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Essays

Longer reflections, questions and observations on faith, belonging and the world we share.

  • Leaving church

    On grief, belonging and learning to tell the truth about the places that shaped us.

    Learningsfaith · church · healing

  • What makes debt bad?

    In January 2026, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the BBC that some now believe "the power of law should be replaced by the law of power." He was…

    Powercapitalism · debt · dollarisation · freedom · inequality · militarisation · news · political-economy · power · US

  • 10 things I hate about cars

    I still associate long car journeys with the excitement of going on holiday as a kid. I remember the fun of going to McDonald's in sixth form because a friend…

    Climateautomotive · cars · environment · motonormativity · transport · travel

  • Living in a world of systems

    I've just finished reading Donella Meadow's seminal work 'Thinking in Systems'. It's excellent. The book goes through systems principles in a thoughtful and…

    Powerchange · environment · ethics · feedback loops · goodness · moral imagination · philosophy · politics · systems thinking · virtue

  • The financial system

    “Money is the oxygen on which the fire of global warming burns” Bill McKibben (Consider reading The Economy before you read this post) The financial system is…

    Powereconomy · finance · market · system

  • 8: Finding the way out

    I've been trying to follow a nagging thought through to its conclusion. We know to expect that flooding risk will extend to an ever increasing proportion of…

    Climatecentral banking · climate risk · debt · finance · financial stability · financialisation

  • 6: The debt economy of the UK

    I've been trying to follow a nagging thought through to its conclusion. We know to expect that flooding risk will extend to an ever increasing proportion of…

    Powerfinance · financial precarity · financial stability · growth · UK debt

  • 5: Trapped in a Debt Economy

    I've been trying to follow a nagging thought through to its conclusion. We know to expect that flooding risk will extend to an ever increasing proportion of…

    Powerdebt · finance · financialisation · quantitative easing

  • 4: The absolute limits of finance-led growth

    I've been trying to follow a nagging thought through to its conclusion. We know to expect that flooding risk will extend to an ever increasing proportion of…

    Powerdebt · finance · financial stability · financialisation · growth

  • 3: Explaining the 2008 Crash

    I've been trying to follow a nagging thought through to its conclusion. We know to expect that flooding risk will extend to an ever increasing proportion of…

    Powerbanks · debt · finance · financialisation

  • 2: Using debt to drive growth

    I've been trying to follow a nagging thought through to its conclusion. We know to expect that flooding risk will extend to an ever increasing proportion of…

    Powerbanks · consumption · finance · financialisation

  • 1: The power of banks to issue debt

    I've been trying to follow a nagging thought through to its conclusion. We know to expect that flooding risk will extend to an ever increasing proportion of…

    Powerbanks · debt · finance · loans

  • In over our heads

    A talk I gave in February 2025. Acts 14:1-20 - Paul and Barnabas in Iconium and Lystra It’s great to be here with you this morning. Together since the start…

    Scriptureacts-14 · bible · Christianity · Faith · God · jesus

  • How to hold onto hope

    Every other photo on my phone now shows the tree in the garden. It is looking particularly spectacular. The rest of the photos are of the cat. I know from the…

    Climateclimate grief · despair · Faith · grief · hope

  • God's currency is grace

    A talk I gave in June 2024 Matthew 20:1-16 - the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard Morning everyone! It’s lovely to be with you this morning as we…

    Scripturegenerosity · grace · greed · jesus · Matthew 20 · parable · Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard · sermon

  • Surrender

    "One of the special things about knowing death is close is that is easier to re-centre life on things other than yourself, there is no planning to be done."…

    Scripturebible · Christianity · Colossians 1 · crucifixion · death · doubt · Faith · God · jesus · resurrection · surrender

  • How the insurance industry is financing fire

    One of the first things I was introduced to in philosophy was the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning will tell you why…

    Climateclimate change · finance · insurance · insure our future · risk

  • Jesus, Logos & the "Inside Out"

    I was once told of a preacher who always started to explain the gospel by talking about angels, because doing so was a way of making obvious that the gospel…

    Faith

  • A week at cop

    Explore the real impacts of Typhoon Haiyan on communities and climate action insights from COP26. Uncover the urgent need for change.

