Between

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

Seen and Unseen: When converts cracked open the culture’s polished surface

My latest article for Seen and Unseen is 'When converts cracked open the culture’s polished surface' in which I explore how faith’s outsiders disrupted the scene with unexpected force:

'Converts by Melanie McDonagh has been described a ‘thought-provoking examination of the literary stars who became Catholic’ in the twentieth century. Kathryn Hughes, in her review of the book, notes that: ‘In the five decades between 1910 and 1960, more than half a million people in England and Wales became Catholics. Among them were a clutch of literary stars: Oscar Wilde, Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark and Graham Greene.’ But there were also a whole host of other poets, artists and public intellectuals who are less-well known to us today, although, perhaps, no less interesting.

The book offers 16 biographical sketches interspersed with analysis of some of the reasons for this phenomenon, including the impact of earlier converts such as John Henry Newman, migration, the influence of prominent Catholic clerics, and the traumas caused by two World Wars. In his review, Dan Hitchens suggests that Converts, ‘in its cheerfully unsentimental way’, demonstrates ‘not only why the floodgates [of conversions] opened for a few decades, but also why the stream has never quite dried up’.'

For more on the period explored by this article see the following:

See also 'Art and Faith: Decades of Engagement: Introduction, 1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

My first article for Seen and Unseen was 'Life is more important than art' which reviews the themes of recent art exhibitions that tackle life’s big questions and the roles creators take.

My second article 'Corinne Bailey Rae’s energised and anguished creative journey' explores inspirations in Detroit, Leeds and Ethiopia for Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album, Black Rainbows, which is an atlas of capacious faith.

My third article was an interview with musician and priest Rev Simpkins in which we discussed how music is an expression of humanity and his faith.

My fourth article was a guide to the Christmas season’s art, past and present. Traditionally at this time of year “great art comes tumbling through your letterbox” so, in this article, I explore the historic and contemporary art of Christmas.

My fifth article was 'Finding the human amid the wreckage of migration'. In this article I interviewed Shezad Dawood about his multimedia Leviathan exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral where personal objects recovered from ocean depths tell a story of modern and ancient migrations.

My sixth article was 'The visionary artists finding heaven down here' in which I explored a tradition of visionary artists whose works shed light on the material and spiritual worlds.

My seventh article was 'How the incomer’s eye sees identity' in which I explain how curating an exhibition for Ben Uri Online gave me the chance to highlight synergies between ancient texts and current issues.

My eighth article was 'Infernal rebellion and the questions it asks' in which I interview the author Nicholas Papadopulos about his book The Infernal Word: Notes from a Rebel Angel.

My ninth article was 'A day, night and dawn with Nick Cave’s lyrics' in which I review Adam Steiner’s Darker With The Dawn — Nick Cave’s Songs Of Love And Death and explore whether Steiner's rappel into Cave’s art helps us understand its purpose.

My 10th article was 'Theresa Lola's poetical hope' about the death-haunted yet lyrical, joyful and moving poet for a new generation.

My 11th article was 'How to look at our world: Aaron Rosen interview', exploring themes from Rosen's book 'What Would Jesus See: Ways of Looking at a Disorienting World'.

My 12th article was 'Blake, imagination and the insight of God', exploring a new exhibition - 'William Blake's Universe at the Fitzwilliam Museum - which focuses on seekers of spiritual regeneration and national revival.

My 13th article 'Matthew Krishanu: painting childhood' was an interview with Matthew Krishanu on his exhibition 'The Bough Breaks' at Camden Art Centre.

My 14th article was entitled 'Art makes life worth living' and explored why society, and churches, need the Arts.

My 15th article was entitled 'The collective effervescence of sport's congregation' and explored some of the ways in which sport and religion have been intimately entwined throughout history

My 16th article was entitled 'Paradise cottage: Milton reimagin’d' and reviewed the ways in which artist Richard Kenton Webb is conversing with the blind poet in his former home (Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St Giles).

My 17th article was entitled 'Controversial art: how can the critic love their neighbour?'. It makes suggestions of what to do when confronted with contentious culture.

My 18th article was an interview entitled 'Art, AI and apocalypse: Michael Takeo Magruder addresses our fears and questions'. In the interview the digital artist talks about the possibilities and challenges of artificial intelligence.

My 19th article was entitled 'Dark, sweet and subtle: recovered music orientates us'. In the article I highlight alt-folk music seeking inspiration from forgotten hymns.

My 20th article was entitled 'Revisiting Amazing Grace inspires new songs'. In the article I highlight folk musicians capturing both the barbaric and the beautiful in the hymn Amazing Grace and Christianity's entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade more generally.

