Recent posts on Slugger O’Toole: From King Charles III to ‘No Religion’

It has been some time since I posted on this blog. For any faithful followers who still remain, do be aware that I have had several posts on the Slugger O’Toole blog. These include:

Reconciliation: The theme of King Charles’ Read more...

Enniskillen Launch of ‘Considering Grace’: “[This book] is a precious thing, a vessel that contains so much for us to take heed of …” Remarks by David Bolton

The fifth and final launch of my new book, Considering Grace: Presbyterians and the Troubles (Merrion Press, 2019), co-authored with Jamie Yohanis, was held 27 November at the Bridge Centre in Enniskillen.

The launch featured a response by David … Read more...

Understanding ‘No Religion’ – New Video on Vakuum via Peter Jost

You can watch a video of my talk, The Apocalypse for Religion: Understanding People who identify as ‘No Religion’, which I gave last week at Wake, an annual boutique festival in Belfast curated by Peter Rollins. The video title is … Read more...

The Apocalypse for Religion – at Peter Rollins’ Wake Festival

Today I had the privilege of participating in Wake, an annual boutique festival in Belfast, which is curated by Peter Rollins. It’s always a treat to catch up on Pete’s latest work, and to meet the people who come … Read more...

‘A treasure trove of inspirational stories’ – Religion’s contribution to public debate?

My latest book, Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland, is an academic publication. But I always write with the hope that my research can have some sort of value in the ‘real world.’

So I am delighted that Fr Gerry O’Hanlon SJ cites Read more...

How Religion Still Matters in a Post-Catholic Ireland – Text of Keynote

Last week I had the opportunity to give a keynote address at a conference on ‘Irish Catholicism on Trial,’ a multidisciplinary event at the Institute of Technology, Tallaght. The title of my lecture was ‘Understanding Post-Catholic Ireland: Does Religion … Read more...

Reading Religion Review of Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland: ‘action research at its best’

linda&gladysMy latest book, Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland: Religious Practice in Late Modernityhas been reviewed on the new Reading Religion website, a publication of the American Academy of Religion.

The review is written by Amy Heath-Carpentier, a graduate student … Read more...

“Essential reading for anyone involved in Christian Church leadership in Ireland in 2016”: Steve Stockman Reviews Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland

TransformingLaunchRev Steve Stockman, the minister at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast, has reviewed my latest book, Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland: Religious Practice in Late Modernity. 

Writing on his blog Soul Surmise, he says:

For 20 years I have watched, and wrestled

Read more...

Grace Davie – Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox, Book Review

davie2015Grace Davie’s 1994 book, Religion in Britain since 1994: Believing without Belonging, has become a classic in the sociology of religion and its memorable subtitle has even filtered into the popular consciousness. I’ve heard clerics and Christian activists use … Read more...

Catherwood Lecture: Jenny Taylor on Religious Literacy and Post-Multicultural Possibilities

jennytaylorDr Jenny Taylor spoke on ‘When Words Fail: Religious Literacy and Post-Multicultural Possibilities’ at Contemporary Christianity’s annual Catherwood Lecture in Public Theology on Thursday evening.

Will Leitch of the BBC and I were respondents to Taylor’s lecture. You can read Read more...