What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Predictions for 2021

      1. Boris Johnston will achieve his longstanding ambition to become a former Prime Minister.
      2. Stock market higher at end of 2021 than at the beginning (FTSE – 6,460)  but higher inflation too (most recent CHPI – 0.6%).
      3. No progress for those hoping for marriage equality in the Church of England.
      4. State based hackers turn their disruptive attention to open source software. (Watch out WordPress).
      5. Donald Trump will remain the centre of attention.
      6. There will be midnight mass in St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow next Christmas Eve. People will be wearing masks.
      7. A rocky year for Nicola Sturgeon but the SNP will be returned triumphant to Holyrood, despite their record.
      8. No vote on Scottish Independence this year but like it or not, constitutional change is a-coming.
      9. Attempt to repeal the Human Rights Act, removing the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights from UK law. (It is a stepping stone to restoring capital punishment – the Brexiteers are not done with us yet).
      10. Legislation emerges in Scotland to restrict fireworks.
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One response to “Eid, Pride and Abraham’s Sacrifice”

  1. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    As one who grew up(?) in churches leaning toward the view “it’s a tough story for a tough world, how else would God be just?” in varying degrees, I agree the face-value-narrative understanding of the story is repellant.

    One thing stood out for the first time during Sunday’s reading: the plurality in Abraham’s line – “…and we will return to you”. I’ve been idly wondering about that since.
    It doesn’t make the story wholly acceptable as Abraham still ploughs on ever closer.
    But if one’s goal is to find a “by faith, Abraham” in there, better to say it’s the prior confidence that things will somehow work out well (which I thought was how Hebrews was trying to define it), than to locate the commendable quality in violence (which, by rabbiting on about resurrection, Hebrews does).

    In the absence of other clear & wholly mitigating contexts in which to place the story, certainly it’s simplest, easiest and probably best to file it under “that’s how they saw God back then” and move swiftly on.

    Oofft.

    Reply

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