Richard Holloway
Encyclopedia
Richard F. Holloway is a Scottish writer and broadcaster
and was formerly Bishop of Edinburgh
in the Scottish Episcopal Church
.
Holloway was educated at Kelham Theological College
, Edinburgh Theological College
and the Union Theological Seminary
, New York City. Between 1959 and 1986 he was a curate, vicar and rector at various parishes in England, Scotland and the United States. He was Bishop of Edinburgh from 1986 and was elected Primus
of the Scottish Episcopal Church
in 1992. He resigned from these positions in 2000 and is now regarded as one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in the Church, having taken an atheist worldview and commenting widely on issues concerning religious belief in the modern world. His own theological position has become increasingly radical and he has recently described himself as an "after-religionist".
Holloway is well-known for his support of progressive
causes, including campaigning on human rights
for gay
and lesbian
people in both Church and State
. He is a patron of LGBT Youth Scotland
, an organisation dedicated to the inclusion of LGBT
young people in the life of Scotland. He has questioned and addressed complex ethical
issues in the areas of sexuality
, drugs
and bio-ethics
. He has written extensively on these topics, being the author of more than 20 books exploring their relationship with modern religion
.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
, Holloway was Professor of Divinity at Gresham College
in the City of London
. From 1990 to 1997, he was a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
and held the position of chair of the BMA
Steering Group on Ethics and Genetics. He was also a member of the Broadcasting Standards Commission and is currently chair of the Scottish Arts Council
and of Sistema Scotland.
Holloway has been a reviewer and writer for the broadsheet press for several years, including The Times
, The Guardian
, The Independent
, Sunday Herald
and The Scotsman
. He is also a frequent presenter on radio and television, having hosted the BBC
television series When I get to Heaven, Holloway's Road and The Sword and the Cross. He currently hosts the BBC Radio Scotland
book review programme, Cover Stories. Holloway presented the second of the Radio 4
Lent Talks
on 11 March 2009.
Holloway lives in Edinburgh
with his American-born wife Jean. They have three adult children; two daughters and a son.
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
and was formerly Bishop of Edinburgh
Bishop of Edinburgh
The Bishop of Edinburgh is the Ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Diocese of Edinburgh.The see was founded in 1633 by King Charles I. William Forbes was consecrated in St. Giles' Cathedral as its first bishop on 23 January 1634 though he died later that year...
in the Scottish Episcopal Church
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
.
Holloway was educated at Kelham Theological College
Society of the Sacred Mission
The Society of the Sacred Mission is an Anglican religious order founded in 1893 by Father Herbert Kelly, envisaged such that "members of the Society share a common life of prayer and fellowship in a variety of educational, pastoral and community activities in England, Australia, Japan, Lesotho,...
, Edinburgh Theological College
Edinburgh Theological College
Edinburgh Theological College was founded in 1810 to train Anglican clergy to serve in the Scottish Episcopal Church . In 1891 the College moved to Coates Hall in Grosvenor Crescent where it gradually expanded to include residential accommodation and a library . The College’s academic gown was ...
and the Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
, New York City. Between 1959 and 1986 he was a curate, vicar and rector at various parishes in England, Scotland and the United States. He was Bishop of Edinburgh from 1986 and was elected Primus
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
The Primus, styled The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd David Chillingworth who became Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church on 13 June 2009...
of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
in 1992. He resigned from these positions in 2000 and is now regarded as one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in the Church, having taken an atheist worldview and commenting widely on issues concerning religious belief in the modern world. His own theological position has become increasingly radical and he has recently described himself as an "after-religionist".
Holloway is well-known for his support of progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
causes, including campaigning on human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
for gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
people in both Church and State
Church and State
Church and State may refer to:*Separation of church and state, political and legal doctrine that government and religious institutions are to be kept separate*Americans United for Separation of Church and State or their monthly newsletter, Church & State...
. He is a patron of LGBT Youth Scotland
LGBT Youth Scotland
LGBT Youth Scotland is a voluntary organisation dedicated to the inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people in the life of Scotland...
, an organisation dedicated to the inclusion of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
young people in the life of Scotland. He has questioned and addressed complex ethical
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
issues in the areas of sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, drugs
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
and bio-ethics
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
. He has written extensively on these topics, being the author of more than 20 books exploring their relationship with modern religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
, Holloway was Professor of Divinity at Gresham College
Gresham College
Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. From 1990 to 1997, he was a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is a statutory body in the United Kingdom that regulates and inspects all UK clinics providing in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination and the storage of human eggs, sperm or embryos. It also regulates Human Embryo research...
and held the position of chair of the BMA
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
Steering Group on Ethics and Genetics. He was also a member of the Broadcasting Standards Commission and is currently chair of the Scottish Arts Council
Scottish Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
and of Sistema Scotland.
Holloway has been a reviewer and writer for the broadsheet press for several years, including The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, Sunday Herald
Sunday Herald
The Sunday Herald is a Scottish Sunday newspaper launched on 7 February 1999. The ABC audited circulation in April 2011 showed sales of 31,123.From the start it has combined a centre-left stance with support for Scottish devolution...
and The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
. He is also a frequent presenter on radio and television, having hosted the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series When I get to Heaven, Holloway's Road and The Sword and the Cross. He currently hosts the BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
book review programme, Cover Stories. Holloway presented the second of the Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Lent Talks
Lent Talks
Lent Talks is a series of talks, normally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 8:45 p.m. on a Wednesday in the United Kingdom, to mark the Christian season of Lent. They typically are brief talks, lasting about fifteen minutes, and have featured various speakers from different backgrounds...
on 11 March 2009.
Holloway lives in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
with his American-born wife Jean. They have three adult children; two daughters and a son.
Selected works
- Beyond Belief (1981)
- Paradoxes of Christian Faith and Life (1984)
- The Way of the Cross (1986)
- Crossfire: Faith and Doubt in an Age of Uncertainty (1988)
- Who needs Feminism? (1991)
- Anger, Sex, Doubt and Death (1992)
- Dancing On The Edge: Faith In A Post-Christian Age (1997)
- Godless Morality: Keeping Religion out of Ethics (1999).
- Doubts and Loves: What is Left of Christianity (2001)
- On Forgiveness: How can we Forgive the Unforgivable? ISBN 184195358X (2002)
- Looking in the Distance: The Human Search for Meaning (2004)
- How To Read The Bible (2006)
- Between the Monster and the Saint (2008)