Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Secret stories of the clergy

29/02/2016 | Reform

Priests and pastors are commented-upon people. Sometimes for sporting tattoos, sometimes for celebrating Communion in high heels, sometimes for leading the congregation in prayer for the healing of a leg without spotting it was wooden.

I heard a story over … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Do we expect too much of Beelzebub?

22/01/2016 | Reform

Satan is quite frequently in the news these days, but the following headline recently caught my eye. A millionaire televangelist with the apt name of Creflo Dollar accused the devil of blocking his dreams of buying a $65m personal jet. … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Spare a thought for Joseph

27/11/2015 | Reform

It’s Christmas. You’re going to be in the nativity play. What character would you most like to be?” Steve Tomkins (the esteemed editor of this magazine) and I, armed with a video camera, were stopping people in their tracks at … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: What’s the drill for the day of judgement?

23/10/2015 | Reform

One of the questions that isn’t ever quite covered in the Alpha Course is: What do you do when the Second Coming is scheduled for next Wednesday? It’s a good question, and I think it ought to be included the … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Customised coffins

25/09/2015 | Reform

Simon Jenkins gets into coffins

“Which would you prefer?” asked the man at the funeral home: “Polished mahogany, with solid brass fittings and a deep velvet lining? Or, maybe you’d like to consider something from our new customised range?”

It … Read More

Jumble sales of the apocalypse: Typing in tongues

28/08/2015 | Reform

Simon Jenkins experiments in typing in tongues

Having a spare moment in the passenger seat of a car recently, I got ordained on my iPhone. Thanks to the Universal Life Church (motto: “We are all children of the same universe”) … Read More