Movement Issue 171

THE MAGAZINE FOR CHRISTIAN STUDENTS
£5.00 WHERE SOLD ISSUE 171 SPRING 2025
INTERVIEW: SISTER
KATRINA ALTON
In conversation with
Melody Lewis
PAGE 12
TEN TIPS FOR
LIVING OUT A
RADICAL FAITH
PAGE 18
JESUS, JEWISH
FESTIVALS AND FOOD
By Revd Fiona Haworth
PAGE 26
REST AS RESISTANCE
Three perspectives
on sabbath from
SCM members
PAGE 37

CONTENTS
EDITORIAL 4
COMING UP 5
NEWS 6-8
COMMUNITIES 9-11
INTERVIEW:
INTERVIEW:
SR KATRINA
ALTON
12-17
Our Movement editor, Melody, sat
down with Sr Katrina to discuss her
call to religious life and vocation to
peacemaking.
FAITH IN ACTION:
TEN TIPS FOR
LIVING OUT
A RADICAL
FAITH 18-20
THE ORIGINS OF
BLACK THEOLOGY
Exploring the
21-22
foundational work of
James Cone, Delores Williams
and Katie G. Cannon
EMBRACING THE
UNKNOWN 23-25
We asked chaplains and youth
leaders for their advice.
2 MOVEMENT Issue 171

REVIEWS 42-43
JESUS, JEWISH
FESTIVALS,
AND FOOD 26-28
Revd Fiona Haworth explores the
importance of food in the life of
Jesus.
WHAT TABLES
WOULD JESUS
OVERTURN
TODAY?
SCM members reflect
on what issues Jesus
would speak out about today.
29-32
THE LONG READ:
HOLY COMMUNION
AS A RADICAL ACT
OF COMMUNITY
AND ACCEPTANCE
by Jacob Owen
33-35
Missing 36
Poetry from Foster Murphy.
REST AS
RESISTANCE
Three perspectives on sabbath
from SCM members.
37-40
MOVEMENT Issue 171
3

Welcome to Issue 171
of Movement magazine!
Hello all! As we welcome in a new year we also welcome
in a new issue of Movement, and I am excited to bring
Issue 171 to you all. I hope you enjoy it! Our theme this
issue is very close to my heart, and I do hope you enjoy
reading the wonderful articles our SCM community has
created for this issue.
When we think about faith and religion, it is often easy to
get caught up in the particular ins and outs of the exact
dogma of our respective denominations, while forgetting the very radical roots of the
teacher we follow and the religion we ascribe to. Too often, the life and teachings of
Jesus are framed in ways that overlook his revolutionary spirit – a spirit that challenged
systems of oppression, uplifted the marginalised, and reimagined community as a
place of radical love and inclusion. In this issue we bring you an essay on the Eucharist
as a radical act of community by Jacob Owen, as well as a compilation of short
reflections by SCM members on what ‘tables’ Jesus might overturn today. Through
these articles, we hope to reignite the smouldering ember of revolutionary action
in you and call you to make a change this year, perhaps by using our 10 Tips for
Living Out a Radical Faith, or maybe you will take inspiration from three of our SCM
members who have written about reclaiming rest as resistance.
The world faces innumerable challenges today, from the climate crisis and the
numerous wars happening across the globe, to the vast economic challenges faced
by people around the world. It is sometimes difficult to imagine what we can do in
the face of what seems like an insurmountable task of trying to tackle these issues
from our relative place of comfort in the UK. For this issue I spoke with Sister Katrina
Alton of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace, who for years has been taking part in
non-violent direct action as a way to challenge the systems of oppression in place
throughout the world, and do her bit to live out the faith that Jesus called us to. As we
navigate our complex world, we are called to grapple with the idea that Jesus was a
radical and that his revolutionary views caused so much discomfort among the ruling
classes that he was killed for his subversive beliefs and actions. This is a profound
image, reminding us that we too must utilise the gifts we have been given, whether
they be public speaking, our creative minds, or organisational skills, to make a dent,
however small, in the surface of the seemingly impenetrable wall of injustice and
hardship our world is faced with today.
Through essays, uplifting community news, and personal reflections, this issue seeks
to reignite our understanding of faith as a call to action, rooted in justice, equity, and
unyielding hope. Together, let us reexamine the power of Jesus’ example in the Bible,
not as a relic of the past, but as a living, breathing call to a better world.
MELODY LEWIS, EDITOR
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
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t: 0121 426 4918
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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.
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Operations Manager: Lisa Murphy,
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The views expressed in Movement
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to be the policy of the Student
Christian Movement. Acceptance of
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4 MOVEMENT Issue 171

COMING UP
STUDENT SUNDAY
16 FEBRUARY 2025
ST JAMES’S PICCADILLY
LONDON
Join us to pray for students around the world as we mark
the Universal Day of Prayer for Students.
SCM ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING
28 APRIL 2025 • ONLINE
The annual general meeting is an opportunity to find out
more about what happens behind the scenes at SCM and
what future plans are in the pipeline. Members also have
the opportunity to elect new representatives to General
Council – look out for more information about how to
stand for election!
NATIONAL GATHERING,
THEOLOGY DAY:
BEING AND BELONGING
21 JUNE 2025
ST PANCRAS CHURCH, LONDON
Exploring themes of identity and community, join
students from across the movement to hear inspiring
talks from our guest speakers.
BONHOEFFER
EUROPEAN PILGRIMAGE
14-19 JULY 2025 • COVENTRY,
COLOGNE, BERLIN
SCM has had a long association with the theology of
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and this trip will enable members to
immerse themselves in his theology by seeing the places
and people who influenced him and who went on to live
out his kind of courageous discipleship in the city where
he lived.
SCM NEEDS YOU!
We’re looking for volunteers to help
promote SCM at festivals this summer.
Email scm@movement.org.uk to
register your interest.
TO BOOK YOUR PLACE, VISIT
WWW.MOVEMENT.ORG.UK/EVENTS
MOVEMENT Issue 171
5

NEWS
SCM’S
CHRISTMAS
APPEAL RAISES
FUNDS FOR
MOVEMENT
MAGAZINE
Since the 1970s, Movement
magazine has been a space for our
members to share their ideas, delve
deeper into theology and inspire
others to put their faith into action.
Each issue is beautifully produced
and is full of exciting content that
is brought together by our
Movement editor.
We are very grateful to all who
donated to our Christmas Appeal,
and to those who helped raise
funds though sharing the campaign
on social media and with friends
and family. The final total raised
will be doubled thanks to generous
match-funding.
Movement magazine reflects who
we are. It has been a space for
up-and-coming theologians to
share their ideas for over 50 years,
and by donating to this appeal,
you have allowed us to keep this
vital resource going for the next
generation of progressive Christian
students across Britain. Thank you!
AFFIRMING
CHRISTIANITY:
PROGRESSIVE
EVANGELISM
In the autumn we were pleased
to launch the second resource in
the Affirming Christianity series,
Progressive Evangelism.
The four-part course was
developed in response to feedback
from the movement about the
need for an accessible resource
on the topic. The materials seek to
help progressive Christians define
evangelism in their context and
understand what draws people
towards God. The legacies of the
past and the doubts we carry are
integrated as part of the discussion,
and the activities are designed
to help participants to put their
learning into action.
Revd Naomi Nixon, CEO of SCM,
says: “As Progressive Christians
we are sometimes nervous about
evangelism. We’ve often seen
people put off God by negative
experiences of outreach, and there
are ethical questions about how we
share our faith responsibly. We want
to respond to the call to spread
the Good News in a way which is
authentic to our theology and tells
people about the God we love.”
The course can be run as a
sequence of four meetings or as
standalone workshops, offering
6 MOVEMENT Issue 171

flexibility for different kinds of
groups. The course materials
enable participants to think about
what the Good News is in their
own hearts and helps them to think
about opportunities to offer the love
of God where they are.
Course attendees said:
“This course opened up
good, orderly, hopeful and
directional conversations
about reclaiming
evangelism as a person
of faith and promoting
healing.”
“As the person leading the
course, I really appreciated
how easy the booklet was
to use, and I didn’t need to
do lots of preparation.”
“It was such an
encouraging course, and I
went away feeling inspired
to share the Good News
in a way that is really
authentic to me and my
faith.”
You can buy your copy
at movement.org.uk/
AffirmingChristianity
NEW MEMBERS
CO-OPTED ONTO
SCM’S GENERAL
COUNCIL
Following nominations from
members last term, Jacob Owen and
Lux Williams have been co-opted
onto General Council to share the
LGTBQ+ rep portfolio. We are excited
to have them join GC, the decisionmaking
body of the movement,
where they will support the work of
SCM alongside current members
Abigail Hollingsworth, Joshua
House, Michael Dickinson, Reuben
Jenkins, Anna Henderson, Samuel
Simmonds, Jennifer Blackledge,
Melody Lewis and Sorrel Eyres.
MOVEMENT Issue 171
7

