LAST WEDNESDAY: former Aston Villa and Everton midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, who resigned from professional football last September, announced he is gay. No other professional footballer currently playing in this country has had the courage to do the same. Hitzlsperger said there is “a long way to go” before there will be an openly gay man playing in …
When God is already there: Learning through interfaith encounters
AS PART of my training for Methodist ministry, I have reflected on how encounters with people of different faiths have changed my understanding of where God is at work. From separation to encounter, I explore what interfaith engagement has taught me about listening, difference and faith.
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- 17th August 2026
- Christianity, Liverpool, Methodist, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
To be rather than to seem: The moral compass I want to carry
What would my moral compass look like? An unusual Christian Ethics assignment led me from family history and an old Latin motto to a coat of arms representing four themes that shape my writing, ministry and faith: authenticity, inclusion, peace and kindness.
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- 11th August 2026
- Christianity, identity, Kindness, Methodist, Open Table, relationships, Spirituality, Theology, YMCA
- abravefaith
Transfiguration and Hiroshima: What is mine to do for peace?
This week Christians celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, while the world also marks the eighty-first anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. At first glance these events could hardly seem further apart. One is a story of dazzling glory on a mountain; the other of unimaginable devastation beneath a mushroom cloud.
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- 3rd August 2026
- Christianity, Methodist, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
Where vocation begins: St Martin and the origin of a calling, chapels, and chaplaincy
St Martin of Tours is remembered for sharing his cloak with a beggar, but his story has much more to teach us about vocation, ministry and recognising Christ in our neighbour. Reflecting on his life again while preparing to preach, I found fresh encouragement for the call to follow Christ in everyday life.
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- 5th July 2026
- Chaplaincy, Christianity, Methodist, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
Good news worth sharing?
AS PART of my ministry training, I’m exploring what happens when we share stories of faith and invite others to respond. I’d love to hear your perspective, whatever your beliefs or background.
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- 2nd June 2026
- Christianity, Coming Out, identity, Liverpool, marriage, Marriage Equality, Meaning of Life, Mental Health, Methodist, Open Table, sexuality, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
Pride, shame, and the possibility of life
JUNE is celebrated around the world as Pride Month, remembering the long struggle of LGBTQIA+ people to live openly and safely, free from fear, shame, and discrimination. Last Sunday, as part of my training as a …
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- 1st June 2026
- Christianity, Coming Out, Hate Crime, Homophobia, identity, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Michael Causer, Open Table, sexuality, Spirituality, Theology, Transphobia
- abravefaith
Grace before agreement: What living ecumenically has taught me
What does it mean to practice Christian unity today? Drawing on my own journey across Christian traditions and the story of the Open Table Network, I explore unity, grace, and the courage to stay at the table – especially when we don’t agree on everything.
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- 2nd March 2026
- Appreciation, Chaplaincy, Christianity, Civil Partnership, Gratitude, identity, Liverpool, Methodist, Open Table, relationships, Spirituality, Theology
- abravefaith
‘All Are Welcome!’: How a surprising witness is inspiring a national church
FEBRUARY is LGBT+ History Month, an annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary history. This year the Methodist Church in Britain asked me to connect them with a minister who could tell the story of a church that had walked the sometimes difficult journey to becoming truly inclusive and hosting an Open Table community.
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- 22nd February 2026
- Christianity, Coming Out, Gratitude, identity, LGBT rights, Methodist, Open Table, Pride, relationships, sexuality, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Standing together in the gap: Migration, identity, and the search for home
AS PART of my training for ordained ministry in the Methodist Church in Britain, I have been invited to situate my own experience of migration within global theological perspectives, particularly those emerging from African and Latin American contexts. Engaging with migration studies has revealed my story as part of a much larger global, political and theological pattern of power, privilege, and displacement. Migration, therefore, is not an abstract concept for me; it has shaped my family, my childhood, and my ministry.
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- 18th February 2026
- Christianity, Human Rights, identity, Methodist, Theology
- abravefaith
Surprised by grace: Discovering hidden treasures in Methodist vocation
TWO YEARS AGO this week, I found myself in a place I never imagined, at a Discerning Ordained Vocations [DOV] conference of the Methodist Church in Great Britain. It was part of a careful, prayerful process of listening for God’s call – a call that had already surprised me more than once.
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- 1st February 2026
- Christianity, Methodist, Spirituality
- abravefaith
From resolution to relationship – Renewing the Methodist Covenant Prayer
THIS REFLECTION began as a sermon preached at a Methodist Covenant Service. I’ve adapted it here for anyone who has ever struggled with resolutions, commitments, or prayers that ask more of us than we feel able to give. At its heart is a simple conviction: covenant begins with God, not with us.
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- 18th January 2026
- Christianity, marriage, Methodist, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Light in the darkness: Prayers for a Christmas carol service
Responsive prayers for a Christmas carol service, rooted in Scripture and centred on the ancient Christian prayer Maranatha – holding together Christ’s coming at Christmas and the hope of his coming again.
