. Accident ruined 75% of pashmina (6)
14. Business degree inserted into ear hole causes back
pain! (7)
16. Dodgy headless moment (4)
17. Chorus on roll... er, it’s not right (9)
20. see 3 down
22. Like I failed? Yeah, right! (2,2)
25. Imaginary she-monster (7)
26. It’s instrumental, mostly loving one awkwardly (6)
27. Sit back for old-fashioned affirmation (3)
29. see 24 down
30. Wicked CIA lies to take power away from clergy (7)
31. A party with trouble (3)
32, 5. Love’s limits call badly in last SCM 3 20 (5,5,5)
33. Guides heard railway-builder by entrances (9)
Down
1. Broken man is icon - one who perpetually 6? (9)
2, 15. A tree of bliss, one I’d sown at legendary 1970s SCM
3 20? (5,2,10)
3, 20. Sufi birds gathering every year? (6,10)
4. A kitsch place to stay? (4)
5. see 32 across
6. see 7 down
7, 6. A dour hymn, it will surprisingly be the next SCM 3
20 (4,3,4,4)
8. Even parts of US had love of simultaneous gunfire
(5)
15. see 2 down
18. Guilty parties finish with suggestions around... (9)
19. Plinth impedes tall section (8)
21. North American - I steal one in capital (7)
23. Lone saint takes imaginary number - might be playing
26 (7)
24, 32. Open LGBT lifestyle choice in SCM 3 20 (6,2,3)
25. Names for money (5)
28. Maybe Ukrainian in second toilet (4)
153 CROSSWORD ANSWERS
Across: 6 Reprise, 7 Maestra, 9,15 Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, 10
Orchestra, 11 Tabloid, 19 Crisps, 20 Allowed, 23 Aggregate,
24,13 Simon Rattle, 26 Ovation, 27 Ivories.
Down: 1 Spar, 2 Mikado, 3 Recording, 4 Relevant, 5 Statute
law, 6 Remote, 7 Mock, 8 Awaken, 12 Birmingham, 14
Strategic, 16 Zeppelin, 17 Octavo, 18 Adonis, 21 Lesson,
22 Earn, 25 Main.
42
MOVEMENT Issue 154
MOVEMENT Issue 154
43

scm_britain
student christian movement
Grays Court, 3 Nursery Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3JX
t: 0121 426 4918 e: scm@movement.org.uk w: www.movement.org.uk