andygoodliff

Gunton's Theological Heroes

When reading Colin Gunton's work you find several names who appear time after time in footnotes and indexes. Several theologians across history were theologians who shaped Gunton's theology in major ways.

Gunton on Irenaeus (c.130-c.200): 'the church's greatest theologian of creation' (The Christian Faith, 2002, 10). From The Promise of Trinitarian Theology (1991, 1st ed.) onwards, Colin finds Irenaeus' theology important and often quotes Irenaeus' analogy of the Son and Spirit being God's 'two hands'.

'the importance of Irenaeus in all this is considerable, for his straightforwardly trinitarian construction of the act of divine creation ... provides not the answers so much as the essential clues for the reshaping of the tradition that is necessary alike for Christian theology and culture ...' (The One, the Three and the Many, 1993, 2).

Gunton on the Cappadocian Fathers (Basil of Caesara (330-79), Gregory of Nyssa (331/40-c.395), Gregory of Nazianzus (c.330-90): 'to the Cappadocians are owed crucial steps in a process of conceptual development which, despite some parallels in the West, has for the most part been neglected. Many of the papers in this volume are intended to carry forward a programme of ontological exploration in the light of concepts which owe much of their shape to the Cappadocians' (preface to the first edition, The Promise of Trinitarian Theology, 1997, 2nd ed., xii). Towards the end of The Promise of Trinitarian Theology, Gunton remarks that at early stage of the book he was tempted to call it Homage to Cappadocia (p.204 [2nd ed.]) as a signal of how much their theology of the Trinity is behind Gunton's argument.

Gunton on John Calvin (1509-64: 'his is one of the great minds of the tradition, hugely underestimated almost everywhere for all kinds of bad reasons, some but by no means all due to that movement called 'Calvinism'' (preface to Intellect and Action, 2000, viii)

'where Calvin thinks trinitarianly - that is to say, with particular respect to the work of the Son and Spirit mediating the act and will of God the Father - he is unequalled; when not, he is often deeply problematic' (Intellect and Action, 2000, 121)

Gunton is a Reformed theologian and Calvin is the fountainhead of Reformed theology and therefore naturally Calvin is an important theological voice in Gunton's theology.

John Owen (1616-83) is an important theologian to Colin Gunton. You will find major references to him in Gunton's paper in On Being the Church (1989, reprinted in The Promise of Trinitarian Theology, 1991, 1997, chapter 4) and Theology through the Theologians (chapter 11, 1996) with regard to ecclesiology. In Father, Son & Holy Spirit, Gunton describes him as 'the great Puritan theologian of the Holy Spirit' (2003, 84-5).

Gunton on Edward Irving (1792-1834): 'It was his unerring grasp on the distinctive hypostasis of the eternal Son in relation to those fo the Father and Spirit that enabled Irving to risk the daring christology for which he was condemned, but which now has so much to teach us' (The Promise of Trinitarian Theology, 1997, 2nd ed., 98). For more see 'Two Dogmas Revisited - Edward Irving's Christology' in Theology Through the Theologians (1996) and also The Actuality of Atonement (1988, pp.128-135)

Gunton on Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834): 'that most comprehensive of Anglican minds and the presiding genius of this book ...' (The One, the Three and the Many, 1993, 15). As well as The One, the Three and the Many see also 'The Nature of Systematic Theology' in Theology Through the Theologians (1996), The Actuality of Atonement (1988) and Gunton's entry in The Dictionary of Historical Theology, ed. Trevor Hart, 2000.

Gunton on Karl Barth (1886-1968): 'As time passes, the oft-repeated judgement that he is the theologian of the twentieth century seems to be yet more securely established. At the same time, however, certain aspects of th content and structure of his Church Dogmatics have come to appear problematic' (preface to Theology through the Theologians, 1996, x)

'The greatness of Barth is first of all to be found in the content of his dogmatics, and above all in what he had to write about God ... Barth's perception and rejection of Enlightenment and Romantic doctrines which were almost axiomatic until he came upon the scene mark a unique and prophetic theological achievement. Moreover, none of the points made against him in this epilogue could have been made without him, for he is the pioneer of a way of doing theology whose day has still not yet fully come' (epilogue to Becoming and Being, 2001, 2nd ed., 244-245)

Gunton is a theologian after Barth. Gunton is a Barthian who increasingly become critical of Barth's theology as his own theology developed, but who always acknowledged Barth's influence on him.