NEWS
THE GRAND TOUR
Throughout the autumn term, our
wonderful Faith in Action Project
Workers, Phoebe and Soph, toured
the country to inspire students to
reflect on current issues and to put
their faith into action.
SCM Communities in Brighton,
Southampton, Durham,
Cambridge, Exeter and Keele
were visited, despite train delays
and cancellations, and less than
clement weather! The workshop
topics have included welcoming
refugees and asylum seekers and
an introduction to Black Theology.
If your student group or chaplaincy
would like SCM to come and run a
session, get in touch!
8
MOVEMENT Issue 171

SCM COMMUNITIES
If you’re a Christian who wants to grow as a thoughtful disciple, belong to an inclusive, queeraffirming
community, challenge injustice locally and globally, and explore a progressive faith, then
an SCM community is the place for you! All of our communities look different – some meet on
campus, some are connected with a church or chaplaincy, some are more of a network of like-minded
students and recent graduates, some meet online – but you’ll find a warm welcome at all of them!
Trans* Theology Group
The Trans * Theology Group continues to grow and this
term we packed our virtual bags and made the long journey
to our new WhatsApp chat. We have welcomed many new
members this year, and exploring new perspectives and
experiences, meeting new trans folk exploring their faith,
and allies wanting to learn and Do The Work is exactly what
we hoped this group would be. Seing it flourish has resulted
in many of us stimming with joy in our monthly social calls!
This term we have had the privilege of external speakers
joining us for sessions. They have facilitated thoughtprovoking
talks and discussions on the freedom of Holy
Saturday, the trans-ness of Creation, queer time and
vocation, and a Bible study that allowed us to explore what
happens if we start from the assumption that God sees
and loves our trans* and queer selves.
In an effort to use the grief and anger that we feel towards
the world’s decision to perpetuate and ignore transphobic
violence, we worked as a community to put together SCM’s
annual Trans * Day
of Remembrance
service. This is a
solemn privilege to
be a part of every
year. If you haven’t
watched this
service, you can
find it on SCM’s
YouTube channel.
We are looking
forward to entering our third year as an SCM community
and are excited to keep on exploring faith in a complicated,
wide, nuanced, and uncertain way.
The Trans * Theology Group meets online twice monthly. If
you’re interested in exploring our group further, please email
transtheologygroup@movement.org.uk for more information!

SCM Cambridge
At SCM Cambridge we spent the autumn term exploring the
theme of ‘Safe Spaces’. We looked at churches in our local
area and what does (and doesn’t) create a safe, welcoming,
and affirming space for everyone. We also looked at the
work we can do ourselves in our communities to create
safe spaces for the people who need it most, putting
our faith into action. We did this through our sessions
‘Homelessness in Cambridge and how to help helpfully’
and ‘Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Creating a Definite
Welcome’ led by the SCM Faith in Action Project Workers.
We ended the term by sharing a meal together and lifting
up our voices and instruments within our carol service.
keep the group on its toes, from the Keele chaplains who
have covered topics like their faith journey, Catholic Social
Teaching to whether there is scope for LGBTQ+ affirmation
in the Bible, to nerdier topics like Fantasy and Faith. And
that geek streak has definitely been encouraged by our
Chaplaincy Assistant Nathanael!
Our main focus has been the continual pursuit of promoting
a safe and affirming space where all are welcome. At times
that can be difficult to find in Christian circles, but there is
no doubt that such an atmosphere is continuing to flourish
within SCF after years of care, growth and a continual push
towards affirmation, shown by the fact that some sessions
are also student-led. This continued when we were delighted
to invite Phoebe and Soph to come and lead us in a very
thought-provoking workshop on the struggles that refugees
and asylum seekers face and the work we can do to help.
That work is centred on social justice, affirmation, Christian
fellowship and creating a definite welcome. And a definite
welcome is always something we at SCF strive to achieve.
Search ‘scmcambridge’
on Instagram
Keele Student Chapel
Fellowship
Our Student Chapel Fellowship (SCF) group is small but
full of curiosity and passion. This semester we have
primarily focused on hearing lots of different voices to
10 MOVEMENT Issue 171

Greater Manchester and Lancaster SCM have relaunched
this academic year. SCM Greater Manchester explored the
topic of ‘Theology: beyond the binary’, whilst Lancaster
SCM had a Christmas session with reflections on peace
and poverty.
SCM Exeter
We had a very busy, yet rewarding, first term here in
Exeter. Every member of our lovely committee has run
sessions this term, delving into topics from education to
the language of faith, and reproductive rights to climate
justice. We have become closer as a community over
show and tell, games nights, charity shopping and a big
Christmas meal, and very soon we’ll have our own SCM
Exeter hoodies and fleeces to match.
We’ve experimented with different ways of structuring
our sessions, including action stations in our faith in
action evening and co-led sessions. We can’t wait for
next term, especially as we’ll have use of the university’s
new Multifaith Centre right in the middle of campus!
Search ‘scmexeter’
on Facebook and Instagram
SCM around the
country
There have been lots of other great things happening
across our communities this term. Very excitingly SCM
Communities have also been doing lots of bible study this
term. SCM Coventry and Warwick discussed the story of
Hagar and the anointing of Jesus, with SCM Birmingham
reading through Psalm 46 and Jacob and Esau.
SCM Birmingham have also had sessions on the
Christianisation of the Andes and the survival of Pre-
Christian Belief, and lessons in interreligious relations from
South Asia. They also shared a film night, watching The
Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
Down on the south coast Southampton SCM and SCM
Brighton have taken part in thought-provoking and
challenging workshops. SCM Brighton had workshops
on Christian anarchism and welcoming refugees, and
Southampton SCM learnt about Neurodiversity and
Christianity, Discrimination and Linguistics, and Slavery.
The term ended with lots of Christmas socials. Inclusive
Christian Movement Durham made advent calendars,
Southampton SCM watched Nativity! together, and SCM
Coventry and Warwick shared a Crafts and Advent session.
No community at your uni? No problem! We currently
have people on the ground interested in starting
groups in Bristol, Oxford, Leeds, and Nottingham.
If you’re at uni somewhere else, you can either
get in touch about starting a group by emailing
scm@movement.org.uk, or join SCM as a national
member. Either way you’ll be connected to a
movement of like-minded, progressive students
MOVEMENT Issue 171
11

12 MOVEMENT Issue 171

INTERVIEW
SISTER KATRINA ALTON
Sr Katrina Alton is a Sister of St Joseph of Peace (CSJP) and the National Chaplain
to Pax Christi. She sat down with Movement editor, Melody, to discuss her calling to
religious life and being a peacemaker.
Would you be able to tell us a little bit about yourself,
particularly your calling to the Sisters of Saint
Joseph of Peace? How did you know that this was
the right community for you to live out your calling?
The call came slowly, very slowly, because I don’t come
from a Catholic background. I grew up in Northern Ireland
in the Protestant Baptist tradition, and I often hear people
say things like, ‘when I made my first Holy Communion at
the age of seven, I knew that God was calling me’, but I
certainly did not know that. As an adult, there was a lot of
undoing and unlearning that I had to do. Growing up in a
country where there is conflict, war, overt sectarianism,
and discrimination, even if your family tries to protect you,
it’s in the air you breathe. My uncles were all in the Orange
Lodge; we celebrated the 12th of July and burnt effigies
of the Pope. You can’t just turn round one day and go,
‘actually, I think God’s calling me to be a nun’. It doesn’t
work like that.
I studied Biblical Studies at Sheffield and I always say to
people that the degree saved my faith, because I met
people who took scripture seriously but not literally. That
opened a whole world of Catholic theology, and Anglican
theology. I had relationships, at one point I thought I was
going get married, but there was always something inside
me that thought: ‘this isn’t me, this isn’t going to work’,
but I couldn’t name it. Once I became a Catholic, I read lots
of Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen, I even
read the Catechism of the Holy Roman Catholic Church
cover to cover trying to find the get-out clause. There were
a few I have to say, as you can imagine, as a woman, as a
feminist, but you have one life, and you have to incarnate
it where God calls you to incarnate it. We’re incarnating it
in a mess and a muddle and in a flawed humanity and in
my flawed humanity.
Finding the sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace took a while,
because I knew that being a peace activist was really part
of my core. Once I knew I was serious about religious life
the door opened, and I discovered the Sisters of Saint
Joseph of Peace. The founder of our community, Margaret
Anna Cusack, was from Ireland, from a Protestant family
and became Catholic, so there was a sense of familiarity
there. All religious orders, and I would say certainly all
women’s religious orders, have amazing founding stories.
These women have taken such prophetic risks, but then
you must look at what are we doing today because things
get diluted and diverted, and of course the patriarchy of
MOVEMENT Issue 171
13

