At my university this semester, I’ve been thinking a lot about money. I think I’ve always thought about money over the sixteen years I’ve been here. That’s partly because it’s a university with a history and tradition of drawing some Read more
“I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” (Psalm 119:44-45) Academic freedom is a frequent talking point in our times – it’s often seen as Read more
The word “Covid” surely evokes a mental reaction now from people everywhere in the world. The illness caused by this particular virus has inflicted suffering and death in almost every country, and continues to do so, albeit with very different trajectories Read more
The famous French Nobel Prize winning author Albert Camus (1913-60) once said that Christianity is a religion for old ladies. Today many western, secular people would agree with Albert. Christianity is just for children and simpletons. A Sunday hobby you Read more
Last week I started this reflection on the state of the university today by looking at the recent film, “Every Breath You Take.” As I said, “There are many ways one could think about this movie. Clearly, there are implications Read more
As a seminarian in a former life, I was cautioned against being “a quivering mass of availability” (a phrase from American theologian Stanley Hauerwas); but in a congregation, this seemed to be what was most desired from the pastor. Many Read more
What is the place of faith in public life in the UK? Beyond secularism that seeks to relegate faith to the margins, and a ‘Christian Nation’ position that seeks to retain, or even regain Christian public privilege, is there a Read more
We commonly grant nowadays that most of us live in societies that are pluralistic and largely secular. Many places in the West, as a growing number of writers and thinkers have noted, can be called post-Christian. Secular liberalism of one Read more
Kim Kardashian is a potent prophetess for the contemporary pagan worship of Venus. She earns millions serving the goddess of beauty and sex. In 2015 she published a book Selfish, packed with her self-portraits, her very best selfies. A selfie 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 Read more