Author: Mark Russ

Thank you to my readers in 2025

Mark Russ10 Comments

Another year of writing, speaking and teaching has come to an end, and I want to thank you for engaging with my work. Whether you’ve participated in one of my Woodbrooke courses, listened to me presenting Pause for Thought on the radio, or read one of my blog posts, I’m truly grateful for your time and attention. My theological work is my ministry, it’s what truly fulfils me, so I’m very fortunate that there are people like you who value and support it. In this post I summarise and reflect on my ministry in 2025 and think about what it might look like next year.

Whose Friends are we?

Mark Russ3 Comments

Quakers have always called each other ‘Friends,’ but what does this mean? Is ‘Friend’ just a quaint hangover from our past, or could it be a site of rich theological reflection? Emerging from my PhD research on Quaker theology and Whiteness, I’ve developed an online course for Woodbrooke reflecting on what it might mean for… Continue reading Whose Friends are we?

Why God’s wrath and vengeance is necessary

Mark Russ15 Comments
Abstract art of red swirls of various shades

I’m sure there are many of my fellow Quakers who would say that wrath and vengeance cannot possibly be part of who God is, particularly the God revealed in the life of Jesus. But what if wrath and vengeance are actually necessary aspects of the Divine? What if divine anger and retribution are good things?

Is love the central message of the New Testament? A comment on the 2025 BYM Epistle

Mark Russ12 Comments
An open Bible with the pages fanning out.

The BYM Epistle is a letter that attempts to capture the essence and important themes of the gathering. The Epistle is sent to many other Yearly Meetings around the world, and is often read aloud in local Quaker meetings throughout Britain. I want to remark on one sentence of the Epistle: ‘We are reminded that the central message of the New Testament is one of love.’ This statement may seem incredibly innocuous, or so obvious as to need no further comment. But this sentence needs our attention, as I think it’s haunted by the ghost of Judeophobia.

Join my online book group reading ‘A Testament of Devotion’ by Thomas Kelly

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There are still some places left on my online book group which begins on Monday 23 June with live Zoom sessions at 19:00-20:30 (UK time) every Monday for six weeks. We'll be reading A Testament of Devotion, a classic of Quaker spirituality. You can sign up here: https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/book-group-a-testament-of-devotion-by-thomas-kelly/ Thomas Kelly (1893-1941) was a Quaker from… Continue reading Join my online book group reading ‘A Testament of Devotion’ by Thomas Kelly

Desiring Jesus in a world of queerphobic Christianity

Mark Russ11 Comments
A pile of rubble

It’s no secret that Christians do terrible things, or that terrible things have been done in the name of Jesus and the Christian God. As a scholar of Christian theology and racism I know that Christianity has some serious problems. But recent events in my life have brought this truth home to me in a deeply personal way, to the point where I’m questioning whether, as a queer person, being a Christian makes any sense.

In memory of Ben Whitehouse (1979-2025)

Mark Russ26 Comments
Ben Whitehouse smiling broadly, wearing glasses and blue shirt, sat at a table surrounded by half empty wine bottles and glasses, in a crowd of smiling people.

Content warning: death, homophobia In late 2022, my friend Ben went with his theatre bestie Beccy to see a musical about the televangelist Tammy Faye who died of colon cancer. This prompted Ben to get a check-up, after which he was diagnosed with stage 4 anal cancer. The cancer eventually killed him on 25 March… Continue reading In memory of Ben Whitehouse (1979-2025)