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ly vanish from the study. But those less interested in his critique of current scholarship on Paul, who look instead for an insightful reading of the Apostle’s core theology, will be rewarded with an accessible and potentially... more
ly vanish from the study. But those less interested in his critique of current scholarship on Paul, who look instead for an insightful reading of the Apostle’s core theology, will be rewarded with an accessible and potentially transformational study. Those who have read Paul and the Gift, meanwhile, will find a fresh iteration of its central thesis with some new application of its insights to the exegesis of Paul’s writings.
Research Interests: Theology and Pilgrimage
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Was Elvis Presley the greatest man to walk the Earth since Jesus Christ? Some of his fans would say so. Will shrines erected to Elvis still be lovingly tended 200--even 2,000--years from now? This intriguing book compares the the rise of... more
Was Elvis Presley the greatest man to walk the Earth since Jesus Christ? Some of his fans would say so. Will shrines erected to Elvis still be lovingly tended 200--even 2,000--years from now? This intriguing book compares the the rise of Elvis to that of the early Christian church.
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Every nation has its own way of remembering those killed in conflict. Each November Remembrance follows a seemingly unchanging pattern: millions of people wear poppies and two minutes' silence is observed at war memorials around the... more
Every nation has its own way of remembering those killed in conflict. Each November Remembrance follows a seemingly unchanging pattern: millions of people wear poppies and two minutes' silence is observed at war memorials around the world. Today young people are taught that through Remembrance we thank those who gave their lives to defend our liberty and freedom, and show support for members of today's armed services. But when poppy-wearing started after the First World War it had a rather different purpose: the flowers of Flanders Field were worn to express grief and to declare that war should never happen again. Remembrance throws up questions that demand to be answered but are too often ignored: What does it mean to be heroic? What, in the military context, does glory mean? But most fundamental of all - what is the purpose of Remembrance? Is it to honour and thank the fallen, those who gave their lives in wars? To give comfort to those who mourn their loss? If Remembrance does not serve as a warning against war, a reminder to the nation to rededicate itself to peace, then, Harrison argues, it is a sanctimonious and futile waste of time. Proposing a return to the original ideals of Remembrance, and suggesting many changes to the modern-day spectacle, Remembrance Today is a powerful polemic on how our ideas of heroism, duty and grief have lost their way which calls for a refocusing of Remembrance from its current divisive tradition to a more uniting and appropriate observance.
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By birth a Nigerian prince, Kriss Akabusi (and his brother) lost touch with his parents in the Nigerian civil war and was brought up in England in a local authority children's home. At 16 Kriss joined the army, where he did well; this... more
By birth a Nigerian prince, Kriss Akabusi (and his brother) lost touch with his parents in the Nigerian civil war and was brought up in England in a local authority children's home. At 16 Kriss joined the army, where he did well; this was the start of his athletics career. At 20 he visited Nigeria for the first time, to an ecstatic welcome from his people. In 1984 he was picked for the Olympic Games to run in the 400 metres (he got to the final) and the 4 x 400 metre relay (silver medal). He has raised the profile of black athletes by his courage and his consistent, disciplined approach to sport. Drugs were a temptation, especially when younger athletes began to outshine him, but he resisted and instead switched to hurdles. His training companion is gold medalist Roger Black. Following the 1986 Commonwealth Games, Kriss began to ask himself what life was all about. He read the Bible presented to all the athletes at Edinburgh and was strongly attracted to the person of Jesus. He found "history, his story, reality" in what he read. Nine months later, in a training camp in the USA, he challenged Jesus to speak directly to him. Kriss wrote the vivid dream that followed. Next morning he told his fellow athletes, "I met Jesus last night" - they though he was crazy. His German wife Monika doesn't share his faith - although she admits Kriss is easier to live with, more thoughtful and sensitive these days. Their first daughter was the first test-tube baby to be delivered in Berlin. They now have two girls. Kriss has now left the Army and is studying Christianity in a college in California, where he also trains each winter. He belongs to a large and flourishing Californian church, and to a smaller church near his home in Southampton. In the European Championships of 1990 he took the gold and broke the record. In 1993, at the World Championships in Tokyo, he won a bronze medal in the 400 metre hurdles, and brought home the gold in the final of the 4 x 400 metres relay, in a spectacular finish. He was awarded an MBE in summer 1991 and voted sports personality of the year. He appears constantly on TV. This re-issue includes a revised introduction and re-written final two chapters, as well as new photographs.
