1 July 2026 ‘The Week Junior’ had the results of a survey on AI in their ‘Science and Technology’ section. The study was undertaken by Oxford University Press. They were examining how young people felt about using AI in their lessons and for their homework. It involved 4,000 young people aged 13-18. Researchers gave one group of students a written task as well as access to an AI tool. Interestingly, 72% of them decided not to use AI. One of the students who chose not to use AI said, ‘AI doesn’t have opinions, so it can’t write what you are thinking and what you believe and sometimes it gives you fake information.’ The researchers gave a separate group a written task but this time the students had no access to AI. Only 23% of them said that they would like to have had an AI tool to help them with the task. The results from both groups was similar. Of the other results, 24% of young people frequently use AI tools to help with their homewor...
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30 June 2026 ‘We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendour of which no machine can ever replace.’ writes Pope Leo in ‘Magnifica Humanitas’. ‘True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence willing to listen and a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates.’ Underpinning this quotation are two fundamental pieces of theology which informs a Christian approach to developments in technology. The first is the infinite value of each individual. Everyone has been made in the image of God and therefore carries something of God within them. We are born in the love of God which is infinite not just because God is infinite and beyond our ken but because his love for us never ends. His love is unconditional. There is nothing that we nor any machine can do to erase it or displace it or deny it. God’s daily call is simply, ‘David, I love you!’ In addition to t...
29 June 2026 In his recent encyclical, 'Magnifica Humanitas’, Pope Leo has expressed his concerns about AI and its unregulated impact on the world. ‘No computational system, however sophisticated, can create a heart that gives itself, or a conscience that discerns good from evil.’ (233) His charge is to cultivate relationships. He is talking about physical relationships. ‘In an era which favours speed and fragmentation, the human person still yearns to receive care and recognition from attentive minds, kind words and hands capable of tenderness.’ he writes. (239) The internet and, in particular, AI, cannot replicate this. There is a subtle attempt at it. AI responds immediately. It is attentive. It gives the impression of being objective but it is not neutral. Most concerning of all, it creates the illusion that it is a person. It asks you questions and refines the conversation. But it is not real. It is artificial after all. Its intelligence is related to data processing...
28 June 2026 When I was minister at East Linton, I received an e-mail from a church in Michigan. It was their liturgical artist. She had seen a Celtic cross which I had photographed in the kirkyard and posted on a blog. She asked a question about it. The answer was on the other side of the cross which I hadn’t posted. As a result of this anonymous enquiry, I was introduced to the minister and a relationship was duly established between the two congregations. Four years later, two dozen young people and their leaders came over from First Presbyterian, Holt, Michigan and stayed in our parish for a week. The congregation rose to the challenge organising a ceilidh and a barbecue, a beach party, an ecological work-party on Traprain Law and a memorable service in which tartan scarves were handed out to the Americans. The young people from both congregations integrated well and many memories created. I tell the tale because it illustrates how creative the internet can be....
27 June 2026 Roman Catholics in Poland and evangelical Christians in Tennessee burned JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books because they thought they corrupted children with an introduction to witchcraft. Thomas Hardy’s ‘Jude the Obscure’ was famously thrown into the fire by the Bishop of Wakefield. Hardy’s novel was caricatured as ‘Jude the Obscene’. Victorians were offended by his exposure of sexual relations outside marriage, the hypocrisy of the English clergy and the elitism of the universities. As a result, Hardy never wrote another novel again and spent the rest of his life writing poetry. Burning books has been done by Jews, Christians and Muslims. The Reformers, the Roman Catholics, the Nazis and the Communists have all had a go but to no avail. It is a public spectacle but it has done nothing stop the flow of ideas which cannot be burnt in a fire! Today we are not worried about books but about the internet and, in particular, social media which has cause...
26 June 2026 In ‘Studies in the History of Worship in Scotland’, there is a delightful chapter written by David Reid entitled, ‘The Scottish Tradition of Preaching’. He begins by declaring that it was Biblical and sacramental in the sense that through the work of the Holy Spirit, God’s living Word is heard in the ordinary words of the preacher. Reid makes four points about Scottish preaching. Firstly, he says, ‘It has been the strength of the Scottish pulpit that scholarship and passion have often been dynamically fused.’ He looks to St. Paul in whom the powers of the mind were harnessed to a burning desire to share the gospel. Secondly, the discipline of sermon preparation. In a busy week, it can be compromised but there’s work to be done in exegesis, in finding ordinary words to express deep theological insights, in keeping abreast of an intelligent congregation and their assorted questions. ‘It simply means taking the preaching task seriously.’ Thirdly, the past...
