Movement Magazine: Issue 173

THE MAGAZINE FOR CHRISTIAN STUDENTS
ISSUE 173 SPRING 2026
INTERVIEW WITH
REV. ANDY FITCHET
In conversation with
Josh Tinker-Reid
PAGE 12
MAGNIFICAT MANIFESTO
What can we learn from
Mary’s provocative prayer?
Naomi Orrell reflects
PAGE 21
NOT A PROVERBS
31 WOMAN
Amanda Higgin explores
Biblical Womanhood
PAGE 32
FIGHTING FASCISM
IN THE PHILIPPINES
SCM Philippines stand
with the oppressed
PAGE 34

CONTENTS
Mary’s Magnificat is more than a familiar song - it’s a radica
world transformed. Reflecting on its history as a banned tex
vision of justice, Naomi Orrell explores how Mary’s p
continue to inspire hope for collective, God centred change.
EDITORIAL 4
COMING UP 5
NEWS 6-8
COMMUNITIES 9-11
INTERVIEW:
REV. ANDY
FITCHET
Movement co-editor, Josh, spoke
with Andy about his experiences
combining politics and ministry, and
the messy, hopeful space where
they meet.
POLITICS
AND ME:
EVERYDAY
ACTIVISM
WITH SCM
12-17
18-20
For Faith in Action Project Worker
Cat, politics begins at home.
MAGNIFICAT
MANIFESTO
Naomi Orrell reflects: what
can we learn from Mary’s
provocative prayer?
POVERTY, CLASS,
AND SCM 23-25
William Gibson challenges us to
consider the importance of class in
our intersectional work for justice.
MOVEMENT Issue 173
21-22
THE BIBLE IN ONE
HAND AND THE
NEWSPAPER IN
THE OTHER 26-28
Erica Lees-Smith from JPIT argues
that Christians must get political.
2 MOVEMENT Issue 173

REVIEWS 42-43
BLESSED ARE
THE COMMUNITY-
29
MAKERS
Reimagining the beatitudes
for SCM.
BIBLE STUDIES:
LOVING OUR
ENEMIES
30-31
What can Matthew 5 and Isaiah 56
teach us about loving our enemies?
NOT A PROVERBS
31 WOMAN 32-33
Amanda Higgin takes a deep dive
into ‘Biblical Womanhood’.
FIGHTING
FASCISM IN THE
PHILIPPINES 34-36
SCM Philippines reflect on their
mission to spread hope, build
collective power, and stand with
the oppressed through education,
activism, and solidarity.
A CHRISTIAN
RESPONSE TO
HOMELESSNESS:
ARE WE LIVING
OUT OUR
FAITH? 37-38
By Jon Kurht, CEO of
Hope into Action.
THREE
PERSPECTIVES ON
CONTEMPLATIVE
PRACTICE
What does contemplative
practice have to teach us?
SCM members reflect.
39-41
MOVEMENT Issue 173

Welcome to Issue 173
of Movement magazine!
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Josh and I am the
new Co-Editor of Movement. It’s such a pleasure to have
joined Melody on the Movement team for the next few issues,
and to join the ranks of the many excellent humans who have
historically been a part of editing this wonderful magazine.
In this issue we will be diving into the world of politics and asking
whether (and how) we should interact with the political as
progressive Christians. Politics, wherever we look, seems to be
a mess; with rising division, dissatisfaction, and disillusionment.
Worse still the drums of war are beating (rather loudly) once
again, with conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza still ongoing, and a
very real risk of new wars breaking out. Meanwhile, 15-25,000
people globally die of starvation each day, and nations still fail
to make adequate steps towards net-zero and climate care.
So, what do we do? How can we impact the decisions being made by those in power?
And what influence can our faith have on how we approach the political sphere?
We have some fantastic articles to share with you in this issue from a wide range
of students and contributors. Amanda Higgin offers us a deep dive into ‘biblical
womanhood’ in light of the rise of the so-called ‘tradwife’ movement, whilst William
Gibson challenges us on the issues of poverty and class in the education system.
Jospeh Wood and Thomas Niblett offer us bible studies on Isaiah 56 and Matthew 5
respectively. We have an interview with the wonderful Rev. Andy Fitchet, who shares
his experiences of balancing political activism with local Methodist ministry. Alongside
that, John Kuhrt, from Hope Into Action, suggests what a Christian response to
homelessness might look like, whilst Erica Lees-Smith, from the Joint Public Issues
Team (JPIT), invites us to think about the importance of Christian interaction with
politics. We are also blessed to feature an article on what fighting fascism looks like in
the Philippines from our friends at SCM Philippines; a huge thanks to them for sharing
their experiences with us.
We know that our movement is broad and contains within it people who would happily
vote red, green, orange, yellow, blue (and more), as well as those who choose not
to vote at all. We know that there are those who spend most weekends protesting
and canvassing, and those who are burnt out and in need of a Netflix binge. We hope
that whatever your politics, and wherever you’re at, that this issue will challenge you,
encourage you, and inspire you in equal measure, and that through it all you find
space to be spiritually nourished. We pray that this issue would inspire you to bring
about heaven on earth in new ways and to find new places to be the face of Christ
to others. We hope you enjoy the issue.
JOSH TINKER-REID & MELODY LEWIS ― EDITORS
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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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 Dr Naomi
Nixon, Communications and
Marketing Officer: Ruth Harvey,
Faith in Action Project Worker:
Cat Whitehouse, Movement
Administrator: John Wallace-Howell,
Operations Co-ordinator (Interim):
Jenna Nicholas
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.
© 2026 Student Christian Movement
Design: penguinboy.net &
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4 MOVEMENT Issue 173

COMING UP
SCM ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING
27TH APRIL 2026 • ONLINE
The annual general meeting is an opportunity to find out
more about what happens behind the scenes at SCM
and what 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
DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU:
HOW DO WE LOVE OUR FAR-RIGHT NEIGHBOUR?
20TH JUNE 2026
Universities Chaplaincy in Leeds
Join us for one of the highlights of the SCM year as we
gather for a day of talks, worship, and workshops exploring
how we love our neighbour and enemy alike in a time of
rising far-right fervour.
BONHOEFFER
EUROPEAN PILGRIMAGE
13-18 JULY 2026 • COVENTRY,
COLOGNE, BERLIN
Each year students come back inspired and
challenged by the stories of reconciliation they
encounter on this pilgrimage, and we’re thrilled to be
able to run this trip again in 2026.
SCM has had a long association with
the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
and this pilgrimage enables members
to immerse themselves in his
theology by seeing the places and
people who influenced him, and who
went on to live out his courageous discipleship in the
city where he lived.
EMAIL SCM@MOVEMENT.ORG.UK
TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST
MOVEMENT Issue 173
SAVE THE DATE
SCM @ GREENBELT
FESTIVAL
27-30 AUGUST 2026
Volunteer with us!

NEWS
CHRISTMAS
APPEAL UPDATE
Thanks to your generosity we have
raised over £10,000 for the 2025
SCM Christmas Appeal! Through
your gifts this Christmas, you
have helped to secure the future
of SCM for a new generation of
progressive Christian students.
This year’s appeal focused on our
SCM Communities – the heart of
the movement - and the way many
of our members experience the
impact of SCM. Every donation
will help us to create, support and
sustain inclusive communities
where students can find a place to
be and belong.
Anna, from SCM Southampton,
shares her reflections on the impact
of being part of an SCM Community:
“I made friends there who are my
friends to this day. I’ve attended
workshops which have completely
expanded how I think about different
parts of the Bible, notably lent,
and learning about trans* theology
has given me so many avenues to
talk about faith that I didn’t have
before. I am so grateful to the SCM
Community in Southampton for
bringing me to where I am today.”
SCM Keele
6 MOVEMENT Issue 173

ACE AND FAITH:
REAL LIVES,
SACRED STORIES
To mark Ace Week 2025, SCM
Faith in Action Project Worker Cat
hosted ‘Ace & Faith: Real Stories,
Sacred Journeys’ in collaboration
with Ace Space LDN. The event
brought together four speakers
from different faith backgrounds,
including two SCM members,
who identify within the asexual
spectrum to talk about their
experiences of being ace and the
intersection of this identity with
their faith. Topics of discussion
included navigating asexuality in
religious spaces, purity culture
and asexuality, and challenging
assumptions about asexuality.
Cat said of the event, “As
someone who identifies within
the umbrella of asexuality, I found
the openness of the conversation
and the engagement of audience
members deeply moving and
powerful. Together we created a
space for an inclusive dialogue
on asexuality within religious
contexts, an intersection that is
often overlooked and ignored
within both LGBTQ+ and faith
communities.” One event
participant said, “Thank you for
this great event! It’s been really
affirming hearing from fellow acespectrum
folks.” You can listen
to the full recording of the panel
as a bonus episode on the SCM
podcast – just search Student
Christian Movement wherever you
usually listen!
HOUSE OF
BISHOPS DELAYS
LGBT+ EQUALITY
IN THE CHURCH
OF ENGLAND:
SCM RESPONDS
The House of Bishops met
in October 2025, and, in a
subsequent statement, they
significantly delayed both progress
towards standalone services of
blessing for same sex couples
and permission for gay clergy to
marry in the Church of England.
This was devastating for many
of our Anglican members and
supporters, whose lives have been
and will be directly impacted by
these decisions. In response, and
in partnership with Together for
the Church of England, we wrote a
letter to show support to our queer
siblings in the Church of England,
as well as challenge the narrative
that most young people agree
with the conservative position.
MOVEMENT Issue 173