the Church loves the free workforce and tries to funnel us
into all the jobs they want us to do. It was important to me
to see and understand the work the Sisters of Saint Joseph
of Peace do today.
If you go on any website of a religious order you can often
read sister’s stories, so I clicked randomly on a story, and
it took me to Sister Miriam. Underneath her name it said:
‘Sister Miriam is currently in prison for having crossed
the line at the School of the Americas (WHINSEC)’, and
I thought to myself, I think these might be my women.
By this point I had a criminal record for civil disobedience
and nonviolent direct action, and I thought that this was
probably a place where I could live out my call.
You spoke a little bit about the challenges that you
faced when you were discovering your calling, but
were there any challenges that you had to work
through as you were going through the process
of discernment and becoming a full member of the
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace?
Lots. Religious life in the West is in rapid decline, bringing
huge challenges. When I made my first vows, there was
a twenty to thirty-year age gap between me and most
sisters. Most had known each other for forty, fifty, sixty
years, making it hard to feel part of that. Over dinner people
naturally share stories, but it’s like dining with your friend’s
family – you’re welcomed, but it’s not your story. There
were also cultural differences, most sisters were cradle
Catholics, Irish and entered religious life in their teens or
early twenties, whereas nowadays most of us enter in our
thirties and forties. I’d had a job with huge responsibilities,
a mortgage, I’d done all that stuff, had relationships, had
failed relationships. Letting go of that is hard.
The initial formation, though modified nowadays, was
set up hundreds of years ago, and can feel infantilising
if you let it. Taking life vows of poverty, celibacy, and
obedience didn’t mean I suddenly stopped having feelings
or stopped being a sexual being. I didn’t suddenly stop
having the desire to go mad in my favourite bookshop and
spend loads of money. Additionally, most of my family and
friends aren’t Catholic, they don’t get it, and it’s not easy
to integrate that part of my life either.
Do you think that your life experiences give you a
different viewpoint on religious life in contrast to
the other sisters who entered religious life without
having had any of those experiences?
That’s a good question. I guess for them, [entering
religious life] that was of the time. Many of the sisters will
tell you that they entered religious life as teenagers, but
that their biological siblings were getting married or going
off to train in a trade at a similar age. I can remember one
sister telling me that she did her nursing training before
she entered, and she said her nursing training was just
as strict and limiting as initial formation. In those days the
women lived in a nursing college where the rules were
very strict, so it was just of its time I think. I’m certainly
not better than any of the other sisters, we have just had
different experiences.
I think the other big difference is that anyone who entered
fifty or sixty years ago had a cohort of peers, both within
their congregation and among other congregations.
Whereas now with us being so few and far between,
it is harder. It’s therefore important to me to keep my
connections with others who are on this path of trying
to build the Kingdom in a radical, prophetic way, and
connecting with communities such as SCM, Pax Christi,
the Catholic Worker Movement is where I find my support.
In the 21st century, what do you think that religious
life offers the church and the communities that you
serve as a religious order?
I don’t think we offer anything better than anyone else. I just
think we’re another way of living discipleship. Community
should be key, to show that God calls such diverse people
into intentional community, and to be an embodiment of
that diversity. I think that it’s important that we create space
where those God calls are welcomed. Because of our vows,
we are able go to those difficult places, the margins, the
periphery. Religious life is seen as full of constraints, but we
have huge amounts of freedom. In an order like mine where
we no longer need people to be earning a full-time salary,
we can take on roles that no one can pay us to do. We
find cracks in society and help those falling through them.
Whatever choices we make in life limit us. Committing
to an exclusive relationship or having children comes
with responsibilities that inevitably limit you – that’s life.
Intentional community is vital, whether that be a religious
community, friends, or chosen family. That is where our
power and freedom lie.
14
MOVEMENT Issue 171

Another huge offering is our communities of prayer, which
should be open to others. The number of people living on
their own is going up, and creating space for prayer and
reflection is essential. Last year I lived alongside a small
Poor Clare community whose entire ministry is prayer.
They even zoomed services, inviting others to join. It was a
beautiful expression of their charism.
It is interesting that you position religious life as a
freedom, as I imagine you are often singled out and
marked as different for the decision you have made
to enter religious life. Would you say you experience
this at all?
I guess I’m what my brother calls a secret nun because we
don’t have a habit. I can sit on the train, and somebody
will start chatting, or they’ll be effing and jeffing, and we’ll
have an amazing conversation. They might pour their hearts
out about a personal issue or go on a political rant. I often
MOVEMENT Issue 171
sit there thinking, ‘at what point do I tell them who I am?’
Sometimes I don’t because they don’t ask, but usually,
they’ll say, ‘so where are you going? What do you do?’ I’ll
reply that I’m travelling for work as a Catholic sister. Young
people sometimes ask what that means and that’s always
a beautiful conversation because at best they might say,
‘what, like Sister Act?’ I think there’s both a blessing and a
curse in not wearing a habit. I wouldn’t want to wear one daily
because part of my calling is to be present and accompany
people. I don’t need to be seen. At demonstrations or at
vigils, people grumble that there are no Christians present,
and I think, ‘no, I’m here!’ Orders that wear habits in specific
situations are helpful. In my day-to-day life, people don’t
know I’m a sister and that’s OK.
As the chaplain for Pax Christi, could you explain a bit
more about what it does and your role there?
Pax Christi is the international Catholic peace movement.
15

We’re on every continent, and in the UK we have Pax
Christi England and Wales, while Scotland now has its
own branch. As chaplain, my role is to accompany the
movement and offer spiritual and theological reflection on
what we do and why because, like any organisation, you
can end up just doing things without deeper reflection. I sit
on the executive and through that I have a voice to help us
reflect more deeply on what we’re doing.
I’m particularly interested in the spirituality of nonviolence.
We’ve set up a working group to explore that, and create
resources. My other passion is working with young people
and young adults. Like many Catholic movements, the
number of young adults is small, so we’re starting a project
to help enable people in their twenties and thirties to find
their voice and place in the movement. That’s what gives
me energy, hope, and life – a new way of seeing things.
Do you think Pax Christi fits into the life of the Catholic
Church as an institution, or do you think that it exists
outside of those structures and therefore is able to
criticise or take action on the church when necessary?
I would say it’s within the Catholic Church. It’s a movement
that’s recognised and approved by the Church and we work
alongside the Church. At times, that’s easy. At the heart of
peace is being pro-life, but not just in the context of the
traditional Catholic issues of abortion or euthanasia. It’s
also about the violence of war, racism, injustice, poverty,
and more. Sometimes it’s easy for us to work alongside the
Church and sometimes it’s more difficult.
We’re a member-led organisation, with over one thousand
members who share their voices in their parishes and
dioceses. Our campaigning has focussed on issues such
as anti-nuclear campaigning, stopping the arms trade, and
solidarity with Palestine. In recent years there’s been a
reclaimed focus on nonviolence. Seeing the world through
that lens brings transformation. Whether in interpersonal
relationships or broader issues like mental health provision,
addressing life through nonviolence helps tackle issues
and power dynamics. This tool is something we want to
share within the Church and beyond.
A big part of the work that you’ve done is peace-making,
to the extent that you mentioned you’ve got a criminal
record. What sorts of things have you done that have
involved nonviolent direct action and how have they
impacted the causes that you’ve been working for?
I am the last person who would have ever thought I would
have taken part in nonviolent direct action, arrestable
action. I cut my political teeth in the trade union movement,
which I saw as a way to bring about change. Over the years
I realised you need every tool in the toolbox of change,
from writing a petition, to signing a petition, to writing
a letter to your MP, to going on a march. The Iraq War
was a big turning point. Millions protested, but the Labour
government ignored us and went to war. I remember
someone saying to me, ‘imagine if even ten percent of us
had sat down and refused to move’. Imagine if roughly a
million people had risked arrest that day. The system would
have ground to a halt. That made me realise sometimes
you have to take the next step. I live in a society where
most rules and laws are for the common good, but when
rules and laws bring death and suffering to my brothers
and sisters in other parts of the world, then if all the other
means haven’t worked, you have to be willing to put your
body on the line.
My first action against the arms trade was in 2009. There
were just two of us. The arms dealers were arriving and
I’ve never been so frightened. My knees were shaking as
we threw red paint over the arms fair signage, knelt, and
prayed the litany of resistance. We thought we would be
arrested immediately. But we threw the paint and knelt
down and nothing happened. None of the arms dealers
could look us in the eyes. It took 45 minutes for the police
to arrive. When an officer asked if we had done it, I replied,
‘yes’, and explained that I was now praying. He started to
let us finish our prayers but I think after about ten minutes
he realised we weren’t going to stop. The ruined sign was
replaced but a gust of wind knocked it over, straight into
the pool of red paint left on the floor.
We haven’t stopped the arms fair, but movements grow
through action. Direct action sends a powerful message
but it needs people willing to take risks. I also acknowledge
that I come from a real place of privilege. I have a British
passport, and I’m white and middle-aged. I’m now middle
class. The risks for me are small, perhaps a night in a cell or
a court fine. The only difficulty I have encountered has been
trying to get a visa to visit the other sisters of our order in
16 MOVEMENT Issue 171

