Movement Issue 166

THE MAGAZINE FOR CHRISTIAN STUDENTS
ISSUE 166
AUTUMN 2022
INTERVIEW:
DORAL HAYES
In conversation with
Victoria Turner
PAGE 12
REINVENTING
RADICAL
Naomi Nixon on
radical morality
PAGE 17
DIALOGUE, DIVERSITY
AND DYSTOPIA
Honey Harrop’s
winning article
PAGE 26
FAITH IN
ACTION
Radical self care
is a form of activism
PAGE 36

CONTENTS
EDITORIAL 4
COMING UP 5
NEWS 6-8
GROUP LIST 9-10
SCM ONLINE 11
REVIEWS 42-43
INTERVIEW:
DORAL
HAYES
Victoria Turner chats to Doral Hayes
about her work in ecumenism.
REINVENTING
RADICAL -
THE WHY AND
THE HOW 17-21
A transcript of the opening keynote
at the 2022 national gathering by
Naomi Nixon, SCM’s CEO.
RECLAIMING
RADICAL -
CHRISTIAN
MINIMALISM
August Gawen reflects on
how living with less can make
us better disciples.
DIVERSITY,
DIALOGUE
12-16 & DYSTOPIA 26-28
Honey Harrop’s winning entry
22-25
in the Reclaiming Radical
article competition.
THE LONG READ:
THE CATHOLICITY &
SACRAMENTALITY
OF THE GEMEINDE
IN SEARCH OF OUR
DISAPPEARED
IN MEXICO 29-33
Part two: on History and Heritage,
by Revd Samuel E. Murillo Torres.
FAITH IN ACTION:
REFLECTIONS ON
BONHOEFFER’S
ETHICS 34-35
Emily Harris reflects on a workshop
led by Alana, one of SCM’s
Faith in Action Project Workers.
FAITH IN ACTION:
RADICAL
SELF-CARE AS
A FORM OF
ACTIVISM 36-37
Jen Nicholas explores how talking
care of ourselves is an important
part of our activism.
UNETHICAL
SHOPPING
Revd Michael Shaw on applying
ethical shopping habits to finding
a church at university.
HONEST
CHURCH
Find out more about
our latest campaign.
DISABILITY
PRIDE
Shanika Ranasinghe writes about her
experience of church as a disabled
person.
38
39
40-41
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.
2 MOVEMENT Issue 166 MOVEMENT Issue 166
3

Welcome to Issue 166
of Movement magazine!
Movement Magazine has been around for 50 years
this issue! Fifty years of colourful, deep, challenging
theological content from the brightest young progressive
student minds- yay!
In my keynote at SCM’s National Gathering this year I
talked about student christian movements as being
catalysts for the ecumenical movement through their mission. I ended with,
“Young people, as demonstrated by these three examples [Joe Oldham, Allan
Boesak and Kathy Galloway], have been a breath of fresh air for the churches
through the ecumenical movement. We’re freer, more direct in our thinking,
hopeful for the future, passionate, aware, awake and not held down by
responsibilities or loyalties yet. For some ecumenical instruments they are at the
point of thinking that their including young people is radical. Yet our exclusion
is what is a radical break from the ecumenical formation. Prophetic gifts and
thinking are not confined to those in established positions of power. I’m scared
we have forgotten our legacy in the ecumenical world, and also the power of
the ecumenical movement. The church is called to be disciples to the world by
serving God’s life-flourishing mission in the world- but our beloved institutions
have always needed a little help with that. The missionary movement, for all its
faults, pushed the Western church out of its comfortable superiority- finally, but
this was a parachurch movement that exposed the church to the world. Our
churches need to be exposed and challenged and I’m pretty bored with how
comfortable they are in their cushy relationships, choosing to be in the world
when it suits them or ignore difficult conversations or actions with the false
phrasing of staying together.” The event theme of ‘Reinventing Radical’ also
pushed us to think about how we can best live in the world as disciples of Jesus.
Whilst reflecting on this theme a quote from Allan Boesak that talked about how
being a true friend to the church may not always look like being the church’s ally
stuck out to me. I hope this 50 year anniversary issue of Movement continues
our brave thinking, inclusive nature, and loving outreach.
In this issue we have a fabulous article published by the winner of the essay
competition, Honey, who uses dialogue, diversity and dystopia to paint a picture
about the future of a radical SCM, and a snippet from SCM’s CEO Naomi’s
wonderful keynote at the gathering. Our interview is with the lovely Doral Hayes
who has just started a new role with Churches Together in England, and we
have part two of Sam’s journey connecting Bonhoeffer to the disappearances
in Mexico. AS always, there’s the usual news from SCM, information about
upcoming events and the reviews section. Happy new academic year everyone.
VICTORIA TURNER
MOVEMENT EDITOR AND PHD CANDIDATE,
WORLD CHRISTIANITY, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
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
Movement is published by the
Student Christian Movement (SCM)
and is distributed free to all
members, groups and supporters.
Our vision is of SCM as a generous
community, expressing a lived faith
in Jesus Christ where social action
meets prayerful devotion. We seek
to be both a radical voice for equality
and justice, and a safe home for
progressive Christian students.
SCM staff: CEO: Revd Naomi
Nixon, Operations Manager: Lisa
Murphy, Communications and
Marketing Officer: Ruth Harvey,
Faith in Action Project Workers:
Lizzy Norman-Sargent and Alana
Romagnoli, Movement Administrator:
John Wallace-Howell, Finance and
Fundraising Administrator: Jenna
Nicholas, Fundraiser: Sophie Mitchell.
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 is a registered charity in England
and Wales, number 1125640, and in
Scotland, number SC048506.
© 2022 Student Christian Movement
Design: penguinboy.net &
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COMING UP
WELCOME WEEK ON ZOOM
GAMES NIGHT
27TH SEPTEMBER
A classic welcome week event, the SCM Games Night is
not to be missed! Come along, play some games and get
to know other students.
BIG GROUPS MEET UP
29TH SEPTEMBER
Our virtual Freshers’ Fair with the opportunity to meet
local SCM groups and other students in your area.
SAVE THE DATES
STUDENT SUNDAY
19 FEBRUARY 2023 • ONLINE
Join us for a short online service as we celebrate the
Universal Day of Prayer for Students.
SCM AGM
24 APRIL 2023 • ONLINE
Catch up on the past year and elect new members to
General Council.
SCM NATIONAL GATHERING
JULY 2023
Come together with students from around the country
to hear inspiring speakers and spend time relaxing at the
end of the academic year.
FAITH AND FRONTIERS:
CHRISTIAN RESPONSES
TO THE MIGRANT CRISIS
17TH SEPTEMBER • ON ZOOM
Run by Faith in Action project partners, Project
Bonhoeffer, this conference will explore the challenges to
policy and practice that arise when people cross borders
to seek sanctuary. Specifically, it addresses the question
of what the Christian response to those who seek
asylum and refuge in our country should be and asks
what insights can be derived from the work of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer.
Confirmed speakers include Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin,
Bishop of Dover, Dr Ulrich Schmiedel of the University of
Edinburgh and Revd Dr Keith Clements. Contributions will
also be invited from groups who are currently working
on the ground to meet the needs of asylum seekers and
refugees in Calais, Kent, and the North of England.
To book, visit www.projectbonhoeffer.org.uk/events
TO FIND OUT MORE AND TO BOOK,
VISIT WWW.MOVEMENT.ORG.UK/EVENTS
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NEWS
SCM AGM:
MEMBERSHIP,
MONEY AND
MEMES
Held in April via Zoom, the key
themes of our AGM this year
included the changing nature of
members’ engagement with the
national movement following the
easing of Covid-19 restrictions,
and an update on SCM’s financial
situation following the restructure
of the staff team last summer.
After kicking off the meeting with
a quiz, reports from members of
General Council were presented
and the staff team shared a series
of memes to sum up their work
over the last year. One highlight
from the reports had been the
success of the Christians Support
the Ban campaign, and another
was the ongoing work of the Faith
in Action project and it’s impact
on SCM student communities in
particular.
Following a question-and-answer
session, members voted in the
General Council elections to
appoint new representatives for the
next two years. You can read the
minutes from the AGM at
www.movement.org.uk/governance
CHRISTIANS
SUPPORT
THE BAN ON
CONVERSION
THERAPY
Over 3,300 Christians have
signed a letter in favour of a
full ban on ‘conversion therapy’
following a campaign led by
SCM and our partners, including
OneBodyOneFaith, Inclusive Church
and Greenbelt.
Following the publication of
the ‘Ministers Consultation
Response’, signed by 2,500
Christian leaders who oppose
such a ban, the letter was written
by Christian groups who believe
that the only meaningful ban
on ‘conversion therapy’ is one
which comprehensively prohibits
the practice in all its forms, and
sought to care for those who were
negatively impacted by the original
letter, offering a loving, inclusive
Christian alternative.
Naomi Nixon, CEO of the Student
Christian Movement, said
“ ‘Conversion therapy’ damages
people, and it is wrong. We saw
so many members of the LGBTQ+
community hurt by the ‘Ministers
Consultation Response’. We knew
that the view that this horrific
practice should continue is not
held by all, or even most Christian
Leaders. We want the LGBTQ+
community to know that they are
seen and loved for who they are by
so many of us.’
The letter and list of signatories
was sent to the Rt Hon Elizabeth
Truss MP, Secretary of State for
Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Affairs and Minister
for Women and Equalities on 1st
March. The full text of the letter and
a list of signatories can be found at
christianssupporttheban.co.uk
NEW MEMBERS
ELECTED TO
SCM’S GENERAL
COUNCIL!
At the aforementioned AGM,
members elected their new
representatives to SCM’s General
Council. General Council is the
decision making body of the
movement, making sure that all
of the different parts of SCM fit
together, representing SCM’s
members and shaping the direction
of SCM’s work.
Emilia De Luca and Russell Frost
were elected for another term as
trustees, and Emilia also takes
up the portfolio of Graduate Rep.
