Today’s letters discuss the appointment of Dr Tom Wright at St Andrews University, football commentary, and our energy supply.
Does God have an anti-gay agenda?
Sir,-I was appalled by the response of the Rt Rev Kelvin Holdsworth (June 29) to the appointment of Dr Tom Wright as professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at St Andrews University.
Mr Holdsworth claims to preach equality but surely his suggestion that Dr Wright should be denied this appointment because of his religious convictions is exactly the type of discrimination that Mr Holdsworth professes to oppose.
Dr Wright has a responsibility to uphold Christian values. Whether one agrees with him or not, at least he is willing to hold on to his convictions when so many are afraid to voice unpopular views. It seems that religious freedom in this country exists only insomuch as religion agrees with popular opinion. Far too often, those who shout loudest about acceptance refuse to accept the expression of any opinion at odds with their own.
For thousands of years, Christians have lived by a strict moral code which seems to have disintegrated over the past few decades.
Is this because God, like all others, must move with the times? Or is it because people are in charge and what God thinks doesn’t matter? Or is it because, somewhere along the line, Christians have been too cowardly to stand up for what they believe in?
If Christians themselves cannot stand up for their beliefs, then it is no wonder that many deride their faith.
Mr Holdsworth described the religious convictions of Dr Wright as being “ghastly” and labelled him an anti-gay figure. From his reading of the Bible, would Mr Holdsworth describe Paul’s views as “ghastly” and call him an anti-gay figure?
Or would he go as far as to describe the subject of his faith as an anti-gay God? The question then is what is a gay man doing following an anti-gay God?
Sandy Brown.9 Beech Avenue,Ladybank.
Appointment’s poor reflection
Sir,-The decision by St Andrews University to give a top professorship to the openly homophobic Bishop Tom Wright is morally reprehensible and sends out completely the wrong message. Christians create the conditions that let unhinged individuals target homosexuals for physical assaults by spewing intemperate language (under the guise of Scripture) about homosexuality. They then issue self-serving hypocritical statements condemning the actions that they themselves bear some responsibility for.
Tom Wright has compared the ordination of gay clergy to the invasion of Iraq. To employ such a man at St Andrews University seems to be condoning his views. One wonders if St Andrews would consider giving a professorship to Nick Griffin or Anjem Choudray if they were qualified, or if they might consider what giving such a person a position might say about them as an institution.
Alan Hinnrichs.2 Gillespie Terrace,Dundee.
A quisling in the ranks?
Sir,-Reuters trained he may be but George McMillan (June 30) cannot correctly name the commentator who caused such a fuss in the first place. He is Guy Mowbray not Gary.
Regardless, with so many Scots having what he claims is an inbred anglophobia, one marvels at how Mr McMillan managed to avoid this genetic anomaly.
Maybe he was created in a laboratory somewhere in England and programmed to fight a valiant rearguard action once Scotland becomes independent? A case of The MacX Files?Kevin Cordell.2 Nevis Place,Broughty Ferry.
Secure our energy supply
Sir,-If your correspondent George McMillan and many like him were to worry less about wind power and stop trying to ridicule its supporters, they would discover that there is not much difference between our positions.
I too dislike ill-informed politicians promising impractical amounts of electricity. I too think our electrical supply is sinking into chaos and that the present situation contains very great dangers to security of supply. However, before there was a “wind rush” there was a “dash for gas”, when the newly created private energy companies installed gas-powered generation, which now accounts for about 23% of electrical production.
As long as the amount of wind power is significantly less than installed gas turbine capacity, wind power can be accommodated effectively in the electrical supply and this will also help save natural gas.
We import 50% of the gas we use and, in 10 years’ time, gas imports will probably be 90% of gas consumption.
We import 73% of the coal we consume. In the future, our security of energy supplies will be threatened by the economic crisis and our government’s inability to finance the UK’s structural balance of payments deficit.
The collapse in dollar income as a result on BP’s Deepwater Horizon blowout may well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and brings on an energy supply crisis.Philip Roberts.Ascurry Mill,By Letham (Angus).