Latest Posts
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Easter Sermon
A number of years ago, I was put in charge of the Information and Communications Board of the Scottish Episcopal Church. This meant that I was in charge of trying to formulate the church’s internal news and helping to work out our message to the outside world. I think it was fair to say that…
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Good Friday Preaching – The Servant Girl
The truth is, I only really noticed her on Sunday. I’ve never payed her the blindest bit of attention before. I guess no-one ever did. The servant girl who answered Peter back. She’s a woman in John’s gospel but a servant girl in the version that Matthew and Cedric were watching on Sunday. There’s…
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Review – Ariadne auf Naxos – Scottish Opera – ***
Scottish Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos is an odd combination of bawdy romp and serious opera – as the composer intended. Strauss could not have hoped for better singers than Scottish Opera have assembled for this co-production with Opera Holland Park. However, seriously flawed orchestral playing marred an otherwise interesting production. Ariadne auf Naxos is a…
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Why Billy Graham’s legacy is complex
News appeared this afternoon that Billy Graham had died at the age of 99. The significance of this moment is clear – he was someone who lived an extraordinary long life, met the great and the good of all the world, changed the lives of countless thousands who were not the great and the good…
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Visit of the Primus, the Most Rev Mark Strange
It was great to be with the Primus, the Most Rev Mark Strange this morning in St Mary’s in which he talked about authority and what he’s been discovering since being elected as Primus. Here’s his sermon: Here’s the forum conversation we had after the service in which we talked about he Anglican Communion, the…
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New Year Predictions for 2018
General Election in the second half of the year. “…and as the polls close, our exit poll predicts that the Conservative Party is unlikely to be able to form a new government…” The next but one leader of the Conservative Party becomes Ruth Davidson MP. The hipsters get bored of vinyl and discover cameras with…
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Last year’s predictions – how did I do (2017)
Let’s take a quick look at how well I did at predicting 2017 1 – Trump will become President of the USA later this month but won’t manage to survive for 4 years. (And don’t be rejoicing anyone, take a look at his VP). Well, Trump did but we won’t know yet whether he will…
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Advent and How Religion Works
Religion is a funny thing. It is on the one hand about doing what comes naturally to people. And on the other hand it is about doing the very opposite. Let me explain. Some aspects of religion are about what comes naturally and easily to people – things like prayer and things like the way…
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