NEWS
305 young Christians aged 18-
30 signed the letter to show the
House of Bishops that their lives
and their voices matter.
We sent the letter to the bishops
on 11th December, just before their
next meeting was due to take place
and urged them to demonstrate
care for every single person who
signed the letter. At the time of
publication, we have received eight
responses from Bishops, many of
whom expressed their thanks and
reassured us of their care.
‘HOLDING THEM
IN THE LIGHT’:
VIRTUAL
CANDLELIT
VIGIL FOR
TRANS* DAY OF
REMEMBRANCE
2025
For the Trans* Day of
Remembrance 2025, we came
together to remember and honour
the lives of trans* folk who
had been killed in the past year
because of transphobic hatred and
violence in a virtual candlelit vigil.
A template was shared on social
media by SCM National and people
far and wide (both members and
non-members) were invited to
decorate a candle in any way they
liked in their own personal act of
remembrance. The candles were
then put together into a video
accompanied by the words of ‘In
Memoriam (Our Candle Burns)’
written by Ash Jay Brockwell and
beautifully read out by members of
SCM. Cat says of the campaign: “I
was blown away by the response,
as my inbox quickly filled with
candle submissions all decorated
so thoughtfully and creatively. I
received 67 candles in total, and
it felt like a real privilege to be the
one to edit together everyone’s
hard work, so thank you!” We
want to say a special thanks to
SCM’s Trans* Theology Group for
their support in sharing the callout
for candles and encouraging
people to get involved, to the
SCM communities who decorated
candles during their sessions,
and to the members who sent in
multiple decorated candles. This
vigil was truly made possible by
our wonderful SCM members and
wider community.
8
MOVEMENT Issue 173

SCM COMMUNITIES
If you’re a Christian who wants to grow as a thoughtful disciple, belong to an
inclusive, queer-affirming 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!
SCM cambrdige
This term at SCM Cambridge we have enjoyed a range of
sessions, including new Sunday socials in addition to our
Thursday evening meetings, and it has been lovely to see
new faces. We listened to speakers talking about topics
from political theology to forgiveness to queer rights and
had lots of great discussions. In November, we joined
the National SCM campaign to decorate candles for the
Trans* Day of Remembrance. We also received a grant
from our student union to purchase a few books, which
are free for our community members to borrow. Plenty of
things are being planned for the Spring so we’re looking
forward to being back!
Search ‘SCM Cambridge’ on
Facebook and Instagram

Inclusive Christian
Movement Durham
The Inclusive Christian Movement Durham has had an
excellent start to the academic year! We had an enjoyable
fresher’s week welcome meal, hosted by a local church, with
fruitful conversations and lots of fun. Our sessions this term
have been wide ranging and very interesting; craft sessions,
discussions about Desmond Tutu, a session on Bonhoeffer
and a visit from the Faith in Action worker at SCM. It was
an excellent session about the rise of the far-right, with a
powerful poetry activity at the end which we all enjoyed.
Interfaith Week was also a big success, and we hosted an
interesting panel event with other members of student faith
societies. It was an eye-opening event that everyone enjoyed.
In the upcoming term, we are planning to have a few joint
sessions with other university societies like the LGBT Society,
more interfaith events and of course, electing our new exec!
SCM Exeter
The past term has been a brilliantly successful one here
at SCM Exeter. We’ve roughly doubled in size compared
to last year, with many fantastic new faces bringing new
perspectives to our community. Some of the highlights
of our time together include our Lord’s Prayer craft
activity, our “SCM Everything” discussion session,
exploring Christianity in politics, and a visit from guest
speaker Rev’d Canon Professor Richard Burridge looking
at the Gospel of Matthew. Much of the term in Exeter
was also defined by a far-right presence in our city. SCM
Exeter put itself at the centre of the fight, with protests
and placards galore! Exeter is for Everyone outnumbered
“the bad guys” 10:1 at the largest of these gatherings,
and we made some great new connections with other
causes and groups in the university/city community.
Search ‘ICM Durham’ on
Facebook and Instagram
SCM Trans*
Theology Group
Last term in the Trans* Theology Group we continued to
meet once a fortnight for a mixture of social and discussion
sessions. We were lucky enough to welcome a variety of
external speakers, as well as enjoying some fantastic sessions
from our own group members. Highlights included a talk from
Susannah Cornwall, and a session on God as Mother from
our own member Lux. We have also revamped our plans for
social sessions this term, to make them as welcoming as
possible. To this end, we had our first structured social for
our last meeting before Christmas, with a quiz on Kahoot!
As ever, if you are an SCM member and you would like to
join TTG, for the zoom sessions and/or our WhatsApp group,
please email transtheologygroup@movement.org.uk.
Email transtheologygroup@
movement.org.uk to request
access to the group chat.
Our new Bible study “face to face with Jesus” has been a
success, exploring all sorts of one-on-one conversations
Jesus has with his followers and peers. Over the term
it developed into an almost theatrical format, which
suits our creative minds! And perhaps mostly crucially,
we were gripped with Celebrity Traitors fever, with an
incredibly elaborate finale viewing in the university
chapel with spotlights, games, speakers, and music!
Search ‘SCM Exeter’ on Facebook
and Instagram
10 MOVEMENT Issue 173

SCM Oxford
It has been an exciting time
for SCM Oxford! Working with
Wesley Memorial Methodist
church, New Road Baptist
Church, and St Columba’s
United Reformed Church,
we officially relaunched an
SCM group back up in the
city after a hiatus of a few years. We are a mixture of
undergraduates, postgraduates, and visiting students and
are still predominantly made up of students from the three
churches, but we hope to have a greater reach over this
academic year and beyond!
We’ve been holding weekly meetings, alternating between
socials (such as boardgames and quiz nights) and exploring
the Bible together, with plenty of tea and biscuits. We
ended the term with a wonderful Carol service which
brought together the musical talents of the group along
with the community at our host churches. We enjoyed an
evening of beautiful music, a quiet time to reflect on how
we can be more present with others over this Christmas
time and plenty of home-baked cookies.
We are looking forward to 2026 and seeing how we can grow
together and reach out to more students across the city!
Search ‘Wesley Memorial Oxford’
on Facebook and Instagram
SCM Coventry
& Warwick
This academic year has opened with a busy term for
Coventry and Warwick SCM. Responding to key questions
arising in politics, we have been thinking about whether
Jesus was political, who is our neighbour and what is the
order of love? While engaged in the festivities of Christmas
it can be easy to overlook the rest of the year, so in our
workshop on the journey through a year in faith, we looked
at the holiness of ordinary life and some of the less well
appreciated events and seasons of the liturgical year.
Exciting times lie ahead for SCM Coventry and Warwick!
This term, we have been laying the way for official
society status at Warwick University. With our exec team
assembled and application in, we are looking forward to
greater outreach and more collaborations with other faith
societies in 2026.
Search ‘SCM_Coventry_Warwick’
on Instagram
SCM WhatsApp
Community
We also have a growing WhatsApp community with
groups for students, postgrads and alumni.
To join, email scm@movement.org.uk
No community at your
uni? No problem!
We currently have people on the ground interested in
starting groups in York, Leeds, Reading, Aberystwyth,
Southampton, and Bristol. If you’re at uni in any of
these cities (or anywhere else!) you can either get in
touch about starting a group by emailing students@
movement.org.uk, or join SCM as a national member.
Either way you’ll be connected to a movement of likeminded,
progressive students!
MOVEMENT Issue 173
11

12 MOVEMENT Issue 173

INTERVIEW
ANDY FITCHET
Andy Fitchet is a minister in the Berkshire and Hampshire Borders Methodist
Circuit. He was a local councillor for a decade and stood in the 2017 and 2024
General Elections. He is currently Vice Chair of Christians on the Left, a society
of the Labour Party. He does life with his son and with his partner Sam, who is a
scientist. Josh spoke to Andy about his experiences in politics and ministry, and the
messy, hopeful space where they meet.
Josh: Hey Andy! It’s so great to be able to speak to you
for our issue on faith and politics, because I know you
have a lot of experience in both areas. But before we
get into all that, let’s start with a question we ask all
our guests: What are you currently reading?
Andy: This is a really interesting question because I’m on
sabbatical this year and I’m doing some writing around sex
and the church. I’m looking at why the church deals with
sex so badly, and proposing a way where we can just be
honest about the fact that... people have sex. So, let’s just
talk about it, shall we?
So, most of the stuff I’m reading at the moment is around
sex and theology - not at all related to politics, which is
quite nice. Although I was clearing out my books recently
and rediscovered a book called ‘God’s Politicians’. It is
a great book about how the church and Christians have
shaped the Labour Party - riffing off that quote from Tony
Benn, that the Labour Party owes more to Methodism than
it does to Marxism.
Josh: A break from political reading does sound nice
– but seeing as you’ve brought up the politics, let’s
delve right into it. For those students who haven’t
thought much about politics, why do you think politics
is important?
Andy: I’d want to reinvent the question and say, “actually,
you have thought about politics, you probably just don’t
realise it.” If your bus or your train is late, that’s politics.
If there aren’t enough books at the school you went to or
at college, that’s politics. If you’re waiting six months for a
driving test that’s politics. Everything is caught up in politics,
because politics is simply how we make the set of decisions
about how we live together. Even choosing not to engage
in politics is still a political act, because the system will carry
on with or without us.
For those of us who have a faith that’s rooted in love of
neighbour and concern for the vulnerable, politics is one
of those places where love is either embodied or denied
to people. And you don’t have to be a Party activist to
MOVEMENT Issue 173
13

