Getting God by wrestling
by Vincent Strudwick
from Modern Believing Vol 59:3 - July 2018
Abstract:
Over the past five years, the author has been meeting with others from his local village to wrestle with the concept of 'God'. In this article, he proposes the idea of 'wrestling on our knees' as a way of engaging with the Christian story and as a vision for the future of the church.
Keywords:
CHRISTIANITY
CHURCH
GOD
MEMORY
NONES, THE
STORY
WRESTLING
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Discussion between Revd Dr Lorraine Cavanagh, launching her book Waiting on the word, and Canon Vincent Strudwick and Revd Prof Jane Shaw, launching their book The naked God at the 2017 annual conference of Modern Church, 'God: None, One, Three or Many?'
Listen / download mp3 (76 mins)
You can read the full article on the Liverpool University Press website (subscription required) or join Modern Church and receive your own copy of our journal quarterly.
How I get God: The rhythm of Love and the search for Truth
by Rachel Muers
from Modern Believing Vol 59:3 - July 2018
Abstract:
Julian of Norwich offers a concise Trinitarian theology of God as Love. This article follows Julian’s naming of Love as the direction or direction of revelation and of theology to propose the metaphor of God as Divine Rhythm rather than Divine Harmony. I read 1 Thessalonians 1:9 – about service to a ‘living and true God’ – to propose that theology must search for and serve life and truth.
Keywords:
DRUMMING
GOD
JULIAN OF NORWICH
LIFE
LIVING GOD, the
LOVE
RHYTHM
TRUE GOD, the
TRUTH
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To serve a living and true God - Dr Rachel Muers' talk at the 2017 annual conference of Modern Church, 'God: None, One, Three or Many?'
Listen / download mp3 (42 mins)
You can read the full article on the Liverpool University Press website (subscription required) or join Modern Church and receive your own copy of our journal quarterly.
Getting God by reflecting
by Linda Woodhead
from Modern Believing Vol 59:3 - July 2018
Abstract:
One way to ‘get God’ is by reflecting, and this paper gives a personal account of how my reflections on God have changed over the course of my career as an academic theologian turned sociologist. I show how my academic study and my reflections on God have informed one another, and how my reflections have led me to think of God, successively, in terms of love, energy, the unknowable, and infinity.
Keywords:
GOD
INFINITY
JESUS
LOVE
POWER
SPIRITUALITY
THEOLOGY
RELIGION
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Unlearning God - Prof Linda Woodhead's talk at the 2017 annual conference of Modern Church, 'God: None, One, Three or Many?'
Listen / download mp3 (47 mins)
You can read the full article on the Liverpool University Press website (subscription required) or join Modern Church and receive your own copy of our journal quarterly.
Books reviewed July 2018
from Modern Believing Vol 59:3 • previous edition • next edition
- Doubt, Faith, and Certainty
- A. C. Thiselton
- Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2017. Pp. viii, 160. Pb. £16.99.
- ISBN 978-0-8028-7353-8.
