thinking honestly about life and faith
I’m teaching a course on biography. I truly love it. It’s called ‘Lives of Faith’ and it follows James McClendon’s idea of biography as theology (and his book of that name, first published in 1974). I want to offer a … Read More »
A reflection for Good Friday: ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’ (Matthew 27.46 & Mark 15.34) I want to offer a reflection on this specific utterance which we find in the earliest gospel account (Mark) as the only … Read More »
I’m presently in Washington DC—the place where very powerful meetings take place. On the TV I hear the constant reference to the most powerful and wealthiest nation in the history of the world, from the various contenders for nomination for the … Read More »
I’ve been delighted to discover David Brooks’ book The Road to Character. It will be a great resource in many ways, including for my upcoming course on ‘Lives of Faith’. Brooks has written a very personal book about a number … Read More »
So busy! Too busy! We all say it, and we all struggle to work out why, and what we can do about it. Lent is meant to be a time of tranquil reflection upon our lives and the possible meaning … Read More »
The poet Auden once wrote of the ‘long littleness’ of life. This remarkable expression draws attention to the extent to which we spend our time in what we might think are inconsequential things. Sometimes we come to the end of … Read More »
My readings this week (for the beginning of Lent) include a lot about poverty, the aspects of self-denial, chosen weakness and failure. Those who follow the crucified Christ will be familiar with failure—and in one reading, the author encountered a … Read More »
The clever one-liner is an art form we can all admire, but Chesterton excelled not only with wit but also wisdom. A lot of people are quoting one of his best, just now—and it is really needed amidst the Christmas … Read More »
If the topics of forming faith and hope were complex and many-facetted, this one is even more so! ‘Forming love’ is surely what life is all about. As humans, one of our basic needs is to love and be loved, … Read More »
I’ve delayed, and now in the face of new expressions of terror in the world around us, I must write—about hope. It was never more relevant. It is always relevant. The idea of ‘forming faith, hope and love’ follows the … Read More »