Historical Research

History is the stories which have shaped and continue shaping our lives today. Who tells those stories matters, so I have a particular interest in voices which have largely been ignored, such as the life and witness of the beguines – communities of medieval women who were single and religious, but not monastic. Forming their own communities, moving freely between their beguinage and the town, as a movement they had no centre or leadership. Unsurprisingly, such a life on the border of the secular and the sacred both fascinated and perturbed the cultural imagination of medieval Europe. I touch on them in my books on Transforming the Struggles of Tamars and Singleness and Marriage after Christendom, and also write about them in:

“‘She Did What She Could’: Some Historical Observations on Following Jesus as a Single Woman.” In Anthony R. Cross and Brian Haymes, Re-Membering the Body: The Witness of History, Theology, and the Arts in Honour of Ruth M.B. Gouldbourne (Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2021), 159-178.

Another area of historical research I’m finding myself delving into time and again is the story of my own family of faith – particularly the Baptist communities in Lithuania, but also beyond. See, for instance,

“Challenges and Opportunities in the Healing of Church Memories: Reflections on Baptist-Catholic Relations in Lithuania.” Journal of European Baptist Studies, Vol. 20, No. 2 (2020):46-58.

“Revival Among the Aliens: The Case of Lithuanian Baptists”. In William L. Pitts, Jr. (ed.), Baptists and Revivals: Papers from the Seventh International Conference on Baptist Studies (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2018), 304-323.

“Strangers in the Land and True Lovers of the Nation: The Formation of Lithuanian-speaking Baptist Identity, 1918-1940.” Perichoresis, Vol. 16, No. 1 (2018): 99-117.

“Jonas Inkenas and Forgiveness Lived Out: An Experiment in Biography as Narrative Theology,” American Baptist Quarterly XXII, no. 2 (2003), 247-261.

Practical Theology

‘Practical theology’ (as opposed to, you know, impractical theology…) is an exploration of the relationship between what is and what we say should be; between lived theology and doctrine; between our actual and declared convictions. It is also about engaging with any and every aspect of life, and about offering a theological reading of our world(s).

What follows is a sample of some of my writings – both academic and those written ‘for normal people’.

Theological Education:

“Rethinking Theological Education in Time of Flux,” EthicsDaily.com portal, August 27, 2019.

‘“Pedagogy for Personal Transformation: Faith Development in the Context of a Scottish Baptist College,” with Ian Birch and Graham Meiklejohn. Theology in Scotland, Vol. 26, No. 2 (2019), 29-44.

“Theological Education in Baptist Churches—major trends, networks and documents,” in Dietrich Werner et al, eds., Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity: Theological Perspectives – Regional Surveys – Ecumenical Trends.  Regnum Studies in Global Christianity Series (Oxford: Regnum, 2010), 686-696, with Keith G. Jones and Parush R. Parushev.

Theology and Practice of Singleness:

I have written two books on the subject, but here are some shorter pieces.

“Happily Ever After? Singleness, Romance, and Following Jesus.” Mission Catalyst, No. 1 (2021):6-7.

“How Your Church May Exclude Single Members.” EthicsDaily.com portal, September 16, 2015.

“Tamar, Judah, and today’s single women.” Baptist Times, Autumn 2015.

“Single women in the Church: some portraits.” Baptist Times, Autumn 2015.

“In pursuit of happiness.” Baptist Times, Autumn 2015.

“Struggling with Female Happiness: God’s Will and God’s Blessing in Primary Evangelical Theology,” in Pieter J. Lalleman, Peter J. Morden and Anthony Cross (eds.), Grounded in Grace: Essays to Honour Ian M. Randall. Centre for Baptist History and Heritage Series (Oxford: Regent’s Park College: 2013), 277-291.

Narrative Theology and Church Practices:

“Befriending Churches.” In Seeds of the Church: Towards an Ecumenical Baptist Ecclesiology, ed. Teun van der Leer, Henk Bakker, Steven R. Harmon, and Elizabeth Newman (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2022), 67-77.

“From the Love of Friends to the Love of Strangers: Reflections on Friendship and Discipleship”, in Baptistic Theologies 7, No. 2 (2015), 73-87.

“The Practice of Humour and our Spirituality: Some Reflections” in Journal of European Baptist Studies 14, No. 3 (2014), 22-33.

“Leadership as a Virtuous Practice” in Baptistic Theologies 5, No. 1 (2013), 119-132.

“From the Edge: On Approaching the Task of Breaking Open the Word,” in Fausto A. Vasconcelos (ed.), Baptist Faith & Witness, Book 4: Papers of the Study and Research Division of the Baptist World Alliance 2005-2010 (Falls Church: Baptist World Alliance, 2011), 97-105.

“As Songs Turn into Life and Life into Songs: On the First-Order Theology of Baptist Hymnody,” in Keith G Jones and Parush R Parushev, eds., Currents in Baptistic Theology of Worship (Prague: International Baptist Theological Seminary, 2007), 129-141.

“Church, State, and Culture: On the Complexities of Post-Soviet Evangelical Social Involvement,” Theological Reflections. Euro-Asian Theological Journal 3 (2004), 161-213 (in Russian, English, and Lithuanian), with Parush R Parushev.

“Jonas Inkenas and Forgiveness Lived Out: An Experiment in Biography as Narrative Theology,” American Baptist Quarterly XXII, no. 2 (2003), 247-261.