Movement 139

MOVEMENT
PRODUCED BY
Issue 139. Autumn 2011.
NEW BEGINNINGS
New places, new people, new ideas: Movement explores
how our identities are shaped by change.
on the edge
Terry Biddington on ‘Risk
Shaped Discipleship’.
character
Ann Morisy on inequality
and holiness.

BE AN SCM REP AT YOUR UNI!
Passionate about faith and justice?
Want to build inclusive student communities on campus?
No SCM group at your uni?
Why not be the SCM rep at your uni? How much you do is up to you – everything from
putting up posters to organising events and campaign actions. Support and training is
provided, and you can share creative ideas with other student reps.
Find out more
If you’re interested get in touch with Chris Wood: chris@movement.org.uk,
or for more info go to www.movement.org.uk/studentreps
contents

issue 139
2 Editorial
3–7 News
8–9 Campaigns and current events
10–11 Interview with Chris Howson
‘Get out of your comfort zone’
Feature: New Beginnings
12–13 Risk-shaped discipleship
Terry Biddington on ‘the dangerous edge of things’
14–15 Character Matters?
Ann Morisy on the importance of ‘soft-skills’
16 New Beginnings and university
Georgie Hewitt & Jay Clark
17 Marriage as a new beginning
George Walsh & Holly McGuigan
18 Reflection on new beginnings
Tom Hawes
19 film & book Reviews
The Fat Jesus and There Once was an Island
20 Groovement fun page
21 Are we a movement?
A poem by Lizzie Gawen
11 6 14–15 8

Welcome to the new
look Movement magazine. As you can see we’ve
made a few changes to the magazine as a result
of the discussions we’ve been having within the
movement. First of all we’ve merged the contents of
Grassroots into the magazine. The news that used to
be in Grassroots is now at the front of the magazine and the crossword and comic
are now on the Groovement page (our idea of clever word play, merging Grassroots
and Movement) at the back of the issue. We’re also now printing the whole magazine
in full colour on a different type of paper.
This new format of the magazine is designed to fit our new vision of Movement as
a magazine of lively discussion about theology, politics and what it means to be a
Christian, shaped by the voices of students. Movement is produced by a student-led
editorial group and we are currently looking for more members so please contact us
if you’re interested.
In the spirit of this new start for Movement magazine the theme of this issue is new
beginnings. In thinking about new beginnings the picture that sticks in my head is
the wall hanging that used to hang every Easter at the front of the church I grew up
in. In big letters it declared “DEATH BRINGS NEW LIFE”. I think that element
of the Easter narrative is a part of each new beginning we experience. Every new
exciting development in our lives comes from an ending. In looking at the endings
we have to see the new beginnings and the excitement that comes with that. But
there is also the flipside that each beginning brings an end to what we had before
and we need to allow ourselves to miss that.
the sidebar
SCM office: 308F The Big Peg,
120 Vyse Street, The Jewellery
Quarter, Birmingham B18 6ND
Tel: 0121 200 3355
scm@movement.org.uk
www.movement.org.uk
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Tel: 0121 2003355
Movement is published by the
Student Christian Movement
(SCM) and distributed free to
all members, local groups and
affiliated chaplaincies and
churches.
SCM is a student led movement
seeking to bring together
students of all denominations
to explore the Christian faith
in an open-minded and nonjudgemental
environment.
SCM staff: National Coordinator
Hilary Topp, Links Worker
Rosie Venner, Project Worker
Chris Wood, Administrator Lisa
Murphy. Editorial Group: Jay
Clark, Tim Stacey, Charlotte
Thomson, Debbie White, Georgie
Hewitt, Stephen Canning
update
In the academic world, autumn means a new start whether you’re coming to university
as a fresher or trying to deal with the non-academic world as someone who’s just left.
Luckily we’ve got two tales in this issue from those who have survived those new
beginnings, with Georgie looking back on her first year at university in Manchester
and Jay reflecting on their first year as a graduate.
Elsewhere in the magazine Terry Biddington encourages students to take risks in
expressing their faith. We’ve also got an interview with summer school workshop
leader Chris Howson. He chats to Movement about engaging students with local
communities, liberation theology and activism.
With the new form of Movement magazine we also want to encourage a conversation
with our members on the issues we explore in our pages. In future issues we will have
space to print letters of reply to the contents of previous issues or if you want to
explore an issue in more detail you can write a piece for our website
movement.org.uk which will go alongside other additional articles.
The next issue will be focusing on the theme of education, wisdom
and knowledge. If you have any news, articles, reflections, pictures or
poetry that you’d like published email us: editor@movement.org.uk
or speak to any of the members of the editorial group whose names are
in the sidebar.
Tim Stacey
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
Charity number 1125640
© 2011 Student Christian
Movement
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Movement Issue 139 Autumn 2011
Hello SCM members and friends!
Summerscales was also elected to a second Events
portfolio to work with George. You can still
read all of our reports given at the AGM here:
www.movement.org.uk/agm
Jelly Morgans, convenor of SCM General Council,
reports on what’s been going on with GC.
The last few months have again been busy ones
for General Council. The Summer Celebration in
June was a wonderful weekend. It gave many of
us a much needed rest at the end of the academic
year, and a chance to look back and celebrate the
last twelve months’ achievements. The AGM was
useful for us to communicate what GC and the
staff have been up to, and to find out from you – the
movement – what you think we should be doing.
General Council said a big thank-you to Tim
Stacey, who stepped down after two years of hard
work on GC. Replacing Tim in the Publications
role, we welcome Jay Clark onto the team. Jenni
General Council is now made up of Jay
(publications), George & Jenni (events), Andy
(membership & Groups), Holly & Hattie
(campaigns), Bryan (international), Charlotte
(communications & media) and me, the convenor.
If you would like to get involved in any of these
activities, do contact me and I can put you in
touch. We are always looking for new people to
help out!
In other news, I am looking forward to seeing
the amazing work of the new Student Reps at
universities around Great Britain. Do find out
who your local rep is, and introduce yourself to
them, or volunteer to be one yourself! And in the
meantime, I am looking forward to seeing you at
Greenbelt in August, and in London in October.
Feel free to contact me anytime with questions or
queries: generalcouncil@movement.org.uk
Jelly
Goodbye Rosie
Rosie Venner will be leaving the SCM staff team
in September to take up a post with Christian Aid
in London as a Regional Coordinator. Rosie has
been SCM’s Links Worker since September 2007,
bringing her wisdom, creativity and enthusiasm to
the role, and helping to make SCM the thriving
and growing movement that it is today. Before
being Links Worker Rosie was also on General
Council, and president of Birmingham University
Methsoc. Thanks Rosie for all that you’ve done, for
all the late nights, guerrilla art, words of wisdom,
beautiful flyers, inspiring workshops, knitting,
train journeys to Romania and 1000s of cups of
tea. Good luck! We will miss you!
Rosie Venner leaves for Christian Aid
Movement – Issue 139 Page 3

