Baptist Bookworm

Pause for Thought

2012-01-08T10:17:00.000Z

Pausing for Thought on Radio 2 again this morning, on the Richard Allinson show (in case you missed it)

Pause for Thought 2012 01 07

2012-01-07T10:18:00.000Z

I was presenting Pause for Thought on this morning's Zoe Ball show, in case you missed it...

Imago Dei

2011-12-21T21:08:00.001Z

One morning, God was staring at the wall.Not a blank wall, but not patterned either. It was a wall of chaos: brightcolours, dark colours, swirling patterns, eternally dark and infinitely brightboth at the same time. God wondered what could be made of the wall, so hereached out a hand and swirled the colours around. Soon order and pattern beganto emerge: luscious pastoral greens coalesced, deep aqua blues combined, and thisnew creation seemed very pleasing to God.

After contemplating the wall for a whilelonger, God began to wonder what to do next, so he spoke gently to the wall,and a lustrous sheen began to appear. The wall became shiny, as if a layer ofglass had been laid over the top of it. As God continued to stare at the wall,he could now see his own reflection within it. He saw himself inside hiscreation. When he moved his hand, the image of God waved back. When God smiled,his image smiled back. When God blew at the wall, the image blew a kiss back.God loved the image in the wall, and was happy with all that he had made.

But then something unexpected happened. Theimage of God reached out and punched the wall from the inside, and the shinysurface of the wall now had a flaw in it, like a stone-chip on a carwindscreen. Suddenly the image of God didn’t look quite so much like Godanymore: the flaw in the surface had damaged the reflection. The order that Godhad brought to the wall was distorted, and God was very sad. But still he stoodthere, staring at the wall and not turning away. Then the image hit the wall again,this time harder and angrier, as if trying to get out, trying to get at God.God flinched, but still he stared at the wall. The surface was by now crazedwith cracks, and the image continued to fragment into lots of tiny, sharpfragments. God contemplated walking away from the wall, but knew that if he didso his image would vanish from the wall forever. Distorted as it was, it wasstill his image; it was still the image he had loved, waved at, and blownkisses to.

God wondered what to do next. And then hadan idea. He took a few steps back, and threw himself violently at the wall. Theforce of the impact stunned him and shook the wall, and the millions of tinysharp fragments ripped at his skin. Powered forward by the momentum of hisrun-up, God seemed for a moment to merge into the wall. His blood streaked thesurface, and the mark of the impact was clear to see. But God himself hadvanished.

After a while it was just possible to makeout the faint image of God through the crazed, blood-stained, fragmented surface.God had gone into the wall. Gradually the image of God grew stronger andlarger, as God walked up to the wall from the inside. He reached out his handand carefully joined two broken shards together, and then two more, and thentwo more. Gradually, slowly, God began to repair the wall from within. As Godrepaired the wall, he looked at it very carefully, and started to see his ownimage reflected back.

The end.

Postcards from the wall #26

2011-11-15T07:38:00.001Z

Review of "The Book of Revelation"

2011-11-15T07:12:00.001Z

When John Henson produced 'Good as New', his 'radical retelling of the scriptures' (get your copy here) he controversially omitted the Book of Revelation, suggesting that it "is contrary to the mind of Jesus" (p.18). So it was with some trepidation that I started to read his review of my commentary on the Apocalypse. I was delighted to discover a review which engages in depth and with care. Thank you John.

Review - 'The Book of Revelation' Simon Woodman.

I come to the 'Book of Revelation' as very much a non-fan. Revelation is, and will always be, I fear, the happy hunting ground for religious weirdos of the 'we are the only ones' type. Like Luther I find it difficult to reconcile the Jesus of Revelation with the Jesus of the gospels. I squirm at its shameless triumphalism which alas characterizes much Christian spirituality today. Simon's commentary is intended for second and third year theology students. In my view it is also suitable for all mature and thinking Christians. It needs a Simon Woodman to make sure that our future leaders have a proper understanding of 'The Book of Revelation'. Simon has done an excellent job. I expect his commentary to become the standard work for some time to come.

Unlike previous academic commentaries, Simon does not dismiss the Nostradamuses with a wave of the hand. Painstakingly and sympathetically he devotes a whole chapter to them. He examines the conflicting schemes that emerge from the literalistic approach that seeks to match the imagery with events in past, current or future history. Simon explains why this is a misguided and misleading method of interpretation. Simon's own approach is not a dogmatic one. He provides us throughout with alternatives.

Simon goes some way to answering the reservations of people like me. I particularly like the way he brings out the Visionary's way of contrasting what is heard and what is seen. We hear about the exclusive 144 thousand; we see the multitude which no one can number. We hear about the warrior on the horse; we see the still wounded lamb. The Wedding Banquet is to be understood as a beginning rather than an end. Offspring are assumed. The Church rules with rod of iron; Jesus rules with the staff of a shepherd. The lake of fire and brimstone symbolizes not vindictive punishment, but purification and healing. Revelation cannot be used as a handbook for exclusivism and predestinarianism. Those who think so do not look closely enough. "Whosoever will may come."

Good stuff. I don't think I will ever be convinced though. I appreciate Revelation's subversive descriptions of worldly power and authority, corrupt religion, and the capitalist system, highly relevant today. But it is not sufficient to say that the language of weapons, armies, battles and conquest should be understood as spiritual rather than literal war. The militartarist mindset itself is not Jesus. The militarist language of Revelation has encouraged the Church to adopt agressive attitudes and practices in its methods of promotion. You do not only have to think of the Crusades and the 'Christian' conquest by the sword of Central and South America. The mindset is still expressed in triumphalist worship songs about dominion and power and authority. I also doubt that apocalyptic will ever be an ace way of communicating, especially not in these days of realism in the arts. It was only a minority interest in Jesus' day. Jesus used its material sparingly. Revelation was intended for those being persecuted, as comfort and perseverance, carrot and stick. But Jesus and Paul's answer to enemies was to love them rather than triumph over them. So next time Christians enter a period of severe persecution I hope it will be the Gospels that inspire them rather than the Apocalypse.

John Henson.

Baptist Times reports Bloomsbury Appointment

2011-10-13T14:15:00.003+01:00

My book on Kindle

2011-10-06T19:09:00.000+01:00

My Revelation Core Text is now available on Kindle!

How cool is that?

Looking forward to Christmas yet?

2011-08-22T09:08:00.002+01:00

From http://flic.kr/p/7hvhVr altd

Postcards from the wall #25

2011-08-22T08:34:00.002+01:00

The story of Women in Ministry in the Baptist Union of Great Britain

2011-08-22T08:31:00.002+01:00

I was delighted to receive my copy this morning of "The Story of Women in Ministry in the Baptist Union of Great Britain".

This is the published version of a report I prepared for Baptist Union Council a couple of years ago, and provides an introduction to the history, theology and personalities involved in the debate amongst Baptists as to whether women should be ministers of our churches. It is my hope that this will offer a helpful voice in the ongoing conversations between those who disagree, and that as a Union we will continue to find a way forwards with grace and unity.

Copies will be available shortly from the Baptist Union Website www.baptist.org.uk, or from the Faith and Unity Department at Baptist House 01235 517700.

Postcards from the wall #24

2011-08-16T08:42:00.000+01:00

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

This one eminds me of the supermarket label:

"Made From Reformed Chicken"

An offer I can't refuse???

2011-08-15T08:28:00.001+01:00

I received this invitation from Amazon yesterday... are they trying to tell me something?

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the trade-in value is £7.35...

Postcards from the wall #23

2011-08-13T08:29:00.002+01:00

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

Postcards from the wall #22

2011-08-09T08:11:00.000+01:00

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

Baptist Hermeneutics Books arrive!

2011-06-30T15:14:00.000+01:00

After what feels like a lifetime of waiting, I finally got my hands on The 'Plainly Revealed' Word of God: Baptist Hermeneutics in Theory and Practice this week.

The book is beautifully produced, and it's been a privilege to be involved in this project.

Andy Goodliff has published an Interview with Helen Dare and myself, so if you're wondering what all the excitement is about, have a read...

Then buy a copy!

Postcards from the wall #21

2011-06-28T08:21:00.000+01:00

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

It's our new recruitment campaign poster...

Prayers of the People

2011-06-20T07:33:00.001+01:00

I was sitting in my study at the College last year, when John Weaver suddenly popped his head around the door. ‘Why is it that churches only ever seem to pray for themselves, and for their own enjoyment in worship?’ he said with frustration in his voice. He continued, ‘if the prayers don’t get beyond the pews, what’s the point in going back?’.

Little did he realise that just 15 minutes earlier, Karen Smith and I had been hatching the idea of publishing a book of prayers to mark the occasion of John’s retirement.

John’s passion for public prayer has run through his ministry; whether as the pastor of a church, as a College Tutor and Principal, as the President of the Baptist Union, as an environmental advocate, or as a practical theologian, John’s ministry has revolved around leading the people of God in prayer for the world. His gift has been lifting the eyes of the congregation above the horizon of the church to encompass the world beyond.

When I innocently asked what it was that he thought ought to be included in the leading of public prayer, he replied, ‘Oh, I’m just an old traditionalist really: Prayers should include Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Petition and Intercession.’

And so Prayers of the People was born.

This volume includes prayers from nearly a hundred contributors, who between them encompass the depth and breadth of British Baptist life. What they have in common is a sense of gratitude to God for the ministry of John Weaver. Included are prayers of gathering, adoration, confession, thanksgiving, petition, intercession, sending out, as well as prayers for special seasons and services. This volume will be useful in public worship as well as private devotion. The prayers are offered to the glory of God, for the enrichment of the church and in thanksgiving to God for John.

Having managed to keep the volume a secret from John, it was a delight to surprise him with it at the College Valedictory Service on Thursday night last week. Many of those who had contributed were able to be there, and were invited to stand as the book was presented to John. For the first time in my memory, John was temporarily lost for words...

