Blog on the Learig

  27 January 2026 – Holocaust Memorial Day There has been much concern about the number of schools who have declined to participate in this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day. In 2023, more than 2,000 UK Secondary Schools signed up to participate. In 2024, the number fell to 1,200 and last year it was 854 out of 4,000. The change has been wrought by the massacre of 1,200 Jews in Israel by Hamas and the subsequent retaliatory action by the Israeli Government. This has resulted in the decimation of Gaza and among the casualties have been many women and children. Parents in some catchment areas have been objecting to Holocaust Memorial Day being marked. For some, it is seen as a form of propaganda which favours the Jews. For others, marking this day should be accompanied by an opportunity to highlight the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza. Three important things should be said. Firstly, the Holocaust was the systematic murder not only of Jews but of Roma, Jehovah Witnesses, peo...

  26 January 2026 Although I think it is an encouragement and an education for members of the congregation to hear about charitable work which they have supported, I don't think this should replace the preaching of the Word which is a central and an essential feature of our corporate life. The Sunday sermon should be sacrosanct. Preaching the Word is one of three marks of the Church. It defines it uniquely. In his letter to Timothy, St. Paul says that ‘All Scripture is inspired by God.’ This is our starting point. By prayerful study and reflection, the Word is enlivened in our day by the Holy Spirit. This is   a very important work. St. Paul goes on to say that the Word should be proclaimed in and out of season, when the times are favourable and unfavourable. The preacher cannot choose to preach this Sunday or that but every Sunday. It is a demanding task not least when the congregation criticise or complain or are reluctant to hear the message. It is a Word which is v...

  25 January 2026 – Burns’ Day For a’ that, an a’ that, It’s comin yet for a’ that, That man to man the world o’er Shall brithers be for a’ that. ‘Is There For Honest Poverty’ is one of Robert Burns’ most famous poems and songs, famously sung at the opening of the Scottish Parliament. It embraces the equality of every human being born out of the first page of Genesis where the author tells us that we were all made in the image and likeness of God. The sacredness of every human being is what inspires more secular laws about equality but the Biblical reference is to God not man. And one of the ways in which we can embrace this sacredness is to be compassionate, to stand in the shoes of another and see them as God sees them! For Jenny had her problems decorating her head with a fancy hat and thinking of herself more highly than she should. The louse which the poet saw crawling on her hat during the minister’s sermon was the inspiration for another of his famous verses, ‘...

  24 January 2026 Although contemporary nursing homes are better than the long-term geriatric wards which I visited forty-five years ago, nothing can replicate the comfort of being and remaining in your own home. Everything should be done to ensure that people stay at home for as long as possible. Of course, there may come a time when there is no-one else at home and twenty-four hour nursing care is required   but for everyone else   it must   become a personal ambition to stay at home. We have built an extension with a wet room to keep us out of nursing homes for as long as possible. Recently, I read about a new invention for people with dementia which will enable some people to remain at home much longer. The invention relies on AI. Although there are limitations to AI, this is one area of scientific research which has benefitted. It’s a pair of glasses equipped with CrossSense, a new AI tool which helps people with dementia to navigate their world. Inside ...

  23 January 2026 I once submitted an article to a journal about a theologian who was also a mathematician. The article was peer reviewed by two academics. One favoured it, the other did not. He raised questions about my arguments. I answered them successfully. The article was then reviewed by a third academic. This time, he argued that the article should not be published. The feedback was brief. What I remember most vividly was the objection that my quotations were not in the original Latin! I tell this tale to illustrate the extent to which publishers will go to ensure that the articles which they approve for publication are of the highest quality. The peer reviewers need to be rigorous. Is there any plagiarism. Are the arguments coherent? Are the quotations from the original text? Recently, there has been some controversy about the number of scientific articles which have been published with falsified data, manipulated images, injudicious use of statistical information e...

  22 January 2026 There have been two interesting surveys conducted recently. The first was called, ‘Grateful Britain’ and it was undertaken by the Policy Institute of King’s College, London. In October 2025, 2050 people were surveyed. Their belief in God and experience of transcendence were plotted. There were some interesting results from young people. About one quarter of the total sample (27%) said that they had an experience of awe and wonder at the universe or in nature at least once   a week. This rose to 36% for the youngest group of people (18-34 year olds). The study also found out something remarkable about belief in God. 51% of the 18-34 age group was most likely to say that they believed in God   to some extent. This compared with 33% of 35-49 year olds, 30% of 35-49 year olds, 30% of 50-64 year olds and 41% of people aged 65-plus. The second survey was undertaken by SPCK, the Christian publisher. It found that the total sales of Bibles in the UK ...