'A unique ministry amongst Baptists'
Professor Paul Fiddes marks a 50 year association with Regent's Park College in October, writes Andy Goodliff
On 14 October a different kind of golden jubilee will be celebrated by Paul Fiddes and Regent’s Park College. Paul’s association with the College goes back to 1972 when he was appointed a Research Fellow in Old Testament and Hebrew. His induction was shared with Barrie White, as he became Principal
Since then Paul has been Tutor in Christian Doctrine (1975-89), College Principal (1989-2007), Director of Research (2007-2018) and currently is still a Senior Research Fellow (2018-). Through that 50 years Paul has been part of the teaching and formation of hundreds of ministerial students. His impact has also been felt in the University of Oxford, who made him a Professor of Systematic Theology in 2002, and in the theological academy in general, in which he is an internationally recognised scholar, seen by the many invitations to speak and contribute to numerous books, conferences and projects.
Wider has been his involvement in Baptist life nationally, and in European (EBF), and global (BWA) networks too. Paul has helped Baptists think through their being church and has represented Baptists ecumenically and also in inter-faith conversations.
Few ministers, if any, stay in one place, but Paul has sought to exercise his Christian ministry in one place, in one community, for these 50 years. Paul’s ministry has been one of thinking and helping others think through the Christian faith — a faith that can never be separated from a wider culture — and in ways that seek to make the Christian faith intelligible, practical and interesting. This has been something of a unique ministry amongst Baptists and it is gift that has sometimes perhaps been under appreciated.
Anthony Reddie, a recent colleague at the College, says that Paul 'is undoubtedly one of the greats. Along with Rowan Williams he is a genuine polymath who is as unfailingly courteous and polite in his intellectual reasoning as he is disarmingly brilliant in equal measure.
'Getting to work with him as been a singular blessing.’
If you want to read something by Paul Fiddes, where should you start? Here’s three suggested starting points:
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'Baptism and Creation' published in Reflections on the Waters (Smyth and Helwys, 1996) and reprinted in Tracks and Traces (Paternoster, 2003).
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'Spirituality as Attentiveness: Stillness and Journey' in Under the Rule of Christ (Smyth and Helwys, 2008)
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'Communion and Covenant' in Baptists and the Communion of Saints (Baylor, 2014)
Andy Goodliff has been the minister of Belle Vue Baptist Church, Southend-on-Sea since 2010. He is a Lecturer in Baptist History and Theology at Regent's Park College.
Andy is also delivering this year's Whitley Lecture, entitled The Ruling Christ and the Witnessing Church
Baptist Times, 05/10/2022