Gordon Help Us!

 

 

I experienced a very disconcerting moment at church this morning. Two people were leading the prayers, taking it in turns. Often we have Scripture used in the prayers. Normally fine by me, but it freaked me out a little today - hearing a prayer for our fearless leader Gordon Brown followed immediately by these words:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

I know that Gordon Brown believes that he has saved the world, revealed by his Freudian slip at that memorable Prime Minister’s Question Time – still on YouTube – but isn’t this going a bit far? Today’s papers show him to have the lowest popularity of any P.M. since polls began and Labour look set to be taken to the cleaners in the June elections. Maybe there is more to him than meets the eye and his millennial reign has just begun…

Fortunately, it turned out that these words are from Colossians 1:15-20, part of the text of the sermon later in the service.

Fresh Air

It was good to have a break over Easter, with 10 days in Northern Ireland. Awesome scenery. The photo is of me, just below the summit tor of Slieve Binnian in the Mournes with the Silent Valley beneath. No snow on the tops this year, but great walking all the same. Just so I wouldn’t enjoy myself too much I took Jean Delumeau’s Sin and Fear: The Emergence of a Western Guilt Culture, 13th – 18th Centuries  for holiday reading. Mrs. S. is beginning to worry about me.

I’m happy. I sit here listening to Beethoven, 2nd of the 6th, having put in a solid day’s writing. The last two months were research and reading and it’s always difficult to get back into writing when you have no momentum. But I did it and I’m happy. And tomorrow I plan to do it again. Meanwhile, a morsel from Arthur Dent…

News of Nuptials

 

Well, I’m back. The last couple of months have been very busy, but now back in Oxford, head down, getting on with it. Mrs. S. and I were married at the end of July. A miserable summer, even by British standards, threw up a dry and sunny day when required. The picture above is from the ceremony at St. Ebbe’s, with Vaughan Roberts officiating. It was a great day and it was so good to have many of our friends with us.

There is much blogging to do…

Lama on the Loose

The Bodleian is a wonderful environment to work in, especially the Duke Humphrey’s Library where I am sitting now. There are occasional distractions though – Harry Potter film crews, etc. But I was surprised to see the Dalai Lama in the quad a few minutes ago. Seems he is here to receive an honorary degree. Fair enough, but I could do without the hundreds of chanting monks outside. Got to try to nail this chapter this weekend.

Happenings

I am acutely aware of a serious case of blog neglect. The last few weeks have been very busy and included a short holiday in Northern Ireland. The photo is me at the top of Slieve Donard, the highest of the Mournes. It was a wonderful day’s walking. The snow on the tops was the metaphorical icing on the cake. This was also a welcome break from reading theology and a chance to renew my acquaintance with P.G. Wodehouse.

Anyway, for those of you who know me well enough to care, I got engaged last Friday. But please, don’t tell my supervisor!

Igglepiggle

 

I am conscious that I have not posted for a while. Typical end of term craziness as Christmas approaches combined with catching the cold. Life moving at easier pace now, having flown home to spend the holiday with my parents. Always a good chance to put the feet up and plough through some serious reading.

The other day I read a book about an unfortunate chap called Igglepiggle who had lost his towel. I was looking for presents for my nephew. It’s a cracking read. High drama In the Night Garden. However, it probably took me less than 60 seconds to get through the whole book. And it struck me, imagine doing a PhD on pre-school literature. Instead of reading one or two books a week you could read hundreds. You could be through your entire primary sources bibliography in a matter of days. Then just theorize it a bit with some structural analysis – Vladimir Propp would do – and hey presto! I wonder if it’s too late for me to change subjects.

Anyway, wishing you all a cool yule and a great ‘08!

A blog is born…

After months of cosmetic dentistry, Prime Minister Gordon Brown still couldn’t quite bring himself to call a general election. The long winter nights are drawing in and with no election to get all worked up about I thought I would start a blog. Blogging is on the wane. One can only hope that the better blogs will persist as others die a death. It will be interesting to see if this one is still going a year from now.

I am an Oxford-based graduate research student working on the theology of James Ussher (1581-1656), specifically his thought on the doctrines of atonement and justification. My wider interests include the English and Irish Reformations, Puritanism and Post-Reformation Scholasticism. Atonement and justification are hot potatoes today too, so I try to keep abreast of the plethora of literature on the subjects but there are only so many hours in the day.

These are the subjects that will be sporadically blogged about, as well as the odd ‘funny’. I will also try to share thoughts on the practice of researching historical theology.