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British Baptists and Inter-Faith Dialogue

This is still a relatively new area of engagement for Baptists. The Joppa Baptist Interfaith network began in 1985. A report on interfaith is being presented to BU Council in November 2009 .

Paul Weller Baptist Minister and Professor of of Inter-Religious Relations at the University of Derby and Visiting Fellow in the Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture at Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford, UK.

MA Theology, University of Oxford (1981); MPhil on a Baptist Contribution to the Theology & Practice of Dialogue, University of Manchester (1988); PhD on The Rushdie Controversy, Religious Plurality & Established Religion, University of Leeds (1996)

Selected Publications

'Freedom and witness in a multi-religious society: A Baptist perspective', Baptist Quarterly 33 (April & July 1990), pp. 252-264, pp. 302-315.

'Equity, Inclusivity and Participation in a Plural Society: Challenging the Establishment of the Church of England' in P. Edge and G. Harvey (eds) Law and Religion in Contemporary Society:

Communities, Individualism and the State (Ashgate,  2000), pp. 53-67.

'Insiders or Outsiders? Propositions for European Religions, States and Societies' in A. Race and I. Shafer, Religions in Dialogue: From Theocracy to Democracy, (Ashgate, 2002), pp. 193-208

'Insiders or Outsiders? Religion(s), State(s) and Society: Propositions for Europe', Baptist Quarterly 39.5 (January 2002) pp. 211-222 and 39.6 (April 2002), pp. 276-286

Time for a Change: Reconfiguring Religion, State and Society (T & T Clark, 2005),

Religious Diversity in the UK: Contours and Issues (Continuum, 2008),

A Mirror for our Times: "The Rushdie Affair" and the Future of Multiculturalism (T & T Clark, 2009)

Nicholas J. Wood. Baptist Minister, Dean and Tutorial Fellow in Religion and Culture, Regent's Park College, Oxford and Director of the Centre for Christianity and Culture. Chair of JOPPA, the Baptist Inter-Faith Network. A president of the National Christian Muslim Forum.

PhD, University of Oxford (1996)

(ed.), A Baptist Perpsective on Interfaith Dialogue (Joppa, 1992)

'Inculturating Christianity in Postmodern Britain' in Paul S. Fiddes (ed.), Faith in the Centre: Christianity and Culture (Smyth and Helwys, 2001), pp.235-256.

Confessing Christ in a Plural World. The 2002 Whitley Lecture (Whitely, 2002)

Faiths and Faithfulness: Pluralism, Dialogue and Mission in the Work of Kenneth Cragg and Lesslie Newbigin (Paternoster, 2009)

British Baptist Theologians 15. Derek Tidball

BD (LBC, 1972)
PhD (Keele, 1981) 'Evangelical Nonconformist Home Missions, 1796-1901'

1977-1985 Tutor, London Bible College
1985-1990 Minister, Mutley Baptist Church, Plymouth
1990-1991 President of the Baptist Union
1991-1995 Secretary for Evangelism and Mission, Baptist Union of Great Britain
1995-2007 Principal, London School of Theology

Major Publications

___ An Introduction to the Sociology of the New Testament (Paternoster, 1983)
___'On Wooing a Crocodile: An Historical Survey of the Relationship Between Sociology and New Testament Studies', Vox Evangelica 15 (1985), 95-110.
___ Skillful Shepherds: An Introduction to Pastoral Theology (1986)<
___ 'A Response to A Question of Identity' in (ed.) D. Slater, A Perspective on Baptist Identity (Mainstream, 1987)
___ Who are the Evangelicals?: Tracing the Roots of Modern Movements (Marshall Pickering, 1994)
___ 'The Scandal of the Church in the Mission of God's people' in Mission and Meaning, (eds.) A. Billington, A. N. S. Lane & Max Turner (Paternoster, 1995)
___ Builders and Fools: Leadership the Bible Way (IVP, 1999)
___ The Reality is Christ: The Message of Colossians for Today (1999)
___ The Message of the Cross (IVP, 2001)
___ Discerning the Spirit of the Age (Kingsway, 2002)
___ 'The Pilgrim and the Tourist: Zygmunt Bauman and Postmodern Identity' in Craig Bartholomew and Fred Hughes (eds.), Explorations in a Christian Theology of Pilgrimage (Ashgate, 2004)
___ The Message of Leviticus (IVP, 2005)
___ 'Power - "In" and "Upon": A Moody Sermon' in Timothy George (ed.), Mr Moody and the Evangelical Tradition (2005)
___ 'A Baptist Perspective on David Wright, What has Infant Baptism done to Baptism', Evangelical Quarterly 78.2 (April 2006)
___ 'Penal Substitution: a Pastoral Apologetic' in The Atonement Debate: Papers from the London Symposium on the Theology of Atonement, (eds.) Derek Tidball, David Hilborn, Justin Thacker (Zondervan, 2008)
___ Ministry by the Book (IVP, 2008)
___ 'Post-war evangelical theology: a generational perspective', Evangelical Quarterly 81.2 (April 2009)
___ 'The Radical Evangelical: A Critical Appreciation' in Pieter J. Lalleman (ed.), Challenging to Change: dialogues with a radical baptist theologian. Essays presented to Dr Nigel G. Wright on his sixtieth birthday (Spurgeon's College, 2009)

