Philo Trust

Soufflé Spirituality

Surveys suggest that thirty per cent of the British population would identify with the statement that they are ‘spiritual but not religious’. Many ‘spiritual’ people consider religion to be a dirty word: it is a dull, formal system of creeds and rules that must be rejected. Indeed, they seem to consider that joining a religion is the equivalent of becoming a spiritual battery hen, constrained on all sides. They want to be ‘free-range’ believers.

Read more

Smoke Signals

I think it is important that all Christians, from whatever background, pray for the new Pope Francis I as he undertakes this huge responsibility. Yes, we have our theological differences but the fact is that secularism has declared war on all expressions of Christianity and in such a battle we Christians need to respect, support and pray for each other.

Read more

St David

1 March is St David's Day, commemorating the patron saint of Wales. When you read the accounts of St David and look beneath all the legends, you see evidence of a truly remarkable person; a pioneering, no-nonsense and determined man of God who changed a nation and who is still remembered with affection and honour 1500 years later.

Read more

Why we need Lent

This Wednesday is what is called Ash Wednesday in the church calendar and it marks the start of the forty-day period of Lent that runs up to Easter Day. There is a longstanding tradition and practice that some Christians follow of fasting during Lent. The principle is that during this period you voluntarily deny yourself something such as chocolate or alcohol – or even Facebook or television.

Read more

Love

At this time of year love is, as the song says ‘in the air’. We could debate the various meanings of the word – after all, love for a place, a love of music, love for one’s children, love for one’s partner are all somewhat different. But they do have much in common. Perhaps the most important thing is that love in any form involves putting someone or something else first.

Read more

Nailing your colours to the mast

A friend recently reminded me of the expression ‘nail your colours to the mast’ and wondered about its background. A little research came up with a most rewarding answer.

In the ‘Age of Sail’ ships were identified by the flags (or ‘colours’) that they flew from the top of their masts. At a time before radio this was vital, allowing sailors to identify who was on their side and who was the enemy. This action has given rise to all sorts of English phrases. So sometimes ships would disguise themselves by hoisting other flags and would ‘fly under false colours’. If they then suddenly changed their flags to reveal their true identity they were ‘showing their true colours’.

Read more

Strasbourg, God and Caesar

Last week, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled on four separate appeals from British Christians over what they felt was unfair discrimination. You can find details elsewhere but let me summarise. In one case, widely felt to be the most minor, the court found in favour of the believer while in the other three it ruled that what had taken place had been justified. Now, in one sense, this ruling was not a big issue.

Read more

Les Misérables

The newly released film of Les Misérables is ambitious in every way: everybody sings, there’s poverty, romance, tragedy, war, a cast of hundreds and sixteen years of French history. Oh, and it lasts for two and three-quarter hours!

Read more

New Year, New Atheism, New Challenges

It’s rather a scary thought that we are already over one eighth of the way through the twenty-first century. And even though year seems to follow year at an increasingly rapid rate, our culture changes even more speedily. One feature of the last decade that shows no sign of going away has been the rise of the ‘New Atheism’. It’s easy to dismiss the New Atheism as no more than a warmed-up version of old-fashioned humanism and in terms of substance there is little new. What is truly novel and troubling is the movement’s aggressive and bitter hostility to religious faith in general and Christianity in particular.

Read more

Would St Paul have worked out?

Four years ago my friend Mark Greenwood weighed 17 stone 7lbs. Since then, through dieting and exercise, he has lost 6 stone 8lbs and looks amazing. When I saw him recently he said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me I was overweight, unhealthy and not honouring God?’

Read more