However, he recovered sufficiently a few minutes later to preach: In a sermon punctuated with sparkling anecdotes drawn from his life and ministry, John preached an inspiring sermon in which he challenged those present to undergo three conversions: firstly a conversion to Christ, putting Christ at the centre of our lives and not confining our faith to Sunday worship; secondly a conversion to the Church of Christ, expressing commitment to one another as we become a kingdom people; and thirdly a conversion to the world for which Christ died, caring for god's creation and those who live in it. John encouraged the congregation from Romans 12.1-21 to above all live in love: love of Christ, love of one another, and love of the world. He called for a culture shift to challenge the sacred/secular divide, leading to whole-life Christians, in a whole-life church, living as whole-life disciples, engaged in whole-life mission.

It has been a privilege to share ministry with John for the last seven years, and on a personal note I will miss his wisdom, friendship, and the early morning coffee.

Postcards from the wall #20

2011-05-24T08:34:00.002+01:00

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

I am the pastor of this Baptist church

2011-05-17T09:44:00.000+01:00

Following on from my re-working of the 'Modern Major General' song a few weeks ago, my friend Rosa Hunt has composed this:

Captain/Pastor.
I am the Captain of the Pinafore!
I am the pastor of this Baptist church

Chorus/Choir.
And a right good captain, too!
And a right good pastor too!

Captain/Pastor.
We're very, very good,
My sermons are quite good
And be it understood,
But be it understood
I command a right good crew.
You should not act as I do.

Chorus/Choir.
We're very, very good,
Her sermons are quite good
And be it understood,
But be it understood
He commands a right good crew.
We should not act as she do.

Captain/Pastor.
Though related to a peer,
For my words are insincere
I can hand, reef, and steer,
I can simper, I can sneer
And ship a salvagee;
And snub a refugee
I am never known to quail
I am never known to cry
At the fury of a gale,
When one of you should die
And I'm never, never sick at sea!
And I never wash the mugs up after tea!

Chorus/Choir.
What, never?
What, never?

Captain/Pastor.
No, never!
No never!

Chorus/Choir.
What, never?
What, never?

Captain/Pastor.
Well – Hardly ever!
Well – Hardly ever

Chorus/Choir.
He's hardly ever sick at sea!
She hardly ever washes up with me!
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more,
Then – give three cheers and a chorus line
For the hardy Captain of the Pinafore!
For the worthy pastor in the pulpit fine,
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more,
Yes, give three cheers and a chorus line
For the Captain of the Pinafore!
For the pastor in the pulpit fine!

Captain/Pastor.
You're exceedingly polite,
You’re a very moderate crew
And I think it only right
And it really would not do
To return the compliment.
To encourage you to pray.
Bad language or abuse,
Theology and thinking
I never, never use,
Are for those whose boat is sinking
Whatever the emergency;
Platitudes the order of my day!
Though "bother it" I may
Though my phrases are fine-sounding
Occasionally say,
And my doxologies resounding,
I never use a big, big D
I never read the big big B.

Chorus/Choir.
What, never?
What, never?

Captain/Pastor.
No, never!
No, never!

Chorus/Choir.
What, never?
What never?

Captain/Pastor.
Well – hardly ever!
Well – hardly ever

Chorus/Choir.
Hardly ever swears a big, big D...
Hardly ever reads the big big B…
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more,
Then give three cheers and a chorus line
For the well-bred Captain of the Pinafore!
For the worthy pastor in the pulpit fine,
Then give three cheers, and one cheer more,
Yes, give three cheers and a chorus line
For the Captain of the Pinafore!
For the pastor in the pulpit fine!

Rosa Hunt

When searching for the image to use, I also came across this post, which for G&S Theology fans is worth a look: “We are the Model of Today’s Episcopalian”

Regent's Reviews

2011-04-21T09:08:00.000+01:00

The latest issue of Regent's Reviews is now out, and can be downloaded from here.

Congratulations to Andy for another excellent and fascinating edition.

My own contribution is three reviews on the following books:

J. Ramsey Michaels, The Gospel of John. The New International Commentary on
the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010).

Ben Witherington III, Revelation and The End Times: Unravelling God’s Message
of Hope (Nashville: Abingdon Press/Alban , 2010).

Christopher Morse, The Difference Heaven Makes: Rehearing the Gospel as News
(London: T&T Clark, 2010).

A class of theologians

2011-04-16T08:36:00.000+01:00

A video taken by Polly of me playing the Rowan Atkinson schoolmaster for a class of theologians (script below).

And here's the original:

Right. Quiet.
Ambrose. Basil. Barth. Calvin. Dogma.
Eschaton Major. Eschaton Minor. Flacius. Gnostic.
Hermeneutic. Jerome. Kerygma.
Latitudinarian. Millennium.
Niebuhr R. Niebuhr H.R.

Come on, settle down.
Pericope. Saint. Schism.
Tao. Tao?
Underhill. Zwingli. Absent

All right, your essays.

Discuss the contention that Bathsheba had the body of a roll-top desk and the mind of a duck. Oxford and Cambridge Board O Level paper, 1976.

Don't fidget, Barth.

The answer: yes.

Jerome, Niebuhr R., Schism and Underhill see me afterwards.
Most of you of course didn't write nearly enough.
Eschaton Major, your answer was unreadable.

Put it away, Pericope! If I see it once more this period, Pericope, I shall have to tweak you. Do you have a solicitor, Pericope? You're lying, so I shall tweak you anyway. See me afterwards to be tweaked. Yes, isn't life tragic! Don't sulk, boy. Has matron seen those boils? Horrid little twerp.

Barth, Eschaton Major, Gnostic, Kerygma: plagiarism.

Calvin: answer upside down. Do you do it deliberately, Calvin? You're a moron. A carbuncle on the backside of humanity.

Don't snigger, Jerome! It's not funny. Second Samuel is not a funny book. If God had meant it to be funny, he would have put a joke in it. There is no joke in Second Samuel, you'd know that if you'd read it, wouldn't you, Jerome? Pest!

What book of the Bible does have a joke in it? Anyone? The book of Leviticus! It’s full of them. It’s not that funny, Barth

Basil? BASIL! Leave Ambrose alone! What a lot.

Right, for the rest of this period you will write about Metempschosis. Underhill, just try and write Metempsychoss. Usual conditions, no conferring, no eating, no cheating, no looking out of windows, no slang, no slide rules. Use ink only, via a nib, if possible. You may use dividers, but not on each other.

Millennium, you're in charge. For now...

I Am The Very Model Of A Liberal Millennial

2011-04-05T07:56:00.003+01:00

Q: What do you get if you cross a love of G&S with two degrees in theology?
A: This

I am the very model of a modern Major-General
I am the very model of a liberal millennial
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral
I've information biblical and not at all heretical
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
I know the kings of Judah, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical
From Midian to Jericho, in ordering canonical

I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters systematical
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical
I understand Aquinas, and his Summa Theological
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news
About the fate of evil ones I find I always must enthuse
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the sharing of the Lord's good news

With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the sharing of the Lord's good news
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the sharing of the Lord's good news
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotepotenuse
With many cheerful facts about the sharing of the Lord's the Lord's good news

I'm very good at integral and differential calculus
I'm very good at integrating different theologies
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous
I know the proofs from reason in Tertullian's apologies
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
In short, in matters biblical and not at all heretical
I am the very model of a modern Major-General
I am the very model of a liberal millennial

In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
In short, in matters biblical and not at all heretical
He is the very model of a modern Major-General
He is the very model of a liberal millennial

I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's
I know our mythic history, King David's and Metheuselah's
I answer hard acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox
I answer hard agnostics, and can disprove what Confucius says
I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus
I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of the Herodians
In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous
In doctrine I can floor peculiarities Pelagian

I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies
I can tell undoubting Protestants from Gerald Coates to John Hagee
I know the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes
I know those wretched choruses and ditties from the seventies
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore
I find I cannot help but sing whatever Graham Kendrick says
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore
And whistle all the tunes from that infernal songbook Mission Praise

And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore
And whistle all the tunes from that infernal songbook Mission Praise
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore
And whistle all the tunes from that infernal songbook Mission Praise
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinapinafore
And whistle all the tunes from that infernal songbook Mission Mission Praise

Then I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform
Then I can write a thesis now in Babylonic cuneform
And tell you ev'ry detail of Caractacus's uniform
And tell you ev’ry detail of the Canaanitic land reform
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
In short, in matters biblical and not at all heretical
I am the very model of a modern Major-General
I am the very model of a liberal millennial

In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
In short, in matters biblical and not at all heretical
He is the very model of a modern Major-General
He is the very model of a liberal millennial

For my next project:
The Doctrine of the Trinity as 'Three little maids from school are we'

The Unforgiveable Sin

2011-03-03T10:10:00.000Z

OK here’s the rant, and I should warn you, it’s been a long time coming...

About five years ago, the powers that be in the road transport industry became convinced that in the name of safety it would be in all our interests to replace the corrugated metal crash barriers which run down the centre of our motorways. These tried and tested barricades, with built in ‘give’ to absorb the impact of a crash, were, it seemed, passé. So they replaced them for a while with what those of us who ride motorbikes (a Honda VFR750F if you’re interested) call ‘human cheese wire’. Eventually, they saw the error of their ways and started to remove the wire, to replace it with a more functional alternative: our motorways are now divided by state-of-the-art barriers which I call ‘concrete walls’. You’ve probably noticed this. I still can’t work out how careering into a concrete wall at 70+mph is a safer bet than a carefully engineered crash barrier, but there you go, you can’t argue with progress. However, that is not the object of my rant. It is merely the starting point for the sequence of actions which led to my discovery, this morning, of a physical manifestation of the Unforgiveable Sin.