My 21st article was entitled 'James MacMillan’s music of tranquility and discord'. In the article I noted that the composer’s music contends both the secular and sacred.

My 22nd article was a book review on Nobody's Empire by Stuart Murdoch. 'Nobody's Empire: A Novel is the fictionalised account of how ... Murdoch, lead singer of indie band Belle and Sebastian, transfigured his experience of Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) through faith and music.'

My 23rd article was entitled 'Rock ‘n’ roll’s long dance with religion'. The article explores how popular music conjures sacred space.

My 24th article was an interview with Alastair Gordon on the artist’s attention which explores why the overlooked and everyday capture the creative gaze.

My 25th article was about Stanley Spencer’s seen and unseen world and the artist’s child-like sense of wonder as he saw heaven everywhere.

My 26th article was entitled 'The biblical undercurrent that the Bob Dylan biopics missed' and in it I argue that the best of Dylan’s work is a contemporary Pilgrim, Dante or Rimbaud on a compassionate journey.

My 27th article was entitled 'Heading Home: a pilgrimage that breaks out beauty along the way' and focuses on a film called 'Heading Home' which explores how we can learn a new language together as we travel.

My 28th article was entitled 'Annie Caldwell: “My family is my band”' and showcased a force of nature voice that comes from the soul.

My 29th article was entitled 'Why sculpt the face of Christ?' and explored how, in Nic Fiddian Green’s work, we feel pain, strength, fear and wisdom.

My 30th article was entitled 'How Mumford and friends explore life's instability' and explored how Mumford and Sons, together with similar bands, commune on fallibility, fear, grace, and love.

My 31st article was entitled 'The late Pope Francis was right – Antoni Gaudi truly was God’s architect' and explored how sanctity can indeed be found amongst scaffolding, as Gaudi’s Barcelona beauties amply demonstrate.

My 32nd article was entitled 'This gallery refresh adds drama to the story of art' and explored how rehanging the Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery revives the emotion of great art.

My 33rd article was an interview with Jonathan A. Anderson about the themes of his latest book 'The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art'.

My 34th article was an interview with 'Emily Young: the sculptor listening as the still stones speak'.

My 35th article was a profile of New York's expressionist devotional artist, 'Genesis Tramaine: the painter whose faces catch the spirit'.

My 36th article was a concert review of Natalie Bergman at Union Chapel - a soul-soaked set turned personal tragedy into communal celebration.

My 37th article was based on the exhibition series 'Can We Stop Killing Each Other?' at the Sainsbury Centre. In it I explore how art, theology, and moral imagination confront our oldest instinct.

My 38th article article was 'The dot and the dash: modern art’s quiet search for deeper meaning' in which I argue that Neo-Impressionism meets mysticism in a quietly radical exhibition at the National Gallery.

My 39th article was 'From Klee to Klein, Wenders to Botticelli: angels unveiled' in which I explore how, across war, wonder and nativity, artists show angels bridging earth and heaven.

My 40th article was 'When Henry Moore’s Madonna shocked Northampton' in which I explore how a modernist mother and child stirred outrage, then lasting wonder.

My 41st article was 'Turner and Constable: storms, salvation and the sublime' in which I discussed how Tate Britain reveals how rival visions shaped art and spirit.

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John Gray - Ad Matrem: I

Sunday, 8 February 2026

Windows on the world (557)

South Woodham Ferrers, 2026

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The Frames - Sad Songs.

Wednesday, 4 February 2026

The sin of counting and trusting our own material resources

Here's the sermon I shared this morning at St Andrew's Wickford:

Our Old Testament story from 2 Samuel 24: 9-17 seems a rather strange one. David has the number of fighting men is Israel numbered but then realises that he has sinned in doing so and the punishment for this sin is a pestilence that kills 70,000. In our day and time when census’ and statistics are commonplace, we see no sin in counting people and certainly struggle to comprehend why doing so should result in punishment.

The issue would seem to be that becoming aware of the size of one’s army is likely to reduce trust in God and increase trust in one’s own resources. David’s early career was entirely based on trust in God as he went up alone against the most powerful of the Philistine soldiers wearing no armour and carrying only a slingshot yet, through trust in God, triumphed against the odds. Now, though, he feels the need of the reassurance that 800,000 men are available to form his army.

Like David, the Church of England has become obsessed about numbers. In the past, when the Church of England trusted in Parish ministry and Parish priests, there was no need to count the numbers attending church services because Parish ministry meant that everyone in the Parish was a Parishioner regardless of whether they attended Church or not. At that time, the Church of England trusted that God was at work within the lives of Parishioners whether they were to be found in Church of not.

