Between 1958 and 1986, Holloway was a curate, vicar and rector at various parishes in England, Scotland and the United States, including
Old St Paul's Edinburgh from 1968 to 1980. He was Bishop of Edinburgh from 1986 and was elected
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church in 1992. He resigned from these positions in 2000 and is now regarded as one of the most outspoken and controversial figures in the church, having taken an
agnostic worldview and commenting widely on issues concerning religious belief in the modern world. His own theological position has become increasingly radical and he has described himself as an "after-religionist", with strong faith in humanity. Holloway is well known for his support of
progressive causes, including campaigning on
human rights for
gay and
lesbian people in both
church and state. He is a patron of
LGBT Youth Scotland, an organisation dedicated to the inclusion of
LGBT young people in the life of Scotland. He has questioned and addressed complex
ethical issues in the areas of
sexuality,
drugs and
bioethics. He has written extensively on these topics, being the author of more than 20 books exploring their relationship with modern religion. Holloway was elected as a fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh (1997) and holds honorary degrees from the universities of Strathclyde (1994), Aberdeen (1997), Napier (2000), Glasgow (2002) and St Andrews (2017). He was professor of divinity at
Gresham College in the
City of London. From 1990 to 1997, he was a member of the
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and held the position of chair of the
British Medical Association's Steering Group on Ethics and Genetics. He was also a member of the
Broadcasting Standards Commission and is a former chair of the
Scottish Arts Council and
Sistema Scotland. Holloway has been a reviewer and writer for the broadsheet press for several years, including
The Times,
The Guardian,
The Independent,
Sunday Herald and
The Scotsman. He is also a frequent presenter on radio and television, having hosted the
BBC television series
When I Get to Heaven, ''Holloway's Road
and The Sword and the Cross
. He currently hosts the BBC Radio Scotland book review programme Cover Stories
. He presented the second of the Radio 4 Lent Talks on 11 March 2009. On 28 May 2012 he began presenting a 15-minute programme about faith and doubt, following The World at One on Radio 4, called Honest Doubt: The History of an Epic Struggle
and in 2016 he presented the Radio 4 series Three Score Years and Ten'', a reflection on human mortality. His 2012 book,
Leaving Alexandria: A Memoir of Faith and Doubt, talks about his life from childhood, and his 2016 book,
A Little History of Religion (published by Yale University Press), has received positive reviews from Peter Stanford of
The Observer, Ian Thomson of
The Financial Times ("exhaustive account"), Stuart Kelly of
The Scotsman and John Charmley of
The Sunday Times ("Holloway's technique, like his prose, beguiles"), among others. His book
Waiting For The Last Bus was published in early 2018 and contains his reflections upon death and mortality. It has been praised for its "erudite quotes" on the subject. His 2021 book,
The Heart of Things, is a personal reflection on his life with extracts from favourite poems. In the final chapter, on forgiving, he stresses that people can read their lives through the prism of heroism or defeat or resignation or shame. Only admitting their own weakness will make people kind, help them identify with others and act kin to kin. In his closing verses he concludes that, in the absence of certainty about God or an afterlife, "I, who walked the hills, I, who saw white hares dancing in the snow on Lammermuir, should be grateful for life, even as it passes." In his 2024 book, ''On Reflection: Looking for Life's Meaning'', he thinks back on some of the questions that have shaped his life. With the help of poets, writers, musicians and artists, Holloway offers his reflections on how a good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. == Personal life ==