care about that sort of politics. But you do have to care
about the collective decisions that we make, which is why
it’s so important that we have Christians who are involved
in politics.
Josh: You mentioned that you think it’s important to
have Christians involved in politics, and yet a lot of
newspapers in the past few years have accused the
church of being too political. The last Archbishop of
Canterbury was often criticised for speaking out on
the Rwanda policy, for example, when that was going
through Parliament. And even in the church, you find
a lot of Christians who will say, “faith should be above
politics.” How do you feel about this position? Has the
church, across denominations, become too politicised
in recent years?
Andy: I think there’s an awful lot to criticise the previous
Archbishop of Canterbury for, but being too political is
not one of them. I’m always wary when people say that
faith should be above politics, because often what that
means is that we should just be comfortable with the
status quo. And generally, it comes from a church which
is too middle class in the UK, and so the sways of politics
either way don’t really affect them too much. If the church
was actually on the breadline slightly more, we’d be far
more political than we currently are - because a middleclass
church can help run a food bank, but when you’ve
got half your church relying on food banks, it becomes
a different question. Suddenly, it’s not about whether or
not the church is involved in politics, but instead how we
become involved in politics.
And so, I don’t think the question is whether or not the
church should be political - it’s whether or not we’re going
to be faithful and humble and rooted in love when we do
it, rather than trying to stoke fear and division. I think the
question is, what do we do with our voice when we see
injustice taking place?
Josh: It feels like a lot of people are disillusioned with
Westminster politics, and perhaps also with local
government too. We are seeing a rise in extremism,
particularly far-right extremism, and extremely low
polling for the traditional parties of government on top
of that. How worried are you by this? How do you think
that the hope and trust that seems to have eroded in
politics can be restored? And, as Christians, is there
anything we can do, small or big, to help rebuild hope
and unity that seems to be missing in our communities?
Andy: I am worried. I’m worried particularly by the way that
cynicism erodes our capacity for hope that things can get
better. When people stop believing that politics can improve
their lives, they then become vulnerable to simplistic answers
and to scapegoating. I’m particularly worried by an extreme
right, which is trying to hijack our story and doesn’t reflect the
fact that, as Christians, we worship a middle-eastern brown
Palestinian Jew who was a refugee, the son of a teenage
mother, who all these people would kick out of the country in
five minutes if he arrived in a small boat on the Kent coast.
Christianity is not about being party political, but it is
profoundly political. To say Jesus is Lord is to say that
Caesar is not Lord. This was a political statement - it wasn’t
a religious statement. To say that Jesus was the Prince of
Peace was to say that Caesar Tiberius was not the Prince
of Peace. This is a political statement, not a theological
statement. To say Jesus is the Son of God, again, was to
say that Caesar was not the Son of God, because that was
a title assumed from Caesar Augustus onwards. These were
all political sayings, never theological ones, which is why the
Roman Empire reacted so badly in the early stages towards
Christians and towards the early fledgling thing that we now
call Christianity.
14
MOVEMENT Issue 173

I don’t think hope will be restored by slogans or by leaders
alone. We have to grow it slowly through trust, through
relationships, and through visible change. If people start
to see changes at a local level, then their trust in national
politics gets better. If people see that the local rundown
park is suddenly fixed, they go, “oh, okay, that’s different.
That’s new.” It’s those small things where people start to see
change and start to think, actually, things aren’t quite as bad
as we thought they were. And that brings hope again.
As Christians, I think those small acts matter. I think showing
up to community meetings, supporting and running
food banks, learning how local decisions are made, and
practising deep listening across divides all matter. I think
one of the best ways that the church can really get involved
and try to restore hope is by being involved in local councils
and local politics. Because suddenly you’re involved in the
decision-making, you’re involved in what actually is going
to make a difference on your doorstep, and that’s where
hope is restored.
Josh: You are an ordained minister and have stood for
election at all levels of government during your ministry.
Why do you keep seeking election? Do you think ministry
and politics are compatible with one another? Do you
feel that your political activism distracts from your work
as a minister in a local church?
I get asked why I keep standing for election quite a lot,
because I’m really good at losing elections. I’ve stood in
10 elections and I’ve lost eight. North Hampshire is not
a hotbed of centre-left politics voting, I have to say. But I
keep seeking election because I don’t believe that pastoral
concern for ministers should just stop at the church door.
When I sit with people week in, week out, struggling with
housing or with benefits or discrimination or the lack of
mental health services or that blinking light outside of their
MOVEMENT Issue 173
15

front bedroom window which stops them from sleeping, I
see how political decisions shape their lives. And so standing
for election for me is one way of taking those experiences
really seriously and trying to change the structures that can
cause harm so that they bring back hope into everyday lives.
I think ministry and politics are compatible when politics is
understood as service.
And as such, I don’t think that my political engagement
distracts from ministry, I think it grows out of it. It keeps
me grounded in the real lives of my church members. I
honestly think that the best way to have an impact on your
community is to be a decision maker in that community and
to know where people get help most. It’s not incompatible
at all. It’s the same calling of service to your community.
Josh: You’ve already talked about your current research
into sex, bodies and sexuality. You’re also quite a
prominent queer minister, especially within Baptist and
Methodist contexts. So how do you navigate that line
between activism and self-protection when both your
faith and body are politicised? Especially at a time when
anti-LGBT+ sentiment seems to be higher than we have
seen in a while.
Andy: I learned quite early on that not every battle is mine
to fight. And I can’t because I would spend my life doing
it and I would never do anything else. And also, not every
space is safe, not every church is safe - and that’s okay to
be honest about.
Activism that is just rooted in that kind of constant selfdestruction
of putting yourself in spaces where you’re
going to be attacked doesn’t helps anyone in the end. It’s
a really difficult line to tread because sometimes it feels like
you’re giving up the battle and that you’re letting them win.
But what good is it if you keep clinging on, knowing that
things aren’t going to change or knowing you’re just going
to constantly put yourself in a place that damages your
spiritual and mental health, and that might even put you in
physical danger?
16 MOVEMENT Issue 173

I think there is a part of me now which is too tired to
constantly put myself in those places. I might not have
stepped back in that way a while ago, but life is full of
wonderful, joyful people and places to be. So why would I
not try to seek out those places the majority of the time to
give me the energy for the battles I can actually win?
Josh: Thinking about activism and self-protection,
and balancing the fact that your faith and body are
being politicised, how do you understand solidarity
theologically especially when it involves discomfort or
personal cost?
Andy: For me, solidarity is about choosing to bind your
wellbeing to the wellbeing of others. I think that’s the best
way that I can describe it. And often that can mean standing
alongside somebody and taking flak with them for the right
cause, for the right reason.
At the beginning of the year, Methodists have a covenant
service. And in the covenant service, there’s a covenant
prayer, which sums up perfectly it’s understanding that
God sometimes calls us to do things which we’re not
comfortable with. There’s a bit where the minister says,
“Christ has many services to be done. Some are easy, some
are difficult, some bring honour, some bring reproach. Some
are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests,
and others are contrary to both.” And it’s that bit I love.
Because sometimes standing in solidarity with people helps
our natural inclinations and gives us a sense of belonging
and being and gives us a sense of purpose. And other times
it’s draining and exhausting and tiring. But you do it because
it theologically flows from the incarnation. God choosing
closeness over distance.
Real solidarity is uncomfortable because it disrupts the
privileges that we live in and illusions that life is okay.
Love that never costs us anything never really transforms
anything either.
Josh: Thanks so much Andy. Our time is nearly up, so
I am going to end with two quick fire questions. First,
what kind of Church do you hope emerges from this
moment of political fracture and spiritual exhaustion?
Andy: A church that is smaller, truer, braver, gentler and more
honest. And a church that’s less concerned with control and
more committed to presence and more committed to depth
over dominance.
Josh: And finally, Andy, what advice do you have for
our members? And what practices or postures have
sustained you?
Andy: Stay curious. Build friendships across political
differences. Learn how power works. Learn how decisions are
made. Learn how it harms as well. Try not to rush to certainty.
(SCM is really good at this, so I commend you for that.) Faith
grows through questions more than it does answers.
The practices that have sustained me would be having
shared meals, spending time with friends who give me life
and joy, and political organising that’s rooted in relationship.
Take Sabbath seriously. Take rest seriously. And above all,
remember that you are loved before you are useful.
You can find out more about Andy’s work as a minister,
councillor, and campaigner on his website at
www.andyfitchet.co.uk.
MOVEMENT Issue 173
17