Review by Guy Collins, Hanover, NH
- Liberal Religion: Progressive Versions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
- E. J. de Kadt
- Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. x, 143. Hb. £115
- ISBN 978-0-815-39458-7
Review by Keith Ward, University of Roehampton
- Interreligious Encounters: Opportunities and Challenges
- M. Amaladoss, ed. J. Y. Tan
- Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xxxvi, 250. Pb. £37.99
- ISBN 978-1-62698-221-5
Review by Paul Hedges, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Spiritual Guides: Pathfinders in the Desert
- F. R. Dallmayr
- Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. Pp. x, 186. Hb. $45
- ISBN 978-0-268-10258-6
Review by Fiona Gardner, Bath
- The Grace of Waiting
- M. J. Whipp
- London: Canterbury Press Norwich, 2017. Pp. vi, 104. Pb. £10.99
- ISBN 978-1-84825-977-5
Review by Sarah Schnitker, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
- Silence: A User’s Guide. Volume 2: Application
- M. Ross
- London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2018. Pp. x, 140. Pb
- ISBN 978-0-232-53348-4
Review by Elizabeth Maslen, University of London
- Animating Liturgy: The Dynamics of Worship and the Human Community
- S. G. Platten
- Durham: Sacristy Press, 2017. Pp. xii, 188. Pb
- ISBN 978-1-910519-54-7
Review by Bridget Nichols, Church of Ireland Theological Institute, Dublin
- Women’s Voices and the Practice of Preaching
- N. L. Gross
- Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2017. Pp. xxiv, 158. Pb. £16.99
- ISBN 978-0-8028-7322-4
Review by Susan Durber, Taunton
- Playing for God: Evangelical Women and the Unintended Consequences of Sports Ministry
- A. L. Blazer
- New York and London: New York University Press, 2015. Pp. xii, 233. Pb. £18.99
- ISBN 978-1-4798-1813-6
Review by Robert Ellis, Regent’s Park College, Oxford
- Mothering, Public Leadership, and Women’s Life Writing: Explorations in Spirituality Studies and Practical Theology, Theology in Practice 3
- C. E. Wolfteich
- Leiden: Brill, 2017. Pp. x, 208. Pb.ISBN 978-90-04-35066-3
- Mothers of Faith: Motherhood in the Christian Tradition
- W. M. Sumani
- Maryknoll NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xviii, 298. Pb. £23.99
- ISBN 978-1-62698-257-4
Reviews by Emma Percy, University of Oxford
- Marriage, Family and Relationships: Biblical, Doctrinal and Contemporary Perspectives
- T. A. Noble, S. K. Whittle and P. S. Johnston, eds.
- London: Apollos, 2017. Pp. xii, 291. Pb.
- ISBN 978-1-78359-539-6
Review by Adrian Thatcher, University of Exeter
- In a Glass Darkly: The Bible, Reflection and Everyday Life
- Z. Bennett and C. C. Rowland
- London: SCM Press, 2016. Pp. vi, 234. Pb
- ISBN 978-0-334-05422-1
Review by James Woodward, Sarum College, Salisbury, and University of Winchester
- A Man Attested by God: The Human Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels
- J. R. D. Kirk
- Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2016. Pp. xviii, 638. Hb. £40.99
- ISBN 978-0-8028-6795-7
Review by Doug Chaplin, Diocese of Worcester
- Angelology: Recovering Higher-Order Beings as Emblems of Transcendence, Immanence, and Imagination
- D. D. Potter
- Cambridge: James Clarke and Co., 2017. Pp. xii, 214. Pb. £18
- ISBN 978-0-227-17631-3
Review by Andrew Angel, Burgess Hill
- All Things New: The Trinitarian Nature of the Human Calling in Maximus the Confessor and Jürgen Moltmann
- B. Bingaman
- Cambridge: James Clarke and Co., 2015. Pp. xvi, 194. Pb. £17.50
- ISBN 978-0-227-17515-6
Review by Ian McIntosh, Church of England Ministry Division, London
- Theological Radicalism and Tradition: ‘The Limits of Radicalism’ with Appendices
- H. E. Root, ed. C. R. Brewer
- Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. xii, 165. Hb. £105
- ISBN 978-1-138-09246-4
Review by Sam Brewitt-Taylor, University of Oxford
- Theology Reforming Society: Revisiting Anglican Social Theology
- S. C. Spencer ed.
- London: SCM Press, 2017. Pp. xvi, 188. Pb.
- ISBN 978-0-334-05373-6
Review by John Reader, Ironstone Benefice, William Temple Foundation and University of Worcester
- Union Made: Working People and the Rise of Social Christianity in Chicago
- H. W. Carter
- New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. Pp. xiv, 277. Hb. £22.99
- ISBN 978-0-19-938595-9
Review by Mark Chapman, Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford
- Historians and the Church of England: Religion and Historical Scholarship, 1870–1920
- J. E. Kirby
- Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. Pp. xii, 257. Hb
- ISBN 978-0-19-876815-9
Review by Mark Dorsett, King’s School, Worcester
- The Oxford History of Anglicanism, Volume III: Partisan Anglicanism and Its Global Expansion, 1829–c.1914
- R. G. W. Strong, ed.
- Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. Pp. xxiv, 490. Hb
- ISBN 978-0-19-969970-4
Review by David Thompson, University of Cambridge
- Parish: An Anglican Theology of Place
- A. P. Rumsey
- London: SCM Press, 2017. Pp. x, 203. Pb
- ISBN 978-0-334-05484-9
Review by Ian Duffield and Keith Hebden, Urban Theology Union, Sheffield
Books received July 2018
Publishers know that Modern Believing's team of book reviewers, led by the Reviews Editor, Rev. Dr. Michael Brierley, do an outstanding job in providing constructive, critical, fair and discerning reviews.
E. E. Acolatse, Powers, Principalities, and the Spirit: Biblical Realism in Africa and the West. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xii, 243. Pb. £26.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-6405-5.
G. A. Anderson and M. N. A. Bockmuehl, eds., Creation ex Nihilo: Origins, Development, Contemporary Challenges. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. Pp. viii, 421. Hb. $45. ISBN 978-0-268-10253-1.
S. Anderson-Faithful, Mary Sumner: Mission, Education and Motherhood: Thinking a Life with Bourdieu. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 2018. Pp. xx, 263. Hb. £65. ISBN 978-0-7188-9494-8.
N. S. Ateek, A Palestinian Theology of Liberation: The Bible, Justice, and the Palestine-Israel Conflict. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xx, 172. Pb. £16.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-260-4.
P. T. Babie and M. F. Trainor, Neoliberalism and the Biblical Voice: Owning and Consuming. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2018. Pp. xiv, 148. Hb. £105. ISBN 978-1-138-90299-2.
T. J. Bayne, Philosophy of Religion: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. xxii, 133. Pb. £7.99. ISBN 978-0-19-875496-1.
R. R. Beck, Jesus and His Enemies: Narrative Conflict in the Four Gospels. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. x, 237. Pb. £29.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-243-7.
J. T. Billings, Remembrance, Communion, and Hope: Rediscovering the Gospel at the Lord’s Table. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xx, 217. Pb. £20.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-6233-4.
D. A. Campbell, Paul: An Apostle’s Journey. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xii, 207. Pb. £17.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-7347-7.
P. G. Crowley, The Unmoored God: Believing in a Time of Dislocation. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xiv, 130. Pb. £21.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-246-8.
F. R. Dallmayr, Spiritual Guides: Pathfinders in the Desert. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. Pp. x, 186. Hb. $45. ISBN 978-0-268-10258-6.
S. J. Davis, Monasticism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. xx, 142. Pb. £7.99. ISBN 978-0-19-871764-5.
N. E. Denysenko, ed., Icons and the Liturgy, East and West: History, Theology, and Culture. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. Pp. xii, 206. Hb. $75. ISBN 978-0-268-10138-1.
D. Dickinson, Yet Alive? Methodists in British Fiction since 1890. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016. Pp. xiv, 148. Pb. ISBN 978-1-4438-0294-9.
L. Doggett and A. Arat, eds., Foundations and Futures in the Sociology of Religion. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. xii, 217. Hb. £105. ISBN 978-1-138-09232-7.
E. H. Ecklund and C. P. Scheitle, Religion vs. Science: What Religious People Really Think. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. xii, 224. Hb. £19.99. ISBN 978-0-19-065062-9.
J. H. Forest, At Play in the Lions’ Den: A Biography and Memoir of Daniel Berrigan. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xiv, 336. Pb. £23.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-248-2.
M. J. Gehring, The Oxbridge Evangelist: Motivations, Practices, and Legacy of C. S. Lewis. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 2017. Pp. xii, 250. Pb. £19.50. ISBN 978-0-7188-9520-4.
E. L. Graham, Apologetics without Apology: Speaking of God in a World Troubled by Religion: The Didsbury Lectures. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017. Pp. xiv, 172. Pb. ISBN 978-1-4982-8413-4.
P. T. Hamalis and V. A. Karras, eds., Orthodox Christian Perspectives on War. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. Pp. xii, 389. Hb. $55. ISBN 978-0-268-10277-7.
