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Blinded by your grace

blind grace credit gabriel barletta v2 South London grime star Stormzy beat Ed Sheeran and Lorde to be named artist of the year at the 2017 BBC Music Awards last week; and his debut album Gang Signs and Prayers is the first grime record to reach number one.

Simon Peters, Children’s and Youth Work Programme Officer, reflects on just what one of Stormzy’s hit records has in common with Bible passage John 1:12-14.

‘Like many Grime albums, Stormzy’s music may appear to some, at first listen, to be quite aggressive, boastful and messy,’ says Simon. ‘There’s a reason for that. The world can be a difficult place to be in, especially for those who are so often ignored, neglected or misunderstood. Grime music is one avenue which some people chose to assert themselves, vent their feelings and express their identity.

Faith leaders urge UK government to sign Nuclear Ban Treaty

Nuclear test credit Flicker US Government Following Sunday’s presenting of the Nobel Peace Prize to ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons, leaders from all faiths across the UK have called on the British Government to affirm the new UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The new treaty states that nuclear weapons, like chemical and biological weapons, are incompatible with international humanitarian law due to their indiscriminate effect. It presents a challenge to nuclear states that continue to rely on the threat of mass destruction in their foreign policy and security strategies.

Top death row lawyer speaks to Reform

Though he has been listed by The Times as one of Britain’s most powerful lawyers, human rights champion Clive Stafford Smith, has never been paid by one of his hundreds of clients. He has devoted his career to defending people who have been sentenced to death in the US and to those held in Guantanamo Bay on accusations of terrorism.

Reprieve, the organisation Mr Stafford Smith founded, provides free legal representation and investigations for those facing execution, torture and extrajudicial imprisonment. With the help of voluntary supporters, Reprieve also puts pressure on governments to tackle human rights abuses.

Reform spoke to Mr Stafford Smith at Greenbelt Festival, where he was speaking about continuing the work of Reprieve in the era of Trump.

I am ... on universal credit

I am credit James Bin Shutterstock ‘If it wasn’t for my kids, I might have killed myself. This system is just horrible.

'I waited nine weeks for universal credit. They told me they didn’t get the form they needed, so I sent it off again. Then they sent me another one to fill in, and it just carried on like that. It’s sorted now, but it took so, so long.

'For nine weeks I had to rely on my mum and some friends, just doing what I could to get by. It’s a nightmare and I’d rather be back in jail – really, I would.

Support treaty banning nuclear weapons

Charissa and Steve nuclear 2 A two-minute film calling on Christians to safeguard God’s world by working towards a future free of nuclear weapons was released this week.

The United Reformed Church along with four other Christian denominations – the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church, the Quakers, and the Church of Scotland – is distributing the film to thousands across the world in a joint call to action.