British Baptist Theologians 14: Neville Clark

Born 1927. Died 2002.

Minister, Rochester (1956-59)
Minister, Amersham Free Church (1959-75)
Tutor, South Wales Baptist College (1975-85)
Principal, South Wales Baptist College (1985-2001)

A founding (in 1963) and longstanding member of the Joint Liturgical Group.

Major Publications

An Approach to the Theology of the Sacraments (SCM, 1956) (This was a version of his MA thesis)

'The Theology of Baptism' in Christian Baptism, (ed.) A. Gilmore (Lutterworth, 1959), pp.306-326

Call to Worship (SCM, 1960)

'The Fulness of the Church of God' in The Pattern of the Church: A Baptist View, (ed.) A Gilmore (Lutterworth, 1963), pp.79-113

Interpreting the Resurrection (SCM, 1967)

'Servant of the Servants of God' in Ministry in Question, (ed.) A. Gilmore (DLT, 1971)

(ed.) with R. Jasper, Initiation and Eucharist: Essays on their Structure (Joint Liturgical Group, 1972)

'Problems and Perspectives' and 'Liturgy and Christian Formation' in Worship and the Child (ed.) R. Jasper (Joint Liturgical Group, SPCK, 1975)

'' in Singing the Faith: essays by members of the Joint Liturgical Group on the use of hymns in liturgy (ed.) Charles Roberston (Canterbury Press, 1990)

Preaching in Context: Word, Worship and the People of God (Kevin Mayhew, 1991)

Pastoral Care in Context: An Essay in Pastoral Theology (Kevin Mayhew, 1992)

'Review Article: Baptist Praise and Worship', Baptist Quarterly 35 (1993), pp.95-100

'Initiation and Eschatology' in Baptism, the New Testament and the Church. Historical and Contemporary Studies in Honour of R. E. O. White edited by Stanley E. Porter & Anthony R. Cross (JSNT Supp 171, Sheffield Academic Press, 1999)

British Baptist Theologians 13): H. Wheeler Robinson

Born 1872. Died 1945.

An important Baptist theologian from the first half of the twentieth century. A renowned Old Testament scholar. Robinson was Principal of Regent's Park when it moved from London to Oxford.

Tutor, Rawdon College (1906-1920)
Principal, Regent's Park College (1920-1945)

President of the Baptist Historical Society
President of the Society for Old Testament Study  (1929)

Major Publications

The Christian Doctrine of Man (1911, 2nd ed. 1913, 3rd ed. 1926)

The Religious Ideas of the Old Testament (1913, 6th ed. 1938)

Baptist Principles (1925, 2nd ed. 1926, 3rd ed. 1938, 4th ed. 1955)

The Life and Faith of Baptists (1927, rev ed. 1946)

The Christian Experience of the Holy Spirit (1928, 3rd ed. 1962)

'The Hebrew Conception of Corporate Personality', Zeitschrift fur Alttestamentliche Wissenshaft (1936)

Redemption and Revelation: in the actuality of history (1942)

Inspiration and Revelation in the Old Testament (1946)

The Cross in the Old Testament (SCM, 1955)

Secondary Literature

Ernest A. Payne (ed.), Studies in History and Religion: Presented to Dr. H. Wheeler Robinson, M. A., on his seventieth birthday (Lutterworth, 1942)
E. A. Payne, Henry Wheeler Robinson: Scholar, Teacher, Principal: A Memoir (1946)
W. R. Matthews, H. Wheeler Robinson', Baptist Quarterly 12.1 (1946)
M. P. Matheney, 'Teaching Prophet: The Life and Continuing Influence of Theodore Henry Robinson', Baptist Quarterly 29.5 (1982)
D. A. Garrett, 'H. Wheeler Robinson' in T. George and D. S. Dockery (eds.), Baptist Theologians (Nashville, 1990)
Rex Mason, 'H Wheeler Robinson Revisited' Baptist Quarterly 37.5 (1998)

British Baptist Theologians 12: Haddon Willmer

Haddon Willmer retired in 1998 as Professor of Theology at the University of Leeds, where he taught Christian history and theology since 1966. He has special interests in forgiveness and politics, in the relation between Christianity and European civilisation and in contemporary realisations of Christianity in mission and development. He studied in Tubingen in 1973-74, seeking to understand Bonhoeffer by investigating some of his less noticed contemporaries, such as Heinrich Vogel and Otto Dibelius.

