I’m a married Christian forty-something, living in England, UK. I like to write essays about the Bible and what it means for us today.
The image at the top of this page is what I would look like if I was a manga character. If you want to know a bit more about where that picture came from, it’s by Siku.
I’m also neurodivergent and a demisexual (asexual).
Things I enjoy in life include (in no particular order):
- Biblical studies and theology,
- CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien,
- Alanis Morissette,
- Star Trek and Babylon 5,
- physics,
- Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex
- coffee and cake,
- playing the piano, singing,
- writing poetry,
- writing theatre, and
- going for long walks with my husband.
Oh, there are a few short videos of me playing the piano on YouTube — this one is my favourite.
Faith background
When I was growing up I wanted to be an astronaut. So I chose science for my studies, but later decided that my efforts in life might be better spent trying to make the people on this planet get along better. I managed to land myself a boring desk job™, and have since studied theology, along with other areas relevant to feminism and women’s equality.
I was brought up in as an evangelical Anglican. Whilst I wouldn’t describe myself with either of those labels at the current time, I live with a sense of home-sickness for both, which never completely goes away. In some respects I have progressed very far from what I believed when I was younger, in others, I remain very orthodox.
The part of my faith that has surprised me most (not to mention others) has been my love of the Old Testament and the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). I feel like I know and love Jesus best, not when I experience him as a companion, good friend or advocate, but rather as a wonderful teacher of the law. Maybe that will change in the future, but it’s where I’m at now and I’m done trying to hide it.
Why I blog
I started blogging in 2015 because I wanted offer an informed Christian perspective on the issues that Fifty Shades of Grey raises about consent, BDSM and purity culture. That desire was itself fuelled by my husband’s and my experience of needing psychosexual therapy when we married. I also felt that the church can learn from people who are outside of the church. Certainly, this was my experience when it came to consent. (And Christians really oughta know about consent!)
I found it hard to sustain my blogging after the pandemic hit and instead focussed on a sister-site Faith in Grey Places as a repository of creative materials, that explore the Bible reflectively. I also started an MA in theology, which I have now completed.
So why do I blog now? Because I still believe, I still care about biblical literacy and I still have hope that I can “translate” concepts from the Bible and explain them in a way that speaks to our everyday experience.
Contact
I’m not very active at the moment, but you can find me on:
- X @hope4greyplaces
- Facebook @hope4greyplaces
- Light in Grey Places Facebook page @workthegreymatter
Faith in Grey Places, for worship and devotional materials:
- Faith in Grey Places website
- Faith in Grey Places Facebook page @faithgreyplaces
- YouTube channel (has a number of instrumental videos)
You can send me a message via the form below, or via email: christine [AT] workthegreymatter [DOT] com
(And remember, I’m British. We spell “grey” with an e.)