andygoodliff

British Baptist Theologians 17: Paul Ballard

Warden of the Collegiate Centre, University College, Cardiff
Tutor in Pastoral Studies, University College, Cardiff
Professor in School of Religious and Theological Studies, University College, Cardiff

Publications

‘The Dynamic of Independency’, Baptist Quarterly 23 (1970)

'Baptists and Covenanting', Baptist Quarterly 24.8 (1972)

'Reasons for Refusing the Great Supper', Journal of Theological Studies (1972)

'Camus and Bonhoeffer: Living in a Godless World', Theology 78 (August 1972)

'How Far Ought the Church to be Politicised?’, Baptist Quarterly 30.1 (January 1983)

‘Conservation in a Christian Context’, Baptist Quarterly 31.1 (January 1985)

(ed.) The Foundations of Pastoral Studies and Practical Theology (University College, Cardiff, 1986)

Pastoral Care and Ethical Issues In and Out of Work: A Pastoral Perspective (St. Andrew's Press, 1987)

'Pastoral Theology as Theology of Reconciliation', Theology 91 (1988)

'Bonhoeffer as Pastoral Theologian', Theology 94 (March 1991)

'Practical Theology as an Academic Discipline', Theology 98 (1995)

(ed.) with Paul Badham, Facing Death: An Interdisciplinary Approach (University of Wales, 1996)

with John Pritchard, Practical Theology in Action: Christian Thinking in the Service of the Church and Society (SPCK, 1996, 2006)

(ed.) with Pamela D. Couture,  Globalization and Difference: The Papers of the International Academy of Practical Theology (Cardiff Acadmeic Press, 1999)

'The Emergence of Pastoral and Practical Theology in Britain' in James Woodward and John Patton (eds.), The Blackwell Reader in Pastoral and Practical Theology (Blackwell, 2000)

'Can Theology be Practical?' in John Swinton and David Willows (ed.), Spiritual Dimensions of Pastoral Care: Practical Theology in a Multidisciplinary Context (Jessica Kingsley, 2000)

(ed.) with Pamela D. Couture, Creativity, Imagination and Criticism:  The Expressive Dimension in Practical Theology (Cardiff Academic Press, 2001)

'The clergy: an interesting anomaly' in Stephen Pattison and Roisin Pill (eds.), Values in Professional Practice: Lessons for health, social care, and other professionals (Redcliffe, 2004)

'Reflections on Professional Theological Education Today', Theology 107 (September 2004)

(ed.) with Stephen R. Holmes, The Bible in Pastoral Practice: Readings in the Place and Function of Scripture in the Church (Darton, Longman and Todd, 2005)

'Taking Leave: The "Good Death" Today', Contact: Practical Theology and Pastoral Care 146 (2005)

with Malcolm Brown, The Church and Economic Life: A Documentary Study - 1945 to the Present (Epworth, 2006)

with Lesley Husselbee, Community and Ministry: An Introduction to Community Work in a Christian Context (SPCK, 2007)

'The Scriptures in Church and Pastoral Practice', Transformation 24.1 (January 2007)

(ed.) The Church at the Centre of the City (Epworth, 2008)

'Theological Reflection and Providence', Practical Theology 1.3 (2008)

'The Bible in Theological Reflection: Indications from the History of Scripture', Practical Theology 4.1 (2011)

Why are so many theologians going to Scotland?

Aberdeen has just announced the German theologian Bernd Wannenwetsch is to be the new professor of theological ethics. Wannenwetsch currently lectures at Oxford (and in fairness has be due a jump to a professorship for a while), but he will be missed - he has supervised a number of PhD students will in Oxford. Tom Greggs is also moving to Aberdeen (from Chester) as Professor of Historical and Dogmatic Theology. Steve Mason has the Kirby Lang Chair in New Testament Exegesis (replacing Francis Watson who left a few years back for a chair in Durham). Aberdeen have already got John Webster, who left Oxford back in 2004. Aberdeen are not alone, last year St. Andrew's nabbed Tom Wright and Ivor Davidson (from Otago, New Zealand), as well as Steve Holmes back in 2005 (from King's), and back in 2006 Edinburgh got Oliver O'Donovan (again from Oxford) and also manged to get Paul Nimmo in 2008 from Cambridge. It seems any of the Scotland divinity departments are by far the place to go if you want to study theology ... poor old England seem to be struggling to hold on, especially to some of the most able theologians of a new generation - the likes of Greggs, Nimmo, Holmes and also Brock (Aberdeen) are all likely to be making a big mark in theological circles in the years to come.