I live in Bristol and work in Cardiff. It is a journey of 36 miles, and should take me 36 minutes door-to-door. A very acceptable commute, I feel. It’s motorway almost all the way, and I like driving. No problems. I do blanche slightly at having to pay every day to use the Second Severn Crossing. It was £3.70 when I started this journey on a regular basis in 2004, and it’s now £5.70. I can’t see that it’s £2 per day better, but you can’t argue with progress. On the subject of paying to use motorways, though, if I might digress for a moment... a) what is my road tax for if not to pay for the roads I use? and b) if I do have to pay to use a road, I really really really really expect that the act of paying for it should not make the experience of using it worse. If I pay for something that should by rights be free at the point of use, I want a better experience and not a worse one. If I were to choose not to have my operation with the NHS, and to go to a BUPA hospital instead (I wouldn’t, that that’s beside the point), I would expect that the BUPA experience would exceed that of the NHS one, not the opposite. So, to motorways. On the whole (this morning excepted, but I’m coming to that), motorways allow me to travel at 70mph, uninterrupted, and efficiently. It’s a great idea: a long, straight road, with lanes for the slow people, and lanes for me and my speed-loving compatriots. No roundabouts, no T-junctions, no in-built obstacles. All for free (or at least, paid for by my road tax). But then we get to the Second Severn Crossing, or the Dartford Crossing, both of which I use regularly. At this point I have to pay extra. So what do I get for my money? Can I travel at 100mph on this bit of road? No I flipping well can’t! What I get is a long queue whilst I wait to give them my money. It’s outrageous. There should be a law passed which states that if the queue to pay to use the road exceeds a waiting time of, oh I don’t know, 30 seconds, the barriers should be opened until the queue has dissipated. Necessity is the mother of invention, and I’m fairly sure they’d quickly find a way of billing me without making me wait for the privilege. They can fine me if I exceed 50mph in an average speed camera zone, and that happens when I speed up. So surely there’s a way of billing me to use the road which doesn’t require me to slow down, stop, wait in a queue, and then hand over cash or wait for the machine to read my Tag?

Anyway, to the M4. The process of replacing crash barriers with concrete walls has been rolling out across the UK with relative ease. A few weeks of roadworks, warnings of ‘possible delays until November’ (that long?) and hey presto, you’ve got a nice unforgiving concrete wall to hit. However, not so on the stretch of the M4 to the north of Newport. There, about four years ago, they put in 15 miles of ‘average speed cameras’ (could they not afford good ones?), limiting us all to 50mph. They removed the old corrugated metal barriers, and employed a couple of guys to begin the process of building the new concrete wall one pebble at a time. Mile after mile of restricted speed, but with no obvious sign of work taking place for 95% of that length. About a year ago, they realised that there was no discernable progress being made, and so instituted overnight M4 closures north of Cardiff, between 8pm and 6am. I frequently travel home after 8pm, and now have to use the SDR (Southern Distributor Road) round the south side of Newport. OK. As long as they’re making progress. But are they? After a year of overnight closures, coupled with years of speed restriction, still, very little is happening.

Part of the ‘improvements’ (building concrete walls, filling in pot-holes, re-painting the white lines) has involved the installation of incredibly sophisticated advanced traffic management warning systems. Or, as I call them, ‘large dot matrix screens’. It’s not a bad idea. If there’s a problem, they can use the screen to let me know, and I can take a decision to go another way. So, this morning, at 7.00am, I’m travelling along the M4, and all is well with the world. The dot matrix screens are blank. Suddenly, I hit the back of a queue. All stop. What? There must have been a terrible accident, I thought. How dreadful. A rush-hour fatal accident in the tunnels perhaps? It’s happened before. I put on the local radio, and waited for a traffic report. And when one came, I received my insight into the Unforgiveable Sin.

Apparently, the overnight roadworks had ‘overrun’. What??? Scheduled, planned roadworks, that have been ongoing for years, overrun to the extent that the entire M4 has to be closed in the morning rush-hour. This simply should never happen. There is no excuse. I, and thousands and thousands of other motorists sat in a queue for an hour, waiting to filter down to the hard shoulder to get round the ‘overrun’ roadworks. Vast amounts of money were lost this morning to the economy of South Wales due to the late arrival at work of thousands of commuters. Why? Because the roadworks had ‘overrun’. So I queued, and queued, and queued. Eventually, like grain of sand in the egg-timer of the M4, I reached the ‘overrun’ roadworks. As I drew level with the blockage, I expected to find a motorway full of highway engineers, all working frantically to resolve the problem caused by their nocturnal incompetence. But no. The entire motorway was coned off, but there was not a lorry, not a digger, not a road roller or concrete mixer to be seen; in fact there was no sign of any work being undertaken whatsoever. Simply two guys, wearing yellow jackets, wandering around where the fast lane, my lane, ought to be; pondering whether to remove the cones and open the motorway. This is the Unforgiveable Sin.

Questions of Identity

2011-02-21T06:28:00.001Z

I've been part of a conspiracy recently...

A book has been in production to honour Brian Haymes, and yesterday was the day when some of us who have contributed chapters made our way to Manchester to surprise Brian with a formal presentation.

He was preaching at his home church in Didsbury, and emerged from the vestry to be confronted with several rows of family and friends who had come for the occasion. One he had got over the shock, and realised that he had not in fact gatecrashed his own funeral, Ruth Gouldbourne and Alan Kreider offered some words of appreciation for Brian's ministry and friendship, and then presented him with a copy of the book. Anthony Cross also spoke as co-editor of the volume with Ruth, and Sean Winter sent a video message.

Brian then recovered sufficiently to preach on the first two chapters of Jonah, reminding us that there is nowhere we can go to escape the presence of God. He also said that Jonah was in his top three amusing biblical books, which left me wondering what the other two are...? (Leviticus?) It was a privilege to receive his ministry once again, and I am reminded why it is that I frequently tell people that he is the greatest Baptist preacher I have ever heard.

Here is the cover of the book (click to enlarge):

Here is the blurb:

Throughout the Baptist tradition issues of Baptist identity are being explored and widely debated. The Rev. Dr Brain Haymes is the former Principal of Northern and Bristol Baptist Colleges, and President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. He has lectured widely and influenced many contemporary discussions of Baptist life and thought in Britain and further afield. He has been a great encourager of both established and younger scholars and ministers, and this collection of essays takes up themes in his many and various writings. Not only is it fitting to honour one of our leading Baptist pastor-scholars, but also to explore issues of widespread importance to Baptists in the early twenty-first century.

Contributors are: Faith Bowers, John E. Colwell, Anthony R. Cross, Paul S. Fiddes, Barry Harvey, Stephen R. Holmes, Ruth Gouldbourne, Alan Kreider, Robert Parkinson, Michael J. Quicke, Christopher Rowland, Sean F. Winter, Simon Woodman, and Nigel G. Wright.

Commendations:
‘Brian Haymes’ ministry epitomises the very best of the tradition of the scholar-pastor, moving easily between the worlds of seminary and pastorate. Here an international team of authors in articles, both searching and relevant, pay tribute to a man who has himself done so much to enrich our understanding of Baptist identity, here explored in splendid diversity.’
John H.Y. Briggs is Professor Emeritus, the University of Birmingham, and Research Professor, the International Baptist Theological Seminary, Prague

‘These essays provide a rich combination of scholarly and pastoral insight, a most appropriate tribute to a Baptist whose long ministry has testified to the dual importance of rigorous academic study allied to the actual practice of ministry. But they are also immensely worth reading in their own right as examples of lively engagement with biblical, historical and theological issues stimulated by our current questions of religious identity.’
Keith W. Clements is a writer, and former Tutor at Bristol Baptist College, Co-ordinating Secretary for International Affairs, Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland, and General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches

‘This Festschrift honours a much treasured scholar, Baptist minister and personal friend, Brian Haymes. Its chapters explore many of the passions that have shaped his distinguished ministries as preacher, pastor and theological educator. They properly reflect the richness of Brian’s contribution to Baptist and wider ecumenical life, and are themselves good examples of the scholarship to which he has been so deeply committed.’
Richard L. Kidd is Co-Principal of the Northern Baptist Learning Community in Manchester

‘Baptists around the world have been fortunate to call Brian Haymes their teacher and friend. Now some of them are honouring him by giving a gift to all Baptists. These essays will inspire and instruct Baptists, and extend Brian’s work in the process. They reflect those subjects that have animated his thought and work: scripture and its interpretation; sacramentality; proclamation; morality; education; Anabaptism; and conscience. In so doing, they offer a winsome picture of Baptist identity, issuing a call to live Christian life at full stretch, growing as persons and communities into the fullness of Christ.’
Philip E. Thompson is Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Heritage, Sioux Falls Seminary, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

And finally, here is the abstract for my own chapter:

Turn or Burn!
A Nonviolent Reading of Fire and Burning in the Book of Revelation

From Richard Baxter and Charles Spurgeon to contemporary fundamentalist preachers, the book of Revelation has been a fruitful resource for those seeking to espouse a ‘turn or burn’ theology. From its imagery of heavenly fire which consumes the nations of the earth, to the fire and sulphur which torment those who worship the beast, Revelation can seem to depict an unambiguously fiery end to those who will not turn to God. The question addressed in this paper concerns whether such a reading is the only way of encountering this imagery, or whether an alternative reading emerges when the text is approached from the perspective of a nonviolent hermeneutic. To this end, the tradition of Anabaptist nonviolence will be utilised as a hermeneutical key to engage the imagery of fire and burning in the book of Revelation.

The Plainly Revealed Word of God?

2011-01-30T07:28:00.002Z

The Plainly Revealed Word of God?
Baptist Hermeneutics in Theory and Practice
Helen Dare and Simon Woodman

A twenty-first-century discussion of the nature of Baptist Hermeneutics

In January 2009, an international group of Baptist theologians met in Cardiff, UK, for a colloquium to explore the theory and practice of Baptist hermeneutics. Drawing primarily from the British Baptist community, the group’s work was enhanced by insights from participants from the USA and Eastern Europe.
Participants brought a diversity of scholarly and pastoral interests to the colloquium, and through presentation and discussion explored together the nature of Baptist hermeneutics.

The resulting volume addresses five core thematic areas. The first section surveys the way in which Baptists have engaged with the Bible both in their early history and more recent past. Section two analyzes some specific examples of Baptist hermeneutics in practice, while the third section turns attention to an exploration of theoretical approaches to the hermeneutical task in Baptist contexts. The problem of how to negotiate interpretative difference within Baptist reading communities is addressed in the fourth section. Finally, concluding responses to the project from two non-Baptist theologians challenge both contributors and readers to consider the wider implications of the volume for contemporary Baptist life.

Check out the Amazon page here.

Postcards from the wall #19

2011-01-10T15:52:00.000Z

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

Radio 2 - Pause for Thought

2010-12-26T06:30:00.006Z

This is my Pause for Thought from today's Nikki Bedi programme on Radio 2.