INTERNATIONAL
Instalment
of new WSCF
General
Secretary
N
Faith through action at
SCM India work-camp
Members of SCM India have taken part in a week long workcamp,
and helped the villagers re-build a pre-primary school
in the village which had been lying unused for many years. A
participant in the work camp reflected: “Physically we have
helped them in the construction work but in return we learnt so
many other things from the villagers of this hamlet comprising
of 16 families. The unity, love and support the people have for
each other was an inspiration for all of us.
The other thing we learnt from this village is that they are better
environmentalists than most of us who talk so much about the
environment.”
The camp was organised by SCM India in collaboration with the
Coorg Organization for Rural Development (CORD).
SCM
Philippines
join walkout
against
education cuts
SCM Philippines joined youth
groups in the Nationwide
Walkout for Education on July
19, 2011, calling for greater state
subsidy and release of youth
political prisoners. The walkout
followed severe cuts to the
budgets of state universities and
colleges by the present Aquino
government. Peter Paul B.
Sengson from SCM Philippines
expressed the group’s anger at
the neoliberal financial policies
set by the IMF and the World
Bank and said that, as part of the
youth movement, they vow to
‘launch more militant forms of
action’ to express their dissent.
An instalment and prayer service
was held in Geneva on the 22
June 2011 for Christine Housel,
the new General Secretary of the
global World Student Christian
Federation (WSCF), which
brings together SCMs from
all over the world. Christine
has been project manager at
the Federation’s international
office in Geneva since 2008,
and took up her new position
in November 2010. Please keep
Christine and the staff and
officers of the global federation
in your prayers as they begin
their journey together.
Justice
at Work
conference
SCM members Libby Lewin
and Georgie Hewitt attended
the annual conference of the
National Justice and Peace
Network (NJPN) in July at
the Hayes Conference Centre,
Swanwick, entitled ‘Justice
at work: A place of safety,
fulfilment and growth?’ Libby
Lewin reports:
“It was a jam packed, interesting
and thought-provoking weekend
with talks incorporating the idea
of ‘work’ during Biblical times,
historical times right through to
today both at home and abroad.
With talks from people involved
with theology, politics and trade
Page 4 Movement – Issue 139

NATIONAL
EWS
Movement Issue 139 Autumn 2011
unions, it gave us all a depth
and breadth of knowledge
and allowed us to think in
different ways about work
and especially if there was
justice at work.
We met some wonderful
people through the ‘Just Fair’
which allowed organisations
and charities to share
information and the work
that they are involved in.
Despite the rainy weather, it
was a thoroughly enjoyable
weekend and left us to think
about ways that we could act
upon all that we had heard
to bring justice and peace in
the workplace.”
Campaign
for Govinda
and Jamuna
Members of SCM
Manchester have been
involved in the campaign to
stop Govinda and Jamuna,
a couple from Nepal, from
being deported from the
UK. They sought asylum
because they had been
forced into hiding in Nepal,
threatened by an armed
political group. Tragically,
since their asylum
application was refused,
Govinda’s brother has
been killed by this group.
They had been staying in
supported accommodation
in Manchester, but after
their claim for asylum
was refused in April they
were taken to Yarl’s Wood
detention centre. Their flight
has been delayed once, but
at the time of writing it is
not known if the campaign
will succeed in keeping
them in the UK.
Walk of
Repentance
Christian writer and
SCM Friend Symon Hill
completed his walk of
repentance for his former
homophobia at the London
Pride event on 1st July.
The evening before, he
gave a talk at Bloomsbury
Baptist Church, calling for
Christians who supported
LGBT rights to make their
opinions known. Read
more about Symon’s walk
on page 9.
SCM invited
to Lambeth
Palace
Members of the British
SCM, along with the
General Secretary of
WSCF Christine Housel
and National Coordinator
of the British SCM,
Hilary Topp, attended a
Public Affairs reception at
Lambeth Palace in June.
They had the chance to
chat to Archbishop Rowan
Williams, who commented
that he’d once been part of
SCM when he was a student
at Oxford, and also his wife
Jane Williams, who said
that she’d heard SCM was
thriving at the moment – a
sentiment we would agree
with! They both wished
SCM well.
Summer
celebration and
the best AGM ever!
Jelly Morgans reports on the SCM Sheffield experience of the
summer celebration:
“One showery weekend in June, four Sheffielders –
Libby, Stephen, Carlos and I – made our way to the
beautiful Lickey Hills, on the outskirts of Birmingham.
We were attending the Summer Celebration and AGM
of the national Student Christian Movement. Beautiful
woodland and a cozy church centre set the scene for a
weekend reflecting on the last year and thinking about
the future of the movement, as well as coming together
to meet one another and share in fellowship (and wine).
Whether sleeping on the hall floor, or camping in the
wet woods outside, we made ourselves comfortable and at
home. Food was a plentiful and important aspect of the
weekend, especially an Agape meal – a vegetarian feast
made up of an eclectic mix of vegetables and tinned food
brought entirely by the participants, and an enormous
apple crumble and fruit salad to finish, interspersed with
songs, readings and reflections as we ate.
The AGM itself was, many people agreed, the best
AGM ever. And I don’t just say this because I chaired it!
Reports were made exciting and fun, including a political
broadcast, a news report, and a comic sketch in the style
of Baddiel & Skinner. Even the finance report made
us laugh, using different plates of biscuits to signify the
different pots of SCM’s money.
Overall, the four of us from Sheffield learnt new things
about one another and about SCM. We enjoyed it so
much that we volunteered Sheffield to host next year!
Movement – Issue 139 Page 5

national
Summer school
At this year’s SCM Theology
Summer School Christian
students came together to
share ideas, have fun and think
about how to create inclusive
communities on their campuses.
New student reps were joined by
other SCM members, General
Council and staff at Buckden
Towers, a former Bishop’s palace
in Cambridgeshire.
Over the summer school,
workshops on participation
and diversity and inclusion got
us to consider who we are as
a movement. In one session,
people stepped forward if they
went to a church they’d consider
evangelical, or if they spoke a
language other than English at
home, allowing us to see a few of
the different identities that make
up our groups. We went deeper
into talking about inclusion by
asking what barriers there are
to people joining our groups,
and how we can honestly try to
be the kind of movement that
people feel welcome in.
Other talks and workshops got
us to imagine what we’d like
to be; Mark Wakelin asked
participants to imagine that the
kingdom of heaven had arrived
overnight and got us to describe
what we saw, heard and smelt
to let us know that it had come.
Marie Pattison asked us a series
of questions about Christian
communities, getting us to think
about how our communities
can bring us forward in faith
and love. Alongside the talks
and workshops, the members of
General Council had a parallel
programme that included trustee
training and visioning sessions, as
we thought about what it means
to make a strategic plan that tries
to create the kind of communities
and world that we want.
Among the worship was a Taizé
service, prayers for peace, and
a reflective worship on social
justice called ‘God got drunk last
night’. We were also led by Chris
Howson in a liberation theology
bible study, that got us to reexamine
Bible passages that we
half-remembered and think
about aligning God with the
poor rather than the powerful.
Over the few days we were
there, the workshops shifted
from inward reflection about
values and vision, to workshops
on living out our faith through
social justice. Through talks and
workshops, conversations with
each other, and meals and songs
we started to imagine what the
kingdom of God might look like
in our own communities. For a
creative response to Summer
School see Lizzie’s poem on
page 21.
SCM Theology Summer School, Buckden Towers, 4–9 August 2011
Page 6 Movement – Issue 139

