The Ghost of Perfection
Searching for Humanity
Foreword by Michael Hardin
Imprint: Resource Publications
Rev. Joe Haward was born in Essex, UK, with his identical twin brother Tom. They were adopted and raised on a small island called Mersea off the east coast of Essex, the place where Joe took on his family trade as an oyster farmer with his father; a trade that has been in the family for eight generations.
Joe founded This Hope, a pioneer work in South Devon, UK, that seeks to bring people together in deep relationship, where authenticity and vulnerability are encouraged. He is also the founder of Revd Joe, a resource website designed for education, community, and business. Joe is a community chaplain, author, blogger, and ordained Baptist minister. He is married to Sarah, and they have two young daughters, Grace and Lizzie.
“I wish I had been handed a book like The Ghost of Perfection much earlier. Joe Haward takes some of the major themes both of the church and of wider society – mission, triumphalism, relationships and sex among the stimulating ten chapters – and has taken a fresh look at them with the help of a rich tapestry of thinkers from the Desert Mothers and Fathers to iconic films such as Inception, and with a range of disciplines including sociology and psychology as well as theology.”
“At times it is a demanding read, and without doubt I will return to it to wrestle a bit further. At other times – in particular the chapter on trauma – it is profoundly moving.
I can’t guarantee you will love it as I do. But I can guarantee you will be made to think. I recommend it so that you can make your own mind up. A masterly debut.”
---Jeannie Kendall, co-minister at Carlshalton Beeches Baptist Free Church