Reproduced with kind permission from the BBC.

Recently, I went to see The Sound of Music at the theatre, with the wonderful Connie Fisher playing the part of Maria, and to my slight surprise had one of the best evenings out in a long time!

aving grown up watching the film on TV every Christmas, I found that I knew all the words, to all the songs, even though I hadn’t seen it for years. The strong tunes of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical score stayed with me for days, and I kept finding myself whistling ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ or ‘Do-Re-Mi’ at inappropriate moments. And as for Edelweiss, Edelweiss, so good they named it twice, well, what can I say?!

One of my friends asked me if I was going to go in costume, and although the temptation was strong to dress up as an army officer, or even as a nun, my sense of dignity got the better of me on this occasion.

One of the slightly strange things about the evening was the fact that some of the audience were carrying small brown paper packages tied up with strings, but all became clear when they gave them to those sitting near them during the song ‘My Favourite Things’.

Which brings me to boxing day – the day when traditionally people gave Christmas Boxes to tradesmen, to thank them for all they had done during the year. And I wonder which, if any, of the gifts we’ve received this year we are going to really treasure, and which we might already be planning to give away next year, or to return to the shop unopened?

Is there a gift we have received this year that will be, in years to come, one of our ‘favourite things’. I’m not just thinking about the gifts we opened yesterday, but the gifts we’ve received throughout the year: gifts of love, hope, new life, and forgiveness.

In the Bible, Jesus says: “I am leaving you with a gift -- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.” (Jn 14.27) And I wonder, this boxing day, if there is any greater gift than this? “peace of mind and heart.”

Radio 2 - Pause for Thought

2010-12-25T06:30:00.006Z

This is my Pause for Thought from today's Roger Royle programme on Radio 2.

Reproduced on the Hopeful Imagination blog with kind permission from the BBC. You can listen again here, 30 minutes into the show.

Good morning, and happy Christmas.

It’s a strange day, Christmas day, isn’t it? I mean, at one level it’s a day like any other, falling rather predictably between the 24th and 26th days of the 12th month. But at another level it’s a day like no other.

We’ve been building up to it for weeks, months even, and the sense of anticipation has been mounting inexorably. From garish grottos in garden centres, to cheesy canned Christmas music round every corner, there has been no escaping the increasingly imminent arrival of Christmas day itself.

And now it’s here, it’s arrived. So happy Christmas.

And what, I wonder, will today hold? Giving? Receiving?; Eating? Drinking?; Family? Loneliness?; Happiness? Sadness? For each of us, today will bring a unique mixture of emotions and activities. But then, as quickly as it began, it’ll all be over. The day passes, and we wonder where on earth it went.

And also, we might wonder, what on earth it meant? Dinah Washington famously sang ‘What a difference a day makes’, and we might well ask this as a question of Christmas day. Just what difference does this one day make?

Within the Christian tradition, Christmas is a day of celebration, but it’s also a day of remembrance. It points back in time to another day, long past, when a young woman gave birth to a child. Just another day, just another birth. And yet Christians believe that that day, that that birth, in some way changed everything. The birth-day of Jesus, one moment in history, one day among many, is celebrated as the moment history changed, the moment God became human.

The Canadian singer Bruce Cockburn puts it beautifully in his song Cry of a tiny babe: Like a stone on the surface of a still river, Driving the ripples on forever, Redemption rips through the surface of time in the cry of a tiny babe.

So, as I said, happy Christmas.

Bible and Justice: Ancient Texts, Modern Challenges

2010-12-22T14:10:00.000Z

I've just heard that this book, in which I have a chapter, is now published:

Bible and Justice: Ancient Texts, Modern Challenges
Edited by Matthew J.M. Coomber

You can buy your own copy here.

This book had its origins in the Sheffield conference of the same title, held in 2008. It promises to be an exciting and challenging read.

The blurb from the publisher is as follows:

Description
The Bible contains a variety of passages that defend the poor and champion the cause of the oppressed, but are these ancient texts able to find a voice in confronting injustice in the modern world? Bible and Justice, a selection of papers compiled from the proceedings of the 2008 Conference on Bible and Justice at the University of Sheffield, addresses this question. The authors gathered within this volume explore the various ways in which the Bible might effectively confront an array of human rights, poverty and environmental concerns, while considering the difficulties that arise when ancient concepts of justice are applied to modern socio-political ideals. Written to be accessible to those outside the field of biblical studies, Bible and Justice will be a valuable resource for both academics and non-academics alike.

Contents
Introduction

Part 1:Challenges and Understanding of Bible and Justice
1. On the Genesis of the Alliance between the Bible and Rights
Yvonne Sherwood, University of Glasgow

2. Rough Justice?
Philip Davies, University of Sheffield

3. Is the Belief in Human Rights either Biblical or Useful?
John Sandys-Wunsch,

4. Jesus: The Justice of God
Stanley Hauerwas, Duke University Divinity School

Part 2: Uses and Approaches to Bible and Justice
5. Justice and Violence in the Priestly Utopia
Walter J. Houston, Mansfield College, Oxford

6. A Signs Source: Approaching Deaf Biblical Interpretation
Louise J. Lawrence, University of Exeter

7. From a Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of the Economy to the RDP of the Soul: Public Realm Biblical Appropriation in Postcolonial South Africa
Gerald West, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Part 3: Prospects for Applications of Bible and Justice
8. The Old Testament and the Environment
J.W. Rogerson, University of Sheffield

9. Ecojustice in the Bible? Pauline Contributions to an Ecological Theology
David G. Horrell, University of Exeter

10. Can the Book of Revelation be a Gospel for the Environment?
Simon P. Woodman, South Wales Baptist College

11. ‘I Have Always Relied on the Kindness of Strangers’: Hospitality and the Geneva Conventions of Ancient Israel
Diana Lipton, King’s College London

12. Prophets to Profits: Ancient Judah and Corporate Globalization
Matthew J.M. Coomber

Reviews
'This is a truly major contribution to discourse about the Bible and Ethics. To date the discussion has been dominated by simplistically polarized positions: on the one hand, the assumption that the Bible supports justice today without equivocation; on the other hand, the assumption that the outdated ethical views of the Bible are inapplicable today. The present volume confronts this dichotomy head-on by showing how the Bible may indeed contribute to efforts at social justice today once the difficulties in bridging the temporal and sociopolitical gap that separates us from the biblical world is taken fully into account. This volume coincides with the newly established Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice in the United States which is committed to a critical sharing of the biblical imperatives for social justice with scholars, clergy, laity, and especially social activists and educators.'
Norman K. Gottwald, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, New York Theological Seminary, and author of The Tribes of Yahweh

The missing tenth 'lesson'? - Zechariah 2.6 (KJV)

2010-12-22T09:36:00.000Z

These notes on Zechariah are from the Common Man's (sic) Reference Bible (sick)

HT Ben Myers

Terry Eagleton on gay goblins

2010-12-20T08:43:00.001Z

Religious faith is not in the first place a matter of subscribing to the proposition that a Supreme Being exists, which is where almost all atheism and agnosticism goes awry. God does not "exist" as an entity in the world. Atheist and believer can at least concur on that. Moreover, faith is for the most part performative rather than propositional. Christians certainly believe that there is a God. But this is not what the credal statement "I believe in God" means. It resembles an utterance like "I have faith in you" more than it does a statement like "I have a steadfast conviction that some goblins are gay." - Terry Eagleton, Reason, Faith and Revolution, p. 111

Tommy Cooper on the Apocalypse

2010-11-03T11:01:00.000Z

"I bought some Armageddon cheese today, and it said on the packet. 'Best before End'"

Is there something Chris Ellis isn't telling us?

2010-11-03T07:45:00.003Z

Alibris UK is now offering for sale that excellent worship resource book, 'Gathering for Worship', by Christine Ellis and Myra Blyth. You can buy it here.

HT: Polly

Stephen King - The Stand

2010-10-28T14:23:00.000+01:00

I'm teaching Apocalypse Now! at Cardiff University this term, and once again the students are starting to see the Book of Revelation around every corner. Harriet has just pointed me to this 1994 advert for the TV series based on Stephen King's novel 'The Stand.'
     "A demon, a prophet, and those chosen to survive...
     They find that their dreams are real!
     'Help us to be true Lord, help us to stand'
     The ultimate stand against the forces of evil"

Postcards from the wall #18

2010-09-22T08:08:00.002+01:00

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

The Passive Aggression of the Christ

2010-09-13T07:47:00.001+01:00

Putting the fun in fundamentalism...

2010-09-07T12:15:00.000+01:00

Q. How do you know if someone's a fundamentalist?
A. The notes in their Scofield Reference Bible are printed in red.

Steve Holmes on Women in Ministry

2010-08-27T06:38:00.002+01:00

Check out Steve Holmes latest thoughts on Women in Ministry

Postcards from the wall #17

2010-08-20T07:17:00.001+01:00

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

Postcards from the wall #16

2010-08-16T10:05:00.005+01:00

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

Postcards from the wall #15

2010-07-27T09:06:00.000+01:00

It's been a bit quiet on the Western Front for a while now - hopefully normal service will resume shortly...

Meanwhile...

Here's another postcard from my study wall:

Radio Wales

2010-05-28T08:28:00.002+01:00

I'll be preaching on the Radio Wales Sunday Service this coming Sunday morning, with Gareth Evans leading the service.

It's Trinity Sunday, and it was suggested to me that I "preach on the Trinity in no more than seven minutes!" So I wrote my sermon...

Then it was suggested to me that it actually needed to be five minutes and not seven. So I re-wrote my sermon...

Then it was suggested to me that it needed "more stories and jokes". So I re-wrote my sermon...

So, tune in on Sunday morning for 4:30 of stories and jokes, with a brilliant exposition of the Trinity in 30 seconds.

Sermon Wordle

2010-05-25T10:03:00.002+01:00

I always preach from a full script, so it was easy to create a Wordle of my sermons from the last couple of years. What does this tell you about my theology?

