There is no doubt that we live in an age of unprecedented, and sometimes terrifying, technological advance where the speed of advance so often outstrips the necessary ethical considerations.

Some recent occurrences such as the BSE disaster and even perhaps - dare I mention it - the present severe weather conditions in our country are, I have no doubt, the consequences of mankind's arrogant disregard of the delicate balance of nature. We have to find a way of ensuring that our remarkable and seemingly beneficial advances in technology do not just become the agents of our own destruction.

If your children want to alter society, listen to their reasons and the idealism behind them. Don't crush them with some clever remark straight away.

Be neither too remote nor too familiar.

We should be treating, I think, the whole issue of climate change and global warming with a far greater degree of priority than I think is happening now.

If you chuck away too many things, you end up discovering there was value in them.

When people are uncertain about what is right and what is wrong, and anxious about being considered old-fashioned, it seems to be worse than folly that Christians are still arguing about doctrinal matters which can only bring needless distress to a number of people.