Russell will continue as Finance and
Fundraising portfolio holder. Ciaran
Nevers was also re-elected as
BAME students’ rep.
Joanna Ramsey and Siobhan Doyle
were newly elected as trustees, and
Siobhan also takes on the Access
and Inclusion portfolio from Emilia.
Working alongside them will be Tom
Packer-Stucki, Louise Dover, Josh
Mock, Liddy Buswell, Josh House
and Victoria Turner, who all have
a year remaining on their term of
office.
Thanks were given to Patrick
Ramsey and Jack Woodruff who
came to the end of their terms of
office this summer.
To find out more about General
Council visit www.movement.org.uk/
general-council
RECLAIMING
RADICAL
On a gorgeously sunny July
weekend, members from around
the country came together in
Ledbury for our National Gathering.
Exploring the theme ‘Reclaiming
Radical’, the keynote speakers
included SCM’s CEO Naomi Nixon,
Movement editor Victoria Turner,
and Simon Cross, a freelance writer
and researcher, and trustee of the
Progressive Christianity Network.
On Friday evening during night
prayer around the bonfire, the
Community of the Cross of Nails
welcomed SCM into the network
by presenting SCM with their
own cross of nails. This marks
SCM’s commitment to working for
peace and reconciliation within
our communities and the wider
world. Later in the summer SCM
members visited Cross of Nails
Communities in Berlin and heard
about their experiences of peace
and reconciliation in a very different
context.
As well as three inspiring talks there
were also a variety of workshops for
students to participate in, including
an introduction to Christian
Minimalism and living simply,
facilitating digital communities, The
Magnificat for Ordinary Radicals,
exploring vocation, craftivism and
breadmaking.
To read reflections from the event
visit the SCM blog:
www.movement.org.uk/blog
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NEWS
LISTENING TO
THE ‘MISSING
GENERATION’
On Saturday 25 June, SCM Friends
and supporters took part in a Study
Day via Zoom. After welcomes, an
opening prayer, and a brief update
on SCM’s work, participants heard
from four speakers who contributed
to Victoria Turner’s new book,
Young Woke Christian: Words from
a Missing Generation published by
SCM Press.
Anna Twomlow spoke about the
church’s role in world hunger, Josh
Mock about being unapologetic in
queerness, Annika Mathews about
the church’s role in ministering
to young people’s wellbeing and
Liz Marsh about climate grief and
hope. Many of the contributors are
members of SCM, and we were
delighted that they spoke at this
event and shared their wisdom with
us!
We are hoping to have more events
like this in the future, as well as
other ways for Friends to get
involved with the movement. Do
look out for further information in
our upcoming mailings.
AN UPDATE FROM THE STAFF TEAM
We were pleased to welcome
Faith in Action Project Workers.
three new members of staff in
During their year in post they
February following the departure of accomplished many great things,
Simon and Deanna in the autumn. including the publication of lots
Sophie Mitchell joined the team
of resources including a social
as Fundraiser, and has already
action directory of opportunities
begun to build relationships with for students to get involved in local
the SCM Friends network and the campaigns, the SCM Cookbook as
trusts that support SCM’s work.
part of our Food Justice campaign,
Working alongside Sophie is Jen
and a Little Book of Peace in
Nicholas, Finance and Fundraising conjunction with our partners the
Administrator, who assists with the Fellowship of Reconciliation. They
day to day bookkeeping and general have also written many informative
administration. We also welcomed and reflective blogs on a variety
John Wallace-Howell as Movement of topics and have run workshops
Administrator, who will be the first with students to inspire them to put
point of contact for members and their faith into action and reflect
SCM community leaders.
theologically on current issues.
Lizzy and Alana will be greatly
In August we were sad to say
missed, though we are excited to
goodbye to Lizzy Norman-Sargent
welcome two new project workers
and Alana Romagnoli as they came
to the team in September!
to the end of their time as SCM’s
GROUPS
LIST
Looking for a local group at your university? Here’s a list of the SCM affiliated groups
around the country - they’re all different, but you can be sure of a warm welcome!
ABERYSTWYTH
CATHOLIC SOCIETY
Facebook: /AberCathSoc
Instagram: @cathsoc_aber
Twitter: CathSocAber
SCM BIRMINGHAM
Facebook: /scmuob
Instagram: @scm_uob
NEWMAN UNIVERSITY
(BIRMINGHAM)
CHRISTIAN UNION
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3jD7Dg0
Instagram : @CU_Newman
Twitter : @NewmanUniCU
CAMBRIDGE SCM
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3t9Tr15
Instagram: @studentchristianmovementcam
Twitter: @SCM_Cambs
SCM COVENTRY
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Ybx4Nc
Instagram: @scm_coventry
Twitter: @SCMCoventry
DURHAM JOINT
ANGLICAN AND
METHODIST SOCIETY (JAM)
Facebook: /jamsocietydurham
Instagram: @jamsocietydurham
EDINBURGH
ANGLICAN SOCIETY
Facebook: /EdinburghUniversityAngSoc
Instagram: @uoeangsoc
SCM EXETER
Facebook: /scmexeter
Twitter: @UniExeChapel
KEELE CHAPEL
STUDENT FELLOWSHIP
Facebook: /keelechapel
Instagram: @keeleunichapel
INCLUSIVE CHRISTIAN
MOVEMENT LEEDS
Facebook: /SCMLeeds
Instagram: @leedsinclusivechristians
Twitter: @SCMLeeds
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SCM LONDON
Facebook: /SCMLondon2
Instagram: @LondonSCM
Twitter: @london_scm
MANCHESTER
CATHOLIC
SOCIETY
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3BArQsR
Instagram: @manchestercathsoc
SCM OXFORD
Instagram: @scmoxford
SCM PLYMOUTH
Facebook: /SCMPlymouth
Instagram: @ scmuoplymouth
Twitter: @SCMUoPlymouth
SCM SOUTHAMPTON
Facebook: /scmsouthampton
Instagram: @scmsouthampton
Twitter: @scmsouthampton
WARWICK SCM
Facebook: /groups/christianfocus
SCM WINCHESTER
Instagram: @uowchaplaincy
Twitter: @WinchesterSCM
SCM
ONLINE
We also have a number of online communities where you can meet like minded people
and stay up to date with all the latest news from SCM:
FACEBOOK GROUP
LGBTQ+ STUDENT GROUP
SCM FACEBOOK GROUP
facebook.com/groups/scmbritain
For students and recent graduates, the group is a space to discuss student life, share
information and keep up to date with the latest news from the movement.
SCM LGBTQ+ STUDENT GROUP
This secret Facebook group is a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ Students to share
news, stories, events and prayer requests. It is moderated by SCM’s LGBTQ+ Student Rep
to General Council and other students, and there are also chaplains in the group to provide
pastoral support. To join, please email lgbtq@movement.org.uk
If there isn’t a group near you, why not start one? Get in touch with us at
students@movement.org.uk and we’d be more than happy to help put you in touch
with people who can support you locally.
DISABLED STUDENT GROUP
SCM DISABLED
STUDENTS’ GROUP
https://bit.ly/2YkDsSx
This group is a space to share experiences of being a disabled student and offer support
to one another. It is moderated by SCM’s Access and Inclusion portfolio holder on General
Council who is a recent graduate. To join, please email access@movement.org.uk
ONLINE EVENTS
ONLINE EVENTS
Throughout the year we will be hosting online events for students such as panel discussions,
socials and workshops. Follow us on social media or visit the SCM website to find out
what’s coming up!
10 MOVEMENT Issue 166
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11

INTERVIEW
DORAL HAYES
Doral Hayes is the Principal Officer for Ecumenical Development and Relations
with Churches Together in England (CTE), and she has previously worked with the
Association of Interchurch Families. She sat down with our editor Victoria to share
her experience of working for ecumenism and shares her views on the importance of
ecumenical relationships.
Hi Doral! Congratulations on your new role with CTE
as Principal Officer for Ecumenical Development and
Relations. How are you feeling about the transition
from Trustee to Staff member and what are you most
excited about for this job?
Very excited! I feel that having previously been a Trustee I
have a good grasp of the vision, role and strategic priorities
of CTE which I am delighted to be part of in a new way
going forward. It also gives me a new perspective to bring
to the staff team which I hope will be helpful. The staff
team at CTE are very committed, hardworking and gifted
as well as a lot of fun! I am really looking forward to working
with them all.
I am also looking forward to developing new relationships
with people from across the fifty plus CTE member
churches and getting stuck in to some of the challenges.
Honest, open relationships are crucial to ecumenical
work so this needs to come before anything else. I am
also looking forward to exploring the important role of
intermediate ecumenism, by which I mean on a county, city
or regional level too, as it is so crucial for connecting the
local churches and their ecumenical work to the national
churches and national ecumenism.
Prior to this you worked for the Association of
InterChurch Families, and for CTE as the Ecumenical
Officer for Hertfordshire. What did these roles entail?
Both roles were very varied, part time and I loved them!
At the Association of Interchurch Families (AIF), as well as
managing the day to day operations of the organisation
I was responsible for event organisation, the information
service including the website, and advocacy for those in
interchurch families - enabling them to be a voice in their
churches and an example that greater unity is possible.
At Churches Together in Hertfordshire I supported all types
of local ecumenical work and brought people from across
the county together in prayer, worship and service in many
different ways. This included chaplaincy, supporting local
Churches Together groups, local ecumenical projects and
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ecumenical charities serving their communities. I also worked with the regional
church leaders facilitating meetings and working with specific ecumenical
situations that needed support.
In both organisations I worked alongside people of great faith and commitment
and learnt so much about ecumenical theology, practice and importantly, lived
“I was raised in an
interchurch family.
My dad was Anglican
and my mum a member
of an independent
free church. The word
ecumenical was never
mentioned in our house,
we just got on with our
particular version of
family life...”
ecumenical experience.
When was it that ecumenism became important to you? When you
were younger what did you want to be? Was it the Principal Officer for
Ecumenical Development and Relations?
