Sean the Baptist

After 10 months or so, the blogging bug has been caught by one of my colleagues. Richard Kidd is Principal of Northern Baptist College and his new blog has just been launched.

New Baptist Kidd On the Blog

This is what Richard says about his blog:

I am seven weeks into a five month sabbatical and there is no doubt this has been a very special time. Since the beginning of March, nearly three months ago now, I have been moving into and through a period of very significant personal growth. The sabbatical has focused it, but I am glad to be able to note in myself that the process began some time before the sabbatical began - because, inevitably, it is easy to feel that the present experience of well-being might be no more than the glow of sabbatical freedom. I am convinced it goes deeper. ...

... So - over the coming weeks I shall be posting new reflections on the work I am doing day to day, and I shall be drawing back on resources gathered over the last few months. I hope there will be at least a few people out there who will want to share some of the journey with me, and I look forward to comments from others who find a resonance between their own experiences and mine.

Welcome, Richard, to the blogosphere!

Who will be next, I wonder?

Here is a question I have pondered over repeatedly.  What is the best way for a Biblical scholar to organise all of their books on non-biblical topics.  My Bible books are easy: intros etc followed by canonical order.  I think I can also organise church history pretty straightforwardly.  But what about systematic theology etc.

Here is my specific question - do I keep all my books by Jüngel together, or separate them with God's Being is in Becoming located in a section on the doctrine of God / trinity and Justification being in a section on soteriology or somesuch? And do I locate books about Barth with books by Barth or by surname of the author?

Sorry, I really must get to this meeting now. 

I have tried in the past to give information about recent work by British Baptist theologians. Andy Goodliff has gone one stage further and has offered several helpful posts containing extensive bibliographical information for the following people:

John Colwell

Anthony Cross 

Chris Ellis

Paul Fiddes

Steve Holmes: and note interview here.

Nigel Wright

I have had the following information through from the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague.

We are delighted to inform you that the 2006 Hughey Lectures will be delivered by H W Walker Pipkin (former Professor at IBTS) on Balthasar Hubmaier. We provide information below and attach a Registration form. This is new material Dr Pipkin is working on and please note lecture three -  on Hubmaier's gift to the church today. Please pass this information on to any who might be interested.
 
The J D Hughey Memorial Lectures on Baptist History and Identity were established in memory of Dr John David Hughey, one time President of International Baptist Theological Seminary, Rüschlikon. Dr H Walker Pipkin, who founded the Institute of Baptist and Anabaptist studies and is a noted Anabaptist historian, was instrumental in the seminary establishing this lectureship and in raising the funds for it.

Dr Hughey joined the Rüschlikon faculty in 1952 after serving as a missionary to Spain for eight years. He was President of the Rüschlikon seminary from 1960 to 1964. In 1964 he was named Director (at that time, secretary) for Europe, the Middle East and South Asia for the Foreign Mission Board, SBC, retiring in 1981.

Known as a missionary leader and a scholar, Dr Hughey is remembered for his commitment to Christianity and his family devotion. His wife, Evelyn, was a co-worker with him throughout his life. Dr and Mrs Hughey were the parents of four children and have several grandchildren.

In honour of his legacy, the Hughey lecture series was developed. Well-known Baptist scholars and church leaders have been invited to lecture on topics related to Baptist life and witness in Europe and other areas of the world, focussing on the distinctive witness that Baptists have made historically and continue to make today.

IBTS is delighted to welcome Dr H W Walker Pipkin, one time Director of the Institute of Baptist and Anabaptist Studies, for the next lectures in this series. They will take place on the Prague campus 6 - 8 November 2006. Dr Pipkin will be focussing on the life and work of the great Anabaptist figure, Balthasar Hubmaier, who led the Anabaptist community in Mikulov, Moravia. Dr Pipkin, with John Howard Yoder, translated the major works of Hubmaier into English and is one of the foremost authorities on the Anabaptists of Switzerland and south Germany/Austria in the world.

His lectures are entitled: THE LIFE STORY, REFORMING WORK AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF DR BALTHASAR HUBMAIER (ca. 1480-1528). They will be presented in three sessions: Lecture 1: Historical Perspectives and the Phases of Hubmaier’s Development; Lecture 2: The Clash of Conflicting Comprehensive Reforms: Balthasar Hubmaier and Huldrych Zwingli; Lecture 3: The Gifts of Hubmaier to the Life and Ministry of the Church Today.

It will be a great delight for the IBTS community to welcome our friend and colleague “home”. Why not join us for what promises to be an excellent occasion?

If you are interested to participate please contact PA to the Rector, Vanessa Lake at lake@ibts.cz <mailto:lake@ibts.cz> . 

For those who haven't yet heard the story, you need to know that Chris Tilling is the jammiest sod of a NT scholar cum theologian alive.  The reason?  Well, its not everyday that a full and gratis set of Barth's Dogmatics land in your lap, but Chris has had this blessing, from the hand of Jim West. 

 I have long wanted to own a full set of CD, but was determined not to pay for it if at all possible.  Up until now I have managed to collecct all 4 parts of IV in this way (i.e. from dead minister's libraries) but last week was simply forced to face facts and paid a reasonable sum of money for Ii and Iii (I wanted particularly to work with chapter III on the Authority of Scripture).  So, only II and III to go then.  I think I will wait a while before parting with any dosh again - just in case I get lucky.

For anyone who wonders why the concern with Barth, well I would just refer you to Ben Myers wonderful Ode to the Church Dogmatics.

I see I have not blogged for a month or more.  Time to reconnect.  So what has been happening? Well like many others out there the end of semester proved pretty busy; I haven't been well (nagging cough followed by nasty throat infection) and have been generally keeping busy with family, church (still no nearer calling a minister) and College.

But now I look at my diary for June-August and I see white space - beautiful white space that on the one hand helps me to breathe more easily again and on the other hand reminds me of what I plan to do over the summer, not least in terms of research and writing.

Despite my own silence, however, I have managed to keep up with some blog reading.  Here are a few of my favourite posts from the last two weeks or so.

Simon Carey Holt's reflections on spirituality. 

Paul Lavender's comments on this year's Baptist Assembly. Have a great sabbatical Paul, and that reading list is way too short. 

Slate Blogs the Bible: essential viewing this and worth keeping an eye on over future weeks. 

Frank Rees on the Pastor as Theologian. 

Hmmmmmm, I have another 20 mins or so before going into a meeting.  Time for another post or two?