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I write Bible reading notes for several organisations, and at the moment am writing for BRF’s Guidelines series. I recently wrote these notes on the Letter of Jude, which is a much neglected short letter, and offer them here for wider use. I have added in some questions for group discussion. Introduction The letter of … Continue Reading
Dr Gary Burnett has published a short study on the writing and theology of Paul under the title Paul Distilled. I had the chance to ask him about his book—why he wrote it, what approach he takes, and why it could be of help to us. IP: How did this book arise, organised in a series … Continue Reading
Major David Cavanagh of the The Salvation Army offers this response to Mitzi J. Smith’s reading of doule in Luke 1:38. “Was the Virgin Mary actually a slave?” That is the question raised by Mitzi J. Smith, J. Davison Philips Professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, and Professor of Gender Studies at the … Continue Reading
The gospel lectionary reading for Lent 3 is John 4.5-42, probably the longest reading in the lectionary! It is strange contrast with readings a few weeks ago from the Fourth Gospel which were only a few verses. We are continuing with our progress through the catechetical pattern of the readings in Lent, looking at encounters … Continue Reading
The gospel lectionary reading for Lent 3 is John 4.5-42, probably the longest reading in the lectionary! The story is well-known—but common interpretations of the story are worth examining carefully. The woman is in some sense an ambiguous figure, but perhaps not in the ways we might expect. Join James and Ian and they explore … Continue Reading
David Instone-Brewer has written an article in this month’s Premier Christianity magazine, arguing that, because Paul cites Leviticus 20.18 in his neologism in 1 Cor 6.9, and Lev 20.18 uses an unusual word, Paul was only rejecting certain forms of same-sex sexual relationship. His argument is quite technical, but you can read it here. I … Continue Reading
I write a quarterly column for Preach magazine, in which I explore a significant word or phrase in the Bible, or a theme or section of Scripture, and the ideas that it expresses. I have written for them on: the phrase ‘Word of God’ the theme of ‘Mission’ the meaning of ‘Apocalypse‘ the ministry of ‘Healing’, … Continue Reading
The theme for the Tyndale New Testament Study group this year is The Holy Spirit in the New Testament, and we are meeting from Wednesday 5th to Friday 7th July 2023 at High Leigh Conference Centre. As in 2022, we will be meeting simultaneously with the other study groups. We are hopeful that we will … Continue Reading
Well, the time has come. The long-awaited (and much leaked) statement from the House of Bishops after the exhausting process of Living in Love and Faith has at least been made public. Before diving into the details, it is worth noting the questions that most people have as they read. Will there be any proposal to … Continue Reading
Dear John Thank you for your open letter explaining the reasons for your change of mind on the status of monogamous, faithful same-sex relationships. I believe that you changed your view some time ago, but this is the first time that you have set out all your reasons. This must surely be a good thing … Continue Reading
One of the challenges in reading the Book of Revelation is that it is very theologically dense in the way it presents its ideas. There are several reasons for this: Its dense metaphorical language (commonly called its ‘symbolism’) carries theological weight. For example, the compressed phrase ‘a lamb, looking as though it had been slain, … 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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