25 June 2026 In his recent encyclical, ‘Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo makes a distinction between the ‘culture of power’ and the ‘civilisation of love’. The one is a secular concept whereby people order their world through wielding power rather than creating a world established on love. The Pope argued that we are all responsible for building this civilisation of love and he gave five paths towards building it. The first was the need to disarm words. ‘ We must all, therefore, examine our conscience regarding the words we use, the prejudices we have and the explicit or implicit aggression that lies within them.’ he writes. The second is building peace through justice. He quotes St. Augustine. ‘Do you wish to attain peace? Then practice justice.’ The two are intimately related. As the Psalmist says, ‘Justice and peace have embraced.’ If we seek justice in an unjust world, we will be making peace. The third is adopting the perspective of victims. It is th...
24 June 2026 The UK Government is going to ban the use of social media platforms like Snapchat, Tik Tok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X for under sixteen year olds. Apparently, an overwhelming majority of parents and a significant majority of young people approve. It will begin in April 2027. There are four problems with the ban. Firstly, it doesn’t challenge the tech companies who have created these platforms with their harmful content and their addictive design. It is the young people who are deprived of the technology because it hasn’t been created in a humane way. Secondly, in depriving young people of their interaction on social media, what is being substituted in its place? Our society does not make enough provision for young people to meet together, to interact in safe places and to enjoy enriching recreational activities. Youth organisations find it difficult to recruit leaders. Thirdly, instead of shutting down this part of the internet and encouraging...
23 June 2026 It is extraordinary that the Tartan Army got so much publicity in Boston. Two parts of our culture helped to bring the fans to public attention. The first was the kilt – our distinctive colourful national dress and the second was the bagpipes – accompanied by the drums, they are not only loud, they are very loud. But there was more to it than that. People in Boston admitted that the Scottish fans brought their city alive and they didn’t want them to leave. Their determination to celebrate the moment and embrace everyone who crossed their path was a lesson in community engagement. The fans were so cohesive. They were united in their support of the Scottish team and celebrated it in a distinctive repertoire of song. Their enthusiasm was infectious. Even after the defeat against Morocco, they gave it a positive spin and were moving forward to defeat an even more powerful team, Brazil. The Kirk can learn a lot from their strong allegiance, their cohesion and thei...
22 June 2026 Geraldine McCaughrean has written a beautiful book about Joseph’s relationship with Jesus. It’s called, ‘Father and Son’. Joseph is mesmerised with the birth of Jesus and wonders what gift he can give the child. ‘Mine, but not mine,’ he whispers. ‘How am I supposed to stand in for your real Father? How is a simple man like me to bring up the Son of God?’ Joseph plays with the Christchild in the Galilean lake. ‘What games shall we play, boy, you and I? I mean, how can you rough-and-tumble with someone who pinned the ocean in place with a single, tack-headed moon?’ Joseph and Jesus climb to the top of a mountain. ‘How can I put a roof over your head, knowing it was you who glass-roofed the world and thatched the sky with clouds, and stitched the snow with threads of melting silver?’ ‘I am a carpenter, child. By rights, you should learn my trade. But how can I teach you to plane a door knowing it was you who planed the plains, who carved the valleys and h...
21 June 2026 – Fathers’ Day It is widely recognised that there is a crisis in fatherhood and, in particular, the absence of fathers in the lives of their children. This absence is related to educational underachievement, mental health issues and imprisonment especially among boys. Consider these facts: By the age of 14, nearly half of first-born children in the UK do not live with both natural parents. · The Centre for Social Justice highlights how 2.5 million children in the UK have no father figure at home. · Over 90% of teachers believe that fatherlessness negatively impacts boys’ behaviour and academic achievement. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK. In his Dimbleby Lecture, Gareth Southgate highlighted the importance of male role models in a boy’s life. ‘I’ve always believed, ‘You don’t need to be a dad to be a father figure.’’ Fewer men work in...