John Zizioulas (1931-). References to Zizioulas and his book Being As Communion appear throughout Gunton's later work. Zizioulas' doctrine of the Trinity is very close in many places to Gunton's and it is from Zizioulas that it appears Gunton's trinitarian theology finds an important marker. It seems from reading Gunton that Barth takes him so far and then Zizioulas takes him in new directions, arguably away from Barth.

Other important philosophical and theological voices in Gunton's work are Michael Polanyi, Michael Foster, P. T. Forsyth, Robert Jenson, Daniel Hardy and Wolfhart Pannenberg.

Should churches employ youthworkers?

The accepted answer is yes. The number of trained youthworkers is increasing. The Baptist Union now recognises youth specialists as an accredited form of ministry. Churches without a youthworker are slowly becoming the minority. I am myself employed as a church youthworker. However, recently I have found myself wanting to question the whole enterprise of youthworkers and youth ministry. I am unsure that the positives of having a trained youthworker to work with young people outweigh some of the negatives that often emerge from this type of youth ministry.

The notion of youth ministry is something that in many cases develops into something separate and outside of the church. A growing youth ministry will in most cases result in a lack of integration of young people into the church. An employed youthworker will be given the responsibility of discipling young people and the church finds itself (often happily) uninvolved. An employed youthworker gives the impression that the world of young people is foreign and strange and that one needs to receive education to understand and be accepted by young people. Discipling young people requires a professional. An employed youthworker gives the impression that who we are and what we do as church is either irrelevant or inaccesible to young people, so we need some to be a bridge into church or to develop 'revelant' and 'accessible' forms of church that engage young people. Often these forms of 'church' involve lots of entertainment.

Do we need youthworkers? Do we need youth ministry? Does the development of youth ministry hinder the discipleship of young people in the life of the church? By taking young people out of the church - separate bible groups and social events - encourage them to think church is not for them? Mark Yaconelli in Contemplative Youth Ministry argues that teenagers make adults anxious and in response he says

most congregations create youth ministries that are about control and conformity ... this means most adults want programmes and professionals. Church leaders want experts and predictable systems that will remove the doubt and ambiguity that surround most interaction with young people ... The youth are quarantined. They're placed at the margin - incubated in basements or gathered off-hours when  the congregation won't be disturbed ...
     Some youth ministries are created in response to adolescent anxieties. Noticing young people's discomfort with adults forms of faith and desperately seeking to keep youth engaged, some churches develop ministries of distraction ... ministries of distraction keep young people moving from one activity to the next: rafting trips, pizza parties, game nights, ski retreats, beach fests, music festivals, amusement parks, taco-feeds, scavenger hunts, crowd-breakers, raves, skits and whatever other activities attract kids. This is the Nicklodeon approach to youth ministry, appealing to kids' propensity for fun and recreation. This is how churches respond to young people who cry, 'Church is boring!' It's the ministry of excitement; discipleship through fun, culture-friendly, 'Christian-light' events. Like parents of a toddler who pop in a video when relatives arrive, the idea is to keep the young people from running out, keep them in the general vicinity of the church, keep them happy until they're mature enough to join the conversation.
    Ministries that simply respond to adolescent anxieties often become ministries of diversion, providing virtual environments with virtual relationships that keep youth distracted from the deeper rhythms and practices of the Christan faith. Programmes and activities are often chosen on the level of excitement that's generated. No one wants to act like an adult for fear of scaring the kids. Leaders become hesitant to engage youth in any activity that is in contrast to the consumer culture. Prayer, spiritual exercises, theological conversation and spiritual disciplines that challenge the status quo are dumped, fearing youth may cry: 'This is like school! or 'You're just like my parents!', or worse: 'This is boring.' And so the ministry never addresses the deeper needs of the youth, never challenges young people to explore the alternative way of Jesus ... (pp.23-24)

That was a long quote, but so close to the way we do youth ministry. What would happen if we got rid of it all - no more youthworkers, no more youth ministry? Would we see churches empty of young people? Maybe and in some cases, probably, unless the whole church took responsibility and risks. We do need people who understand and can communicate with young people, but I'm not sure we need them so visible, that they become the only means in which the church engages with and seeks to disciple young people. The pressure on youthworkers means too often they become experts in entertainment ministries and running amazing acitvity-filled programmes. Because of this, and I speak from my experiences and observations, I believe that our young people (and let's also say most of our adults!) never encounter and never explore the alternative way of Jesus. And as Pete Ward once said in one of my lectures the danger with youth ministry is that when and if young people grow out of what we offer they will grow out of following Jesus. We need to reimagine youth ministry, which I think we need to reimagine church.