I was raised in an interchurch family. My dad was Anglican and my mum a
member of an independent free church. The word ecumenical was never
mentioned in our house, we just got on with our particular version of family life,
but when I was following my own vocational path I came across the Association
of Interchurch Families (AIF) and became increasingly interested by the call to
unity and the deep and broad faith of the people I met.
When I was growing up I had many ideas about what I might be, including
a lorry driver and a historian! I ended up working in health education after
my first degree and then in learning and development before starting work
in ecumenism is 2013. I never imagined I would be the Principal Officer for
Ecumenical Development and Relationships at CTE, I never imagined such a role
existed, but God has used all the ups and downs of my journey, both personal
and professional, to bring me to this point and I feel very blessed.
And you’re also one of us right because you’re doing a PhD? Tell us about
your research!
I am doing a part time Doctorate in Practical Theology at Roehampton,
researching what interchurch families have to teach the churches about unity.
I believe their specific experience of living unity every day, working through
the challenges of shared faith and family life have a lot to teach the churches
as they struggle towards unity. I am at the end of my second year of five and
moving on from the taught part to the research stage so I am currently wrestling
with my final proposal. It’s nice to think “I am one of you” - doctoral work can
be quite lonely! I think I would have given up without the support of my fellow
students and family.
How on earth do you fit in having a full time job and doing a part-time
PhD and having a family?!
Some days I don’t! My family are incredibly supportive. My husband is a musician
so neither of us have a traditional nine-to-five job. We are a team and support
each other in the things that are important to us and my teenage children are
really encouraging. They all keep me sane when it gets too much remind me
what is most important.
I was given some very wise advice when I returned to university to do my MA
when my children were much younger, which was “don’t expect to feel on top
of things”. Once I accepted that it was OK to feel that way I just kept going, and
I see my Doctorate as something that I just need to keep working at. Eventually
I will get there.
Do you find that you yourself are met with challenges when engaging in
ecumenical work?
Of course. We all have our preferences, our tender spots, areas of theology
and practice that we feel passionate about. Working ecumenically can be a
challenge, but Christian unity is an area I feel passionate about and so I have
to choose when and where, and importantly how, I speak out about the areas
of difference. Jesus calls us to deep unity but not uniformity, and we are also
called to be peacemakers, act justly and love mercy. Sometimes holding all
these in balance can be hard. We often want answers and change now - within
ecumenism progress is often slow and my family will tell you I can struggle to
be patient.
Who or what inspires you in your field?
So many people. Ecumenical work is filled with inspiring people. A huge
influence on me has been Dr Ruth Reardon, one of the founders of AIF, who
sadly died this year. Ruth was a lifelong ecumenist and theologian who had a
sharp mind and very warm heart. She was a dear friend who urged me to be
better and taught me the importance of patience. I have also been inspired
by the grace shown within ecumenical dialogues by those within the Quaker
movement over recent years around the CTE Fourth Presidency situation. I have
found this deeply moving.
“We all have our
preferences, our tender
spots, areas of theology
and practice that we
feel passionate about.
Working ecumenically
can be a challenge,
but Christian unity is an
area I feel passionate
about and so I have to
choose when and where,
and importantly how,
I speak out about the
areas of difference.”
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“Praying, worshipping,
advocating and serving
alongside others of a
different tradition helps
us understand our own
tradition better as well
as understand the
depth of faith held in
others and the different
expressions it can take.”
How do you think young people can become more involved in CTE and
the larger ecumenical movement? I wonder especially about our role in
local ecumenism?
All the churches are desperate for young people to get involved and this is a
real opportunity for you to have a voice. The churches are listening and many
young people I have spoken to really see the importance of ecumenism.
In terms of CTE firstly, subscribe to CTE News and start to get a feel of the
ecumenical scene. Depending on your passions and your denomination there
may be people or working groups you can connect with. I would be very happy
to hear from any young people who want to learn more and get involved. Check
out the vast CTE website too - it is a great resource and there are always new
things happening.
Locally, find out if there is a local Churches Together group or ecumenical
project. Many social justice projects are ecumenical and this is a great way to
start your own ecumenical journey as well as serve your community. Praying,
worshipping, advocating and serving alongside others of a different tradition
helps us understand our own tradition better as well as understand the depth
of faith held in others and the different expressions it can take.
You might be wondering why the word radical needs reinventing, or
reintroducing. In SCM we still use the word now and then but once
upon a time it was at the heart of what SCM had to say about itself...
Be prepared to be the youngest person in the room but know you are really
welcome, people will be pleased you are there and your voice is needed.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Ecumenical work can be hard but it is also full of joy. It is personally and spiritually
enriching and really worth the effort.
I like to say that it is serious work but we don’t have to be serious all the
time. Deep relationships and overcoming difference brings laughter as well as
struggle. Do get involved, you won’t regret it!
You can find out more about Doral’s work with CTE at www.cte.org.uk, and
about the Association of Interchurch Families at www.interchurcfamilies.org.uk
The Why and The How
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So why did the word ‘radical’ disappear from the SCM
vocabulary? In the early 2000s, Islamic fundamentalism
was on the rise and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the
London bombing, among others, created a sense of fear
which had far reaching consequences. The ‘Prevent’ agenda
came out of that spike in fear. Religion went from being
a minority pastime which didn’t raise any eyebrows to a
potential source of danger. Colleges and universities were
expected to monitor religious activity with a suspicious eye.
In this atmosphere retaining the word radical in a religious
organisation for young people would have been foolish. So,
at some point in the 2000s the word radical was dropped and
the fist of protest logo from the seventies was long gone,
replaced with the thought bubbles of the thinking Christian.
Why do we need the word radical back? Because the
planet is warming, because women’s rights are being
eroded, because toxic nationalism is rising, because people
are hungry, because queer Christians are being hurt, and
because the faith based on the God of love is being twisted
and used for hate.
SCM didn’t stop being radical when we retired the word, but
reclaiming the word is part of making sure we never lose the
mandate to push for far reaching change, for real progress
on matters of injustice, for imaginative theology which
challenges us and others, for pushing our way past the
religious bullies to find every student who has been excluded
from the community of faith to bring them to a safe place
to belong.
My suggestion for reinventing and reclaiming the word
radical is to say we need a radical morality. Some of us
have quite negative feelings about the term morality, and
I’m going to explore a little bit about why.
In the SCM office last week a lovely couple who met at SCM
in the 60s and still support us as Friends of the movement
sent me a package. The parcel was full of spectacularly
retro advertising material from their time as students,
including some lovely little cards advertising the talks their
group were doing in the Autumn term of 1966. One of them
was about sex. I had a feeling that the woman who was
bold enough to lead a talk about sex as a glorious gift from
God back in the 1960s was going to be pretty awesome, so
I looked her up. Dr Anna Bidder was clearly a phenomenal
woman. Aside from being an impressive zoologist
academic and co-founding and being the first president of
a Cambridge college, she was also a committed Quaker and
she held discussion groups for young people in her home.
She then worked with a group to write an explosive report,
Towards a Quaker view of Sex. This report was incredibly
radical, it rejected any notion of sex being sinful and it was
one of the first places where Christians put their necks on
the line to be affirming of homosexuality. What is that, if not
radical morality?!
But something happened after those years of unpicking
centuries of shame as progressive Christians. Somewhere
along the line we stopped using the word, moral.
I think the trouble is we’ve given up the idea of morality
to small c Christian conservatives. Now you might say
that’s because it is their approach to faith, to tell people
what they ought to do, and progressive Christians teach a
more questioning, more open approach to faith. Well, yes
but also no. We do teach some very definite things, let’s
take fair trade for example. Lots of progressive Christians
wouldn’t be caught dead with a Tetley tea bag. It’s a fairly
straightforward interpretation of Luke 10:7, the labourer
deserves to be paid. Likewise welcome of refugees, forgiving
of international debt, opposition to nuclear weapons.
These are things we are comfortable to teach rights and
wrongs about in the more progressive churches and in
SCM groups. Ah, you may say, but these are geopolitical
matters, the difference is we don’t teach personal morality.
Well, actually we do, it’s just a different personal morality.
We teach that we should respect a person’s pronouns, that
you are allowed to love a person no matter your or their
gender, that consent is vital in all contexts where we enter
one another’s space, that we have autonomy over our own
bodies. There are differences, but we have morals just the
same.
So what would a radical approach to morality today be?
What would widen our horizons to make more good
possible? We should get into the business of morality like
we got into spirituality, and not leave it to the Christians
with narrow interpretations of faith to do that.
We recognise that in each Christian person spirituality is
manifested differently. We are called to focus on different
areas of the spiritual life, and they are not all compatible, but
we don’t worry about that. Some people like to contemplate
in silence, some read, some create crafts or pictures, some
have mystical experiences, some like to sing for hours on
end, some love the liturgy of the Celtic tradition, some like
evensong, some use ancient spiritual techniques, some go
for a walk and a think. We are untroubled by the diversity of
expression of spirituality, we are comfortable that Christians
can be deeply spiritual and growing in their discipleship
while being entirely different in their expression of spirituality
from the person next to them in the pew. But we are not
quite so bold when we talk about morality. We do have the
same respect that there is difference, but it is rather more
muted, and we are much less likely to plan a course next
term on morality than we would be on spiritualty.
I think those of us who would call ourselves progressive or
liberal have two problems with the concept of morality.
Firstly that, somehow Christian morality sounds like it can
only mean a dour and heavy Victorian morality, with a side
order of terrifying American right wing morality. It means
the kind of Christian activity in the world that we go around
apologising for and unpicking in ourselves. It means shame.
Added to that there’s the uncomfortable possibility that
if we suggest something is a moral course of action we
might, in the end, turn out to have been wrong.
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Taking that second problem first, there are cautionary tales
from our own history as well as a lot of inspiration. And this
is the trouble with trying to live out and share ours views
of right and wrong. The same bright young Victorian and
Edwardian SCMers from the early days of the movement
thought it was right to evangelise the world with the kind
of missionary activity which has left scars of racism and
colonialism across the world. When Henry Drummond was
breaking open the hearts and minds of students by inviting
them to use all their critical thinking in their faith as well
as their studies, at the same time many were preparing
to go out and extend the kingdom with an urgency which
didn’t stop to consider whether they were being invited.