the US, that has been very challenging. Yet compared to
the arms used in wars against people in Yemen, Palestine,
and Lebanon, this feels like a small act of solidarity.
It is interesting that you mentioned that prayer formed
such an important part of your direct action. How do
you find that prayer plays into your peace-making,
and how does it sustain you in your day-to-day life?
Henri Nouwen says that prayer is resistance and resistance
is prayer, and to that I just say ‘Amen.’ When you are outside
of something, you tend to have a particular preconceived
image of that thing in your head. When I first got involved
in direct action I thought, ‘these people are amazing, they
must be doing it all the time’, but of course we are not
engaging in direct action all the time. As a sister, I spend
a huge amount of time in prayer before I do anything, but
prayer is part of direct action, and part of effective direct
action, because direct action does go wrong sometimes.
There are various times where I have seen direct action
taking place and I have thought to myself that that wasn’t
the right target, or the right time, or the right place.
Discernment and prayer are so important to direct action,
because it can be scary.
If you are trying to disarm your own heart, so that the
prayer isn’t just for the victims of war but for the arms
manufacturers and for the arms dealers too, they too will
have their hearts disarmed. Martin Luther King talks about
nonviolence, saying that it is not about labelling people as
evil, it’s about trying to break those systemic injustices and
bring about dialogue, reconciliation, and change. Prayer is
a really powerful way of naming the injustice we see in
the world and bringing our resistance to the street. For
example, if a friend tells you they’re sick, you want to go to
their bedside and pray with them, you want to be close to
them in the disease. And for me, praying on the street, by
going to the Ministry of Defence, by going to the arms fair, I
am praying at the point of disease. I am praying at the point
of illness and sickness in our society.
Do you have any advice for any of our readers who
are interested in getting involved in nonviolent direct
action but don’t really know where to start?
I always say to people, think about what it is that breaks
your heart. Is it the arms trade? Is it Palestine? Is it the
climate emergency? Is it gender violence? Because that
heartbreak is where God is found in the pain and suffering.
Then find other people that are already involved in some
way because you need community.
That community, especially a community centred on faithbased
action, may not exist, so you might have to start
something yourself. When I first came to Nottingham in
2017, I discovered there was a gun factory here in in the
city, and there was no faith-based action protesting this. I
managed to find one other Christian who was interested in
doing something, so we started a vigil. We weren’t doing
anything arrestable, but we started a vigil once a month,
and the Nottingham tram passes that gun factory so we
had a captive audience. Local people didn’t know this gun
factory existed because the arms trade is so shadowy and
secretive. Pray, and find wise accompaniers. Find an affinity
group and never do anything on your own, and I think it
was Dorothy Day who said even Jesus failed. Expect lots of
failure, lots of knockbacks, lots of bumps in the road. But
that’s OK, because I really believe it isn’t about success.
Discipleship is about faithfulness.
In our busy 21st century world, what one piece of
advice would you give to students and young people?
Well, I’d love to know what advice they’d give to me! I
think over the years what I’ve learnt is that, for me, prayer
time must be the foundation of my day. It gets lost unless
you make it your top priority. The only way I can do that is
if it’s the first thing I do, before I have breakfast, before I
get dressed, because I can have breakfast on the go if I’m
running late, but you can’t really pray as you are trying to
jump on the train. Ground yourself in that unconditional,
nonviolent love that will sustain you and wants to sustain
you. It’s a relationship, it’s not an abstract theology or a
pious spirituality. Our relationship with God is an intimacy
that should and does bring us hope and life, in order that
we can share that with those who need it most. Find
community, I’d say that’s the other thing I’d advise, and
I think from what I see, SCM is a wonderful, prophetic
example of that.
MOVEMENT Issue 171
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18
MOVEMENT Issue 171

FAITH IN ACTION
10 TIPS FOR
LIVING OUT
A RADICAL
FAITH
1. SPEAK TO GOD... Prayer is foundational to living out a radical faith,
and Jesus’ own prayer life is a good example. There are lots of examples in
the Gospels of when Jesus prayed – to ask for strength, to give thanks to
God, on behalf of others and also for himself. Your prayers don’t need to be
complicated, or eloquent – simple is good too!
2. ...AND LISTEN. When you pray, be open to God speaking back to you.
What is God calling you to do, to be? Ask God to guide you.
3. LOOK FOR GOD. The Quakers put it beautifully when they say that
they believe that there is “that of God in everyone.” All people are valuable
and should be treated with love and respect, not just the ones we find it
easy to. Pray for your enemies, seek to see others’ perspectives and be
open to how God is working through others.
4. BE A DISCIPLE. In the simplest terms, to be a disciple is to be someone
that learns. Read the Bible, immerse yourself in theology, explore other
traditions and use what you’ve learned to engage with the world around you.
MOVEMENT Issue 171
5. MAKE SACRIFICES. All of us can probably empathise with the
sadness of rich young man who Jesus challenged to give all he had to
the poor, and the trepidation of the disciples when they were sent out to
proclaim the Kingdom with no spare clothing or money. We cannot follow
God fully if we do it on our own terms.
19

6. HANG OUT WITH TAX COLLECTORS. We’re not suggesting
holding a coffee morning at the local HMRC office, but to follow Jesus’
example of seeking out the marginalised, the outcast and the stranger. Think
about who these people are in your community and share God’s love with
them.
7. FOLLOW JESUS. Go all in – faith is not just for Sundays and sunny days.
Quaker Advices and Queries 2 says “Bring the whole of your life under the
ordering of the spirit of Christ. Are you open to the healing power of God’s
love? Cherish that of God within you, so that this love may grow in you and
guide you. Let your worship and your daily life enrich each other. Treasure
your experience of God, however it comes to you. Remember that Christianity
is not a notion but a way.”
8. EMBRACE YOUR INNER CHILD. Put aside your pride, embrace
joy, seek simplicity.
9. REMEMBER, FAITH IS VERB NOT JUST A NOUN. As St
Paul reminds us in the letter to James, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied
by action, is dead.”
10. LET YOURSELF BE CARRIED. We are not made to be alone,
but in community with one another. When things are hard, let yourself be
supported and loved by God and those that God has surrounded you with.
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MOVEMENT Issue 171

