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Don’t worry – it just religion. It won’t bother you.
Preached on 20 September 2015 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Don’t worry, its just a religious thing. It won’t bother you.” I’d just arrived in the village. And she said, ““Don’t worry, its just a religious thing. It won’t bother…
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Dear Straight People – Greenbelt Talk 2015
Here’s the talk I recently gave at Greenbelt. In the course of what I was saying, I threw these badges out into the crowd. The spectre of homophobia stalks the church. It is, in the language that Jesus would have understood, one of the principalities, one of the very powers of darkness. It is a…
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Why government assassinations are wrong
Earlier this week we had the revelation that British military forces had targeted two citizens of this country in Syria and killed them using a remotely controlled drone. I’m aware of some concerns being expressed by the usual suspects – ie lefty guardian-reading knit your own sandals people who can be relied upon to object…
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The Hegemony Asserts Itself
Every day, the straight heterosexist hegemony manages to find new ways to assert its dominance over all who do not share its presumptions. Today, hangers on the back of an hotel room door. Every day something different.
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Top tips from a Greenbelt Virgin
I was a Greenbelt virgin until this weekened. I’ve not no good reason why I’ve never been to the festival of arts and spirituality which takes place at the ennd of August each year. However, this year I made it and I had a ball. Here are my reflections. 1 – The Weather Yes, Greenbelt…
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Women Only Train Carriages and All Women Shortlists
Here’s the thing – I’ve actually been on a women only train carriage. Just before being ordained I won a scholarship to travel to an orthodox country and went to Egypt to meet the Coptic Church. Actually, the truth is, I chose Egypt because I needed to come up with such a glittering application for…
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Article in Herald: I’ll march with Pride – but…
I’ve got an article in The Herald newspaper this morning ahead of tomorrow’s Pride March in Glasgow. This is what it says: Agenda: I’ll march with Pride at our achievements but there is still a long way to go This weekend, I’ll be marching through Glasgow in a black clerical suit and dog collar amongst…
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5 things about exams that matter more than results
Today is exam results day in Scotland. Lots of young people will be getting examination results that will make a significant difference to further study. Such public exam results carry with them a lot of stress. I’ve sat lots of exams in my life and I think it would be fair to say that I’ve…
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Scottish Shia Community shows us how to do interfaith work
It was a great honour and privilege last night to be a guest of the Scottish Shia community at an Eid meal to celebrate the end of Ramadan. The photograph shows me with Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, the Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society. There are many reasons why we need to have…
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The Affirmation of a Transgender Person
There’s yet more debate online about people calling for a special service to be approved by the Church of England in order to recognise and support someone following their transition from one gender to another. I happen to think that it would be an interesting thing for the Church of England to consider. However, we’re…