Welcome to Adam’s Archives! Once a bustling blog, now a captivating relic of the past. Whilst Adam is currently taking a break, the possibility remains for a return and perhaps even some collaborations in the future. In the meantime, feel free to explore his old blog posts if for nothing else but the nostalgia value and if you still haven’t had your fill, you can check out his media appearances and articles written for other publications here. For any inquiries, feel free to reach out to Adam at adamjspiers@gmail.com.
Where is the Church’s Prophetic Voice?
“Many of us like to think we would, or even do, speak truth to power, but when we’re actually confronted with it, either in ourselves or our colleagues, we struggle to recognise it for what it is. After twenty-five years of worshipping and, latterly, discerning in the Church of England, I see plenty of power,…
Am I a Parrhesiastes?
Am I a Parrhesiastes?If so, is this a part of my servanthood as a minister of the Church? Jonny recently wrote a theological reflection as part of their training, some of which they used in talking about parrhesia in Episode 47. They have kindly let us publish it here for anyone interested. Introduction In this…
Writing to your MP about Palestine
This is a form letter I wrote for sending to your MP to tell them how you feel about the British government’s support for genocide in Palestine. You can find your MPs details at https://www.theyworkforyou.com. Please feel free to adapt this letter however you’d like. [YOUR NAME] [HOUSE NUMBER AND STREET] [TOWN/CITY] [POSTCODE] [EMAIL] [PHONE][DATE]…
‘I see bodies flow in the Ganges’
“Modi’s life prior to political power has largely been defined by his membership of a far-right Hindu nationalist paramilitary”
An open letter to Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover and Deal
Dear Ms. Elphicke, I was shocked and alarmed to see your recent tweets and accompanying video regarding “illegal entrants” at St. Margaret’s Bay yesterday. I understand that this is a cause célèbre for you as MP of Dover and Deal, perhaps as a result of some voters in the constituency feeling that there may be…
Reflections on Remembrance & Nationalism
Today I went to a Remembrance service at a war memorial followed by one at a church. At both, the national anthem was sung, and other nationalistic sentiments were expressed in word and song. It goes without saying that Remembrance is an incredibly important and significant time for many people and for the society we…
Democracy stabbed in the back in Syria and once again the USA is holding the knife
Trump cannot allow Rojava’s libertarian-socialist dream to continue and Erdoğan wants the Kurds wiped out. It’s a match made in hell.
Don’t be fooled by Boris Johnson’s tokenism, this is the most right-wing cabinet in living memory.
Upon becoming Prime Minister on Wednesday, Boris Johnson wasted no time in showing the majority of his predecessor’s cabinet the door. The sheer volume of sackings and resignations has caused no small amount of consternation from within the Conservative Party, with Johnson apparently keen to show that any hopes of an uncharacteristic display of discretion…
It’s time for Christians to speak out against the Conservative Party, not just Boris Johnson
In an article for the Guardian, the ‘recovering journalist’ and Church of England priest George Pitcher has rightly attacked Boris Johnson, pointing out his many character flaws. Johnson, says Pitcher, is ‘a serial liar, philanderer and shirker’, ‘spendthrift, ‘incompetent beyond belief’, ‘a provocateur of racism and hate crime’. Pitcher is quite obviously right, yet, the…
Milkshaking Fascists: Why Christians Need to Rethink Violence
Christianity has a long history of often heated discussion around violence, from absolute pacifism to the just war tradition and, indeed, some positions that can only be described as ‘warmongering’. There is, however, one aspect of violence which unites many of these differing factions: physical violence committed by the individual in situations other than self-defence. Who,…
What is Politics?
There is a sentiment common around election time that if you do not vote, you have no right to criticise. This is an understandable reaction, but whilst it is certainly true that one fairly consistent aspect of living in a ‘liberal democracy’ is a lack of voter turnout, it would be wrong to equate this…
Navigating Academia as an Undiagnosed Autistic
What is it like to go to university with undiagnosed #autism? How does the diagnostic process affect this? #REDinstead
#REDinstead: Autism Acceptance and Why I Will NEVER ‘Light It Up Blue’
What happens when you tell friends and potential employers about your autism? Why is the autistic community so opposed to Autism Speaks and the #LightItUpBlue campaign? How can you show solidarity with your autistic friends?
Has the Church Abandoned the Poor?
In April 2018, Philip North, Bishop of Burnley expressed the opinion that there was “a widespread perception among northern DDOs [diocesan directors of ordinands] that candidates from working-class backgrounds with northern accents are victims of prejudice” in the selection process for ordination training. Bishop North has, in recent years, become one of the sharpest critics…
Does the Church of England Face “Disestablishment by a Thousand Cuts”?
In 2000, the then future Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, predicted that before long the Church of England would experience “disestablishment by a thousand cuts”.1 This did not happen during his tenure as Archbishop, and as we shall see, for various reasons it seems even less likely to happen under the current Archbishop of Canterbury,…
Helmets, Museums, and Colonialism: What the Staffordshire Hoard Can Teach Us About Ourselves
Who looks after and displays historical artefacts matters. Britain still flexes its colonial muscles, it just does so by using its cultural and academic influence more than its military influence.