Letter to the Baptist Times

2010-05-13T07:03:00.003+01:00

I'm a co-signatory to a letter which appears in this week's Baptist Times. Here it is for you in case you can't wait for the thud on the doormat:...

Contemporvant Worship

2010-05-09T09:05:00.000+01:00

Coming soon, to a church near you...

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Thomas, Richard and Harold

2010-04-30T08:22:00.002+01:00

Rowan Atkinson shows how a funeral address should be done...

Tony Peck blogging

2010-04-28T10:06:00.003+01:00

My good friend Tony Peck has now entered the blogsphere at http://ebfgensec.blogspot.com/
Welcome, Tony!

Postcards from the Wall #14

2010-04-28T07:42:00.003+01:00

The recent news that Tom Wright is departing from the Bishopric of Durham to take up a post as Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity in St Andrews seems an appropriate spur for posting this (slightly modified from the original) postcard.
The last two lines are my own addition...

My largest ever congregation this Sunday

2010-04-16T09:01:00.005+01:00

For those who are interested (and apparently 80,000 are!), I'm leading the Sunday Worship service on Radio Wales this coming Sunday morning, and Gareth Evans is preaching.

When we recorded this service a couple of weeks ago (and also another one at which I'm preaching and Gareth is leading, to be broadcast next month) at Albany Road Baptist Church in Cardiff, we had a congregation of about a hundred - very normal, very 'safe' - and yet I was also very conscious of the tens of thousands who were also part of the congregation, or at least would be when it was broadcast. All in all a slightly surreal experience.

My overwhelming impression afterwards was of the huge commitment the BBC has to ongoing religious broadcasting. I've thought this before with the amount of effort they go to for the Pause For Thought slots I do occasionally. I can't image anything other than a public service broadcaster doing this.

Will I be listening to myself at 8.05? Not likely! I'll be watching BBC1 and the Chinese Grand Prix...

Good Friday and Coldplay

2010-04-02T08:29:00.004+01:00

My favourite (if that's the right word) Good Friday song is the wonderful hymn written by Samuel Crossman in 1664.

My song is love unknown,
My Savior’s love to me;
Love to the loveless shown,
That they might lovely be.
O who am I, that for my sake
My Lord should take, frail flesh and die?

He came from His blest throne
Salvation to bestow;
But all made strange, and none
The longed for Christ would know:
But O! my Friend, my Friend indeed,
Who at my need His life did spend.

Sometimes they strew His way,
And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King:
Then “Crucify!” is all their breath,
And for His death they thirst and cry.

Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight,
Sweet injuries! Yet they at these
Themselves displease, and ’gainst Him rise.

They rise and needs will have
My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they saved,
The Prince of life they slay,
Yet cheerful He to suffering goes,
That He His foes from thence might free.

In life, no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say? Heav’n was His home;
But mine the tomb wherein He lay.

Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King!
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, in Whose sweet praise
I all my days could gladly spend.

And for something a bit more contemporary, here's Coldplay's great re-working of the hymn.

Women in Ministry

2010-04-02T08:23:00.002+01:00

For the record (in case you missed it) (in case you're interested!) here's my piece from last week's Baptist Times write-up on the women in ministry discussions at BU Council.
Pat Took and I gave an unscripted double-act presentation for 20 minutes on the first evening, and this short piece for the BT is my attempt at taking that and reducing it to 500 words.

Facebook Passion

2010-04-01T19:46:00.002+01:00

No, it's not what you think...

If you haven't seen this yet, it's worth a look. I particularly appreciate Bart Ehrman's appearances.

HT: RevMusings

Target Audience

2010-03-29T08:15:00.003+01:00

I'm delighted to see that my paper on Women in Leadership is reaching its target audience.
HT Polly and SFLITFCOL

Fantasy BU Council League (5-a-side rules)

2010-03-12T09:19:00.004Z

You manage your own team selected from the current list of members of Baptist Union Council. Points are earned during Council on the basis of how well your team performs up-front.

Squad Selection

You have a starting kitty of 30 pieces of silver
You may purchase up to five team members for your squad, drawn from the current list of BU Council members.
Different members have a different value (see below).
You may also purchase one ‘wild card’ player who is not currently on the BU Council list of members.
You must nominate one of your team to be captain. This player will score double the number of points they would otherwise have achieved.

Player values (in pieces of silver)

15 Moderator of Council
12 Moderator of Trustees
10 Chaplain to Council
10 General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain
10 Baptist Union President
10 Head of department (e.g. Faith and Unity, Mission etc)
10 Treasurer of the Baptist Union
10 Regional Ministers
8 General Manager of the Baptist Union
7 Wildcard Player (not from list of current BU Council Members)
5 All other Council Members

Scoring

Points are awarded for ‘up-front’ performance.
The more someone makes their presence felt, the more points they score.
Points are awarded proportionate to the size of the gathering. e.g. speaking in morning prayers earns less points than contributing to main plenary debate.
Players can lose points as well as scoring them. Points will be deducted should any player use the following words: ‘Baptistic’, ‘missionary God’, ‘missional’, ‘crossing places’, ‘community’, ‘just’, ‘really’, ‘wanna’, ‘alternative’, ‘cross-cultural’, ‘buzz-groups’, ‘ecclesial’, ‘that would be an ecumenical matter’.
A red card will be awarded to any player who sits on the back row with their laptop open for more than two consecutive sessions.
Players score double for ‘inspired utterances’ including unsolicited extempore prayer, praying in tongues, and delivering words of knowledge / prophecy.
Points are awarded for style: The more unexpected / spectacular a player’s contribution, the more points they will be awarded.
Points can also be earned for ‘community contributions’ including the supply of malt-based beverages, cake, blue cheese, fermented grape juice, and Pringles.

Radio 2 again

2010-03-07T08:31:00.002Z

Here's today's 'Pause for Thought' from the Lynn Parsons show:

Pause For Thought - Radio 2

2010-03-06T10:37:00.003Z

I'm on Pause for Thought on Radio 2 again this weekend.
Here's this morning's 'thought' from the Zoe Ball show.
More tomorrow...

The Great Disappointment

2010-02-03T08:25:00.002Z

In this clip from QI, the panellists analyse 'The Great Disappointment' of the Millerite sect in the ninteenth century, when the expected return of Jesus to the earth in 1844 failed to materialise. They go on to talk about the rapture....

Terry Pratchett the Theologian

2010-02-01T22:07:00.003Z

Terry Pratchett is best known as the author of the fabulous Discworld novels. More recently, his diagnosis with Alzheimer's has brought him into the spotlight as both a fundraiser for Alzheimer's research and a participant in the debate over assisted suicide. His recent Dimbleby Lecture, Shaking Hands With Death is available on iPlayer.

So, in his honour, I thought I'd post a couple of interesting quotes.

The first is from the lesser-known Discworld book Eric, a parody of Faust. When my grandfather died, many years ago, we discovered that he had typed this quote out and put it in his writing box.

The gods of the Disc have never bothered much about judging the souls of the dead, and so people only go to hell if that's where they believe, in their deepest heart, that they deserve to go. Which they won't do if they don't know about it. This explains why it is so important to shoot missionaries on sight.

The next quote is from Pratchett's latest book Unseen Academicals.

The Patrician took a sip of his beer. 'I have told this to few people, gentlemen, and I suspect I never will again, but one day when I was a young boy on holiday in Uberwald I was walking along the bank of a stream when I saw a mother otter with her cubs. A very endearing sight, I'm sure you will agree, and even as I watched, the mother otter dived into the water and came up with a plump salmon, which she subdued and dragged on to a half-submerged log. As she ate it, while of coruse it was still alive, the body split and I remember to this day the sweet pinkness of its roes as they spilled out, much to the delight of the baby otters who scrambled over themselves to feed on the delicacy. One of nature's wonders, gentlemen: mother and children dining upon mother and children. And that's when I first learned about evil. It is built in to the very nature of the universe. Every world spins in pain. If there is any kind of supreme being, I told myself, it is up to all of us to become his moral superior. p. 229

And this makes me think that those of us who dare to lay claim to a belief in God must, simply must, take account of the words of those who do not share our fundamental beliefs. For us to assume any kind of superiority is an act of arrogance unworthy of the very faith we claim to hold.

Postcards from the wall #13

2010-02-01T12:00:00.002Z

Here's another Christmas postcard from my study wall...

Another Review of My Book

2010-01-30T08:31:00.002Z

This review appeared in this week's Baptist Times (29th Jan 2010)

(Click the image to enlarge)

God Bless You Barack Obama?

2010-01-26T08:17:00.002Z

Just in case you missed it, you can catch Robert Beckford's exploration of Obama's spirituality on iPlayer here:

As the blurb says: 'America's religious Right had claimed God for them. Beckford reveals how Obama adopted the precepts of black liberation theology and turned them into a winning manifesto that reached out to all Americans.'

Dara O'Briain on the Bible Creationism

2010-01-02T08:37:00.003Z

In this clip, comedian Dara O'Briain offers his insights into the world of biblical literalism and creationism.

A few quotes:

For God’s sake stop taking it literally – it’s only the Bible, it’s not Gospel.

Three arguments against God making us exactly as we are:

Have a look at yourself… This is the same guy who apparently made mountaintops and sunsets. What kind of off-day exactly was he having when he threw you together?
If we were truly created by God, why do we still occasionally bite the insides of our own mouths?
The appendix. Why would he put it in you when it does nothing except randomly kill you?

HT Polly

Trumpet Angels

2009-12-27T20:05:00.002Z

I went to church this morning (I know, I know... but I am a minister), and there was a very beautiful 'Christmas banner' adorning the front of the church. It had three feminine angels blowing three elegant trumpets. Lovely.

Except...

... What has this to do with Christmas????

Out of sheer awkwardness I asked a few people, and they said (and I parapharase), "well... Angels... Christmas... innit?"

Well... yes, but not angels with trumpets!
When angels are happy they sing, when they are trouble, they blow trumpets.

The angels who appear to the shepherds washing their socks by night are singing:

Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

Angels with trumpets come from, you guessed it - the book of Revelation!

Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Revelation 8:6-9 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made ready to blow them. The first angel blew his trumpet, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

And so on, and so on, and so on...

When I pointed this out, I was asked by those close to me to keep quiet, and stop spoiling Christmas.