FAITH IN ACTION
THE ORIGINS OF
BLACK THEOLOGY
To mark Black History Month in October, Soph, our Faith in Action Project Worker
focusing on Theology and Resources, wrote about the origins of Black Theology
exploring the foundational work of theologians James Cone, Delores Williams, and
Katie G. Cannon for the SCM blog.
In his 1969 book, Black Theology and Black Power, James
Cone sought to bring together theology, politics, and the
Black Arts Movement to create a Black theology that could
be used universally by Black churches across America. At a
time when the Civil Rights Movement was at the forefront of
Black social and political thought, Cone’s radical theological
approach provided a basis for Churches and communities
to build their political campaigns around. Through bringing
together Blackness, love, and liberation, it seems Cone has
made an inclusive, radical theology, and the impact of this is
undeniable. Yet, Delores Williams and Katie G. Cannon, two
Womanist theologians, disagree. Their Womanist critiques
of Cone’s Black theology reveal how there is a gender
imbalance within Cone’s thought, with Williams and Cannon
describing it as a lack of consideration for the experiences
of Black women. With the majority of those sat in the pews
being women, the role of Womanist theology in critiquing
Cone is vital to create a truly inclusive and intersectional
approach to Black theology.
At the core of Cone’s theology is the concept of love, and
how there are many expressions of this. One of the main
expressions Cone explores is how love can be found through
creating social structures that do not oppress or dehumanise,
“Love’s meaning is not found in sermons
or theological textbooks but rather in the
creation of social structures that are not
dehumanising or oppressive.”
Cone, 1977, p. 149 1
which was a key aim of the Civil Rights Movement. Cone also
describes how God’s love is shown through the struggle for
liberation, but describes the call to service to reach liberation
as an expression of divine love. It is the love inspired works,
done in an effort to advance the Civil Rights Movement, that
Cone would describe as acts of social salvation, seeking
to liberate Black people from social evils. For Cone’s Black
theology, it is the pursuit of liberation through the works of
love which allows justice to become present.
A community-oriented, experienced-based, theological
approach to liberation and justice appears to be the
perfect combination with which to create Black Theology.
With connections to existing liberation theologies, Cone’s
Black theology appears to be a unifying force within the
Black church. However, Womanist theologians Katie G.
1 Cone, J. (1977). ‘Black Theology and the Black Church: Where Do We Go From Here?’ from CrossCurrents. Volume 27, Issue 2, p. 147-158.
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21

Cannon and Delores Williams, amongst other Womanist
theologians, critiqued Cone’s Black theology as lacking in
consideration for the experiences of Black women, instead
centring the Black male experience as the normative
one. They raise this concern and highlight how the
emotional labour of Black women for their communities
is an expectation of them and how this labour remains
unnoticed. Cannon and Williams highlight this through a
variety of critiques that draw on Biblical scholarship and
an intersectional approach to race, gender, and theology.
‘The cumulative effect of Womanist
scholarship is that it moves us towards
a fundamental reconceptualisation of
all ethics with the experience of Black
women at centre stage’
Cannon, 1995, p. 128 2
Williams’ critique focuses heavily on Cone’s concept of
love, and she draws on Exodus to do this. One aspect of
her critique draws comparison between the experiences
of Black women and the Canaanites, as the plight of the
Canaanites is ignored. I find Williams’ critique of Cone
drawing on Biblical scripture to be one which is fairly
under-explored in more recent Womanist theology, but this
critique is the most unique and complex one. Williams goes
on to critique Cone further, stating that he fails to explore
theology beyond gender divisions, but instead he upholds
them in his theology. She also argues that Cone reinforces
the idea of emotional labour being women’s work, but a
Womanist theological approach seeks to dismantle the
gendered divisions within Black theology.
Cannon’s critique of Cone’s theology follows a similar
line to Williams, explaining how the experiences of Black
women cannot be forced to fit within the confines of
Cone’s Black theology. Instead, the agency of Black
women must be understood as its own entity, and on the
terms of Black women. Cannon highlights how a grassroots
approach to Womanist theology allows this to happen; by
focusing on the experiences of Black women, and centring
their wisdom, Cannon explores how this can bring new
knowledge to the Church, and create a new space for Black
women to explore their faith. Cannon also writes about the
importance of Black women preachers in churches, and the
pressure they feel to prove that they are just as important
as the Black male preachers in the Church, and that they
are capable leaders for their communities. Cannon notes
how these pressures saw Black women preachers play into
traditional masculinity just to claim and hold power in the
Church. By taking the Black, male experience as the norm,
Church spaces lack the wisdom and experiences of Black
women, creating a gender imbalance at the core of its
theology. Cannon’s critique of Cone highlights how women
have become the emotional labourers, who lack agency in
such a male dominated and centric environment.
Both Williams and Cannon heavily critique Cone’s Black
theology for being so focused on taking the experiences of
Black men as the universal experiences of all Black people.
It reveals that Cone’s approach, though hugely influential,
does not fully encompass the experiences of Black women
within its theology. Instead, the work of Williams and
Cannon creates, and ensures, a strong theological basis
for Black women to access their faith through, and for
future Womanist theologians to form their lens within.
For further reading, check out the Recommended Reads for
Black History Month blog on the SCM website: movement.
org.uk/blog
Additional Sources
Cone, J. (1985). ‘Black Theology in American Religion’ from Journal of
the American Academy of Religion. Volume 53, Issue 4, p. 755-771.
Wickware Jr., M. (2021). ‘The Labour of Black Love: James Cone,
Womanism, and the Future of Black Men’s Theologies’ from Black
Theology; An International Journal. Volume 19, Issue 1, p. 3-17.
2 Cannon, K. G. (1995). ‘Katie’s Canon. Womanism and the Soul of the Black Community’. Continuum; New York, New York.
22 MOVEMENT Issue 171

EMBRACING
UNKNOWN
THE
MOVEMENT Issue 171
23

As the end of the academic year will soon be approaching, change is on the horizon for
many as they prepare to begin, or to end, their time at university. We asked chaplains
and youth workers to share their advice on embracing the unknown.
I am an enthusiastic forward planner. Whether it is a
spreadsheet, an app or a good old Filofax, lists and
itineraries are what gives me a sense of safety and
comfort. If I’ve researched thoroughly and made a plan, I
can be sure that everything is going to be ok.
When Jesus sends out his disciples in Luke 9, saying “Take
nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor
money – not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you
enter, stay there, and leave from there,” I’d be the one
pulling Jesus to one side and saying, “I’m absolutely not
OK with this idea. Give me a folder of maps and hotel
booking confirmation printouts, three different payment
methods and a packing list considering all possible weather
conditions, and I might just consider this arrangement.”
Of course, the reality is that nobody can completely plan for
the future. Even if you’ve carefully and strategically chosen
the perfect Uni, applied for accommodation, visited the
website of every church within a two mile radius and made
a shortlist of societies you’ll try, it isn’t going to go exactly
as you imagine. It can’t possibly. Life is more exciting than
that. Same goes if you’re moving on, not to Uni, but to a job
or some alternative training. And do you know what? If it
doesn’t work out exactly as planned, that’s absolutely fine.
In Acts 1, Jesus ascends into heaven, leaving his
disciples to get on with it, with the promise of the
Spirit to guide them. “It is not for you to know the
times or periods that the Father has set by his own
authority,” Jesus says, in v7. “Can you be a little more
specific?” I would be screaming, as Christ disappeared
into the clouds, “I have an itinerary to populate!” But the
promise of the Spirit should set our minds at ease. With
those first disciples, and yes, with us. Whatever happens,
you’ve got this.
Revd Hannah Alderson is the Lazenby
Chaplain (Anglican) for Streatham and
St Luke’s Campuses in Exeter.
Whether you’ve been through A-Level results day already
or are awaiting what is to come, August can be a month
that brings not just drowsy summer days, but anxiety
dreams and palpitations too. Will I get the marks I need?
Did I work hard enough? Will I succeed?
All this has got me wondering about what constitutes our
idea of success. Successful A-Levels and degrees are
undoubtedly ones you pass, no one can deny that, and the
cheers and sighs of relief as students open their results
will be testament to the enormous investment of time, love
and resource that goes into each and every one of your
years of study. And if, like me all those years ago, opening
your results brings only disbelief, depression and a whole
new set of worries, please remember that all is not lost.
You just have to have a more bespoke path to get to where
you want to go.
I wonder how we measure success in all
these things, and in all aspects of our lives?
It’s easy, isn’t it, to fall prey to the idea that our
success is measured solely by external things – our
qualifications, our certificates, our degrees. We
might also measure it by our TikTok followers, our
perfectly groomed eyebrows or our prowess on
the football pitch. If I’m honest, I know that
if I try to compete in any of these areas, I’ll
succeed averagely at best! As will most
of us – the very definition of winning at
something means that others will lose.
Instead, I try to measure my success
in the world by how present I am
to its wonders. Admittedly it’s
a challenge with the money
24