NEWS
Groups
Movement Issue 139 Autumn 2011
Sheffield SCM
SCM Sheffield had a busy
summer term. Amongst
the usual weekly meetings,
Sheffield SCM has been
involved with Interfaith
visits to the Sheffield
Buddhist Centre and a
multi-faith film showing.
We have invited speakers
to our weekly meetings
including Symon Hill,
workers from Christian
Aid and local churches who
have spoken about religion
and society and inspired
us in the work they do.
Sheffield SCM was also
nominated for ‘Best Faith
Society’ in the Union’s
Activities Awards. We look
forward to another good
year next year!
Manchester SCM
As well as their regular
meetings, Manchester
SCM organised an SCM
service at St Peter’s Church
in May, to celebrate the
work of SCM, and ask for
the prayers and support of
the community at St Peter’s.
Students were involved
in the prayers, music and
sharing their thoughts on
what being part of SCM
meant to them.
PROFILE:
BRISTOL CHRISTIAN CONNEXION
Jessica Cheetham, president of Bristol Christian Connexion, explains the ethos behind the
group.
Bristol Christian Connexion was born
out of two pre-existing societies; Cross
Connections, a social justice group,
and MethSoc, the student group of the
Methodist Church. We are very aware
of the need for a group on campus that
promotes a radical inclusivity and a
spiritual home for all, wherever they are
in their journey with Christ and whatever
their experiences of life and faith. In
striving to re-create the Kingdom, we
want to be a positive Christian presence on campus that focuses on God’s universal love
and the need for fellowship and service rather than promoting a particular ideological
agenda. We know that Christianity on campus can be overwhelming and confusing and
we want to be unashamedly welcoming to every student looking for a place to fit in and
be supported.
We want to remain committed to the original vision of Cross Connections where the
society invited speakers from various charities to share their experiences of Christian
ministry. Equally, we value the support of our local Methodist Church and hope to
strengthen our links with their community, leading services and liaising with the minister
on pastoral concerns. We hope the combination of these two societies will better serve
the student body at Bristol and further shine a light on the unconditional love of God,
our Father. We will continue to invite external speakers to build us up as a group as well
as engaging in Bible studies, prayer and social action.
We have chosen as our motto “Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly”. This is first and
foremost a challenge to ourselves to live as God has asked us; Scripture tells us that this is
what the Lord requires of us and we want our new society to strive to this end. Secondly, it
is a sign of our commitment to inclusivity. This is a universal call for all believers, regardless
of religious upbringing, denomination or moral values. We hope that Christians on our
campus will be able to unite under this calling rather than dividing over specific issues.
We hope to value and affirm the contribution of any student who wants to play a role in
the society, with no bias based on sexual orientation, gender, age or history, telling them
that God loves them “because of ” rather than “in spite of ”. There are hundreds of students
who feel excluded and marginalised by the Church and by society; we want to do our bit
to redress the balance.
Movement – Issue 139 Page 7

Close the Gap
with SCM and
Church Action on
Poverty
Hattie Hodgson, who shares the policy
and campaigns portfolio on SCM General
Council, writes about Church Action on
Poverty’s ‘Close the Gap’ campaign.
“If you oppress the poor, you insult the
creator” (Proverbs 14:31). There is an
injustice in this country that is visible
in most communities, present in almost
every town and city and affects nearly
a quarter of the population; yet it is
one that most people do not regularly
consider. Poverty in the UK is alarmingly
common, and becoming more so in
the current economic climate. The gap
between the very rich and the very
poor is ever increasing, with statistics
indicating that more than 3.5 million
people in this country are paid less
than a living wage. We need look no
further than the most well-known
of Christ’s teachings to see why this
should be of especial importance to
Christians: “Those you did to the least of
these, you did to me” (Matthew 25:45).
Can we let ourselves stand by and
watch this injustice occur? It’s time we
‘Closed the Gap’!
SCM have recently become youth
partners to Church Action on Poverty’s
‘Close the Gap’ campaign. Church
Action on Poverty is an ecumenical
charity committed to tackling the
injustice of poverty in the UK. They
work to provide people experiencing
poverty with a voice to tackle issues
that concern them as well as enabling
them to develop livelihoods that are
more sustainable and secure. At the
same time, they mobilise churches to
work to overcome poverty on local,
national and international levels.
NEWS
‘Close the Gap’ is a three year campaign and Lockheed Martin among many
targeted specifically at closing the other arms suppliers. This year there
gap between the materially rich and will be seminars on ‘Cyber Warfare’
the materially poor. The campaign is and ‘Combatting Terrorism’ alongside
calling for four main changes: fair tax, a Dragons Den style competition in
fair pay, fair prices and a fair say for which companies can pitch their new
those most affected by poverty.
products.
campaign
So how can you get involved? Church
Action on Poverty want students to
pledge to support the campaign in
three ways. The first is to pledge to
pray for the campaign. You can join
the prayer community on Facebook
or use the resources on the Church
Action on Poverty website. The second
is a pledge to act. Church Action on
Poverty are coordinating monthly
email-actions that you can participate
in. The final pledge you can make is to
give a regular monetary donation. All
of these pledges can be made on the
Church Action on Poverty website:
church-poverty.org.uk.
Finally, we need you! If you would
like to be more involved in SCM’s
campaigns then please contact
campaigns@movement.org.uk to
join our campaigns group.
Arms Fair
Jay Clark gives a heads-up about an arms
fair this Autumn.
On the 13th–16th September,
the DSEi (Defence and Security
Equipment international) exhibition
will take place in London. On the first
day of the fair, a coalition of anti arms
trade campaigners are calling for a
day of direct action; in previous years
protesters have staged die-ins and
street parties, dyed fountains red and
blockaded entrances.
The ‘primary defence exhibition in the
calender’, DSEi features BAE systems
This years arms fair will dedicate a large
part of its showroom to ‘unmanned
systems’: land and air vehicles that are
controlled remotely. ‘Unmanned aerial
vehicles’, otherwise known as drones,
are planes controlled from the ground.
The group Fellowship of Reconciliation
have campaigned against the use of
drones, highlighting the indiscriminate
nature of the attacks that cause a high
number of civilian casualties.
At the last DSEi arms fair in 2009,
countries that were represented
included Bahrain, Libya and Saudi
Arabia. BAE systems have sold arms
to countries known to have wideranging
human rights abuses, and have
been investigated for corruption by the
Serious Fraud Office.
SCM are part of a coalition of
organisations campaigning to ‘Stop
the Arms Fair’. For more information
about the protests, visit www.
stopthearmsfair.org.uk and www.
caat.org.uk, or email campaigns@
movement.org.uk to find out how
you can get involved.
current events
Page 8 Movement – Issue 139