20 June 2026 Gavin Peacock was a celebrated footballer playing for Newcastle United and Chelsea. At the end of his career, he became a football pundit on the television. Now he is a Baptist minister. He has written about it all in his autobiography, ‘A Greater Glory: From Pitch to Pulpit’. He became a Christian when he was a teenager. He attended a Methodist Church with his mother and was invited by the minister to come along to a youth Bible Study. This led to a greater commitment and eventually to church membership. In his autobiography, he writes, ‘When I became a Christian, I became a better player simply because football fell into its right place in my life and I was a more rounded person.’ In an age where young men are suffering from various mental health issues, Peacock celebrates his Christian faith. Firstly, he says, ‘When a man comes to faith in Jesus Christ, he gains a perspective on life and football that wasn’t there before. Suddenly there is more to l...
19 June 2026 One tends to think that there is more uniformity in the Roman Catholic Church than in the Scottish Presbyterian Church. But I wonder. Our hymn sandwich is pretty uniform and the centrality of the Word and, certainly, the preaching of the Word is universal. At the moment, there have been several issues with the liturgy in the Roman Catholic Church. In particular, the Tridentine Mass. Pope Benedict had encouraged its use. Pope Francis tried to outlaw it. Young people seem to be attracted to it. Pope Leo is more conciliatory. As well as this issue, division appeared in the Eastern Catholic Church in Kerala. It was all about whether or not the priest should be facing East or facing the congregation. This was partially resolved by the Pope’s wisdom, giving space for more reflection and discussion. In addition to these things, there are two other concerns which Pope Leo has about the liturgy. And I think that they also relate to our worship in the Church of ...
18 June 2026 There was an interesting article in the recent issue of ‘New Scientist’ entitled, ‘A Revolution in Maths’. The summary of the article ran like this, ‘The stunning progress AI is making in maths is leaving some questioning whether there will still be room for humans.’ discovers Alex Wilkins. It is only in the last few years that mathematicians have become aware that AI has the potential to revolutionise the field of mathematics. This is leaving some mathematicians worried about their jobs. If a mathematician chose to study a particular field, how will he know whether AI will beat him to it? Some clearly welcome the mechanisation of mathematics which has become increasingly collaborative since the middle of last century. Now there is collaboration not only with other mathematicians but with AI too. ‘The future will be some combination of human and machine.’ said one mathematician. Whereas some mathematicians find fulfilment in solving a problem, o...
17 June 2026 – From My Diary 1996 There was a lot of school work this week. I attended the School Board. There were two controversies. The first was the criterion for determining who went into a composite class. Parents favoured ability but the staff favoured age. Children’s ability can vary over several subjects. The second was the use of an additional allocation of a 0.9 teacher. People were divided. Some wanted it allocated to an additional classroom teacher. Others wanted it used for music, art and craft. I favoured the latter. It stimulates creativity and nourishes the soul. As a parent, I volunteered to go on Colin’s school trip. It began with a climb up Dumyat. I observed, ‘The children loved to stop and eat.’ We didn’t reach the top despite having a very strict ranger in charge. ‘She was dismissed from the Gestapo for cruelty.’ whispered another father. The children had a picnic in the Cochrane Park in Alva and continued to the Forthbank Stadium where they had the...
16 June 2026 Rosamund Pike was not the first actor to challenge a member of the audience who was misbehaving during her performance. He was on his mobile phone. The light created by this activity was distracting. Her ability to hold the attention of the audience was compromised by his inattention. I don’t know whether it is because I am now an old minister filling pulpits because charges don’t have their own ministers or whether the landscape has changed dramatically since I was a parish minister but I have witnessed some bad behaviour in the round. In one service, an elder was sitting near the front of the church drinking a coffee out of a Costa coffee cup whilst looking at his mobile phone. I thought he might have been drinking water but Mary-Catherine saw his water bottle too. How distracting is that? On another occasion, an elder stood up just after the Benediction and started asking a controversial question which should have been asked privately. The ending of...
