A new book for group discussion
- an Unfinished Journey
Book 1 - Through Advent to Epiphany
This is the title of the first of a series of three discussion booklets based on
the sermons of two Methodist Ministers, Ted Bishop and John Churcher, with
questions for discussion by a third, Betty Saunders. This book is available at £4,99 plus £1-14 postage and
packing from the authors or direct from the on-line publishers,
There were two factors that led to the production of this series of booklets.
One was that the three of us were discovering how the latest New Testament
studies and post-liberal theology coming mostly from the
Through friendship with the two preachers she was aware of the serious study
that went into each sermon which made the sermons worthy of wider circulation
and, through the response to her letter in the Methodist Recorder, she was also
aware of a serious lack of inexpensive group discussion material that takes into
account post-liberal New Testament scholarship and theology.
The origin of these studies in sermon form had the advantage that they were
composed, not for students in an academic setting who might be prepared to read
large theological books, but for presentation to the random mixture of people in
ordinary congregations. The theology in the sermons might be unfamiliar but was
well digested by the preacher before presentation and always involved a
suggested application to everyday life. The questions are intended to draw out
ideas and information that may be new to the group and there are longer notes on
some key issues that arise.
We have all three been engaged in a journey of faith and have found that, when
we are not afraid to question previous assumptions and formulations composed by
the Church for earlier generations, the result is not a negative loss of faith
but an honest discovery of new depths of meaning and relevance for our day.