Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Rude hymns

26/09/2016 | Reform

Simon Jenkins on rude hymns

In the words of the continuity announcements on Channel 4, this column may contain strong language and scenes of a sexual nature from the start. Our subject this month is sex and hymns. You might … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Reducing Scripture to clip art

26/08/2016 | Reform

The Emoji Bible is in better company than it deserves

It’s smiley faces all round. News has broken that the holy scriptures have at last been translated into emoji. For Martian readers, emoji are the colourful little symbols humans use … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Could an android be baptised, or ordained?

06/07/2016 | Reform

When robots come to church

One of the great theological questions I never got answered when I was in Sunday school was: “How does Jesus get my collection money?” The question arose whenever I put a couple of warm pennies … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Beastly piety

27/05/2016 | Reform

Simon Jenkins on beastly piety

A parrot popped up in my Twitter feed a few days ago. He was raising his head from his own feed (a bowl of sunflower seeds) and fixing me beadily with a meaningful look. Right … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Ecclesiastical deference

22/04/2016 | Reform

Simon Jenkins on the problem with ecclesiastical deference

I was standing in the crowd outside Westminster Abbey one afternoon in 2010, waiting for the Pope to arrive in his “bulletproof ice cream van” (as one Twitter user had nicknamed the … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Jesus’ sense of humour

27/03/2016 | Reform 1

Simon Jenkins ponders Jesus’ sense of humour

The shortest verse in the Gospels is famously: “Jesus wept.” But how about: “Jesus laughed”? Did that ever happen? Can faith be funny? Does the Holy Ghost make people split their sides? Has … Read More