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5 Years On
There has been much comment on the recent 5th anniversary of the Covid outbreak; lockdown and all that followed. I totally underestimated the severity of the disease when it first broke. I remember the shock at hearing of the first death of someone I knew; a distinguished scientist only a few years older than me. In our area,…
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Mothering Sunday
I once forgot Mothering Sunday. It only happened once; I still carry the memory… Mum didn’t say a word to me about it; I only found out because a week or so after an uncle pointed out to me that she had noticed the omission. He suggested a suitable form of remediation; I can’t remember…
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Latin and the importance of the useless
We have recently nominated a Wednesday lunchtime at work as a time to meet over a cup of tea and chat about whatever we want. Sometimes it may be about science, when people can share their joy (or disappointment) at their latest results. However, this week I had a lengthy conversation with a colleague about Latin.…
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The Heavens are Telling
I am writing this the morning after the partial eclipse of the moon, the spectacular “blood moon” that turns red and disappears as it passes into the earth’s shadow. I didn’t see it, largely because I think it happened early in the morning when I was asleep and in any case it was cloudy. However,…
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Winning the Argument
It has been a depressing week to follow the news. We seem to be entering a new world of international relationships, where old conventions no longer hold. Even more worryingly, there seems to be in some a hankering after autocratic leaders who disregard any interests other than their own and listen to no one. There…
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Space Exploration, Soul Exploration
SPHEREX, a powerful new telescope, is being launched into space in the next few days. All galaxies emit a form of radiation invisible to the human eye known as infra-red radiation and this is what SPHEREX observes. By measuring this, we can learn about the origins both of the galaxies and the universe. Thus the…
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The Sound of Silence
As a single person, I am used to silence; as an introvert, I positively relish it. Silence is however rarely total. As I write this, alone, I am aware of the wind blowing outside, the faint hum from the central heating in the house. One of the most magical silences I regularly experience is being…
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Don Cupitt, the doubting Don
Last month the news was announced of the death of the Rev. Don Cupitt. He came to fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Then he was the BBC’s favourite theologian; the high-point was a TV series he presented called “The Sea of Faith” in 1984. This was the period I was a student…
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St Valentines Day – Again
I have written several thoughts about St Valentine. This brings challenges, as next to nothing is known for certain about him. Somewhere behind all the stories there is probably a Christian priest, killed during one of the persecutions of the Roman Empire. Wikipedia tells me that he is also the patron saint of suffers from…
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The Sound-Bite
Another day, another story about the Church of England. This time the Bishop of Liverpool has retired, following allegations of sexual harassment of two women, one a bishop. The Bishop of Liverpool denies the allegations; they were apparently investigated by the police and no action was taken and there was no action taken following a…
Benefice of Highley with Billingsley, Glazeley and Deuxhill and Chelmarsh
Knowing Jesus and Making Him Known
