Simon Says ...

So I did it:  All six books on the Michael Ramsey Prize shortlist have been read and reviewed.  The reading was fairly constant, the reviewing was a bit rushed towards the end! The reviews are here: Faith and Struggle on Smokey Mountain Healing Forgiveness Children in the Bible Unapologetic Dementia God's Presence I've thoroughly enjoyed it.  They are a set of excellent books, and not necessarily ones I would have read otherwise.  It leaves me in very good heart regarding the health of theology written in English. But on the Sunday of Greenbelt , one and only one of the books will be declared the winner.  So I thought I'd give it a go and pick the single title that I think should win. But first, something I have noticed from previous years shortlists.  For the past two shortlists, I have found bookmarks featuring all the shortlisted titles.  On both occasions, the book in the bottom left-hand place has won. This is 2011: ...

Review of Frances Young, God’s Presence: A Contemporary Recapitulation of Early Christianity (Cambridge University Press, 2012). The final book on the Michael Ramsey Prize shortlist for 2016 is a work of systematic theology.   Frances Young is a very distinguished theologian.   Her writing on the New Testament and early Christian theology is well known and is part of a corpus of writing that dates back to the 1970s.   This book is an integration of all the different concerns of her theological life, as an academic, a theologian of both the New Testament and the early church, a Methodist, a preacher and the mother of a profoundly disabled child, Arthur.   All of these different aspects to Young’s work and writing inform and shape this book. That theme of integration is also the way in which Young approaches the topics of her theology in this book.   In each chapter she offers a prelude of snapshots, showing the way the subjec...

This was the Synod when we had the ‘Shared Conversations’ about sexuality. All the build-up was about this.   As well as the normal bundle of papers, Synod members were sent three books – all about sexuality, from different perspectives.   I did read them all!   This Synod also stood in the shadow of the vote to leave the EU.   The Archbishops called an emergency debate, and the shadow of Brexit was long. The actual business of Synod, however, had to happen first.   We were addressed by a German Bishop, who reflected on the implications of Brexit and reminded us that the continent of Europe could not be voted away.   The Archbishop of York spoke about his Pilgrimage around his diocese, praying and speaking about the Gospel.   Duly fortified by this, we held the emergency debate on the EU.   The Archbishops proposed a motion that called ‘for all to unite in the common task of building a generous and forward looking country’.   We ...

Review of John Swinton, Dementia: Living in the Memories of God (SCM, 2012). I confess that I approached this book with trepidation.   What I feared was a well-meaning but dull account of the symptoms and basic pastoral needs of those with dementia – worthy, but not very interesting.   What I found was quite different.   This book is a mixture of deep theological accounts of what it means to be human, and important reflections on love and living.   All of this is explored and brought to the surface in Swinton’s reflections on dementia.   All has repercussions far beyond caring for those with that illness.   This is another truly excellent book on the Michael Ramsey Prize shortlist. Swinton starts with a question of identity.   He wants to be loved and cared for, just for who he is.   So the question becomes who is he?   This is, of course, compounded by issues around dementia, where people lose memories, a...

--> Review of Francis Spufford, Unapologetic: Why, despite everything, Christianity can still make surprising emotional sense (Faber and Faber, 2012). This is the only book on the Michael Ramsey Prize shortlist that I had already read.   In the spirit of the enterprise, I re-read it so that I could review it alongside its fellow nominees.   I enjoyed it as much on the second read as I had on the first. This is, quite simply, an excellent book.   It is very well written, by turns profound, insightful, irreverent and funny.   Spufford’s conceit is to write a book to explain why he is weird enough to go to church.   In order to do that, he offers an account of faith that draws on and speaks to contemporary culture.   There are lots of references to popular culture in here.   Don’t skip the footnotes, they are where some of his best, funniest and most barbed comments are to be found.   Take this one as an example: ‘Everyone...

Review of Anne Richards, Children in the Bible: A Fresh Approach (SPCK, 2013). This is the third of the shortlist for the Michael RamseyPrize , and wants to provide a new approach to working with children in the church.   She starts by reproducing a child’s question about God – ‘Who invented you?’   It’s an excellent question, which begs very deep and complex philosophical and theological issues.   Richards also offer’s the reply given by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.   She commends Williams for his ‘simplicity, generosity and directness’ (p. ix).   That the Archbishop takes the child’s question so seriously, is important.   That he tried to respond in a way that the child could engage with is equally important. Richard’s contention is that ‘children are worth God’s special attention and … are deeply woven into God’s purposes’ (p. xi).   In particular, she finds that God finds children ‘worthy o...

I have sent a contribution to the Revision Committee about Draft Amending Canon No. 36 (which deals, in part, with clergy vesture). In the interests of transparency, I reproduce my contribution below: Draft Amending Canon No 36 – A contribution to the Revision Committee 1.      I am very grateful for this opportunity to contribute to the Revision Committee in relation to the Draft Amending Canon no 36.   2.      My concern is that in 1(3) and 1(4) the minister is only required to ‘consult’ the PCC about changing the form of dress at worship.   The consideration of what would ‘benefit the mission of the Church in the parish’ is entirely left to the minister.   3.      I am concerned that there is a clericalism here – the draft amendment seems to imply that only the clergy have wisdom on the missional needs of the parish and what would benefit that mission.     4.    ...