Articles, thoughts, essays, and content from Brian as well as students – our budding theologians.
Road Rage in London: Reflections on having to give way…
Let me start this post with some disclaimers. No, the road rage I am about to talk about was not my own. I have not driven a car in the now 10 weeks that Rosemary and I have been in the UK – and have had the luxury of being driven by others, using public transport (which overall, is amazingly effective), or walking (which is a wondeful way of bumping into unexpected delights, as you discover endless houses previous occupied by genuinely famous people). But today I observed road rage from the comfort of our one bedroom flat whilst...
read moreManaging Monday with Walter Brueggemann – Take 2
Walter Brueggemann (1933- ) is one of the most influential Old Testament scholars. Though in the first instance a distinguished academic, his work has reached a far wider readership, and the depth of his insights have spoken to many. Here is a second taster of some of his work… The Gospel has gotten all tangled up with a sense of Western white entitlement. Walter Brueggemann How God works among us is mysterious. It cannot be laid out rationally. And the sacraments create space for exactly that liminal mystery of how God does...
read moreManaging Monday with Walter Brueggemann
Walter Brueggemann (1933- ) is one of the most influential Old Testament scholars. Though in the first instance a distinguished academic, his work has reached a far wider readership, and the depth of his insights have spoken to many. There is no final reading of the text. We will always read it again, and it will take us somewhere else. Walter Bruggemann Hope, on one hand, is an absurdity too embarrassing to speak about, for it flies in the face of all those claims we have been told are facts. Hope is the refusal to accept the reading of...
read moreStanley Hauerwas – take 3
Stanley Hauerwas (1940- ) is a noted American theologian, ethicist and academic. Here is a third look of some of his thoughts. For those who would like to read more of Hauerwas, here is a link to Patrik Hagman’s blog which provides a complete guide to his work. For Christians do not place their hope in their children, but rather their children are a sign of their hope… that God has not abandoned this world. Stanley Hauerwas The courageous have fears that cowards never know. Stanley Hauerwas A social order bent on producing wealth...
read moreWhy Pastors should (must) Pastor: Seven Musts…
It’s never been easy to be a pastor. Though it is often claimed that contemporary ministry is more difficult and complex than it has ever been, that usually signals that the claimant knows very little about previous periods of church history. For example, I am a Baptist pastor. Is it really more difficult to be a Baptist pastor today, than it was back in the 1600’s when the denomination was first founded? Hardly likely! Do you know what they did to so many Baptist pastors back then? Having said that, it is a challenging privilege...
read moreManaging Monday with Stanley Hauerwas: Take 2
Stanley Hauerwas (1940- ) is a noted American theologian, ethicist and academic. Here is a second taster of some of his thoughts… The great enemy of Christianity in America is not atheism, it’s sentimentality. Stanley Hauerwas As Christians we do not seek to be free but rather to be of use, for it is only by serving that we discover the freedom offered by God. Stanley Hauewas The basis for the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount is not what works but rather the way God is. Cheek turning is not advocated as what works (it usually...
read moreManaging Monday with Stanley Hauerwas
Stanley Hauerwas (1940- ) is a noted American theologian, ethicist and academic. Here is a tiny taster of some of his thoughts… The kingdom, it seems, grows through rejection. Success is not a sign of faithfulness. Stanley Hauerwas You learn who you are only by making yourself accountable to the judgment of others. Stanley Hauerwas Nationalism is a religion and war is its liturgy. Stanley Hauerwas …you need to read the fathers reading Scripture as part of our common life if we are to sustain a sense that we don’t get to make...
read moreManaging Monday with Desmond Tutu – Take 3
Desmond Tutu (1931-), Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, anti-apartheid and human rights activist, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, and chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has consistently championed the cause of the vulnerable, being willing to speak truth to power in a wide range of circumstances. This is our third and final look at some of his insights… Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put all together that overwhelm the world. Desmond Tutu All of our...
read moreManaging Monday with Desmond Tutu – Take 2
Desmond Tutu (1931-), Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, anti-apartheid and human rights activist, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, and chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has consistently championed the cause of the vulnerable, being willing to speak truth to power in a wide range of circumstances. Here is a second look at some of his insights… If you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Desmond Tutu Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all...
read moreThe noisy table…
Deciding a visit to the UK would not be complete without a meal at the local pub, last night Rosemary and I took advantage of the two for one pricing of the mixed grill, and prepared for a new experience. Downstairs was super busy so we retreated to an upstairs corner. Only four tables were occupied – one with four older people, another with a middle aged couple, a single person at yet another, and then the two of us made up the fourth. We thought it would be ideal – not too noisy, a place for a pleasant conversation debriefing on...
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