FAITH IN ACTION
POLITICS AND ME:
EVERYDAY ACTIVISM
Cat Whitehouse, SCM’s Faith in Action Project Worker, explores how everyday
activism shapes meaningful change
Politics has always been a part of my life; from an early
age I have wanted to make a difference and to help others
wherever I can. For many, politics is confined to the hallowed
halls of Westminster and only carried out by elected officials
but for me, politics begins at home. Everyone can play their
part to make the world a better place and that is something
I have tried to do throughout my life, through volunteering
with young people as well as working in both the education
and carer sectors - places where policy meets real people’s
everyday lives.
After completing my A Levels I went on to study Politics
both at Undergraduate and Postgraduate (Masters) level.
It was while studying that I found my research niche and
discovered my love of queer politics. I wrote papers on all
things from the lavender vote, the supposed globalisation
of gay marriage, and the plight of transgender refugees
fleeing persecution. I wrote my MA dissertation on Queer
Experience at the Eurovision Song Contest and during
my Undergraduate Placement Year I had the amazing
‘Everyone can play their part to
make the world a better place and
that is something I have tried to do
throughout my life’
opportunity to speaking in Parliament at the All Party
Parliamentary Group for Youth Affairs about mental health
especially for LGBTQ+ young people.
With all this in mind, and with politics globally becoming
increasingly bleak, working for Student Christian Movement
as the Faith in Action Project Worker seemed like the
perfect next step! Faith in Action is political at its very
core. Bonhoeffer, a theologian well-known to SCM, stood
up for what he believed in and took a stand against farright,
nationalist, nazi ideology in a political climate not too
dissimilar to the one we are seeing today, in the United
Kingdom, Europe and the United States especially. As
Bonhoeffer demonstrated with his life and death, we are
called to social action; ‘to act justly [...] love mercy [...] and
walk humbly’ (Micah 6:8) and so become agents of change.
How can we put this into practice in our own lives? Words
Illustrations: ©Svetlana Moska/Shutterstock
18 MOVEMENT Issue 173

attributed to John Wesley sum it up nicely – by doing ‘all the
good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you
can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as
long as ever you can.’
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at SCM so far. From
the very start I have felt inspired by the members who are
brilliant examples of people who use their faith to inspire
them to fight against injustice. I saw this first-hand on day
two of the role when I attended the ‘No Faith in War’ day
of protesting against the DSEI Arms Fair at the Excel Centre
in London and stood proudly alongside two SCM members
MOVEMENT Issue 173
19

holding the SCM banner high. Attending a protest of such
a scale was daunting so I was in awe of their courage and
grateful for the warm welcome I received when I arrived.
Attending 3Generate, the Methodist Church’s Children
and Youth Assembly, was a standout moment where
we partnered with JPIT to host a politics-themed ‘Town
Hall.’ Seeing young people so passionate about change
was inspiring, and the sessions I co-led gave me hope for
future changemakers. I also attended Sabeel-Kairos’ ‘From
Lament to Liberation’ and JPIT’s ‘For Goodness Sake’
conferences, which fostered solidarity and deepened
my understanding through talks, personal stories, and
keynote speakers like Rev’d Ashraf Tannous and the Very
Reverend Sally Foster-Fulton, reminding me of the power
of collective action.
The most important, and arguably the most political, part
of my role is engaging with members through events,
campaigns and workshops. As I mentioned at the beginning
of this article, I firmly believe that politics begins at home and
for me that looks like meeting students where they are, and
helping them to become more confident activists who work
for real-world, tangible change in their lives, communities
and contexts.
Some of this work so far has looked like organising a virtual
candlelit vigil for the Trans* Day of Remembrance, bringing
together members and allies to create a moving tribute
through art and spoken word — a powerful stand against the
erosion of Trans* rights. Similarly, our ‘Ace and Faith’ event
during Ace Week 2025 celebrated asexual and aromantic
identities within faith communities, fostering dialogue on
inclusion and dignity. Both moments embodied solidarity
and the belief that everyone deserves to be seen, valued,
and heard, as well as the truth that we can accomplish more
together than we ever can on our own.
Throughout my life, and the work and activism I have engaged
with, one thing has remained constant: politics begins at
home, in the small everyday acts of loving our neighbour
and striving to make the world a brighter place. My hope is
that my reflections inspire people to come together to bring
about real change with everyone playing their part. We must
keep showing up and speaking out for those who need us,
putting our faith into action, and speaking truth to power in
an increasingly turbulent political climate. Even the smallest
step can make a difference –and it starts right here, now.
Cat Whitehouse is SCM’s Faith in Action Project Worker
for 2025-26
‘My hope is that
people come together
to bring about real
change with everyone
playing their part’
20 MOVEMENT Issue 173

Mary’s Magnificat is more than a familiar song - it’s a radical call to imagine a
world transformed. Reflecting on its history as a banned text and its powerful
vision of justice, Naomi Orrell explores how Mary’s provocative words
continue to inspire hope for collective, God centred change.
MOVEMENT Issue 173
21

he Magnificat (or ‘the Song of Mary’) is a
passage of scripture that is heard, spoken and
sung every day around the world in churches
and cathedrals. Growing up singing in choirs,
I became familiar with the words and the
conventions of its musical settings. The music would often
be gentle and quiet as we sang “and holy is his name”;
bombastic and loud as we declared that “he scattereth
the proud in the imagination of their hearts”. It was only
years later when I sat down and read Mary’s words that I
heard the prayer of this young, probably terrified woman
as a call to imagine a radically different society; a society of
possibility and revolutionary upheaval.
According to URC Minister Nicola Robinson, the
Magnificat was banned three times during the 20th
century: in Guatemala, Argentina, and India under British
colonial rule. Perhaps the reason for this is that “those
in power viewed Mary’s words as dangerous, because
those living on the margins might believe that change is
possible.” Even reading the text now the fiery promise of
change is palpable: we hear the words of a young woman
able to imagine a world turned upside down, despite her
own world being turned upside down also. The mighty and
powerful are overthrown; the hungry are filled, the rich
are sent away empty.
In a world which is so rife with division and injustice,
I find myself clinging to these words more and more.
Nevertheless, perhaps the most difficult thing we have
to realise is that the promises of the Magnificat haven’t
been fulfilled yet. We are still living in a society with
horrendous wealth inequality; people are starving
around the world. The powerful are still on their thrones
and seem to be increasing with power, not diminishing.
Oil and gas companies are still continuing to deplete
our natural resources and destroy our planet; migrants
are continuing to be vilified and demonised; there is an
undeniable wave of far-right fascist politics washing over
the world. How can we possibly begin to deal with these?
For Christians, I think we can find an answer in Mary’s
words. Mary starts from the place of recognition of her
own status as blessed by God (“for the Mighty One has done
great things for me”), only to expand this out (“indeed,
his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to
generation”), to God’s promise of overthrowing society
(“He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with
good things and sent the rich away empty”). Perhaps
by recognising that she has been personally loved and
blessed by God, she is able to imagine this beautifully
radical society. In this we can hear a lesson in collective
solidarity. Safe in the certain knowledge that God loves
her, Mary is able to imagine that this blessing does not
only extend to herself, but to all people, present and
future. Imagine if we could embody the same level of
imagination and make it a reality in our lives now. Perhaps
then we will see the Kingdom of God present among us.
Naomi Orrell is currently a community member of the
London Catholic Worker. Before this, she was part of the
SCM staff team for three lovely years.
Pictured above and previous page:
Magnificat by Ben Wildflower
www.benwildflower.com
22 MOVEMENT Issue 173

In the fight for justice, no-one is free until we’re all free. William Gibson reminds the
Movement that our call to justice must centre the realities of poverty and class, and
that speaking good news to the poor must shape every part of our shared mission.
POVERTY, CLASS,
AND SCM
MOVEMENT Issue 173
23

In a 1973 issue of Movement, Carol Barker asked the
question of the relationship of universities to society:
“We need to ask why it is almost always the underprivileged
who get the smallest slice of the educational cake - why are
there relatively few really poor people… in our universities,
what can be done to change this situation?”
Sadly, the question of why there are relatively few really
poor people in our universities remains. Although the
number of students from the most deprived areas in the
UK reached a record high in 2024, the gap in entry rates
between the most and least deprived students remains at
22 points (TASO analysis of UCAS confirmation and clearing
data 2024).
Even when students overcome barriers to education, such
as poverty, they face significant economic challenges
throughout their studies. Additionally, students who haven’t
faced poverty before their university life experience concerns
about money at university. 9 in 10 students’ mental health
has been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. More than
a quarter of students live on less than £50 a month after
paying bills and rent, 42% live on less than £100 a month,
and 96% of students have cut back on food or heating
(National Union of Students Cost of Living Crisis Survey).
This isn’t even beginning to address issues around student
loans, tuition fees for those studying in England and Wales,
additional costs involved for courses that require placements
(such as medicine, nursing, and teaching), precarious work
and contracts for post-graduate students, and the stresses
of working a part-time job while studying, among many
other issues.
Although these issues are something that we might speak
about regularly in our local SCM groups and among friends,
‘Even when students
overcome barriers to
education, such as poverty,
they face significant
economic challenges’
throughout their studies
24 MOVEMENT Issue 173

Images: ©Mary Long/Shutterstock
there is a real need for us to think and reflect together about
how we can co-ordinate nationally as the Student Christian
Movement to be a community that offers truly good news
to the poor, especially poor students. The purpose of this
article is not to lay out a list of potential actions we could
take; rather this is intended to be the beginning of a wider
conversation. I hope to inspire theological reflection on the
importance of class in our understanding of justice.
Rev. John Harvey, former leader of the Iona Community,
reminds us in his book Bridging the Gap: Has the Church
Failed the Poor? that the faith of the church is not simply in
Christ but also in his message of the Kingdom of God. He
describes this as “a message of hope for the poor and the
oppressed, whose condition is not accepted as inevitable,
but neither is it to be idealised; and when Jesus comes,
proclaiming the imminent arrival of this same Kingdom by
word and by action, the poor hear him gladly, and he and his
message are rejected violently by the respectable and the
rich and the leaders of the religious establishment of his day.”
So, for us as the Student Christian Movement to fail to speak
adequately on the topics of class and poverty is to fail to
speak adequately of the gospel. It is important to remind
ourselves of the words of Isaiah that Jesus chose to speak
at the start of his ministry in the Gospel of Luke: “the spirit
of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to
proclaim good news of the poor”.
If we fail to address the injustice of poverty and economic
inequality, then our calls for justice in other areas of life fall
flat. 65% of LGBTQ+ people had insufficient funds to cover
their living expenses at the start of last year; they also made
up 24% of the young homelessness population in the UK
despite being only 3.7% of the total population (Homeless
Link February 2025: Understanding the Intersection of Queer
Identity and Homelessness). In the UK, Black and minority
ethnic people are 2.5 times more likely to be in poverty
than white people (Runymede Falling Faster amidst a costof-living
crisis report form 2022). Globally, women remain
significantly more likely to live in poverty, earning 24% less
than men, doing twice as much unpaid care work as men
(estimated at $10.8 Trillion in value), and on average working
four years longer than men (Oxfam, Why the Majority of the
World’s Poor are Women).
‘for us as the Student
Christian Movement to
fail to speak adequately
on the topics of class and
poverty is to fail to speak
adequately of the gospel’
This isn’t even to begin to address billionaire wealth, military
spending, austerity, or climate disasters disproportionately
affecting the poor. In my reflections on my experience of
trade unionism in the UK, I concluded by saying that, “acts
of solidarity and trade unionism that focus solely upon
issues of class without acknowledging intersecting power
structures can too easily lead to further marginalisation for
those who already bear the brunt of capitalism’s brutality”
(Awake, Emerging, and Connected. SCM Press, 2024). The
same is true in reverse: failing to take account of class in our
work for justice also leads to further marginalisation.
In our reflections and efforts to work for justice we
must ensure that we are paying attention to the ways in
which class intersects with other forms of injustice and
marginalisation. It is necessary for us to consider how class
and poverty play a part in our vision 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”. With this in mind, we must
consider what it means to be a generous community in our
economic and communal lives, where we see social action
in our movement on class issues, and what it means to be a
radical voice for justice and equality when it comes to class,
poverty, capitalism, and economic inequality. Because the
spirt of the Lord is upon us and has indeed anointed us to
proclaim good news to the poor.
William worked as SCM’s Theology and Resources project worker
from 2023-24, and is currently a candidate for ministry in the
Church of Scotland, as well as a PhD student at the University
of Glasgow. You’ll catch him brewing coffee and chatting about
theology over on Instagram at @williamgibsongla.
MOVEMENT Issue 173
25

The Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other:
WHY CHRISTIANS
MUST GET POLITICAL

Drawing on Karl Barth’s call to hold “the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the
other,” Erica Lees-Smith contends that the Christian faith cannot be separated from
political engagement
Photo: ©Vincenzo Lullo/Shutterstock
DOES POLITICS BELONG IN THE PULPIT?
That’s the question I’ve heard numerous Christian
leaders and representatives respond to (both
tentatively and boldly) since I began producing the
Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) podcast, Politics
in the Pulpit, which equips preachers to read the
lectionary through a political lens. So how far
should faith and politics be connected?
Politics affects all our lives, from top-down policy
like minimum wages, to everyday relationships.
Political participation was once limited to a
privileged few; today, choosing not to engage denies
that privilege. As Demond Tutu said, ‘If you are
neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen
the side of the oppressor.’ If ‘faith without deeds
is dead’ (James 2:26), faith and action surely go
together.
Many of our podcast guests emphasise the
distinction between small ‘p’ and big ‘P’ politics,
suggesting that churches focus on the everyday
grassroots rather than partisan political discourse,
at least in the pulpit. However, it matters that
Christians engage with party politics to impact
existing systems. We certainly cannot shy away
from national politics when Christianity is
weaponised and harmful, racist ideologies pervert
the core Christian message of love.
Protestant theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968)
called for Christians to act and preach ‘with
the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the
other’ in advice to young theologians in 1963,
highlighting the importance of context in our
scripture interpretations. That year was heavily
infused with historic political moments such as
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech,
John. F. Kennedy’s assassination, anticolonial
resistance across the globe, and the Cold War.
Meanwhile, 2025 witnessed a dramatic increase in
MOVEMENT Issue 173
the popularisation of far-right rhetoric, the hottest
year on record, and ongoing colonial violence across
Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Lebanon, and Ukraine.
‘Barth’s words should
encourage our churches to
be rooted in scripture and an
awareness of current events’
Both then and now, Barth’s words should encourage
our churches to be rooted in scripture and an
awareness of current events. His advice highlights
the need for a faith-based approach to politics,
discerning appropriate responses through engaging
with Christian scripture, tradition, reason and
experience. Our responses should be marked by
advocacy for justice, sacrificial love, and compassion.
In the current moment it is particularly urgent
that we recognise this, pinning Christ-like values of
radical love and hope to our masts.
ADVOCACY
In 2019, some friends asked me to volunteer for
the local climate strikes they were organising,
introducing me to the world of activism. The more
I learned about the disproportionate impacts of
climate change on Global South countries, the more
outraged I became, determined to use my voice. One
of the spaces I knew I could impact was my church.
As I began speaking to congregations about my
activism, I hadn’t really connected it with my
Christian values, but soon the two became entwined.
Studying scripture, I saw that time and again Jesus
stood by the meek, the marginalised, the outsider,
while confronting the wealthy, privileged or selfrighteous
in the Roman empire – even overturning
the tables of the money changers in the temple. He
exemplified the role of an activist during his life

by challenging the established order, and this is
worthy of our study and imitation as we figure out
our own relationship between faith and politics.
SACRIFICE
Just as Jesus gave up everything for the world,
Christianity calls us to disentangle ourselves
from worldly consumerism and instead trust in
relationships with God and others. We are called to a
sacrificial love which encourages us to get involved
in political causes however our privilege allows us
– such as donating to charity, boycotting products
that fund violence, or buying second-hand. However,
this can’t stop at individual sacrifice—it demands
systemic change, like urging churches to divest from
arms and fossil fuels.
COMPASSION
Jesus’ death for the whole world was the ultimate
demonstration of sacrificial love, raising two key
tenets of faith that can guide our way through
modern politics: the Christian commitment to
compassion for both creation and ‘outsiders.’
Firstly, it reflects God’s love for creation expressed
in Genesis. This provides a clear mandate for our
politics to be conscious of harm to both human
communities and the natural world. Moreover,
as churches striving to decolonise, we must
acknowledge our colonial expression of ‘dominion’
(Genesis 1:28) which to this day still benefits those
of us who live in the Global North, at the expense of
those living in the Global South. We must redefine
responsible guardianship—living in harmony, not
exploiting our planet.
Secondly, we are called to love those on the margins.
If we are to truly follow Jesus’ example, we must
wrestle with the challenge that God loves everyone,
even those who are campaigning for a world of
exclusion or fear. This requires us to draw on
the fruit of the Spirit – ‘love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control’ (Galatians 5:22).
The Biblical values of advocacy, sacrifice and
compassion are intertwined with the fruit of the
Spirit, showing how faith can take many forms in
activism. Public protest out of ‘love’ remains crucial
for confronting and disrupting our leaders, while
‘gentleness’ can be found in craftivism (activism
through craft). ‘Joy’ is also challenging amidst
global anxiety but is a powerful ‘act of resistance
against despair and its forces’ (Willie James
Jennings). Channelling these counter-cultural
values into actions should empower Christians to
get political.
Politics in the Pulpit has taught me that politics
absolutely belongs in the pulpits and our churches,
but also in our everyday lives. It is essential that we
‘hold the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in
the other’. But this must go beyond church spaces,
taking us into engaging with those in power and
advocating for causes which align with Jesus’
teachings - justice and peace.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• •
•
writetoyourmp
•
•
Craftivism – read about it in books by Sarah
Corbett or visit www.craftivist-collective.com
Planetwise by Dave Bookless
Small group justice-centred courses – jpit.uk
smallgroupresources
Tips for writing to your MP - jpit.uk
Listen to Politics in the Pulpit on YouTube or
via your favourite podcast provider
Follow the Joint Public Issues Team on
Facebook, Instagram and BlueSky
Erica Lees-Smith recently graduated from the University of
Cambridge and is one of the 2025/26 JPIT interns, with a focus
on digital communications. She is particularly passionate about
climate justice, marginalized voices, and anti-colonial justice.
The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) is a partnership between
the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and
the United Reformed Church. The purpose of JPIT is to help
the Churches to work together for peace and justice through
listening, learning, praying, speaking and acting on public
policy issues.
28 MOVEMENT Issue 173

Blessed are the Community-Makers
Reimagining the Beatitudes for SCM
Nadia Bolz Weber invites us to stop reading the Beatitudes as a checklist of qualities we
must cultivate in order to be blessed. Instead, she encourages us to picture Jesus on the
mountainside, looking with compassion at the people gathered before him at that day and at
that time, and pouring out blessings on all those had come to believe that blessings were never
meant for them. In that spirit, here are my Beatitudes for the Student Christian Movement.
Blessed are the justice-seekers,
For theirs is the knowledge of righteousness.
Blessed are the planet-grievers,
For they will be protected in return.
Blessed are the meme-makers,
For theirs is the joy and delight of God.
Blessed are the uncertain doubters,
For they will be embraced.
Blessed are the theological explorers,
For theirs is wisdom and curiosity.
Blessed are the hopeful queers,
For they will be met with love.
Blessed are the determined protestors,
For their fire will never be put out.
Blessed are the quiet crafters,
For they will keep us steady.
Blessed are the community-creators,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
By Moll