P. Harrison, ed., Narratives of Secularization. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. x, 175. Hb. £115. ISBN 978-1-138-56356-8.
T. M. Hinga, African, Christian, Feminist: The Enduring Search for What Matters. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xxvi, 244. Pb. £37.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-249-9.
T. E. Hosinski, The Image of the Unseen God: Catholicity, Science, and Our Evolving Understanding of God. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xviii, 206. Pb. £22.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-259-8.
R. L. Hubbard and J. A. Dearman, Introducing the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xxii, 538. Hb. ISBN 978-0-8028-6790-2.
R. Hudson, The Monk’s Record Player: Thomas Merton, Bob Dylan, and the Perilous Summer of 1966. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xiv, 249. Hb. $23.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-7520-4.
G. Hunsinger, ed., Karl Barth, the Jews, and Judaism. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. vii, 189. Hb. £54.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-7576-1.
R. P. Jones and T. A. Smith, eds., Spirit and Capital in an Age of Inequality. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. xxx, 258. Pb. £29.99. ISBN 978-1-138-22023-2.
E. J. de Kadt, Liberal Religion: Progressive Versions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. x, 143. Hb. £115. ISBN 978-0-815-39458-7.
M. J. Kaemingk, Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xiv, 338. Pb. $28. ISBN 978-0-8028-7458-0.
B. N. Kaye, The Rise and Fall of the English Christendom: Theocracy, Christology, Order and Power. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. x, 324. Hb. £105. ISBN 978-1-138-30578-6.
C. van der Kooi, This Incredibly Benevolent Force: The Holy Spirit in Reformed Theology and Spirituality. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xviii, 157. Hb. £31.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-7613-3.
K. J. Kraay, ed., Does God Matter? Essays on the Axiological Consequences of Theism. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2018. Pp. viii, 228. Hb. £115. ISBN 978-0-415-79351-3.
M. E. Lee, Revolutionary Saint: The Theological Legacy of Óscar Romero. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xxvi, 213. Pb. £19.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-226-0.
R. Lennan and N. Pineda-Madrid, eds., The Holy Spirit: Setting the World on Fire. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2017. Pp. xviii, 230. Pb. £24.99. ISBN 978-0-8091-5344-2.
M. W. Levering, Dying and the Virtues. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xii, 348. Hb. £37.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-7548-8.
R. F. Luciani, Pope Francis and the Theology of the People, tr. P. E. Berryman. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xxiv, 199. Pb. £23.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-252-9.
A. E. McGrath, The Landscape of Faith: An Explorer’s Guide to the Christian Creeds. London: SPCK, 2018. Pp. xiv, 256. Pb. £16.99. ISBN 978-0-281-07625-3.
F. R. Mitman, Preaching Adverbially. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xii, 184. Pb. £24.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-7558-7.
J. S. Mustol, Dusty Earthlings: Living as Eco-Physical Beings in God’s Eco-Physical World. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 2017. Pp. xvi, 280. Pb. ISBN 978-0-7188-9523-5.
D. O’Murchu, Incarnation: A New Evolutionary Threshold. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. viii, 240. Pb. £20.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-235-2.
R. S. Park, Constructing Civility: The Human Good in Christian and Islamic Political Theologies. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. Pp. x, 271. Hb. $45. ISBN 978-0-268-10273-9.
L. M. Parker, A Seeker after Truths: The Life and Times of G. A. Studdert Kennedy (‘Woodbine Willie’) 1883–1929. Solihull: Helion and Co., 2018. Pp. 248. Hb. £25. ISBN 978-1-912174-04-1.
A. E. Patrick, On Being Unfinished: Collected Writings, ed. S. Perry. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xxvi, 309. Pb. £26.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-255-0.
C. S. C. Pemberton, ed., Theology and Civil Society. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. x, 196. Hb. £105. ISBN 978-1-138-63036-9.
P. S. Peterson, ed., The Decline of Established Christianity in the Western World: Interpretations and Responses. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. xvi, 295. Hb. £105. ISBN 978-1-138-30815-2.
