Paul S. Fiddes

This book fuses the Church's traditional doctrine of the Communion of Saints and Baptists' theology of salvation and discipleship--charting how Baptists can speak of a communion of saints here and now. Paul Fiddes and his coauthors emphasize that this communion is only possible within the fellowship of the triune God who covenants with and for believers. Reframing communion within a theology of covenant enables the affirmation of the practice of prayer and mutual support with all faithful disciples, both alive and dead. Such a covenantal understanding of communion avoids an unhealthy obsession with communication with those who have died. Baptists and the Communion of Saints thus makes a significant and practical difference in the way Baptists understand the nature of the church, prepare their worship, care for the dying and the bereaved, go on spiritual journeys, and celebrate baptism and the Lord's Supper.

The 'others' examined by Fiddes are mainly those with whom Murdoch entered into explicit dialogue in her novels and philosophical writing - including Immanuel Kant, Simone Weil, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rudolph Bultmann, Paul Tillich, Don Cupitt, Donald Mackinnon and Jacques Derrida. This 'historic' dialogue is, however, placed within a wider dialogue between literature and theology being conducted by the author, and 'others' are brought into relation with Murdoch in order to illuminate this more extensive conversation - notably the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and the feminist philosopher Julia Kristeva. The book demonstrates that characteristic themes in Murdoch’s novels and philosophy - the love of the Good, the death of the ego, illusory consolations, the death of God, the modifying of the will by 'waiting', the sublime and the beautiful, and attention to other things and persons - all take on a greater meaning when placed in the context of her life-long conversation with theology. The exploration of this context is deepened in this volume by reference to annotations and notes that Murdoch made in a number of theological books in her personal library.

This book is about discipleship and is a witness to God's grace; seeing God in others and in creation; learning about God through church, scientific discovery, and theological education; preaching and pastoring; journeying with others; and teaching and exploring life and the world through theological reflection. The post-resurrection account of Jesus meeting two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) is the motif which is the central theme of the book and which shapes our reflection on the ways in which God calls and equips Christians in their life journey. It is a faith story that asks questions about how God acts in the world and in human lives; reflects on the nature of God and on God's desire for every human life; and on sharing the good news of new possibilities for a life in Christ, a life in all the fullness that God has purposed, where the Christ who accompanies us on the road is able to make sense of our experiences. My hope is that readers will benefit from, and be challenged by, the testimony, theological reflection, and biblical exploration in this account of how we experience God's grace and calling on our lives.

This book is about discipleship and is a witness to God's grace; seeing God in others and in creation; learning about God through church, scientific discovery, and theological education; preaching and pastoring; journeying with others; and teaching and exploring life and the world through theological reflection. The post-resurrection account of Jesus meeting two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) is the motif which is the central theme of the book and which shapes our reflection on the ways in which God calls and equips Christians in their life journey. It is a faith story that asks questions about how God acts in the world and in human lives; reflects on the nature of God and on God's desire for every human life; and on sharing the good news of new possibilities for a life in Christ, a life in all the fullness that God has purposed, where the Christ who accompanies us on the road is able to make sense of our experiences. My hope is that readers will benefit from, and be challenged by, the testimony, theological reflection, and biblical exploration in this account of how we experience God's grace and calling on our lives.

Shakespeare’s plays are filled with religious references and spiritual concerns. His characters—like Hamlet in this book’s title—speak the language of belief. Theology can enable the modern reader to see more clearly the ways in which Shakespeare draws on the Bible, doctrine, and the religious controversies of the long English Reformation. But as Oxford don Paul Fiddes shows in his intertextual approach, the theological thought of our own time can in turn be shaped by the reading of Shakespeare’s texts and the viewing of his plays. In More Things in Heaven and Earth, Fiddes argues that Hamlet’s famous phrase not only underscores the blurred boundaries between the warring Protestantism and Catholicism of Shakespeare’s time; it is also an appeal for basic spirituality, free from any particular doctrinal scheme. This spirituality is characterized by the belief in prioritizing loving relations over institutions and social organization. And while it also implies a constant awareness of mortality, it seeks a transcendence in which love outlasts even death. In such a spiritual vision, forgiveness is essential, human justice is always imperfect, communal values overcome political supremacy, and one is on a quest to find the story of one’s own life. It is in this context that Fiddes considers not only the texts behind Shakespeare’s plays but also what can be the impact of his plays on the writing of doctrinal texts by theologians today. Fiddes ultimately shows how this more expansive conception of Shakespeare is grounded in the trinitarian relations of God in which all the texts of the world are held and shaped.

