andygoodliff

Book Review: The Real Godsend

Nigel G. Wright, The Real Godsend: Preaching the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke (Bible Reading Fellowship, 2009), 121pp (with thanks to BRF for a review copy)

As advent is now here, I thought it was about time I started reading this little book from Nigel Wright on the Jesus birth narratives. Having read Maggi Dawn's excellent Beginnings and Endings (BRF, 2007) in the past, it is always helpful to have something different to offer insights into christmas services.  Wright begins by noticing how Christmas services often suffer under 'the problem of sentimentality' and the Gospel is 'rendered harmless' and challenges the preacher to avoid this. Amen! My own feeling is christmas services often play safe - please no more nativities with children standing round looking lost and the congregation caught in an endless 'aaaahhhhh' moment - but back to Wright and The Real Godsend.  The rest of the prelude signals questions of historicity and wonders whether we should preach the birth narratives outside of the Christmas season - out of the familiar - and, I think more helpfully, Wright says we should pay more attention to the season of Advent.

The main chapters of the book are a study of Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, with the attention of looking closely at the text. These are a good guide to the actual narratives beneath all the trimmings which often get laid on top of them. A little disappointing from someone wanting some new - it might have been more interesting to have Wright offer somes sermons on the passages rather than the commentary.  With a subtitle that includes the word 'preaching', there is a lack of how we might actually preach these texts. Wright is by all accounts a good preacher - and some of the books I've most enjoyed recently have been collections of sermons from the likes of Stanley Hauerwas, Walter Brueggemann and Sam Wells.

The postlude picks up questions again of history and the virgin birth. These offer some sensible ways of how to handle the different versions found in Matthew and Luke in a broadly evangelical fashion, which offer a reading that sees the birth narratives as neither entire factual history or entire fabrication.

This is the second smaller book from Wright that engages with the biblical text. The first was God on the Inside: The Holy Spirit in Scritpure (2006). A third book is coming out in 2010 titled Jesus Christ - Understanding the Son of God. Wright has a readable style and these books are perfect for the thinking Christian who wants to wrestle with central theological and biblical questions like the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Birth and who Jesus is.

Annual Advent Blog Begins

The annual advent blog begins over at hopeful imagination. Do stop by through the advent season. (Link now fixed.)

SBL responses to The Deliverance of God

What happened at the SBL book review session of Doug Campbell's The Deliverance of God are starting to appear. You can listen to it all here courtesy of Andy Rowell. Chris Tilling has posted a brief post, which is attracting some interesting comments, including Douglas himself although he's calling himself Rachel (his wife!). Michael Gorman, of the respondents to the book is making various bits of his response available through his blog (see also earlier posts). Hopefully Sean is going to share some of his thoughts soon. Having listened to the session, it does feel that Chris is right that no one 'provided a clear refutation of his exegetical claims' during that session. I guess the next stage will be to see the various reviews that will emerge in some of the big name journals over 2010. The current view seems to be that, whilst many favour Campbell's overall thesis, they are not convinced with his reading of Romans 1-3, which he claims is Paul's dismantling the argument of his opponent (which is 1.18-32).

Let me encourage those who have not got a copy of the book, to put it down on your christmas list. This is a book that cannot be ignored.

Advent 2009 blog

We're running a group advent blog again at hopeful imagination - if you're interested in joining in let me know via the comments at the blog. It will start next week.

Does Paternoster have a Future?

I hopeso.  The recent news that IBS-STL are seeking to sell does put Paternoster (as well as Wesley Owen, STL and Authentic Media) in question, including all the people they emply.  Paternoster have carved themselves an important niche in theological publishing in the last ten or fifteen years.  They are responsible for a large amount of theological and historical books - they run major monograph series - studies in baptist history and thought, studies in evangelical history and thought, studies in christian history and thought, biblical monographs, theological monographs - as well as a huge number of other titles.

A few highlights from the last 10 years that Paternoster have published:

Promise and Presence: An Exploration of Sacramental Theology by John Colwell (reviewed here)

The Rhythm of Doctrine by John Colwell (reviewed in Regent's Review, 1.1)

Tracks and Traces by Paul Fiddes

Remembering our Future edited by Luke Bretherton and Andrew Walker

The Wondrous Cross by Stephen Holmes (reviewed here)

Worshipping Trinity by Robin Parry

Reinventing English Evangelicalism by Rob Warner (reviewed in Regent's Review, 1.1)

Liquid Church and Selling Worship by Pete Ward

the After Christendom series, the Deep Church series, the Didsbury Lecture series, the Evangelical Quarterly journal

as well as many others.

The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical and Theological Studies

This book is out at SBL according to Michael Bird and due for publication in the UK in January with Paternoster. Click here for introduction and sample chapter.

Contents:

Preface  - Michael F. Bird and Preston M. Sprinkle

Foreword -  James D.G. Dunn

1. Introduction: Problems and Prospects for a New Testament Debate - Michael F. Bird

I. Background of the Debate
2. Debating the Faithfulness of Jesus Christ in Twentieth-Century Scholarship -  Debbie Hunn 

3. Pistis with a Preposition and Genitive Modifier: Lexical, Semantic, and Syntactic Considerations in the pistis Christou Discussion - Stanley E. Porter and Andrew W. Pitts

II. Pauline Texts in Contention
4. The Faithfulness of Jesus Christ in Romans 3:22  - Douglas A. Campbell

5. Saving Faith: The Rhetoric and Semantics of pistis in Paul - R. Barry Matlock 

6. pistis Christou Terminology in Philippians and Ephesians - Paul Foster

7. Faith in Christ: Some Exegetical and Theological Reflections on Philippians 3:9 and Ephesians 3:12
  Richard H. Bell

III. Pauline Exegesis, Hermeneutics, and Theology: Mediating Proposals and Fresh Approaches
8. The Faith of Christ  - Mark A. Seifrid (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)