15 June 2026 Gary O’Donoghue was a recent castaway on Desert Island Discs. He is a well kent face in our household as we tend to watch the BBC News and O’Donoghue is a regular correspondent from America. He is skilled at his job. He doesn’t waste a word. His analysis is incisive. His presentation understated. Of course, it isn’t long before you realise that he is blind. When he was born, one of his eyes hadn’t formed properly. He had some sight in the other. This was damaged when he fell off his bike as a child. By the time he was eight years old, he was blind. Later on in his life, his mother told him that when his diagnosis was given, she was in despair and was tempted to kill them both. Rather than be shocked by this confession, he was touched that she had the courage to trust him with this devastating news. He had several setbacks in the BBC. On one occasion, he wasn’t allowed to report a major scoop because of his blindness. However, he persevered and has carved out ...
14 June 2026 Before the crucifixion, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times. After the resurrection, Jesus takes him aside and asks three times, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ Simon replies, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ In response, Jesus gives Simon Peter a commission, ‘Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.’ It is very striking that Jesus does not commission Peter on this occasion to go and make disciples of all nations. He commissions Peter to be a pastor, a shepherd, a Good Shepherd just like him. It has become fashionable to talk about deconstructing the Kirk as we know it and relegating the parish ministry to history in favour of a more centrally operated ministry covering large areas which once contained several different parishes. The identity of these distinct parishes will be difficult to erase. The boundaries will be well-known not only to members of the church but even people within the wider community. Whil...
13 June 2026 The Big Bang Theory which purports to explain the creation of the universe is a theory. This means that it is an explanation of the scientific evidence as it exists today. But it is a theory. It is an unproven explanation of how the universe came into being. It may be the best but it is theoretical. The scientists have observed much but they cannot observe nor explain what happened 13.7 billion years ago when a point of infinite denseness and heat expanded into our universe. There is an inexpliciable moment prior to this cosmic inflation. Is this where God comes into play? Science breaks down at this point because it is based on the observation of physical things and their explanation. If the universe was created out of nothing then how can the scientist observe such a phenomenon. It defies scientific observation. Our world is alive with spaces like this. Consider the Sacrament of Holy Communion. ‘This is my body.’ says Jesus as he breaks the bread. We...
12 June 2026 ‘Church of England figures show that 9.87 million people visited England’s cathedrals in 2024, making them among the most visited heritage sites in the country.‘ wrote the editor of the Church Times recently. ‘Cathedrals are remarkable institutions – sanctuaries of stillness in an otherwise noisy world. ‘They offer worship enhanced by an extraordinary choral tradition. They run outreach and education programmes and stage world class concerts and exhibitions. They mark the civic calendar and hold spaces for communal grief and celebration.’ It is quite a summary but it is not sufficient to protect the cathedrals form financial difficulties. This has become evident in a recent report by Theos, ‘Living Stones: English cathedrals as sacred places in changing times’. It makes several salient points. Firstly, whilst there is a lot of goodwill from the public and people who live nearby cathedrals are proud of them, the study showed that their interest was larg...
11 June 2026 When Emily Cullen picked up her fifteen year old son from school, he had a big smile on his face. She was thankful. His English exam had gone well, she thought. Perhaps he remembered some Shakespeare quotes after all. When they met up, she discovered that the exam had gone well but not because of Shakespeare but because of her. Amazingly enough, she had written a poem about her son when he was eight years old and now that poem had appeared in her son’s English exam seven years later! She hadn’t been feeling good about her life. Her son was playing outside. She called him in for his dinner. He was writing something on the pavement with a apiece of chalk. She looked more closely to see what he had written. ‘The world is great.’ She called her poem, ‘Envoi in Chalk’. The envoi refers to the contents of his chalked out words, ‘The world is great.’ The poet explained. ‘That message just elevated my whole day. It was just what I needed to remind me that ther...
10 June 2026 In ‘The Guardian Weekly’, there was an interesting article entitled, ‘Visual Art’. It was written by Stuart Heritage and it was all about the art which is produced for children’s books. It celebrated the work of Quentin Blake, who famously illustrated the work of Roald Dahl and his recently opened ‘Centre for Illustration’. Like the piano accompanist playing for a singer or a cellist, the book illustrator has not been seen as an equal partner to the author of the book. Whilst this may be understandable in chapter books where the illustration is limited, it could hardly be the case in what we call picture books. Often the words of a picture book are very few but the illustrations are very fulsome. This is certainly the case with books for very young children. Often it is the illustrations which make the words come alive. In Julia Donaldson’s Gruffalo, it is Axel Scheffler’s brilliant depiction of the Gruffalo which has stuck in our heads. The article argues fo...