Bah Humbug.

But watch out for those angels with trumpets...

Postcards from the wall #12

2009-12-18T11:29:00.003Z

Here's the latest in my series of postcards from my study wall...

With thanks to Christine and Harry.

Poor Joseph...

2009-12-16T21:38:00.002Z

Postcards from the Wall #11

2009-12-15T10:09:00.003Z

Here's the latest in my series of postcards from my study wall...

WFT??????

2009-12-12T09:34:00.004Z

I popped into Crane's music store in Cardiff yesterday to buy a new guitar stand. They had this very clever folding unit reduced from £14.99 to a fiver, so I bought it.

When I got it out of the packet, I started unfolding, and trying to work out which bit went where.

After a few seconds of fumbling around, Liz said to me, 'Why don't you just read the instructions?!?'.

So I did.

It was very enlightening...

Here they are (and I quote exactly!):

One: The prototype of the foldaway guitar rack
Two: Step One Take the top of the circle head and from the top downward to the fix side
Three: Step two Take the middle A type horizontal pole and from the left and right sides to the fix side
Four: Step three Put the guitar at the rack and from ascend toward front to the fix side
Five: Step four Take the empress feet rack and from the front hereafter revolve to the fix side
Six: Step five Take the forepaw rack and from empress to front to the fix side
Fold then take the above steps and anti face operation.Please take the steps of the operation,in order to prevent damage the products.

He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!

2009-12-02T07:51:00.002Z

You have 7 days left to listen on iPlayer to the BBC tribute to the iconic Python film, broadcast in honour of it's 30th anniversary. The BBC blurb is as follows:

When Monty Python's Life Of Brian was released in 1979, it was denounced by many around the world as blasphemous - and was an instant box office smash. Thirty years later it is regularly voted one of the funniest films ever, topping a Radio Times poll only last month.

Comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar celebrates this anarchic British classic, looking at the film's origins, the shoot in Tunisia, and its controversial afterlife. The Python film is an absurdist take on the story of Christ, where a man called Brian (played by Graham Chapman) is mistaken for the Messiah and attempts to escape the attentions of his devoted followers. It is a deft satire on religious intolerance which brilliantly lampooned Biblical epics like Ben Hur.

George Harrison stepped in with the money, setting up Handmade films to get it made, because he wanted to see the film. And it gave us many unforgettable scenes and peerless lines: John Cleese's Roman Legionnaire correcting Brian's Latin graffiti; "What have the Romans ever done for us?", "Welease Woger" and the singalong crucifixion finale.

Contributors include the film's director Terry Jones; producer John Goldstone; Carol Cleveland; and Sonia Jones, who sang the title song. We hear Michael Palin recall the moment of inspiration in a Paris bar; Terry Gilliam talks about his fantasy space ship animation; John Cleese remembers the pain of being "crucified" in Tunisia; Carol Cleveland recalls working with Spike Milligan (he made a cameo appearance as a prophet); and Eric Idle remembers the less then enthusiastic response to Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.

Top ten biblical deaths

2009-11-29T08:01:00.003Z

John Lyons asks for suggestions towards a 'top 10' of biblical deaths.

Here's my list (NB I have omitted the death of Jesus on the grounds of cliché).

Death by hailstone: Joshua 10:11 As they fled before Israel, while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.
Death on a campsite: Judges 4:21 Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground -- he was lying fast asleep from weariness -- and he died.
Death by sexism: Judges 9:53-54 But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and crushed his skull. Immediately he called to the young man who carried his armor and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so people will not say about me, 'A woman killed him.'" So the young man thrust him through, and he died.
Death by man: Judges 20:5-6 The lords of Gibeah rose up against me, and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she died. Then I took my concubine and cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the whole extent of Israel's territory; for they have committed a vile outrage in Israel.
Death by lack of perspective: 1 Samuel 4:17-18 The messenger replied, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the troops; your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli1 fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died.
Death by loyalty: 1 Samuel 31:5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.
Death by stomach upset: 2 Chronicles 21:18-19 After all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony.
Death by idolatry: Acts 12:23 And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Death by environmental devastations: Revelation 16:3 The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died.
Death of Death: Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire;

The News Quiz on Thought For The Day

2009-11-23T16:48:00.004Z

As an occasional contributor to Radio 2's Pause for Thought, my ears pricked up when Radio 4's The News Quiz offered comment on the recent debate about whether Atheists should contribute to Thought For The Day.

Highlights include:

I hate Dawkins, he's a fundamentalist atheist. He's a Jehovah's-I-Never-Saw-Nothin'

And the wonderful cliched TFTD/PFT opening line of:

I was mowing the lawn, and I thought, this is just like Jesus!

Anyway, you can listen to the clip here:

Some Good Advice from Bishop Alan

2009-11-21T09:29:00.002Z

revmusings points to this great post from Bishop Alan:

30 years ordained this year, and someone asked me what I thought I’d learnt. That conversation gave birth to a few stray thoughts on the back of an envelope. It would be rather grand to call them laws of Vicaring, but here goes (in no particular order of importance):

If someone says Jesus has healed their wooden leg, rejoice, but be sure to kick them in the shins first, just to make sure.
If you get away with it and it works, fine. If it doesn’t and they catch you, just cough up cheerfully and enjoy all the times you got away with it
Do the job you’re doing now with all your heart, not the one you used to do in your last parish, or hope to do in your next. Time flies when you’re having fun...
Don't ask until you’ve worked out the question. Only ask people questions they are likely to answer in the way you want. Also, Don't ask when the baby is due until the new lady in Church has actually told you she is pregnant. Never ask a Lawyer “Can we do this?” The question is always “How can we do this?”
Pick up the bloody phone! (This applies to outgoing as well as incoming calls)
You do not have their P45's in your back pocket, so always explain, always apologise
Make the other lot line up with their own rulebook, and have a go at doing so yourself before you propose change
Be extremely loyal to your predecessors. They are your most powerful secret weapon, along with people who pray quietly at home.
Schedule your free time as zealously as you would a funeral. Your family are the closest members of the body of Christ. Strive not to be toxic to them, and remember they didn't ask to have you for a parent.
Beware Grand Designs, especially your own. Dolus latet in generalibus — the Devil's in the detail, along with the delight...
You can't argue with whining, but you can with anger. Damaged, angry people have their own reward. Bless ’em all.
Rigid faith is often brittle. In the Kingdom the first often come last and the last first. You are not God's minders, or managers, but guides who should strive to be reliable and trustworthy (I Corinthians 4)
You inherited far more than you realise. Before you go buy a new tool, check the old toolbox you seldom use and nine times out of ten you've already got one. Revolution by tradition!
All constructive change works from the inside out — “You can sleep in the Garage, but it don't make you an automobile” (Billy Graham?)
This job is about the how and why of people’s lives, including your own. You accomlish far more long term than you think, and far less in the here and now: “I think I've far exceeded what I ever thought I could possibly do. I'm almost shocked that I'm still around after all these years . . . and always grateful that I get another turn to do something.” (Billy Crystal)

So... what extra rules for ministry would you add to Bishop Alan's list?

I'll add 'Laurie's First and Second Laws of Church Dynamics', named in honour of an elder at my former church:

Church members aren't stupid, you know.
The response you get from the deacons will mirror the response you get from the church meeting.

Mass We Pray

2009-11-20T11:34:00.003Z

At last! A truly Christian game for the Wii...

The blurb says:
"The wireless CROSS controller detects movement in three dimensions. Every twist of the hand and nuance of a blessing is re-created on-screen. Then add the KNEELER accessory and get off the couch and into the action."

See the video advert here

If only I had a Wii...

Thanks to the Bellinghams for spotting this.

Some more reviews of my book

2009-11-20T08:27:00.004Z

A couple of reviews of my Revelation book have come my way in recent weeks; so here they are for posterity:

The Epworth Review, July 2009
Revelation is a passionate book, which over the centuries has evoked a passionate, and sometimes dangerously unbalanced, enthusiasm in its readers. Simon Woodman is a self-confessed enthusiast about Revelation, but his enthusiasm is informed by a meticulous scholarship and a clear wish to allow his readers to draw their own conclusions. Woodman is a skilled teacher (he is a tutor at a Baptist theological college), and he is an excellent guide to what remains for many readers of the Bible unexplored territory.
The Book of Revelation has been written with second- and third-year university students in mind, and has a wealth of footnotes as well as diagrams and tables, but its lively and accessible style, and its concern with today’s context, makes it an engaging read also for the non-specialist reader.
After three relatively short introductory chapters, the book’s central section is entitled ‘Meeting the Characters’, in which the dramatic character of Revelation and the interplay between heaven and earth as the scene of action, is well presented. A final section, ‘Engaging the Imagery’, takes the reader through the whole of Revelation; its thematic headings (‘Heaven’s perspective on . . . the church, prayer, history’ and so on ) do not do justice to Revelation’s very complex structure, but the text contains a wealth of useful commentary material.
Woodman is aware that not everyone shares his enthusiasm for Revelation, and though his usual method is to present the evidence and leave his readers to assess it for themselves, he does seek to defend Revelation against those who have found its lurid descriptions of judgement offensive. His argument that these passages represent a cry for deliverance rather than for vengeance is largely convincing, although some readers will not be wholly convinced that Woodman has dealt adequately with the difficult idea of ‘the wrath of the Lamb’ or Revelation’s apparent delight in retribution when oppressors are ‘given . . . blood to drink. It is their due!’
Overall, however, this book is to be warmly commended. It is well written. It is a mine of information for preachers and for students. And it consistently encourages us to decide how we respond to Revelation’s vision.
Christina Le Moignan.