9. By Faith (of Christ): An Exegetical Dilemma and its Scriptural Solution - Francis Watson

10. pistis Christou as an Eschatological Event - Preston M. Sprinkle 

11. The Faithfulness of Jesus Christ as a Theme in Paul’s Theology in Galatians - Ardel B. Caneday

IV. The Witness of the Wider New Testament
12. The Faith of Jesus Christ in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts - Peter G. Bolt

13. The Obedient Son: The “Faithfulness” of Christ in the Fourth Gospel - Willis H. Salier

14. James 2:1 in the pistis Christou Debate: Irrelevant or Indispensable? - Bruce A. Lowe

15. On the Sidelines of the pistis Christou Debate: The View from Revelation - David A. deSilva

V. Historical and Theological Reflections
16. pistis Christou in the Church Fathers and Beyond - Mark W. Elliott

17. From Faithfulness to Faith in the Theology of Karl Barth - Benjamin Myers 

download Regent's Reviews

It's finally available ... a little later than planned ... but you can download Regent's Reviews here. Regent's Reviews is a book review journal based from Regent's Park College (which I'm helping to edit), only available now as a .pdf.  This first edition has a special focus on recent books written by baptists in light of the 400th celebration of Baptist beginnings. Reviews include:

Baptist Sacramentalism 2 edited by Anthony R. Cross and Philip E. Thompson

On Being the Church by Brian Haymes, Ruth Gouldbourne and Anthony R. Cross

Reinventing English Evangelicalism, 1966-2001 by Rob Warner

Under the Rule of Christ: Dimensions of Baptist Spirituality edited by Paul Fiddes

Can These Bones Live?: A Catholic Baptist Engagement with Ecclesiology by Barry Harvey

The Book of Revelation by Simon Woodman

Approaching God by Chris Ellis

Church, Community and Power by Roy Kearsley

Challenging to Change. Festschrift for Nigel Wright edited by Pieter Lalleman

Hannah's Child: A Theologian's Memoir by Stanley Hauerwas

One of the books 2010 will surely be this memoir by Hauerwas due in May from Eerdmans. Book description:

A loving, hard-working, godly couple has long been denied a family of their own. Finally, the wife makes a deal with God: if he blesses her with a child, she will dedicate that child to God’s service. The result of that prayer was the birth of an influential — some say prophetic — voice. Surprisingly, this is not the biblical story of Samuel but the account of Stanley Hauerwas, one of today’s leading theologians in the church and the academy. / The story of Hauerwas’s journey into Christian discipleship is captivating and inspiring. With genuine humility, he describes his intellectual struggles with faith, how he has dealt with the complex reality of marriage to a mentally ill partner, and the gift of friendships that have influenced his character. Throughout the narrative shines Hauerwas’s conviction that the tale of his life is worth telling only because of the greater Christian story providing foundation and direction for his own.

Some Thoughts on Baptist Assembly

Times have changed. The Assembly has degenerated into a Baptist jamboree. It has become more a time for back-scratching and flag-waving, and a less for brainstorming and policy making ... In practice today's assemblies are not deliberative assemblies.

wrote Paul Beasley-Murray in July 1977 (in an article in the Baptist Minister's Fraternal journal).

He goes on to include a reply from David Russell (then General Secretary) on the relationship between Council and Assembly. Russell wrote:

My own judgment is that the Council, through it's representative and elected members, can act in the name of the Union in determining policy and future action, except in so far as it is laid down in the constitution or some other rubric that the Assembly itself shall be the responsible body. I would imagine that the decisions of the Council could be called in question by the Assembly through the presentation of the Council's Report and matters referred back to the Council for further consideration. The Assembly has not been regarded as a judiciary body, but more of an inspirational gathering. However, there are matters which must receive the approval of the Assembly before they can become law, as it were. But for the most part it is within the province of the Council rather than the Assembly to act and to make decisions which will facilitate the working of the Union throughout the year.

Beasley-Murray goes on to outline a move towards a more deliberative assembly. He writes:

Inevitably such a deliberative Assembly would have to be radically different in structure from our present Assembly. Deliberation could not be confined to one or two meetings; it would have to determine all the sessions - both plenary and sectional ...

Such restructuring would be a painful process for some, but it would be a liberating experience for many ... Such an Assembly would, of course, attract a different clientele. Those who are attracted by the present pattern would perhaps not attend a new style Assembly. But would this not be an advantage? Instead of churches sending the retired as delegates, young folk would eagerly take time off work to participate [I like B-M's optimism here!]. Our present Assemblies are not known for their vision and vitality, their intellectual depths or their spiritual heights. I believe that a deliberative Assembly could be a step forward in releasing the Spirit in our midst ...

A deliberative large scale Assembly is a possibility - I hope it will become a reality.

In 2009 (22 years later) some of us are hoping it still might become a reality. It might be interesting to compare with the BU's Doctrine and Worship Committee discussion document on The Nature of Assembly and Council (1994) which has also largely been ignored.

what is is our baptist missional strategy?

This question emerged in an afternoon session at college which was led by an anglican involved in Fresh Expressions.  While the Church of England (and the Methodists) seems to be committed to Fresh Expressions - which I read as a setting aside of ecclesiology and putting missiology in the driving seat, and also a desire amongst anglicans to become more baptistic (local and lay led) - the Baptist Union decided not to join (I can't remember the exact reason why).  It seems we don't really have a missional strategy apart from the recent crossing places initiative of the mission department. I wonder whether our strategy (unconsiciously) is to build more inclusive and welcoming churches. What do other baptist bloggers or readers think we're doing or should be doing?