Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Do you ever take painkillers?  If so, do you take one for your shoulder, and another one for you knee? Of course not! Once the painkiller enters your bloodstream, it goes everywhere, soothing and damping down the pain, and hitting all the right spots. God works a bit like that on the pain in our...

Release International partner, Archbishop Ben Kwashi, says: “We have come to another season of constant attacks on Christian villages and Christian people in central Nigeria. “The consistency with which these attacks have gone for nearly 20 years is a sad commentary on the leadership of Nigeria, who do not care about the poor and vulnerable,...

At this time of year, we enjoy the fruits of our gardens, fields and hedgerows: vegetables ripen, crops are harvested, and berries begin to show bright among the leaves. Much of this growth started with a few seeds in spring: the miracle of life coming from small dead-looking things. There is a league table of...

31st August is the feast of St Aidan, who brought Christianity to northern England.  He is a strong contender for the title of the first English bishop. Not that honours meant a great deal to this austere but captivating character. In 635 he came to Northumbria at the invitation of the local ruler, Oswald.  Oswald...

A few years ago, I was sponsored by the Mothers’ Union in my diocese to go ‘swimming with sharks’ at the Blue Planet Aquarium near Chester. The prospect seemed daunting, but it proved to be a magical, memorable experience. When I went down into the water, it was like entering a new world – somehow...

Much beloved by gardeners across the UK, allotments are cherished for the space they provide to grow one’s own fresh vegetables, among other things. This year the theme is Soil Health. As National Allotments Week explains: “Good soil health is widely accepted as way to improve yield when growing edibles, but also contributes positively to...

Raymond Nonnatus (1204 – 40) is a good patron saint for anyone who does not take life for granted. The account of his own life begins with the story of how his mother died just before his birth, and of how Raymond was somehow extracted from her dead body just in time to save him.(‘Nonnatus’...

Holy Russia? Holy War? – why the Russian Church is backing Putin against Ukraine Saturated with God – a cry for nation-changing revival Why Less Means More – making space for what matters most Clothed with Strength – women who built the church and changed the world Church Beyond Walls – Christian spirituality at large...

** Ecumenics of a crisis During a recent gathering of local faith leaders, the church caught fire. The Methodists gathered in the corner and prayed. The Baptists cried, “Where is the water?” The Anglicans formed a procession and marched out. The Quakers silently praised God for the blessings that fire brings. The Lutherans posted a...

Does this summer spell the end of school, college, or even a job, for you? Then congratulations are in order: you have completed a significant step! Now it is time to consider your next step. The dictionary defines ‘step’ as a physical movement that advances you in a desired direction. You take a ‘step’ forward...

The Church of England’s Chief Education Officer, Nigel Genders, received a CBE in the recent King’s Birthday Honours. As Chief Education Officer and Chief Executive of the National Society, Nigel has for the past nine years led the work of the Church of England Education Office, which serves the church’s ministry with children and young...

The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Your suggestion that every month at clergy meetings, someone should review a book of theology they have been reading, was bound to be greeted with uneasy resistance. It would mean that the majority would have to start opening books, rather than just occasionally dusting them....