The 'others' examined by Fiddes are mainly those with whom Murdoch entered into explicit dialogue in her novels and philosophical writing - including Immanuel Kant, Simone Weil, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rudolph Bultmann, Paul Tillich, Don Cupitt, Donald Mackinnon and Jacques Derrida. This 'historic' dialogue is, however, placed within a wider dialogue between literature and theology being conducted by the author, and 'others' are brought into relation with Murdoch in order to illuminate this more extensive conversation - notably the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins and the feminist philosopher Julia Kristeva. The book demonstrates that characteristic themes in Murdoch’s novels and philosophy - the love of the Good, the death of the ego, illusory consolations, the death of God, the modifying of the will by 'waiting', the sublime and the beautiful, and attention to other things and persons - all take on a greater meaning when placed in the context of her life-long conversation with theology. The exploration of this context is deepened in this volume by reference to annotations and notes that Murdoch made in a number of theological books in her personal library.

Giles Questing, an undergraduate student at the University of Oxford, finds his life taking an unexpected turn after the suspicious death of a PhD student, a death the police believe to be suicide. He determines to solve the mystery by following a trail of artworks that depict a unicorn. Travelling to museums and galleries, he gradually discovers the truth about whether the student has taken his own life or been murdered, and who - if anyone - is guilty. His quest immerses him in the world of the unicorn in medieval and Renaissance art, and introduces him to the present-day obsession with the unicorn in the media, advertising, and social networks. All this enables him to crack the code of the unicorn that has been buried in the tradition of the Christian church for many years, and to answer the questions he has about a death that deeply affects him personally and that finally threatens his own life.

Giles Questing, an undergraduate student at the University of Oxford, finds his life taking an unexpected turn after the suspicious death of a PhD student, a death the police believe to be suicide. He determines to solve the mystery by following a trail of artworks that depict a unicorn. Travelling to museums and galleries, he gradually discovers the truth about whether the student has taken his own life or been murdered, and who - if anyone - is guilty. His quest immerses him in the world of the unicorn in medieval and Renaissance art, and introduces him to the present-day obsession with the unicorn in the media, advertising, and social networks. All this enables him to crack the code of the unicorn that has been buried in the tradition of the Christian church for many years, and to answer the questions he has about a death that deeply affects him personally and that finally threatens his own life.

"Romans" is one of the key epistles and the first Pauline letter in the New Testament. It is primarily a theological document and is therefore fundamental to the formation of Christian belief. Written by Paul as he prepared to visit Rome for the first time, it is a thoughtful letter to a well-established community whose faith and religious habits have become widely known and whom he regards with some reverence. "Romans" is a rich book from a biblical studies and theological point of view. In it, Paul makes his declaration that a person is justified by faith rather than works, a view which became of critical importance in the Reformation. His discussion of the role of the Law versus faith marked an important turning point in the disjuncture between Christianity and Judaism. Despite this, Paul argues that salvation is available for everyone, and identifies Abraham as the father of both Judaism and Christianity, linking the religions in one trajectory. The cultural impact of "Romans" has been immense. During the Reformation, "Romans" was drawn on extensively by Luther in his attack on the Catholic Church. In later centuries, it was tremendously influential on major theologians such as Karl Barth. In art and literature, the theology of "Romans" has influenced many fine works of art including many depicting the Christ child sitting in Abraham's lap; and the division between love and the law is the bedrock of plays such as "The Merchant of Venice", "Measure for Measure", and Kafka's "The Trial". Many expressions from "Romans" have entered the English language ('hoping against hope') and been incorporated into popular hymns, especially those penned by the Wesleys. This volume will explore all the major influences of "Romans" in social, political, theological and cultural life.

This is a comprehensive, yet unusual, book on the faith and life of Baptist Christians. It explores a Baptist understanding of the church, ministry, sacraments, and mission from a thoroughly theological perspective. In a series of interlinked essays, the author relates Baptist identity to a theology of covenant, and to participation in the communion of the triune God. The book thus surveys the "tracks" of heritage, giving a solid historical background to each of the major themes, while at the same time offering "traces" of possible paths for the future, based on a tracing out of a vision of God.

