Q Combinations 19: Angélica Dass’s HUMANAE & Luci Shaw’s DESCENT
Jeepers – it’s been a whole year since I last did a Q Combo – need to get back into the habit. But this is definitely a combo with a difference. Both artist and poet are women who are still alive, though very different generations. There is an important concept in theology (though it may […]
The flicker of a smile from the unsmiling man
Shostakovich is a personal hero of mine. He walked a tightrope between the Gulag and compromise in the vortex of Stalinist Russia. But more than that, his music has brought me consolation, invigoration, provocation, and perplexity. Sometimes all at once. It is not for nothing that he was known as the ‘Red Beethoven’. He will […]
Boxed Sets, Binge-Watching and Bible Stories
I was writing this for something else and, in the end, it wasn’t needed. Not to worry. Here it is. Of course, it is definitely a bit random and niche, but that makes it all the funner, in my book. My musings were provoked by Steven Johnson’s now slightly dated but very stimulating Everything Bad Is […]
Michael Faraday’s appeal for scientific humility
Have been dipping into Max Adams equally fascinating and frustrating book The Firebringers – Art, Science and the Struggle for Liberty in nineteenth-century Britain (aka The Prometheans). The cast of heroes, rogues, and geniuses is startling in its breadth and diversity. It helps join some dots between all kinds of names and movements which perhaps […]
Permanence amid the Impermanent – closing a chapter
Yesterday was an unusual day. Which is, of course, not exactly news. In these turbulent times, each day tends to reveal its strangeness, especially if you read a newspaper. But for me, it marked the end of a decade’s invovlement in Whitehall. Being Available… in the cafeteria It’s not been a huge commitment, but since […]
Q Marks The Spot – Treasure Map 122 (December 2018)
Sacred Treasure An interesting (as ever from Phil!) perspective on church and community life from Sweden Peter Dray has a handful of interesting posts about the Ligonier Theology survey – first one is here Ukraine (including its regions now controlled by Russia) is a country that is close to my heart. This is truly alarming news. (HT […]
Managing Depression during the Christmas holiday
Last week I was interviewed for the IVP blog about the holiday season, a time that is often fraught and a particular challenge for those with mental health issues. 1. How do you manage depression during the holiday season? It can certainly be a difficult time for many people, regardless of whether they have mental […]
We Will Remember Them: #Armistice100
The 11th Hour. The 11th Day. The 11th Month. Evidently a contrived moment at which to end a war whose conclusion was as complex and mystifying as its commencement. But it was a moment of inspiration to exploit it. It is memorable. And it is poignant. It resonates with the sense of a world on […]
Q Marks The Spot – Treasure Map 121 (November 2018)
Sacred Treasure Doug McElvey has a superb poem on weakness, over at the Rabbit Room: As Weak Chris Green: Why you should choose heroes who disagree – very helpful Tim Challies: 8 ways Satan tempts you to doubt Christian security The Christ-like Gaze in Film – fascinating from Brett McCracken A surprising place to find […]
Q Marks the Spot – Treasure Map 120 (October 2018)
So… a bit of a bumper crop again! Sacred Treasure Chris Green great again on why he won’t let us look into his bible and another on The Dangers of Being an Experienced Preacher I’d not heard of him but my mother put me onto Stained Glass Window artist, Thomas Denny. Here’s a little compilation of his […]
Q Marks the Spot – Treasure Map 119 (September 2018)
Many apologies for the temporary suspension of Treasure Maps over the summer. Normal transmission should now resume! A few extras here to make up for lost time… Sacred Treasure Emma Scrivener has a wonderful post, Play to your weaknesses Jake Belder summarises Peter Leithart’s account of successful theories of the atonement. Rhetological Fallacies – this […]
OUT NOW! Colossians and Philemon for YOU!
Just like buses, innit. But weirdly enough, I’ve got another book out this year – very different from anything I’ve done before, and certainly different from the previous one. But Colossians, as well as its baby brother Philemon, have been fascinations for years. I did my master’s thesis back in the day on the issue […]