M. Renaud and J. L. Daniel, eds., God and the Moral Life. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. xiv, 187. Hb. £105. ISBN 978-1-138-30844-2.
A. D. Richards, The Flag: The Story of Revd David Railton MC and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Oxford and Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2017. Pp. xvi, 288. Hb. £20. ISBN 978-1-61200-447-1.
M. Ross, Silence: A User’s Guide. Volume 2: Application. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2018. Pp. x, 140. Pb. ISBN 978-0-232-53348-4.
T. A. Russell, Women Leaders in the Student Christian Movement 1880–1920. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xiv, 274. Pb. £23.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-256-7.
B. W. Ryan, ed., Fortress Britain? Ethical Approaches to Immigration Policy for a Post-Brexit Britain. London and Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2018. Pp. 176. Pb. £16.99. ISBN 978-1-78592-309-8.
C. D. Shaw, On Mysticism, Ontology, and Modernity: A Theological Engagement with Secularity. Bern: Peter Lang, 2018. Pp. xii, 324. Hb. ISBN 978-3-0343-1988-1.
P. W. Shepherd, Questioning the Incarnation: Formulating a Meaningful Christology. Alresford: Christian Alternative Books, 2018. Pp. viii, 499. Pb. £24.99. ISBN 978-1-78535-633-9.
C. B. Simpson and B. T. Sammon, eds., William Desmond and Contemporary Theology. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2017. Pp. viii, 301. Hb. $50. ISBN 978-0-268-10221-0.
M. L. Skinner, A Companion to the New Testament: Paul and the Pauline Letters. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2018. Pp. x, 305. Pb. ISBN 978-1-4813-0783-3.
M. L. Skinner, A Companion to the New Testament: The General Letters and Revelation. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2018. Pp. x, 149. Pb. ISBN 978-1-4813-0787-1.
A. M. Slater, Radical Orthodoxy in a Pluralistic World: Desire, Beauty, and the Divine. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. vi, 212. Hb. £110. ISBN 978-0-415-78866-3.
M. D. Smith, The Final Days of Jesus: The Thrill of Defeat, the Agony of Victory: A Classical Historian Explores Jesus’s Arrest, Trial, and Execution. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 2018. Pp. x, 260. Pb. £20. ISBN 978-0-7188-9510-5.
K. R. Snodgrass, Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus, 2nd edn. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. xx, 892. Hb. £48.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-7569-3.
K. R. Snodgrass, Who God Says You Are: A Christian Understanding of Identity. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Pp. x, 246. Pb. £19.99. ISBN 978-0-8028-7518-1.
G. A. Studdert Kennedy, The Hardest Part: A Centenary Critical Edition, ed. T. J. J. O’Loughlin and S. A. Bell. London: SCM Press, 2018. Pp. xlvi, 231. Hb. £25. ISBN 978-0-334-05656-0.
W. M. Sumani, Mothers of Faith: Motherhood in the Christian Tradition. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xviii, 298. Pb. £23.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-257-4.
J. Swinton and B. R. Brock, eds., A Graceful Embrace: Theological Reflections on Adopting Children, Theology in Practice 4. Leiden: Brill, 2018. Pp. xvi, 248. Pb. ISBN 978-90-04-35289-6.
A. F. Walls, Crossing Cultural Frontiers: Studies in the History of World Christianity, ed. M. R. Gornik. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2017. Pp. xii, 284. Pb. £26.99. ISBN 978-1-62698-258-1.
P. Ward, Introducing Practical Theology: Mission, Ministry, and the Life of the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2017. Pp. iv, 188. Pb. $21.99. ISBN 978-0-8010-9819-2.
A. B. Wilkinson, Reflections for the Unfolding Year. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 2017. Pp. x, 171. Pb. £15. ISBN 978-0-7188-9498-6.
C. A. Wright, Creation, God and Humanity: Engaging the Mystery of Suffering within the Sacred Cosmos. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2017. Pp. xiv, 273. Pb. £24.99. ISBN 978-0-8091-5317-6.