Month: April 2026

It may not have escaped peoples’ notice that there has been recently been an exchange of views between two prominent Americans; the US President, Donald Trump and the Pope, Leo XIV. It began with the Pope pointedly saying the Christ rejected the prayers of war mongers; the President responded by accusing Leo of being weak on crime and foreign policy and Leo in turn refuses to debate politics with Mr Trump. Christianity and the world of politics have always had an uneasy relationship. At one level the Bible has much to say about justice and peace; particularly in the Old Testament the prophets were vocal in their views on the rulers of Israel and Judah. Jesus followed in the line of prophets by speaking out on social justice and promoted a vision of how the world would be organised in the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, the Old Testament notably failed to identify any obviously successful way of governing a nation state; rule by “judges”, kings and priests all were tried at various times. Sometimes they seemed to work, more often they did not. And Jesus, whilst clear on the direction of travel, did not endorse any specific political manifesto, at least as far as I can see. For what it is worth, my own view is that as a Christian, I must be an active citizen, doing what I can to promote a Godly society. I also must recognise that there is no simple political philosophy on the left or right that will exclusively lead in that direction, albeit there are some that deny our common humanity that do not seem compatible with Biblical teachings. I pray for justice and the coming of God’s kingdom, I pray for all our political leaders, I may highlight issues but I hope I do not tell people how to vote. That is between themselves and God.

Rev David Poyner

This last week I have been in Zurich, attending the 11^th International Meeting on CGRP.  CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide), is a chemical found in most nerves in the body. It mainly seems to play a role in protecting us from damage. Sometimes however, if it is released inappropriately from nerves, it can cause problems. This seems to be what happens in some forms of migraine and new drugs to treat this work by blocking CGRP. It remains an exciting area where much remains to be discovered. There may be some big drugs to be discovered, which could be very lucrative. There is a danger that this could encourage a cut-throat approach in the field, where nobody trusts each other.

I have been doing research on CGRP since 1988 and have attended most of the meetings. The CGRP research community is a friendly one; we share our results and we support each other as best we can. The science we talk about at the meetings is interesting but these days I more value our friendships. Science, like many activities, can be a very cut-throat business. This week has once again reminded me that there are other ways of doing business; we do seem to try to love each other. 

Rev David Poyner

In Glazeley Church, there is a stained glass window next to the pulpit, in memory of Lt Philip Crooks, who was killed in the First World War. It is a fine piece of work; it shows Philip, drawn from a photograph welcomed by angels; actually portraits of his sisters. In the background is a field of wheat, ready for harvest; apparently a sign that, at 21, Philip’s work was done. He is greeted by the risen Christ. Back in August, we welcomed the Bishop of Hereford to Glazeley to mark the 150^th anniversary of the present building. He admired the window, but then added; “of course, it is theologically indefensible”. As a mere assistant curate, I did not press him on this, but merely nodded my head in agreement. But I suspect what disturbed him is what also disturbs me about the window; the risen Jesus holds out his hands to welcome Philip, but they are unmarked. In the Gospels, Jesus carried the marks of the nails on his hands and feet; the wound from the spear in his side. I think this says something very profound about the meaning of resurrection. It is indeed the triumph of Jesus over the grave, but that triumph does not wipe away scars from past suffering; memories are not wiped clean. Instead past pain is transfigured; the scars remain but they no longer have power to hurt. Easter is not about magic, it is about transformation.

Rev David Poyer