LGBT History Month has taken place in the UK every February since 2004, organised by Schools Out UK, a campaigning group for LGBT people in education, and taking inspiration from the annual commemoration in October each year in the USA.
‘Doubting’ Thomas is so much more – A more generous response to the infamous apostle
The story of Thomas the apostle is an invitation and challenge to us to be generous in listening to questions and scepticism. How do we cope with challenges to faith – our own and other people’s?
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The work of Christmas begins – An Epiphany reflection
A REFLECTION on the story of the magi travelling to find Jesus in Bethlehem [Matthew 2:1-12] and the poem The Work Of Christmas by Howard Thurman.
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John the Baptist: Opening an Advent window on the bigger picture of the Christmas story
THE CHRISTMAS STORY is a jigsaw, which we have pieced together from the four gospels. The pieces include: a star, a manger, shepherds, and wise people from the east. But the story of a man in the desert baptizing people doesn’t seem to fit the puzzle. Does it even belong in our picture of Christmas?
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My Christian journey – A testimonal for ministry training
IN MAY 2023 I began the process of applying to begin training as a Methodist minister in 2024. This is the testimonial I wrote for a portfolio as part of my application.
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Finding your burning desire: Inspired by the call of Moses
THE REVELATION of God’s name and the call of Moses [3:1-15, 4:1-5], is an example of how, just when we think we have God figured out, God can overturn our expectations once again.
In Moses, God takes an inarticulate, excuse-riddled murderer and turns him into one of the greatest leaders of the Hebrew people, who becomes a prophet in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other faith traditions.
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Let justice and peace flow – A Creationtide reflection
SEPTEMBER is the Season of Creation. It’s a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation, through celebration, prayer and action, together with the whole human family, for the good of our common home.
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Surprising outcasts – Joseph and the Canaanite woman
IN 2021, a Black woman became the President of the Methodist Church In Britain for the first time. In her presidential address at Conference, Revd Sonia Hicks told the story of her Aunt Lize, a life-long Methodist who came from Jamaica to the UK. On her first Sunday in this country, Lize attended the local Methodist church but, although she brought her membership ticket, the minister turned her away.
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10 years of same-sex marriage in England & Wales – BBC Radio Merseyside interview
TEN YEARS AGO today the Houses of Parliament passed legislation to allow same-sex marriage in England and Wales. To mark the anniversary, BBC Radio Merseyside host Paul Salt interview me and my husband Warren, as we were the first couple to register a civil partnership in a place of worship in the UK.
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ChatGPT: Tell me about myself
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) is growing fast – ChatGPT, the popular chatbot from OpenAI, is estimated to have reached 100 million monthly active users just two months after its launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer internet application ever.
So I decided to ask it a few questions, to see how intelligent it may be. Here’s a selection of its responses.
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Giving thanks for this phenomenal journey
AT THE ANNUAL MEETING this weekend of the parish where the first Open Table community began, I spoke about my journey with this community over the last 15 years, and the new stage I am …
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When the stranger becomes the host – On the road to Emmaus
THE COMMUNITY in which I joined the Methodist Church last year hosts a short telephone service on Sunday afternoons – like a Christian conference call! Today I was invited to offer a five-minute reflection on the Gospel …
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A face for radio
On Sunday 2nd April I spoke to Paul Beesley at BBC Radio Merseyside about my journey, from London to Liverpool, in and out of Christianity and back again, coming out as gay and Christian, and the growth of the Open …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2016/03/06/believing-in-lgbt-people-my-review-of-lgbt-history-month-part-1/
Feb 20
Sorry seems to be the hardest word – On the C of E’s apology to LGBTI Christians
‘It’s a sad, sad situation, and it’s getting more and more absurd.’ So sang Elton John 40 years ago – his lament for a lost relationship could have been written for the Church of England this past month. At the first full meeting of its governing body this year, the General Synod met this week to …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2016/02/20/sorry-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word-on-the-cofes-apology-to-lgbti-christians/
Jan 10
How can we disagree well? A personal response to the #Primates2016 meeting
THIS WEEK the heads of Anglican churches around the world (known as Primates) will gather in Canterbury to debate the future of their global network, the Anglican Communion, because of deep divisions over church teachings on sexuality.
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2016/01/10/how-can-we-disagree-well-a-personal-response-to-the-primates2016-meeting/
Dec 24
Coming out – A gay Christian poem for Christmas
AT A carol service last Sunday, hosted by Open Table, an LGBT Christian community in Liverpool, I read one of the readings, which I found moving, inspiring and too good not to share. The poem, called Coming Out by Sigrid Rutishauser-James, draws on the image of light in darkness, which was the theme of the whole service: Come …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/12/24/coming-out-a-gay-christian-poem-for-christmas/
Dec 05
A momentous decade – Reflecting on ten years of UK civil partnerships
IT’S TEN YEARS this month since the first civil partnerships for same-sex couples in the UK. The first couple to benefit from the new legal recognition for their relationship were Chris Cramp and Matthew Roche from West Sussex, on 5th December 2005. Yet when images from the first UK civil partnerships appear in the media …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/12/05/a-momentous-decade-reflecting-on-ten-years-of-uk-civil-partnerships/
Nov 20
Making noise for #AntiBullyingWeek, #InterfaithWeek, #TDOR
THIS WEEK in England there is an interesting combination of commemorations – Anti-Bullying Week, Interfaith Week, and Trans* Awareness Week, culminating today in Trans* Day of Remembrance (TDOR). I have been at four events in the past week to mark these campaigns: ‘An All Embracing Faith’ – Keynote speech by Ruth Hunt, CEO of Stonewall …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/11/20/makingnoise-antibullying-interfaith-tdor/
Oct 31
Halloween – Summer’s end, a feast for remembering
AT THIS time of year it’s not unusual to hear people in England complain of the ‘American import’ of Halloween and its lanterns, costumes, and trick-or-treating. While it’s true that Halloween celebrations have become as commercialised as Christmas, in the USA and increasingly here in the UK, it’s also true that it was our ancestors …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/10/31/halloween-summers-end-a-feast-for-remembering/
Oct 26
What is a ‘shared conversation’?
WHAT IS a conversation if it’s not shared? Talking to myself? Enjoying the sound of my own voice? Only hearing views I agree with? This odd phrase was chosen by the Church of England to describe its facilitated listening process to seek some reconciliation, or at least ‘good disagreement’ over diverse views on sexuality and same-sex …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/10/26/what-is-a-shared-conversation/
Oct 24
Some principles for making prayerful decisions
THIS WEEK, the church where my partner and I volunteer to run a monthly LGBT inclusive service, faced a huge decision – whether to commit to at least ten years of major fundraising and building work, or to walk away and start afresh somewhere else. A question this big was hard to answer – the …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/10/24/some-principles-for-making-prayerful-decisions/
Oct 18
LGBT hate crimes in UK ‘more likely to be violent’
HATE CRIME AWARENESS WEEK has just ended in the UK. The Home Office release the latest statistics on hate crime, which showed that: the number of hate crimes (motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity) reported in England & Wales was up 18% on the previous year (52,528 in 2014/15, 44,471 in …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2015/10/18/lgbt-hate-crimes-in-uk-more-likely-to-be-violent/
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