I wish to access the Zoom evening

The next of the 'open zoom' evenings is now scheduled for Tuesday March 1st, 7.30pm UK time.. (I was originally planning for Feb. 1, so please note the change of date.)

Some evenings will be semi-theological, others picking up a practical or ethical issue. I consider all will be accessible.

In March I want for us to try and wrestle with the tension of it is definitely the 'nobodies' who are called to change the world, with their small acts... and yet I have been challenged these past weeks in two contexts, that presented me with the conundrum of 'got to get to the CEO's who can change the culture'. One right / one wrong?

Ro Lavender will shape the April 5th. evening helping provoke discussion regarding valuing every contribution as being important toward genuine transformation. Ro was a pioneer in understanding the 'market-place' as the context for those of faith. It will be intensely practical and hopefully will help us all remove the language of 'I did this, but it was so insignificant....'

  • In each evening, I am sure, we will discover that we are at different positions (theologically and pastorally) before, during and after the evening!
  • It will be vital that we come ready to listen. We are not looking to come to a conclusion, but to be enlightened.
  • Greg Hartigan is going to help us through the evening and I will send out a paper that he is preparing as some pre-reading.
  • Part of the time will be in breakout rooms so that we can all get involved. I expect that we would be finished by 9.00pm UK time, so the whole evening should not be longer than 90 minutes.

Use the 'signup' form above on this page to enlist. Looking forward to seeing you!

  • The form will simply help me plan with regard to the numbers
  • and to send out a Zoom link for the evening
  • also to send a document relating to the evening, to be read, skimmed, scribbled over!
  • Humanising
  • Significant
  • Subversive
  • LifeLine

Books!!

Over a number of years I have written numerous books (11 to date) and contributed to others. I wrote some small books in the mid-1990's and met Marc Dupont who before introducing himself to me, simply said, 'I see a flow of books coming forth from you.' In the years that followed a few books came, translations of a number of them also. Some years later we met again - the only two times we have met in person - this time in Dallas and before there were any greetings between us he simply said, 'More books, I see another flow of books.'

Books… if one travels and wishes to stand on platforms then books can be sold. I have no desire to do either, so realised that the fulfilment of that word might not be straightforward. I honour Gayle for provoking me not to think conventionally, and as a result I went and asked a tattoo artist to ink my leg with a plume! A plume is not the writing instrument of choice these days, it is rather unconventional, so for me the sign was of a) receiving the word that was spoken and b) that I would not be publishing the same way I had previously published.

The Series

I have called the series 'Explorations in Theology', as that has been my journey and therefore the content of the books. There are many experts that can write books that other experts can then dialogue with; these ones (I think) that I have written are much simpler, while trying to push the boundaries. My background is as an evangelical-charismatic. I push back against concepts that seem just to be accepted if that is the camp where someone feels at home. I have no axe to grind. I simply want people to know that there is a permissioning to ask questions.

There are different ways in which to engage with the material in the books. The simplest, of course, is to buy and read them. No need to agree with the content!

There are also zoom groups that can be joined. These follow a basic pattern of a short introduction to the section that will be discussed then with open discussion following. No need to be in agreement!

There are also occasional open, live zoom sessions that are not simply focused on the books but will take a subject for open discussion. No need to be in…!

Yes I have emphasised that agreement is not the goal, nor was it the purpose in writing the books. However, to make any engagement useful, I consider that there would be no value in entering a discussion in one of the above settings with the material if one were strongly committed to a 'Reformed' or 'Gospel Coalition' perspective. Disagreement that is based on 'I have the truth' (me or someone else) is not the basis I am looking for with the discussion. Openness and a willingness to explore I consider are necessary pre-requisites.

And of course you will need to buy the books! They come in hardback and eBook format:

Click on the image to be taken to the publisher's store (Boz Publication):

Boz"

Four introductory books… to help explore theological themes

  • Humanising
  • Significant
  • Subversive
  • LifeLine

Humanising the Divine

So much theology starts with 'God'… maybe not surprising as theos is the Greek word for 'god', but I consider the radical nature of the Christian faith is that 'God is like Jesus', God is the 'Jesus-like God'. At a radical level Jesus redefined God, and so God could only be understood through a Jesus-lens.

If Jesus is the only lens through which we may perceive God, there is a further aspect in that Jesus is the lens through which we are to perceive humanity, or humanity as intended. In this first volume I seek to redefine the centre of 'sin', as a falling short, but not primarily in moral terms of breaking a law, or falling below standards set, but of failing to be (truly) human. This being the 'falling short of the glory of God' that Paul speaks of, or to put it in very simple language, sin is failing to discover the reason for human existence.

Significant Other

I seek to follow the task set out for the partner of Christ. Jesus finished the work set out for him, but there remains a task for the 'partner' to complete. We commonly use the term 'church' and might describe it as 'the body of Christ', but the very term used 'ekklesia' was a well used and very political term. This is why I suggest we have to think of the partner that is brought to birth as being a political partner, not political in the party-politic sense but in the sense of being in existence to transform the world! Jesus is absolutely remarkable when placed in his context; Paul's vision of an Empire that can be transformed is likewise stunning. The apostolic vision is enormous in scope.

A subversive Movement

The enormous apostolic vision could lead us to believe that the movement to brng about that level of change would need recruits who were in themselves quite spectacular. But apparently it is the 'nobodies', 'those who are not' that are the ones being signed up! This volume pushes back against the idea that we have to change things from the top-down. Incarnational principles did not expire when Jesus Ascended!

LifeLine

This volume brings the four to a close. The Pauline Gospel from start to finish was about freedom. He presents a law-free Gospel, with the bias always towards inclusion.

These four books are a foundation to explore within and beyond. The implications of the foundational approach is to open doors for creative thinking, thinking that is within the biblical story, though not simply bounded in a fixed way by the biblical text. I wrote these books as something of an expression of my own journey, and wish that they simply serve others in their journey. Theology might at times be complex, but it should never be boring and always humanising!

Welcome... and a little info...

It's great to have you here. I have been blogging since 1999… a lot of ideas and perspectives, and inevitably some I might not even agree with 20+ years later! The site itself has gone through various iterations, this latest one being a resource for the books I have written, with some occasional posts. There are some articles, and even posts from the past that I have sought to keep alive (while others have simply gone the way of 'out-of-date / no-longer-relevant / not-my-focus-now' material). I title the site 'Perspectives', and i hope that it will be a contribution to any reader developing their perspective. I hope you enjoy the various reads.

The host name is '3Generations' and that continues to be a focus for me. Three different generations, thinking differently, acting differently but with the same focus.

The RESOURCES menu item leads to a number of resources that I have kept 'alive'. The material, for example, on Stages of Faith I came across some years ago and found that there was a strong resonance with the experience of many. Such shifts are not about to disappear and I suggest we are not best served by looking for the next 'big thing', but by seeing the future as being represented by:

  • the multiplicity of the small, and
  • the richness of diversity.

Below are the six most recent blog posts: click on the title to read the full post.