Beyond the Banter

Beyond the Banter tackles two critical social issues: The fun and importance of male banter and the need to bravely get beyond it. Ten topics which are popular for male banter such as work, stuff and adventure are candidly unpacked from a male perspective. At the end of each chapter two levels of questions invite the reader to consider their own views on these subjects. The wider issues of faith, hope and community are also explored. Fraser makes a strong case for discussion within the safe harbour of a men's group and there is a section at the end of the book for this purpose. While this book is suitable for an individual exploring life and faith from a bloke's perspective, it is also a thoroughly road tested resource for encouraging meaningful discussion in a church Men's Group.

Bob Fraser has a background in the predominantly male environment of professional building design, construction and project management. Bob also trained as a teacher. He is perhaps better known as a prolific singer songwriter, performing and leading music teams and bands in prisons, schools, colleges, universities, folk clubs, pubs and churches. He was one of the early pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the UK, recording two vinyl albums as front man with the popular 70s country rock band Canaan, and playing with them at prestigious venues including The Royal Albert Hall in London and the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Bob has twelve solo albums and a further ten include his songs and vocals. His most recent album includes songs which were commissioned to mark the centenary of the Great War. For three years Bob has been running a group for men of faith which has grown to capacity. The group provides a safe place to belong, express views about life and faith and build friendship. Bob currently works in Restorative Justice with male offenders in prison. He is also area coordinator for Christian Vision for Men. In 2006 Bob began to work through some thinking about masculinity and faith in God. With too many thoughts to squeeze into a song he turned his hand to writing longer articles and blogs. These pieces eventually grew and developed into a full blown manuscript and his first book, Beyond the Banter, was published.

Val Fraser, aka Mrs Cardigan, has a background in journalism, marketing and communications and has written for numerous publications. She was formerly the Communications Officer for the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool before being invited to join United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) on staff as their Creative Writer. She has worked on regional and national communications projects for clients which include the C of E Diocese of Manchester, the Billy Graham Evangelical Association and Samaritan's Purse. Val has written and directed several promotional videos and has penned the lyrics for three songs which have all been professionally recorded and produced. Oh, and she loves cardigans!