Contemplative Youth Ministry

A lot of bloggers have posted about this book recently. Maggi referred to this review today; Jonny Baker here and here; Ian at youthblog; and many others. I picked up the book this weekend on these recommendations. This is an important book to be read alongside Kenda Creasy Dean's Practising Passion. The first chapter is spot on in its analysis of how many adults feel about young people and argues that much of this in due to the separation of child and young people from adults. The growth of youthworkers in churches is both positive and negative - positive because its recognising that young people are not yet adults; negative because it takes away our responsibility as churches to be involved in the discipleship of our young people (i.e. the responsibility gets shifted over to the youthworker/s). All of us in our churches need to read a book like this, especially those in leadership and who shape the way we exist as church. A book like this only serves my frustration and belief that the way that many of us are and do church is flawed and cannot  ultimately help our children and young people grow in Christian discipleship (see my earlier post here for some related thoughts on this subject).

Living Out Scripture

I'm started a new 'project' as Maggi has called it, over at the hopeful_imagination blog. After our advent and lent blogs, I'm asking people to blog a scripture verse or story that is important to you. This is an idea I got from David Ford's The Shape of Living, where he writes:

... be alert for some key passages of the bible to inhabit in a special way. Hans Urs von Balthasar has said that often a saint's whole life can be seen as living out just one verse of scripture. One rich verse or story can be essential to our vocation, as we come back to it year after year, and find further dimensions to it. The great words, verses and passages of scripture and the liturgy are like houses which, as we study, pray, suffer and love, are made habitable with our own furnishings, pictures, meals and children ...'

So if you want to join in, let me know.

Sensible words on Da Vinci Code

Maggi pointed me in the direction of some sensible words on Da Vinci Code from Real Live Preacher.

Da Vinci Code

I saw it last night out of curiosity and find it a little disappointing (along with most of the reviews I've read). It was slow and clunky and won't be a piece of cinema that I think will stand the test of time, apart from the fact that it is the film version of such a big-selling book. The references to history are extremely one-sided and I think in largely in error. The idea that no one thought Jesus was divine until Nicaea in 325 AD shows a complete lack of knowledge of the theologians of the early church and I don't have much time for the 'gospel of Mary Magdalene' - it's interesting that apart from John's gospel, it is widely agreed that the identity of the synoptic gospel writers are not people who were eye-witnesses, but are in contact with eye-witnesses. The idea that Mary Magdalene sat down and wrote or dictated a gospel I think is pretty ludicrous.

What's good about the film and the book? As Cosmo Landesman in the Sunday Times said yesterday, 'a bestselling blockbuster that is rooted in European history and its high culture, a book that gets millions of people discussing everything from Christian theology to the art of Leonardo da Vinci, might deserve a little credit.' I agree with that. Books should spark discussion and debate. I'm not saying I think the book is well written or I agree with the ideas in it. It's a challenge to re-examine the Christian church's history. So many Christians are illiterate about the history of the church or we think we can bypass it and return to the 'new testament' church. The history of the church is part of God's story, for good and for ill. It's a challenge to say what does Christianity have to say about the place and role of women. Historically women in the church have been pushed to the margins. Protestants shy away from saying anything about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary Magdalene has unfortunately, probably inaccurately, been branded as a prostitute. It's a challenge to the church to say what kind of gospel - good news - do we tell, share, demonstrate to the world?

People liked the book and film because they like a good conspiracy, we like secrets, we like the idea that everything is not as it appears - and sometimes it isn't. There is a lot within the political world that is kept from public square. The problem here is that fact and fiction become blurred. I don't know anything about Opus Dei,  presumably like a lot of people, so the presentation in the book finds more weight than it probably deserves in reality. (I hope that there are not those kinds of people presented in the Roman Catholic church.) Do author's have a responsibility to their readership to give a more balanced portrayal?  The book and film has no positive Christian character. The church has no voice to defend itself.