There was so much good and so much bad all entangled.
And there is a lot that we don’t know about that time, the
cautionary tale though, is not just to avoid their particular
mistakes, but to engage with right and wrong with a lot
more humility.
Humility isn’t really a word we associate with morality.
The kind of people that are enthusiastic about morality
are usually pretty sure of themselves. But knowing that
generations before us got some things so wonderfully right
and other things so dreadfully wrong shouldn’t lead us to put
our radical voice in the cupboard. It demands of us that we
use it carefully.
I have a whole list of things I have heard SCM members
talk about and care passionately about, at the moment you
wouldn’t find them anywhere on our website. We all know of
conservative membership organisations which demand that
members sign up to a statement of beliefs. That’s not the
open minded critical thinking or the loving inclusion that SCM
always wants to offer. And I’m not suggesting we change
that now. SCM will never be an organisation which demands
that there’s stuff you have to believe in order to belong.
But there are things a lot of us have in common when it
comes to things we think are right and important. The
environment, human dignity, Higher Education, peace and
reconciliation, and issues relating to the Church.
So we have an odd conundrum. We are cautious about
morality, but we have things we feel really strongly about.
The heart of the matter is that second problem; we are
nervous about the consequences of morality. Going back
to that 1960s talk on sex reminds us of one of the most
awful consequences, shame. We’ve all experienced times
when other people’s morality has directly or indirectly
demanded that we should feel ashamed. We’ve all heard
stories of people who have suffered the crippling, sometimes
lethal results of even worse experiences of shame. Shame
is centred on humiliation; it describes the degradation of
personhood that comes from the fear that we are worthless.
Quite rightly, progressive Christians have pushed it away to
make more room for the God of Love.
But, somewhere along the line we lost our courage to say that
we should feel something when we get stuff wrong. Think
of Marta Kauffman recently, describing her embarrassment
at the mistakes she made when writing Friends without
black people, and with jokes made of gay and trans people.
Anyone who read her words of regret would surely say it is
right to know when we are wrong, to say so, and to accept
consequences. One of the confessions in the Anglican
Book of Common prayer describes remembering our sins as
‘grievous unto us’. The term grief might be really helpful, a
real acceptance that something has gone wrong, and a real
feeling about it. But a feeling which, with God’s love and the
community around us we can recover from. Perhaps grief
isn’t the right word, perhaps sorrow is another, a regret
that comes with deep sadness, but throwing out any sense
of feeling when we have done something truly wrong was
never what we meant when we tried to eradicate the vile
concept of shame from the Christian lexicon.
So much of Christian theology and discussion happens
in very narrow ways. David Ford writes about this as the
different grammatical moods of theology. Theology usually
happens in the indicative and imperative moods, that is to
say in fact or in command. So ‘Christ is Risen, He is risen
indeed’ is expressed as fact, while ‘love your neighbour’
is said as a command. Both of those show that they are
very useful modes of language. There is an awful lot of
theology for which they are totally appropriate, but fact
and command get very tricky when we come to areas like
morality.
Ford offers some alternatives; questioning,
experimental and hopeful moods. I’d like to offer
another, a tentative voice.
In my PhD research I was trying to find a way of
expressing how Chaplains in FE colleges manage
to express sophisticated theological ideas with
gentleness and politeness. I discovered that the
Japanese language has a grammatical mood
called tentative, it is a way of speaking and
writing which offers rather than declares. I know
next to nothing about Japanese, but it gave me
a start to describe something important about
how some of us do theology, especially on tough
issues and in marginal places. The tentative
mood holds out an idea in the hand and wonders,
how about this, I think this might be something.
The tentative mood does not demand a robust
refusal if you disagree, it is comfortable and
confident that sometimes we are wrong. But
that the act of offering an idea is important and
worthwhile because sometimes we gain new and
precious insight which would have been lost if we
hadn’t dared.
Let me give you an example of what I mean
by being ready to be tentative as we explore
morality from a progressive point of view. For
this I’m going to use an illustration from that well
known Gen Z cultural touchstone the Antiques
Roadshow. They have a little segment where
they look at three items, three vases for example
and they ask the question ‘Basic Better or Best’.
There isn’t a bad vase or a good vase, there are
three and they are all fine. But the presenter has
to guess which is the least valuable, the middle
and the most valuable. There’s no binary there,
and of course, when it comes to judging antiques
there is a healthy dose of subjectivity anyway. But
basic better and best are a nice way of framing
a way into tricky moral questions. Rather than
fighting over who has the right answer we could
offer reasons why we think different ideas might
be better, we might listen to someone else who
suggests an idea is even better than that.
Take the direct action of climate protestors.
We all already agree here I’m sure that climate
change is an urgent problem. But what is the
right thing to do about it? There’s writing letters
and signing petitions, maybe that’s the basic
moral answer. But is it better or best to protest
in such a way that causes major disruption and
makes people angry or to protest more gently
and let the urgency of the situation slide by?
Rather than trying to fight about right and wrong
ways to get the message out we might find it
better to acknowledge what other people are
offering and see if we can build on it. Or offer
something better.
Morality is something I think we need to reclaim;
it is a radical move on our part because it is
risky, its risky because of morality’s historic
relationship with shame and its risky because
we will sometimes get it wrong. But the things
we need to be talking about are too important to
leave to a single and conservative Christian voice.
Tentativity allows us to use all that we know about
affirming one another and building consensus but
without apology for not winning a knockout blow
of fact and command style narratives. We have
all the resources to do this at our disposal, we are
good at listening and understanding complexity,
at holding things in tension which do not entirely
cohere but which are part of a picture we don’t
yet fully understand. We don’t need to know
everything and be right about everything to step
up and into discussions about what is good and
where God is in moral situations.
One of the most radical things we can do is to
offer out our hand and say, try this, I think it might
be something, I think it might be God.
Naomi Nixon is SCM’s CEO and a priest in
the Dicocese of Coventry. You can follow her on
Twitter @SCM_Britain_CEO
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MOVEMENT Issue 166
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RECLAIMING
RADICAL
Christian
Minimalism
We live in a world of more. More gadgets. More cars. More photos. More ‘likes’. And this
sense of needing to be more, to do more, spills over into our faith. We need to pray more,
read our bible more, attend church more, do more mission. There’s a never ending
pressure, nothing is quite ‘enough’.
We live in a world of abundance. In no other time in human
history have we ever had so much ‘stuff’. Yet, we are seeing
increasing levels of mental illness, a growing gap between
the rich and the poor and environmental degradation.
Here’s some statistics you might find of interest:
• The UK has the greatest amount of clutter out of any
country in the EU
• A recent Oxfam report estimates that the average
UK person has 67 unworn items of clothing in their
wardrobe
• The average UK child has £7,000 worth of toys, but
only plays with £300 worth of them
Yet, rather than see this level of consumption for the
madness that it is; we praise it. Having more ‘stuff’ is a
measure of success.
And we carry on buying more. More plastic toys, books,
new phones, clothing, laptops. We distract ourselves, filling
the emptiness inside with one more quick purchase. Only
for the fleeting happiness to fade and the cycle to begin
again.
ATTENTION
Alongside this, our ability to concentrate is being diminished.
Our lives are a series of constant interruptions – phone
notifications, uni emails, social media, advertisements.
In fact, recent studies have shown that our ability to
concentrate has gone down from 12 seconds to 8 seconds.
We are becoming no better than goldfish.
Each time one of these interruptions happens, our
conversations and thoughts are disrupted. We lose the
ability to be present. This not only impacts our relationships
but our ability to engage in deep thinking. The kind of
thinking that helps us understand others and respond to
the complexity of our modern world.
WHY SHOULD ANY OF THIS
MATTER TO CHRISTIANS?
In Matthew 12: 30-31 Jesus is asked which is the greatest
commandment. He replies “Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your
neighbour as yourself.”
Not only does overconsumption harm us all through
increased anxiety and personal debt, we miss out on
something greater.
In Greek theology there are two different concepts of time
that I’d like to touch on. ‘Chronos’ refers to chronological
time – seconds, minutes, hours, days, and so on. Whereas
‘Kairos’ refers to the quality of time. In Christianity we
speak of ‘Kairos moments’, times where it feels like the
earth is a thin place and we have a greater connection with
the divine.
To recognise the presence of God requires us to be attentive
and aware. Alas, in our busyness, we all too often miss out
on Kairos moments. Choosing to unconsciously worship at
the altar of hustle and consumerism, rather than sit at the
feet of our all loving creator. Where your attention is, there
your heart is also.
MINIMALISM
For me, this is where the minimalist lifestyle has radically
impacted my discipleship. Most people understand
minimalism from a design perspective, yet the minimalist
lifestyle is so much more.
In essence, minimalism can be defined as ‘the removal of
distractions’ or ‘the removal of excess to uncover what
truly matters’. Minimalists like myself seek to strip away
the unnecessary burdens in our lives, to embrace a greater
sense of peace and freedom.
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Most people start their minimalist journeys by decluttering
their homes. They recycle, regift and find joy in blessing
their community with items that they no longer use, and
others would find great value in.
The next step involves setting new boundaries to stop new
items coming into the home. This might be involve putting
up a ‘no junk mail’ sign, saying no to free promotional
items and taking photos of event flyers, rather than taking
the paper home with them. Instead of buying new items,
minimalists use clothing swap shops, take out books from
the library and build initiatives with neighbours to share
things such as gardening equipment.
Minimalism is not just about objects, but all kinds of clutter.
Commitment clutter, digital clutter and emotional clutter are
just as worthy of our attention. As we create more space by
letting go of our physical possessions, our eyes are opened
to other forms of clutter that have taken over our lives.
With regards to technology, minimalists are not anti-tech.
However, minimalists do seek to understand the ways in
which technology can be a hinderance to achieving their
goals, waste their time or negatively affect their wellbeing.
