As we enter the last few days of Advent, those with good memories may recall that this time last year my four-month-old daughter was starring in our church’s immersive Nativity scene, and I was led to reflect on the enormity of Jesus’s sacrifice in taking on the absolute powerlessness of Read more…
For me, the season of Advent expectation this year comes hot on the heels of a new arrival within my own family – the birth of our own firstborn, our daughter Tehillah (‘Tilly’), in late August. Her entrance was extremely well-timed, both from my perspective as an academic (I emerged Read more…
Some years ago now, I wrote a post about the relationship between my faith and my love for avant-garde music. One thing I pointed out was the tension between beauty and deliberate discomfort (one might even call it ‘ugliness’) in a lot of this music: I suggested that whilst moments Read more…
About six weeks ago, I had the privilege of chairing one of the series of ‘Feeding the Earth’ webinars hosted by Thinking Faith Network, exploring contemporary research into food security from a ‘values’ perspective. The opening talk, given by Dr Yoseph Araya of the Open University, was an introduction to Read more…
As we enter May and begin to feel summer approach, academics around the UK are gearing up for a season of marking student exams, essays and coursework. This year, however, we are also nervously awaiting some results of our own: May 12 marks the date on which the results of Read more…
As we tiptoe tentatively through the first weeks of 2022, wondering what lies ahead for us this year, I’ve been musing on an attitude which I’ve seen cropping up in a few different places recently – most obviously in the title of the rather universally panned Netflix mockumentary ‘Death to Read more…
We’re continuing our series of posts considering the Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of the various ‘aspects’ proposed by reformational philosophy. We’ve already considered perspectives of economics, aesthetics, religion, ethics and history; this week I want to consider the lingual aspect of the pandemic – the way in which our Read more…
Ethical decision-making: when might we choose to continue wearing masks if the law doesn’t require it? Image by Julián Amé from Pixabay, used with permission This is the next in a series of posts reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic through the lens of the various ‘aspects’ of reformational philosophy. This week, I want to offer some tentative Read more…
This is the third in a series of posts considering the Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of the various ‘aspects’ proposed by reformational philosophy. Last week Alicia Smith considered the religious aspect of the pandemic – the way it has revealed the underlying influence of religious attitudes and priorities on collective thought and action. This week, I’m Read more…
We enter Holy Week this year just a few days after the year-anniversary of the UK’s first lockdown. What a difference a year makes. It’s become a staple of the national conversation in recent weeks to observe the transformation in attitudes, plans and expectations from last March up to now, the Read more…