Symon Hill’s
pilgrimage
Chris Wood reports.
SCM friend Symon Hill
has successfully completed a
‘pilgrimage of repentance’ for
his former homophobic beliefs.
Walking from Birmingham to
London before participating in
the Pride London celebration,
Symon talked in churches along
the route.
Asked about the reasons for his
repentance, Symon emphasised
that it was his encounter with a
Christ who was challenging, radical
and liberating that guided him
on his journey from homophobe
to equality activist. He described
being called to live by the spirit, as
in Christ we are free from the law
(Galatians 5:16–18). He said that
while this is more demanding than
adhering to a system of rules, Jesus
emphasised that we have to live by
a higher standard of ethics if we
are to take up our cross and follow
him – indeed it was for those who
made superficial displays of piety
that Jesus reserved his harshest
criticism.
Symon argued that as the church’s
political influence weakens,
Christians have the opportunity
to explore afresh the radical
implications of Jesus’ ministry, and
help to build a church which is
inclusive to all people regardless
of their sexuality. Talking about
his participation in the Pride
event, Symon stated that when
pride is the opposite of humility
Christians should rightly be
sceptical; but when pride is the
opposite of shame, as it is in loving,
committed and consensual samesex
relationships then we should
not be slow to stand alongside the
marginalised.
Some
reflections on
phone hacking
Tim Stacey reflects.
The recent phone hacking scandal
and closure of the News of the
World has highlighted some of
the nastier parts of the newspaper
industry. However in some ways
the public reaction has overlooked
some of the massive problems
that lie behind the scandal.
Overwhelmingly what people
have been concentrating on is how
the information was obtained and
who it was obtained from rather
than what it is and how it’s used.
When people found out that the
phone of a murder victim had
been hacked they were up in
arms. Clearly, this was wrong and
those who did it should be held
responsible. But would it have
been OK if they had been just
as intrusive using legal methods?
If they’d paid every person that
a victim had ever known to tell
them what they knew about that
person and then printed that? I’m
not so sure that it would have
been.
In John 7:24 Jesus tells those at the
temple not to judge by appearances
and instead to judge correctly.
That sharp criticism could be
levelled at us too. We shouldn’t
accept simple characterisations
of people as hero or villain. Jesus
calls for a deeper empathy in his
demand that only those without
sin can stone the sinner. Everyone
has sinned and everyone screws
up. We should have a Jesus-like
empathy with the victims of
demonization by the media. Even
when you’ve seen someone’s phone
messages, bugged their house and
interviewed their friends you
still don’t get the full picture. We
can’t know their inner motives so
any judgement we make will be
premature (1 Corinthians 4:3–5).
A politician might be having an
affair but that doesn’t mean that
he isn’t fighting to bring justice to
the poor and being a loving father
to his children.
This is the real problem: simple
narratives that entertain us don’t
do justice to real people. These are
people who we should be caring
for whether or not they are rich
and powerful. The scandal only
really kicked off when people
found out that “normal” people had
been affected. But celebrities and
politicians are also owed the same
dignity and compassion. Jesus
campaigned for justice for the
poor but he didn’t write the rich
and powerful off as evil beyond
redemption. That’s why we must
be careful of the tabloid narrative
that their purpose is to bring low
the powerful by showing them to
be lying hypocrites. At the same
time we need to be careful of left
wing media painting men like
Rupert Murdoch as evil villains.
Would we finally see that Rupert
Murdoch had a black hole in
place of a soul if we knew that
he personally approved every
instance of phone hacking? We
rarely focus on the whole picture
of a person. In Murdoch’s case his
generosity to the Church earned
him a papal knighthood. Perhaps
we need to take a gentler view of
others where we recognise their
capacity for sin that is within
us. No matter how deep into
their lives we investigate, we will
not know the true content of
themselves.
Movement – Issue 139 Page 9

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS HOWSON
Chris Howson, a city centre mission priest from Bradford,
and author of A Just Church joined us at SCM’s Theology
Summer School to run a Bible study exploring Liberation
Theology and to inspire us to campaign creatively for justice
and peace.
Movement caught up with Chris during a coffee break
to ask him a few questions about his work and the
things he is passionate about.
What does your role involve as a city centre mission
priest? And what is Desmond Tutu House? Being a city
centre mission priest means trying to help young people
get excited about God and find new ways of expressing
their spirituality in an inner city environment. I’m also
Faith Advisor to the University of Bradford so I’m trying
to get young people from the university integrated in
the city centre and vice versa. It’s really important to
me. And Desmond Tutu House is the wonderful place
I’m fortunate to work from. It’s a home to Yorkshire
and Humberside CND, to the world’s oldest Fairtrade
project the Treehouse Café, and a lovely community of
people who live there.
What’s your connection with the university? As I said,
I’m one of the Faith Advisors to the university and for
me that means trying to work alongside all the different
faiths that congregate there and encourage people to
understand each other and grow in respect and love
for each other. I’m also really passionate about helping
people of faith integrate into their local communities
and understand the faith communities around them.
Often at universities people are rather cut off from their
local environments, but for me it’s really important that
they get to know their neighbours, and be nice to each
other!
How would you encourage students to explore a new
city and get to know people and communities beyond
their university? The crucial thing is to get out of your
comfort zone! Go to places that nobody encourages
you to go to. Go and get to know people on the local
estates. Go to the communities where students aren’t
present. Get to know the institutions that serve those
communities – whether that’s community groups,
volunteering groups, kids clubs or local churches. It’s
important to go to your university groups, to join your
local SCM group, but also get involved in a church that
is vibrantly connected with its local community.
You’ve just written a book! You talk a lot in your book
about the city of Bradford. Is Bradford home to you? If
so, what makes it home? I went to study in Bradford in
1989 and fell in love with it. I think often ministry and
calling is about falling in love with the community that
you are in and wanting to serve it, to be God’s servant
in that place. Bradford’s no different from anywhere
else. It’s full of wonderful, creative, vibrant people who
we probably haven’t met yet. My book A Just Church
is about radically understanding the context that God
has asked you to be involved with and staying in that
community for the long term.
In your book you acknowledge Liberation Theology as
fundamental to your ministry in Bradford. What do you
think Liberation Theology is, and what is its relevance to
us today? Liberation Theology is simply acknowledging
Jesus’ words as being good news for the poor, and living
that out in our discipleship. That might mean the poor in
terms of people who are excluded because of disability,
gender or sexuality, or simply because they are physically
poor. We have a government that is creating poverty and
long term unemployment; more than at any time since
the Thatcher era. Liberation Theology is about how we
respond to that political and economic context and how
we make sense of the gospel in modern times.
Page 10 Movement – Issue 139

How have you been responding to the
government cuts in Bradford? One of my
jobs has been to try to get students who
are rightfully angry about the education
cuts to recognise their connection with a
broader movement of people responding
to the cuts. We can’t do our protesting in
isolation, everything is linked together.
So students have been occupying banks
that aren’t paying their taxes and getting
involved in the Top Shop protests
inspired by UK Uncut. Recognising that
it is perfectly valid for Christians to be
involved in direct action. In fact, that’s the
place we ought to be. It’s really important
for me to link all those movements
together.
I’m horrified by what this government
has done to Higher Education. We
are leaving a generation with no hope
for a better education, no hope for job
prospects, and I think it will lead to the
sort of lawlessness that we see in the
current time. You’ve got to give young
people hope, and avenues to live out their
hopes and dreams, otherwise society
crumbles.
How can we support people who are feeling
the worst effects of the cuts? The main
thing is by building strong communities.
Whatever community you live in get
to know your neighbours, the people
living in the local squats, people living in
refuges, families who have lived in that
area for decades. Get to know people well,
so that when things are difficult we can
support each other. If we don’t know the
needs of our neighbours, there’s no way as
Christians that we can support them.
I believe there are lots of ways students
can get involved in their local community.
One example is Guerrilla gardening! It’s
simply about taking over abandoned
gardens, doing them up so they look nice
for the local community, and growing
vegetables which you can share with your
neighbours.
If you could change one thing in the world
what would it be? I believe that greater
equality would turn on its head the way
that our present market system forces us
down the road of militarism, violence,
massive disparities of wealth, and
destruction of our environment. For me,
to be a Christian is to wholeheartedly
believe that all people are created equal.
Greater equality would change the ethos
of how we deal with the planet and the
resources we have.
Who has influenced and inspired you?
The Student Christian Movement has
inspired me! Its belief in social justice is
something I would like to see spread out
more throughout the UK, encouraging
young people to get more involved in the
world. SCM has been very important to
me. And anyone who lives in their local
community, who thinks they can make a
difference, and dares to do that – those
are the people who inspire me.
We’ve noticed that since you arrived
at SCM Theology Summer School, the
consumption of coffee has gone up! Is
that where you get your energy from?
As long as it’s Fairtrade! But recharging
your energy can happen in other ways
too. Here at Summer School, there is a
beautiful worship space in a small chapel,
and to have spaces like that where you
can reflect with God, and be honest with
yourself before God, are vital in the long
term if you want to change the world.
My tip is to know that you can’t change
everything in society, you can support
others who are working for justice,
without having to do everything yourself.
Another good thing is to have children
(as I do!) who demand that you stay sane
enough to play with them. I also go to
Ireland and I draw to relax. Finding inner
passions that help you be yourself is very
important.
What other resources would you
recommend to students who want to
explore Liberation Theology, and get
involved in their local communities?
This year we launched our first Practical
Liberation Theology conference, because
we’re trying to remind people of the
importance of Liberation Theology. We’ll
see more aspects of Liberation Theology
emerging in society as the effects of the
recession and cuts deepen. So keep an eye
out for the next one.
Keep your eye on Indymedia. I find
reading the Morning Star every day very
helpful. Also, be part of wider groups like
CAFOD, Christian Aid, War on Want,
Campaign Against Arms Trade and
Cuba Solidarity. I find all of those groups
very nourishing and helpful.
Are you going to be running your
Liberation Theology conference next year?
Yes! We’re hoping to run another one
looking at multiculturalism in Bradford,
and we’ll be inviting people from around
the country to come and enjoy our
wonderful city.
A Just Church: 21st Century
Liberation Theology in Action
by Chris Howson (Continuum)
Chris’ blog:
ajustchurch.blogspot.com
UK Indymedia:
www.indymedia.org.uk
UK Uncut: ukuncut.org.uk
Movement – Issue 139 Page 11