Most of us will aspire to spend more time with family, train
for that 10k run or deepen our prayer lives. Yet, how many
of us actually get round to doing those things?
In a world of streaming services and social media, we can
easily spend hours scrolling and bingeing our life away.
Again, social media and TV aren’t inherently bad. Minimalists
seek to be intentional in their use of technology and use
their time wisely to pursue their passions and interests.
IMPACT
For me, minimalism has radically changed my life. I’ve
become debt free, improved my mental health and never
felt closer to God. It’s not to say that minimalism solves
everything. Decluttering your life takes time and effort.
Simplicity isn’t simple, right? However, the further you are
along in the journey, the greater the space to breathe and
just be, becomes.
I was made homeless last year when I came out as
transgender. My life was thrown into chaos. Navigating
universal credit and the housing system was incredibly
challenging. During this time I was never more grateful to be
a minimalist. It was easier to move home, as I had less stuff.
As I didn’t really buy things anyway, my shopping habits
changed very little. Most importantly, I knew that I alone
was enough. Being in supported housing or having less
stuff wasn’t an indication of who I was. All that mattered,
was that I was on a journey to becoming truly free, with God
walking beside me.
Minimalism alone will not create an equitable world.
Capitalism will always look to commodify trends – the
corporate takeover of Pride parades is a key example. We
also need to be tackling structural inequality and creating
greater awareness of systematic ableism, racism etc.
It is interesting to see so many middle class folks trying to buy
their way into being ethical, when the most environmentally
friendly purchase is the one that’s left on the shelf. Working
class folks create the least environmental impact, simply by
consuming less.
For me, minimalism has enabled me to be more thoughtful
and spend more time on activism. However, minimalism
can be subject to individualism. This is why I came up with
the concept of ‘compassionate minimalism’, that seeks to
be culturally aware, intersectional and trauma informed.
In times of abundance and in times of being on the
breadline, minimalism is a useful tool to navigate the world.
In Jesus we see someone who gave warnings to folks who
took more interest in their possessions than the plight of the
poor. He promised fullness of life to all, but especially the
least and the oppressed. Whether you call it ‘minimalism’,
References
• It’s Official: The UK Hoards More Clutter than the Rest of Europe, House Beautiful
‘enoughism’ or ‘simplicity’ doesn’t really matter. What
matters most is where you let your attention lie and where
your love is found.
(http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/lifestyle/storage/news/a792/the-uk-europe-hoard-clutter)
August Gawen is a transgender Christian and minimalist,
and is the founder of Minimalist Living UK, which seeks
to help people declutter their homes and lives, to improve
their mental and physical wellbeing. You can find August at
www.minimalistliving.uk
• Love Island: Second Hand Clothes and the Trouble with Fast Fashion, BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60382624)
• Ten Year Olds have £7000 Worth of Toys but Play with just £330, The Telegraph
(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8074156/Ten-year-olds-have-7000-worth-of-toys-but-play-withjust-330.html)
• You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span than a Goldfish, The Times (https://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish)
• Buying less rather than buying ‘green’, is better for the planet and your happiness, University of Arizona
(https://phys.org/news/2019-10-greenfor-planet-happiness.html)
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DIVERSITY, DIALOGUE
& DYSTOPIA
A RADICAL LEGACY & RADICAL FUTURE?
WHERE SHOULD THE SCM BE GOING?
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of publication of the first issue of Movement
magazine, students were invited to enter an article competition responding to the
question ‘A radical legacy and a radical future? Where should the SCM be going?
The winning entry was written by Honey Harrop.
ARTICLE
COMPETITION
WINNER
‘Where am I going?’ is a question that most students have
to confront at some point or another. We have to dissect it
in personal statements, back it up in cover letters, and even
skirt around it at family functions. It brings a lot of stress,
especially in today’s world, where rising costs and political
disunity and 24/7 coverage of every disaster imaginable often
pervades our image of ‘the future’. How are we supposed to
know the answer to this question when it seems like the rest
of the world is avoiding it, too?
So, needless to say, it isn’t easy to envision our own paths,
let alone the path of a collective made up of individuals with
varying beliefs and priorities and ideas. But in a way, this is
the SCM’s greatest asset.
If I believe the cause to be worthy enough, I personally find
it easy to challenge authority. This is a characteristic that
has had me labelled as ‘difficult’ by many figures. Some
alternative characterisations are ‘politically-charged’, ‘woke’,
‘meddling’, and the word of the day: ‘radical’. Is it easy to
make judgments from outside the house? Absolutely. SCM
flips this on its head. From its humble beginnings, students
have been in charge. It’s a different type of authority than
we’ve become accustomed to, but not an unwelcome one.
We live in a world where an unfathomably exclusive club of
people have the wealth (and thus the power) to own whatever
their heart desires, to solve major problems with the sweep
of their hands, to set the agenda for global change. What
they choose to do, or not to do, is a separate conversation.
But in the face of these ‘paragons’, shared authority seems
inefficient. Diversity is shallow or performative. Kindness is
a weakness and mercilessness is desirable. It seems like
Machiavelli was before his time.
Remarkably, the SCM uses these aspects to their advantage.
While diving into the social and political climates of the time is
no easy task, having students at the heart of the movement
allows this to be done with grace and understanding. The
furthered commitment to local groups since the seventies
has placed heavier emphasis on the issues faced by the
student demographic regionally. But how have these
changed in a broader sense?
For one, higher education has become a marketplace.
A consumerist attitude has swept through campuses
nationwide, putting students in the position to make better
demands of their universities, but also saddling them with
increasing debt and stress. Students as a wider group are
looking for relief, guidance and a safe haven from these
issues. Some search for this in an endless reliance on the
nightlife, whereas others use isolation as a tool to block it
all out. Some turn towards faith, but- as I have experienced
first-hand- they are often concerned about losing the values,
priorities and identities that are integral to themselves. They
are scared of being swept up and conditioned to think and
behave and believe the exact same way as everyone else.
This is where our celebration of diversity comes in.
My grandpa hates trying new things. Bear with me on this. He
refuses to eat much outside of your traditional, unseasoned
British grub. This was the way that I was raised, too, but
coming to university helped me to expand my food horizons
(and, yes, actually season my food). I like to think of faith like
this. How do we know for sure that our way is the exact right
way? It feels kind of arrogant, right? Certainly going back to
plain old rice wasn’t going to cut it for me. The ecumenism of
the SCM fosters a sharing of practices and worldviews and
experiences that only serves to enrich our understanding
of our own faith. It leads us well beyond our comfort zone.
It helps us to think critically about our belief systems and
how to apply our values to the modern world. It realigns our
priorities.
I don’t doubt for one second that God places new concepts
in our way to help us think outside the box. James 1:5-6
states: ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let [them] ask God… But
let [them] ask in faith.’ He’s answering! God is not offended
by us asking. It’s the human thing to do; it’s the disciple thing
to do. I can’t even count the number of times that one of the
‘big twelve’ decided to question, prod or waver when the
Son of Man was literally right in front of them!
To take this back to the SCM: we are united by what divides us.
Identity, origins, beliefs, practices, personalities, aspirations.
I could go on. The movement already does a great job at
highlighting these differences, and encouraging others to
reassess their own attitudes. The ecumenical ethos of the
movement fully encompasses this, and has done since the
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emergence of this principle in the early 1900s. But I believe
that we can extend this.
Our differences within the movement are mirrored outside
of it. We have a reflection staring out at us in the outside
world. Why not reach out? We may be separated by causes
or geography or any number of factors. But to extend our
hands out towards people and groups looking for support is
embracing additional diversity and difference and challenge.
To meet, face to face, and have frank and deeply honest
conversations about our fears and faith, is to unite us in our
vulnerability.
The internet has provided us with an unimaginably powerful
tool for allowing peoples’ voices to be heard. There are
social media accounts and blogs and podcasts and streams.
People are lining up around the block to tell their stories, and
significant change can come about from a story.
Here’s my favourite example of this: Jesus’ parables. More
specifically ‘The parable of the two sons’ (Matthew 22:28-
32). One day, I was feeling stuck in my pursuit of justice.
Feeling unheard and powerless. I prayed and opened my
Bible right to this parable, and… To be honest, at first it was
completely lost on me. Cue the internet.
The main part that stuck out to me pre-internet research
was Jesus’ direct acknowledgement of sex workers being
welcomed into the arms of God. It really didn’t shock me that
Jesus stood up for or spoke about them (that was His whole
thing), but I guess it was more shocking to me that it wasn’t
subtext. It was THERE. Plain as day. So fun.
The mini-lesson from that was to never doubt Jesus’
outspokenness. Even today, that would be considered a
very radical statement. Why? When God, when Jesus, said
everyone is invited to the Kingdom, he meant everyone. No
asterisk.
The overall message of the parable is that the religious
authorities of Jerusalem were simply going through the
motions and not truly obeying God’s Law. Even those
considered the lowest in morals, the most looked-down
upon, the most judged, could serve God better. Truth that
being placed in a high place doesn’t guarantee an ethical
pedigree. Which brings me to my sticking point.
When you see someone aflame, when they tell you that
their heart is spilling over in passion and compassion for an
issue, do you walk on by? As God’s children, we are one.
My favourite part of Communion is the reminder that we are
sharing in one bread because we are united by Jesus. There
is always important work to be done! By me! By my friends!
By strangers! By you! By people who don’t even know God’s
name yet! It’s incredible to see, and who wouldn’t want
to support that? Who wouldn’t want to see the Church’s
individual blossoms along its branches accentuating the
fragrance of heaven? Its individual roots carving space into
the earth to keep us strong? Its multitudes of arms serving
whatever wildlife seeks a stopping place?
If we are in a position to respond to, or counsel, or
encourage any person set alight by a calling from God, it’s
our responsibility to do so. God may hold them, God may
stir them, but it shouldn’t be necessary to leave it all to
Him. Unlike the religious leaders of Jerusalem, we should
act. Nothing thrives on emptiness. Our movement should
serve as a wider network, a wider platform than it ever has
before. It should help sustain the dreams of its members by
whatever means possible. We can show radical unity, radical
love, and radical aid.