This book brings Christian theology, creative literature, and literary critical theory into dialogue on the theme of 'the end'.

This book brings Christian theology, creative literature, and literary critical theory into dialogue on the theme of 'the end'.

In Participating in God, Paul Fiddes seeks to develop an image of God that is both appropriate to the demands of pastoral care and firmly grounded in the revelation of God. He explores the way in which pastoral care shapes our doctrine of God and how faith in the triune God in turn shapes the practice of pastoral care. Fiddes elaborates on the Trinitarian context for the pastoral acts of intercessory prayer, suffering, granting forgiveness, the facing of death, the exercising of spiritual gifts, and the sacraments.

The theme that God suffers with his world has become a familiar one in recent years, but a careful examination is needed of what it means to talk about the suffering of God, avoiding the danger of a merely sentimental belief. This book offers a consistent way of thinking about a God who suffers supremely and yet is still the kind of God to whom the Christian tradition has witnessed, and also about a God who suffers universally and yet is still present uniquely in the cross of Christ. It is at once both a survey of recent thought about the suffering of God and a proposal for a way forward in this important area of Christian theology. The author surveys four main trends of recent thought: the 'theology of the cross' in modern German theology (as represented particularly in the work of Karl Barth, Jürgen Moltmann, and Eberhard Jüngel); American process theology; 'the death of God' theology; and finally, the rejection of the whole idea of divine passibility by modern followers of classical theism. He draws upon these schools of thought in the course of reflecting upon various aspects of the main theme of the study. This thematic structure enables an idea of divine suffering to be developed throughout the book, affirming that God freely chooses to limit himself, to suffer change, to journey through time and even to experience death while remaining the living God.

How can our salvation in the present depend on an event in the past?

How can an event that has taken place in the past have an effect upon the human experience of salvation in the present? In examining one of the essential questions of the Christian faith, Paul S. Fiddes explores the limits as well as the gains to be made in speaking about crucifixion as a historical event, and considers the relationship of the crucifixion to the continuing process of God's saving activity. He considers the relevance of a past act of atonement to such areas of practical experience as forgiveness, liberation, and suffering.

The Element begins by surveying the image of spirit within Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It explores the duality between the experience of spirit 'from beyond' and spirit 'within', and finds a consistency in the idea of spirit as the presence and activity of God in the world. Attention is given to the image of spirit as an 'overflow' in Islam and late Judaism. Moving into discussion of a dialectic between 'spirit' and 'letter', or spirit and written text, gives a context for investigating the place of spirit in the New Testament, modern romanticism and idealism, and finally in the late-modern protest against structures of spirit. Finally, the development of spirit into the 'Holy Spirit' of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is considered, arguing that an experience of spirit as an inexhaustible relation and flow of love will oppose forces of domination in human life.

The Element begins by surveying the image of spirit within Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It explores the duality between the experience of spirit 'from beyond' and spirit 'within', and finds a consistency in the idea of spirit as the presence and activity of God in the world. Attention is given to the image of spirit as an 'overflow' in Islam and late Judaism. Moving into discussion of a dialectic between 'spirit' and 'letter', or spirit and written text, gives a context for investigating the place of spirit in the New Testament, modern romanticism and idealism, and finally in the late-modern protest against structures of spirit. Finally, the development of spirit into the 'Holy Spirit' of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is considered, arguing that an experience of spirit as an inexhaustible relation and flow of love will oppose forces of domination in human life.

This open access book stems from a unique set of conversations between six scholars concerned with the theological problem of suffering in the non-human world over millions of years. How is the confession of the Christian God compatible with all the struggle, violence and suffering to which the Darwinian world testifies? This work identifies key fault lines in this rapidly growing debate - over the questions of resistance to the divine will in the non-human creation in particular. Is the picture of the biological world we derive from the sciences indicative of a profound resistance, distorting the character of creation? If so, what is the origin and character of this resistance? Or is it unnecessary to postulate such resistance before the evolution of human beings and their sin? Or is an intermediate position, in which some specific characteristics hint at resistance, the most coherent approach? Six leading academic press on this question in a way that illustrates the quality of the conversation we have been able to achieve in our colloquia. As such it also provides a model for how theology can be done collaboratively, respecting diversity of positions and using that diversity to advance the frontiers of debate. The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license on bloomsburycollections.com. Open Access was funded by the University of Exeter, Baylor University, and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.