Now, the Church of England has lost that sense of trust in God and in the parish system, becoming instead obsessed with numbers in Church services on a Sunday and pouring vast amounts of money into initiatives that try, generally unsuccessfully, to significantly increase the numbers to be found in churches on a Sunday.

As a result, a Parish like ours which impacts people in the community seven days a week through Schools ministry, Care Home ministry, pastoral visiting, social action, wellbeing and cultural initiatives is overlooked and underfunded by the central Church, while money is instead poured into initiatives that set up new churches in existing Parishes.

One of the key factors in this change of practice and emphasis was the decision, like that made by David, to begin counting our people. Not only did this run the risk, which has now clearly come about, of focusing on our own resources or their perceived lack, rather than focusing on God and his provision, but it also had the effect of undermining our understanding of parishioners as everyone within the Parish by focusing our statistical attention on those in church on a Sunday. The latter is a congregational focus, rather than a Parish focus, and ignores or overlooks or obscures all the ongoing ministry with which a Parish like ours in engaged.

Trust in God is not engendered, as many within the Church of England currently seem to believe, by large numbers of people attending services or supposedly being converted – as is the focus of many mission conferences and agencies. Instead, trust in God is most clearly found in initiatives, where like David facing Goliath, the resources we have seem pitiful and meagre – inadequate to the task – and yet achieve impact because God is with us.

God is not only with us when material resources are poured out in abundance or when large numbers are to be found in services. God is with us in every situation and circumstance within our Parish because God’s Spirit is at work within every part of and person in our Parish. As we engage with our community, we see that truth realised in each place to which we go and each person we meet. That is what true Parish ministry involves and it is undermined when, like David and the Church of England centrally, we begin numbering our resources in order to trust in what we have, rather than trust in God alone.

The challenge of this strange story is to place our trust when it should always be – in God – rather than in the human resources available to us. May it be so for each one of us. Amen.

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MercyMe - Even If.

Monday, 2 February 2026

Artlyst: The Art Diary February 2026

For the February 2026 Art Diary for Artlyst begins with the contrasts of light (Lakwena Maciver) and dark (Tracey Emin), before highlighting exhibitions at the National Gallery, Auckland Castle, St Andrew’s Wickford, St Peter’s Nottingham, and Elizabeth Xi Bauer that explore these themes in relation to spirituality. A further series of exhibitions featuring the Quilters of Gee’s Bend, Titus Kaphar, and Yinka Shonibare explores aspects of black culture and heritage. Exhibitions at Studio Voltaire, Wimbledon Museum, Dorchester Museum & Art Gallery and Chappel Galleries examine the poetics of everyday actions, while exhibitions featuring work by Sean Scully, Leiko Ikemura, Yona Verwer, Brian Whelan, and Hady Boraey explore the relationship between human beings and the natural world.

For more on Lakwena see here, here and here, on Roger Wagner see here and here, on David Sowerby see here, on Jean Lamb see here, on the Quilter's of Gee's Bend see here, here and here, on Titus Kaphar see here, on Sean Scully see here and here, on Brian Whelan see here.

My other pieces for Artlyst are:

Interviews -

Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

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Raphael Ravenscroft & Tenebrae - Forgiveness.

Sunday, 1 February 2026

Windows on the world (556)

London, 2026

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The Horrible Crowes - Behold The Hurricane.

Stride Magazine: Attention speaking attachment

My latest review of poetry for Stride Magazine is on Breath Notes, edited by Linda Kemp, amd The Moral Theology of the Devil / Clothed with the Sun by Linda Kemp:

'Breath Notes is a chapbook that gathers responses to a call for poems attending to religion, faith and spirituality. This focus is an interesting, but entirely appropriate, one for a Press that also publishes a journal of experimental poetics. A similar engagement with religion, faith and spirituality is also to be found in the recent work of the anthology’s Editor, Linda Kemp, including her most recent collection of poems, The Moral Theology of the Devil / Clothed with the Sun.'

My poetry reviews for Stride include a review of two poetry collections, one by Mario Petrucci and the other by David Miller, a revie w of Temporary Archive: Poems by Women of Latin America, a review of Fukushima Dreams by Andrea Moorhead, a review of Endangered Sky by Kelly Grovier and Sean Scully, a review of Jo hn F. Deane's Selected & New Poems, a review of God's Little Angel by Sue Hubbard and a review of Spencer Reece's 'Acts'.