Regent's Reviews, October 2009
The Apocalypse of John is not the kind of text that gives the impression of being in need of protection. The work’s rhetorical mode is quite clearly one of confident assertion in relation to ‘what must take place’ (4.1). Letter and vision, prophecy and apocalypse, image and metaphor all combine in this work by ‘pounding its audience with image after image, special effect after special effect. And in so doing, it seeks to transform the way they look at the world in which they live.’
But Revelation does need some interpretative protection, and Simon Woodman, who understands this text so well, whether as an ancient apocalypse, formative influence on subsequent church history or ongoing resource for theological reflection, is an excellent guide to its use and misuse. In short, in this volume he provides an excellent, accessible guide to anyone who wishes to engage in detailed study of this complex text.
The book is divided into three sections. The first part offers an orientation to Revelation as a whole. Woodman skilfully and with enviable brevity steers the reader through the basic terrain of scholarship: what kind of text is Revelation? What are the most appropriate ways if interpreting it? How do we make sense of its main structural features? For those who need it, there is a clear account of the possible relationship of Revelation to human history. The following chapter, turns into an excellent summary of the whole work in which Woodman helps us to discern the role of the narrator in the text.
Section 2 is perhaps the most creative part of the work. Woodman suggests that greater attention to the main characters in the heavenly drama portrayed in Revelation will help us discern its central themes. In this he largely succeeds, and anyone looking for a structure around which they might develop four sermons on Revelation, could do a lot worse than work with the material in these chapters. The chapter on the ‘Forces of Evil’ should be required reading by anyone who claims to understand the identity of the beast!
Section 3 picks up themes from Revelation that Woodman believes are relevant to issues of contemporary discipleship. The counter-imperial identity of the Church, perspectives on economic and environmental questions, and the challenge of martyrdom are all explored sensitively and with one eye on the present challenges facing the church. If I have a criticism, it is that Woodman does not directly address the issue of violence in Revelation, although there are comments that implicitly suggest potential ways of treating that thorny issue hermeneutically.
In that as in other areas that are discussed in his lively, helpful treatment, Revelation does need some protection. Too often it has been used to prop up notions of divine action, prophetic activity, historical description and Christian mission that take no account of its contextual location in the fraught world of the earliest Christian movement, and in the fascinating genre of literature that we call apocalyptic. Through a mixture of careful scholarship and engagement with contemporary culture Woodman manages to offer the reader an invaluable guide, and to offset in the text much of the interpretative protection that it needs.
Sean Winter, Uniting Church Theological, College, Melbourne

Regent's Reviews, October 2009
We are fortunate indeed that Baptist scholars are in the forefront of recent writing on the Book of Revelation. Alongside Simon Woodman’s fine SCM ‘Core Text’ volume, we now have Stephen Finamore’s book based on his doctoral thesis on Girard and the Apocalypse. . .
Rob Ellis, Regent's Park College

The future of academic diversity

2009-11-10T21:24:00.000Z

Letter sent to: Paul Bowler (pbowler@glos.ac.uk) and Patricia Broadfoot (vc@glos.ac.uk)

Dear Sir,
This letter is triggered by the news that Lloyd Pietersen, Senior Lecturer and Research Coordinator in New Testament Studies in the Department of Humanities, has been made redundant.
The University of Gloucestershire has a strong tradition of research in the field of Biblical Studies and Theology, and a strategic reduction of this facility in the interests of short term financial gain is in my opinion a retrograde step which will only serve to harm the national and international standing of your University in the long term.
The decision to dismiss Dr Pietersen sends a signal far beyond the immediate discipline of Theology, as it indicates that the University of Gloucestershire is now an institution which is prepared to lose world-class scholars regardless of their contribution in terms of research, teaching and supervision. This instability will inevitably cause those who might consider studying with yourselves to reconsider that decision and go elsewhere. It may appear that a minority department such as Theology and Biblical Studies is an obvious 'soft target' for cost saving, but the reduction of academic diversity which this entails is a decision which will be detrimental to the University as a whole.
With this in mind, I would strongly urge you to reconsider your decision, and to follow the recent example of Sheffield University and instead recommit yourselves to once again positioning the University of Gloucestershire as a class-leading centre for study and research in Theology and Biblical Studies.
Yours faithfully,

The Sean Winter Memorial Malt

2009-11-10T16:47:00.001Z

Caption Competition (a glass of Winter Ardbeg to the winner!)

Literal or Metaphorical?

2009-11-07T12:23:00.002Z

Click for full-size picture

HT John Lyons

Bang!

2009-11-05T20:25:00.003Z

I know I've posted this before, but I am ridiculously pleased with it...

Check out South Wales Baptists

2009-11-03T07:15:00.002Z

Nick Bradshaw (Team Leader, South Wales Baptist Association) is blogging regularly over at South Wales Baptists.
Worth a visit.

Postcards from the wall #9

2009-10-27T15:12:00.002Z

Here's the ninth in my series of postcards from my study wall:

What's your superpower?

2009-10-25T22:17:00.003Z

A discussion with our God-daughter over the weekend led to a 'What's your superpower?' conversation.

I decided mine was

Sarcasm: I have the ability to crush people with a single sentence.

My auxiliary superpower?

Cynicism: I can see straight through you.

However, none of this comes close to the superpower I covet the most (courtesy of ASBO Jesus)

Another Result!

2009-10-18T19:15:00.003+01:00

A Result!

2009-10-15T18:08:00.002+01:00

Some fantastic news...

Following my post last week about the bleak future of Sheffield University's Biblical Studies Department, the University have done a complete U-Turn. This is just great news.

The following statement is from the University:

"University of Sheffield Statement on the Department of Biblical Studies

The University of Sheffield has today confirmed its position with regard to the future of the Department of Biblical Studies. In the light of concerns regarding inadequate consultation, as well as feedback from staff and students, the Department of Biblical Studies is no longer under review and a proposal that it should be reconfigured as a Postgraduate Centre has been withdrawn.

Instead the University has asked the Faculty of Arts and Humanities to consider, as a matter of urgency, a short, medium and longer term plan for the Department. With regard to the undergraduate intake for 2010, the University can confirm that it will recruit students for this year onto single and dual honours degrees in Biblical Studies. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities are working with colleagues to ensure that these students are appropriately supported, including through the recruitment of additional staff.

Looking to the future, the University recognises the outstanding reputation of the Department of Biblical Studies in Sheffield for scholarship and a superb student experience, and has confidence that all concerned will work together to enhance this for future students.

Professor Mike Braddick
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities"

Mitchell and Webb on Door to Door Evangelism

2009-10-09T13:41:00.002+01:00

This is a great clip from That Mitchell and Webb Sound...
Door to door evangelism the way it should be done!

Sheffield 'Bibs' Department Under Threat

2009-10-08T20:35:00.002+01:00

As reported by Jim West, the Sheffield University Biblical Studies Department is under threat.
Here is the letter I have sent to the Vice Chancellor.
You can email him too at vc@sheffield.ac.uk

Prof. Keith Burnett
Vice-Chancellor
The University of Sheffield

Dear Prof. Burnett,

I am writing to express my dismay at the news that the Sheffield Biblical Studies Department is facing the threat of closure, either total or partial. I owe many things to the 'Bibs' department, ranging from meeting my wife there, to the superb education which I received at the hands of the first class teaching staff.

My three years in the department as an undergraduate fixed the trajectory for my professional career, and I am deeply troubled that young adults may now be denied the unique opportunities that a dedicated Biblical Studies department such as yours offers.

Sheffield University is to be congratulated on its historic innovation in founding and fostering such a department, a decision which has been vindicated innumerable times. The reputation of the department has been consistently high, both in terms of undergraduate teaching and postgraduate research. The field of Biblical Studies, and the wider discipline of theology, owes a debt of gratitude to Sheffield University for this.

With this in mind, I would strongly urge you not to lose this vital and unique department, which continues to offer so much to the worldwide academic community.

Yours sincerely,

ISTJ/IJST

2009-10-07T22:09:00.002+01:00

Some MBTI thoughts:

Is IJST the theological journal for ISTJs?
Was Moses a JEDP?
Was Jesus an NRSV?

Conservativising the Bible

2009-10-07T09:18:00.003+01:00

A Wikipedia-style group editing project has been proposed to 'conservativise' the Bible...

You can join the fun at http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project

Here's the groundrules:
1. Framework against Liberal Bias: providing a strong framework that enables a thought-for-thought translation without corruption by liberal bias
2. Not Emasculated: avoiding unisex, "gender inclusive" language, and other modern emasculation of Christianity
3. Not Dumbed Down: not dumbing down the reading level, or diluting the intellectual force and logic of Christianity; the NIV is written at only the 7th grade level[3]
4. Utilize Powerful Conservative Terms: using powerful new conservative terms as they develop;[4] defective translations use the word "comrade" three times as often as "volunteer"; similarly, updating words which have a change in meaning, such as "word", "peace", and "miracle".
5. Combat Harmful Addiction: combating addiction by using modern terms for it, such as "gamble" rather than "cast lots";[5] using modern political terms, such as "register" rather than "enroll" for the census
6. Accept the Logic of Hell: applying logic with its full force and effect, as in not denying or downplaying the very real existence of Hell or the Devil.
7. Express Free Market Parables; explaining the numerous economic parables with their full free-market meaning
8. Exclude Later-Inserted Liberal Passages: excluding the later-inserted liberal passages that are not authentic, such as the adulteress story
9. Credit Open-Mindedness of Disciples: crediting open-mindedness, often found in youngsters like the eyewitnesses Mark and John, the authors of two of the Gospels
10. Prefer Conciseness over Liberal Wordiness: preferring conciseness to the liberal style of high word-to-substance ratio; avoid compound negatives and unnecessary ambiguities; prefer concise, consistent use of the word "Lord" rather than "Jehovah" or "Yahweh" or "Lord God."

In true Wikipedia style, you can track back additions and deletions.

For some reason, the following proposed translation of Genesis 1 was fairly quickly scheduled for deletion:

Genesis 1.1 In the beginning, God did a cost/benefit analysis and decided that social collectivism was the only sustainable economic paradigm and that the only people that actually go to hell are sinister, self-absorbed, greedy myopic fascists such as those that created Conservapedia.

Go Deep

2009-10-07T08:43:00.004+01:00

A great cartoon courtesy of Polly. Click it for a better quality image.

Rats!

2009-10-06T07:26:00.002+01:00

Meet Crystal and Annie, our two new pet rats.
We bought them for each other to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, hence the names.
They are the latest in a line of rats who we have cared for over the years.
It all began with Ara Rat, then we had Rattle and Hum, and most recently Revel and Rolo.

p.s. I did also buy Liz a necklace!

