St Mary Magdalen School of Theology — St Mary Magdalen School of Theology

I have recently been asked to articulate what the difference is between a committed Christian life and the religious life, in the sense of life as a member of a religious community. Clearly religious life is not for all Christians, so what is the distinction? It sounds like a simple question, but actually it is one I have been asking myself for at least the last 35 years and failed to come up with a convincing answer! […]

Aug 7

Aug 7 Summer Break

School of Theology is now on summer break and will resume regular posts on October 16th.

Jul 31

Jul 31 Guest post: Which Old Testament?

Susannah Peppiatt

I was recently looking for an audio Bible app for my phone and came across a review of one particular app which declared, rather fiercely, that ‘This version can send you to hell’. The reviewer objected that: ‘KJV Jesus says we must be “converted” and this ESV says “forgiven”. This is huge. Converted and forgiven are two different words. Being born again and forgiven is not even close. This doesn’t save NO ONE. Garbage.’

Jul 22

Jul 22 St Mary Magdalen: Apostle to the Apostles

Peter Groves

Today—July 22—is the feast of St Mary Magdalen, our saintly patron. We have her in mind often, when we are putting material together for this site and for our books. Regular readers probably skip the front page of the website now, but it is a good time to revisit something Rowan Williams said to us when we launched the School of Theology […]

Jul 17

Jul 17 Theologising the Fear of Death, Pt 2

There is another obvious explanation for the findings we previously considered, which suggest that people do not really fear death. But this strategy risks being a question-begging one: that is that the fear of death is, in most people for most of the time—and perhaps most of all as death is nigh—sublimated or suppressed in some way.

Jul 10

Jul 10 Theologising the Fear of Death, Pt 1

It is not, these days, sexy to defend the fear of death, except perhaps as a transient stage in a process of grieving, à la Kubler-Ross, which is the last time her name will be mentioned in this paper. Perhaps it never has been sexy. All the same, I would like to try to provide a defence of sorts of the fear of death, not as good per se, but at least natural, rational, appropriate, and useful.

Jul 3

Jul 3 The priest's "secret" prayers at mass

Simon Cuff

Like all good catchphrases, ‘laborare est orare’ [‘to work is to pray’] is a mis-rendering. Just as S. Francis probably didn’t use the words, ‘preach the Gospel at all times, use words if necessary’, so ‘laborare est orare’ is a popular mis-rendering of the Benedictine, ‘ora et labora’ [‘prayer and work’].

Jun 26

Jun 26 Holbein's Dead Christ, Dostoevsky's Idiot, and Chalcedon's Jesus

Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb (1521—1522) depicts, in unforgiving realism, the mutilated corpse of a crucified man, claustrophobically entombed. There is no indication of who the man is in the painting per se; the identity of the anonymous criminal has be to imposed, from above as it were, in an inscription borne by angels, IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM.

Jun 19

Jun 19 Corpus Christi: Procession of Love

Peter Groves

If I'd like to say a brief word about processions. We don't have as many processions at St Mary Magdalen’s as I’d like. It would be wonderful to have a Corpus Christi procession outside for all to see in the broad light of day. The reason for this, of course, is that a procession is not simply a ritual of praise and worship, it is a witness to the gospel we proclaim. […]

Jun 12

Jun 12 A rerun for Trinity Sunday

Jarred Mercer

Each year, the Easter season, stretching from Christ's resurrection to the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, reminds us afresh that following in the way of Jesus leads us to the deepest, most inconceivable of paradoxes. It reminds us that Jesus reshapes what we mean when we say “God”. You see, the Easter season is immediately followed by Trinity Sunday. […]

Jun 5

Jun 5 Pentecost: Hearing in Tongues

I must confess that I am quite unable to tell apart an Ulster accent from a Scots one; or Cockney from Estuary; or Geordie from Scouse. I know RP when I hear it, of course; that’s just what villains in American films speak. Speaking of Americans, there is—as you might know—no better way for an American to encounter British snobbery than to talk about eggplants and cookies, bathrooms and the fall, candy and trash, and, the worst crime of all, pants. […]

May 29

May 29 Ascension: A Sermon

Melanie Marshall

Perhaps you know this experiment. It uses two dolls. Sally has a basket, Anne has a box. Sally puts a marble in her basket. And then she goes away. While Sally is away, Anne takes the marble from her basket and puts it in her own box. Then Sally comes back again. Where will she look for her marble? […]

May 22

May 22 Christian Symbolism: The Absent Cross

Martin Henig

Some time ago, at a local synod, a speaker suggested that we needed another symbol—apart from the cross—a symbol that suggested a more dynamic approach to Christian faith. I was interested, indeed amused, that this scandalised some members of the audience, because it was clear that they were unaware of the sensitivities of those Christians who lived in the centuries immediately following the death of Christ. […]

May 15

May 15 Prayer: Five Books

Judith Brown

essay, book review

Prayer is a universal marker and practice of the Christian life. Yet it causes some of the greatest anxiety among faithful believers who feel that they do not know how to pray, do not pray “well” (whatever that means), or have ceased to be able to pray. As a result there are probably more books on prayer than on any other aspect of the Christian life. But such books are potentially dangerous, for several reasons.

May 8

May 8 Jean Vanier (1928-2019): More Human

Jean Vanier—philosopher and founder of the L’Arche community—has died, aged 90. Just after his 90th birthday in September last year, he posted this video about his “10 rules for life to become more human”.

May 1

May 1 Rerun: Holy Week years past

We are still on a short break here at the School of Theology. Last week, we posted this year’s sermons; this week, here are the Holy Week sermons from 2017 and 2018 too. Regular programming resumes next week.

Apr 24

Apr 24 Holy Week at St Mary Magdalen's

In lieu of a regular post this Easter Octave, the School of Theology is pleased to present the parish church’s Holy Week homilies, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, including the Three Hours Devotion.

Apr 17

Apr 17 The Exsultet: the proclamation of Easter

In the weeks leading to Easter—and with terrifying memories of my diaconal year—I (with fear and trembling) practise singing the Exsultet, just in case the deacon tasked with the nine-minute solo falls ill. As scary as it is to sing this most beautiful and ancient hymn […]

Apr 10

Apr 10 Poetry and Lent: During Wind and Rain (Thomas Hardy)

Richard Frith