Faith in Doubt: Prayers and Poems by Simon Woodman

'A special book, inspiring, honest, and a gift to all who seek to pray with integrity to God'

Faith in Doubt: Prayers and Poems
By Simon Woodman
Independently published
ISBN: ‎ 979-835681738
Reviewed by Brian Haymes

 
This reviewer must begin with confession of a double interest. First, the author was once one of my students. Second, the church at the heart of this book was my final and most fulfilling pastorate. Lest any now imagine the review will be too critical, or too easily bland, let me say immediately that I think this is a special book, inspiring, honest, and a gift to all who seek to pray with integrity to God.

Simon Woodman has been minister at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church for more than ten years. The content of the book is a selection of prayers, often with responses, he has written as he has led the congregation in worship. He knows this is a great privilege, requiring our best thought and language. As a New Testament Scholar he understands that words matter, so he has obviously taken time and thought before he invites the congregation to pray. The result is that the words are often fresh, engaging, searching and always honouring God. Biblical metaphors abound and the Christian year is followed.

The chapters take us through a service of worship. Gathering, approaching, proclaiming, responding, leaving and blessing. There are prayers at the Lord’s Table, prayers for special occasions. The largest single group is the Intercessions, prayers for others, often so specific in naming persons and nations that the reader can recall the times. Bloomsbury through its history has known that the church properly shares God’s longing for the coming Kingdom. This is the church for others, throwing itself in prayer and life into the hopeful struggles of the Kingdom. There is political realism in these prayers, the people of God open to God and the world.

Some prayers are inspired by hymns and these have a poetic quality. Particularly notable are prayers based on reflections on passages of Scripture; for example, Thomas in his doubts. These often lead to deep prayer for others.

Here you will find the warmth of personal faith along with political social realism. There is honest recognition of the ambiguities and complexities of life. The reviewer wished at times that the prayers were more consciously Trinitarian but there is no doubt that these are prayers of living Christian faith. The final part of the book is entitled Faith in Doubt. All this is honest to God theology as the pastor explores, confesses, acclaims and rejoices with the proper modesty of faith.

Touching additions to the text come in drawings by Dawn Savidge, also a minster at Bloomsbury. These prompt further reflection. The one on the cover is most revealing; a human being is removing a mask, the real person is facing and being faced. Here is that necessary self-disclosure, vulnerability, which faith needs to be faith before our prideful hypocrisy and religious certainties, making possible our relating together before and in God.

Blessed is the congregation whose pastor is so careful of them before God. Blessed will be those who read this book, pray it, and be inspired by its faith in doubt for the practice of discipleship, seeking God’s kingdom before everything else.
 

Brian Haymes is a Baptist minister