Terry Biddington is working on a new book called Risk-shaped Ministry (a sequel to
Risk-shaped Discipleship) which seeks to articulate a view of what the church needs
to be about in the early twenty-first century; what opportunities await it, for ‘those
with eyes to see and ears to hear,’ as someone once said.
ON THE DANGEROUS
EDGE OF THINGS
In the gestation and writing (or more accurately in
the enforced pit stops of so many other projects and
distractions) I have come to realize as I have never so
strongly done before that something extraordinary is
happening in our world. We appear to be at another
creative juncture in the history of our species: at a
moment akin to the Renaissance, Reformation and
Enlightenment. (To name only milestones from
a very western view of human history). It may also,
with hindsight, appear to be a significant revelatory
moment akin even to the birth of the great world
religions.
In 1993 the theologian Hans Kung drafted his
“Declaration of Global Ethics” and, at the time, it
felt – to me at least – like a vision of ‘Pi in the sky’.
(That’s to say of something ultimately and annoyingly
unsolvable!) But in the almost twenty years since then
the world has become a very different place. God, ‘fate’,
or the vagaries of human intervention – have all lent a
hand in this change. And so, because of various global
events and crises that have brought pain and fear to
many across the world, and undoubtedly
also because of the impact of new
technologies making the world a smaller
place, bringing people together in fresh
and creative ways, and effecting regime
change, world opinion, and personal
ethical action alike, we find ourselves at a
new frontier, contemplating the crossing
of a new horizon. Or for the sceptics
amongst us: teetering on the edge of a
great chasm. But will we fall in: or merely see there
the destiny that awaits our inaction?
What’s extraordinarily exciting is that young people
of all faiths and none are coming together in ever
more creative and daring ways. It was either Freud
or Jung who declared: ‘what we call common sense is
usually only the sum total of the prejudice we have learned
from our parents by the time we are 16 years old.’ A deeply
shocking thought for any parent!
But now it seems to me that young people are indeed
questioning and laying aside the ‘wisdom’ – the
easy habits and assumptions – of their parents and
discovering, sharing, and acting on their own fresh
convictions. Young people of different faiths are taking
the risk of getting to know each other and explore the
simple commonalities of their everyday lives, their
shared passions and aspirations, and their intimate
life-giving beliefs, certainties and doubts. They are
listening to each other with open minds and hearts,
and running the risk of being converted by allowing
themselves to be shown the world through other
people’s eyes and stomachs.
The old ‘insider-outsider’ boundaries that have
separated people for centuries are coming tumbling
down in so many parts of the world. And at the same
time these same young people are working hard to
We find ourselves at a new frontier,
contemplating the crossing of a new
horizon... What’s extraordinarily
exciting is that young people of all
faiths and none are coming together in
ever more creative and daring ways.
break down those other barriers between the ‘haves
and have-nots’ that so readily and rightly threaten
the future of the inclusive global community that is
now coming to birth. This is all deeply subversive and
prophetic stuff. And deeply risky too! It’s the ‘dangerous
edge’ (Browning) of a new active expression of their
differently-spoken faith in God and humanity.
Page 12 Movement – Issue 139

For such a vision of inclusive justicemaking
and human flourishing rubs up
against those powers that would prefer
things to remain just as they are: those
obscene and ungodly powers of selfinterest
and predatory profiteering;
the insidious numbing power of a
world-weary cynicism feeding on a
relentless daily diet of ‘unbelief-full
prose’ (Brueggemann) that leaves people
forever hungry; and the corrosive and
still-tempting memory of the power of
unreflective certainty once wielded by
religious leaders.
Yes – it requires steady nerves and deep
resources of imagination and faith to
work against such still potent powers
and keep this radical and inclusive
vision alive. Fortunately groups like
the Interfaith Youth Core (www.ifyc.
org) and the World Student Christian
Federation (www.wscfglobal.org) are
playing a remarkable and richly effective
part in encouraging fresh approaches,
hosting interactions and transformative
theological reflection, and promoting
prophetic direct action.
world. This fresh thinking and gospelbased
risk taking need to become much
more common if churches are to play
their full part.
For the safe routines of church have
covered the jagged edges of the gospel
with a time-polished patina that reflects
not the radical image of Jesus but the
satisfying familiarity of our own faces.
It’s for this reason that Brueggemann
talks of Christians today as “living
against the grain of our true vocation”
and hopes that the church will be able
to accept the Spirit’s invitation to move
“beyond ourselves and the dominant script.”
(Mandate to Difference)
The legitimacy for this thinking comes
from Jesus himself, when he anticipates
that the coming of the Spirit would
indeed rupture the established religious
routines of his day: “‘no one puts new wine
into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will
burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so
are the skins; but one puts new wine into
fresh wineskins.’ (Mk 2:22)”
To move beyond this paralysis is a
risky undertaking; but then this is
generally the case with the things of the
Spirit. And it will take a good deal of
imagination too. So there will
need to be a central place
in our discipleship for
daring and imaginative
interpretations of
scripture, liturgy, and
social action as the
Spirit urges us on into
that stage of liminality
– that in-between space of
dark unlearning before the
new dawn of possibility
– that most of us need
to inhabit before we can
take the further leap out
into what lies beyond.
Terry Biddington
The problem comes though when too
many churches, mosques, synagogues
and temples remain closed to any ideas
of rapprochement and risk-taking. There
are, of course, magnificent exceptions
and examples of truly prophetic and
creative work, such as that of the ex-
Change project at Blackburn Cathedral
(www.blackburncathedral.com) led
by Anjum Anwar – the only Muslim
employed by a cathedral anywhere in the
Terry Biddington is co-ordinating chaplain to the Manchester Universities.
Visit his blog: terrybiddington.wordpress.com
Movement – Issue 139 Page 13

