Movement Magazine

In this issue we will be diving into the world of politics and asking whether (and how) we should interact with the political as progressive Christians. Politics, wherever we look, seems to be a mess. So what do we do? How can we impact the decisions being made by those in power? And what influence can our faith have on how we approach the political sphere?

In this latest edition of Movement we explore a theme at the very heart of our faith: everyday theology. In these pages, we ask what it means to live as people of faith not only in churches or chapels, but in classrooms, cafés, protests, friendships, and quiet moments of doubt

Through essays, uplifting community news, and personal reflections, this issue seeks to reignite our understanding of faith as a call to action, rooted in justice, equity, and unyielding hope. Together, let us reexamine the power of Jesus’ example in the Bible, not as a relic of the past, but as a living, breathing call to a better world.

We have a fantastic range of articles surrounding the idea of sacred space for you in this issue, and of course the staple news pieces and updates from the SCM community for you all to catch up on.

The theme of this issue is faith and art, looking at the connections between spirituality and artistic practice, as well as the implications of what it means to be a person of faith creating religious art in a modern world.

Our interview in this issue is with Ashwin Thyssen, who was also our keynote speaker for the 2023 National Gathering, Walk Humbly. We sat down with Ashwin to get his take on intersectionality, evangelism and the legacy of the 2021 FIFA World Cup, and to find out more about his studies.

One of the themes we’re exploring in this issue is Conscientization, a word in Portuguese that combines our words of newly formed consciousness about one’s situation and our conscience that compels us to act to make a difference.

Movement Magazine has been around for 50 years this issue! Fifty years of colourful, deep, challenging theological content from the brightest young progressive student minds. Articles include an interview with Doral Hayes, and Naomi Nixon's keynote talk from Reinventing Radical.

This edition’s theme is SCM and the World. We often find that churches in the UK, organizations and our ecumenical movement can forget that we are put of a worldwide fellowship, where today the majority of the world’s Christians are in the non-Western world, and there, our faith is thriving.

In this issue we explore the question of how we're interacting in our world. Who are we valuing and listening to? How can we witness to Christ’s mission in today’s endemic culture of individualistic neo-capitalism that seeks to suck worth from any non-economic gift we may possess?

This issue of Movement is all about vocation. What we do, why we do it, and how it links to who we are. We hope that this edition of Movement will help you to reflect on your vocation, whatever that is and however you want to live it.

The theme of this issue of Movement is identity. This is always a relevant topic, but the events of 2020 – the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, the pandemic’s ability to separate us from the things that make us who we are – have given identity a greater importance.

Issue 161 of the magazine is all about peace. Whether you interpret that as a political goal or a personal aim, we’ve got something for you. We hope this issue fills you with the urge to go out and act, as well as the comfort to look after yourself in the term ahead.

In this special edition to mark SCM’s 130th anniversary, we invited members and SCM Friends to share their reflections on the four main aims of the movement – creating community, deepening faith, celebrating diversity and seeking justice.