Dr Purves a Church Development Consultant based in Scotland, UK. He has served in pastoral ministry and taught in seminaries and colleges across Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
LLB (University of Edinburgh), BD (University of Edinburgh), PhD (University of Aberdeen)
Dr Purves a Church Development Consultant based in Scotland, UK. He has served in pastoral ministry and taught in seminaries and colleges across Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
"Following 30 years in local church ministry and 10 years as Advisor in Mission and Ministry to the Baptist Union of Scotland, my primary research interest lies in the application of Applied Theology to the contextual development of local and national church, in furthering Kingdom advance, Spiritual Renewal and Revival."
The Triune God and the Charismatic Movement, Paternoster, Carlisle, 2004
How Theology Became Nonsense on Amazon Kindle worldwide, 1st December 2012 (Republished 2020 as a trilogy: Seeing it Real: Finding the Roots of Faith; Finding it Real: Tracing the Roots of Faith; Making it Real: Cultivating the Growth of Sensible Faith)
Becoming Who We Are: Re-envisioning Christian Identity, Baptist Union of Scotland, Glasgow, 2018; Amazon 2020
Experiencing Faith, Baptist Union of Scotland, Glasgow, 2020; Amazon 2020
I want to meet with God: a simple guide, Amazon 2021
‘Earthing Heaven now’ in Kingdom Come, Edit. Byasee, Kidwell and Wilson-Hartgrove, Wipf and Stock, Eugene Oregon, 2021
Church Planting and Pioneering – A Perspective Study, BUS website, 2021
A Clear Witness: A Framework For Ethical Thinking Today, BUS, 2017
‘Reappraising Ministry, Mission and Discipleship from a Scottish Perspective’, in In the thick of things: Doing Discipleship in a Baptist way, Baptistic Theologies Vol. 7.2, Amsterdam: IBTS Centre, 2015.
‘Missional Identities Woven in Tartan: Convictional Drivers and Practices in the Baptist Union of Scotland’, in Baptistic Theologies Vol. 6.2, Prague: IBTS, 2014.
‘Righteousness, Only Righteousness: Sex and Ethics in Scotland Today’, BUS Publication, August 2013
‘Water, Fire & Wind: Visiting the Roots of Pentecostal Pneumatology’ in Communio Viaticum, Charles University, Prague, 2011.
‘The Missional Doxology of the Philippian Hymn’ in Baptistic Theologies Vol. 3.1, Prague: IBTS, 2011.
‘Presence and Proclamation: what might Baptists and Orthodox learn from each other in the pursuit of Christian mission?’ in Baptistic Theologies Vol. 2.1, Prague: IBTS, 2010.
Varied Articles incl. ‘Systematic Theology’, ‘Christian Dogmatics’, ‘Logos’, ‘Christology’, ‘Election’, in Dictionary of European Baptist Life and Thought, John Briggs (Chief Editor), Paternoster, 2009
‘The Sacrament of Fearful Intimacy’ in Baptist Sacramentalism Vol 2, Edited by Cross & Thompson, Paternoster, 2008
‘Why I became - and remain - a Baptist’ - article for BUof S Praxis, September 2008
Leadership and a Baptist Identity Crisis in Transforming Leadership: essays exploring leadership in a Baptist context, Edited by Andrew Rollinson, Baptist Union of Scotland Publications, 2008.
The Radical Vision of the Anabaptists – anything to learn from them today?
Praxis, March 2007 (Issue 7), the Baptist Union of Scotland’s newsletter/resource for church leaders.
‘The ethical significance of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection’, Journal of European Baptist Studies, September 2005.
‘Pursuing Glory and Goodness’,
Journal of European Baptist Studies, Vol. 5.1 (September 2004): 40-49
‘The Spirit and the Imago Dei: Reviewing the Anthropology of Irenaeus of Lyons’,
The Evangelical Quarterly, Vol. 68.2 (April 1996): 99-120
‘The Interaction of Christology and Pneumatology in the Soteriology of Edward Irving’, Pneuma: Journal of Society for Pentecostal Studies, Vol. 14 (Spring 1992): 81-90
Book Reviews:
Wolfgang Vondey, ed., Pentecostalism and Christian Unity, Volume 2 (Pickwick Publications, 2013) in The Pneuma review, December, 2013.
Timothy Ward, Words of Life: Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God, IVP Academic, Downers Grove, 2009 in Pneuma Review, 14.2, Spring, 2011.
Walter Brueggemann, Journey to the Common Good, Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2010 in Pneuma Review, 14.2, Spring, 2011.
Michael F Bird, Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message, IVP Academic, 2008 in Pneuma Review, 14.1, Winter, 2011.
Review - Towards an Understanding of European Baptistic Identity (IBTS publication March 2007)
Shaynah Neshama, All Shall be Well, Tree of Life Publishing, 2006 in Journal of European Baptist Studies, 7.1, September 2006.
Andrew D. Clarke, Serve the Community of the Church - Christians as Leaders and Ministers, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2000. Pneuma Review, Spring, 2005.
Simeon Kayiwa, Working Miracles, New Wine Press, 2003. Word Vision, BMS Magazine, July 2004.
David Burnett, World of the Spirits - A Christian Perspective on Traditional and Folk Religions, Monarch Books, London, 2000. Word Vision, BMS Magazine, May 2004.
Leona Troy, Andrew & Emma Murray - an intimate portrait of their marriage and ministry, Golden Morning Publishing, Winchester, Virginia, 2000. Pneuma Review, Spring, 2004.
Full Lecture Courses Delivered:
Soteriology (Moscow, 2008)
Church as witness: developing hermeneutical models in theology (Prague, 2004-2011)
Doing Theology, 1 & 2 (Prague, 2002-03)
Mission and Evangelism (Paisley, 2000-02)
Christian Ministry in Church today (Edinburgh, 1998)
An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Cumbernauld, 1997-2000)