The Importance of Liberal Theology: A Response to Theo Hobson

It's been a hellishly long time since I've written anything to the blog, and the second podcast episode is way overdue; I apologise for this. The summer holidays have actually been fairly busy for me this year! With moving house, being in Ibiza for a week and spending most of my time in Scarborough with my girlfriend, I haven't quite found the right moment to record episode two of The Word Podcast. Whilst on holiday in the beautiful town of Cala Llonga in Ibiza, I continued reading a recent publication Continue reading [...]

Science & Religion: Bridging the Gap

Following yesterday's article regarding the importance of religious studies in schools, I felt it important to address one of the potential issues regarding society's growing attitude towards religion as a whole. It may be seen that the growth and expansion of scientific knowledge has led to religion being placed on the back burner when it comes to knowing about the world. The essay below attempts to counter this assumption by discussing the links between the theory of natural selection, and Continue reading [...]

In Defence of Religious Studies

The importance of religious studies as an academic discipline is something for which I have argued many times in the past, however it is a culmination of events and conversations this week that have compelled me to explain and cement the absolute necessity of religious studies to have a place in our schools' classrooms. There have been numerous news reports over the last couple of years commenting on the steady decline of religious studies across British schools. Attending an interview this week Continue reading [...]

Was Jesus’ Death Necessary?

A bit of a morbid subject matter considering the time of year we have arrived at, but nevertheless an important question to consider all-year-round. As we all sit down and get ready to tuck into our Christmas lunches tomorrow afternoon, we must consider that the reason we celebrate Christmas (Roman politics aside), is to acknowledge the birth of Jesus. As this boy grew up into a man and began his ministry, he embarked on a journey that would eventually lead to him being revered all around the world Continue reading [...]

Emerging Theologians: Theology from the Classroom

Following reports published recently in the British media, the state of Religious Studies in secondary schools across the country has been criticised greatly. The poor quality of education is being delivered by teachers who either have no extensive knowledge of the subject, or who are not at all qualified to teach RS; needless to say this has a negative impact on young people's understanding of the world faiths and ultimately may lead to a skewed and flawed impression of religions that are (perhaps) Continue reading [...]