As part of a denomination without clergy, I have been involved in public speaking since I was a teenager and have been attempting to write books and magazine articles for as long. My earliest book was a commentary on Daniel had a print run of two. My first proper books were about Revelation, the last book of the New Testament.
Under the Willow Publications imprint, I have published a number of compliations of essays, written for non-academic audience.
Founding A Faith
What do you think when you hear the word “faith”? Do you think of deep spiritual connections, or irrational will-to-believe? What even is faith, how does it work, and what is it founded on? This book might help you answer some of these questions, as it explores the interplay between faith and beliefs, the foundations of religious beliefs, and how someone might go from having no faith to having a faith.
If you are interested in faith and spirituality—and let’s face it, you are interested enough to read the back cover of this book—but don’t know what that might mean, then this book might be for you. I hope it will help you discover what faith means and how you might explore whether it is for you.
If you have a faith but are struggling with doubts or uncertainties—if you are feeling untethered and in need of a foundation—then this book might be for you. I hope it will help you find the next chapter of your faith, a faith that is open to questions and flexible to challenges.
Endorsements:
“Thomas Gaston is an easy and genial conversationalist who—without you realizing it—will show you how to think clearly and sensibly about faith and belief. From the beginning you will be engaged painlessly with serious and rigorous argument. But there is nothing dogmatic about this book; rather it is an invitation to us all to examine the foundations of our own web of convictions and to ask ourselves how securely they are anchored.” —Robert J. Wilkinson, author of Tetragrammaton: Western Christians and the Hebrew Name of God
“This is a frank and accessible approach to the Christian faith, aimed at thoughtful enquirers. Thomas is committed to a balanced approach, exploring arguments and counterarguments in a generous way. He sees Christian faith as supported by a web of beliefs, which can lead us to confidence in God within the uncertainties of life.” —Susannah Reide, Chaplain and Welfare Link, Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford
“It’s not possible to argue someone into faith. But it is possible to clear away some of the obstacles and show that some kinds of faith can be rational, coherent, and make very good sense. This book sets out that case, in a powerful, clear, and highly engaging way.” —Peter Jeavons, Professor of Computer Science, University of Oxford
Podcasts:
Reasons
In this book, a number of authors bring together their expertise in various fields, including science, philosophy and biblical studies, to lay out some of the reasons for believing in God, Jesus, and the Bible. Covering topics ranging from the fine-tuning of physical constants to the historical evidence of the resurrection of Jesus, this book provides positive reinforcement for faith in the modern world.
More Reasons
This “sequel” to Reasons is another collection of essays, from various authors, exploring additional reasons of believing in God, Jesus, and the Bible. Included in this volume are essays interacting with design and evolution, personal and spiritual experiences, and other holy books.
Who Through Jesus Sleep
Who Through Jesus Sleep is a compendium of essays about the mortality of the soul. The book analyses what the biblical writers believed about the nature of the soul and the opportunity for life after death. It explores both the beliefs of the ancient Israelites, as presented in the Old Testament, and those of the early Christians, as presented in the New Testament. It traces the development of these biblical ideas to the emergence of the notion of the immortality of the soul in both Judaism and Christianity through the influence of Greek philosophy. It describes thinkers throughout history, as well as modern scholars, who have affirmed the biblical idea of the mortality of the soul. Common “proof” texts for the immortality of the soul are also examined.
One God the Father
This book is a collection of 16 essays by various authors offering a defence of Biblical Monotheism. It presents a definition of ‘monotheism’ from the Jewish Scriptures and contrasts this with the trinitarian definition of God. It explores how the Old Testament presents Yahweh as ‘one God’. It details how the Synoptics, the writings of John and Paul present the relationship of Israel’s God to Jesus. It traces the development of church ideas about God showing how they then deviated from the Bible. It describes how thinkers and communities have preserved the truth of Biblical Monothesism down the ages. It concludes with essays discussing the atonement, and the issue of worship and prayer in relation to Jesus.
Come and See
Come and See is an exposition of the Book of Revelation, written in part to provide an alternative to the Continuous Historic interpretation, which I had rejected.
Written in my early twenties, and before I’d undertaken any academic biblical studies, it is naive and simplistic in places.
The Continuous Historic Interpretation Examined
The first book (well, booklet) I published is an examination of traditional Christadelphian views of the Book of Revelation.
Thomas Gaston 