A Door Opens: A Week of Unimaginable Grace
By Mark Edward Chard

Some weeks leave a mark on your life so deep that you know, instantly, you will remember them for the rest of your days. This past week has been one of them.

Yesterday, with gratitude and no small amount of awe, I can share that my article “Deror and Jubilee: Biblical Release as a Framework for Economic and Ecological Justice” has been formally accepted for publication in Theology (University of Glasgow) under the editorship of Professor George Pattison.

For me, this is more than an academic milestone.
It is a moment of grace.

Professor Pattison’s work has shaped the landscape of modern theology for decades. To have my article scheduled for publication in the May/June 2026 issue, with his personal feedback, guidance, and editorial input, is an honour beyond anything I expected this early in my scholarly journey. His email was warm, thoughtful, rigorous, and encouraging in equal measure. I will always be grateful for that.

This acceptance came during a week in which another extraordinary event unfolded:
my fourth manuscript with Black Theology moved into peer review.

Four papers with one journal in under two weeks, and each paper to peer review in under 24 hours.
One accepted with a historic journal and a world-leading theologian.
Momentum I never imagined, unfolding all at once.

I do not take any of this lightly.

A Dedication: For Darren John Chard

There is someone else at the heart of this story, my twin soul brother, Darren, who entered eternity on 12 December 2020 at 4:15am.
In one days’ time, he will reach the sixth year of his spiritual journey.

And somehow, mysteriously, beautifully, he is still here.

In ways I cannot fully explain, Darren saw all this before I did.
He spoke it.
He pointed to it.
He prepared me for it.

This week, as paper after paper moved forward, I could almost feel him at my shoulder, not as memory, but as presence.
Not as loss, but as guiding light.
Not as silence, but as encouragement.

Everything I write, everything I publish, everything I build in the years ahead…
has his fingerprints upon it.

A Word of Thanks

My gratitude extends to:

Professor George Pattison, for his trust, clarity, and generosity.

Professor Anthony G. Reddie and the team at Black Theology, for their astonishing speed and confidence in my work.

Kenny Corris, whose spiritual guidance has been priceless.

And to all who have supported, encouraged, and believed in my calling.

What Comes Next

This acceptance is not an ending but a beginning.

In the coming months:

My monograph, Daughters of Jerusalem, Weep with Us, will take its final shape.

New chapters will unfold, drawing together theology, testimony, scripture, history, and lived experience.

A fuller story will emerge, one that honours Black suffering, Black hope, and Black resurrection faith.

And Darren will walk with me through every word of it.

Closing Words

I share this today with humility, gratitude, and deep emotion.

Some victories arrive quietly.
Others arrive like a door swinging open with light pouring through.

This week was the second kind.

To everyone reading this, thank you.

To Darren, thank you for guiding me, believing in me, and refusing to let go.

And to God, thank You for turning ashes into purpose.

Onwards.

With love,
Mark Edward Chard