Truth, Freedom of Speech, and the Poppy
This blog is a sort of semi-sequel to this one. If you have not read it, you may like to. In a recent speech, the actor and comedian Stephen Fry expressed his frustration at the apparent death of the political centre ground. The problem, he feels, is that freedom of speech is under attack from both…
The Church Can No Longer Be Politically Neutral
I can still picture the moment I discovered that there are Christians who believe that climate change is a good thing because it will speed Christ’s return! Much like the famed ‘rapture hatch’, it can be tempting to laugh at such eschatological clumsiness, but for the seriousness of its implications. A similar story emerges with…
The UK’s Handling of the ‘IS Beatles’ is Illegal, Immoral, and Dangerous
Regardless of the horrendous nature of their crimes, the UK’s handling of the cases of Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, sets two very dangerous precedents: stripping them of citizenship, and refusing to demand assurances that they will not receive the death penalty.
Stories from the Way: The Camino Donativo
Reaction to the BBC’s ‘Pilgrimage: The Road to Santiago’ has been somewhat mixed amongst those who have completed the journey themselves. Indeed even before it began, more than one friend expressed their concern that such a programme could not possibly do justice to the great and ancient mysteries of the Way. I likewise had concerns, but…
“Why Are You Not Communist Like Jesus Was?”: Anarchists on Christianity
For some time now I have been thinking about how to open this blog up to allow voices other than my own to be heard. Recently I ‘reblogged’ a piece from elsewhere for the first time, and soon a series of guest bloggers will be posting on issues close to them. For this piece though, I…
The Problem With Policing
Expressing your aversion to the police as an institution immediately elicits some variation of the same question each time: “what if someone’s breaking into my house?” or “what if someone attacks me?”. People worry about being the victim of, or witness to a crime, and this is completely understandable. Problems soon come though, when such…
Why Immigration is Caused by Colonialism
Featured image courtesy of Polyp.org.uk CW: Pictures and discussion of racism, famine, poverty, and death. In my all too frequent procrastinatory forays into social media, I am regularly challenged when I link colonialism, capitalism, and the plight of refugees and other migrants. It can become tedious having to repeat oneself so much, so I want…
5 Steps to a Communist Christmas
With Christmas Day imminent, it can be easy to get caught up in the last minute dash to the shops, or the frustration of planning something everyone will enjoy. The whole Christmas season can become overshadowed by things that have no right to take up our time and thoughts, so with that in mind, here…
Joy in Enough: Economics for People and Planet
“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” So goes Henry Ford’s oft parroted quote. It is particularly popular with Donald Trump, who has tweeted it on at least three separate occasions. Of course it’s easy for someone like Donald Trump to say, starting out, as…
The Poppy Appeal: State Militarism in Fancy Dress
I nearly joined the army once. I was a teenager, a young school leaver, with little to show for my years eking out a miserable existence in a place that didn’t want me. I joined a college course, completely unsuitable for me, and eventually left when my anti-authoritarian streak reared its ruinous head. The course…
Poverty and Privilege
Walking the Camino is a privilege. We often use such words flippantly, even if we are showing gratitude, but what does it really mean for something to be a privilege? For the last five weeks I’ve been working this through my head. I am someone who has, at least in relative terms, known both sides…
The Passage of Time and the Blessing of Hospitality
It is a peculiarity of travel that you can lose sense of the passage of time. Past events can somehow simultaneously seem both recent and distant. So it is with my Camino. I am two thirds of the way through my pilgrimage now, and I can’t seem to work out how or what to feel…
Hitting Pause
Barely halfway through today’s stage of the Camino, I stopped walking and booked myself into the nearest albergue. My energy levels were good, I had all the right equipment and food, as well as plenty of time to complete the stage, but my joints had decided they had had enough. I am ahead of schedule…
The Power of Story
Today was a momentous day on the Camino; I am already a third of the way to Santiago de Compostela! As I reflected on the miracle of my legs continuing to work, and my head continuing to let them, I wondered what it was I would remember most when the aches of my muscles had…
Comparing Engels to Hitler is Capitalist Hypocrisy
Being a writer of the more sporadic variety, it can often take something considerable to force me to get typing. Sometimes however, a subject arises which probably doesn’t fall into that category, but simply requires a response. Such is the case with Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan’s article about the artist Phil Collins’ recent unveiling of…
A Reflection on Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to…
Short Thoughts on the General Election
In their pastoral letter released prior to the 2015 general election, the Church of England’s bishops attempt to offer guidance to Anglicans as they prepare to vote. ‘Who is my Neighbour?’, they ask, just as the lawyer in Luke 10:25-37 does. Having correctly answered that the law requires him to love God and love his…
Trump, Brexit, and Change
It’s been a few days since Donald Trump was elected the next president of the United States. There’s been so much written and spoken about this already that I really didn’t feel like I could or should contribute, however a video by Russell Brand really got me thinking through all of this, and I wanted to draw…
Being Working Class in the Church
Why aren’t working-class people going to church, and what can we do about it?
Bread and Rosaries 