Just Enough Religion to Get By

One of the albums that I remember buying on CD – back in 2001 – was the Stereophonics’ ‘Just Enough Education to Perform’. The title is taken from a track called ‘Mr Writer’ – a response to a journalist who toured with the band, and then gave them negative reviews. Kelly Jones would later say that the song was the biggest regret of his career, because every journalist thought it was about them: ‘It took me 10 minutes to write and 10 years to explain’. 

I was reminded of the lyric recently in an unexpected place – a book on prayer, written in 1843 by Stoneykirk man James McGill, who went on to become minister in Hightae, near Lockerbie. In the book, McGill comments on those who want ‘Just as much religion as will satisfy their consciences’. To read the rest of this article that Rev. Stephen Steele wrote for a local paper, click here.