When everything is falling apart, look to the compost heap for signs of new life… Do join us for this conversation: Composting Christianity 🤎 www.tickettailor.com/events/willi...

Exactly Liz, nothing represents 'our national culture' more than Greek statues made in Greece by Greeks.

Holding people to ransom Thames Water lenders demand govt block campaigners from legal action. Their demands: Exemption from environmental laws. No fines, prosecutions for abuses. Rocketing customer bills. Continue with sewage dumping, cash extraction. Let TW collapse. Nationalise for £1.

Disability and the Church of England: Tim Goode is always worth hearing on why we need to do so much better viamedia.news/2025/06/12/t...

Keir Starmer immitates Reform in his divisive speech. Accuses immigrants of causing “incalculable damage”, making the UK “an island of strangers”. Rightly faces backlash from unions, employers, MPs. Silence on class war, inequalities, profiteering, lack of public services, fuelling frustrations.

“They found themselves made strangers in their own country” — Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood speech (1968) “We risk becoming an island of strangers” — Keir Starmer (2025)

If we really are becoming an “island of strangers”, one remedy is to get to know each other better. Just a thought.

On this day four years ago, when Glasgow decided not to be part of an “island of strangers.” “These are our neighbours. Let them go.” #KenmureStreet

🔴 The government has lost its appeal over controversial anti-protest legislation introduced by Suella Braverman. Civil rights organisation @libertyhq.bsky.social, which led the legal challenge, hailed the ruling as a major win for democracy. hyphenonline.com/2025/05/02/s...

Labour: We hate immigrants! Poll: Labour down 5 points. Labour: And the disabled! We hate them too! Poll: Labour slide continues! Labour: Look! We’re going to stick hot pokers in trans women ok? Poll: Labour on course for first ever negative polling percentage! Labour: Stupid electorate!

"In an earlier post, she wrote: "As for the inevitable death, if I die, I want a loud death, I don't want me in a breaking news story, nor in a number with a group, I want a death that is heard by the world, a trace that lasts forever, and immortal images that neither time nor place can bury."

Come and join us see what is ready to be left behind as we sense how to make the churches that are needed for these times

My co-host Al and I are both people who find ourselves in both the edge-places and the centre theologically, culturally, organisationally and know the good things and the painful things of church. More info on Hospicing Modernity here: decolonialfutures.net/hospicingmod...

I am delighted to be collaborating with @al-barrett.bsky.social on this - since starting to read Hospicing Modernity a couple of years ago I’ve been wanting to read it with people holding church-ish responsibility, and now the time has come. Open to all who feel drawn to it.

‘Hospicing Modernity’ is the book of the moment for me. I’m so excited to be collaborating with the fabulous Liz Slade to invite you to join us in exploring it together, and how it might transform our approaches to church and world.

Join Robert Beckford, Rachel Starr and various contributors to 'Behold the Men', which we published in January, at an event this Saturday responding to the book. 2-5pm at @queens.ac.uk Speakers include @al-barrett.bsky.social You can register here: queens.jotform.com/250341999354...

You can still book for in person /online, to join us at @watch-notequalyet.bsky.social Conference next Saturday morning. It’s an important one. @churchofengland.org Cost won’t be a barrier: please contact via our WATCH Secretary if we can sort that. #NotEqualYet www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/not-equal-...

'Who owns land is one of our oldest and darkest secrets... so I'm excited that the government have announced plans to open up the Land Registry' Was great to speak with @mrjamesob.bsky.social yesterday about uncovering who owns England: youtu.be/gqS5OMVCL-E?... (1hr 25mins in, 11.50-12noon)

New scheme to offer campers unprecedented access to wild spaces across Britain

There is no way for for “democracy” to function in a world that looks like this

French lower house votes through wealth tax. A 2% minimum tax rate on the wealth of individuals whose net worth exceeds €100m. It is not yet law. UK needs to do similar to reduce inequalities. Instead govts penalise low/middle income families and make poor pay more for crumbling infrastructure.

Keir Starmer is on course to facilitate the far-right winning not only the next election but he is actively executing far-right policies from the neoliberal playbook. Thread www.theguardian.com/global/comme...

Early morning prayers for those preparing to attend #GeneralSynod Prayers for helpful, Spirit led discussions and decisions For wisdom in navigating the difficult issues needing to be addressed Thanks to all making this commitment, may you be strengthened by the grace of God in the coming days

As the expected Christian Nationalism EO came in, I’m seeing a bunch of “this isn’t real Christianity” noise in my mentions. Nope. Christian friends. 1/x 🧵 This is 💯 part of the history of Christianity, dating to Constantine, to the Holy Roman Empire, forced conversions, Inquisitions, +

Re-sharing this, with an addition to reflect on some wise pushback on the 'burn it down' theme (which I wasn't actually advocating, but acknowledging in myself). Hope it contributes to a deepening honesty in our conversations about the church right now... thisestate.blogspot.com/2025/02/burn...