Yes, this message may err on the side of conceptual, and
this is purposeful. Because ultimately, who’s going to take
us there? Students. Individuals. Their varying beliefs and
priorities and ideas, united in community, for the common
good. The grassroots level that has always been essential,
but never more so than today. We are leading us. So we
will always need to work through the challenge of difference.
And we will always need to embrace the gift of difference.
We can do more with it.
It may sound cheesy, but in the end: wherever we go, we’ll
do it together.
Honey is an SCM member studying Politics and
International Relations at the University of Nottingham.
You can find more of her writing on the SCM blog at
www.movement.org.uk/blog
THE LONG READ
THE CATHOLICITY AND
SACRAMENTALITY OF
THE GEMEINDE IN
SEARCH OF OUR
DISAPPEARED IN MEXICO
PART 2: ON HISTORY AND HERITAGE
28 MOVEMENT Issue 166

Mexico was a Spanish colony until the independence movement in 1810. After
gaining independence, Mexico experienced an oligarchic rule that resulted
in Porfirio Diaz’s 30 years presidency. Together with constant land and soil
exploitation from foreign companies and countries, this political history created
the last insurgent national movement, the Mexican revolution of 1910. Since
Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, groups of
relatives of disappeared women protest
by placing red shoes to pay tribute to the
hundreds of disappeared women in Mexico,
28th January 2022. Credit: David Peinado
Romero / Shutterstock.com
then, a new Constitution established a façade of democracy which maintained
“During this
administration the
well-known disappearance
of forty-three students from
the rural teaching school in
Ayotzinapa occurred when
they were taken by agents
of the state from many
levels of the government.
This case is just now being
investigated with more
openness, access to truth,
and transparency.”
the same ruling party until 2000. This corruption brought struggles and strong
social movements since the 1960s. Since 2000, the far-right conservative party
with strong Roman Catholic roots ruled for two consecutive administrations,
from 2000 to 2012. The first, the election of Vicente Fox Quezada, generated
lots of hope, but led to similar experiences of corruption and impunity. The
second, the presidency of Felipe del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Calderón
Hinojosa, resulted in evident fraud from the beginning and started an open war
which inflicted more than 250,000 deaths. This presidency granted impunity to
some groups of people while emerging with controversial narratives calling the
good bad and justifying the bad as good, naming the public enemy ‘organized
crime’. Today many members of that cabinet continue to be arrested after it
was proven that they were themselves part of the drug business, or tagging civil
victims as ‘sicarios’ 1 or just ‘daños-colaterales.’ 2 Their operations are shown in
hundreds of cases which proved that when students or young people were
‘accidentally’ killed in the streets in the exchange of fire by the Mexican police
and army, this would be presented as less bad if all their personal identifiable
information could be taken and the victims deemed sicarios. In the worst cases,
they would be taken and never seen again, so the government and army would
never have to give an explanation or respond to justice for that casualty. This
has been sustained for decades through security institutions like the police
and army, the government, the national press, institutionalized religion and its
The sphere of the government is full of blood and death due to the open exercise
of a necropolitical way of life which has paralyzed most of Mexico’s remaining
public institutions. In 1960 some students tried to organise themselves but
were killed in the streets of Mexico City. In a small village in Guerrero, more
than six-hundred men were disappeared in the same decade and since then
their relatives are still doing searches with no sign of their whereabouts. In the
1990’s in the south-east, a strong indigenous movement raised up and took
to the mountains to try to defend themselves, organising themselves in small
villages and communities to respond to the wild and predatory exploitive tactics
of the economic and political system. After the increased violence of Calderon’s
“Enforced disappearances,
therefore, involve a
coordinated effort in the
government in all levels,
international economic
support in diverse ways
which allows the traffic of
money and guns, and the
façade of what is in the
media called ‘cartels’ or
‘organized crime.’”
theology, NGOs, the education system and all the international countries that
have advantages of this way of life.
administration, many local villages organised themselves into auto-defensas, 4
which are local armed police to patrol and defend their land and families from
signs of extortion, kidnapping, or enforced disappearances.
Mexico’s election of 2012 made no difference. The old ruling party came back
with the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto together with many state governors
that nowadays are also being arrested, proven guilty of corruption, involved in
international corruption and money laundering, or being guilty of introducing
guns and money illegally to Mexico. During this administration the wellknown
disappearance of forty-three students from the rural teaching school
in Ayotzinapa occurred when they were taken by agents of the state from
many levels of the government. This case is just now being investigated with
more openness, access to truth, and transparency. The case of the forty-three
students opened the discussion in the public sphere, and since then families
started to organise and respond to the Mexican reality to understand what it
means to experience the ninety-eight percent of impunity, the highest levels of
corruption, with no access to truth and justice in one of the most dangerous
countries to be a journalist, 3 women or a young person.
Enforced disappearances, therefore, involve a coordinated effort in the
government in all levels, international economic support in diverse ways which
allows the traffic of money and guns, and the façade of what is in the media
called ‘cartels’ or ‘organized crime.’ The ‘cartels’ are mostly young people living
in difficult and marginalized conditions who were recruited early in their lives,
either by force or by an illusion of a wealthy life that the system provokes and
sustains to exist to provide the soldiers at and from the margins to maintain its
existence. These soldiers are considered the disposable people of the world,
and once in it is almost impossible to leave. That is the reason why you never
hear that international companies leave countries experiencing these levels of
violence, because in one way or another all countries contribute and sustain
this system, they continue making a small minority richer and a far majority
poorer.
30 MOVEMENT Issue 166
MOVEMENT Issue 166

“So by going to the streets,
by their transgression of
spaces, narratives, speeches,
and even all possible
preaching or theological
ground, they took the public
sphere and started to shine
over such darkness: mothers,
fathers and children,
digging the pit, mourning
out loud and claiming back
principles of truth, justice
and peace while they ask
for the whereabouts of
their beloved ones.”
Revd. Samuel E. Murillo Torres
is a Postgraduate Research &
Divinity Teaching Assistant
at the University of Aberdeen.
This forms part of his PhD
research exploring the relevance
of Bonhoeffer’s theology to the
disappearances of Mexicans. Part
one of this article appeared in
issue 165 of Movement magazine
which can be downloaded from
www.movement.org.uk/resources
Facing this reality, institutional religion, the academy, and NGOs have tried to
answer in a way that brings aid to victims and those in pain and suffering,
but they do not make a real impact on the current system. On the contrary,
in one way or another these institutions are taking part of it as a way of selfpreservation:
reproducing it, justifying it and sustaining it. Lots of individuals
or even groups of people have been killed while trying to confront and face
the reality, but even their martyrdom ends up not harming The Puppet, 5 as
The Puppet has control in history and claims victory again and again. By being
formed by a culture of violence through daily homeopatización-del-mal, 6 which
it never questions, daily doses of evil and not even evil itself, this society falls
prey to The Puppet by being completely petrified and full of indifference, with a
narrative that this way of pain and suffering happens only to the bad, and that
when these things happen they will not affect those who perceive themselves
to be good. The Puppet, in its narrative of history and its claim to exclusivity,
rolls over all possible wounded human beings. It is a way of life that sustains
that all possible consciousness of the reality of pain and death is completely
cicatrised by development, progress, and success. This has been the reality so
far, until the families of the disappeared had enough of it, of believing to The
Puppet, believing in the system, believing in institutionalised religion and even
believing in people of goodwill. So by going to the streets, by their transgression
of spaces, narratives, speeches, and even all possible preaching or theological
ground, they took the public sphere and started to shine over such darkness:
mothers, fathers and children, digging the pit, mourning out loud and claiming
back principles of truth, justice and peace while they ask for the whereabouts
of their beloved ones.
Footnotes
1 “Perpetrators,” “killers” or “hitmen.”
2 “Collateral damage.” Justification of violence against civilians from the narco-president Felipe Calderon.
3 Number of killed, tortured and persecuted journalist trying to show the reality are huge. Mexico is one of the worst dangerous countries to do
journalism or to be an activist in the world.
4 “Self-defense groups”. Collectively form of citizens from a specific village organized themselves to control over safety and security in their town,
they are armed and volunteer with constant patrol to avoid other armed groups to come into their city. This have been documented by many
journalists and academics, Dr. Trevor Stack from the University of Aberdeen is documenting and doing ethnographies of this phenomena, see
Trevor Stack, Societal responses to crime and violence in Mexico consulted from Centre For Citizenship, Civil Society, & Rule of Law in
https://cisrul.blog/research-projects/michoacan (Accessed 5th August, 2020).
5 This is from Walter Benjamin First Thesis on History. The Puppet’s hand is guided by an automaton that pretends to make and establish a history
of humanity by overcoming the world itself. By The Puppet, theology is to be constantly confused from its past, its aims and intentions, its
relation with the Gemeinde on specific moments and pretends to be held in the myth of progress and idolatry of success to justify its annihilating
present and actions of death towards future. It forgets about real human beings and rolls over everything destroying it. This has corrupted not
only societies, culture but also academy and theological work in the world, which have taken people experiencing a true faith in God away from
the recognized institutional religion and theological institutions when being recognized as the automaton that preaches a gospel that ends up
with annihilation and enmity of life, human beings and the whole world. The thesis says: “I. There was once, we know, an automaton constructed
in such a way that it could respond to every move by a chess player with a countermove that would ensure the winning of the game. A puppet
wearing Turkish attire and with a hookah in its mouth sat before a chessboard placed on a large table. A system of mirrors created the illusion
that this table was transparent on all sides. Actually, a hunchbacked dwarf – a master at chess – sat inside and guided the puppet’s hand by
means of strings. One can imagine a philosophic counterpart to this apparatus. The puppet, called ‘historical materialism,’ is to win all the time.
It can easily be a match for anyone if it enlists the services of theology, which today, as we know, is small and ugly and has to keep out of sight.”
To be found at Walter Benjamin, Selected Writings, On the Concept of History, Volume 4 1938 – 1940, ed. Michael W. Jennings & Howard Eiland
(Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2006), p. 389.
