Issue 05 (Pre-order. Out Nov 1st)

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Work: Who toils and who benefits?

Issue 5 of S(h)ibboleth is all about work, labour relations and having to earn a living by doing (rather than owning) things. Work is a subject that gets talked about a lot in churches and discipleship courses, but only in a shallow "there should be Christians in every profession" kind of way (are we sure we want more Christian pimps, arms manufacturers and economic hitmen?) or in terms of telling colleagues what you believe. Too often we ignore fundamental questions around unemployment benefits, work ethic and who should be rewarded for work. So instead of leaving that to the Christian Right, we thought we (and our wonderful contributors) would have a crack at it. 

Our feature Q&A features the wonderful Shane Claiborne sharing wisdom about work and how society is ordered, and beyond the theme we have essays, profiles, reviews and profiles on everything from the housing crisis (and how you're being lied to about it), to the story of a women-led rent strike and prayers themed around both Gaza and antifascism. There's also laughs, music, movies and more. All for ten quid. 

What you'll find in Issue 5:

Shane Claiborne:  Author, speaker, justice campaigner and profound influence on a generation of unconformed Christians, Shane talks work, community and government handouts. 

You will not work, you will not eat: Reframing a verse from a threat used against those who need a little help to an affirmation of Christian communalism. 

Why Join a union? Five reasons, ranging from self-care to solidarity, laid out by a veteran of the labour movement. 

Antifa Sunday: Also known as Christ the King Sunday and long utilised as a moment in the liturgical calendar for praying and educating against fascism.

Unpaid internships:  Why they're unethical and how they're on the rise, written by someone who experienced a different approach. 

Paul Fiddes:  The legendary Baptist theologian co-authors a piece on love in business. 

The Protestant Work Ethic:  Former Editor of the Baptist Times, Mark Woods, ponders the origins and value of the oft-invoked concept. 

Plus: poetry about work, social media accounts about working life, the Christian who helped unionise the Apple Store and a checklist for "Christian businesses". 

Also in this issue:

Mythbusting the housing crisis: Danica Priest demolishes government narratives around environmental protections, NIMBYism and newts. 

Greenblet festival:  A behind-the scenes interview about where it's going and the good it does. 

A service for Gaza: Courtesy of Christians for Palestine UK, a liturgy complete with prayers written by Palestinians. 

Mary Barbour: The liberation hero who led a strike that beat both predatory landlords and a conservative government. 

William Seymour:  How the Azusa Street Revival turned race and gender relations on their head - and how we have yet to fully learn its lessons. 

Plus: Porn use, angry women, Midnight Oil, Muslim Communism, dangerous art, "Judeo-Christian values" and a very worky "horoscope". 

You can subscribe to S(h)ibboleth from this issue, the previous issue or the next. We're cool like that. There are also options to choose to support postage costs for other customers and support the magazine. Your support is super important to us, so thanks for anything you do.

Faith without the baggage, comment without the right-wing assumptions, justice without the hand-wringing