This coming autumn I am planning on leading a short series (four weeks) on aspects of human relationships, with each week having its provisional title posed as a question e.g. "A Christian marriage?" In four weeks I cannot possbily do justice to any of the topics I've chosen and of course there are 'places' Baptist ministers aren't permitted to go from the pulpit, though I hope to insert a few hints and glimspes to prompt people to do some thinking for themselves.
A quick Amazon search indicates any number of writings I might pick up, ranging from the 'Banner of Truth' via the 'Kingsway paperback' to the 'Theological Treatise.' What I am looking for is not the 'this is the answer' stuff, but some decent theological writing and wondering what others might have read on:
'Christian' marriage
'Christian' family
'Christian' work ethic
'Christian' responses to complex human situations e.g. multi-parent families, long term unemployment, family breakdown etc.
Anyone who points at the 'sixty minute' anything or 'power of the praying x' will be thumped (in love of course). I am happy to read across the theological spectrum so that I can then help others to think in a more sophisticated way about their own attitudes and lifestyles.
The experiences of the last year have changed me from feeling diffident about tackling such topics in worship to realising that it's the only way some people will ever engage with them. Omission of some topics from the list may say more about a mix of cowardice, pastoral sensitivity and the disicipline of the BUs than suggesting what I might think (waiiting eagerly for the BUGB publications here!).