Chapter & verse: Micah 3:5-8

26/01/2018 | Reform

Catherine Lewis-Smith on finance and false prophets

A man sat in my office at a little Christian charity, his cheque book open. He asked: ‘Can’t I pay the donation into another bank account?’ It was the spring of 2007 and … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Baffling hymns

26/01/2018 | Reform

Simon Jenkins on baffling hymns

This Christmas just gone, in the middle of singing one of the season’s best-loved carols, right in the middle of the line: ‘Lo, he abhors not the virgin’s womb,’ I found myself wondering why we … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘Celebration was working its magic yet again’

19/01/2018 | Reform

Sheila Maxey revisits the magic of celebration

We always bring in the New Year in Lincolnshire, with Kees’ brother, Tom, and Tom’s wife, Anna. Because their mother was Dutch, the celebration involved drinking mulled wine, eating oliebollen (Dutch doughnuts) and setting … Read More

Commitment-Phobe: Handling Martha

24/11/2017 | Reform

‘Some of us see her as our pastoral challenge but pressure has been building’

Things are not always hunky dory in the land of the Christians. We are all growing at different stages in our faith and in our own … Read More

I am… on universal credit

24/11/2017 | Reform 1

‘If it wasn’t for my kids, I might have killed myself. This system is just horrible’

I waited nine weeks for universal credit. They told me they didn’t get the form they needed, so I sent it off again. Then … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Happy Festivus

24/11/2017 | Reform

Simon Jenkins discovers the Festivus Pole

I must admit, I’m a sucker for Christmas traditions. The jingling of sleigh bells, the singing of carols, the obviously fake beards of the Santas, the Christmas pudding dense enough to trigger a black … Read More