A Baptist reading group to mark 20th anniversary of key Paul Fiddes book   

A monthly reading group focused on Paul Fiddes' Tracks and Traces: Baptist Identity in Church and Theology, once described as a book 'no-one can afford to ignore', will launch next month. Andy Goodliff explains more  

It's 20 years since Paul Fiddes published Tracks and Traces: Baptist Identity in Church and Theology. The book was a collection of essays and papers that Paul had written largely through the 1990s. There are chapters on identity, covenant, church, ministry, baptism, the Lord's supper, ecumenism, salvation and mission. 

A review of the book by Sean Winter said this:

Some Baptists will be puzzled by it; many others will disagree profoundly with it, a few may be infuriated by it; but no-one can afford to ignore it, not least because the theology and understanding of Baptist identity offered in its pages have the potential to shape Baptist life and practice for many years.

Under the auspices of the Centre for Baptist Studies, based at Regent's Park College, I'm organising a monthly reading group to read the book chapter by chapter. 

Meetings will happen every 3rd Sunday evening, 8-9pm on zoom, beginning in February. Each meeting engaging with a different chapter. (Apologies if Sundays don't work, the plan will be to record meetings.)

A different person each month will offer a brief engagement with the chapter and some questions which arise from it.

If you're interested in taking this role on let me know.

Hopefully we'll have a group who are reading the book again as well as some first timers! All are welcome.

There are some copies of the book available at £15 plus P&P for those who want to sign up. If you would like a copy, please let me know, with your address.

19 Feb ch 1 - identity
19 Mar  ch 2 - covenant
16 Apr  ch 4 - church
21 May ch 5 - authority & ministry
18 Jun - ch 6 and 7 - baptism
16 Jul - ch 8 - Lord's Supper 
17 Sept ch 9 - ecumenism
15 Oct ch 10 - salvation
19 Nov ch 11 - mission
17 Dec (TBC) ch. 3 - beginning a new millennium 
 

Andy Goodliff is part-time Lecturer in Baptist History and Theology at Regent's Park College, Oxford. He can be contacted at andrew.goodliff@regents.ox.ac.uk