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Every nation has its own way of remembering those killed in conflict. Each November Remembrance follows a seemingly unchanging pattern: millions of people wear poppies and two minutes' silence is observed at war memorials around the... more
Every nation has its own way of remembering those killed in conflict. Each November Remembrance follows a seemingly unchanging pattern: millions of people wear poppies and two minutes' silence is observed at war memorials around the world. Today young people are taught that through Remembrance we thank those who gave their lives to defend our liberty and freedom, and show support for members of today's armed services. But when poppy-wearing started after the First World War it had a rather different purpose: the flowers of Flanders Field were worn to express grief and to declare that war should never happen again. Remembrance throws up questions that demand to be answered but are too often ignored: What does it mean to be heroic? What, in the military context, does glory mean? But most fundamental of all - what is the purpose of Remembrance? Is it to honour and thank the fallen, those who gave their lives in wars? To give comfort to those who mourn their loss? If Remembrance...
Research Interests:
By birth a Nigerian prince, Kriss Akabusi (and his brother) lost touch with his parents in the Nigerian civil war and was brought up in England in a local authority children's home. At 16 Kriss joined the army, where he did well; this... more
By birth a Nigerian prince, Kriss Akabusi (and his brother) lost touch with his parents in the Nigerian civil war and was brought up in England in a local authority children's home. At 16 Kriss joined the army, where he did well; this was the start of his athletics career. At 20 he visited Nigeria for the first time, to an ecstatic welcome from his people. In 1984 he was picked for the Olympic Games to run in the 400 metres (he got to the final) and the 4 x 400 metre relay (silver medal). He has raised the profile of black athletes by his courage and his consistent, disciplined approach to sport. Drugs were a temptation, especially when younger athletes began to outshine him, but he resisted and instead switched to hurdles. His training companion is gold medalist Roger Black. Following the 1986 Commonwealth Games, Kriss began to ask himself what life was all about. He read the Bible presented to all the athletes at Edinburgh and was strongly attracted to the person of Jesus. He ...
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ly vanish from the study. But those less interested in his critique of current scholarship on Paul, who look instead for an insightful reading of the Apostle’s core theology, will be rewarded with an accessible and potentially... more
ly vanish from the study. But those less interested in his critique of current scholarship on Paul, who look instead for an insightful reading of the Apostle’s core theology, will be rewarded with an accessible and potentially transformational study. Those who have read Paul and the Gift, meanwhile, will find a fresh iteration of its central thesis with some new application of its insights to the exegesis of Paul’s writings.
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the Hebrew text, so are perhaps likely to be of most interest to specialists in these areas. Turning to the Second Temple period, Carol Newsom looks at evidence that some thinkers had already started to explore alternative explanations of... more
the Hebrew text, so are perhaps likely to be of most interest to specialists in these areas. Turning to the Second Temple period, Carol Newsom looks at evidence that some thinkers had already started to explore alternative explanations of sin alongside continuing ideas of human behaviour meriting reward or punishment. This emerging idea of an underlying condition of corruption opened up space for new ways of thinking about God’s interaction with humanity. Going off in a different direction again, Crispin Fletcher-Louis explores some of the symbols associated with the High Priest in ben Sira and concludes that several of the attributes of the ‘ideal king’ have been transferred to the High Priest, who takes on the mediatorial role of representing not only Israel but the whole of creation before God. Moving on to the New Testament, Catrin Williams looks at the way in which the multi-layered Old Testament citations in John prepare the reader to ‘see salvation’ through the lens of Jesus’...
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Despite its central position within Christian belief, visual artists have found particular difficulty in depicting the Resurrection.