MA PhD (Cambridge, 1971)
Research Fellow, Emmanuel College Cambridge, 1964-66
Maurice Reckitt Research Fellow in Christian Social Thought, University of Sussex, 1975-77
Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Professor of Theology, University of Leeds 1966-1998
Research Tutor, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies - 1999

Areas of interest: Christian theology and history, politics and forgiveness, Barth and Bonhoeffer, missiology, the inheritance and future of Christianity in England and Europe, practical theology, child theology

PhD Title: Sealing and enlightenment: Aspects of the early Christian doctrine of baptism (1971)

Selected Publications:

'"Holy Worldliness" in Nineteenth-Century England' in D. Baker (ed.), Studies in Church History 10 (1973), 193-211

‘Twice-Baptised Christians – a Way Forward for Church Reform and Unity’, The Fraternal 175 (1976)

"Towards a Theology of Politics", Nottingham, Shaftesbury Project (1976)

"The Politics of Forgiveness-A New Dynamic," The Furrow, 30.4 (April 19, 1979), pp. 207-218

‘Does Jesus Call Us to Political Discipleship?’, in Christian Faith and Political Hope:  A Reply to E.R. Norman, ed. Charles Elliott (Epworth, 1979)

'A Comment' in The Origin of Christology by C. F. D. Moule (CUP, 1978), pp.159-174.

'Theology and European Security' in Ethics and European Security, Barrie Paskins (ed.) (Croom Helm, 1986)

'The Significance of Restorationism' Baptist Quarterly 32.1 (Jan, 1987), pp.19-27

‘Images of the City and the Shaping of Humanity’ in Theology in the City: A Theological Response to “Faith in the City”, ed. Anthony Harvey (SPCK, 1989)

'The Justification of the Godless: Heinrich Vogel and German Guilt' in Protestant Evangelicalism: Britain, Ireland, Germany and America c. 1750-c. 1950, Keith Robbins (ed.) (Blackwell, 1990), pp.327-46.

(ed.) 20/20 Visions: The Futures of Christianity in Britain (SPCK, 1992)

The Christian Family, Hugh Pyper (ed.) (SCM, 1996)

‘Costly Discipleship’ in The Cambridge Companion to Dietrich Bonhoeffer (CUP, 1999)

'Responses to Miroslav Volf's "The social meaning of reconciliation', Transformation: An International Evangelical Dialogue on Mission and Ethics 16.1 (Jan/Mar 1999), pp.13-17.

'Jesus Christ the Forgiven: Christology, Atonement and Forgiveness' in Forgiveness and Truth: Explorations in Contemporary Theology, eds. A. McFayden and M. Sarot (T & T Clark, 2001)

'The Collapse of Congregations', Anvil 18.4 (2001), pp. 249-260

'Writing Local Church History' in Anthony R. Cross (ed.), Ecumenism and History: Studies in Honour of John H. Y. Briggs (Paternoster, 2002)

Evangelicalism 1785-1835: An Essay (1962) and Reflections (2004) (Paternoster, 2006)

'Karl Barth' in The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology, eds. T. Cavanaugh & Peter Scott (Blackwell, 2007)

'"Vertical" and "Horizontal" in Paul's Theology of Reconciliation in the Letter to the Romans', Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies 24.4 (October 2007), pp.151-160

‘Forgiveness as permission to live’ in Wounds that Heal: Theology, Imagination and Health, J. Baxter (ed.), (SPCK, 2007)

British Baptist Theologians 11: Keith W. Clements

Tutor, Bristol Baptist College (1977-1990)
Coordinating Secretary for International Affairs of the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland (1990-1997)
General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches (1997-2005)

Editor of the Baptist Quarterly (1980-1985)

Selected Publications

'Moltmann on the Congregation', Baptist Quarterly 28.3 (1979), pp.101-109.

