“For the human is a godlike living thing, not comparable to the other living things of the earth but to those in heaven above, who are called gods. Or better—if one dare tell the truth—the one who is really human is above these gods as well, or at least they are wholly equal in

Unreal Scotland

St. George Icon, artist unknown

Not that its a competition, but I think these fellows are much better representatives of modern Christian philosophy than Platinga and Swinbourne.

If as a bishop or vicar you think theology is at best marginal, what exactly is it that you suppose your job to be or Christianity to be? It leaves me baffled. From the outset Christianity was as much an academy as it was a cult and a polity. If it’s not about knowing, it isn’t.

My husband has advanced Alzheimer's. At bedtime I say one of two prayers that we both know by heart: the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29-32, KJV) or the confirmation blessing from the old BCP ("Defend, O Lord, this thy child with thy heavenly grace that he may continue thine for ever")

Another vignette from the post-literate society. Reading books used to be something a lot people did for fun - now it is a specialist skill that has to be taught by universities

The bitter and uncharitable tone of Catholics opposed to female ordination and Anglican orders etc is almost alone enough to show that they are in the wrong. If their sort of religious positivism were Christianity, I’d just stick with pagan neoplatonism. But of course it isn’t.

thoughtfullydetached Yes but it’s an incredibly poor argument. No valid tradition comes without an inherited convincing rationale. In this case it is manifestly lacking, and the conclusion that to a quite large extent this is about the history of culture is not ‘liberal’ but merely sane.

thoughtfullydetached And why suppose the Holy Spirit issues tight formulae?

Wendell Berry in 1992 lists 16 implicit assumptions of the educational institution. I. Educated people are more valuable than other people because education is a value-adding industry.

Who's up for overpainting the graffiti in the South Bank Skate Park with Fra Angelicos to buld "bridges between cultures", as the Dean of Canterbury says?

The desecration of Canterbury Cathedral with graffiti is horrendous. The idea that this helps the poor and marginalised is a prime example of liberal metrosexual delusion. Christianity needs to have done with such pseudo-radicalism. It’s already so yesterday in any case.

Probably the most sublime scene in a nature documentary ever.

Would anyone donate $2500 to help me purchase this statue of Akhenaten? My home would not be complete without it.

Hackett is showing up university presses by a mile. Frankly, if they can produce a set like this to this quality with so much content included, it’s shameful that UPs put out glued binding, printer paper books that individually cost as much as this set.

Philosophy is love of wisdom.

Some thoughts in Coffee House on the Canterbury Graffiti

Norway’s Bishop Erik Varden, a Trappist monk, is a convert to Catholicism from Lutheranism. He is known for his deep spiritual writings and reflections on monastic life, silence, and contemplation, which have inspired both monks and laypeople seeking a deeper encounter with God.

On a train I heard some sixth formers talking about their theology / religious studies A-Level: various ‘proofs for the existence of God’ and varieties of metaethics. How did we let sixth form study of theology gravitate to such uninspiring, plodding subjects (esp. the former)?