Web Books
Minor Prophets with a Major Message
Bible Studies written for Bible Reading Fellowship Guidelines (1997-2009) in the original format with a minimum of revision and the addition of some prayers. Designed for private daily devotion or Group Study to combine contemporary scholarship with a devotional approach to scripture to provide a variety of viewpoints for further exploration.
Life in the Wilderness
More Guidelines examining Wilderness in terms of personal experiences, the land, wild places and the environment, and the importance of God’s creation and our response in understanding the world we live in as a means of enriching our lives today. http://www.gilco.org.uk/lwd/
Genesis 12-34
More Guidelines, exploring the world of the Patriarchs as human beings with human problems not unlike our own, related very much after the fashion of Soap Opera, with a view to identifying with them, reflecting on what they did, why they did it and what it says to us about our life and our understanding of God in the light of their experience.
Exodus 25-34
More Guidelines, exploring the Creation of Community. Exodus is one book with two major sources, one going back to the wilderness years the other originating in the 5th-6th century BCE when the Jews were returning from Babylon and seeking to establish a new community, inextricably linked with the old but appropriate for the new. Here they are putting down markers: Focal Points of Faith. In a similar situation what might be our Focal Points of Faith?
Lenten Laughter
An invitation from the Lewes Deanery in 2005 to deliver three lectures in their annual Holy Week services led me to look again at the biblical texts in the light of the medieval Feast of Fools and recent thinking on the place of laughter and fun, fantasy and festivity in Christian Festivals. The result was a mix of biblical scholarship, traditional hymns and contemporary readings, bringing a fresh approach to a traditional Festival, raising questions, leading to prayer, worship and commitment.
Essays on Steinbeck
An extended visit to California gave me the opportunity to explore Steinbeck territory beginning with the Steinbeck Center in Salinas and continuing with more persistent research at Stamford and San José Universities, resulting in a series of essays on a variety of themes focusing on Steinbeck’s biblical images, his approach to religion in general and his excursions into the meaning and purpose of life.
Printed Books
Dictionary of Bible Origins and Interpretation
A revised edition of the earlier Dictionary of the English Bible and its Origins (2000), now out-of-print, with much new material on the different methods of interpretation, especially those over the last half-century, reflecting some of the latest advances in biblical scholarship. Intended especially for students of religion and related subjects, religious educators in schools, colleges and churches, and indeed all serious readers of the Bible.
Preaching as Theatre
After watching Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman one man said he felt as if he had been watching his own story; it was the story of him and his father, so he asked Miller, 'Don't you think that strange?' 'Not at all,' replied Miller. He had heard it from men all over the world. It was a natural response to a work of genius. We have seen our story and we did not know it until we heard it. So how can the preacher tell the story in such a way that the same thing happens? That is the question this book addresses.
Agenda for Development
Development Education has always come second to hunger and poverty, and the Resources for Development Education a poor third. After twenty years of travel to over fifty countries in six continents in the interests of Christian literature, almost all as Director of Feed the Minds, a limited research project left me with two convictions. One, the supply of literary resources for Third World Christian education and theological libraries is too important to be left to western mission agencies, churches and commercial houses. Two, neither can it be left to a handful of local church leaders, academics and publishers, some having neither the desire or the ability and all with too many other demands and commitments already.
Bible Origins
An alphabetical list of persons and places associated with Bible origins together with 'student notes' on texts, versions, manuscripts and terminology, including the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, New Testament and recent Bible translations into English. Factual rather than evaluative, a useful reference tool reflecting contemporary biblical scholarship. For a revised edition with additional material on interpretation and contemporary hermeneutics see Dictionary of Bible Origins and Interpretation.
Aid Matters
Resources for worship with stories, thoughts, readings, prayers and reflections relating mainly to Aid and Development and with special reference to literature, literacy, education, books and publishing. Human cries, questions, prayers and comments from those on the receiving end, with scripture harnessed to informed development theory, to enrich worship, stimulate thought, feed the imagination, strengthen conviction, challenge assumptions and offer new insight leading to positive action though not necessarily of the kind usually expected.
Directory of Colleges
This 1997 publication with information on over a thousand theological colleges, seminaries, Bible Schools and university departments of theology in six continents, can now be found in a modernised, updated and an interactive format on the WCC website as Global Directory of Theological Education.