British Baptist Theologians No. 6: Anthony R. Cross

MTh (Cardiff, 1988), PhD (University of Keele, 1997)

Research Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Theological Research, University of Roehampton (1998-2001)
Consultant Editor, Paternoster Press (2001-2009)
Research Fellow, Centre for Baptist History and Heritage, Regent's Park College (2003-2009)
Director of the Centre for Baptist History and Heritage, Regent's Park College (2009-2012)
Adjunct Supervisor, IBTS (2016-2021)

Lectures to 'Forum on Baptism', BWA Annual Gathering (2017)

Selected Publications

___ 'Revd Dr Hugh Martin', Baptist Quarterly 37 (January, April, July, 1997)
___ (ed.) with Stanley Porter, Baptism, New Testament and the Church: Historical and Contemporary Studies in Honour of R.E.O. White, JSNTSup. 171 (Sheffield Academic Press, 1999)
___ '"One Baptism" (Ephesians 4.5): A Challenge to the Church', Baptism, New Testament and the Church (Sheffield Academic Press, 1999), 173-209
___ 'Service to the Ecumenical Movement: The Contribution of British Baptists, Baptist Quarterly 38.3 (1999), 107-22
___ Baptism and the Baptists: Theology and Practice in Twentieth-Century Britain, Studies in Baptist History and Thought Vol 3 (Paternoster, 2000)
___ 'Baptists and Baptism: A British Perspective', Baptist History and Heritage 35.1 (2000)
___ 'Dispelling the Myth of English Baptist Baptismal Sacramentalism', Baptist Quarterly 38.8 (2000)
___ (ed.) with Stanley Porter, Dimensions of Baptism. Biblical and Theological Studies, JSNT Supplement Series 234 (Sheffield Academic Press, 2002)
___ 'The Meaning of 'Baptisms' in Hebrews 6.2' in Dimensions of Baptism (Sheffield Academic Press, 2002)
___ (ed.) Ecumenism and History: Studies in Honour of John H.Y. Briggs (Paternoster, 2002)
___ 'Baptism, Christology and the Creeds in the Early Church: Implications for Ecumenical Dialogue' in Ecumenism and History (Paternoster, 2002)
___ (eds.) with Philip Thompson, Baptist Sacramentalism, Studies in Baptist History and Thought Vol 5 (Paternoster, 2003)
___ 'The Pneumatological Key to H. Wheeler's Baptismal Sacramentalism' in Baptist Sacramentalism (Paternoster, 2003), 151-76
____ (ed.) with Stanley E. Porter, Semper Reformandum: Studies in Honour of Clark H. Pinnock (Paternoster, 2003)
___ 'Being Open to God's Sacramental Work: A Study in Baptism' in Semper Reformandum (Paternoster, 2003), 355-77.
___ 'Faith-Baptism: The Key to an Evangelical Baptismal Sacramentalism', Journal of European Baptist Studies 4.3 (2004), 5-21
___ (ed.) with Alan Sell, Protestant Non-Conformity in the Twentieth Century (Paternoster, 2005)
___ (ed.) with Philip Thompson, Recycling the Past or Researching History?, Studies in Baptist History and Thought Vol 11 (Paternoster, 2005)
___ 'The Myth of English Baptist Anti-Sacramentalism' in Recycling the Past or Researching History? (Paternoster, 2005)
___ (ed.) with Ian Randall and Toivo Pilli, Baptist Identities: International Studies from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Centuries (Paternoster, 2006)
___ (ed.) with Ian Randall, Baptists and Mission: Papers from the Fourth International Conference on Baptist Studies (Paternoster, 2007)
___'The Evangelical sacrament: baptisma semper reformandum', Evangelical Quarterly, 80.3 (July 2008), 195-218.
___ with Brian Haymes and Ruth Gouldbourne, On Being the Church: Revisioning Baptist Identity (Paternoster, 2008)
___ (ed.) with P. E, Thompson, Baptist Sacramentalism 2 (Paternoster, 2008)
___ 'Baptism in the Theology of John Calvin and Karl Barth' in Calvin, Barth and Reformed Theology edited by Neil MacDonald and Carl Trueman (Paternoster, 2008)
___ 'Baptismal Regeneration: Rehabilitating a Lost Dimension of New Testament Baptism' in Baptist Sacramentalism 2 (Paternoster, 2008), 149-74.
