Looking back at Greenbelt 09, mechanics.

Greenbelt 2009 AS 1555, originally uploaded by Greenbelt Festival Official Pictures.
I got an email yesterday reminding me I’d not written on my blog about my experiences of Greenbelt this year.
It’s me chatting as part of a panel discussion coordinated by the lovely people at Shipoffools.com
It was a real honour to be asked to join two [...]

Guest post on Greenbelt Blog

In which I introduce our very own Jon Bounds to the greenbelt community.
Here’s the linky: http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/blog/2009/08/introduction-jon-bounds/

How do you keep in touch with your spiritual life?

I’ve mercilessly ripped off the question from here.
For me it’s an interesting question as I often get asked by people, why do you continue with your faith. Particularly when a senior member of the Church of England says that gays should “repent and be changed”. Cosmodaddy points out the point that Peter Tatchell made about [...]

Simone Weil @greenbelt 09.

An excellent BBC programme broadcast about Simone Weil was broadcast this morning.
Bishop Martin Shaw visits Paris and Solesmes and talks to author Sara Maitland as he reflects on the life and writings of philosopher and political thinker Simone Weil, in the centenary year of her birth.
Brilliant to have more materials to make me ready for [...]

Bitesize Books: Walden.

One of the greenbelt book club books is Walden by Henry David Thoreau.
Here’s where I wrote about it: http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/blog/2009/04/passionate-about-books-seeks-similar/
Today I found that you can have books sent to you in handy bite sized chunks by email.
So every day for the next 114 days I’m going to read Walden.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
You can [...]

Justice

Also from a very very old Greenbelt blog post and has been a little reworked.
The question of justice is a perplexing one. We’re born. We die. We object to major injustices- poverty, slavery etc but every day we allow little injustices. We allow inequality of genders; we allow homophobia to breed and walk by the [...]

The Arts

Something I wrote elsewhere which I’ve had another crack at…
I grew up in an independent evangelical church house plant (got that?) Christians who “dabbled” in the arts were sometimes seen in a similar light to those who “dabbled” in other dark recesses. It was only ok as long as you used your art for “Holy [...]