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The Derby Islamic Centre is very close to the Salvation Army in the centre of the city, and I’d been thinking of making a visit for a while. On hearing this, my colleague and friend David Howarth also expressed an interest in visiting, especially as he’d never been to a mosque before. So I emailed my friend Ibrahim Mogra in Leicester, and he facilitated contact with the centre for me.

David and I were very warmly welcomed and we sat (over tea and biscuits) and chatted for nearly an hour with three representatives of the mosque. There are prayer areas on two levels, although there were buckets in the upper area as they currently have a problem with rain getting in. Hopefully they can get this fixed soon. On the upper level there is a much smaller room for the women to pray (something my western cultural background finds difficult to accept, although I don’t mean that to be a criticism) as well as an area for teaching.

There’s much misunderstanding about Islam (especially via the media), and so I think it’s important to establish and maintain dialogue in order to understand better and build relationships. It’s about breaking down barriers and developing mutual respect. For those who may feel we were compromising our Christian faith or diluting its character, nothing could be further from the truth. We unashamedly visited as Christian leaders in our full Salvation Army uniforms and were pleased to be welcomed as such. There was no offence taken, and David and I deepened our understanding of Islam. We were also pleased to hear an unequivocal condemnation of violence done in the name of Islam.

All in all it was a very helpful visit, and I’m extremely grateful for the gracious welcome and hospitality we received. There’s a dangerous rise in far-right politics in Europe at the moment, that seeks to spread fear of Islam – not least the English Defence League. Clearly there are Islamist extremists (as there are extremists amongst those of other faiths and none), but I would encourage you to build relationships and seek understanding wherever possible – and maybe visit your local mosque. As in the words of Saint Francis: grant that I may not so much seek to be understood, as to understand.

Yesterday (on the last day of my spring holiday) I travelled up Middlesbrough to see the new appointment I’ll be taking up at the end of July 2012. I met the officers I’m taking over from, and shared lunch with them in what will be my new home. I also had the chance to see round the hall in the centre of the town. The photo shows the main worship hall. I also met one of the local officers, and we had a good chat about the vision the corps has for future. As a Salvation Army Officer I’m given changes of appointment by my leaders, following discussions with the corps and conversations with me. Following this process, I discovered where I was going in an early morning email back in February 2012. I’m already looking forward to this new opportunity for Christian leadership, witness and ministry, and count it a privilege to serve God in this way. I’m also grateful for the trust the Salvation Army has placed in me for the new responsibility.

Many English people are ambivalent about, and reluctant to fly, the English flag. This is for a variety of complex reasons, and I’m not going to outline or analyse them here. One reason though, is it’s association with the racism of the far-right in politics, represented by the English Defence League. This is why I’ve posted on Facebook and Twitter today: I’m proud to live in a rich and diverse multicultural England. The racist, far-right do not own the flag and do not represent me! and Happy St George’s Day! Reclaim the flag! It doesn’t belong to the racist far-right, it belongs to a rich and diverse multicultural England!

When you start to look into his background and history, you begin to realise that George is a perfect patron saint for our wonderfully rich and diverse multicultural country. His paternal family was Turkish and his mother Palestinian, so this is already becoming a little awkward for the EDL! As a sideline, their leader got the date of St George’s Day wrong yesterday!

George is the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Genoa, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Istanbul, Lithuania, Moscow, Palestine, Portugal and Venice! He’s widely respected by Muslims. So what better saint to represent England’s unity in diversity? Fly the flag with pride, and celebrate all that’s good about England today! Inclusive patriotism, not exclusive nationalism!

And remember, hate, racism and inequality are the dragons St George needs to slay today!

This is a great video that captures the true meaning of Easter. Even if you’re not a person of faith or agnostic in your outlook, do give it a look as it has something to say about our world today. Best in full screen view. Oh, and there’s a great soundtrack – so turn the volume up! Happy Easter!

The start of a New Year is always a time for resolutions, even though any day of the year can be a new beginning if we choose it to be! One resolution which lends itself to January 1 is reading the Bible in a year. This sounds like a simple enough task, but in reality it’s very difficult. One reason is that you reach a difficult part of the Bible in February/March time, another reason is that some of the material is duplicated (and told from different perspectives), and the arrangement of the Bible is not chronological. These three difficulties conspire to confound even the most dedicated reader, as I know from experience!

An answer to this problem is to read the Bible in chronological order, and there are a number of Bibles which set out the material in this way. One year I read the Bible through in the New International Version, although I didn’t find the associated commentary helpful as it was written by a very conservative scholar. This year I am using the Bible pictured above, which has minimal notes as you progress through. The translation is the inclusive language New Living Translation. And so to Genesis chapter 1…

This is a guest post from colleague Salvation Army Officer Jason Davies-Kildea from Australia. I’m grateful to Jason for allowing me to reproduce it here.

