Is there an analogy between divorce-and-remarriage and same-sex marriage?

Ann Onymous writes: The journey to remarriage following a divorce is necessarily a painful one. Although it is now something of a trope (with increasing divorce rates and newspapers reporting on more and more celebrities and politicians who are on their third or fourth marriage) that marriage is beginning to be seen as something temporary, something … Continue Reading

How should we read the violent texts of the Old Testament?

The violent texts in the Old Testament create challenges for all readers of these texts, whether Jewish, Christian, or unbelieving. Charlie Trimm, who is an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University, has written a very helpful short book on the different ways we might engage with the texts, The Destruction of the Canaanites: … Continue Reading

The OT background to the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3

If you hear filmgoers talking about ‘Easter eggs’, they are referring neither to chocolate nor the Christian festival. In films, Easter eggs are images, ideas or information that are ‘hidden in plain sight‘ and make reference back to earlier films. They can just be a form of entertaining in-joke for series fans—but they can often … Continue Reading

What is the New Testament’s vision of mission?

  I have just published my second Grove booklet of the summer: What is the New Testament’s Vision of Mission? Here I offer the introduction and conclusion; the intermediate chapters explore some key passages in the NT which give insight into mission theology and practice. Does the New Testament have a vision of mission? At one level, … Continue Reading

What’s so good about the Old Testament?

I write a quarterly column for Preach magazine, in which I explore a significant word or phrase in the Bible 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’, the question of ‘Welcome’, the biblical understanding … Continue Reading