pluralism
I enjoy sport and so there is no time quite like the Olympics. But I am also a Christian wanting to participate in the mission of God in the world. I try to watch the Olympics with other eyes… Watch the Flags—and intercede With the incomparable Operation World alongside, an anthem here and a flag…
READ MOREOn a series of recent flights, I enjoyed the opportunity to engage with DA Carson’s latest book, The Intolerance of Tolerance. His central premise is that the word ‘tolerance’ has become slippery and changed its meaning over time. There is an old tolerance (which is good) and a new tolerance (which is bad). Carson circles around this distinction,…
READ MOREPatrick Johnstone’s The Future of the Global Church is one for the ages. I’ll leave you to check out the website. Make sure you click here for the full Table of Contents and some sample pages from the book to get a quick sense of what the book covers. Here are my reasons for loving this book:…
READ MOREIt is one of the books of the decade for me (NB: pages 273-275 provide an excellent summary of the argument): James Davison Hunter’s To Change the World (Oxford University Press, 2010). In trying to distill its influence, three affirmations come to mind. 1. Our understanding of culture and change can be so wrong Using words like ‘flawed’…
READ MOREDon’t ever tell me that the power of words has diminished. Don’t ever tell me that the age in which monologue is effective has ceased. Don’t ever tell me that words which sound nice together cannot be compelling. Don’t ever tell me that phrase-crafting and word-smithing and picture-painting is not worth the effort. Have a…
READ MOREI don’t tend to buy books according to topic – but by author. And then each year I try to expand my list of favourite authors. 2011 has been the year of Craig Bartholomew. Earlier this year I reviewed his remarkable commentary on Ecclesiastes. On a recent trip to Cambodia I read Living at the…
READ MOREWill there ever be a long weekend like it again? On the Friday we had the once-in-a-generation wedding of a royal couple. It was held in an abbey in a city and watched by millions all around the world. Lots of pomp. Lots of celebrities. Lots of photos. Then on the Monday we had the…
READ MOREA Jenkins-Junkie, that is what I am… [NB – This one took a bit longer because I left my first copy (almost finished) in the seat pocket when disembarking on a plane in Singapore last year. UGH!?]The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South (Oxford University Press, 2006). This is a…
READ MOREI’ve been spending my early mornings in Bangalore reflecting on the similarities between the political cartoon and the parable (and have even produced 6000 words for my supervisor to show for it!) May I introduce you to two of my companions? 1. The first is Herbert Block – known simply as ‘Herblock’. Triple Pulitzer Prize…
READ MOREYes, that’s right – I have digested yet another Philip Jenkins’ book. It is becoming a compulsive behavioural disorder (particularly when I see the next one already on my desk). This one is a sane and measured response to the fear that Europe is becoming some sort of Eurabia where Christianity’s prospects, currently being dismantled…
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.