Zondervan’s koinonia blog posts a video where I explain the rationale for my new book Evangelical Theology. Here’s the video: Read more

Okay, Rom 3:21-26 is the epicenter of Paul’s gospel. Here’s my attempt at a paraphrase: But that is not the end of the matter, death and condemnation are not the last words, God has now revealed his saving justice, revealed it apart from the precepts and parameters of the law, and yet the law and the prophets pointed ahead to it. This saving justice is displayed through faith in Messiah Jesus for everyone who believes. No distinctions or exceptions can... Read more

Over at the Zondervan blog Koinonia, Con Campbell examines the question: Does Union with Christ Make the Imputation of His Righteousness Redundant? Listen to Con’s explanation: Read more

Robert W. Wall with Richard B. Steele 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Two Horizons New Testament Commentary. Eds. Joel B. Green and Max Turner. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2012. Available at Amazom.com. In this commentary, Robert Wall offers a canonical approach to the pastoral epistles (PE), interpreting them in light of the regula fidei, while Richard Steele offers historical case studies that instantiate key themes of the PE in the early church. I have to say that I’ve read, enjoyed,... Read more

Over at Online Opinion: Australia’s E-Journal of Social and Political Debate, I have a piece on Why the Australian Sex Party Gets Religion Wrong (ironically the article is interspersed with ads from The Secular Party!). The Australian Sex Party (ASP) is a minor political party campaigning for seats in the senate and is largely financed by the sex industry. They recently put some advertisements on TV with a very strong anti-church stance. The videos I’m responding to are: Church’s and Taxation... Read more

My good friend John Dickson has a great piece over at CPX on Mixing Religion and Politics. It is quite pertinent as Australia is one week away from a federal election and the incumbent Australian Labour Party faces political defeat and being replaced with a coalition of the Liberal/National Parties. Dickson states his purpose: I write with a dual audience in mind. I want to encourage Christians to be more thoughtful about their political opinions and I hope to demonstrate... Read more

Glad to say that Richard Burridge (Dean of King’s College London) will be speaking at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne on “Biographies of Jesus: From Gospels to Joseph Ratzinger’s/Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth.”  Will take place on  10 Sept 13 at 1800 hrs. See more info here. Read more

I have no idea about the copyright issues here (someone let me know if they are illegal), but the Ridley librarian has kindly pointed me towards two films about the Book of Revelation that are available on you.tube. Apocalypse (2002) staring Richard Harris. The film is set in 90 AD and concerns Jesus Christ’s last surviving disciple, John of Patmos, and his writings and visions of the Apocalypse. Emperor Domitian has declared himself to be God and ruler over heaven and... Read more

Let me say that I believe in eco-responsibility and ec0-ethics, but this video is so full of whacky earth-worshipping tree hugging weirdness that it is positively hilarious. HT: My student Karen Reid. Read more

I’ve been reading Stanley Hauerwas, “Which Church? What Unity? Or, an Attempt to Say What I May Think about the Future of Christian Unity,” Pro Ecclesia 22.3 (2013): 263-80. In the article, Hauerwas basically explains why for a guy who harps on about the church a lot that he hasn’t spoken much about ecumenism. But along the way he says a few things about Anglicanism that stands out: “I am an enthusiastic participant in a church, but I have never been particularly concerned with... Read more