Postcards from the wall #8

2009-10-02T10:38:00.001+01:00

Here's the eighth in my series of postcards from my study wall:

A Square Peg in a Round Hole

2009-09-24T09:29:00.002+01:00

A square peg in a round hole
A spiritual misfit
Never fully belonging
Never quite at home

Always one step ahead
or one step behind

The cynical edge
The questioning glance

Is this what it means
to be a prophet?
Is this what it means
to be a disciple of the Son of Man
who had nowhere to lay his head?
Is this what it means
to be a follower of the mendicant misfit
who said: 'A prophet has no honour at home'...?

But
Maybe
a prophet with honour is never at home...
Maybe
the call is to never settle
Maybe
the call is to journey, to run, to hide, to escape

To forever be
the square peg in the round hole.

Cautiously Optimistic

2009-09-23T09:44:00.003+01:00

I've just spent the last three days at The Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, attending my quinquennial (look it up!) 'Ministry Refresher Conference'.

As is usually the case for me, the high point is the people - catching up with old friends, and making new ones. That said, the Bible studies by Steve Finamore were excellent, and Rachel Haig gave a great opening address.

I have deliberately not spent the whole time with existing friends, and have made a conscious decision at mealtimes to sit on tables with people I don't know. The opening gambits of such conversations follow a pattern as regular and predictable as the opening moves of a game of chess:

1. e2-e4, e7-e5. Where are you from?

2. Ng1-f3, Nb8-c6. South Wales Baptist College.

3. Nb1-c3, Bf8-c5. Oh right... erm... how long have you been there?

4. Bf1-c4, Nc6-d4. I'm just starting my sixth year.

5. Nf3xe5, Qd8-g5. Oh right... erm... that's a long time! Gosh! How many years do you have to do?

6. Ne5xf7, Qg5xg2. Well it depends how long the Lord wants me to be there.

7. Rh1-f1, d7-d6. Oh right... erm... is that how it works at College these days?

8. Nf7xh8, Bc8-g4! Well it does if you're a tutor!

9. Bc8-g4. Oh right... erm... So, you're a tutor! Gosh, they get younger don't they! What do you teach?

10. Nc3-e2. Biblical Studies, mainly New Testament, and my research interest is the Book of Revelation.

11. Nd4-f3. Oh right... erm... Gosh! That's an interesting topic. I once preached through Revelation, well, the letters at the beginning and the end bit, not all that stuff in the middle!

*******************************************************

And so on, and so on, and so on.....

But after this fairly standard execution of Pratt's trap (look it up!), things start to get interesting.

And what I have discovered through my unscientific random sample is, to my delight, that my colleagues in ministry are generally sensitive, intelligent, informed people, who think deeply about their faith and take their own spiritual development seriously. This, I think, is a cause for optimism...

The gathering was predominantly male, but with a good smattering of female ministers. It could be more, it should be more, but it's a good start.

I am pleased to be part of a Union which takes the care of its ministers seriously, by providing a conference such as this.

I am also left with a sense of renewed responsibility regarding my own role - as I have been reminded once again of the impact that those three short years in College have on the ministry of those who come to us for ministerial formation. Sometimes it can feel like I'm banging my head against the wall of students, but the evidence of the last three days is that the College years are incredibly formative. I have always felt my call to College was actually a call to the church, and the evidence is that this is so.

As I said, cautiously optimistic...

A busy month

2009-09-22T15:25:00.003+01:00

My last month:

1 day in Birmingham for a 'Women in Ministry Day' (184 miles by car)
5 days in Cheltenham for Greenbelt (88 miles by car)
4 days in Aberdeen for the British New Testament Conference (1,100 miles by plane)
2 days in Manchester for a Baptist Colleges' Staff Conference (356 miles by train)
4 days in Felixstowe for Liz's sister's wedding (436 miles by car)
1 day in mid-Wales on a 'quiet day' finishing off with a Church meeting in Cardiff in the evening (147 miles by car)
4 days in Cornwall as a holiday to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary (316 miles by car)
3 days in Derbyshire on a Baptist Ministry Refresher Conference (306 miles by car)
3 days in Felixstowe (again!) for Liz's sister's wedding reception (436 miles by car)
5 days in Cardiff for work (360 miles by car - the normal commute!)

A Greenbelt Poem

2009-09-22T15:13:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Helen for spotting this:

'Welcome to Greenbelt, Heidi and Chris' by Pádraig Ó Tuama from Greenbelt Festival on Vimeo.

Postcards from the wall #7

2009-09-22T12:41:00.000+01:00

Here's the seventh in my series of postcards from my study wall:

A review of my book in The Expository Times

2009-09-09T10:05:00.002+01:00

I've just discovered a great review of my book in the Expository Times.

Here it is:

Students of the New Testament will find an excellent and stimulating guide to the Apocalypse in Woodman’s SCM Core Text: The Book of Revelation. Woodman’s enthusiasm for Revelation shines through on every page. He skilfully engages aspects of recent culture: the capacity to re-imagine the world we inhabit, as in The Matrix, or the demand of impressionist art for us to stand back and not allow the larger picture to be obscured by the details. Failure to employ either strategy accounts for widespread misreadings of Revelation.

Woodman introduces us to differing reading strategies in a non-technical way, highlighting the merits and weaknesses of each. His sympathy for Brueggemann’s notion of ‘imaginative submission’ to the text is particularly suggestive. This does not mean that he fails to engage with the difficulties a text such as this raises.

A substantial section of his book introduces the various ‘characters’ of the Apocalypse ‘drama’, and their varying relationships to heaven and earth, the Lamb and Satan. Especially illuminating is his discussion of the bride of the Lamb. He reminds us of the promise inherent in the language of marriage: weddings normally herald beginnings rather than endings. One wonders how often interpreters of Revelation take this to heart!

Woodman is perhaps at his most interesting in his final chapters – Engaging the Imagery. Here he explores the difference that reading Revelation in a context of worship makes. He also builds on the work of scholars who have seen the potential of the Apocalypse for political and economic critique. Nor are environmental concerns lacking: though often read as a script for cosmic destruction, the Apocalypse might articulate an alternative theological view. God may be envisioned, not as a God of destruction, but of restoration and re-creation.

IAN BOXALL
St Stephen’s House, Oxford

Postcards from the wall #6

2009-09-07T17:39:00.002+01:00

Here's the sixth in my series of postcards from my study wall:

Finally - Prayer explained!

2009-09-07T10:26:00.002+01:00

Mrs Betty Bowers, 'America's Best Christian', looks into a phenomenon sweeping the nation -- asking invisible people for all the stuff you're too lazy or cheap to get for yourself!

Some highlights to whet your appetite:

Amy Grant Topless
3 homes = 3 x things to pray for
Jesus DOES play favourites
Baptist research confirms: Poor people must be doing something to piss God off
God is my ATM, Prayer is my PIN
I don't ask 'Why?' I just ask often!
Never forget to say 'Amen'. It's like 'Abracadabra'

Enjoy the video here:

HT: Ben.

Charity Commissioners definition of religion

2009-09-07T10:13:00.006+01:00

I'm chair of a small charity (Friends of Radosc, if you're interested - check us out on the charity commission website), and I've been doing a bit of reading about 'Public Benefit' - apparently to exist as a charity, we have to be able to demonstrate that we fulfil the requirement to provide Public Benefit.

The Charity Commission website indicates that one of the criteria for Public Benefit is 'The Advancement of Religion'. So we're OK.

It then goes on to define Religion:

The advancement of religion

20. For the purposes of charity law, a religion is a system of belief that has certain characteristics that have been identified in case law and clarified in the Charities Act 2006. Section 2(3) of the Charities Act states that:

"religion includes:

a religion which involves a belief in more than one god, and
a religion which does not involve a belief in a god"

So... my question is...

What about belief in just one God?

Does this definition tacitly exclude all the great monotheistic faiths?

Back from Greenbelt

2009-09-02T08:10:00.003+01:00

A couple of years ago, my spiritual director asked me where I truly belonged, spiritually...

Was it my church? Kinda...
Was it the College? Also, Kinda...
Was it my housegroup? Sometimes...
Was it sharing a meal and fellowship with friends? Often...

And then it hit me, and brought a tear to my eye (which doesn't happen often)...

The place I truly belong, spiritually, is Greenbelt.

So, once again, we've been to Greenbelt...

At a session he presented with the (wonderful) poet Stuart Henderson, Martyn Joseph was asked what makes Greenbelt special for him - and he answered that it's a place for spiritual refugees. And I thought, yes, that's right. And also, yes, that's me.

Now it might seem strange for one as embedded in a denomination as I am to appropriate the label of spiritual refugee, but honestly, it's true: my favourite songs (which I want played at my funeral) (which I'm planning for 2082 in case you're wondering) are U2 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for' and Martyn Joseph 'Treasure the questions'.

Questioning everything and dissatisfaction with the status quo run deep within me, and hence I find myself drawn not just to Baptist ecclesiology, but also to Anabaptism and, of course, Greenbelt. This year was my 22nd (in 24 years), which if you add it up means I've spent nearly 3 months of my life at Greenbelt. Time well spent, I feel.

Highlights this year for me included:

A talk by Bishop Gene Robinson on human sexuality.

He (rightly in my view) suggested that if the church wants to properly address the issue of homosexuality, it must be done in the context of a much broader debate about sexuality in general, and that perhaps a good starting point might be to get all the heterosexuals in the church to have an honest conversation about their own experience of sexuality, before then turning to the 'problem' of the homosexuals in their midst.

A lecture by Paula Gooder:entitled Taking a very long view: the end of the world in the Bible at which she said pretty much what I'd have said if they'd asked me to do it instead!

A performance by Ockham's Razor, which was visually stunning and thought provoking.

And a high-energy concert by the wonderful Duke Special:

A New Species at Bristol Zoo

2009-08-27T08:12:00.003+01:00

I've mentioned before that Liz and I are members of Bristol Zoo.
Well, it seems there is a new species: Homo Sapiens...
There is a new sign outside the Coral Cafe, detailing the nesting, mating and feeding habits of Homo Sapiens.
Here's a video of the cafe, the new species, and the sign: