In Depth:  Andrew Drury

Andrew Drury

There is a somewhat apocryphal tale of two men talking at a reception after a funeral. One man asks the other, “What did our friend leave?” The reply was: “Everything”.

We can be so eager to acquire transitory things – money, possessions, reputation, status and the list is endless – that we forget that this planet is only temporary in the light of eternity. It is easy to fall into the mentality once expressed in a bumper sticker: “The person with all the toys wins”.

Andrew Drury

It is natural for people to grieve for loved ones who have died. One of the ways that people have tried to cope is through artificial intelligence (AI), with the creation of "deathbots" (also known as "griefbots").

The process of developing deathbots includes inputting all the words that the deceased person would use into the computer programme by using personal material such as e-mails, texts, voice notes, and social media posts. One limitation is the inability to portray the nuances made in communication (such as stress or tone), so the resultant speech can be monotone. Nevertheless, while the interaction may lack authenticity, the emotion for the bereaved person will be undoubtedly real for there will be a psychological buy-in.

Andrew Drury

In the midst of our sadness, when we sit beside a dying person, we encourage the person, and ourselves, with the words of hymns and songs that point the way to heaven and the inheritance that we have in the Lord.

Music not only alleviates distress, calming the soul and giving a sense of normalcy ^[1] but, for the Christian, it also points the way to heaven and, more importantly, to our Saviour.

Andrew Drury

There is a familiar theme in many prayers written by saints who have gone before us. It is noticeable in the prayer by the Polish-born reformer Zacharias Ursinus (1534–1583).

His prayer commences conventionally, with the acknowledgement to God the Father that we are weak - for we are being attacked by the Devil, the world and our own flesh unceasingly. The prayer includes the plea that the power of the Holy Spirit would keep and strengthen us, so that we would not be defeated.

Andrew Drury

The desire to prolong life and even to live forever has been the pursuit of humanity ever since Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, being prevented from eating the fruit from the tree of life.

There have been articles, books, plays (such as Peter Pan) and films (notably Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) which have taken this prospect as its theme.

Andrew Drury

Most people have heard of prison chaplains and hospital chaplains, and some might have met airport chaplains, but there are very few people who are aware that there are chaplains in over 30 courts and tribunals in the UK.

A work that started in September 2002 in Leeds Combined Court, in response to the needs of the families, victims and witnesses of the Selby rail crash, has continued to grow organically since that time.