Writer • Speaker • Trainer • Facilitator
In 2013 I suddenly found myself on the margins of my faith. Prior to this I’d been your average “conservative, evangelical Christian woman”: married, three kids, husband I submitted to, Church on Sunday morning, back home to mow the lawn of our nice suburban semi-detached house in the afternoon. Midweek my husband and I would …
“A major problem in evangelicalism is that the question is never asked ‘does this theology cause harm?’ but rather they ask ‘is it true?’ Once an evangelical has determined a belief to be ‘true’ harm caused is irrelevant and can be blamed on moral shortcomings of the victim rather than blamed on the harmful theology …
I was always a fan of romance, when I was seven I demanded my “boyfriend” rescue me from the top of a hill I had run up- shouting “save me Colin, I’m a damsel in distress.” When I was seventeen I was thrilled to have a boyfriend who was a musician, because he could serenade …
Out walking with my friends last year we had the sudden and dreadful realisation that the group of teenagers we’d taken with us were no longer on the path ahead of us. A little while back we’d followed the signpost and turned off onto another track, the teenagers had obviously missed the sign. It wasn’t …
It should be obvious to anyone who visits my social media that my raison d’etre is supporting survivors of domestic abuse, and raising awareness that abuse happens in the church, just as much outside of it, so that we can make the church a safer place. It often astounds me then the amount of people …
Not all berries are toxic When my son was four or five years old my dad taught him that the blackberries he found growing alongside country paths were edible. It meant for many years we couldn’t go on family walks without having to wait whilst my son stripped every blackberry bush he found of its …
In ancient Israel some men would abandon their wives, like discarded possessions, “putting them away” and marrying younger women. Wives who had been “put away” would become mere property as slaves, or would be ignored completely and face destitution, but their obligations to their husband remained, they were not free to re-marry. Seeing the cruel …
In the backseat of the old car Miriam felt her muscles tighten again, arching her back against the pain she gritted her teeth. She was furious. She should be on her way to the hospital now, but instead she was crossing the country in Yusuf’s brother’s car, fleeing from the occupying forces who ruled their …
Friday 13th December, 2024 Maud had been the church cleaner since her husband died, she’d thought she’d be covered by his pension and life insurance policy but some loophole that she didn’t understand meant she wasn’t. She’d always stayed at home and looked after the children, and now, without John and his income, times were …
The phrase “innocent until proven guilty” was never intended to be used in the context of the public making judgments about the conduct of celebrities, nor, crucially, was it intended to be used by those responsible for safeguarding. And the use of it in this context is where it becomes dangerous and problematic. The use …