President's Diary - June 2024
Saturday 1st June
Bristol was our home for more than 25 years and since it’s not far from where we now live, we often find ourselves back there. This time we were due at our daughter’s baby shower. Most of the standard rites of passage are now behind us but becoming grandparents is the most significant personal event on our horizon. We’re feeling blessed that, so far, everything seems to be going smoothly.
Sunday 2nd June
Today, I found myself in Swindon walking on eggshells as I was asked to speak on the title ‘Interpreting Israel’. I remembered the briefing I received about being President and needing to be careful about addressing controversial subjects. I was fairly sure that I was not going to say anything too outrageous but I’m conscious of how deeply many feel about this subject, especially with the dreadful conflict going on in Gaza.
I remembered the months I spent many years ago on a kibbutz just outside Ashkelon, north of the Gaza strip. And I thought about one of my doctoral students who is married to a Palestinian Christian and who has family and friends in the war zone.
I tried to address the topic I’d been given but insisted that anything I said should be understood as being offered in a personal capacity and that it should not find its way onto the internet. I recalled my feelings when politicians and others refuse to give straight answers to certain questions and felt a little more sympathy for them than I have sometimes had.
Tuesday 4th to Thursday 6th June
A couple of nights away with the group who form the Baptists Together Core Leadership Team. There seem to be lots of tricky issues to address. There’s the aftermath of our debates about changing the ministerial rules, there’s the need to respond effectively to the recommendations made by Project Violet, and there’s the continuing question of the need to review our financial situation. I recognise that all these things are urgent and need our attention. I was grateful to be invited to lead prayers on the Thursday morning with a focus on younger leaders, one of my themes for the year.
Saturday 8th to Sunday 9th June
I found myself in Horsham in West Sussex for the weekend, just a few minutes’ walk from where I went to secondary school. I had been asked to lead a seminar on universalism on the Saturday afternoon. It seemed such a big topic to try to address. What does the Bible actually say about it? And what do the different positions say about God? Universalism is the very attractive idea that in the end everything and everyone will be saved. But I’m not sure that’s quite what the Bible teaches. I think I find it hard to embrace universalism firstly because if humans have freedom, then we can choose to refuse to forgive or receive forgiveness and secondly because we are perfectly capable of making perverse choices.
On the Sunday, after being the beneficiary of some splendid overnight hospitality, I was invited to speak about the 10th commandment. Apparently, this was the first message in a series taking things in reverse order. It seems to me that the commandment against being covetous is about how human desire is to find its focus. If we desire the wrong things we will break all the other commandments, but if we seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then not only might we manage to keep the commandments, we will also fulfil the law of Christ (Gal 6:2) and the royal law (James 2:8).
Monday 10th to Saturday 15th June
While the children were growing up and for the years I spent in college, we were quite restricted in the times we could take holidays. We could only be away during school and college vacations. One of the great joys of retirement is that this no longer applies. We were able to go to Dartmoor for the week, do some walking, enjoy some local food, read a book or two, all at a reasonable cost and without everywhere being too crowded.
Monday 17th to Wednesday 19th June
Although I have finished work at the college, I still have a few postgraduate students who are working on their doctorates. My experience of supervision is that for the first few months, I probably know as much about the subject as the student does. But given that doctorates are so specialised and focussed, it doesn’t take long for the student to know more about their topic than I ever will. As a result, I have to do lots of reading to keep up with them. Over a few days I was involved in the supervision of four students. I discussed apocalyptic approaches to politics, Paul’s decision making in the narrative of Acts, the interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11, and the understanding of the Baptist Union Declaration of Principle. After that I needed a bit of a rest. I thought it would be relaxing to watch the England football game against Denmark on the Thursday evening. I was wrong.
Monday 24th to Wednesday 26th June
One of the most unusual, challenging and interesting invitations I have received so far came from the Church of Scotland and Free Church Naval Chaplains who asked me to speak to their conference at the Defence Academy near Swindon. The theme they gave me was Chaplains as Brothers and Sisters. I talked to them about siblings in the Bible and the mistakes that many of them made as well as the positive lessons that can be learned. We worked together to try to apply the lessons to the task of naval chaplaincy. They invited me to be a guest at their Mess Dinner one evening as they bade farewell to two colleagues who have reached their retirement. It was a great privilege to be with such a committed group of ministers. The other lovely moment was when they insisted on a game of croquet – I’m not sure I’ve ever played before – and let me win.
Saturday 29th to Sunday 30th June
It’s always great to get an invitation to London and my friends at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church were kind enough to invite me to speak on the Sunday morning. We’ve been on different sides of the argument on some of the issues that our union has faced recently but the friendships continue. Our younger daughter lives in east London and so we travelled on the Saturday morning so we could have lunch with her and her husband. We saw them again for a meal in the evening. We travelled from the East End to the West End on Sunday morning for the service. I suggested to the congregation that the gospel presents us with a great drama and invites us to walk on stage and join in.
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