BIBLE STUDIES
We are called to love our neighbour and our enemy, but what does that look like,
especially in a time of heightened far-right rhetoric and a fear of ‘the other’?
Joseph and Thomas turn to the Bible to discover what we can learn.
Isaiah 56 6-8
6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
8 Thus says the Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.
Over the past decade there has been much hatred and
anger towards refugees and migrants in the UK, who are
deemed to be ‘other’ because of their heritage. The story
told through Isaiah 56 demonstrates that, since Christ’s
birth, one’s heritage is not important. We do not need to be
from a certain place, at a certain time to be worthy of God’s
love. Sadly, I imagine for many asylum seekers and refugees,
fleeing from war, violence and persecution, being face with
harshness, anger and hatred feels the opposite to love.
Isaiah goes one step further, telling of a time when the
‘outsider’ no longer even exists, and when everyone is
an ‘insider.’ In verse seven, it tells also of a time when the
house of God will be a place for all peoples. Today I see
this as relevant to diaspora communities - people who
are spread around the world, often in small, localised
communities far from their place of origin. But the love of
God speaks, saying that they are welcome, their prayers are
valued, and they belong; even when they feel isolated from
what is familiar to them.
The book of Isaiah is sometimes referred to as the Gospel
of the Old Testament because it contains some of the
most inclusive and hope-filled passages about God’s
redemptive plan for all nations. One of the themes that
runs through the book is that of the “foreigner” or ‘the
outsider’ being welcomed into the family of God. Isaiah 56
in particular predicts a time when gentiles, or ‘the other’,
will no longer be outsiders, but will be equally apart of
God’s kingdom. Throughout the Old Testament, strict rules
are laid out for who is worthy to minister to His people as a
priest, but Isaiah 56 tells of a time when all people will serve
God. The expansion of God’s loves prophesied by Isaiah
is not a love of simply tolerance – it is a love of complete
acceptance; all-consuming, radical, indiscriminate.
Isaiah 56 shows us that God’s welcome is radically
expansive. He draws “foreigners” to His holy mountain,
gives them joy in His house of prayer, and declares that His
house is “for all peoples.” With this vision in mind, we can
see how to live it out today. Political debates often turn
refugees and migrants into ‘outsiders’ but Isaiah reminds us
that God gathers the outcasts and brings them fully into His
family. We may not be able to end global conflict or solve
every injustice, but we can reflect God’s heart by loving
the stranger as He does; offering dignity, hospitality, and
a sense of belonging. In doing so, we participate in God’s
work of making His house, and our communities, places of
welcome for all peoples.
Joseph Wood
30 MOVEMENT Issue 173

Matthew 5:21-26
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago,
‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be
subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is
angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is
answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’
will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar
and there remember that your brother or sister has
something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front
of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come
and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is
taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on
the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the
judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer,
and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you,
you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
We have to find a way to love and humanise our
enemies, because we, the Christian bloc of the
progressive left, can’t stop the rise of the far-right
and Christian Nationalism through discrediting their
dangerous views or marginalising those who hold
them. Luckily, Jesus gives us advice to deal with those
with whom we disagree; settle matters out of court,
become reconciled to our fellow human beings, and
check the rest mist of rage in ourselves.Matthew 5:
21-22 makes clear the human capacity for violence
we all possess, and that our job is to resist the urge to
dehumanise and objectify our enemies. Supported by
our friends and allies in safety, we can work with people
affiliated to the far right who underneath retain their
conscience and thus some good faith.
I watched the TV show ‘The Walk In’ recently, about
the anti-fascist organisation Hope not Hate foiling
a far-right murder plot through an insider with cold
feet about violence. The insider never repents of
his racism and homophobia, much to the frustration
of Hope not Hate, and yet they begrudgingly work
together for the greater good of preventing killing.
This relied on finding someone whose conscience
remained behind their hate.
I think this is what Jesus is asking us to do in verses
25-26. To act before the violence of the legal system
does, and to be active in protecting our neighbours in
working to defang the far right through deradicalising
its followers. We love through our actions, and we can
act strategically and carefully to roll our society back
from the brink of open violence over race, class, and
migration. We can organise in our communities with
people who are attracted to the far right and bring
them into a place of love – through including them in
solidarity projects within local communities. We stand
in good faith in loving our neighbours and our enemies
through offering gifts of solidarity, and mutual care and
understanding through, and because of, our attempts
to reconcile with our enemies (verse 24). Love
emphatically, act strategically, palms open to all in good
faith – in this, we smash the ideas of the far right.
Thomas Niblett
MOVEMENT Issue 173
31

NOT A
‘PROVERBS
31 WOMAN’
Drawing on figures from Jael to Mary and Ruth,
Amanda Higgin reframes biblical womanhood
as courageous, resourceful, and defiant
Pictured: Jael and Sisera
(c. 1620) by Artemisia
Gentileschi 1593-1654

I do not take fashion advice from social media. This has
generally proved to be a wise and sustainable life choice. There
has, however, been one notable exception to this rule, and that
is in 2021 when I was enticed by Twitter (when it was still Twitter)
to purchase a T-shirt bearing the caption “Biblical Womanhood”.
Those who know me may be aware that I would not be
considered the poster girl for biblical womanhood. I have short
hair, a career, and at a recent black-tie wedding was the only
woman in the room wearing trousers. I am married but will
fiercely defend the rights and dignity of women who choose
never to marry, who choose never to have children, who
choose to prioritise their career or who, heaven forfend, marry
another woman.
The reason I was so excited to purchase and wear this
“Biblical Womanhood” t-shirt, then, was nothing to do with
the stereotype of biblical womanhood generally found on
Twitter (especially now it is no longer called Twitter). My t-shirt
displays the caption “Biblical womanhood” underneath the
graphic of a human skull lying on its side with a tent peg driven
through the temple, with the further caption “Judges 4-5”. This
is a reference to Jael, who briefly stars in the story of Deborah
and Barak in order to seduce and then murder the enemy
General by driving a tent peg through his head while he sleeps.
Jael is a woman in the Bible. She is therefore, by definition, an
example of biblical womanhood.
The phrase ‘biblical womanhood’ was particularly current at
the time this T-shirt was being tweeted out, as a result of Beth
Allison Barr’s recent book The Making of Biblical Womanhood
(Brazos Press: 2021), and the resulting backlash from right-wing
American conservatives, including from the Council on Biblical
Manhood and Womanhood. Unfortunately, it remains relevant
today. Both our ecclesiastical and governmental politics is
mired in controversies about bodies and about gender, about
what a woman is and what women should be allowed to do.
Conservative attitudes to so-called Christian womanhood
have found frighteningly fertile ground online. If you have
watched, or at least heard of, the Disney+ show The Secret
Lives Of Mormon Wives, then you are aware of a particular
ecosystem of conservative femininity: long, wavy hair,
perfect makeup at any time of day, an impressive ability to
make bread, raise chickens, and make sure all five of her
children (all under eight years old) are ready for church in
their colour-coded outfits. These women seem faithful,
successful, well-off, and happy.
These women are an oxymoron. They display a secure, tranquil
picture of the stay-at-home wife and mother, a woman with no
concerns except the wellbeing of her husband and dependents,
whose prosperity is a sign of her husband’s success and of their
faith in God. Displaying this picture, however, is her full-time
job. She is a content creator, a manager, a marketing specialist,
and a saleswoman for a product that she herself does not
consume. Her picture of passive, beautiful, peaceful, “biblical
womanhood” is beguiling, but entirely fake.
Ruth is a biblical woman; she is a refugee immigrant who works
hard and cleverly secures a future for herself and her motherin-law.
Mary is a biblical woman; she obeys God and declares
that the mighty shall be cast down and rich sent away empty.
Esther is a biblical woman; she uses her beauty and privilege to
advocate for her people and secure the execution of a corrupt
official. Rahab is a biblical woman; she is a sex worker, hides
the Israelite spies in Jericho, and enters the family tree of the
Messiah. Phoebe is a biblical woman; she is given precedence
over her husband, has authority in the church, and corrects a
male preacher.
These are biblical women, and therefore this must be biblical
womanhood.
In Jesus’ ministry it is not the women being passively provided
for, but the men. A group of independently wealthy widows
supports Jesus and his disciples in their mission. Even the
anonymous Proverbs 31 woman, the poster girl of biblical
womanhood, runs her own business: “She perceives that her
merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night…
She makes linen garments and sells them; she supplies the
merchant with sashes.” (Proverbs 31:18, 24).
The idea of sitting back and being cared for in domestic bliss
on account of your sex assigned at birth is tempting. Which of
us has never wondered whether having a sugar daddy wouldn’t
make life easier? But if we are going to resist this mirage of
‘biblical womanhood’ we could take a cue from the real biblical
women, who followed their God and their hearts with their
whole, formidable selves.
Amanda Higgin is a Baptist minister serving at Oasis Church
Bath, and a theologian with a Masters in New Testament studies.
MOVEMENT Issue 173

F I G H T I N G
FASCISM
IN THE PHILIPPINES
While far-right sentiment continues to grow at home, the Philippines has endured
generations of fascist violence, with its roots stretching back through colonial rule and
continuing in the systemic militarisation and repression seen today. Our friends in
SCM Philippines share with us their courageous response to corruption, and call us all
to act in solidarity with the oppressed.
34 MOVEMENT Issue 173