worries, climate fears and war terrors we’re all experiencing
to some degree. But perhaps these terribly negative
factors are the very things that make it more important
that we succeed at life. This includes succeeding at our
study and work, but also in appreciating the little things in
life; the blessings we already have; the small wins and the
gentle kindnesses. To live this one, precious life intensely,
to feel it deeply and to pay attention with all of our being – I
think that’s what success really amounts to. Living this life,
whatever it holds, to the full.
Revd Jane Speck is chaplain at York St John.
If you’d met me between the ages of five and fifteen,
I’d have told you that I was going to be a doctor. I
had researched universities, spoken to people, watched
Casualty every week – there was no way my plan wasn’t
going to work, until it... didn’t. When I spectacularly failed
my physics GCSE paper I lost my place to study sciences
at A level, which cost me a chance to do medicine. At
the time it was crushing, although I chose to hide my true
level of disappointment, put on a stoic face and applied for
something else instead. My second plan to study theology
ended up changing at the last moment too, because the
university closed their department a few months
after I applied. By eighteen, I was onto my third
plan, which was definitely not what I had
anticipated.
I share this years later, with the gift of
hindsight. It was during the season of
uncertainty that I learnt more about trusting
an unknown future to a known God. Perhaps
your plan is looking exactly as you expected
it to. Perhaps it isn’t. But both of those
are okay.
As Christians, we have a unique
perspective on uncertainty. We
know what (or rather who) offers
us certainty and for everything
else we know we can trust in a
God who asks us to follow him on a lifetime of adventure.
Whilst in the moment things might feel confusing, we know
that God calls us into the unknown. For me, there was a lot
of wrestling and questioning – I couldn’t see how any good
could come from the situation I was in. What helped was
to hear other people’s stories – both in the bible and of
people around me. In this season, surround yourself with
Christian friends, church leaders, anyone who can testify
to the journey they’ve been on with God.
In the book of Joshua, when the Israelites crossed the
river Jordan into the Promised Land they were instructed
to place some stones as a reminder for future generations
of God’s faithfulness and provision because God knows we
are people who forget. Maybe do that now – rejoice in all
God has done for you to be in the place you’re in now and
with thankfulness consider what happens next. Ultimately,
wait with hope as you embrace the inherent uncertainty of
the future. We know that God holds our future whether it
looks like we want it to or not. His plans for the rest of your
life, not just this next step are filled with hope and he will
be with you every step of the way.
Jenny Cavendish works for Youthscape in
the Innovation team. Alongside this, she is
a psychotherapist and works around the
world consulting to special schools on
trauma and self-harm.
MOVEMENT Issue 171
25

JESUS,
JEWISH
FESTIVALS,
AND FOOD
A challenge: before reading
any further just take a
moment and think about
how often Jesus spoke
about or referred to
food in one form
or another...

Perhaps the first examples you
came up with were the meals and
celebrations Jesus attended. Then
there are the parables, many of which have an
agricultural or food related theme. There are
also the ‘I am’ sayings of John’s gospel, four
of which refer to food directly or indirectly;
I am the Bread of life, I am the vine, I am the
good shepherd, I am the gate that leads to
good pasture. 1
Jesus was rooted in the life of the land; it influenced how he
thought and spoke. Living in a subsistence economy, food was
of vital importance and much of daily life was devoted to sourcing
and preparing food. This is also reflected in the religious life of
the time. For the people of Israel, making clear the relationship
between the Creator and the world he made was at the heart
of religious practice. Faith was rooted in the experiences of
everyday life, with meal times providing an opportunity to turn
again to God. Taking part in the Live Below the Line challenge is a
good way to begin to engage with what daily life was like in Jesus’
day; the extra time spent sourcing and preparing food, the limited
diet, the time freed up when someone else offered you a meal.
1 There is a good chapter on Jesus and his relationship with food in John
Bell’s book, ’10 Things they never told me about Jesus: A beginner’s
guide to a larger Christ, ‘ Wild Goose Publications, 2009
MOVEMENT Issue 171
27

As a Jew, Jesus would have said, morning and evening, the words also written on the
door posts of every house (Deuteronomy 11:13-21), which urge people to serve God
that he might send rain in season so that the people may gather in ‘grain, new wine
and oil’. Pasture for the cattle is also promised so people may eat and be satisfied.
These crops, the grain (wheat and barley), grapes and oil were offered in the
Temple (Numbers 28:9) and after the Temple was destroyed they were used on
the Shabbat table every Sabbath. This practise led Rabbi Yohannan (250-290 AD)
to say, ‘When the Temple stood, the altar expiated man [sic]. Now that the Temple
does not exist, man’s [sic] table expiates him.’ The offerings once made in the
Temple to the One Creator symbolising the prayer that God bless the earth with
good harvests, are now offered in the home every Sabbath, a tangible reminder of
our connection to the material world which is God’s gift.
The three great Jewish festivals, Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shauvot) and the
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), also firmly link spiritual practice with the harvest
seasons. The Passover commemorates the exodus from Egypt and its date is
determined by the stage of growth of the barley.
This is a critical moment in the agricultural year – the weather in the 50 days between
Passover and Pentecost is very changeable. If the winds or rains come at the wrong
time, the grain may be lost and fruit will not set. Thus the 50 days were observed
as a time of semi-mourning. The bible does not prescribe rejoicing at Passover, a
remembrance of deliverance from captivity; too much depends on what lies ahead.
Pentecost, the feast of first fruits, was linked to the giving of the Torah, leading to the
saying, ‘if there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour.’
Material things depend on the spiritual; the success of the harvest depended on
keeping the commandments. Even here, the beginning of the harvest, rejoicing is still
limited. It is only at the Feast of Tabernacles, the ‘Ingathering’ when the food for the
coming year had been safely gathered in, that the bible allows for three fold rejoicing. 2
What we eat matters. It matters because God is the Creator of the world, it matters
because Jesus came in the flesh, drinking and eating just as we do. It matters
because we are, through God the Maker of us all, in relationship with those who
grow and harvest and prepare the food we eat. It matters because the physical
world matters to God, who made it and blessed it and declared it good.
Revd Dr Fiona Haworth is associate priest at St Peter Mancroft and
coordinator of the Diocese of Norwich ministry experience scheme.
2 Information on the relationship between Jewish festivals and agriculture is from, ‘Nature
in our Biblical Heritage,’ by Nogah Hareuveni, published by Neot Kedumin – The Biblical
Landscape Reserve in Israel, 1980.
28 MOVEMENT Issue 171

WHAT TABLES
WOULD JESUS
OVERTURN TODAY?

The marginalisation of
disabled people.
I work with people with learning disabilities at L’Arche, a charity
striving for equal community for all, and to achieve this we must
broaden who we recognise as socially dis-abled. Our culture
categorises and puts into a hierarchy the disempowered: some are
afforded a pretence of dignity, such as sufferers of Dementia and
Alzheimer’s, whilst some are imprisoned, sectioned or deported for
being labeled deviant or unproductive. Selective IVF and abortion
can eliminate people with Downs Syndrome altogether. Jesus loves
all of these people equally and cries out for the world to be turned
upside down in co-liberation. When we look with a triumphalist
rose tint to the past, we miss the hell on earth the 20th century
was for those locked up and forgotten.
Jesus shows us that we shouldn’t be afraid to dream of utopia,
of absolute justice and equality. I think we can be tempted to
look back to the existing models we know, often inspired by 20th
century social democracy, in thinking what a Christian reimagining
of the world order looks like. Instead, we must be inspired by the
Holy Spirit to envision the – as yet – unknown. We can build a new
future in Christ.
Thomas Niblett
30 MOVEMENT Issue 171

