PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENTS:
Simon Barrow has been co-director of the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia since July 2005. A writer, theologian, commentator, consultant, adult educator, researcher and journalist, .he contributes regularly to the Guardian‘s Comment-is-Free, to Third Way magazine, to OpenDemocracy, Wardman Wire and other outlets. From 2000-2005 Simon was global mission secretary for the official ecumenical body Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, which he also served as assistant general secretary until 2003. He was formerly adviser in education and training for Southwark Anglican Diocese (1991-1996) and has worked in current affairs journalism, theological education, development studies, and as the convenor of a national network of Christian social action groups. Simon has edited and co-edited a number of books, including Consuming Passion: Why the Killing of Jesus Really Matters (DLT: 2005), Christian Mission in Western Society: Precedents, Perspectives, Prospects (CTBI: 2001) and Expanding Horizons: Learning to be the Church in the World (SBCS: 1995). His articles and reviews have appeared in journals such as Political Theology, the International Review of Mission (World Council of Churches), the British Journal of Theological Education, Christian, Crucible, Pro Mundi Vita, the International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church, Movement and others. Simon sits on the council of the London Mennonite Centre and is a member of St Stephen’s Church, Exeter. He has been involved in activities of the British and Irish Association for Mission Studies (BIAMS), the International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS) and the Anabaptist Network’s Theology Forum. He is a member of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). Simon Barrow’s regular blog is FaithInSociety and his home page is: www.simonbarrow.net/
THESE PAGES:
This web portal will direct you to some links for Simon Barrow’s writings on issues of theology and society, religion and current affairs — and to related organisations. See the full index.
INTERESTS:
Contemporary theology and social themes; the challenge of post-modernity and pluralism to theology, spirituality and secularity; philosophy and political discourse; religion and conflict, approaches to secular and humanist thought, ‘subversive orthodoxy’ and ‘faithful revisionism’, ecumenism and radical approaches to Christian mission; peacemaking as an integral component of the Gospel; inter-religious exchange; Bonoeffer and the faith today; theological consultancy; religion and science; phenomonology and hermeneutics.
PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE:
* Fear or Freedom? Why a warring church must change (Shoving Leopard / Ekklesia, July 2008)
* Threatened With Resurrection: The difficult peace of Christ (Shoving Leopard, due 31 October 2008)
* Sense Making Faith (as a contributor, CTBI, 2007)
* Consuming Passion: why the killing of Jesus really matters (ed, with Jonathan Bartley), Darton Longman and Todd, published 2005.
* ‘Speaking nonsense to power: the mission of William Stringfellow’, in (ed. Antony Dancer, William Stringfellow in Anglo-American Perspective, Ashgate, April 2005.
* Presence and Prophecy: A Study Guide to the Mission Theological Advisory Group’s report on theological education (CHP / CTBI, 2003)
* ‘Christian Mission in Western Society’ (ed, with Graeme Smith), CTBI 2001.
* “Unravelling the Rhetoric of Establishment”, in (ed) Kenneth Leech, ‘Setting the Church of England free: The Case for disestablishment’ (Jubilee Group, 2001)
* ‘The churches gathered and dispersed in witness’ (reflections on a WCC mission and ecclesiology coloquium), CTBI, 2000.
* “A friend in deed – from care to community”, in (ed) M Simmons, ‘Street Credo: churches and communities’, Lemos & Crane, 2000, and in:
* ‘Urban Theology Networks’ (ed) Brock et al, EB-Verlag Hamburg, 2000.
* ‘Building Bridges of Hope’ in the report of the CEC European Mission Conference.
* “Experiencing the threat of New Wine”, in (eds) A Kreider & S Murray, ‘Coming Home: the story of Anabaptists in Britain & Ireland’, Pandora Press, Canada, 2000.
* ‘Towards communion – recovering human sexuality as an ecumenical concern’ (Coleman Press, 1999)
* “Can we educate the church to be an agent of radical change?” in (ed) Mary Grey, ‘Liberating the Vision’, LSU 1997.
* ‘Expanding Horizons: learning to be the church in the world’ (ed), BCS, 1995.
BACKGOUND:
Before joining Ekklesia in 2005 and CCOM/CTBI in 1996 (during which time he served on the Mission Theological Advisory Group), Simon was from 1991-6 adviser in adult education and training in the Diocese of Southwark and chair of the Church of England Adult Education Officers’ Network (in 1995). Prior to that he was a member of staff at the Institute for Spirituality, Heythrop College, University of London – where he co-edited The Way, an international journal on contemporary Christian spirituality produced by Jesuits and others (1990-91). Simon has also served as a programme officer for One World Week, the development education programme. He was national convenor of COSPEC (Christian Organisations for Social, Political and Economic Change), a network of 25 church-related action groups, from 1987 – 1990. He has studied theology at graduate and post-graduate levels and has been involved in ecumenical work nationally and internationally. .
As a professional journalist and editor, Simon has worked on several current affairs magazines and papers as well as being a commissioning editor for a business publishing house. From 1982-87 he worked for CMS as an education officer with a focus on world church and development concerns.
His other passions include music and football. He is married to Carla J Roth, a lawyer and former journalist, and he lives primarily in Exeter but also in North London – when not flitting about here and there.