After leaving Oxford, Bradley took up a post as a general trainee with the BBC.[6] He spent six years on the staff of The Times as a feature writer and leader writer.[6] He has lived in Scotland since 1986. Following further study at the University of St Andrews, from which he graduated with a first-class honours BD degree in theology in 1989,[9] Bradley was ordained to the ministry of the Church of Scotland in 1990, and served as Head of Religious Broadcasting for BBC Scotland between 1990 and 1993.[7]
Having lectured on church history at the University of Aberdeen for many years, Bradley was appointed to a position at the University of St Andrews in 1998, where he was later awarded a Chair in Cultural and Spiritual History in its School of Divinity.[citation needed] He served as Principal of St Mary's College, St Andrews between 2014 and 2017, during which time he was styled The Very Reverend, as is custom for the office.[10] After this, he retired.[citation needed]
He was also associate minister of Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews, and honorary Church of Scotland chaplain for the university.[2] He sat on the committee that drafted the Church of Scotland's Hymnary (Fourth Edition), which was published in 2005. Bradley has taught in the areas of Christianity in contemporary Britain; hymnody, liturgy and worship; monarchy, church and state; and the theology of musical theatre. According to his profile in his 1997 book Abide with Me, he was one of the first lecturers to teach an honors course on hymnology at a British University.[11] In 2013, Bradley was appointed a Commissioner on the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life.[12]
According to Stephen Bates in his book Royalty Inc.: Britain's Best Known Brand, Bradley preached at Crathie Kirk then stayed the weekend at Balmoral Castle, where he was "driven through the estate by the Queen" and attended a barbecue hosted by Prince Philip.[14]
Bradley is the author of over 35 books. He is married and has two children.[7]
Bibliography
The Call to Seriousness: The Evangelical Impact on the Victorians (1976)
William Morris and His World (1978)
The Optimists: Themes and Personalities in Victorian Liberalism (1980)
Breaking the mould?: The Birth and Prospects of the Social Democratic Party (1981)
The English Middle Classes are Alive and Kicking (1982)
The Strange Rebirth of Liberal Britain (1986)
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go (1990)
The Penguin Book of Hymns (1990)
God Is Green: Christianity and the Environment (1990)
Marching to the Promised Land: Has the Church a Future? (1992)
The Celtic Way (1993)
The Power of Sacrifice (1995)
The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan (1996)
Columba: Pilgrim and Penitent (1996)
Abide With Me: The World of Victorian Hymns (1997)
Celtic Christianity: Making Myths and Chasing Dreams (1999)
The Penguin Book of Carols (2000)
Colonies of Heaven: Celtic Models for Today's Church (2000)
God Save the Queen: The Spiritual Dimension of Monarchy (2002)