'Facing Secularism' in A Call to Mind: Towards a Theology of Commitment (Baptist Union, 1981)

(ed.) Baptists in the Twentieth Century. Papers presented at a summer school July 1982 (Baptist Historical Society, 1983)

'The Covenant and Community' in Bound to Love (Baptist Union, 1986)

A Patriotism for Today: Love of Country in Dialogue with the Witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Collins, 1986)

Lovers Of Discord: Twentieth-century Theological Controversies in England (SPCK, 1988)

'Nationalism and Internationalism: A Theological Critique' in Richard Bauckham and R. J. Elford (eds.), The Nuclear Weapons Debate: Theological and Ethical Issues (SCM, 1989), pp.65-79.

What Freedom? The Persistent Challenge of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Bristol Baptist College, 1990)

Learning to Speak: The Church's Voice in Public Affairs (T & T Clark, 1995)

'Ecumenical witness for peace' in The Cambridge Companion to Dietrich Bonhoeffer (CUP, 1999)

'Pure Clay and Time's Mud: Biography as History' in Anthony R. Cross (ed.), Ecumenism and History: Studies in Honour of John H. Y. Briggs (Paternoster, 2002)

'On Being Prayed For', Ecumenical Review 54.1 (2002)

Bonhoeffer and Britain (Churches Together In Britain and Ireland, 2006)

'Two decades of Ecumenism in Europe: A Promising Past with an Uncertain Future' in Ecumenical and Eclectic: The Unity of the Church in the Contemporary World. Essays in Honour of Alan P. F. Sell, (ed.) Anna Robbins (Paternoster, 2007), pp.205-220

British Baptist Theologians 10: Ruth Gouldbourne

Minister, Bunyan Meeting Free Church, Bedford (1988-1995)

Tutor in Church History and Doctrine, Bristol Baptist College (1995-2005)

Minister, Bloomsbury Central Baptist, London (2005-)

Selected Publications

Reinventing the Wheel: Women and Ministry in English Baptist Life (Whitely, 1997)

'THIS SAD WORK', Baptist Quarterly, July 2001

'Messengers: Do they have a message for us?' in Translocal Ministry, (ed.) Stuary Murray (BU, 2004)

'BEING HUMAN: Review of the Whitley Lecture 2006', Baptist Quarterly 42, April 2007

The Flesh and the Feminine: Gender and Theology in the Writings of Caspar Schwenckfield (Paternoster, 2007)

with Brian Haymes and Anthony Cross, On Being the Church: Revisioning Baptist Identity (Paternoster, 2008)

British Baptists and the Old Testament

British Baptists have a long history of producing internationally-renowned Old Testament scholars.

H. H. Rowley, Assistant lecturer in Semitic Languages in University College, Cardiff (1930-1935), Professor Semitic Languages, University College of North Wales, Bangor (1935-1945), Professor of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Manchester (1945-1959). Author of The Missionary Message of the Old Testament (1944), The Biblical Doctrine of Election (1950), The Unity of the Bible (1953)

Theodore Henry Robinson Baptist minister and Professor of Semitic Languages, Cardiff (1927-). Author of Prophecy and the Prophets in Ancient Israel (1923)

Henry Wheeler Robinson Baptist minister and Principal of Regent's Park College, University of Oxford (1920-1942).

G. Henton Davies (DD, Glasgow, 1958) Baptist minister and Tutor in Hebrew and Old Testament Studes, Bristol Baptist College (1938-1951), Professor of Old Testament, Durham (1951-1958) and Principal of Regent's Park College, University of Oxford (1958-1974)

Ronald Clements (PhD Sheffield, 1961) Baptist Minister and Lecturer in Old Testament, Edinburgh (1960-1967), Lecturer in Old Testament, Cambridge (1967-), Samuel Davidson Professor of Old Testament, King's College London (1984-1992). Author of Prophecy and Covenant (1965), Wisdom in Theology (1996)

Rex Mason (PhD King's College London 1973) Baptist minister and tutor in Old Testament, Spurgeon's College London (1964-1975), Lecturer in Old Testament, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford (1975-1983). Author of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi (1977), Micah, Nahum and Obadiah (1991), Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Joel (1994)

Paul Fiddes (DPhil Oxford, 1976, DD 2004) Principal of Regent's Park College, University of Oxford (1989-2007), Professor of Systematic Theology, Oxford (2002-) Author of '"Where Shall Wisdom be Found?" Job 28 as a Riddle for Ancient and Modern Readers', in After the Exile: Essays in Honour of Rex Mason (1996)

Ernest Lucas (PhD Liverpool 1989) Baptist minister and tutor in biblical studies, Bristol Baptist College (1994-). Author of Exploring the Old Testament: Psalms and Wisdom (2003)

Deborah Rooke (DPhil Oxford 1996) Lecturer in Old Testament, Lampeter (1995-1998), Lecturer in Old Testament, King's College London (1998-). Author of Zadok's Heirs: The Role and Development of the High Priesthood in Ancient Israel (2000)

Nathan MacDonald (PhD Durham 2001) Lecturer in Old Testament, St. Andrew's. Author of Deuteronomy and the Meaning of ‘Monotheism’ (2003).

