4 (2008)

Contents
Parish News
Twenty-five years after his first Edinburgh appearance, Arnold Brown's hoping to become an overnight sensation
Letters to the editor
Politics, religion and money may be wrestling to control the Olympics. But, argues Paul Sims, they'll never be a match for the sheer drama
Recording his new radio play, Trevor Griffiths discovered the true revolutionary spirit of Tom Paine
Obsessing about culture traps people in their own history
The twenty first century has seen the world rocked by a variety of religious challenges to the secular state. Mark Juergensmeyer went in search of common features
From philosophy to fart jokes George Carlin always got there first, says Robin Ince
Lisa Jardine tells Laurie Taylor why she believes in doubt, precision and uncertainty
Is he a loser, a kvetcher, a fatalist or a comic genius? Michael Bywater goes in search of the real Woody Allen
Natalie Haynes goes in search of spiritual enlightenment at a Mystic Arts festival
From nineteenth century anti-suffragists to today's anti-feminists, Sally Feldman finds a common link between women who turn against themselves
We have already invented a way for the devout and the godless to get along in public, says Paul Kelly. We just have to believe in it.
Caspar Melville unravels the rise and fall of dreadlocks
Book reviews
Poem
Laurie Taylor flexes his muscles