Saying ‘I’m a little bit OCD’
If Jesus did my daily walk to placement he would see the sign
in the window that I see every day warning the passersby that
‘someone in this office is a little bit OCD’. In my head, Jesus would
react in a similar way to me: sigh, roll eyes, walk on. If he was
walking alongside me, he might squeeze my hand, knowing how
much seeing my disabling, horrifying, traumatising disorder being
trivialised through office decor hurts me.
Mental illnesses are not adjectives or personality quirks and
minimising them as this contributes to the stigma and fear
associated with asking for and receiving the support that can help
us thrive. I reckon every time someone calls themselves ‘a little bit
OCD’ for enjoying things being neat or washing their dirty hands
Jesus would be there nudging them and reminding them that
maybe, this isn’t the most loving phrase to use.
The ban on Puberty Blockers for
Trans* Youth.
If Jesus were to flip a table today, I’d say he would flip a table about
the ban on puberty blockers for trans * youth. He would be angry to see
a lack of care and compassion for one another and see how we have
perpetuated unnecessary suffering for trans* youth through political
decisions. I imagine he instead would want us to act with love for one
another, provide access to gender affirming care, and to embrace each
person for their authentic self, just as Jesus would embrace us. We see
this care for each other in Mark 2:15, we see Jesus share a meal with tax
collectors and those who have been othered by society at the time whilst
at Levi’s house.
MOVEMENT Issue 171
31

Expectations of where
God is present
Have you ever met God on a Friday night fish and chip run with a Muslim, a Hindu and an
agnostic in a tiny purple Peugeot whilst it is throwing it down outside? I have and He says hi.
When you’re sitting in a beautiful building with stained glass and candles, somewhere
that exudes money and security, surrounded by people who never show a single sign of
anything other than a perfect life, made even more perfect by faith, it is easy to believe
that God must be there. There appears to be a snobbery about where God would deign
to be present, which makes absolutely no sense. Jesus was always in the middle of the
mess, it was his favourite place. Jesus loved to go where others didn’t dare, he touched
those who were unclean, went to the houses of those you’d ignore in the streets, he
healed those who had spent a lifetime believing God had abandoned them because they
were too out of reach. Jesus was resurrected with enough dirt under his nails that Mary
thought he was the gardener. Look for God in the mess. God is there, in the midst of it,
getting Their hands dirty.
Exploitative Landlords
According to the housing union ACORN, rents in the UK have risen at record rates each
month, up by a quarter since the pandemic. Tenants across the country are just one rent
rise away from losing their home and their community. Positive Money UK estimates that
between 1992 and 2022, UK landlords increased their wealth by £400 billion, whilst renters
became poorer and less secure. Such financial insecurity, imposed by wealthy landlords lining
their pockets with the spoils of continuous rent increases, is unacceptable under the law of
Christ, who calls on us to build communities where all are secure and cared for, affirming the
intrinsic dignity of every human being. The idea that it is acceptable that a human right such
as housing could be held to ransom by a landlord, rather than guaranteed to all, is a sobering
example of the greed that has pervaded our society and economy. Were Jesus here today,
He would overturn such an exploitative practice as landlordism, and the greed from which it
arises.
Jacob Owen
32 MOVEMENT Issue 171

HOLY COMMUNION AS A
Radical Act
OF COMMUNITY AND
ACCEPTANCE
̸
JACOB OWEN
MOVEMENT Issue 171
33

The sacrament of Holy Communion, the time in a Christian
service when we gather to share in bread and wine,
is an admittedly peculiar act of devotion. It is radical in
that it takes us out of the world; firstly, in the unique and
somewhat taboo concept of God graciously giving Himself
to us as physical sustenance, and secondly in the inherent
communitarian ethic at the heart of breaking bread and
sharing wine at an open table, which is contrary to a world
full of closed tables and conditional welcomes. It is obvious
that our differing understandings of Holy Communion has
caused considerable division throughout Christian history,
yet what has always remained is the significance of coming
together in an act of communion and fellowship in Christ,
where we accept each other and are accepted by God.
The command of Jesus to “Do this in remembrance of
me.” (Luke 22:19) is a command that spans all times and
spaces, such that when we partake in Holy Communion
we are not just welcomed into the immediate community
around us, the presence of others sharing in Christ, but
we are connected to a universal community, all of those
who have ever taken part in the sharing, breaking, giving
and receiving of bread and wine in Holy Communion. From
the first Communion to its many expressions in churches
today, Holy Communion has been a fundamentally
communal act, not only because we share in it together
in our congregations, but because we are brought into a
much larger community of those who have shared in the
presence of Christ throughout all ages. “Because there
is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all
partake of the one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:17)
Christ calls us to community, to the
sharing of our resources, to serve at
a table that is opened to all.
What we mean by the ‘presence’ of Christ can vary drastically
when we refer to the elements themselves, but we would be
short-sighted to assume that the presence of Christ in our
remembrance of Him is limited only to the bread and wine.
We find the presence of Christ in the action of partaking
in Holy Communion. Christ calls us to community, to the
sharing of our resources, to serve at a table that is opened
to all. This is the radically accepting and communitarian ethic
at the heart of Holy Communion, where Christ’s presence
is available in enacting His loving commands through the
egalitarian sharing of bread and wine.
It is obvious that our differing
understandings of Holy
Communion has caused
considerable division throughout
Christian history, yet what has
always remained is the significance
of coming together in an act of
communion and fellowship in
Christ, where we accept each other
and are accepted by God.
Christians build services around Holy Communion not
because it holds significance only in the moment at
which we receive it, but because it holds a much wider
significance to Christian discipleship. The ethic of Holy
Communion acts as a blueprint for Christian life, bringing
us into a community through its participatory nature, laying
34 MOVEMENT Issue 171

bare Christ’s presence in the act of sharing our resources,
and emphasising the importance of the open table in
Christ’s message. Receiving bread and wine together
allows us to reflect on Christ’s eagerness in His own life
to eat in communion with all kinds of people, regardless
of those who frowned upon the company He kept. We
are supplied with the knowledge that we are accepted by
God, as well as called to practise His inclusive love. The
purpose of Holy Communion is that we might step away
from Christ’s table with renewed knowledge of His loving
law, having had His love and grace stirred up within us so
that we might reflect them to all. Holy Communion reminds
us of where our salvation is truly realised, in the solidarity
of communities against injustice and in total acceptance of
each other, so that we might build the world Christ wants
us to build, free of the closed tables and high walls that
have divided us and blinded us to the love of God.
regardless of any brokenness or baggage that we
may carry. He brings us into a beloved community
with one another and gives us a blueprint for His
Kingdom of open tables and self-sacrificial giving.
How exactly Christ imparts Himself in the elements
of Holy Communion is a mystery to many, but
understanding this process is arguably secondary
to understanding the significance of such a radical
act of community and acceptance, by which we can
know that we are accepted and reflect on how we
accept others.
Jacob Owen is studying Theology at St
John Rigby College, Oxford, and is a
member of SCM’s General Council.
Receiving bread and wine together
allows us to reflect on Christ’s
eagerness in His own life to eat in
communion with all kinds of people,
regardless of those who frowned upon
the company He kept.
In the reception of Holy Communion, we are fully, radically,
accepted by God and in our communities. Just as God
gave Himself to us physically as Christ in the incarnation,
he gives Himself to us repeatedly in this unique act of
devotion. He welcomes us to His table to dwell in His
presence, regardless of whether the world might revile
us, regardless of whether Church authorities reject us,
MOVEMENT Issue 171
35

MISSING – A MISCELLANY
I was young once, but it didn’t last.
I’m glad I didn’t miss my youth.
Often travelling, once I missed the plane.
Bound for Crete with the Beloved, I had gone to
Birmingham!
The missed plane was an opportunity for a night arrival.
Bus drivers play an important part in life.
Either you just miss the bus as it pulls away,
Or the driver waits, smiles, and you don’t miss it.
However, I’m droning on with my ‘missing’ stories.
That word – drones. They don’t miss.
With little warning, they destroy
Homes, hospitals, schools.
Adding to the many thousands
of men women and children
missing and grievously missed.
Am I missing something?
The nexus between
religion and peace perhaps.
MISSING PERSON , UNMISSABLE REALITY.
December 1964, is etched, painted, crocheted in my memory.
The Wedding Month – and her birthday month.
Woke alone in Dublin. Slept with the Beloved in London.
Foster Murphy
December 2024, no doubt, cannot be missed for celebrating.
The main focus will be missing in person, though present
in reality, strong still, smiling, forever the Beloved.
We celebrated together the Golden Day ten years ago.
Deeply in love after half a century together.
One reality has ended, another strengthens daily.
She is not missing, she is, and will be, daily ever present.
Missed, naturally. Unmissable, naturally.
Cherished, perpetually.
Foster Murphy
36 MOVEMENT Issue 171