British Baptists and the New Testament

George Beasley-Murray (PhD King's College London, under R.V.G. Tasker, 1952), Baptist minister and Principal of Spurgeon's College (1958-1973), James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-1980). Author of Baptism in the New Testament (1962), Jesus and the Coming of God (1986), John (Word Biblical Commentary, 1988)

Ralph P. Martin (PhD King's College London, 1963), Baptist minister and Tutor in New Testament, London Bible College (1959-1965), Lecturer in New Testament, Manchester (1965-), Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary (1969-1988), Distinguished Scholar in Residence (New Testament), Fuller Theological Seminary (1996-). Author of Reconciliation (1981), 2 Corinthians (Word Biblical Commentary, 1987), Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon (Interpretation Bible Commentaries, 1991)

Leonard G. Champion (DTh Heidelberg), Baptist minister and Principal of Bristol Baptist College (1953-1972)

Max Turner (PhD Cambridge, 1980), Baptist minister and Lecturer in New Testament, London Bible College (1974-1987), Lecturer in New Testament, Aberdeen (1987-1991) Professor of New Testament, London School of Theology (1998-). Author of Power from on High: The Spirit in Israel's Restoration and Witness in Luke-Acts (1996) and The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts: In the New Testament Church and Today (Rev ed. 1996)

John Morgan-Wynne (PhD Durham, under James Dunn 1987) Baptist minister and Tutorial Fellow of New Testament at Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, Principal of Bristol Baptist College (1987-1994). Author of Holy Spirit and Religious Experience in Christian Literature ca. AD 90-200 (2006)

Larry Kreitzer (PhD King's College London, under Graham Stanton, 1986), Baptist minister and Lecturer in New Testament, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford (1986-)  Author of Jesus and God in Paul's Eschatology (1987) and 2 Corinthians (1996)

R. Alastair Campbell (PhD King's College London, under Graham Stanton, 1993), Baptist minister and Tutor in New Testament, Spurgeon's College London (1987-2000), Lecturer in Biblical Studies at the United Theological College of the West Indies, Jamaica. Author of Elders: Seniority in Earliest Christianity (1994) and The Story We Live By (2004)

Andrew D. Clarke (PhD Cambridge, 1992), Senior Lecturer in New Testament, Aberdeen. Author of Serve the Community of the Church (2000), Secular and Christian Leadership in Corinth (2006), A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership (2008)

Sean Winter (DPhil Oxford, under NT Wright on Philippians, 1998), Baptist minister and Tutor at Northern Baptist College, Manchester (2000-). Author of More Light and Truth? (2007)

Simon Woodman (BA Sheffield, MLitt Bristol), Baptist minister and Tutor at South Wales Baptist College (2004-). Author of Revelation (2008)

British Baptist Theologians 9: George Beasley-Murray

George Beasley-Murray is probably the most famous British Baptist theologian of the 20th Century. He specialised in New Testament studies and wrote an influential book on baptism in the New Testament.

Born 10 October 1916

MTh King's College London
PhD King's College London (1952)

Tutor in New Testament, Spurgeon's College (1950-1956)
Professor of Greek and New Testament, Baptist Theological Seminary, Ruschlikon (1956-1958)
Principal, Spurgeon's College (1958-1973)
James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, South Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-1980)

The Whitley Lecturer 1959-60 published as Baptism in the New Testament (1962)
The Emanuel Ajahi Dahunsi Memorial New Testament Lecturer 1981 published as The Coming of God (Paternoster, 1983)

Died 23 February 2000

Major Publications

___ Jesus and the Future: An Examination of the Criticism of the Eschatological Discourse, Mark 13, with special Reference to the Little Apocalypse Theory (Macmillan, 1954)
___ Baptism in the New Testament (Macmillan, 1962)
___ Baptist Today and Tomorrow (Macmillan, 1966)
___ The Book of Revelation (New Century Commentary, Oliphants, 1974)
___ The Coming of God (Paternoster, 1983)
___ Jesus and the Kingdom of God (Paternoster, 1986)
___ The Gospel of John (Word Biblical Commentary, Word Books, 1988, 2nd ed. 1999)
___ The Gospel of Life: Theology in the Fourth Gospel (Hendrickson, 1991)

For more See Fearless for the Truth: A Personal Portrait of George Beasley-Murray by Paul Beasley-Murray (2002, Paternoster)