Ian Bradley
Encyclopedia
Ian Campbell Bradley is a British
academic, author
, theologian, Church of Scotland
minister, journalist
and broadcaster
.
At the University of St Andrews
, he is Reader
in Practical Theology
and Church History
and a University chaplain
. He is also the Associate Minister of Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews
.
He has researched and written widely on religious matters, from Celtic Christianity
to the theology
of sacrifice
and the future of spirituality
in Britain
. In addition, he has published works on the subjects of hymnody, monarchy
, the Victorian era
, Gilbert and Sullivan
and musical theatre
.
, Hertfordshire
on Whit Sunday 1950. He grew up in the southeast of England and was educated at Tonbridge School
and New College, Oxford
, from which he graduated with a first-class honours degree in modern history. He remained at University of Oxford
to complete a doctoral thesis on religion and politics in early nineteenth-century Britain, earning his DPhil
degree.
. He spent five years on the staff of The Times
(and was a features writer for The Times for eight years) and then combined freelance writing with teaching at Cranleigh School
in Surrey
. Following further study at the University of St Andrews
, from which he graduated with a first-class honours BD
degree in theology
, Bradley was ordained into the ministry of the Church of Scotland
and appointed Head of Religious Broadcasting for BBC Scotland
. He has lived in Scotland since 1985. He sat on the committee that drafted the Church of Scotland's Hymnary (Fourth Edition), which was published in 2005. Bradley has taught in the areas of Christianity in contemporary Britain; hymnody, liturgy and worship; monarchy, church and state; and the theology of musical theatre
.
Having lectured on Church History at the University of Aberdeen
for many years, Bradley is currently Reader in Church History and Practical Theology at the School of Divinity, University of St Andrews, where he is based at St Mary's College
. He is also associate minister of Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews, and honorary Church of Scotland chaplain for the university.
As a journalist, Bradley contributes frequently to The Guardian
, The Daily Telegraph
, The Tablet
and Life and Work as well as often appearing on television
and BBC Radio 4
. Bradley frequently writes, broadcasts and lectures about Gilbert and Sullivan
and has spoken numerous times at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
in Buxton
, England. He performs regularly with the University of St Andrews Gilbert and Sullivan Society, of which he is honorary life president. He is the author of more than 30 books. He is married and has two children.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, theologian, Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
minister, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
.
At the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, he is Reader
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in Practical Theology
Practical theology
Practical theology is the practical application of theology to everyday life. Richard Osmer explains that the four key questions and tasks in practical theology are:# What is going on? # Why is this going on?...
and Church History
History of Christianity
The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, its followers and the Church with its various denominations, from the first century to the present. Christianity was founded in the 1st century by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth who they believed to be the Christ or chosen one of God...
and a University chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
. He is also the Associate Minister of Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
.
He has researched and written widely on religious matters, from Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
to the theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
of sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
and the future of spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In addition, he has published works on the subjects of hymnody, monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
, the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
and musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
.
Early life and education
Ian Bradley was born in BerkhamstedBerkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
on Whit Sunday 1950. He grew up in the southeast of England and was educated at Tonbridge School
Tonbridge School
Tonbridge School is a British boys' independent school for both boarding and day pupils in Tonbridge, Kent, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd . It is a member of the Eton Group, and has close links with the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the oldest London livery companies...
and New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, from which he graduated with a first-class honours degree in modern history. He remained at University of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
to complete a doctoral thesis on religion and politics in early nineteenth-century Britain, earning his DPhil
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree.
Career
Bradley subsequently worked in radio and television production with the BBCBBC
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...
. He spent five years on the staff of 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...
(and was a features writer for The Times for eight years) and then combined freelance writing with teaching at Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School is an independent English boarding school in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey. It was founded in 1865 as a boys' school and started to admit girls in the early 1970s. It is now co-educational. The current headmaster is Guy de W...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. Following further study at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, from which he graduated with a first-class honours BD
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, Bradley was ordained into the ministry of the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
and appointed Head of Religious Broadcasting for BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
. He has lived in Scotland since 1985. He sat on the committee that drafted the Church of Scotland's Hymnary (Fourth Edition), which was published in 2005. Bradley has taught in the areas of Christianity in contemporary Britain; hymnody, liturgy and worship; monarchy, church and state; and the theology of musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
.
Having lectured on Church History at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
for many years, Bradley is currently Reader in Church History and Practical Theology at the School of Divinity, University of St Andrews, where he is based at St Mary's College
St Mary's College, St Andrews
St Mary's College of the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland - in full, the New College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - was founded in 1538 by Archbishop James Beaton, uncle of Cardinal David Beaton on the site of the pedagogy or St Johns College .St Mary's College was...
. He is also associate minister of Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews, and honorary Church of Scotland chaplain for the university.
As a journalist, Bradley contributes frequently to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
and Life and Work as well as often appearing on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and BBC 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...
. Bradley frequently writes, broadcasts and lectures about Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
and has spoken numerous times at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival is held every summer at the Opera House in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan performances and fringe events attracts thousands of visitors, including performers, supporters, and G&S enthusiasts from all...
in Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
, England. He performs regularly with the University of St Andrews Gilbert and Sullivan Society, of which he is honorary life president. He is the author of more than 30 books. He is married and has two children.
Selected works
- 1976: The Call to Seriousness: The Evangelical Impact on the Victorians
- 1978: William Morris and His World
- 1980: The Optimists: Themes and Personalities in Victorian Liberalism
- 1981: Breaking the mould?: The Birth and Prospects of the Social Democratic Party
- 1985: The Strange Rebirth of Liberal Britain
- 1990: O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
- 1990: God Is Green: Ecology for Christians
- 1992: Marching to the Promised Land: Has the Church a Future?
- 1993: The Celtic Way
- 1994: The Theology of Sacrifice
- 1995: The Power of Sacrifice
- 1996: The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan
- 1996: Columba: Pilgrim and Penitent
- 1997: Abide With Me: The World of the Victorian Hymn
- 1999: Celtic Christianity: Making Myths and Chasing Dreams
- 2000: Colonies of Heaven: Celtic Models for Today's Church (published in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as Celtic Christian Communities – Living the Tradition) - 2003: God Save the Queen: The Spiritual Dimension of Monarchy
- 2004: You've Got to Have a Dream: The Message of the MusicalYou've Got to Have a Dream (book)You've Got to Have a Dream: The Message of the Musical is a book written by the British theologian Ian Bradley, first published in 2004, exploring the spiritual dimension of musical theatre.----...
- 2005: Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan
- 2006: Believing in Britain: The Spiritual Identity of 'Britishness
- 2007: Enlightened Entrepreneurs: Business Ethics in Victorian Britain
- 2007: Believing in Britain: Overlapping Spiritual Identities
- 2009: Pilgrimage: A Spiritual and Cultural Journey
- 2010: Grace, Order, Openness and Diversity: Reclaiming Liberal Theology
- 2010: Water Music: Making Music in the Spas of Europe and North America
External links
- Bradley's University staff homepage
- Hymns' role after 9/11 disasters (BBC News OnlineBBC News OnlineBBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
, 27 November 2002) - The Long Road To Heaven (University of St AndrewsUniversity of St AndrewsThe University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
Press Office, 9 September 2004) - Bradley's Guardian articles
- Bradley's Tablet articles
- BBC - Songs of Praise - Musicals Video