___ Should we take Peter at his word (Acts 2.38)? (Centre for Baptist History and Heritage Occasional Papers; Regent's Park College, 2010)
___ (ed.), Nicholas J. Wood, Exploring Baptist Origins (Regent's Park College, 2010)
___'The Adoption of Believer's Baptism and Baptist Beginnings' in Exploring Baptist Origins (Regent's Park College, 2010)
___ (ed.) with Ruth Gouldbourne, Questions of Identity: Essays in honour of Brian Haymes (Regent's Park College, 2011)
___ '"Through a glass darkly": The Further Light Clause in Baptist Thought' in Questions of Identity: Essays in honour of Brian Haymes (Regent's Park College, 2011)
___ (ed.) with John H. Y. Briggs, Baptists and the World: Renewing the World (Regent's Park College, 2011)
___ 'Sapientia Experimentalis: 'Knowledge by experience' - Aspects of a Baptist Baptismal Spirituality' in Pieter J. Lalleman, Peter J. Modern and Anthony R. Cross (eds.), Ground in Grace: Essays to Honour Ian M. Randall (Spurgeon's College and Baptist Historical Society, 2013) 
___ Recovering the Evangelical Sacrament: Baptisma Semper Reformandum (Pickwick, 2013)
___ (ed.) with John H. Y. Briggs, Freedom and the Powers (Baptist Historical Society, 2014)
___ '"Christ Jesus ... exalted ... farre above all principalities and powers": Baptist Attitudes to Monarchy,Country and Magistracy, 1609-1644' in Freedom and the Powers (Baptist Historical Society, 2014)
___ 'Baptists, Peace and War' in Baptists and War: Essays on Baptists and Military Conflict, 1640-1990s edited by Gordon L. Heath and Michael Haykin (Pickwick, 2015)
___ (ed.) with Peter Modern and Ian Randall, Pathways and Patterns in History: Essays in Honour of David Bebbington (Baptist Historical Society and Spurgeon's College, 2015)
___ 'The Early Bristol Baptist Tradition as a Seedbed for Evangelical Reception' in Pathways and Patterns in History (2015)
___ 'To communicate simply you must understand profoundly': Preparation for Ministry among British Baptists (Baptist Historical Society, 2016)
___ ‘The sacrament of baptism among the first Baptists’, in Ecclesia semper reformanda est: A Festschrift on Ecclesiology in Honour of Stanley K. Fowler on his Seventieth Birthday edited by David G. Barker, Michael A.G. Haykin, and Barry H. Howson (Joshua, 2016), 189-211.
___ Useful Learning: Neglected Means of Grace in the Reception of the Evangelical Revival among British Particular Baptists (Pickwick, 2017)
___ ‘“Solid learning … never an encumbrance”: C.H. Spurgeon and the Necessity of Theological Education’, Baptist Quarterly 48.3 (July, 2017)
___ ‘The Foundations of Baptist Attitudes to Violence and Peace among the Earliest Baptists’, Baptistic Theologies 9.2 (Autumn, 2017)
___ ‘“Uſeful learning”: Theological Training and the Particular Baptist Revival in the Long Eighteenth Century’, in Baptists and Revivals: Papers from the Seventh International Conference on Baptist Studies edited by William L. Pitts Jr (Mercer, 2018), 160-80.
___ 'Baptism in Recent Baptist Thought', American Baptist Quarterly 37.2 (2018): 175-97.
___ ‘Reversing “the amazing ignorance and ſtupidity of ſome perſons”: Baptists, the Biblical Languages, and Bible Translation’, Baptist Quarterly 50.2 (April, 2019), 44-57.
___ (ed.) with Greg Forster, Human Flourishing: Economic Wisdom for Fruitful Christian Vision of the Good Life (Pickwick, 2020)
___ (ed.) with Philip E. Thompson, Baptist Sacramentalism 3 (Pickwick, 2020)
___ with Philip E. Thompson, 'Introduction: Sacramentalism Alive and Well' in Baptist Sacramentalism 3 (Pickwick, 2020)
___ (ed.) with Brian Haymes, Re-Membering the Body: The Witness of History, Theology, and the Arts in Honour Ruth M. B. Gouldbourne (Pickwick, 2021)
___ '"Spend and Be Spent": The Nature of Ministry' in Re-Membering the Body (Pickwick, 2021)