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ringing ‘Here I stand’ at the Diet of Worms (‘probably circulated by Luther at a later date’). Leppin debunks the content of none of the well-known Luther stories, but he approaches the way they are told with caution. He stresses the way... more
ringing ‘Here I stand’ at the Diet of Worms (‘probably circulated by Luther at a later date’). Leppin debunks the content of none of the well-known Luther stories, but he approaches the way they are told with caution. He stresses the way in which, during his final years, Luther became an active participant in myth-making about his own life. Leppin is concerned to set Luther in context. Surprisingly, he sees Luther’s star as rising to its zenith as early as 1525, and then declining, partly because once the Edict of Worms in 1521 had declared him an outlaw his safety could not be guaranteed, and partly because others, including Melanchthon and Bucer, were better equipped to build a united front among the divided reformers. Luther is presented as a somewhat isolated, prophetic figure, entirely lacking in diplomatic skills. Leppin does not hold back in showing his mishandling of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1525 and his later anti-Semitic writings. What he brings out brilliantly is Luther’s preoccupation with freedom as the hallmark of a Christian life – highlighted by Martin’s change of name from Luder to Luther (alluding to the Greek word ‘eleutheros’, meaning ‘free’). With the publication of this little book, we have in English a non-technical, wellinformed, introductory overview of the life of Luther. Teachers and students of the Reformation who don’t read German – as well as those who do – will find it a delight.
Research Interests: Philosophy and Theology
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reliable? Without an explanation, this may be confusing to the novice. Bond similarly introduces, but does not sufficiently explain, why the inherent bias in the New Testament texts is not overly problematic for historians, why historians... more
reliable? Without an explanation, this may be confusing to the novice. Bond similarly introduces, but does not sufficiently explain, why the inherent bias in the New Testament texts is not overly problematic for historians, why historians do not study the miraculous (p. 45), and the presence of anti-Judaism in the New Testament (p. 73). Directly identifying and succinctly explaining these concepts would have strengthened the book overall. With the inclusion of so much material, the reader is sure to come away with interest sparked in a new topic. But again, the swiftness and simplicity of the book does not provide tools to encourage further exploration. A few well-placed footnotes or targeted ‘further reading’ suggestions at the end of each chapter (rather than the handful provided at the end of the book) could accomplish this while maintaining the book’s easy accessibility. This is likely a flaw in the format of the series, however, and not due to the author’s choices. Bond’s attempt to write a holistic overview in such a brief framework is indeed commendable. I particularly appreciated the decision to highlight the importance of theatrical and cinematic retellings of the New Testament narrative within the overall history of Jesus (despite the scholarship flaws in the paragraph on medieval mystery plays), thus emphasizing that he is both man and legacy. But I am left wondering: who is this book for? It is too rudimentary for introductory-level students or for Christians interested in the ‘Historical Jesus’ (it certainly does not explain what the difference is between studying Jesus, a historical figure, and Christ, the redeemer of humankind) and, interestingly, not basic enough for the total beginner. Perhaps a more focused approach – looking just at the ‘Historical Jesus’, the man, and leaving ‘the legacy’ for another book – would have better suited the series’ intended style, and given Bond the space to attend to the issues outlined.
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Jean Vanier, The Gospel of John, The Gospel of Relationship; Jean Vanier, Life’s Great QuestionsVanierJean, The Gospel of John, The Gospel of Relationship (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2016); 144 pp.: 9780232532555, £9.99, (pbk)VanierJean, Life’s Great Questions (London: SPCK, 2016); 192 pp....more
Research Interests: Philosophy and Theology
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Was Elvis Presley the greatest man to walk the Earth since Jesus Christ? Some of his fans would say so. Will shrines erected to Elvis still be lovingly tended 200--even 2,000--years from now? This intriguing book compares the the rise of... more
Was Elvis Presley the greatest man to walk the Earth since Jesus Christ? Some of his fans would say so. Will shrines erected to Elvis still be lovingly tended 200--even 2,000--years from now? This intriguing book compares the the rise of Elvis to that of the early Christian church.
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We attended the UK Disability Studies Association conference in Lancaster in September 2006, which included the launching of Tom Shakespeare's book Disability Rights and Wrongs. Amidst hopeful and especially inquisitive nods during... more
We attended the UK Disability Studies Association conference in Lancaster in September 2006, which included the launching of Tom Shakespeare's book Disability Rights and Wrongs. Amidst hopeful and especially inquisitive nods during his introductory comments, ...