Robert Beamish - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
I am an accredited minister in the Baptist Union of Great Britain, since 2003. Serving a church in North Wales since 2007 (https://www.pdbc.org.uk) and now combining that role with being the chaplain at Rydal Penrhos School (https://rydalpenrhos.com). I also do some work with the Light College (https://lightcollege.ac.uk) where I teach some FDA and BA course modules. Main interests are in homiletics and practical theology. I am also an active member of BIAPT & The Academy of Homiletics.
Address: United Kingdom
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Papers by Robert Beamish
I claim that preaching in times of crisis is vulnerable to the tendency of therapeutic and other ... more I claim that preaching in times of crisis is vulnerable to the tendency of therapeutic and other pastoral forms of preaching to put human solutions in the centre, moving God to the margins. I argue that crisis preaching must be balanced, being theocentric, and therapeutic if it is to be effective. I make the further claim that speaking of God at such times is undermined by theological confusion of how God is involved with his creation; a crisis of understanding driven by the question, ‘Where is God when I suffer?’ The proposal of Neil Pembroke (2013), that sermons are therapeutic when they point to the divine therapeia, the healing love of God, is argued to fail if there is no confidence in the involvement of God. In order to find the means of bringing the required balance I examine crisis sermons, and models of preaching, interrogating them with the term involvement. Finding it necessary to take these models further in the image of the God invoked, I consider the viability of apply...
Preaching in the time of COVID: finding the words to speak of God
Practical Theology
ABSTRACT This study contends that preaching in a time of crisis, such as the global pandemic, dem... more ABSTRACT This study contends that preaching in a time of crisis, such as the global pandemic, demands homiletical models that enable speech about God which can address the questions of God’s character and activity that are raised by great tragedy and disruption. A sample set of sermons, from churches of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, preached during the first United Kingdom wide national lockdown are reviewed as to what they say about God in relation to the pandemic. A model for crisis preaching as apophatic discourse is presented and then the central process of ‘saying and unsaying’ is applied to one of the more theocentric sample sermons in order to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the proposal.
A summary of an empirical study carried out as part fulfilment of a doctorate in theology and min... more A summary of an empirical study carried out as part fulfilment of a doctorate in theology and ministry course. Preachers in the north west region were asked to consider their understanding of preaching and of the practice of podcasting - the production of audio online content. The study showed a lack of confidence in the actual act of preaching, and a lack of reflection on the purpose and pitfalls of publishing the audio of those sermons online.
Books by Robert Beamish
Preaching in Times of Crisis (P154)
Grove Books, 2018
Preaching brings with it the chance for listeners to pause and be reminded of the promises and pr... more Preaching brings with it the chance for listeners to pause and be reminded of the promises and presence of God. Never is this more crucial than at times of crisis. Whether internal crises within a Christian community or the lives of its members, or external events over which we have no control, finding God in times of uncertainty and dismay can be hard. This booklet suggests that preaching can play a key role in bringing hope in the midst of darkness, while also acknowledging the importance of lament.
I claim that preaching in times of crisis is vulnerable to the tendency of therapeutic and other ... more I claim that preaching in times of crisis is vulnerable to the tendency of therapeutic and other pastoral forms of preaching to put human solutions in the centre, moving God to the margins. I argue that crisis preaching must be balanced, being theocentric, and therapeutic if it is to be effective. I make the further claim that speaking of God at such times is undermined by theological confusion of how God is involved with his creation; a crisis of understanding driven by the question, ‘Where is God when I suffer?’ The proposal of Neil Pembroke (2013), that sermons are therapeutic when they point to the divine therapeia, the healing love of God, is argued to fail if there is no confidence in the involvement of God. In order to find the means of bringing the required balance I examine crisis sermons, and models of preaching, interrogating them with the term involvement. Finding it necessary to take these models further in the image of the God invoked, I consider the viability of apply...
Preaching in the time of COVID: finding the words to speak of God
Practical Theology
ABSTRACT This study contends that preaching in a time of crisis, such as the global pandemic, dem... more ABSTRACT This study contends that preaching in a time of crisis, such as the global pandemic, demands homiletical models that enable speech about God which can address the questions of God’s character and activity that are raised by great tragedy and disruption. A sample set of sermons, from churches of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, preached during the first United Kingdom wide national lockdown are reviewed as to what they say about God in relation to the pandemic. A model for crisis preaching as apophatic discourse is presented and then the central process of ‘saying and unsaying’ is applied to one of the more theocentric sample sermons in order to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the proposal.
A summary of an empirical study carried out as part fulfilment of a doctorate in theology and min... more A summary of an empirical study carried out as part fulfilment of a doctorate in theology and ministry course. Preachers in the north west region were asked to consider their understanding of preaching and of the practice of podcasting - the production of audio online content. The study showed a lack of confidence in the actual act of preaching, and a lack of reflection on the purpose and pitfalls of publishing the audio of those sermons online.
Preaching in Times of Crisis (P154)
Grove Books, 2018
Preaching brings with it the chance for listeners to pause and be reminded of the promises and pr... more Preaching brings with it the chance for listeners to pause and be reminded of the promises and presence of God. Never is this more crucial than at times of crisis. Whether internal crises within a Christian community or the lives of its members, or external events over which we have no control, finding God in times of uncertainty and dismay can be hard. This booklet suggests that preaching can play a key role in bringing hope in the midst of darkness, while also acknowledging the importance of lament.