More really good stuff from Al.

Having a rough time mental health-wise atm due to big difficult life things & associated overload. If your brain’s struggling too-grief, work stress, relationship trickiness, feeling v tired with the world, then this photo’s for your brain, to give it a leafy lift-a speck of precious dopamine.

If you work in or around a church or care about the institutions that shape our society, I implore you to make a cup of tea and read this excellent and timely post from @al-barrett.bsky.social thisestate.blogspot.com/2025/02/burn...

This piece is very very good

This blog post has been bubbling up for a while. It tries to do justice to the emotions I sense swirling around me and within me - and to do some theological re-framing along the way... thisestate.blogspot.com/2025/02/burn...

Black Lives Matter fundamentally broke these people’s brains. They couldn’t bear the idea that they might have to tell a different story about this country and thus tell a different story about themselves. They hated it, and now they are using everything they have to never feel that way again.

Not a great message to green investors now turning away from the US: "we're not too serious about net zero, we'd sooner have a row about a carbon budget-busting airport expansion that won't happen for years, if ever". We need a serious (green) growth strategy. www.ft.com/content/a83f...

Liberation theology is theology that liberates theology to liberate. It emerged in Latin America in the late 1960s with & from the poor. Yesterday, Bishop Mariann Budde revealed its power to the new Roman Emperor. Those of us who want to change the world might have a read of the Sermon on the Mount.

. Ok, we know it is a tough day for a lot of you. Take a deep breath and relax. We will carry on fighting for #ClimateAction We will not give up!

We are still looking for new residents for our 2 Community Houses. If you feel drawn to intentional community, we’d love to hear from you. 🤗

Mayor of #Rafah in the southern #Gaza Strip: "The city is in a tragic scene of destruction and devastation, reduced to rubble and ruins due to the Israeli aggression. 15 water wells have been destroyed to disrupt life in the city." #Palestine Photography: Hasan Aslih

"The rapid increase in CO2 is "incompatible" with the international pledge to try to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels" "Limiting global warming to 1.5C would require the CO2 rise to be slowing, but in reality the opposite is happening," says Richard Betts of the Met Office.

A river delicately snaking in the Icelandic Highlands, fed by the last snow melting… That little spot light really caught my eye so I had to capture it. Captured from a bush plane. #bluesky #photography #scapes #landscape #aerial #art #nature

This is probably not a huge surprise, but pretty grim nonetheless..

Sadiq Khan warns western democracy at risk from ‘resurgent fascism’ ahead of Trump inauguration

Home from leading our church retreat day, on ‘dwelling in winter - looking for spring’. Tired, but in the best of ways. Some generous, spacious time together in beautiful surroundings. Much to be thankful for. 🤍

Over 50% of nonviolent movements to overthrow governments are successful within one year of their peak. The key is to engage over 3.5% of the country, a cross-section of society—clergy, kids, grandmas, teachers) using DIVERSE & CREATIVE tactics, with women in leadership. We can do this. More:

#DLTBooks are delighted to publish NOT the Archbishop of Canterbury’s #LentBook: Charlie Bell’s “Searched Me Out and Known Me: Journeying Lent with the Psalms” — highly commended by @helenannhartley.bsky.social, Bishop of Newcastle. 21 page PDF excerpt: www.booksonix.com/dlt/PressRel... #CofEPeeps

This week I have had the joy of gathering together poetry & reflective prose on attending to life while the winter is deep. 🤍

Thursday therapy. It turns out 50 mins spent, under a tree, with a ginkgo leaf, can go very quickly. Learning to be present, with a ‘beginner’s mind’ and a grounded body… 🍂

Just finished ‘reading’ this (mostly listening to the audiobook version). Think I’m coming out of it more emotionally devastated than any novel I’ve read. Anyone else feeling similarly - or differently?

The water-gulpinge glorifiede autocorrect beinge solde as the next big thinge ys no more "Artificial Intelligence" than a mailer daemon ys an imp wyth a forked tale or a websyte cookie a delicious baked goode.

#Walkto50 🥰

I’m really appreciating hanging out on Substack: following just a few writers, taking timer over long-form posts, engaging mostly with poetry, mythology and eco-theology. I’m not posting much there, but felt moved to share my Midnight Mass sermon… substack.com/@albarrett/n...