REST
AS
RESISTANCE
Perspectives on Sabbath
THOUGHTS FROM
THREE SCM
MEMBERS
MOVEMENT Issue 171
37

MOLL
For disabled folks, rest is rarely optional.
Disabled bodies have to rest; we have
to take breaks, we have to put limits
on what we spend our energy on, or
our bodies choose when to do that for
us. I have had to learn how to adjust
to a life which de-centres busyness
as my disabilities have become more
prominent. Claiming the time and space
to rest and allow my body and mind to
recover from a hectic life feels like a
radical act in a world that tells me to
always reach for more.
The act of storing up all my ‘rest time’ for
a weekend no longer fits with my needs,
instead I have to adapt my life. This has
been through small, daily actions of using
mobility aids, choosing to use a fidget
aid in public, telling my housemates that
tonight I won’t be chatting a lot.
Rest for a disabled body may not look
the same as for an able-bodied person.
When you have been forced to lie in
bed all day because you can’t get out
of it without assistance, suddenly a
PJ day no longer feels as restful. For
me, engaging in a special interest to
whatever extent I can manage is often
more rejuvenating than having an
afternoon nap.
As someone with a disability that can
be made worse by religion, rest can
also look like not engaging with faith.
When faith harms us, the best way
to experience God’s love may be to
step back. God calls us to rest, to
know the peace of being in Their arms.
Recognising the ways that God may be
calling you to rest in your everyday life
instead of just on a Sunday afternoon, so
that you can live life to full abundance,
is a radical practice in slowing down and
trusting in a God whose love is not tied
to our achievements.
38 MOVEMENT Issue 171

MAISIE
I was brought up with the strictest
rules around the Sabbath of any of
the families at our church. No TV, no
shops, no birthday parties. When I left
for university, I saw being able to do
whatever I wanted, including uni work,
as a great freedom that I had previously
been denied. However, as time has
gone on I see somewhere that my family
had a point. I am privileged that for the
most part I can choose what to do and
what not to do on a Sunday, and at
the moment my rest looks like avoiding
doom scrolling, having a lie in, and not
doing any work. I concentrate on doing
things that I would not otherwise find
the time to do like going for a walk,
reading books (especially on God), and
just taking a moment to breathe and
regroup before the working week.
Keeping the Sabbath like this can be
unrealistic and unworkable. It can cause
more stress than peace when we sit and
feel guilty not doing the work due on
Tuesday and I believe God understands
this and wants us to prioritise our
wellbeing overall. We must think about
the Sabbath and the Bible and I am so
drawn to the creation story. God takes
the seventh day to step back and rest
from his hard work. If even God has to
rest in all his perfection surely we must
too! The hustle culture of today might
make us feel that not being productive
is weak and a moral failing but we have
to push back and remember that rest is
a necessity. Rest is important- any day
of the week, not just a Sunday.
MOVEMENT Issue 171
39

SORREL
I am grateful to be able to take Sundays
off from university work. However, I don’t
do well with empty time. I tend to have
quite a lot of what I call “nothing” time
anyway. That is, time in which, due to a
flareup of my chronic illness, I lie in bed
staring into space or scrolling mindlessly.
Therefore, on the Sabbath I try to do
gentle, spiritually engaging activities. On
Sunday afternoons, I line up reflective
projects – like writing for Movement.
However, presently I am exploring
a vocation to ministry in the United
Reformed Church. I often put pressure
on myself now in church, to be the
perfect friend, the perfect Elder, write
the perfect prayers (I hasten to add that
this pressure does not come from my
lovely congregation). By extension, it
sometimes feels like everything I do to
reflect on Sunday afternoons is in some
way “work experience”. Even writing in
my private reflection journal forms part
of the discernment process.
Therefore, I have had to find other
opportunities for spiritual rest.
Despite living close to my college
chapel, I’d never regularly attended
Evensong. As someone at home in
the Reformed tradition, it took me
a while to appreciate the very high
church Anglican liturgy. However, this
year, needing a space with God where
I didn’t feel I had anything to prove, I
decided to try it more often. The calm,
reflective nature of the Evensong
liturgy is soothing, and the beautiful
music lets my mind wander. I always
find I hear God best when I can let
my mind wander. I’ve even started to
attend midweek Eucharist. The inherent
vulnerability of the communion service
lets me shake off any expectations. It’s
just me and God.
For me, being open to other traditions and
faith practices has been a wonderfully
fruitful part of my journey to find and refind
moments of sabbath rest.
40 MOVEMENT Issue 171

AFFIRMING CHRISTIANITY is a new series exploring the life of faith in Christ,
written by and for people who have shared progressive values.
‘PROGRESSIVE EVANGELISM’ is the second in a series of resources published as part of SCM’s
AFFIRMING CHRISTIANITY project. The course consists of four sessions, each taking a
different approach to the subject; tackling what is hard about evangelism with it’s legacy
of imperialism; what is the ‘good news’ in our own understanding; what evangelism in action
means for us; and the questions of what we are looking for when we look for God.
To find MOVEMENT out more Issue and 171 order resources visit MOVEMENT.ORG.UK/AFFIRMINGCHRISTIANITY 41

REVIEWS
GOD’S PATIENCE
AND OUR WORK
God’s Patience and Our Work is an
academically acclaimed work, rich
in scholarship as evidenced by the
extensive footnotes and bibliography.
The book’s subject matter is aided by
plenty of contextual information,
designed to tease out memories for those
who have studied the likes of Barth and
Niebuhr, and to put Frei in the context
of the Vietnam War and the Civil
Rights Movement, as seen from the
university circles to which he belonged
as a Yale man.
It is not quite an introduction to the
person and thought of Hans Frei,
rather it reads more as a dialogue
between its author Ben Fulford,
twentieth century theology, and Frei’s
own published and unpublished works.
As such, the most likely reader will
be someone who is fully conversant
with the theological world in which
the parties in this conversation exist,
breathing the same air as they do.
Having picked it up as someone who
had not heard of Frei before, the
book was not without its interest,
and I would welcome a sequel aimed
outside of academia, as there is a clear
feeling that Fulford sees the subject as
something which can play a significant
role in Christian conversation today,
while in the interim the conclusions to
each chapter will provide significant
food for thought.
SIMON RAMACCI
God’s Patience and Our Work:
Hans Frei, Generous
Orthodoxy and the
Ethics of Hope.
Ben Fulford
Paperback
ISBN: 0334059283
42 MOVEMENT Issue 171

LAMB OF
THE FREE
In his book Lamb of the Free, Andrew
Remington Rillera goes about
dismantling the often dangerous
and harmful theological idea that is
Penal Substitutionary Atonement (or
PSA as it is commonly referred to).
His rigorous, academic (often dense)
deconstruction leaves no room for PSA
to survive – through this book Rillera
has thoroughly killed it.
PSA has become the cornerstone upon
which the Evangelical church has
become built over the past few decades
and centuries. It argues that Christ, by
voluntarily submitting to the Father’s
divine plan, is punished in place of
sinful humankind to satisfy God’s
demand for ‘justice’ so that God can
forgive humankind its sins and once
again make it one with God.
Throughout the book Rillera argues
that the most significant mistake that
advocates of PSA make is thinking that
biblical sacrifice had anything to do
with substitution at all, let alone that
all sacrifices were about atonement.
Rillera attempts to untangle
misunderstandings about sacrifice in
the Old Testament and Second Temple
Judaism to explain how the various
New Testament authors reflect on the
meaning of Jesus’s death when they use
sacrificial imagery. Rillera’s ultimate
aim is to showcase the liberating
message of the gospel as an act of
resistance to other notions of so-called
‘freedom’ on offer in the world today,
such as that represented in the US
national anthem (which the title of the
book is a play on – ‘Lamb of the Free’ :
‘Land of the Free’).
Ultimately, this book is a mustread
for those who find themselves
unsatisfied with PSA and longing for
a deep academic dive into the world of
atonement theory.
JOSH TINKER-REID
Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied
Sacrificial Understanding of Jesus’ Death
Andrew Remington Rillera
Paperback
ISBN: 1666703044
MOVEMENT Issue 171
43

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