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One of the slightly odd things about the Christian church is that there is no agreed pattern to what we should do when we meet together. In the Western (and probably the global) church, there seem to me to be three different strands of emphasis: We meet to experience an affective encounter with God (charismatic/Pentecostal) … Continue Reading
Review of David G. Horrell, An Introduction to the Study of Paul, 3rd edn (T & T Clark Approaches to Biblical Studies; London: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2015), ISBN 978-0-567-65625-4, p/b, 230 pp. The third edition of David Horrell’s introduction to the study of Paul has the great strengths of its predecessors – above … Continue Reading
Which form of service is growing fastest in the Church of England? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is services of remembrance for the bereaved. Despite the fact that there are now many other options than the Church for the taking of funerals, the reality is that no-one does follow-up and continued pastoral care like the Church—and … Continue Reading
Guest post by Eddie Arthur of Wycliffe Bible Translators and Global Connections A few weeks back, Ian asked which were the ten books that had shaped your life and ministry. Over the years, I’ve posted various lists of the best books on mission and missiology on my own blog, but I’ve never really pondered which ones … Continue Reading
In the first part of his book, Song has explored some of the dynamics of marriage and sex in scripture and theology, and along the way has dismissed the most popular arguments for accepting same-sex unions as on a par with marriage. He then turns to the question of ‘covenant partnership’, and appears to hit another … Continue Reading
Robert Song’s Covenant and Calling: towards a theology of same-sex relationships is a book I have wanted to be persuaded by more than anything else I have recently read, for two main reasons. First, I was privileged to be in a small discussion group with Robert at a recent CEEC consultation on the issue of same-sex … Continue Reading
I am continuing to read through Thom Shultz’ book Why Nobody Want to go to Church anymore, in which he identifies four key objections to church and proposes four responses, what he calls the Four Acts of Love. Having explored Radical Hospitality, the next chapter explores Fearless Conversation. Interestingly, Shultz addresses this in two quite distinct … Continue Reading
As a Christian leader, there are three things I would want to nurture in my fellow believers as they go about their occupations (whether paid or unpaid). The first is confidence to share their faith in appropriate and winsome ways. The second is to think through how the good news of what God has done … Continue Reading
To launch what might be a new mini-series on the blog, my good friend James Blandford-Baker offers his top ten books on theology and ministry that shaped his own thinking and practice. James is Vicar of St Andrew’s, Histon, and Priest-in-Charge of St Andrew’s, Impington, as well as being Rural Dean of North Stowe in Ely Diocese. This … Continue Reading
Tom Wright, former Bishop of Durham and Professor at St Andrew’s, is often described as a ‘leading New Testament scholar’ in the world today. There is no doubt that he has significantly shifted the debates about Paul and his interpretation, and alongside that has (almost uniquely) popularised his views on Paul and the rest of … Continue Reading
Thom Shultz has explored the reasons why people both leave and stay away from the church in the West, and proposes Four Acts of Love that could make the church ‘irresistible.’ With a bit of cultural translation, I think he is on to something important. The first Act of Love is called ‘Radical Hospitality.’ Shultz … Continue Reading
Ian Paul: theologian, author, speaker, academic consultant. Adjunct Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary; Associate Minister, St Nic's, Nottingham; Managing Editor, Grove Books; member of General Synod. Mac user; chocoholic. Tweets at @psephizo
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