Ann Morisy argues that ‘soft’ skills like sociability, motivation and self-regulation
are becoming more important in our increasingly gruelling economic climate.
Character
Matters?
Woody Allen quipped that “80% of success is just turning
up”. Turning up and turning up on time are the first
steps for getting a job. If you can’t do these steps then
the chances are that lots of other things start to slip
and even fall apart. Turning up, and turning up on
time, are examples of ‘soft’ or non-cognitive skills.
James Heckman, a Nobel Prize winner for Economics,
suggests that we underplay the role played by ‘soft’ skills
in the way a person’s life works out. Heckman in putting
the spotlight on ‘soft’ skills brings character – things
like motivation, sociability, attention, self-esteem, selfregulation,
delayed gratification, conscientiousness –
into the frame.
Heckman, on the basis of his research, observes that
character is exceptionably malleable. This means that
‘character’ can be shaped for good or ill throughout
a person’s life. Heckman goes on to suggest that the
development of the soft skills that constitute character
are critical to the reduction of inequality. Heckman’s
case is that we condemn people to chronic poverty if
our social policy persists in downplaying the part played
by character in the reduction of social inequality.
Christians too have been inclined to underplay the role
of character in relation to poverty. It is understandable
why: too easily, talk about character, and especially
the character of those who are poor, drifts into the
mean and nasty characterization of some people being
the deserving and some the undeserving. In other
words, those who harness character strengths are the
‘deserving’, whilst those who are judged to be feckless
are the ‘undeserving’.
This is a real hazard, but nevertheless it is important
to heed Heckman’s insights and put the development
of character on to the agenda. If we are to achieve this,
then we must also insist that:
1. It is not just the character of those who are
poor that gets put under the spotlight. In a world
of extremes of wealth and poverty, those who are
financially secure, and especially those who are
well-off, need to develop ‘character’ as much, if not
more, than others. In particular, in an over exploited
world, the character formation that enables an
appreciation and can sustain a sense of ‘enoughness’
is more significant than it has ever been before.
2. The question ‘Why are the poor poor?’ is both
legitimate and pertinent if we are to talk about
Page 14 Movement – Issue 139

‘character’. The question ’why are
the poor poor?’ exposes the issue of
structural advantage i.e. how those in
positions of advantage can perpetuate
that advantage, even through
generations. This challenges churches
in more affluent areas to articulate
more powerfully and imaginatively
the extensive demands the Gospel
makes on those who are wealthy.
3. The moral character of
‘business’ needs also to come into the
frame. Adam Smith was convinced
of the essential need for markets to
be rooted in morality. If character
and moral formation come on to
the public agenda then the moral
practice of businesses also needs to be
open to scrutiny. This means that for
Christians, movements such as the
Robin Hood Tax (see robinhoodtax.
org/get-involved) and ethical
investment become increasingly
important.
Given the strength of Heckman’s
research and his conclusion that
character is exceptionally malleable, and
given an economic context that will be
increasingly grueling for those who are
poor, it has become pressing for us to
harness the distinctive Christian charism
of encouraging holiness – as the route
for developing and sustaining soft skills.
It is in relation to character formation
that the effectiveness of religious
commitment comes into its own.
A commitment to follow Jesus in the
way he lived his life empowers people by
enabling a sense of purpose to flourish.
Embracing a faith commitment impacts
on our attitude to our circumstances,
and when our attitudes change so too
do the tiny micro-actions in which we
engage – basically a purposeful life gives
an incentive to set the alarm clock and
get up in the morning. This is not just
wishful thinking, there is substantial
evidence to support this dynamic. 1
Ann Morisy is the Methodist
Chaplain at the University of
Westminster (part-time) and is also
a writer and lecturer on aspects of
social responsibility. Ann’s most recent
book “Borrowing from the Future”
provides a Christian perspective on
the vexed issue of fairness between
the generations.
The notion that faith, and the Christian
faith in particular, aides the development
and sustaining of ‘character’ is not
just an aspiration, it is evident from
the exceptional achievement of early
Methodism. Early Methodism took root
amongst the poorest, transforming not
just individuals but communities faced
with harsh and rapid industrialization.
At the heart of Methodism was the
‘class’, where people supported each
other in their efforts towards holiness.
The class was the place where people
could ‘hear themselves think’, and
achieve solidarity in relation to their
hoped for ‘performance’. The class was
where hard-pressed, and often broken
people could embrace intentionality i.e.
to harness determination to rise above
the limitations of tough and unjust
circumstances.
Early Methodists embraced
intentionality to great effect, but their
intention was not the pursuit of their
own interests. If self-interest did become
evident then the class would remind
each other of the call of the Kingdom
of God and the imperative of pursuing
the wellbeing of others – including
distant, anonymous others. Holiness,
shaped by the example of Jesus, is not
just transformational for individuals and
communities, it also calls for a deeply
generous, patient and compassionate
outlook. This is the distinctive
contribution that our Christian faith
and practice can offer to the renewed
debate about the soft skills that make
for character.
For more information about the
work of James Heckman go to
jenni.uchicago.edu
1
See Stephen V. Monsma and J. Christopher
Soper, (2006) Faith, Hope and Jobs, Washington
DC: Georgetown University Press and Sheila
Suess Kennedy and Wolfgang Bielefeld (2006)
Charitable Choice at Work, Washington DC:
Georgetown University Press.
Movement – Issue 139 Page 15

New beginnings
at university
Georgie Hewitt
At the end of June I had the
realisation that I survived my
first year at university. I’ve really
enjoyed getting to know a city
and calling it home, getting to
know some amazing people and
being able to call them friends.
Although I can’t remember a great
deal from the hours I spent in
lectures and tutorials, here are a
few things I did learn in my first
year at Manchester.
I successfully found the cheapest
beer within a 1 mile radius of
university and became a regular
at the local greasy spoon. I have
watched every episode of Come
Dine With Me and learnt that a
clean student kitchen is hard to
find.
I’ve walked into numerous lectures
that I shouldn’t be in, but stayed
anyway. I still can’t remember my
student ID number or where the
printers in the library are. I have
left my deadlines far too late and
spent nights without sleep and
relied on coffee to keep me alive.
I have also learnt how useful a 24
hour library actually is.
I have discovered the best and
ultimately the worst club nights
and I have become a connoisseur
of the night bus. I have found out
the time the reduced food goes on
sale and that it’s worth not buying
Tesco value tea bags.
Your first year at university is meant
to be fun, do not panic! You will
eventually figure out where your
lecture theatre is. You’ll become a
pro at the complex library system.
You will notice how horrible the
Students Union bar is and you will
rejoice when you can successfully
give directions to confused freshers
the following September.
New beginnings
after university
Jay Clark
For most of my time at university I
felt overwhelmed and directionless,
anxious about what I would do
after my degree but unwilling to
think clearly about it. For me, the
year since graduating has been the
time when I’ve started to make
a little more sense to myself. I
changed my name and moved to
a new city in the same week (saves
on paperwork), cut my hair, started
describing myself as Christian
again, worked in a migrant centre,
came out to myself as genderqueer
and gradually, to other people too.
The realisation that I’m genderqueer
is a significant new beginning for
me, though the idea had been
hanging persistently around the
back of my mind since I first heard
the word a couple of years before.
It’s a label I find freeing, rather
than constricting. Understanding
myself as a person who is neither
male nor female, but whose gender
contains masculine, feminine and
androgynous aspects feels exactly
right, where other labels have felt
inadequate.
I’ve started calling myself a
Christian again after several years
as an agnostic, and then a Quaker
who felt unsure about God. That’s
been a new beginning, borne out of
discovering forms of Christianity
that are rooted in social justice. I
got a glimpse of this after spending
an evening in a cafe with friends,
planning to make a citizen’s
arrest of Tony Blair for crimes
against peace (unfortunately, he
cancelled the book signing). I
felt overcome with emotion that
evening, and had to get off the bus
and walk home because I felt like
I was spilling over with joy, fear,
purpose, fiery hope. I keep coming
back to the much-quoted Quaker
phrase: ‘walk cheerfully over the
world, answering that of God in
everyone’. Marching cheerfully
with the Christians at London
Pride a couple of weeks ago, it
felt like some different spheres of
my identity were finally aligning.
I hope that I’m inching slowly
towards answering that of God in
everyone, though I usually fail.
Page 16 Movement – Issue 139