The theological scene in England, managed to get Nigel Biggar in 2007 to Oxford from Dublin, Sarah Coakley to Cambridge from Harvard, Lewis Ayres to Durham from Emory, and as already mentioned above grabbed Francis Watson also back to Durham from Aberdeen.  

Yet another review of Douglas Campbell's The Deliverance of God

Alexandra Brown (of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia) reviews Douglas Campbell's The Deliverance of God in the latest edition of Theology Today 68.1 (April 2011), which can be currently be read for free.

Campbell's thesis is generating three kind of responses. The first is to pretty much reject it (surprise, suprise from the conservative evangelical crowd who have the most to lose); a second response is to like what Campbell does in Romans 5-8, but remain unconvinced by his atrributing Rom 1.18-32 to the Jewish Christian Teacher. A third response, sadly in my view, in the minority is a much more positive endorsement of Campbell's work (see the likes of Chris Tilling).

Brown's review is of the second response kind. She ends her review with these words:

In the end, the enormous weight of the multiple layers of argument is nearly too much for the reader to bear. All but the most avid specialists in Romans will despair from time to time over the sheer complexity of the thesis that progresses through so many promises and deferments of argument (a favorite tactic of Campbell’s) that one can scarcely keep track of its many interrelated strands. The impact of Campbell’s urgently important thesis may be lost to the demands he makes on the cognitive skills of the reader whose intellectual, if not spiritual, agency is taxed nearly to the limit by this voluminous and complex book. But for those with the stamina to make it through, this boldly liberative reading of the Gospel according to Paul will—if one can say it without irony—reward the effort.

Other reviews can be found here.

Anne Phillips on the Faith of Girls

Anne Phillips, co-principal of Northern Baptist College is publishing her recent doctorate in the Ashgate Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empircal Theology series:

The Faith of Girls: Children's Spirituality and Transition to Adulthood (Ashgate, August 2011)

Exploring the spirituality and faith of girls on the verge of adolescence, this book presents fresh insights into children's spirituality and their transition to adulthood. Phillips has listened to girls' voices speaking in depth on the themes of self, God, church, and world, and reflected on their experiences and understandings in the light of current psychological, philosophical and sociological thinking, all placed into dialogue with a feminist approach to contemporary theology and bible. Phillips offers 'wombing' as a metaphor for their transition to young adulthood, and suggests strategies faith communities might adopt to companion girls more effectively through the fragility of puberty. This book will appeal to all those exploring areas of youth ministry, pastoral care, Christian education, nurture and childhood studies, psychology and theology.

Contents: Preface; Introduction; Breaking the silence around girls in transition; Methods for learning from girls; Girls in transitional space; Theological reflection 1 - Lucy; Girls in Godspace; Theological reflection 2 - Rosie; Girls in nurturing space; Affirming girls through transition.

Currently it is due out only in hardback, which will put it out of most people's price range, but hopefully it will also eventually find its way into paperback.

 

Stuff I've been reading

Keith Jones on baptistic theology here and here

Kim Fabricius' excellent doodlings

Neil Brighton on the Baptist Union and Home Mission and again here

Terry Wright on narrative and providence

a review of Mark Seifrid's review of Douglas Campbell's The Deliverance of God

news of another new book from Stanley Hauerwas

Greenbelt's initial line-up for 2011

Lent what are we doing ...

Like Jesus in the wilderness
Like the Israelites in the wilderness

We are learning again to be God's people, to hear the call of God to obedience

So we spend more time in prayer, in reflection, in fasting (giving up distractions), in study (it is one of the few times of the year that people are up for a 'course' of some kind, to come to something extra - the problem these days is there is so much to do in lent, lent ends up being the opposite of what it intends)

We seek to discipline our lives to have more of God and less of everything else

So that we can formed as God's people ... This is an inward-looking season ... If epiphany is a reminder that God's reveals himself to the world and we are part of those who are to witness to that; if easter is about the good news that the God who is revealed is alive and kicking and free of sin and death, then lent is the inbetween season that seeks to ensure that our witness is faithful to a way that is cross-shaped ... To get easter, to which we see glimpses (trailers) in Jesus baptism and transfiguration, we have to go the way of the cross ... In lent we remember that life comes out of death, that disciplining our "freedom" makes us more free ...