This blog is a place where I can focus my academic, theological, musical, and social justice interests through the lens of the Blues. My personal and professional interests over the last 45 years or so have been shaped by my life as a musician, academic, lecturer, Anglican theologian and priest, entrepreneur, and social justice advocate, and particularly by my unique family of the Blues. Academically, I've always been interested in the intersections between disciplines, which probably explains why I have degrees in theology, cultural anthropology, philosophy (particularly epistemology, poetics, and aesthetics), social theory, and education.
Given the current socio-political climate, the growing sense of isolation experienced through COVID, and the religio-cultural wars that are raging, I thought it might be timely to explore both the historical background to these wars and the role of religion in both justifying and excusing the racism, violence and xenophobia that is rising all around us. None of these things are new, in fact the Blues was forged in these very same fires and so offers us both wisdom and insight into how we might interpret, resist, and rebuild the common good that is rooted in our shared humanity.
I'll be taking a long view, so my first few blogs will largely consider the past as a way of framing and understanding the present, and hopefully offering some hope for the future.