Review of 'Can the Book of Revelation be a Gospel for the Environment?'

Matthew Coomber's excellent edited volume 'Bible and Justice: Ancient Texts, Modern Challenges', in which I have a chapter, has been reviewed by Shannon E. Baines in the Journal of Hebrew Scriptures.

Of my chapter, she says:

The third and final section of the volume, “Prospects for Applications of Bible and Justice,” comprises papers written by J. W. Rogerson, David Horrell, Simon Woodman, Diana Lipton, and Matthew Coomber...

Woodman, in his essay, “Can the Book of Revelation Be a Gospel for the Environment?,” views Revelation as containing both negative and positive images about the environment. The book describes environmental destruction which will result from God's judgment on evil but is limited to Babylon (i.e., Rome). The destruction entails the removal of oppressive systems and liberates all of creation. Woodman believes that the four creatures worshipping at the throne in Rev 4 represent all creation, human and non-human, as only one of the creatures has human facial features. He concludes that the book of Revelation is “good news” in that it “revolve[s] around God's justice: justice against evil, justice for righteousness, and justice for creation” (p. 191).

Review of Baptist Hermeneutics in The Expository Times

Michael O'Neil, of Vose Seminary, Perth, Western Australia, has written a great review in the Expository Times of The ‘Plainly Revealed’ Word of God? Baptist  Hermeneutics in Theory and Practice

He says:

This outstanding collection of essays is the fruit of a 2009 colloquium in which a group of international scholars met in Cardiff, UK, to explore the theory and practice of Baptist hermeneutics. The book contains fifteen essays including one response and two reflection papers contributed after the conference.

The essays examine how Baptists have used and interpreted Scripture, how they have understood the nature, authority and function of Scripture, and how they might navigate the troubled waters of inevitable ‘pervasive interpretative plurality,’ especially given the traditional Baptist conviction of freedom of conscience in matters of biblical interpretation.

The essays brim with historical, theological and hermeneutical insights and portray a tradition in which Baptist exegesis is ‘rich, complicated,conflicting and conflicted … a living, evolving, self-correcting hermeneutical tradition that creates space for both an emerging consensus and dissent to that consensus’ (p. 25). As such they provide a welcome alternative to the trend in some Baptist circles, which would limit interpretative possibilities to approved confessional or doctrinal positions...

The editors, publisher and sponsoring institutions are to be commended for bringing this excellent collection to publication, and one hopes it will enjoy a wide readership, not only amongst those specialists interested in Baptist history and theology, or hermeneutics more generally, but also theological and ministerial educators, and especially amongst pastors, churches and lay leaders in hope that it may indeed contribute toward the renewal of radical, prophetic, Christ-centred and Spirit-filled congregations, not least amongst Baptists.

Bible Society re-publish Book of Revelation (day after 'world end'!)

Bible Society are so confident that the world ISN'T going to end on 21.12.12 that they are re-releasing The Book of Revelation the day after.

Re-published for 2012 with a new foreword by Simon Woodman, The Book of Revelation has been interpreted as the book of the end time.

However, Bible Society are so certain that nobody other than God can predict the end of the world, that they’ve chosen to release the book on Saturday 22nd December 2012 – the day after the ‘end of the world’!

Executive Director of Charity Paul Woolley says: "Ah, the futile frenzy of trying to guesstimate a date for the end of the world! Jesus said that 'no-one knows the day or the hour', so maybe we should trust him. On 21 December I'm planning to celebrate my wedding anniversary in London with a good meal - it won't be the last supper!"

Dictionary of the Bible and Western Culture

Today I received notice that the long-awaited Dictionary of the Bible and Western Culture edited by Mary Ann Beavis and Michael J. Gilmour (Sheffield Phoenix Press, Sheffield: 2012) has been published. It's on Amazon here.

This is a major work, involving a large number of contributors. It's not cheap, but it will be a significant resource for those who are interested in the relationship between the Bible and Culture.

My own articles are: 666, Apollyon, Lion of Judah, Morning Star, and The Book of Revelation.

You can't really see it on the picture here, but the words 'The Book of Revelation' feature prominently in the background text of the front cover.

Wisdom, Science and the Scriptures

Last week I was privileged to be at the presentation of Ernest Lucas's Festschrift, 'Wisdom, Science and the Scriptures' ed. Steve Finamore & John Weaver (Centre for Baptist History and Heritage, Oxford: 2012).

Ernest taught me when I was a student at Bristol Baptist College, where he has had a long and distinguished career as both and academic and College Tutor involved in the formation of women and men for Baptist ministry.

He was greatly surprised and touched to receive the volume, which contains a fascinating selection of essays that reflect Ernest's interests as both biblical scholar and scientist.

I am proud to have a chapter in this volume. It will be available to purchase from Regent's Park College via their website in due course.

 Part 1 - Wisdom in the Bible
Gordon Wenham, 'Creation in the Psalms'
John Bimson, 'Fierce Beasts and Free Processes: a Proposed Reading of God's Speeches in the Book of Job'
Hillary Nyika, 'The Traditional Israelite Legal Settings: Social Contexts in Proverbs?'
Knut M. Heim, 'Personified Wisdom in Early Judaism'

Part 2 - Science and Christian Faith
Paul S. Fiddes, 'Ancient and Modern Wisdom: The Intersection of Clinical and Theological Understanding of Health'
Brian Haymes, 'The Way of Practical Modesty'
Elaine Storkey, 'The Environment and the Developing World'
John Weaver, 'Hopeful Disciples in a Time of Climate Change'
Robert S. White, 'Take Ten: Scientists and their Religious Beliefs'

Part 3 - The Scriptures
Simon Woodman, 'The Evolving Agenda of Biblical Studies'
Mike Pears, 'Moving Towards a Theological Perspective on 'Place' by Using Cresswell's Notion of Doxa and Deviance as a Hermeneutical Tool for Place-based Readings of Mark's Gospel'
Stephen Finamore, 'Not Made With Hands: the Heavenly Temple in Hebrews and Revelation'

Part 4 - ...and Cricket
Robert Ellis, ''Play Up! Play Up! And Play the Game!' Cricket and Our Place in the World'

Job opportunity at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

Please pass the word around that we are advertising for a live-in church manager at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church.



Advert is here:

http://bloomsbury.org.uk/news_and_diary/entry/church_manager/

Ruth Gouldbourne on Radio 4 'Beyond Belief'

My friend and colleague Ruth Gouldbourne is one of the 'prominent Baptists' who will be on Radio 4's flagship religious affairs programme Beyond Belief next week.

It'll be worth a listen, and will be available afterwards as a podcast.

Review of Baptist Hermeneutics

A great review of our Baptist Hermeneutics book in the latest Journal for the Study of the New Testament 34.5 August 2012...

to quote...

" Is there a distinctive Baptist approach to hermeneutics? This question runs like a thread through this collection... The general conclusion is that... there is a distinctive emphasis which combines a radical Christological reading of scripture with a radical commitment to Christian discipleship"

Jesus Creed review, part II

Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed blog has now published the second part of the review of the Baptist Hermeneutics volume:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2012/07/26/baptists-and-the-bible-2-michael-oneil/#more-30584

Baptist Hermeneutics discussion and review

A good review, and interesting discussion, of the Baptist Hermeneutics volume on Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed blog:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2012/07/12/baptists-and-the-bible/