6 “From a sociological point of view, the existence of the devil in rites, cultural, popular, and musical expressions in Latin America specifically
refers us to two processes that have always existed and to which today it is necessary to pay close attention: resistencia-informal (the informal
resistance) presented by the human groups against the imposition of the form and the homeopatización-del-mal (homeopathization of evil) in the
daily dynamics of both the community and individuals. In metaphorical words, the anomic behavior and tragic sensitivity that we constantly find
in human groups.” / “Desde un punto de vista sociológico, la existencia del diablo en los ritos, las expresiones culturales, populares, y musicales
en América Latina nos remiten específicamente a dos procesos siempre existentes y a los que hoy es necesario prestar suma atención: la
resistencia informal que presentan los grupos humanos frente a la imposición de la forma y la homeopatización del mal en la dinámica cotidiana
tanto de la colectividad como de los individuos. Dicho en palabras metafóricas, el comportamiento anómico y la sensibilidad trágica que
encontramos de manera constante en los grupos humanos”, translated by Samuel Murillo (Italics are mine) from Michel Maffesoli, La Tajada del
Diablo compendio de subversión posmoderna (México: siglo xxi editores, 2005), p. 15. La homeopatización-del-mal becomes the daily doses
of violence and death from where one society become use to it, until it gets to a point of justifying it and normalize it with the same narrative,
dialogue and speech from The Puppet.
32 MOVEMENT Issue 166
MOVEMENT Issue 166
33

FAITH IN ACTION
REFLECTIONS ON
BONHOEFFER’S ETHICS
As part of the Faith in Action
project, Alana, our project worker
for Theology and Resources, has
been running workshops with SCM
communities exploring the life
and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Here, Emily from Leeds
reflects on participating
in one such session.
At first I was intrigued to hear that the workshop we had
booked for our SCM group that week was going to be on
the ‘ethics of killing’. Originally, we had advertised that there
would be pizza, to try and attract more people, which now
seemed to make some light-heartedness of the topic!?
Perhaps why I was so intrigued when hearing the title is that,
to me, SCM stands for social justice. In my head the ethics
of killing and social justice didn’t fit as well as they maybe
should have.
The main focus of the workshop was the life of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer who lived in Germany during the second world
war. As Hitler rose to power Bonhoeffer had written a book
called ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ offering a radical Christianity
based on a radical Jesus. He acted against the Nazi regime
by rescuing Jews from within the German secret service and
was part of a plot to assassinate Hitler.
Is the murder of someone ever just? Where does our moral
compass come from? These questions transported me back
to my GCSE Religious Education class, a place I thoroughly
enjoyed, to the horror of my classmates, but a place where
my world views were quite different to today. Perhaps the
biggest impact was discovering my sexuality - not being
heterosexual as everyone, including myself, presumed
- opened me up to a more liberal, inclusive world view.
Whereas before I had quite a narrowed, conservative view
of the world being a part of the Evangelical Church. Back
then it felt almost easy to answer the ‘big’ ethical questions
because I took the Bible so literally, the theology was already
there! Now, understanding that the Bible really needs some
historical context to be fully understood, I have found it more
difficult to answer those same questions. This workshop
helped to challenge me to use my new perspective to
answer those questions again.
We couldn’t have had the workshop at a more relevant time
with a new war starting in Ukraine. Bonhoeffer shows us
that even under Nazi oppression we can still make justice
happen. My heart was lifted to see the Russian people
protesting against the war in Ukraine.
People protest against Russian attack on Ukraine near Embassy of Russia
in Latvia, 24th February 2022. Credit: Gints Ivuskans / Shutterstock.com
Would I have stood with them and become a part of a radical
Christianity that I had previously only admired? I hope so.
Debating the ethics of killing and the incredible work of
Bonhoeffer has shown me you don’t have to be so sure about
the meaning of particular verses to be part of radical social
justice. Liberalism doesn’t mean you have to stay quiet; the
main message of Jesus is to show love to all, including the
oppressed in society, and to act for social justice as a result
of this love.
This is one of my favourite quotes from Bonhoeffer so far,
which he penned on 18th July 1944 while in Tegel Prison: “To
be a Christian does not mean to be religious in a particular
way, to make something of oneself (a sinner, a penitent, or a
saint) on the basis of some method or other, but to be a man
[sic]—not a type of man, but the man that Christ creates in
us. It is not the religious act that makes the Christian, but
participation in the sufferings of God in the secular life.”
Emily Harris, Inclusive Christian Movement Leeds
Cited quote: Bonhoeffer, D. (2001). Letters and Papers from Prison: An Abridged Edition. Page 135. United Kingdom: SCM Classics.
Ruined medieval church in Montfaucon, France. The U.S. Army drove the Germans out during
the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in WWI. Sept. 26, 1918 to Nov. 11, 1918.
34 MOVEMENT Issue 166 MOVEMENT Issue 166
35

FAITH IN ACTION
RADICAL SELF-CARE
AS A FORM OF ACTIVISM
Over the past year, Faith in Action project worker Lizzy has been exploring with
SCM communities how our activism can take many forms. Following a workshop at
the 2022 National Gathering, Jen Nicholas reflects on the importance of self care in
our activism.
At this year’s National Gathering we ran a breadmaking workshop
and hosted a discussion about radical self-care as a form of activism.
While we were mixing bread dough by hand, a tactile activity that can
be incredibly therapeutic, we discussed the idea of taking time for
ourselves and how the act of nourishing ourselves – in this case with
tasty homemade flatbread – is essential for our all-round wellbeing.
What is radical self-care?
Audre Lorde once said “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is
self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” We live in a
society that constantly tells us that we are not enough. Whether that’s
to sell us an unending amount of ‘self-improvement’ goods or as a form
of violence against marginalised groups, the message is always there
and can be pervasive. By actively creating space for ourselves – to
rest, to be introspective, to work through trauma – we are resisting
the capitalist call to dislike ourselves and to continue consuming,
consuming, consuming.
Why is it so important?
You’ve no doubt seen the motivational quote “you cannot pour from
an empty cup”. While it is a cliché, it is also true. The bombardment
of advertising and societal pressure to conform can be exhausting
and all-consuming; the expectation that as Christians we have to give
everything we have; and the curated lives of our social media friends all
cause the cup to drip, drip, drip.
Jesus told us that one of the greatest commandments is to love our
neighbours as ourselves. But how can we do this if we do not make an
effort to love ourselves? It is a spiritual duty to look after ourselves
and create a space in which we can personally thrive so that we are
healthy and in a good space to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly
with God.
How does this feed into my activism?
As people who care about social justice and want to make a difference,
It’s so easy to take on the weight of the world. It’s easy to be demotivated.
It’s easy to feel like giving up. But by building resilience you are also
building resistance, and resistance is a cornerstone of activism. While
taking on systems of power shouldn’t necessarily be fun, it shouldn’t
be something that takes everything we have. And by taking care of
yourself first and foremost, it makes taking care of others somewhat
easier.
OK, but what has this got to do with bread?
It’s a loose link but bread is lovely and nourishing, and making it is a
great way to spend an hour or so by yourself making something that
you can enjoy or share with friends. Check out the recipe on the right,
and keep an eye out for the SCM Cookbook coming later in the year!
Easy Flatbread
Recipe
2 cups plain flour
1 cup tepid water
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
Combine all the dry ingredients
in a bowl. Make a well in your
flour and add the oil and
around half of the water. Using
either a wooden spoon or your
hands, combine until dough
starts coming together. Keep
adding splashes of water until
the dough is shiny and slightly
tacky to the touch.
Leave to rest in an oiled bowl
for around 45 minutes (cover
with a tea towel or some food
wrap) before turning out on to
a floured surface and kneading
for around 5 minutes, turning
regularly. Divide into 6 portions
and use your hands to shape
into quarter inch flatbreads.
Fry in a frying pan/griddle pan,
until starting to colour and
then flip ensuring both sides
are golden.
Eat lovely and warm or store in
an airtight container for up to
three days.
36 MOVEMENT Issue 166 MOVEMENT Issue 166

When we go to a supermarket or shop, many brand names often call for our attention. Sometimes we choose
a product because of price, or a deal. But more and more often people make choices based on their values.
That might be a fairtrade Banana, coffee or bar of chocolate,
it might be because we want our milk organic or in glass
bottles rather than single-use plastic, it might mean buying
a more expensive ethical t-shirt over a cheaper fast fashion
item. Marketers know that for many consumers values are
often as important to consumers as price.
and socially aware, and yet be part of a church community
where these values are not consistently held. I don’t want
monochrome churches, or churches where there is no
diversity, sometimes we need to be the change we wish to
see. But we cannot sit happily in a church that consistently
ignores our key values.
Yet when it comes to churches, we often make choices of
churches for other factors, maybe they have a great worship
band, a trendy preacher or the best children’s workers
around. We don’t often look at their values or ethics and ask
– do they fit with me?
I know they were a few bemused students here in Plymouth
when the church they attended was one of the many
churches to sign up opposing the ban on conversion therapy 1
but did they leave or find a church that would agree with their
values? Probably not.
When I first came to the church I currently serve, the official
church position was that women were not allowed to preach
or become Elders, but when I did a lineup of where the church
members were most of the church firmly disagreed with the
churches “official” position, a few didn’t know, just two said
that they agreed, and both of them moved significantly when
I started teaching on the subject.
Jesus in his sermon on the mount said, “let your yes be
yes, and your no be no”, what he meant was this, is that we
need to be people of integrity. We cannot say we are ethical
Many of us will happily shop around for a Fairtrade coffee in
a reusable cup, but are happy to accept whatever the church
serves, and in a single-use plastic cup too!
So when you arrive at your University this summer, why
not takes some time to do the research into what a church
believes:
• So they have a values statement?
• Do recent sermons include women preachers?
• Do they clearly state a commitment to being open or
affirming of same sex relationships?
• What about their social media – Instagram, Twitter or
Facebook, do they address environmental issues or is it
just full of Bible verse memes?
• Do they have a doctrinal basis or “what we believe”
section of their website?
• Do they have a link to a denomination or network of
churches, what do they believe?
Michael Shaw is married to Katie and lives in Plymouth. He is
a Minister of Devonport Baptist church, and is the free church
Chaplain at Plymouth University.
1
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/plymouth-christian-church-leaders-object-6745658
38
MOVEMENT Issue 166
MOVEMENT Issue 166
39

ISABILITY
RIDE
PROVOCATION
OR DISABILITY
“You don’t need to feel sorry for me – but you DO need to accommodate me”:
Shanika Ranasinghe shares her experience of accessing church and being part
of a church community as a disabled person.
Content note: brief references to bullying; non-clerical abuse; psychosis.
I have heard voices since I was 5 years old, but the
voices I heard from ages 5 - 20 were not psychosis: it’s
just the way my brain operates. I had no issues attending
church, for example; I’d go regularly with my family preuniversity
and was part of my parish community. The
voices, whilst always there, were mild and consistent
in what they said. This all changed drastically when I
began studying at the University of Oxford in 2007. My
voices exploded and quickly evolved into something
much more powerful than before. I was simultaneously
struggling to keep myself safe, whilst having very vivid
experiences of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Satan
- all inside the one same, small building. I struggled to
fit into the Roman Catholic chaplaincy’s devout student
community, but equally had no idea what to do or say
in my college chapel’s Anglican evensong (I could have
really done with SCM Connect!). Everything felt alien;
bullying from students and staff alike during my first
two years only compounded the feeling that I didn’t
belong there – or anywhere, really.
Determined to find community and support, I
approached the welfare services and fervently
attended chapel services within College. I experienced
the very best and very worst of Oxford’s pastoral care.
Both polar extremes of this care (including non-clerical
abuse) took place primarily within my college’s chapel.
I’d grown up with the strong belief that churches were
safe spaces: that nothing bad could happen to me in
them: how wrong I was! My voices, mental health, and
ability to attend church safely all very quickly unravelled
due to the abuse I experienced, leading to a huge
identity crisis. The Sunday obligation is a fundamental
cornerstone of being a Roman Catholic – as someone
who was given dispensation from this, where did that
leave me? Could I still really count myself as part of my
parish? Can one be a ‘proper’ Roman Catholic without
attending church? Was I experiencing the divine, or
am I just ‘mad’ – and are these two things actually
different? These are all questions I struggled with daily,
and for which there is very little support.
When the pandemic hit the UK and the March 2020
lockdowns began, the Church felt like an inconsolable
mess. Suddenly, everyone in my parish, the UK, and
the world, was in the position I’d been in for 9 years:
desperately wanting to partake in Mass and receive the
Eucharist but being physically unable to access church.
It was a desperately sad situation for all, yet I could not
feel any sorrow or sympathy: all I could feel was huge
anger at the speed parishes moved to provide forms of
online worship and community. They’d been able to do
this speedily when everyone needed it, but what about
when I had been left isolated, lost, and left behind?
Where had the Church been then?
I’ve slowly come to realise that we – as a wider Church
– don’t have proper frameworks for understanding
disability, both in practical and spiritual terms. We don’t
seem comfortable that God allows for disability and can
use it for His glory – many believe it must either be a
terrible thing that has nothing to do with God, or the
direct result of ‘sin’. This leads to misunderstandings,
poor pastoral guidance, and erasure of disabled
people’s vocational and spiritual journeys and practices.
We all need to do better. The Church doesn’t need to
feel pity for me or validate my religious experiences –
but it DOES need to accommodate me.
Shanika is a part-time music PhD student at Royal
Holloway, University of London.
MOVEMENT Issue 166
41

REVIEWS
WITH ALL
YOUR MIND
As an autistic Christian, I keenly
anticipated reading and reviewing
Burnett’s book on autism and the
Church, and it definitely did not
disappoint. This well-structured booklet
provides a brief look into the challenges
and benefits of the relationship
between the autism community and
Christianity. Each of the four chapters
is neatly organised, with clear headings,
and the work finishes with a helpful
summary. At the end of each chapter
are a few carefully worded questions to
encourage further thought, relevant to
both autistic readers and those looking
to open their worship to autistic people.
The first chapter offers a clear
explanation of the condition’s main
features, and covers all key issues
respectfully. Given the strength of feeling
on both sides of these debates, this is
particularly skilful diplomacy which
whetted my appetite for the nuanced
writing in the following chapters.
Autism and the Church offers a sound
theological basis for inclusion of disabled
people, understandable to the layperson
yet not overly simplistic. Burnett also
gives some basic tips on reasonable
adjustments for autistic people with
varying support needs, based on her own
and others’ experiences.
Personally, I found the third chapter,
Autism and God, especially engaging
regarding the overlap between autism
and theology. Burnett emphasises the
need for the church to accept different
ways of experiencing God and religion,
which, as someone who felt on the
outside of neurotypical Christian groups
for some time, I believe is essential for the
wellbeing of both autistic people and the
church.
The final section, The Spirituality of
Autism, also spoke to me on a deeper
level as an autistic Christian. Burnett
writes that God’s love comprises actions,
not feelings. Abstract concepts can be
difficult to grasp fully, but I know that
I can try to act in a loving manner
towards others. She also links God’s love
to a human’s innate value, regardless of
achievements or perceived ability, which
I think is a useful reminder for church
members, myself included.
Overall, I would highly recommend this
book for both autistic and non-autistic
Christians. It was refreshing to read the
experiences and expertise of a person
with autism, as it feels authentic and
relatable.
SORREL EYRES
With All Your Mind
Erin Burnett
Paperback
Isbn: 979-8442760453
EXPANDING
SCRIPTURES:
LOST AND FOUND
In this book, MacGregor explores newly
rediscovered scriptures and Biblical
interpretation through the lens of the
Perennial Wisdom philosophy. This
philosophy is not explained in detail
in this book, which can make it hard
to appreciate some of the author’s
finer points, but it appears to say
in essence that we are all part of a
greater consciousness and we may open
ourselves up to this further through
contemplation.
MacGregor chooses to focus primarily
on two of the rediscovered texts: the
Gospel of Thomas, a collection of
sayings from Jesus that may even
predate the canon gospels, and the
Gospel of Mary, which casts new light
upon Jesus’ relationship with Mary
Magdalene. The author shares his own
interpretation of five sayings from the
Gospel of Thomas, arguing that their
true message is the same as that of the
Perennial Wisdom philosophy. Key to
MacGregor’s argument for taking these
texts seriously is the astounding way
some were rediscovered. Is it possible, he
asks, that these texts were deliberately
hidden away by some cosmic force until
the world would be ready to escape the
shackles imposed by the creation of a
scriptural canon?
The discussion of Biblical
interpretation over the remaining
four chapters is wide-ranging. The
author starts with a criticism of
Biblical literalism, offering instead an
alternative based on practices before
500CE, and follows this by discussing
ways in which translation loses aspects
of the original writing (e.g. Psalm 119
was written in acrostic) and looking
at how we might apply science to the
question of God (though I did not find
this entirely convincing). He then
explores how we might reimagine
our liturgies to be less hierarchical,
suggesting that this is both more
accurate and more welcoming.
If I had one criticism of this work, it
would be that its 91 pages do not allow
much room for the author to expand
on any given topic. However, this book
is an accessible introduction to Biblical
criticism and an entry point for
understanding how people throughout
the centuries have seen God. I would
recommend it to anyone looking to
develop their faith in a new direction -
there are many ideas to explore!
PATRICK RAMSEY
Expanding Scriptures:
Lost and Found
Don MacGregor
Paperback
ISBN: 1789048664
YOUNG, WOKE,
CHRISTIAN
Victoria Turner’s much-anticipated
book amplifies the voices of thirteen
young church leaders and theologians
on issues of social injustice facing
British society in the 21st century.
Climate change, sexuality, transgender
identity, homelessness, disability justice,
interfaith relations and reconciliation
are among the topics presented.
Whilst they speak on a diverse range
of issues, the essays broadly share a
common structure, contextualising
the topics discussed with thorough
research, including timelines and
statistics, which make the reflections
and anecdotes that follow all the more
engaging, and the arguments set forth
compelling. The essays are united, too,
by the notion that the church has a
responsibility to address social justice
issues - not for the sake of encouraging
greater church attendance among
young people, but because they are truly
‘Gospel issues’.
Particularly powerful is Josh Mock’s
assertion that, on the topic of queer
inclusion and affirmation, ‘there’s
nothing left to talk about’ - indeed,
the apologetics have been done, and
done again. In light of the unyielding
pressure on queer Christians to engage
in discourse and debate, Mock argues
that the path to queer liberation is one
of embracing unapologetic queerness,
and resisting assimilation into
heteronormative and sanitised modes
of being. Certainly in the Church of
England, little progress has been made
since the publication of the Living
in Love and Faith resources in 2020.
More transgressive, direct action is
paramount, if the true Gospel message
of radical affirmation is to be heard and
realised.
Also highly noteworthy is Shermara
J.J. Fletcher’s consideration of the
integration of homeless communities
into the heart of Church life. Fletcher’s
essay exemplifies one of Young, Woke
and Christian’s greatest strengths,
of drawing together personal and
communal experiences and offering
models of praxis for the Church. In
this case, a ‘theopraxis of the homeless’
makes room for ‘unlikely leaders’ and
shares the responsibility of mission with
all members of society.
Young, Woke and Christian is a truly
refreshing and empowering read. If the
church listens to the prophetic voices of
the young people who have contributed
to this book, then it might realise the
possibility of being an institution which
sets the example for all generations -
what if social justice activists beyond
the church walls looked to the church
as an exemplar for inclusion, access,
and affirmation in all areas of British
society? That seems, to me, a worthy
and powerful mission.
REUBEN JENKINS
Young, Woke, Christian:
Words from a Missing Generation
Edited by Victoria Turner
Paperback
ISBN 0334061539
42 MOVEMENT Issue 166
MOVEMENT Issue 166
43

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