If they ask me, I could write a book

…

and the dark secret of the plot

is just to tell them that I love you a lot.*

When I was studying Ministry and Theology I was introduced to the Grove series of booklets as concise statements about matters of biblical understanding, spirituality and so on. We were told that although we could use one or two an essay containing only such a bibliography would be frowned upon as too lightweight! Certainly they can be read in the space of an evening or so and are an easy way of checking out key facts on a specific topic, exploring new ideas or being challenged.

I acquired a few more when our liturgy tutor, Colin Buchanan turned up with a suitcase of them “on offer”. Reduced rates for multiple copies- ever keen to grab a bargain I began my association with the 32 page editions. I soon found out that he had originated these when at the former St John’s College, Nottingham (these days published in Cambridge).

I have been a subscriber for about ten or eleven years now – four volumes each year costs £11.95 inclusive of postage which makes them extremely good value. I am not sure how many I now have in total but I suspect well over a hundred. There are series on biblical studies,  spirituality and so on. I have this last year also added the ethics series to my regular order. These are readable and relevant and would make good discussion starters on matters of real concern today. So much of the world needs the input of Christian ethics that this series, rooted in practical applications around modern day problems, seems valuable.

Some recent examples from the Ethics series I have received in the quarterly mailings include:

Being disabled, Being Human – challenging society’s perception of disability and personhood

Christianity and the Social Contract – applying theology to the key questions of our time

Surveillance Capitalism and the Loving Gaze of God

Some of these make disturbing reading and identify the need for Christians “to speak up loudly in the public sphere to preserve the essential dignity of human beings ….  as individuals loved into  being by a loving creator – a creator who calls us to look with his eyes of love upon a fragile world and to work with him for the healing of God’s creation.” (Ireland – Surveillance Capitalism and the Loving Gaze of God, p 25, Cambridge, 2022)

I do not necessarily agree with everything I read in them. My copies are annotated with exclamation marks, the word NO in the margin or large questions marks; occasionally there is a scribbled comment starting “what about ….?” Hardly surprising as they emanate from a place which was evangelical in its outlook so I might well see the ideas from a  different perspective. However they are useful as they expose me to ideas that are current and also ensure that I think through my reactions and understanding of my faith. 

Spirituality series: titles I have to hand include the following, the first I did not agree with at all but the other two I found helpful:

The Practice of Evangelical Spirituality

Enjoying Sabbath – a guided exploration of the sabbath landscape

The Christian Development Model – spiritual examination, mentoring and discipleship

When Bishop Colin was taking our Lent course this year (something he has offered to Parishes in interregnum for a while) he mentioned to me that some times the booklets provide the starting point for a new author.  I think that is useful as a lot of people, myself included, want to share their thoughts with others – hence, on one level, these blog comments I make from time to time.

What has struck me though is that they principal reason for writing is to remind us that the good news is central to our fish and we need to echo the idea that God, through Jesus loves us a lot.

RT/November 22

* from the song “I could write a book’ (Rodgers and Hart 1940) sung by Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra along others. I did initially consider “Paperback Writer” as per The Beatles but those lyrics have all the wrong connotations for something written from a Christian perspective, whereas this old standard seems fits the bill far better for what I see as useful volumes.