    Climateclimate finance · climate justice · COP26

  • Offsets are not a solution

    For some time now, I've been uneasy about offsetting, but unable to fully articulate why. I suspect this is an unease I share with many other people too, but…

    Climateclimate justice · environment · offsets

  • A Sexually Literate Church

    Explore the complexities of church teachings on sex, relationships, and the need for open conversations about desire and consent.

    Faithchristian dating · church · consent · Faith · relationships · sex

  • "I saw you looking at me"

    Explore personal reflections on sexual harassment and the ongoing struggle for understanding and accountability in ambiguous situations.

    Powercoercion · consent · feminism · sexual harassment

  • Why I stopped flying.

    Discover the ethical implications of air travel and why many choose to stop flying for a sustainable future. Learn more about aviation's impact!

    Climateaviation · climate change · decarbonising · environment · environmental justice · flying · global justice · just transition · justice

  • Global Apartheid and the era of climate breakdown

    Warning: currently only in draft form, suggested revisions welcome. Not long ago, I read an article which suggested target-setting for net zero on the basis…

    Climateclimate breakdown · climate change · climate justice · environment · global apartheid · global justice · global poor · global warming · justice · politics · poverty

  • Should Christians support 'free market' capitalism?

    The financial crash of 2008 hit as I began secondary school, and I grew up under the policies of austerity which followed. To a large extent, there has been…

    Climatecapitalism · climate change · climate justice · creation theology · economic justice · environment · environmental theology · exploitation · externalities · extractivism · Faith · market failure · markets · neoliberalism · Pareto optimality · politics · speculation

  • How bad is Climate Change?

    I remember doing my GCSEs and writing pat answers about the greenhouse effect. Little did I know that in my first year out of education I would see leading…

    Climatecarbon dioxide · climate breakdown · climate change · extraction · global justice · global warming · ipcc report · IPPR · justice

  • Wonder - Julian

    Wonder points us to God not just in the Christmas story, but in the Bible, the world and the universe we live in. It also lets us all be little kids again - enjoying a moment.

    Learnings2018 · advent · sacred values · wonder

  • Hostile means Hostile

    UK Immigration rules and injustice

    Powerasylum · citizenship · freedom · freedom of movement · hostile environment · immigration · injustice · justice · politics · poverty · social justice

  • Fighting Climate Change is Part of the Gospel

    Continued from the previous post, the focus here is the theological implications of creation's place in the Biblical Narrative. What does the gospel have to say about the recent IPCC report?

    Climate2018 · climate change · environment · future · gospel · jesus · justice · kingdom · poverty · redemption · social justice · tension

  • Creation and the Biblical Narrative

    In this post, I start from the very beginning. If you are familiar with the concepts of Creation-Fall-Redemption, then this post should hopefully depict the…

    Climate2018 · biblical narrative · biblical overview · brokenness · climate change · creation · environment · environmental theology · Genesis · global justice · global warming · justice · redemption · trinity

  • "the poor will always be with us"

    Jesus' anointing at Bethany: the heralding of a new spiritual, economic and political empire.

    Power2018 · easter · Faith · impoverished · jesus · Jubilee · justice · King · king of the jews · kingdom of god · matthew · matthew 26 · poverty · social justice · spring

  • Injustice and the language we use

    On how we oppose injustice by dehumanising dehumanizers or by constructing a notion of 'fighting for justice' as a battle in opposition to an 'other' + thoughts on a way out.

    Power2018 · discourse · global justice · injustice · intersectionality · justice · language · political philosophy · politics · spring

  • To be poor, is to be unfree

    Thoughts on poverty and freedom.

    Power2017 · autumn · citizenship · freedom · immigration · injustice · liberty · philosophy · political philosophy · politics · poverty

  • On Breaking-Up

    My reflection on what I felt I learned from all that happened in the time after breaking-up. "That’s the thing about heartbreak. It’s the smallest of worlds ending. Everyone goes around you smiling, like it’s nothing to close a door."

    Learnings2016 · autumn · break-ups · ex · heartache · heartbreak · hurt · jesus · missing · personal · reflections · relationships · staying friends · thoughts

  • Jesus the Feminist

    The Gospels show that Jesus invites, restores and saves women. The only qualification to be a disciple, or one who teaches, leads, heals, serves or prophecies in the name of Jesus is a love of God. And gender could never disqualify anyone from that.

    Power2016 · bible · Faith · feminism · feminist · gospels · jesus · jesus feminist · jesus women · John · Luke · mark · matthew · women