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The Primus’s Radio Interview about the Columba Declaration
It is incomprehensible to me that the Church of England establishment, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, can have claimed in the English Synod yesterday that the Scottish Episopal Church is “content” with the Columba Declaration and sees it as a positive move forward when the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church is describing it as…
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Sermon – preached on Valentine’s Day/Lent 1
So. It is Valentine’s Day and the church bids us to go with Jesus into the desert. Well, that’s the story of my love life. But what are we to think today? How are we to deal with this story of Jesus being tempted in the desert? Jesus gets led in the desert, we are…
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The Columba Declaration
Just before Christmas, something extraordinary happened in the life of the churches. Someone in the Church of Scotland leaked the full text of a proposed ecumenical agreement to a journalist from the Telegraph newspaper. I believe that the journalist in question had heard of the agreement, known as the Columba Declaration, and had contacted the…
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The Bishops’ Instruction on Fasting and Abstinence
I happen to have in my possession a couple of copies of the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Kalendar (as it was called in those days) from the 1990s. I’m interested that they include a section called “A Summary of the Bishops’ Instruction on Fasting and Abstinence” To the best of my knowledge, this isn’t published anywhere…
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The Devil Inside – Scottish Opera – *****
***** This review appeared first at Opera Britannia This electric new commission from Stuart MacRae and Louise Welshsizzles with energy, even amidst its doom-laden plot. It is one of the most interesting, well sung and well produced pieces of opera that has been seen on the Scottish stage for quite a few years. Scottish Opera andMusic Theatre Wales are to be…
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Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – Cosi Fan Tutti Review
This review originally appeared on Opera Britannia’s website. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland have produced some excellent operas in recent years, which makes the disappointment of this production of Così fan tutte all the more acute. Singing that was generally competent never managed to overcome the obstacle of an orchestra seemingly intent on sabotaging a…
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Outrage is not a mission strategy
Well, the days are passing by since the Primates of the Anglican Communion issued their communique at the end of their meeting in Canterbury. The reaction to the communique has been swift and loud. Very many people whom I know are outraged by it and voicing their anger all over the internet. I feel curiously…
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On Friendship – for St Aelred’s Day and the Primates
This is an extract from a sermon I preached in 2009 after visiting Rievaulx, the place associated with St Aelred who has his feast day today. The central idea is that we would have a better world if the church had made a sacrament out of friendship rather than marriage. It seems particularly appropriate to…
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A Welcome Forest of Deans
Last weekend an open letter emerged from within the Church of England which asked the two archbishops in England to take a message to the Primates’ Conference acknowledging that the Church has failed in its duty of care to LGBTI members of the Body of Christ worldwide and calling for repentance. The whole letter is…
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Conversations with Catholics (and others)
Over the next couple of weeks, I’m trying something new and a bit different at St Mary’s. I’m offering coffee and a chat to a couple of different kinds of people who are always present within the congregation. Tomorrow morning (Saturday 9 January 2016) I’m having a coffee morning for people in the congregation who…