Showing Tag: "story" (Show all posts)

Chatting with Jon and Louise

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, March 11, 2021, In : Talks

This week I had the privilege of virtually visiting Devon through the powers of Zoom and having a chat with Jon and Louise from Crossroad Seaton. I shared some of my story, we talked about how the culture around sexuality has changed, why biblical teaching on sexuality is good news and how churches can help same-sex attracted people to thrive.

Continue reading ...

9 Christian women you should know

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 17, 2019, In : Random stuff

Susan B. Anthony (1820 - 1906)
Born into a Quaker family with a long history of anti-slave activism, Susan B. Anthony developed an early sense of fairness and justice. She dedicated her life to women’s suffrage after joining the women’s rights movements in 1852. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery, the right for women to own their own property, to keep their earnings, as well as their right to attend higher learning institutions.
Sojourner Truth (Unknown - 1883)
She was born a sla...

Why I agree with the atheists: 9 reasons I’m pleased that Christendom is crumbling

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, March 22, 2018, In : Reflections

You may have seen a recent Guardian article with the headline “'Christianity as default is gone': the rise of a non-Christian Europe.”

Lots of vocal atheists are hailing this as good news, and there are 9 reasons why I agree with them.

But first, a (very short) history of Christendom. Christendom can be defined as simply the global community of Christians, but that’s not how I’m using the term here. Bishop Curry in ‘Farewell to Christendom: The Future of Church and State in America’...

10 Christian podcasts to grow your faith

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, February 7, 2018, In : Random stuff

This is the third post in my series on recommended podcasts and there are some absolute gems to discover.

(1) Nomad
Topic: Interviews with Christian thinkers
Frequency: Fortnightly
Run time: Variable. Usually about 90 mins.
This is my current favourite and I listen to it while I’m swimming (on a waterproof MP3 player). Tim and David present a fascinating showcase of thoughtful viewpoints. Topics range from ecology, uncertainty and consumerism to LGBT identity, the arts, and mission-shap...

The Monk and the Woman

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, In : Random stuff

Two Buddhist monks, on their way to the monastery, found an exceedingly beautiful woman at the river bank. Like them, she wanted to cross the river, but the water was too high. So one of them took her across on his shoulders.

The other was thoroughly scandalised. For two hours he scolded the offender for his breach of the Rule: Had he forgotten he was a monk? How had he dared to touch the woman? And worse, carry her over the river? And what would people say? Had he not disgraced their holy Rel...

BCE: Is it really time to erase Christianity from history?

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, October 29, 2017, In : Reflections

It seems there’s more and more pressure to erase Christianity from history to avoid offending those of other faiths or of a secular worldview.

A recent investigation by the Mail on Sunday found that more schools using BCE and CE instead of BC and AD to avoid offending those of non-Christian faiths.

This strikes me as ridiculous for three reasons:

(1) The terms BC and AD are hardly used in a proselytising way. They’re just a convention in the Gregorian calendar and I’m sure that lots of p...

Cryptic Christians Quiz

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, July 24, 2017, In : Random stuff

Every now and again I like to post something a bit lighthearted on my blog, and this time I've written a series of cryptic clues to lead you to the names of famous Christians past and present. See if you can get them all without looking stuff up on Google!

Redeemed, eighth month, adolescent
Dad's Army's Mr Dunn, paper-fasteners, Oxford crime-solver
Mr Major has a bony foot deformity
Fairy take goat, Golden cereal
Ultimate, toilet, vehicle, uncooked-bread
Triple-jumping puritan theologian?
Mr Presco...

Educational, inspirational and funny treats for your ears: 12 of my favourite podcasts

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 26, 2017, In : Random stuff

I find that listening to podcasts helps me to engage with big ideas, be more informed about the world around me, and enjoy some top-class entertainment. Maybe you haven’t tried podcasts yet, or maybe you’re looking for some new favourites. There are thousands of brilliant free podcasts out there just waiting to be discovered, but where do you start? Well, hopefully this list of my 12 favourites will point you in the right direction.

All of these are available free through iTunes, Google Pl...

The Wind and the Sun

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, August 4, 2016, In : Random stuff

As a child, my favourite book was a collection of Aesop's fables. I loved the tales of animals and people facing moral dilemmas, and the important lessons I could learn from them.

As I've been thinking about how to communicate my faith in a postmodern world, a particular story came to mind, so I thought I'd share it here.

The Wind and the Sun

The wind and the sun were once arguing about which of them was the stronger. As they could not agree, they decided to arrange a contest.

"You see that trave...
Continue reading ...

Sheep Thief

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, July 5, 2016, In : Random stuff

At primary school, we often used to have stories in assembly and there is one in particular that has stuck with me. It was a tale of two brothers in a rural community who once stole some sheep. They were caught and their punishment was to have the letters ‘ST’ for ‘Sheep Thief’ branded onto their foreheads so that everyone would know of their crime and the kind of people they were.