Bible
This title caught my eye on the new book shelf at Borders. Check out the subtitle: “one man’s humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible” (William Heinemann, 2007). A.J. Jacobs – an agnostic, or non-believer – sets aside a year to follow the 700+ rules in the Bible as literally as is…
READ MOREThe deepest divisions among the people of God in our nation have nothing to do with denominations. They have nothing to do with political loyalties. No – the deepest divisions cut through the life of individuals. Take the time to listen to Christians talk. I do this all the time. Let me tell you what…
READ MOREIt was sitting on the shelf of a bookshop at Melbourne airport. Everthing seemed to catch my eye. ‘New York Times bestseller’. The title – and more importantly, as often seems the case these days, the subtitle – ‘Letter to a Christian Nation: a challenge to faith.’ There was even an endorsement from today’s most…
READ MOREThe comment which provoked the most response while teaching in Zambia was when we came to the ‘submission’ passages in 1 Peter 2:11-3:7 and I suggested that we needed to avoid two errors: (a) the ‘cut and paste’ errorThis occurs when we ‘cut’ these verses out of the context of this letter and the occasion…
READ MOREThe Bible is a remarkable book. Written by dozens of authors. Utilising heaps of different genre(narrative, letters, proverbs…). And the writing takes place over hundreds of years. So diverse!BUT the story from Genesis to Revelation is just the one story. It is God’s story. It is God’s way of making sense of the world. It…
READ MOREThe most profound truths come to us in tension. From big theological issues like the transcendence and immanence of God to the everyday issues that come with living for him – like the blog I posted previously on the internally-focused church (alongside the externally focused church). I find people struggle with truths-in-tension. It feels like…
READ MOREI notice that a seminar has passed through called ‘The Externally-Focused Church’?Really?! Externally-focused… I don’t mind the ‘external’ word as it reminds us that the Great Commission is critical and that mission is at the very core of God’s being and purpose in the world. But that word ‘focus’ makes me very nervous. Is the…
READ MOREAbout Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.