My articles for Stride Magazine include 'Five entries in Prog 50' - a piece about five entries found in Prog 50 an encyclopaedia of Prog Rock edited by artist and musician Maurizio Galia - and an article about my 'Five Trios' series of poems. 'Five Trios' is a series of five long poems on thin places and sacred spaces in Essex and East London, each of which are also located within the Diocese of Chelmsford. The five poems in the series are:

These poems have been published by Amethyst Review and International Times.

To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'.

I am among those whose poetry has been included in Thin Places & Sacred Spaces, a recent anthology from Amethyst Press. I also had a poem included in All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich, the first Amethyst Press anthology of new poems. International Times have also published several of my poems, beginning with 'The ABC of creativity', which covers attention, beginning and creation, and most recently 'The Edge of Chaos', a state of existence poem.

Stride magazine was founded in 1982. Since then it has had various incarnations, most recently in an online edition since the late 20th century. You can visit its earlier incarnation at http://stridemagazine.co.uk. I have read the poetry featured in Stride and, in particular, the work of its editor Rupert Loydell over many years and was very pleased that Rupert gave a poetry reading when I was at St Stephen Walbrook.

Rupert Loydell is the editor of Stride magazine, contributing editor to International Times and a writer and abstract artist. He has many books of poetry and several collaborative publications in print, and has edited anthologies for Shearsman, KFS and Salt. His critical writing has appeared in Punk & Post-Punk (which he is on the editorial board of), Journal of Writing and Creative Practice, New Writing, English, Text, Axon, Short Fiction in Theory and Practice, Musicology Research, Revenant, The Quint: an interdisciplinary journal from the north and Journal of Visual Art Practice. He has also contributed chapters to Brian Eno. Oblique Music (Bloomsbury, 2016), Critical Essays on Twin Peaks: The Return (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), Music in Twin Peaks: Listen to the Sounds (Routledge, 2021) and Bodies, Noise and Power in Industrial Music (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).

Rupert has recently contributed several guest posts to 'Between'. These have been interviews musicians including Nick Battle and Steve Scott who contributed to the early days of christian rock in the UK. I have also published an interview with Rupert himself in which he shares his thoughts on that same period of christian rock, as well as speaking about other aspects of his career and interests. These posts can be read here, here, and here.

I have also written reviews of poetry for Tears in the Fence beginning with 'Mode rn Fog' by Chris Emery. My second review was of 'The Salvation Engine' by Rupert Loydell and my third was of 'For All That’s Lost' by David Miller. My poetry pieces for International Times are: an interview with artist, poet, priest Spencer Reece; an interview with the poet Chris Emery; plus reviews of 'Breaking Lines' at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art and 'What Is and Might Be and then Otherwise' by David Miller. I have also published pieces on poetry at Seen and Unseen - a profile of the poet Theresa Lola - and the Journal of Theological Studies - a review of Faith, Hope and Poetry: Theology and the Poetic Imagination by Malcolm Guite. For more on poetry, read my ArtWay interview with David Miller here and my interview with Rupert Loydell here. See also Rupert Loydell's interview with poet and musician Steve Scott. My own dialogues with Steve can be read here, here, here, here, and here.

Several of my short stories have been published by IT including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's EarthAngel sculptures (then called mudcubs), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford in 2022. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'. My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.

My key literature posts (including poetry) are:

See also 'Art and Faith: Decades of Engagement: Introduction, 1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

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Linda Kemp - Poetry reading.

Ways in which young and old can minister to each other

Here's the sermon that I shared at St Catherine's Wickford, St Mary's Runwell and St Gabriel's Pitsea this morning:

The film ‘The Road’ stars Viggo Mortensen in an epic post-apocalyptic tale of the survival of a father and his young son as they journey across a barren America that was destroyed by a mysterious cataclysm. Reckoned to be a masterpiece, the film imagines a future in which people are pushed to the worst and the best that they are capable of and a future in which a father and his son are sustained by love.

It is a film in which an older person supports and encourages someone younger, as in the story of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, where Simeon and Anna recognised and encouraged the potential in the baby Jesus (Luke 2: 22-40).

This story is a wonderful example of the way in which young and old can minister to each other. It is the older folk in this story who see and encourage the potential in the young child Jesus. They spoke about and praised God for Jesus’ potential in ways that amazed his parents despite all the revelations that they themselves had already received. It may well be that they had begun to settle into the usual and ordinary pattern of care for their baby and had therefore lost their focus on the special nature of their child.