Movement Issue 139 Autumn 2011
On Marriage and
New Beginnings
George Walsh and Holly McGuigan
George and Holly are both 4th year medical
students at Glasgow University, and are
on the General Council of SCM. They both
love tea, reading and their daft cat, but are
not as similar as this makes them sound.
We’re getting married! Well, we’re having
a civil partnership, and a blessing – and
what’s a turn of phrase, between friends,
so long as there’ll be cake?
In one moment, someone will declare us
“wife and wife”, and we’ll be married.
If you read any one of the dozens of
wedding magazines, you would think
that this moment will fall on the one
day in our lives when we both get to
be princesses. Personally, we are quite
clumsy, so a big white dress is out of
the question if we are to properly enjoy
cake. And as children we dreamt more
of stethoscopes than tiaras. Among all
these magazines, there are none about
actually being married. Now, we’re
planning to have a really lovely day – but
we know that it’s not the be all and end
all – we’ll have the rest of our lives to
have wonderful experiences, they don’t
need to all be crammed into the one day.
To us a good marriage is more important
than a good wedding.
So, in one moment someone will declare
us “wife and wife”, we’ll be married, and
that will change our lives forever, not just
for one day.
Or, more accurately, one Thursday
afternoon next summer a registrar will
co-sign some paperwork, and the state
will then afford us almost the same
rights as a married couple. Then two
days later we will stand in front of our
friends and family, in a beautiful church,
for our blessing.
So, at some point during that weekend
we will form a lifelong partnership, and
our lives will change forever.
Well, maybe form is the wrong word.
Surely we’ve already formed the
relationship. In our culture marriage is
recognised more as a commitment to
an existing relationship, rather than the
start of a business deal.
Right. At some point during a weekend
next year we will recognise and formally
commit to a lifelong relationship that
has been growing and changing over
several years, and this will change our
lives forever.
In this day and age, are we naïve enough
to say lifelong? It’s rare to know the end
of the story when it’s just beginning.
We are both children of divorce, and
we know that nothing is certain. All
we can say is that we want this to last
forever, that we will be taking our vows
in good faith, and that because we love
each other, we will work to nourish and
refresh our relationship when things are
hard. Whatever happens, our lives will
never be the same.
Let’s try again. At some point next
summer, we will recognise and commit
to our growing, dynamic relationship.
We will make promises to each other,
and to God, that we will nurture and
guard our relationship. Our lives will
change forever.
But, every beginning creates an ending
– if our lives are changing forever, what
will we be leaving behind? Marriage
seems to be seen as some combination
of the end of virginal purity, and the end
of one’s quest to sleep with everyone on
the planet. As to us, we couldn’t possibly
comment, but our not-hen nights are far
more likely to feature tea than strippers.
For us the changes will be both more
subtle, and more dramatic. In the same
summer we will get married and become
doctors, but neither of these things will
come out of the blue. Each is a gradual
transition that is also suddenly lifechanging.
We’ll have been at medical
school for six years, but one day, we’ll be
able to prescribe.
Next summer, over a weekend we will
commit to, and celebrate our evolving
relationship, making promises to each
other and to God, and this will be an
important step in our journey from child
to adult, and from single to married.
We are on a journey, all of us, and we
meet and lose people along the way.
There is a reason that autobiographies
always seem to start with the lives of
their grandparents – we are all woven
into a context – into a story that’s
all beginnings and all endings – a
meandering, undulating tapestry of love,
hate and humanity. We hold the alpha
and omega in tension as we find our
place in the story.
Movement – Issue 139 Page 17

Reflection on New Beginnings Tom Hawes
Tom Hawes recently graduated from Warwick University
with a maths degree and is due to start a PhD at Oxford. He
is interested in contemplative spirituality and enjoys regalia.
In just over a week’s time I will be going to a friend’s
wedding. I can only imagine the feelings that couple
must be currently experiencing; the excitement of the
potential for joy and love that marriage brings, along
with the doubt and, perhaps, dread that comes with
treading into unknown territory. There is no doubt in
my mind though that both of their lives are going to
significantly change and they will never be as they were
before.
Periods when the landscapes of our lives profoundly
shift I think could reasonably be described as ‘new’
beginnings. Like marriage, they can come as long
anticipated doorways to new possibilities, the
excitement of which I think is a reminder of
the divine creative spark that resides in all
of us. But other times they may impinge
on us through no will of
our own. For
example: the death of a loved one, job redundancy or,
if your name is Mary, the conception of the Messiah.
However we reach such new beginnings, they are,
most simply, gateways to discovery of the unknown.
But there are other ways to discover the unknown.
Every day on our Christian journey is a beginning,
every human interaction another plunge of the spade
to discover the treasure of the Kingdom buried in the
field. Every repentance is a new start, every
time of prayer and worship a new step
into the love of God. As Gregory of
Nyssa so eloquently put it, “Our ascent
is unending. We go from beginning
to beginning by way of beginnings
without end.”
The question is, whether in new
beginnings or in the digging of
the dirt of our everyday life, can we
discover the unknown with the trust
that Jesus goes before us, beside us
and behind us? Can we dare to simply
begin, whether that beginning be new
or familiar?
Page 18 Movement – Issue 139