Unmasking the 'sunday school' David

This summer I'm speaking at a children's camp for 8-12 yr olds (which is a big, slightly scary and exciting, jump for me!) and we're looking at the story of David  in 1 & 2 Samuel. My memories or impression of David (I guess from my younger 'sunday school' days has always been a positive one - the small boy triumphing over the bully Goliath, the great king, the original psalmist, etc. But as I'm re-reading the narratives and Brueggemann and Goldingay alongside, the picture of David that is emerging is not the David I've always known - it is the David I never knew.  For example I've been struck by the fact that David never loves anyone, everyone loves him. Was David capable of love, or like all promising leaders caught by the limelight and the power? David is such a hero later in 1 & 2 Kings and the prophets and Jesus is hailed as a 'son of David', but the David of 1 & 2 Samuel is a much more ambigious character. I suppose with David what you ultimately get is a man who God never lets go of and never gives up, despite the character he is. It makes you wonder if the only problem with Saul was he was not David. I might blog so more David-related thoughts as the next few months go by.

Gunton's Theological Friends

The shape and content of Colin Gunton's theology will continue to find its voice in those he taught, were colleagues with or taught by. Colin was good at making friends.

Steve Holmes, Lecturer in Theology, St. Andrew's (student until 1999 and colleague 1999-2003)
Murray Rae, Lecturer in Theology, University of Otago (student and colleague)
Douglas Farrow, Assistant Professor of Christian Theology, McGill University, Monteral (student and colleague 1994-1998)
Christoph Schwöbel, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Tubingen (colleague 1986-1993)
Alan Torrance, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of St. Andrew's (colleague 1993-1998)
Francis Watson, Professsor of New Testament Studies, University of Aberdeen (colleague 1984-1999)
Brian Horne, former lecturer in Christian Doctrine, King's College London (colleague)
Paul Helm, J.I. Packer Professor, Theology and Philosophy (colleague 1993-2001)
Robert Jenson, Professor Emeritus of Religion, St. Olaf College and Director of Centre of Theological Inquiry, Princeton (teacher, supervised Gunton's doctorate)
John Zizioulas, Orthodox metropolitan bishop of Pergamon (colleague and teacher)
Dan Hardy, Senior member of the Faculty of Divinity in Cambridge (friend)
John Webster, Professor of Theology, University of Aberdeen (friend)
John Colwell, tutor in Christian Doctrine and Ethics, Spurgeon's College, London (student until 1985 and friend)
Douglas Knight, lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies, Trinty and All Saints, Leeds (student until 2003) (see also his blog)
Alan Spence (student until 1989)
Jeremy Begbie, Honorary Professor in Theology, University of St. Andrew's (student)
Nigel Wright, Principal, Spurgeon's College, London (student until 1994)
Paul Metzger, Associate Professor of Christian Theology, Multnomah Biblical Seminary (student until 1999)
Graham McFarlane, Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology, London School of Theology (student until 1990)
Bruce McCormack, Professor of Systematic Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary (friend)
Demetrios Bathrellos, visiting lecturer at the Institute of Orthodox Theological Studies, Cambridge (student)

Walter Brueggemann and others

I came across this unoffical website about Walter Brueggemann, which has some good stuff on it. I'm currently reading Brueggemann's David's Truth (1985) and First and Second Samuel (1990) - both of which are fantastic. There's a rumour apparently that he might write an Old Testament For Everyone commenatry series to complement Tom Wright's New Testament For Everyone (of which Wright's almost finished). There's also a biographical .pdf with some great photos from Brueggemann's younger days.

There's also an unoffical Stanley Hauerwas website, a more official N. T(om) Wright website, a Colin Gunton research blog, and a theologians website (incl. Moltmann, Pannenberg, Barth, Torrance).