For teenagers it can often be difficult to accept that older people have something positive to contribute to their lives. They are often at the stage in life where they are testing things out for themselves and wanting to blaze their own trail through life. But those around them who are older in their family or church and at school can all be a positive influence as they recognise and encourage what they may have to offer.

That was certainly the case for me, as I look back on my teenage years. Like the boy in the film, I was inspired and encouraged by my dad who has remained a big influence on my life, but I was also encouraged in creative writing by a teacher at my school and brought back to faith by a youth leader at my youth club. So, if you are a young person here today, be on the lookout for adults who see your potential and encourage it, as Simeon and Anna did for the young Jesus, and if you are a person of years and experience look out for young people that you can encourage and affirm.

Every child is a unique combination of personality and possibilities that will lead to a life that will never be repeated. However, for many children their potential and their possibilities are never fully identified and explored and when this is the case their unique potential is often expressed in destructive activities. In our churches and communities, it can often be those who are older that have the wisdom and time to see the potential that lies latent in young people.

One of the most exciting pieces of youth work that I ever saw came when a youth worker arranged for small groups of young people to go to after-school groups in the homes of elderly people from their church. At these groups there was time to think about the Bible and time for the older people to teach skills of cookery and art to the young people. Deep friendships were formed between young and old and the whole family of one of the young people became Christians as a result of this initiative.

And this kind of initiative is not only one way. It is not just about older folk sharing their skills and time with the young. Young people are able to give much in return to those who are older. Think how blessed Simeon and Anna were by their encounters with the baby Jesus. Simeon had waited all his life for this moment having been promised that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s promised Messiah. “Now, Lord,” he says, “you have kept your promise, and you may let your servant go in peace.” What a wonderful conclusion this was to Simeon’s life; the fulfilment of all his hopes, dreams and prayers.

Those of you who are grandparents know all about this – the joy that comes into your lives through your grandchildren but, in Church we don’t need to be grandparents to receive this joy if we share in the ministry of Simeon and Anna by using our wisdom and time to see and encourage the potential that lies latent in young people.

Then, be aware that it may take time for that potential to be fully realised. Simeon and Anna recognised Jesus’ potential when he was only a baby and Mary, his mother, remembered the things they said and treasured them in her heart. But it was thirty years later that Jesus began the ministry which was to fulfil the potential they had seen in him. And for those first thirty years of his life, he lived a very ordinary life. Over those years, his parents might well have wondered when are the things that Simeon and Anna spoke about going to happen? When is the potential that they saw in Jesus going to be realised?

TV talent shows suggest that our hopes and dreams can be achieved overnight but life doesn’t always develop in the way that we expect and it is important not to get frustrated when our hopes and dreams may not be realised instantly. Many people need significant life experience before their potential can be fully realised and we therefore need to persevere in order to get to a place in our lives where that occurs. The time it took for Jesus' potential to be realised in the way predicted by Simeon and Anna can therefore be an encouragement to patience in our lives as we wait for our potential to come to fruition.

Simeon and Anna also had to watch and wait themselves in order to see the Lord’s promised Messiah. Because they were prepared to watch and wait, they saw for the new thing that God was about to do for Israel and for the world. Anna was in the Temple every day looking and listening for all that God would reveal to her. Simeon, too, was alert to the prompting of the Holy Spirit who led him into the Temple to see Jesus. As we wait for our prayers to be answered, are we looking and listening to see and hear what God is wanting to reveal to us in our waiting.

We often need to wait for the right time for God’s purposes to come about. When we pray, God may well answer our prayers by asking us to wait. Waiting can be frustrating as when we are waiting for a bus in the rain or part of a long queue that seems to be taking forever. But we have a choice about what we do as we wait; will we just while away the time or will we look around us and see what there is to see as we wait.

W. H. Vanstone wrote a wonderful book called The Stature of Waiting in which he argued that it is only to human beings as we wait that “the world discloses its power of meaning” and we become “the sharer with God of a secret – the secret of the world’s power of meaning.” For many of us because we don’t stop and reflect the world exists for us simply as a “mere succession of images recorded and registered in the brain” but when we do stop, wait, look and listen then we “no longer merely exist” but understand, appreciate, welcome, fear and feel.

So, watching and waiting is vital if we are to understand and not simply receive the answers to prayer that God longs to give to us. It may well be that it was because of the length of his wait that Simeon was able to identify Jesus as the Lord’s promised Messiah.

As we watch and wait we can grow in our understanding of our world and we can see the potential and possibilities in the young. These are important ministries in which we can share. Someone in your youth did this for you. Now is the time when we can do this for others. May it be so for each one of us. Amen.

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Mumford and Sons - I Will Wait.