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About Jon Chilvers

Jonathan Chilvers leads a homeless project and is part of Jubilee Church Leamington. He also stood as a candidate for the Green Party in local elections in May 2011, but is not writing on behalf of any of the above. Jonathan loves his wife and their cheeky toddler. Follow or contact me via Twitter: @jonchilvers

Sex and the Spa Town

Posted on May 27, 2012

 In the last three months two nightclubs in my home town of Leamington Spa have applied for ‘sexual entertainment licences’ that allow them to run strip clubs and other ‘adult entertainment’. With the Green Party and others from across the political spectrum I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics & Christian living | Tagged | Leave a comment

Don’t buy the lies about Executive Pay: Reward people for the contribution they make

Posted on April 24, 2012

“Did you know that the Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council gets paid £173,000 per year, which is over 14 times the least well paid person in the Council who get by on £12,145?” Over the last month, I’ve been knocking … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Poverty | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Who will be the fathers?

Posted on April 15, 2012

This story was told at my church a few weeks ago: “Elephant herds are formed of an intrictate social web of the extended family. Two or three generations of parents and cousins all play their part – it really does … Continue reading →

Posted in Social commentary | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Church has forfeited the right to have a say on gay marriage

Posted on April 14, 2012

For as long as I can remember the church in the UK has treated people who are gay horrifically. We have denied, we have judged, we have excluded, we have hurt, we have silenced. The vicious aggression of the recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics & Christian living, Theology & Church | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Three reasons why Stuart Lancaster is the right choice for English Rugby

Posted on March 29, 2012

After his eye-catching Six Nations campaign as interim boss, Stuart Lancaster has been appointed full time coach until after the next World Cup in 2015. As well as winning four out of five since January here are three reasons why … Continue reading →

Posted in Sport | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Every Little Helps, but Tesco’s use of the Workfare scheme is exploitation for profit.

Posted on February 16, 2012

We need work experience schemes for some welfare claimants, but the workfare scheme is being used by Tesco and others as exploitation for profit pure and simple. Workfare forces some job seekers to take unpaid work for months at a time … Continue reading →

Posted in Poverty | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Bideford prayer ruling: not so much anti-faith as undemocratic

Posted on February 12, 2012

My concern about the Bideford Town Council ruling which bans prayer from meetings is not because it is anti-faith. It is more because it is undemocratic. Undemocratic The judge ruled that the Local Government Act 1972 didn’t give the Council … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 8 Comments

We should be anti-bad business not anti-big business

Posted on February 9, 2012

George Osborne says that he is worried that the UK is becoming ‘anti-business’. What he means is anti-big business. I mean, if failing mega corporations can’t hide their profits away to avoid tax and CEOs can’t claim obscene bonuses in … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Poverty | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Welfare Reform Bill is on the right track, but it won’t get the job done

Posted on February 7, 2012

There’s been an awful lot of handwringing over the Welfare Reform Bill and the ‘benefits cap’ in particular. However, most of the bill is on the right track, although it’s only one part of the bigger picture. The Benefits Cap … Continue reading →

Posted in Poverty | 6 Comments

Faith Under Fire by Andrew White: Awful and Awe-full

Posted on January 19, 2012

Faith under Fire is both one of the most Awful (in what it recounts) and Awe-full books that I have read in recent years. Andrew White is better known as the stubborn and inspiring ’Vicar of Baghdad’, serving his 3500 strong … Continue reading →

Posted in Recommended books | Tagged | Leave a comment