John E Colwell

You would usually imagine blood-sucking vampires and crucifix-holding priests in a fight to the death, but professional ""holy man"" Reverend Joe Haward believes horror can show us how to truly live. Could it be that horror, combined with faith, has the power to transform the world for the better? In this controversial book you are invited to discover how flesh-eating zombies, ghosts, and Jesus have the potential to turn the world upside down and create beautiful communities of peace. From Hannibal Lecter showing us the power of forgiveness, to Stephen King's IT revealing why authentic speech might change your life forever, this book will take you into the heart of terror, and lead you into a brave new world. Be afraid, because you might never be the same again. ""The bold plan in this book is to bring together the horror genre of popular culture and Christian theology, in such a way as to draw out an insightful conversation between the two. We live in a complex, violent, and confused world that swings between extremes of multiple and competing ideologies. . . . Haward interprets 'horror' theologically and shows, therefore, how this genre is indeed rich pickings for discovering theological insight to 'see beyond' the cultural impasse."" --Richard Matcham, Pastor of Barton Baptist Church, UK ""Horror is a genre which divides. . . . However, whether it is something you think you know everything about, or dislike and avoid, don't let either stop you reading this significant book. Joe Haward is a thinking Christian with a huge knowledge of the topic, who is able to help us look at a range of topics. . . . He does so in a way which does not exclude those who are unfamiliar with his examples, but which will be fascinating to those who are, and relates this to Jesus, who alone provides an answer, a radically different answer, to our violence, fear, and despair. This book has something to say to everyone. I commend it highly."" --Jeannie Kendall, Co-minister of Carshalton Beeches Baptist Church ""Joe Haward's thoughtful exploration of horror theology is a timely reminder that fright fans, like myself, aren't demonic, death-worshippers. We've simply found the fingerprints of God in the most unexpected and unsettling of places. Even if you don't love horror, millions of people do. Be Afraid will show you how this genre has the power and potential to shock us into great wisdom."" --Peter Laws, Author of The Frighteners: Why We Love Monsters, Ghosts, Death and Gore Joseph Haward is the creator of revdjoe.com, an online resource platform for schools and churches. He is the founder of the pioneer ministry This Hope, an eighth-generation oyster fisherman, accredited Baptist minister, and he is married to Sarah and they have two young daughters, Grace and Lizzie. He is the author of The Ghost of Perfection: Searching for Humanity (2017).

You would usually imagine blood-sucking vampires and crucifix-holding priests in a fight to the death, but professional ""holy man"" Reverend Joe Haward believes horror can show us how to truly live. Could it be that horror, combined with faith, has the power to transform the world for the better? In this controversial book you are invited to discover how flesh-eating zombies, ghosts, and Jesus have the potential to turn the world upside down and create beautiful communities of peace. From Hannibal Lecter showing us the power of forgiveness, to Stephen King's IT revealing why authentic speech might change your life forever, this book will take you into the heart of terror, and lead you into a brave new world. Be afraid, because you might never be the same again. ""The bold plan in this book is to bring together the horror genre of popular culture and Christian theology, in such a way as to draw out an insightful conversation between the two. We live in a complex, violent, and confused world that swings between extremes of multiple and competing ideologies. . . . Haward interprets 'horror' theologically and shows, therefore, how this genre is indeed rich pickings for discovering theological insight to 'see beyond' the cultural impasse."" --Richard Matcham, Pastor of Barton Baptist Church, UK ""Horror is a genre which divides. . . . However, whether it is something you think you know everything about, or dislike and avoid, don't let either stop you reading this significant book. Joe Haward is a thinking Christian with a huge knowledge of the topic, who is able to help us look at a range of topics. . . . He does so in a way which does not exclude those who are unfamiliar with his examples, but which will be fascinating to those who are, and relates this to Jesus, who alone provides an answer, a radically different answer, to our violence, fear, and despair. This book has something to say to everyone. I commend it highly."" --Jeannie Kendall, Co-minister of Carshalton Beeches Baptist Church ""Joe Haward's thoughtful exploration of horror theology is a timely reminder that fright fans, like myself, aren't demonic, death-worshippers. We've simply found the fingerprints of God in the most unexpected and unsettling of places. Even if you don't love horror, millions of people do. Be Afraid will show you how this genre has the power and potential to shock us into great wisdom."" --Peter Laws, Author of The Frighteners: Why We Love Monsters, Ghosts, Death and Gore Joseph Haward is the creator of revdjoe.com, an online resource platform for schools and churches. He is the founder of the pioneer ministry This Hope, an eighth-generation oyster fisherman, accredited Baptist minister, and he is married to Sarah and they have two young daughters, Grace and Lizzie. He is the author of The Ghost of Perfection: Searching for Humanity (2017).

John Colwell presents a robust sacramental theology for Protestant churches. He maintains that a doctrine of the Trinity leads us to conceive of God's gracious engagement with his creation as one that is mediated through that creation. And this lies at the foundation for an understanding of the sacraments. Colwell further argues that the Church and Scripture confer context, definition, and validity on all other sacramental events. The final section reconsiders the seven Sacraments of the Catholic tradition in the light of the understanding of sacramentality developed earlier in the book: baptism, confirmation, the Lord's Supper, cleansing, healing, ministry, and marriage. Colwell discusses the Sacraments from an evangelical perspective but with a committed ecumenical intent.

In this powerful book on the experience of desolation John Colwell focuses on Psalm 22, read in the light of his own struggle with bi-polar disorder and the Christian belief that God the Son suffered in his humanity, to offer existential-theological reflections on the experience of God-forsakenness. 'My concern in writing this book and reading this psalm is to reflect on the felt experience of God-forsakenness, my own and that of Christ in the light of this psalm; to explore the theological and spiritual significance of this felt experience for myself, for Christ, for Christians generally. If this exploration proves to be helpful to me or to others then obviously I am glad, but I am not writing this book to be helpful but rather to be truthful (and perhaps hopeful). This is a personal journey of reflection with a psalm which I invite you, the reader, to share if you will.'

Traditionally, Systematic Theology has been structured around the articles of the Creed: the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of the Spirit, the doctrine of the Church, and so on. Whilst this approach has its benefits it is not without flaws. One weakness is that the roots and context of theology in Christian worship can be lost sight of and discussions can become abstract and disconnected from the life of faith. But there is another way to structure Systematic Theology, an approach more explicitly and self-consciously rooted the pattern of liturgy followed by most Christians for most of the Church's history.