Pictured: Manila - September 21, 2025: Activist groups join
mass protests in response to government corruption
Corruption in the Philippines is not new. Even young Filipinos
can cite major corruption scandals from each previous
administration. Deaths of already-suffering ordinary Filipinos,
loss of property, and squandering of public funds have also
been characteristic of past corruption issues.
Yet the September protests, which still continue even after
2025, hit differently. For many of us, the difference rests on
the deeper realisation that corruption is not just a lapse of
moral judgement of politicians and bureaucrats. On a deeper
level, many of us have come to the conclusion that corruption
in the Philippines is a systemic issue, with roots stemming
even from the colonial era and under the current neo-colonial
framework of the Philippine state. More than corruption, the
phenomenon is being interpreted as bureaucrat-capitalism
or the system where government is treated as a business.
Fascism is corruption’s twin under this bureaucrat-capitalist
system. As people raise their voices, march in the thousands,
and utilise every means of expression and mobilisation, the
people’s taxes are being used to heighten militarisation in
order to silence activists and other ordinary people.
Under the current administration, there have been 134 cases
of politically motivated extrajudicial killings; 822 arbitrary or
illegal arrests; more than 57,000 victims of indiscriminate
bombings; and nearly 11 million victims of threats, harassment,
and intimidation. There are 696 political prisoners, including
SCM Philippines senior friends Amanda Echanis and
Aldeem Yañez, both incarcerated during the past Duterte
administration. Red-tagging and worsened militarisation
continues to be a state policy under the pleasant-sounding
agency National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed
Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and policy National Action Plan
for Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP-UPD). On the
aftermath of the September 21 protest, more than 200 were
arrested, including SCMP member Mattheo Wovi Villanueva.
A non-participant was even killed by the police. Numerous
student leaders who led protests had subpoenas delivered
to them by the police.
These are the signs of the times (Mt. 16:1-3) that confront
the Filipino youth, including the faithful ecumenicals. These
concrete conditions, simply put, bring death to the masses.
Corruption and fascism are the nails to our crosses, the
bureaucrat-capitalists are those who hammer us into this
Calvary. The country has become hellish for its inhabitants,
with the most recent survey revealing that more people are
less hopeful for the new year, a 16-year low.
Thus, the task of the Filipino Christian youth is to bring heaven
on earth, to actualise what has been said on the Lord’s Prayer.
For we are co-collaborators with Christ in this mission, the
SCMP has sought to intensify its tasks: to spread the Good
News (Mk. 16:15), to become fishers of the people (Mt. 4:19),
and to carry the cross of the oppressed (Mk. 15:21).
To spread the Good News is to spread the message that
there is hope through our collective and through-going
struggle. This must serve as an antidote to the hopeless
situation that more Filipinos are experiencing.
To spread the Good News is to spread the
message that there is hope through our
collective and through-going struggle. This
must serve as an antidote to the hopeless
situation that more Filipinos are experiencing.
To do this, the SCMP have spread publicity materials to
thousands of students and also in communities outside of
schools. This is to intensify information campaigns, counter
disinformation, and offer people various outlets, to turn
their righteous anger and sorrow into action. Specifically, we
print and distribute thousands of leaflets, enter hundreds
of classrooms, and do door-to-door tactics among
communities. No one is born cognizant of both the issues
MOVEMENT Issue 173
35

than a change of heart, there must be a change of system
against the forces of evil that has been pervasive in the
Philippine society way before the current corruption issue.
and the action steps for grassroots undertakings. Thus, we
are tasked to spread ways on how to be hopeful through
action and engagement. We also launched for a and other
discussions to various audiences in order to strengthen a
sense of collective
To become fishers of the people is to conduct movementbuilding—expand
and consolidate the membership of the
SCMP nationwide. This is in order to establish a unified and
credible voice of the Christian youth across the country. The
SCMP sees to it that we must prove that the Philippines
is a Christian country not by name alone, but by collective
action. A greater collective of Christian youth can reach
more Christian youth and other allied sectors in the greater
struggle against bureaucrat-capitalism.
For 2025, we were able to re-establish two chapters
last year and more have been in the embryonic stages.
Individual members have also been recruited. However, this
is one of the most challenging aspects of our organising
effort, for transportation is very challenging, costly, and
time-consuming in a country that is archipelagic and public
transportation has been neglected and privatised by the
same bureaucrat-capitalist class.
To carry the cross of the oppressed, SCMP members are
tasked to participate in every effort (Rom. 14:19) for the
betterment of the Filipino people. These include efforts to
reach more youth through classroom and school hoppings,
actions among government bureaucrats and offices, and
mobilisations that we call “parliament of the streets”.
The SCMP has been participative of these actions. These
actions, especially in the streets, firm up our stand that more
Of course, actions include joint efforts with SCM Britain,
other members of the WSCF, and all oppressed youth and
masses around the world. We are also saddened how in
‘developed’ countries, funds for social services are also
being funnelled into increasing military budget for fascism
as the crisis of capitalism reaches its more moribund
state. In order to deepen our partnerships, we must study
the connections and root causes of the problems we
There is reaffirmation among protests and other
actions that God is on the side of the oppressed.
collectively face and thus conduct projects that mutually
benefit each other. We hope that SCMs around the world
can also support our relaunching of our youth Filipino
human rights alliance early this year.
There is reaffirmation among protests and other actions
that God is on the side of the oppressed. We are well
aware that Christianity was brought not only through
colonisation, but more so a major tool of oppression. Yet
we no longer we see Christ as a regal white-skinned figure
brought by the Spaniards. As we observe the solemnity
of the Baptism of the Lord last Sunday, January 11, we are
reminded that even though Christ is sinless, He underwent
baptism in order to affirm God’s solidarity with the 99%,
that He was born poor, yet He triumphed against death
and empire even as a poor human. By spreading the good
news, becoming fishers of the people, and carrying the
cross with the anawim, we are reaffirmed that God of
history moves through the oppressed. And that no amount
of threats, even death, will waver our indomitable spirit.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (Cor. 15:26)
The Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP)
is an ecumenical Progressive Christian organisation in the
Philippines. It aims to uphold students rights and participates
in numerous local and worldwide peoples’ advocacies. As with
other SCMs around the world, SCMP is a member of the World
Student Christian Federation. You can keep up to date with
their fight against fascism on Instagram at @scmphilippines.
Pictured above and previous page : The Trillion Peso March - a series of mass
demonstrations in the Philippines held on September 21 and November 30, 2025
36 MOVEMENT Issue 173

Jon Kurht, CEO of Hope Into Action, outlines a Christian response to homelessness
of justice, mercy and humility, embodied through supportive community and
holistic care for people.
A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS:
Are We Living
Out Our Faith?
MOVEMENT Issue 173
37

Homelessness is more than houselessness. Rather than
just the absence of a roof, it is a convergence of three
interrelated forms of poverty: of resources, relationships,
and identity.
Poverty of resources: The most obvious form is the lack
of resources of affordable housing, along with rising rents,
insecure tenancies, and shrinking social housing. Add in
the cost of living, rising debt and insecure employment
and more people are vulnerably housed than ever before.
Poverty of relationships: family breakdown, domestic
abuse, neglect and the absence of a key parental figure are
all hugely significant in causing and creating homelessness.
Humans are created to be in relationship with others and
extended periods of loneliness and isolation are just as
deadly as cold temperatures.
Poverty of identity: And it’s not just people’s fragile
relationships with others, but their relationship with
themselves. Low self-esteem, mental health problems and
addictions all play significant role in causing homelessness.
And the experience of being homeless increases shame, as
repeated failures erode hope and deplete a sense of agency.
In the Old Testament book of Micah, the response to the
question ‘What does the LORD require?’ gives a great
summary of a Christian response to homelessness, which
connects to each of these three forms of poverty: ‘Act justly,
love mercy and walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8).
‘The Church has played a
massive role in responding
to homelessness’
Act justly. Homelessness is created, to a large extent,
by structural inequalities that cannot be met simply
by charitable activity alone. We cannot avoid politics,
and justice demands that churches advocate for more
affordable and secure homes. We must resist the idea that
housing is merely a commodity to be bought and sold.
Love mercy. But addressing homelessness is not just a
question of politics or economics because relationships
are so central. This is why the church offer a unique place
of welcome and mercy - a place to belong and not just
consume. Worship is a great leveller between all people
and churches offer a unique non-transactional place of
welcome and community.
Of course, these three forms of poverty are deeply
interconnected. The poverty of resources puts pressure
on relationships. Relationship breakdown affects the
resources you have and damages your identity. And a poor
sense of identity affects your ability to use your skills and
gain resources through paid work.
A Christian response
As history shows, the Church has played a massive
role in responding to homelessness, with most housing
charities being formed by Christians or church leaders.
The Salvation Army and YMCA movements are two of the
most obvious examples, but fewer people realise that it
was church leaders who established organisations such as
Shelter, Centrepoint, and Crisis.
And the reason the Church has a central role is because
it has a message and a community able to respond to all
three of these forms of poverty.
Walk humbly with God. And finally, we must remember
that the gospel message is one of reconciliation and
restoration for people’s very souls. The church should never
forgo its unique and central role to share a life-transforming
message that can speak to someone’s very identity.
Hope into Action
And this is why I love working for Hope into Action,
because our model addresses all three forms of poverty.
We provide the resource of a quality house but also
relationships through the friendship and support of a
local church. And in all things, we aim to empower people
restore their identity, as someone loved by God and with
gifts and strengths that they can use to help others.
Jon Kuhrt is CEO of Hope into Action, a national charity
that supports churches to lovingly make a home for people who
have been homeless. Read more from Jon over on his blog at
www.gracetruth.blog.
Photograph: ©Tom Parsons
38 MOVEMENT Issue 173

