Down With This Sort of Thing
Praxis Press launches with a new book on mission in contemporary Ireland
A Christian publishing house for Ireland has been a long time coming but that is set to change as Praxis Press launches its first book this autumn. In “DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING” Fraser Hosford explores the seismic changes that have taken place in Ireland and considers how our unique context needs to shape our vocabulary and our approaches as we seek to introduce people to Jesus. Fraser spoke to VOX magazine about this new venture and his new book:
Tells us a little bit about yourself.
I serve as pastor of Dublin West Community Church which is based in the greater Blanchardstown area of Dublin. In addition, I still work part-time as an economist. I am married to Ruth. We have three children and are being lobbied to add a dog into the mix.
What is ‘Praxis’?
Praxis is a group of Christian leaders from small grassroots communities in Dublin and beyond who desire to see God building His Kingdom. Over the past two years, we have been sharing stories and ideas of what this mission can look like in contemporary Ireland.
Praxis means action, exercise or practice and that is our focus. We want to see ordinary people released to be part of God’s mission wherever they are. By learning from each other’s experiences in diverse ministries, our hope is that we may be united and enabled to see movement happen across the country.
You may know us from the Praxis Conference that we have run for the last two years. We have listened to international leaders with experience of helping small communities turn theory into missional action and also from local Irish leaders. We have also sought to create space for Christians in Ireland to engage with each other on what mission looks like in Ireland today.
What is ‘Praxis Press’ and how did it come about?
Praxis Press is a startup Christian publishing house for Ireland. Our vision is to be ‘publishing Irish voices for the Irish church’. And our core values are investing in Irish writers, mission, contemporary practice and excellence.
We have a clear focus on Ireland and seek to serve the Irish church. Ireland has its own distinctive history and culture. This means that mission in Ireland is different. We need our own vocabulary and approaches to talking about Jesus. Theologies and practices from England, America and beyond, while meaningful, will never be exactly right for Ireland.
As you know, Ireland is an increasingly secular culture but its form of secularism is different from that of the UK or indeed Europe. So we need to release Irish writers, people who are living and ministering in Ireland, to speak into this culture. These people are out there, although they may not know it yet! They just need the encouragement to write and a visible pathway to publication, such as Praxis Press. Thoughts and ideas directed at the Irish church may not be of interest to traditional publishers because of the size of our market. We hope that Praxis Press will fill this gap in order to serve the wider Irish church. We seek to share the ideas, explore the theological reflections and tell the stories of ordinary yet brave Irish Christians who are searching and finding God on the frontier of mission.
Your own book will be the first to be published by Praxis Press. Tell us about that.
Yes, I have a book coming out this Autumn, hopefully any day now! It’s called DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING drawing on a cult reference from Father Ted. We have flipped from being a country where faith speaks down to secular culture, as in the days immortalised by Father Ted, to one where secular culture speaks down to faith.
“We have flipped from being a country where faith speaks down to secular culture To one where secular culture speaks down to faith.”
As Ireland has modernised and developed in recent decades, Christian faith and practice has seemed to be on the decline. Responding to this changed culture, the book asks how is the Christian Gospel good news in contemporary Ireland? It seeks to identify strands of today’s secular Irish culture, some of which are a reaction to the faith experience of the past, and relate Jesus and His teachings to these new values and ethos. In this cultural upheaval, where is the place for Christian faith? How can the Jesus of the Scriptures interact with this culture and bring hope to it?
There is no one simple answer. Culture is so multifaceted, with its different intersecting layers, and people are individually unique. Different aspects of Jesus will attract different people to Him. What the book tries to do is to listen to our contemporary Irish culture, to hear its concerns, ideas and values, and then to respond with some reflection from the Scriptures. I hope some of the themes addressed, and the approach used, will both help and inspire ordinary followers of Jesus like you and me.
What themes are some of the themes that you cover in the book?
The chapter titles provide a taste - exploring themes such as ‘faith in a post religious culture’, ‘true freedom in a liberal culture’ and ‘Jesus in a progressive culture’.
The first chapter explores how we relate to a culture where faith was previously experienced under the ‘Christendom’ model, including the negative extremes of abuse. I use the Pharisees as a example of the ‘religious’ stereotype. It has struck me, in my own everyday interactions, how surprised people are to hear that Jesus wasn’t religious, and that in fact He had ongoing confrontations with the religious throughout His life and ministry. In John 10, for example, Jesus clearly defines Himself in opposition to the Pharisees.
To talk of the anti-religious Jesus today puts you on the same side as many people in our society, avoiding a more defensive approach. If that surprise intrigues your conversation partners, it opens up further gospel conversations as to why and how Jesus and His followers were different.
Buy the book to find out more! “DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING” is available from www.downwiththisbook.com.
Follow @praxismovement on twitter and check our website www.praxisireland.ie for details of the book launch and upcoming projects from Praxis.
What others had to say about “Down with this sort of thing”
“It is so good to see an Irish pastor writing about theology, culture and mission for our contemporary Irish context! Fraser Hosford asks an important question – how is the gospel good news in Ireland today? What is so fresh about this book is that he answers this question by engaging thoughtfully and graciously with what real people in Ireland today actually think, believe and hope for. It is from this foundation of careful listening that Hosford unpacks how the gospel is good news for all of life. Peppered with stories and illustrations, the result is a very readable account of how the gospel leads to a flourishing life. Anyone writing about such a great theme has my attention, I suggest that he should have yours as well.”
Dr. Patrick Mitchel, Director of Learning, Irish Bible Institute
“This is a well researched reflection on the nature of mission in Ireland today. It offers a detailed insight on the most significant issues in contemporary society and how the church might respond to them. The biblical insights are refreshing and challenging. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone passionate about sharing their faith in their everyday lives.”
Rev. John Alderdice, Arrow Ireland Programme Director & Director of Ministry, Methodist Church in Ireland