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- 26th December 2025
- Christianity, Christmas, Kindness, Spirituality
- abravefaith
Jan 14
Give LGBT youth a sporting chance by tackling prejudice – UPDATED
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Christianity, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Michael Causer
-
14th January 2014
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2014/01/14/youth-chances-survey-lgbt-youth/
Dec 25
An Alternative Queen’s Speech: Bethlehemian Rhapsody
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Christmas, Meaning of Life, Spirituality
-
25th December 2013
THE CHRISTMAS STORY, as it might have been sung by Freddie Mercury and his 70s rock band Queen: Is this the real birth? Is it Nativity? Caught in a census, in the town of His ancestry. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see… He’s just a poor boy, foretold by prophecy. Because …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/12/25/bethlehemian-rhapsody/
Dec 10
Human Rights Day: A history of LGBT rights at the UN
- By abravefaith in Hate Crime, LGBT rights
-
10th December 2013
10th December is Human Rights Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The Declaration states that ‘all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ Yet the UN has only recognised LGBT rights around the world in …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/12/10/human-rights-day-a-history-of-lgbt-rights-at-the-un/
Dec 10
A matter of integrity: The Church, sexuality, inclusion and an open conversation
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
-
10th December 2013
AS THE GOVERNMENT has announced the date when the first marriages for same sex couples in England and Wales can take place, churches which remain challenged by this social change would do well to follow the lead of Steve Chalke, a high-profile evangelical church leader, who earlier this year called for a radical rethink of Christian …
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- Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, baptist, Christian, Christianity, church, Church of England, civil partnership, Civil union, coming out, current-events, Douglas Adams, England, evangelical, Evangelicalism, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, God, homophobia, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Marriage, Mental health, Merseyside, Minister (Christianity), October, pastoral care, Place of worship, Religion and Spirituality, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, spirituality, Steve Chalke, theology, Youth
- 1 comment
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/12/10/a-matter-of-integrity/
Nov 23
‘And it’s goodnight from him’ – A eulogy for my father
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Spirituality
-
23rd November 2013
I have been silent for the past month due to my father’s final illness. I last wrote while on the train to visit him in hospital. The following week, though his will was strong, his body was weak, and could sustain him no more. Yesterday we celebrated a requiem mass in thanksgiving for his life. …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/11/23/and-its-goodnight-from-him-eulogy-for-my-father/
Oct 23
Stephen Fry: Out There – Meeting the gay TV presenter tackling global homophobia
- By abravefaith in Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Michael Causer
-
23rd October 2013
LAST WEEK the BBC screened Stephen Fry: Out There, a ground-breaking two part documentary about homophobia around the world. As the title suggests, it was presented by the multi-talented Stephen Fry, who describes himself on Twitter as: ‘British Actor, Writer, Lord of Dance, Prince of Swimwear & Blogger.’ During the making of the documentary, the …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/10/23/stephen-fry-out-there/
Oct 17
Did You Go Purple For #SpiritDay?
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Coming Out, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Spirituality
-
17th October 2013
TODAY, the third Thursday in October, is Spirit Day, when millions of people wear purple and change their social media profile pictures to help create a world in which lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people are celebrated and accepted for who they are. What is Spirit Day? Spirit Day is an annual day held on the …
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- Advocate, Asher Brown, BBC, Billy Lucas, Brazil, Brittany McMillan, Canada, coming out, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, gender identity, GLAAD, homophobia, India, Iran, Justin Aaberg, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Mental health, Russia, Seth Walsh, Sexual orientation, sexuality, Spirit Day, spirituality, Stephen Fry, Tyler Clementi, Uganda, United States, USA, Wes Janisen, Youth
- 2 comments
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/10/17/did-you-go-purple-for-spiritday/
Sep 27
WATCH: Defriended over a wedding – A straight man gains perspective
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Civil Partnership, Coming Out, LGBT rights, Marriage Equality, Spirituality
-
27th September 2013
WHAT MAKES the debate over same-sex marriage around the world really interesting is the power of empathy, when ordinary people who are not LGBT begin to see it from our point of view. Spare six minutes to hear this man say why he began to get what it’s like to be judged second-rate for who …
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- Christian, church, civil partnership, Civil union, coming out, current-events, England, Facebook, family, Gay community, Gay Lesbian and Bisexual, God, homophobia, Internet relationship, LGBT, LGBT social movements, Liverpool, Liverpool Echo, Marriage, Place of worship, Pope, Same-sex marriage, Sexual orientation, sexuality, Social media, Twitter, United States
- 1 comment
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/09/27/watch-defriended-over-a-wedding/
Sep 22
What does it mean to be an Inclusive Church?
- By abravefaith in Christianity, Liverpool, Spirituality
-
22nd September 2013
LAST WEEKEND the church where my civil partner and I worship together celebrated Inclusive Church Sunday. Despite major building work which unexpectedly revealed the presence of asbestos, and has restricted access to the building during the week, last Sunday the doors opened for three special events to mark the occasion. The day was dedicated to Inclusive …
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- Anglican Communion, Christian, Christianity, church, Church of England, civil partnership, Civil union, creativity, current-events, disability, England, exclusion, exclusive, Gender, God, inclusion, inclusive, Jeffrey John, Jesus, LGBT, liberal, Liverpool, Mental health, mental well-being, outsider, Parable of Lost Sheep, Parable of the Lost Coin, Parable of the Prodigal Son, parish, pastoral care, Place of worship, progressive, race, Sexual orientation, sexuality, spirituality, Sunday, theology
- 1 comment
Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/09/22/inclusive-church/
Sep 08
Not on our bus, Or, We don’t need no segregation
- By abravefaith in Bullying, Civil Partnership, Hate Crime, LGBT rights, Liverpool, Marriage Equality
-
8th September 2013
WHEN I FIRST went to an LGBT social group in Bath in my late 20s, I met an older generation of gay men who would speak in code to each other to avoid ‘outing’ themselves to others who might overhear them. For example, when discussing another man and wondering if he were gay, they would say …
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Permanent link to this article: https://abravefaith.com/2013/09/08/not-on-our-bus/
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