THREE PERSPECTIVES ON
CONTEMPLATIVE
PRACTICE
MOVEMENT Issue 173

From Quaker worship to Benedictine rhythms, three SCMers offer a glimpse
into how contemplative practice can shape faith, deepen awareness, and nurture
spiritual growth.
The quiet mysticism of contemplative practice is what faith
means to me. Having attended Quaker meeting for a little
over a year, an average Anglican service with its hymns,
organ, and readings can now feel quite overwhelming!
While I love music, and there is so much beauty in formal
tradition, the continual light, sound, motion, and song of
programmed services often overwhelms my mind and
means I struggle to encounter the divine.
For me, the divine instead feels unprogrammed and
wordless; I resonate with how Surah 50:16 in the Quran
and chapter 5 of Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine
Love describe divinity as surprisingly omnipresent and
inseparable from us – closer than our jugular vein, enclosing
and clothing us in love. Quiet contemplation is so powerful
in how it gives this omnipresence the space to speak and
be heard on its own, reminding us that regardless of what
we do or feel, it is here.
With my propensity to scrupulosity, I often worry if I’ve
got religious minutiae ‘wrong,’ and I can get tangled in
apologetics, creeds, and practices. But in times of quiet
contemplation – a pocket in daily life, or a Meeting for
Worship – I feel like my experiences almost shake off
language, showing me how unimportant and trivial it is in
the grand scheme of things. All I need to do is sink down
and expand outwards into the infinitely complex simplicity
that I might assign the word ‘God’ to; all I need to do is be.
When Moses asked God who they were in the desert, they
said simply, ‘I am that I am.’ I never used to understand
what that meant as a child, but I think contemplative
practice has brought me closer to understanding it.
ELLA O’SHEA
As an alongsider (a layperson who temporarily lives
within a monastic enclosure and participates fully in
the community’s disciplined way of life) in an Anglican
Benedictine monastery, I am just beginning to try a
contemplative life. Across monastic tradition, there are
countless great contemplatives who continue to inspire –
but we don’t hear so much about the half-hearted, earnest
but distractable contemplatives who I might recognise
myself in more easily. Nevertheless, it is my half-hearted
but earnest attempts at contemplative prayer in the past,
seeking to find God’s stillness through practices like
imaginative prayer or Lectio Divina (meditative reading of
scripture), which have drawn me to try this life.
In the contemplative life, any aspect of our day might
lead us into that stillness of God’s presence, whether it’s
chanting the Psalms, corporate Lectio Divina, individual
prayer, weeding the garden, cleaning the floors, or reading.
Most of the time, these things don’t feel contemplative in
the slightest – they feel like ‘just’ what they are. But in
the same way that repeating the same prayer for every
bead on our prayer beads can lead us into the stillness of
God’s presence, so too can these repetitive moments let
us glimpse God.
Contemplation is never-ending, because the deeper
your awareness of God, the greater depths of God you
discover. Maybe we will always feel like beginners, but the
well of living water is endlessly full, and we could never
drink all the water in it. But we can take a sip and savour it,
we can glimpse God and ponder that glimpse. Even when
we feel distracted and alone, we can return to and ponder
the glimpses of God we have caught in the past, and we
might find this repetitive contemplation drawing us back
into the stillness of God.
JEM PARKER
40 MOVEMENT Issue 173

As a practicing Quaker who comes from a
Quaker family, I have spent my life attending
Quaker meeting and seeking to understand
what one can give to and gain from silent
worship. The silence of a Quaker Meeting for
Worship is not empty, devoid of thought, or
lacking in substance. In fact, it is quite the
opposite. It is an active and intentional silence,
where we gather in expectant waiting, and
sometimes G-d ‘moves’ us to deliver spoken
ministry to the Meeting. It is our experience
that there is ‘that of G-d’ in every person
and that G-d plays an active role in Meeting
for Worship – “For where two or three gather
in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew
18:20). In a gathered and centred Meeting for
Worship, there is an exchange of love, light,
and spiritual energy between all in attendance.
In worship, I can work through the full spectrum
of emotions through the guidance of the Inward
Teacher. I continue to grow to understand why
some experiences have caused me sadness
and distress, and I take time to be thankful for
people and things that bring me joy.
On occasion I have brought a difficult issue
to explore inwardly in the silence. I don’t
necessarily find the answers to my problems,
but G-d always offers up a pathway to seeking
them. I have learnt that being reactionary often
leads to poorly thought-out decision making,
but by letting go and submitting to G-d’s
guidance, I am led to ask the right questions
and to deeply consider my choices.
In moving through people that experience G-d’s
continuing revelation, the silence cultivates a
vibrant and living faith. We are all seeking that
still, small voice of calm.
KIT KING
MOVEMENT Issue 173

REVIEWS
WAKE UP DEAD
MAN: A KNIVES
OUT MYSTERY
In Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out
film, master detective Benoit Blanc
(Daniel Craig) is asked to solve the
mystery of the Good Friday murder of a
controversial Monsignor (Josh Brolin).
With the help of assistant pastor the
Rev. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor),
Blanc must uncover the secrets of Our
Lady of Perpetual Fortitude and its
parishioners.
Josh O’Connor’s performance is the
centre and heart of this film as the
boxer-turned-priest who has spent nine
months working (and clashing) with
a man he fundamentally disagrees
with who has been steadily radicalising
the shrinking flock they serve. There’s
a really affecting scene where Jud is
asked to pray for someone in need,
taking a moment out from the stakes
of the murder mystery to refocus on
his calling and his commitment to his
congregation and community.
The use of light, shade, and colour
in this film situates the stories told
well, especially the founding myth of
Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude (a
priest’s scorned ‘worldly’ daughter).
Stained glass window effects are used
as framing, which works well when
you consider how these windows
traditionally hold stories and were
placed as memorials.
Rian Johnson seeks to critique misogyny
and Christofascism throughout Wake
Up Dead Man, a message that is
especially necessary given the American
political right’s utilisation and
weaponisation of primarily Evangelical
and Catholic Christianity. Monsignor
Wicks has fed his flock’s cult-like
behaviour, encouraging their fears and
calcifying their beliefs within a web of
perpetuated patriarchy.
RACHEL SALES
THE LIBERATION
THEOLOGY
PODCAST
The Christian message is often told in
this way: repent and you will be saved;
obey the laws, lead a humble, holy life
on earth, and you will secure your place
in heaven. People turn to religion for
a second chance. The suffering of this
life will be worth it in the next. But
does this have to be the case? What if
we acknowledge that most suffering is
structural, human-made; what if we
challenge the status quo, if we believe
that the poor, the vulnerable, the
oppressed must be liberated – as Jesus
teaches, “on earth as it is in heaven”?
I can think of no better introduction
to these ideas than The Liberation
Theology Podcast. Hosted by the
Jesuit priest David Inczauskis, this
podcast series takes us through a
history of liberation theology, its key
people, and events. It focuses largely
on the seminal work, A Theology of
Liberation by Gustavo Gutiérrez,
with Inczauskis adding his own
observations and experiences from his
time in Latin America, the birthplace
of the movement.
We also hear about influential
figures such as Ernesto Cardenal,
Ignacio Ellacuría and Leonardo
Boff in an engaging way, with
effective summaries, reflections, and
recommendations for further reading.
Wake Up Dead Man,
Directed by Rian Johnson,
2025, 12A/PG-13
42 MOVEMENT Issue 173

MURDER
AT THE
MONASTERY
Strongly rooted in both Catholic
social teaching and Marxist working
class struggle, liberation theology
provides a current, practical, and
spiritual answer to the pains of
capitalism. It feels particularly
relevant in relation to the illegal,
imperialist US invasion of Venezuela
abroad and growing wealth
inequality at home. Inczauskis and
his guests bring such a profound
wisdom and clarity to this rich
theology that it is difficult to remain
unmoved or unchallenged. I would
highly recommend this podcast
to anyone with a love for the
marginalised and oppressed, Socialist
Christians, or anyone interested in
theological study more broadly.
PETER RAISTRICK
The Liberation Theology Podcast
Podcast
David Inczauskis
2021
Take a step back into the 1980s in the
third murder mystery book by Richard
Coles. Primarily set in a Benedictine
monastery in Yorkshire, Canon
Clement’s idea of a peaceful retreat
quickly turns on its head when news of
a sudden death takes hold of the small
monastic community he is visiting. Can
Daniel solve the mysteries behind this
sudden and unusual death without the
help of Detective Seargeant Vanloo?
And can he resolve the tensions in his
own life, including the recent revelation
of unrequited love?
Murder at the Monastery asks deep
questions about vocation, sexuality, and
love, things many of us have wrestled
with at one point or another. The level
of detail is exquisite - you can tell it
was written by a man who trained
for ministry alongside Benedictine
monks. Whilst one could argue that
this installment is more psychological
drama than murder mystery, it is
probably all the better for it. As Daniel
wrestles with his sense of place, purpose
and being, our hearts journey with him,
and by the end of this third book we
know the character so much better. The
book wonderfully sheds a light on the
joys and difficulties of living together
in community, especially in religious
life, whilst also asking us to pause and
Murder at the Monastery:
A Canon Clement Mystery
The Reverend Richard Coles
Paperback
£7.00
ask, ‘how much has the church really
changed?’ Overall, I would highly
recommend Murder at the Monastery,
and in fact the whole Canon Clement
series, to anyone seeking a new literary
venture.
JOSHUA TINKER-REID
MOVEMENT Issue 173
43

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