THE Fat
Jesus – Lisa
Isherwood
Jay Clark
A book drawing on feminist
theories of the body and
liberation theology, The
Fat Jesus is an academic
exploration of gender, power
and bodies – and a generous
theology that allows women
to be physically fat and
intellectually expansive.
Coming from the fat
acceptance movement,
Isherwood sees fat at morally
neutral, and the rhetoric of
dieting as far more sinful. It’s
an interesting topic because
even in secular contexts,
food is constantly described
in moral language; cakes are
described as ‘sinful treats’,
the people offering them say
‘go on, be a devil’, someone
who’s broken their diet says
that they’ve been ‘bad’. I was
already familiar with feminist
criticisms of dieting before
reading the book, but it was
Isherwood who introduced
me to the world of American
Protestant diet groups, who
genuinely believe the devil
reviews
to be hiding in the chocolate
cake.
These groups see fat as the
embodiment of disobedience
to God, a literal barrier to
holiness, a hindrance on the
narrow path to righteousness.
I found Isherwood’s criticisms
of the Christian diet industry,
and exposition of the flawed
theology behind it to be the
most engaging part of the
book, as she demonstrates that
despite its claims to asceticism,
dieting is a phenomenally
lucrative industry. She argues
that while women seek to claim
control of themselves through
dieting, it will inevitably
lead them to ‘distrust their
desires and to despise their
weakness’, turning inwardly
against themselves rather
than claiming their power in
the world. The bid to claim
control becomes another
way that male-dominated
society prevents women
from genuinely becoming
empowered.
Isherwood argues that in a
Christian context this rhetoric
creates a hard, firm-bodied
and phallic God that admits to
no vulnerability and contrasts
it with the ‘broken, tortured
and displaced body’ at the
symbolic heart of Christianity.
The Fat Jesus (along with the
female Jesus and the disabled
Jesus) represent a fluid and
changing God, who does
not have firmly-defended
boundaries. Through this fat,
fleshy Jesus we can see God
in abundant food rather than
the devil.
Women’s restriction of food,
she argues, is inevitably tied in
with sexuality being repressed
and the Fat Jesus, she
argues, offers an alternative
model for women who are
‘erotically engaged (and) fully
embodied’. It’s an exciting
idea, and exposes the rhetoric
of the Christian diet industry
as the life-denying stuff it is.
I’ve barely touched on much
of her theology, and I’ll admit
that I found the psychoanalytic
theory heavy going,
but for someone well-versed
in secular fat acceptance The
Fat Jesus gave me much to
chew over (pun definitely
intended).
There Once
Was an Island
John Cooper
Could you put a face to the
word ‘climate change’? I
couldn’t, but then I sat down
and watched There Once Was
An Island. This multi-award
winning documentary follows
the people of Takuu (in the
South Pacific) as they choose
between losing their island to
rising sea-levels or moving
250km though a governmentprovided
‘resettlement
program’’.
The documentary is a rich feast
of colour and emotion which
uses a simple narrative trick
to ensure maximum impact.
You (the viewer) only find
out things as the islanders do.
However, the scientists’ slow
education of the islanders into
sustainable climate adaptation
techniques is the main plot
but not the main feature of
the film. Instead it is the
dilemmas, dramas and stories
that each of the islanders
share. They can see the world
is changing, however if they
leave their island, they know
they will lose more than their
homes; their culture and way
of life will be lost as well. This
provides a moot point for us
all – we can all get excited in
our lecture theatres, churches,
pubs (etc) at the thought of
the latest technological fix
to ensure the world survives.
How many of us really think
about the cultures that could
be lost as we all adapt to a
problem we could prevent?
Overall words cannot fully
explain the underlying power
of the film. There is something
about the revelatory nature of
the plot that means anyone
watching cannot fail to feel
anger, disbelief and a call to
action. Whether on your own,
or in a group, get your hands
on a copy of the film. Climate
Change is not just an issue of
stewardship, it is one of justice
and through this film you
can begin to glimpse the real
stories of lives forever altered
due to conditions created by
people they have never met.
For more information
and a trailer see: www.
thereoncewasanisland.com
Movement – Issue 139 Page 19

Birmingham Methsoc
Turkish Delight Brownies
(Originally by
Gizzi Erskine)
Makes 16 brownies
Cooking time:
35 minutes
Across
1. See 11 across
8. Hairy man trapped in
unsafe sauna (4)
9. To speak idly, he’s a
card and a toad (10)
10. BBQ food for sexy
beast (3,3)
11, 12, 22, 16a, 17,
1a. Quote by 23 is a
motto for recycling
(5,3,9,5,4,4,5,10,3)
12. See 11 across
15. See 4 down
16. See 11 across
17. See 11 across
21. Unstable – sounds
like Spock in charge? (8)
23. Ancient Roman seen
out and about (7)
25. Signaller, say, to rant
at bloke next to street
(10)
26. I’m to make
adjustments? Leave it
out! (4)
27. Eg. Sinatra sang in
style, i.e. badly (4,9)
Down
1. Specially made robes
poked inside (7)
2. Stuck with good leftwing
university education
(5)
3. Geometrical shape cast
by horse in middle of day
(7)
4, 15. She went in, wrongly,
for current affairs (2,3,4)
5. Cockney man finds
unknown drug in clothing,
say (6)
6. Enigmatic Jenny met with
love and happiness (9)
7. Noble title from French
board game (7)
13. Two equal sides, so less
ice melting (9)
14. Film hero is tortured
one (3)
16. Film shot a long time
after Imperial measure (7)
18. Core extract (7)
19. Beautiful female goes
missing from drawing (7)
20. Ultimate goal behind
everything (3–3)
INGREDIENTS
400g sweet potato, baked
in their skins until soft,
then cooled.
3 free-range eggs.
140g light muscovado
sugar.
60g dark muscovado
sugar.
A pinch of salt.
150g dark chocolate,
METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 160°C. Line a square brownie
tin with greaseproof paper. In a clean, dry bowl
whisk eggs, sugars and salt until they become
really voluminous and pale. This will take about 5
minutes.
2. Scoop out the sweet potato from their skins and
mash with a fork. Add to the egg mixture and fold
in the chocolate, ground almonds, chickpea flour,
cocoa powder, baking powder and vanilla extract
until they are incorporated. Add the Turkish
delight.
3. Pour into the lined brownie tin and bake for 35
minutes or until the top is firm.
22. See 11a
24. I moan about a girl (5)
melted and cooled.
100g ground almonds.
2 tsp chickpea flour.
70g of good quality cocoa
powder.
1 tsp baking powder.
1 tsp vanilla extract.
150g Turkish delight,
chopped.
Page 20 Movement – Issue 139
Credit: David Herbert

Are we a movement?
Lizzie
Gawen
Are we a movement?
Or are we stagnant?
Are we dreamers?
Or are we hopeless?
Can we make this world a better
place?
Or is it just one horrible mess?
Do we have the spirit living within us?
Or do we think it’s all by our own
strength?
Do we have the passion and strength
to go on?
To plant the seeds of the kingdom
once more?
Materialism is consuming me,
And it make me reek of hypocrisy,
So it give me little of love, hope and
faith,
C’mon Lord, we got an earth to shake,
Are we a movement?
Or are we stagnant?
Are we dreamers?
Or are we hopeless?
Can we make this world a better
place?
Or is it just one horrible mess?
Well having staff and gatherings,
Well that’s just great,
But do we feel like there’s something,
Here at stake?
That people are dying,
Injustice is rising,
The corrupt and the powerful,
Are ruling the system,
Does it feel like it matters?
That God came and died?
Does it move and shape,
Our everyday lives?
I know I’m the worst sinner that’s
here,
I’m nothing special,
I’ve got so much to fear,
But I need to break free,
Live a life of peace,
I’ll tread lightly on the earth to help
those in need,
So I’m asking you disciples,
Do you think that we could rise up?
Coz’ I need a little help from my
friends,
Are we a movement?
Or are we stagnant?
Are we dreamers?
Or are we hopeless?
Can we make this world a better
place?
Or is it just one horrible mess?

No Hands but Ours
SCM Autumn Gathering, 28–30 October 2011
Hinde St Methodist Church, London
Don’t miss SCM’s big weekend in the big city, on the
theme of ‘ No Hands but Ours’ and what we can do
to show Christ’s love in the world – through practical
action and campaigning for justice – with speakers,
workshops, food, fun, prayer, worship and much more.
Book your place(s) by emailing
scm@movement.org.uk
or call us on 0121 2003355.
More info: www.movement.org.uk
With All Your Mind
10–12 February 2012, SCM Annual Conference
York St John University, York
In the midst of education cuts and tuition fee hikes, SCM invites you to join the
conversation about wisdom, education and knowledge. Does wisdom only come
with age? What is the point of university? What does my degree have to do with
my faith? Where does theology meet everyday life? Put the date in your diaries
now, and bring a group from your university or college.