Today is the International Day Against Homophobia. It might be a good day to reflect on how much simpler my life could be if I would only stay quiet about the ‘issue’ of homosexuality and the church. Yet, I don’t think silence is the vocation that I’ve been called into.

I’m sure people wonder why a heterosexual man would spend the time and energy that I have done campaigning for greater understanding and acceptance of gay and lesbian people within the church and more specifically within The Salvation Army. The answer is pretty simple really – I keep witnessing people being hurt by ignorance and prejudice and I refuse to allow this situation to continue unchallenged.

I’ve lost count of the number of people that have told me how they used to be a part of the church but when they awakened to a differing sexuality, they were excluded – some quickly and cruelly and others slowly frozen out. My heart breaks when I hear of the violence inflicted on gay and lesbian people because they are different. I wonder why followers of Jesus, instead of welcoming these marginalised folk, seem to be the chief proponents of highlighting their difference, legitimising prejudice and ‘othering’. I am deeply saddened when I hear of occurrences of self-hatred, self-harm and suicide amongst LGBT people, many of whose misconceptions of their own self-worth have been driven home by ‘well-meaning’ Christians.

So, while LGBT people continue to be the victims of intimidation, bullying and violence, I’ll fight. While Christians hide their prejudice behind a handful of out-of-context scriptures, I’ll fight. While the church remains closed to my gay and lesbian friends, I’ll fight. While love comes second to man-made rules, I’ll fight to the very end.

Like so many people, I woke up this morning to the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Interestingly, in this age of social media, I read about it on my BlackBerry while checking Facebook and Twitter. While everyone had been thinking he was hiding in a cave in Afghanistan, he was actually found living in luxury in Pakistan! This, of course, raises quite a lot of political questions. One thing that I found unsettling was the celebratory scenes in America, celebrating his death in the streets is not going to further the cause of peace. But my main reason for this post is to highlight an excellent and well-balanced press release by the Muslim Council of Britain entitled ‘Now Let the Healing Begin’.

Farooq Murad, the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, made the following statement on the reported death of Osama bin Laden:

“Few will mourn the reported death of Osama bin Laden, least of all Muslims. Many Muslims will reflect on the ten years that have passed in which our faith and our community have been seen through the prism of terrorism and security. The Muslim Council of Britain has consistently stood firm against terrorism and violence, and will continue to do so. His extremism has been responsible for the deaths of many people, including many Muslims around the world. The actions of his movement which have no basis in the teachings of Islam have led to the pursuit of unjust wars and untold suffering.

Today our thoughts must be with the families of all those who suffered in the terrorist attacks around the world as well as of thousands of innocent lives lost in the wars against terrorism. It is unfortunate that his assassination has deprived them of the opportunity to see him brought to justice in the court of law.

Al-Qaeda’s ability to sow discord and mistrust between Muslims and others has caused untold damage. We must restore our belief in human dignity and peace by ensuring that we stand firm against all forms of hatred, injustices and violence.”

I posted this morning about the Walk to Emmaus that’s often recalled by Christians on the Sunday after Easter. The Risen Jesus comes alongside two followers and walks with them, and when they arrived home they invited him in. The painting (showing the moment of realisation) is, like the sketch this morning, by Rembrandt and you can read the story here!

The story of the Walk to Emmaus is often recalled by Christians on the Sunday after Easter. Two followers of Jesus are walking home, and the Risen Jesus comes alongside and walks with them – a reminder that he walks with us on life’s journey. The sketch is by Rembrandt and you can read the story here! A painting by Rembrandt is featured in my next post, Supper at Emmaus.

The Resurrection of Jesus is central to the Christian faith. Christ’s death on the Cross was the culmination of his earthly mission and ministry, a moment of triumph vindicated on the first Easter Day. It’s about God offering us a fresh start and a new creation, hope for the dark times, and an everyday life enriched by the very life of God. So, this Easter, please consider the new life that God offers, and the challenge of living it in our day-to-day lives. It’s a positive message about a special quality of living, one that loves everyone unconditionally, irrespective of their race, colour, creed, sex, sexual orientation, faith or no faith etc.

There was excellent worship at Leicester Cathedral this morning, with a challenging and thoughtful message by Bishop Tim. Followed by fresh coffee, good biscuits and friendly company – plus Easter eggs for the children! The photo is of the Easter Garden in the cathedral grounds.