What will you discover today?

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  Friday 16 October

  The Second Wave Breaks

  As the days get darker and shorter, people are finding the prospect of more restrictions for months to come even harder than when we first went into lockdown. ...

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  Friday 9 October

  Running the Race

  When someone says ‘London Marathon’, we probably picture Tower Bridge and Big Ben, crowds lining the pavements, and thousands of charity runners spurring one another on through their 26.2 miles. ...

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  Friday 2 October

  Misconnection and our ‘Social Dilemma’

  Who knows you best? Your family? Your spouse? Your friends? What if, actually, the truth is that soulless algorithms written by Californian tech gurus know us better than we even know ourselves? ...

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  Friday 25 September

  On Fences, Stiles, and Border-Crossing

  Build a fence, by all means, if you must; but be sure there’s a stile you can cross. I penned this proverb after crossing a stunning stile on the Seven Sisters walk between Seaford and Eastbourne. ...

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  Friday 4 September

  Nothing Wasted

  When it comes to words of spiritual wisdom, there’s a fine line between cliché and life-giving truth. I remember the day, back in March, when my son returned from school for the last time. He was due to sit GCSEs this year, but in two days went from full-on revision mode to the shock of finishing school. We stared at the exercise books strewn across his bedroom floor. ...

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  Friday 21 August

  Nathanael’s A-Level Algorithm

  The furore and subsequent U-Turn over A-Level and GCSE results being allocated by algorithm have dominated headlines this week. Instead of students’ results being decided by their exam performance, grades were to be determined by a projection. The calculation included – amongst other things – factors such as their school’s historic record. Whether intended or not, the outcome saw those from disadvantaged backgrounds more likely to have their marks downgraded than students from wealthier areas....

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  Friday 14 August

  Athlete A: A Masterclass in Gaslighting

  When it came to light that USA Gymnastics (USAG) had, for decades, covered up sexual abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar – its team doctor – responses were varied. Alongside messages of support for women who came forward were insults and expressions of doubt: ‘if this really happened, why didn’t you report it earlier?’  It’s the same ‘gaslighting’ response that countless survivors of sexual abuse have faced, whereby victims are manipulated into questioning their own sanity....

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  Friday 7 August

  Look What We’ve Done to Our Songs…

  You can tell a country’s culture from the songs it sings. It’s the same with the church. Right now, in the midst of a global pandemic with all its resultant emotional, physical, mental, and financial afflictions, you’d expect us to be singing songs of lament – expressing our grief, bewilderment, disorientation, and yearning for God’s intervention. But apparently, we aren’t....

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  Friday 24 July

  Cancelling, Countering, or Celebrating Culture?

  Shortly after university I made some calligraphy for a friend, to remind him of a couple of Bible verses that he and I had found salutary. However, 2 Chronicles 28:9b-10 isn’t something you’ll find printed in a prayer journal: ‘Because the LORD… was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven. And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves. But aren’t you also guilty of sins against the LORD your God?’...

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  Friday 26 June

  Hope in Black and White

  Artist Charlie Mackesy’s coffee table picture book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is an unconventional bestseller. Through a series of moving ink sketches and accompanying words, Mackesy presents a curious boy, a wise horse, a withdrawn fox, and a cake-loving mole who discuss some of life’s biggest questions: What is it all about? What’s going on? Why do I feel like this? How can I carry on? These were questions that Mackesy himself asked when, at the age of 19, his best friend was killed in a car accident. An avowed atheist, th...

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