Richard Holloway

The Most Reverend Richard F. Holloway is a Scottish writer and broadcaster, and was formerly Bishop of Edinburgh in the Scottish Episcopal Church.

Holloway 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, 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" [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4448261.ece] .

He is well-known for his support of liberal 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, and 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, he 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.

He 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".

Born in 1933, Holloway lives in Edinburgh with his American-born wife Jean. They have three adult children, two daughters and a son.

elected works

* "Beyond Belief" (1981)
* "Paradoxes of Christian Faith and Life" (1984)
* "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?" (2002)
* "Looking in the Distance: The Human Search for Meaning" (2004)
* "How To Read The Bible" (2006)
* "Between the Monster and the Saint" (2008)

External links

* [http://www.westarinstitute.org/Fellows/Holloway/holloway.html Biography at the Westar Institute]
* [http://www.open.ac.uk/graduation2005/pop44060.shtml Biography at the Open University]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/rpsawards08.shtml Address to the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards 2008]