Ian Campbell Bradley (born 28 May 1950) is a British

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, author and broadcaster. He is Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, where he was Principal of St Mary's College and honorary

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

Chaplain. The author of over 35 books, Bradley has written widely on cultural and spiritual matters, including

Celtic Christianity Celtic Christianity ( kw, Kristoneth; cy, Cristnogaeth; gd, Crìosdaidheachd; gv, Credjue Creestee/Creestiaght; ga, Críostaíocht/Críostúlacht; br, Kristeniezh; gl, Cristianismo celta) is a form of Christianity that was common, or held ...

, hymns, carols,

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

and musical theatre.

Life and career

Early life and education

Bradley was born in

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which is based in the neighbouring large new town ...

, Hertfordshire, on

Whit Sunday Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the ...

1950, the first of two sons of civil servants William Ewart Bradley and Mary Campbell Tyre. He grew up in the southeast of England and was educated at

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

and

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

, where he graduated with a "congratulatory first" in 1971 in modern history. He remained at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

to complete a doctoral thesis on religion and politics in early nineteenth-century Britain, earning his

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

degree. He stood as the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate for

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...

at the February 1974 general election, coming second place.

Career

After leaving Oxford, Bradley took up a post as a general trainee with the BBC. He spent six years on the staff of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' as a feature writer and leader writer. He has lived in Scotland since 1986. Following further study at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, from which he graduated with a first-class honours BD degree in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in 1989, Bradley was ordained to the ministry of the

in 1990, and served as Head of Religious Broadcasting for

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...

between 1990 and 1993. Having lectured on

church history __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual ...

at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

for many years, Bradley was appointed to a position at the University of St Andrews in 1998, where he was later awarded a Chair in Cultural and Spiritual History in its School of Divinity, where he was previously Principal of

St Mary's College, St Andrews (In the Beginning was the Word) , established = , type = College , endowment = , staff = , faculty = , rector = , chancellor = , principal = Oliver D. Crisp , free_label = Teaching staff , free = 20 , ...

. He retired in 2017. He was also associate minister of Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews, and honorary Church of Scotland chaplain for the university. 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 is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

. According to his profile in his 1997 book ''Abide with Me'', he was one of the first lecturers to teach an honors course on hymnology at a British University. In 2013, Bradley was appointed a Commissioner on the

Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life The Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life (CORAB) was convened in 2013 by The Woolf Institute. Its purpose was to consider the place and role of religion and belief in contemporary Britain, to consider the significance of emerging ...

. As a journalist, Bradley has contributed to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...

'' and '' Life and Work'' as well as often appearing on

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...

and

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

. In 2007, he was awarded a Prize for Outstanding Religious Broadcasting for his BBC Radio 4 documentary on the English hymnal. Bradley frequently writes, broadcasts and lectures about

and is a regular speaker at the

International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil and is held every summer in England. The two- or three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan opera performances and fringe events attracts thousands ...

s in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.

and

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

, England. Bradley is the author of more than 35 books. He is married and has two children.

Bibliography

* ''The Call to Seriousness: The Evangelical Impact on the Victorians'' (1976) * ''William Morris and His World'' (1978) * ''The Optimists: Themes and Personalities in Victorian Liberalism'' (1980) * ''Breaking the mould?: The Birth and Prospects of the Social Democratic Party'' (1981) * ''The English Middle Classes are Alive and Kicking'' (1982) * ''The Strange Rebirth of Liberal Britain'' (1986) * ''O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go'' (1990) * ''The Penguin Book of Hymns'' (1990) * ''God Is Green: Christianity and the Environment'' (1990) * ''Marching to the Promised Land: Has the Church a Future?'' (1992) * ''The Celtic Way'' (1993) * ''The Power of Sacrifice'' (1995) * ''The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan'' (1996) * ''Columba: Pilgrim and Penitent'' (1996) * ''Abide With Me: The World of Victorian Hymns'' (1997) * ''Celtic Christianity: Making Myths and Chasing Dreams'' (1999) * ''The Penguin Book of Carols'' (2000) * ''Colonies of Heaven: Celtic Models for Today's Church'' (2000) * ''God Save the Queen: The Spiritual Dimension of Monarchy'' (2002) * ''You've Got to Have a Dream: The Message of the Musical'' (2002) * ''Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan'' (2005) * ''Believing in Britain: The Spiritual Identity of 'Britishness (2006) * ''The Daily Telegraph Book of Hymns'' (2006) * ''The Daily Telegraph Book of Carols'' (2006) * ''Enlightened Entrepreneurs: Business Ethics in Victorian Britain'' (2007) * ''Pilgrimage: A Spiritual and Cultural Journey'' (2009) * ''Grace, Order, Openness and Diversity: Reclaiming Liberal Theology'' (2010) * ''Water Music: Making Music in the Spas of Europe and North America'' (2010) * ''Water: A Spiritual History'' (2012) * ''Lost Chords and Christian Soldiers: The Sacred Music of Arthur Sullivan'' (2013) * ''Argyll: The Making of a Spiritual Landscape'' (2015) * ''The Fife Pilgrim Way: In the Footsteps of Monks, Miners and Martyrs'' (2019) * ''Following the Celtic Way: A New Assessment of Celtic Christianity'' (2020) * ''Health, Hedonism and Hypochondria: The Hidden History of Spas'' (2020) * ''Arthur Sullivan: A Life of Divine Emollient'' (2021) * ''The Quiet Haven: An anthology of readings on death and heaven'' (2021) * ''The Coffin Roads: Journeys to the West'' (2022)

References

External links

Inaugural Lecture as Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History at University of St AndrewsBradley at TEDxUniversityofStAndrews 2013Bradley profile
at Faber & Faber
Bradley's ''Guardian'' articlesBradley's ''Tablet'' articles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Ian Living people 1950 births People educated at Tonbridge School Alumni of New College, Oxford Religious studies scholars Academics of the University of Aberdeen Academics of the University of St Andrews 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland University and college chaplains in the United Kingdom People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians 20th-century British theologians 21st-century British theologians People from Berkhamsted 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland