Former Bishop of Oxford to Challenge Secular Ethics

The former Bishop of Oxford, Lord Richard Harries of Pentregrath, will discuss the challenge of decision-making in the 21st and reveal why the biblical concept of wisdom is the only way forward.

Lord Harries will pose the question of how we make decisions in the 21st century at his forthcoming Drummond Lectures at Stirling University on March 14 and 15.

"Decision making is crucial to all our lives-and the future of the world but on what basis should we decide?" he asks.

"Many people today feel alienated by the traditional Christian emphasis on command and obedience but secular ethics provides no sure foundation."

Lord Harries will look at the true shape of Christian ethics and will argue that the biblical concept of wisdom can give us illumination in our present perplexities.

"Divine wisdom gives us important insights about the great drivers of human behaviour, sex, money, power and fame," he said.

Lord Harries was Bishop of Oxford from 1987 - 2006, before which he was Dean of Kings College, London, and being made a life peer on his retirement. He has written books on a range of subjects but particularly on prayer, art and ethical issues.

His biography A Heart in the Head by John Peart Binns will be published by Continuum this month.

The Drummond Lectures commemorate Professor Henry Drummond, the eminent Stirling-born 19th century theologian and scientist, famed for his work in trying to reconcile the emerging theories of science with the doctrines of Christianity.

The lectures are jointly sponsored by the University of Stirling and the Drummond Trust, a charitable body originating in the same family as Henry Drummond, which gives grants towards the publication of Christian literature.