andygoodliff

IJST, October 2008

Pondering the Sinlessness of Jesus Christ: Moral Christologies and the Witness of Scripture - Ivor J. Davidson

Fallen or Unfallen? Christ's Human Nature and the Ontology of Human Sinfulness - Ian A. McFarland
 
Mysterium Christi: the Christologies of Maurice de la Taille and Karl Rahner - Matthew Lewis Sutton

Truth as a "Living Bond": A Dialectical Response to Recent Rhetorical Theology - Justin D. Klassen

'Delivered By the Power of God': Toward a Pentecostal Understanding of Salvation - Dale Coulter

Reviews include Francis Watson on History and Hermenuetics by Murray Rae, William Placher on The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology edited by John Webster, Kathryn Tanner and Iain Torrance and Ann Loades on Christ in Practice by Clive Marsh.

Nigel Wright on Baptist Core Values

In his contribution to Under the Rule of Christ, Nigel Wright identifies two concerns he has with the Baptist Union's 5 Core Values for a Gospel People (first published in 1998).  First, he questions the value of being 'inclusive' and wonders whether it should be substituted for 'welcoming.'  The reason being that he is not sure 'whether it is possible for a confessional and morally committed movement to define itself as 'inclusive' in unambiguous terms' (p.97). 

His second concern is that 5 Core Values is often talked about as 'the 5 Core Values', as if they were fixed and there weren't anymore.  Nigel says 'I wish to propose that the document 5 Core Values be now revisited and revised as a constructive denominational exercise and into this discussion I wish to place two further values for consideration: faithfulness and freedom' (p.98).  Faithfulness because being a gospel people is about being faithful to Jesus Christ and freedom because our origins as Baptists are about being freed from the State and being free in Christ.

So what do you think? Do we need more Core Values? Is Nigel right in suggesting 'faithfulness' and 'freedom'?  Do you have alternatives or any more to add? Do you like the five current Core Values - prophetic, inclusive, sacrificial, missionary, worshipping?

I know one other Baptist theologian, John Colwell, who would prefer we call them 5 Core Virtues and not values. Virtues being something we embody, while values  are something we have.

From Bunyan to (John) Bunyan

After sixteen years at Bunyan Baptist Church, Stevenage, the church I will be attending while in Oxford is John Bunyan Baptist Church, Cowley. From one Bunyan to another. Hannah and I looking forward to being part of the church community, which will be a very different one to where we've been.

Regent's Reviews Bookclub

Regent's Park College runs a bookclub which includes Regent's Reviews (a journal of book reviews) twice a year and a free book. The book is a copy of the Regent's Study Guides for that year - so this year's book is the hot-off-the-press Under the Rule of Christ: Dimensions of Baptist Spirituality. Not bad for £10. If you're interested in joining, contact Anthony Clarke  (anthony.clarke at regents-park.oxford.ac.uk).

Forthcoming Books I'd Like to Read

Public Theology in Cultural Engagement: God's Key to the Redemption of the World - edited by Stephen Holmes (contributers include Colin Gunton, Luke Bretherton, Robert Jenson, Colin Greene)

Scripture's Doctrine and Theology's Bible - edited by Marcus Bockmuehl and Alan Torrance (contributers include John Webster, Richard Bauckham, NT Wright)

Participation and Mediation: A Practical Theology for the Liquid Church - Pete Ward (a sequel to Liquid Church)

Lectures in Christian Dogmatics - John D. Zizioulas, edited by Douglas Knight

The Word Leaps the Gap: Essays on Scripture and Theology in Honor of Richard B.Hays (contributers include Douglas Campbell, NT Wright, James Dunn, Joel Green, Francis Watson, E. P. Sanders, Stanley Hauerwas, John M. G. Barclay, Markus Bockmuehl, Joel Marcus - a who's who of NT studies!)

Christianity, Democracy, and the Radical Ordinary: Conversations Between a Radical Democrat and a Christian (Theopolitical Visions) - Stanley Hauerwas, Romand Coles (already out)

Revelation and Reason: Prolegomena to Systematic Theology - Colin E. Gunton, edited by Paul Brazier

The Child in the Bible - edited by Marcia Bunge (contributers include Walter Brueggemann, Judith Gundry Volf, Joel Green, Keith White, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Patrick Miller)

Orthodox and Modern: Studies in the Theology of Karl Barth - Bruce L. McCormack

Approaching God: A Guide to Leading Worship - Christopher Ellis

Anthony Cross on The Evangelical Sacrament

You can get a copy of Anthony Cross' (British baptist theologian and historian) 'Friends of Bloomsbury Inaugural Lecture here. I'm hoping this might be an annual event (although no news about a 2008 lecture) - another chance for some Baptist theology! We need some! Anthony Cross' lecture is on baptism as the evangelical sacrament and part of a larger study towards a book to be published by Paternoster in 2009.

Russell Howard on British Newspapers

I've never included a clip from You Tube before, but this is very funny from one of the smartest British comedians around.

New Baptist blog from IBTS

The International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) have started a group blog. Contributers will include the rector Keith Jones (former Deputy General Secretary of the BUGB) and Ian Randall (lecturer in church history at Spurgeon's and IBTS and also forthcoming editor of the Baptist Quarterly). Ian blogs here on James McClendon.

T F Torrance Day Conference

The school of Divinity at Edinburgh are holding a day conference in memory of the Very Rev Professor Thomas F Torrance (1913-2007) on Wednesday 29 October 2008. Participants include Iain Torrance, Andrew Purves, Sandra Fach, amongst others. For more information see here.

Book Review: Mass Culture, 2nd Edition

Pete Ward (ed.), Mass Culture: The interface of Eucharist and mission (BRF, 2008, revised and expanded edition), 202pp (with thanks to BRF for a review copy)

Most collections of essays include one or two weaker contributions, what I like about Mass Culture (first published in 1999 and now expanded for this new edition) is that every essay is good. The other issue with  most edited collections of essays are there is a lack of unity - this again is not a problem here, yes, each writer is writing from a different position, but this serves only to make the conversation and debate more interesting. This is a wonderful collection of essays that will continue to  help and challenge our thinking over the place of the eucharist in the context of mission and a post-modern world. The new authors include Martyn Layzell (a former Soul Survivor worship leader and now worship pastor at St. Aldates, Oxford), who discusses the place of the eucharist in the context of contemporary charismatic worship, with its emphasis on extended singing. Layzell has found a new appreciation for the eucharist, since moving on from Soul Survivor.  Ryan Bolger (who co-authored with Eddie Gibbs, Emerging Churches) writes about how many emerging churches in the United States are celebrating the eucharist weekly, which is in definite contrast to the seeker-service and church growth models of church, who did everything to sideline it. If you've never read the book - Pete Ward's introduction is one of the best pieces of work he's written. The only disappointing thing is the old front cover was much better than the new one.

I highly recommend Mass Culture, especially if you're interested in how the eucharist can communicate in today's culture.