I’m starting a series on the Eucharist based on some lectures and writing I’ve done recently. Here is the first installment. For 2000 years one of the most visible emblems of historical Christianity has been that believers have ordinarily met together to share an extraordinary meal, celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, varyingly called the “breaking of bread”, “communion”, the “Lord’s Table”, the “Lord’s Supper”, an “agape feast,” and my favourite term the “Eucharist”.[1] It is genuinely sad... Read more

Dear friends, for those who have not yet heard, John Stott has departed this life and entered into the presence of Jesus. It is a sad loss for us, but a wondrous reward for John. I still remember reading his book The Cross of Christ in seminary and how it had a profound impact on my thinking about the cross and preaching the cross. This semester I’ve got my undergrad ecclesiology class doing a seminar on his book Living Church.... Read more

This week I’m heading to the Czech Republic with my College Ministry at CCC for a couple weeks of ministry among 20 somethings. The ministry is an English camp that we’re helping to lead with a church in the city of Pisek just outside of Prague. I bring this to your attention for two reasons. First, I would like to ask you to pray for our team (we number about 20) as we share the Gospel message primarily through our... Read more

I’ve already said that the NPP was a good correction to ahistorical and asocial readings of Paul. It gives a more rounded and thicker description of Paul as a Jewish Christian theologian. That said, there’s several areas where the NPP moved in the wrong direction. 1. Whilst Judaism might broadly be characterized as “covenantal nomism,” the emphasis could fall on “covenant” or “nomism” depending on who was telling the story. What is more, an increased nomistic stance appears in contexts... Read more

Over at CT is an article “City Parish: An Australian Builds NYC Networks“. It’s a good  piece about missional church planting in urban contexts. Perhaps I’m biased, but if you really want a job done properly, send in the Australians. As Field Marshall Rommel said: “Give me a brigade of Australians and I could do anything.” Read more

Over at the Gospel Coalition, there is a round table with Carson and Piper discussing how necessary it is to study the background culture and context for good preaching. This formed one of my criticisms of Piper in my recent JETS article in that I think Piper (needlessly) diminishes the value of historical study for preaching and teaching. Piper is unimpressed with the notion that one “must” be conversant with all these materials if one is to preach effectively. I... Read more

I’ve become interested in Karl Barth’s view of Israel and the Jewish question. Most know Barth is considered the greatest Protestant theologian since Calvin. He lived through the Nazi era and was part of the Confessing Church which stood against Hitler and the Nazis. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was highly influenced by Barth’s theology–introduced to it when he was a theology student. Bonhoeffer, however, could never be characterized as a theological parody; he was certainly his own man theologically speaking. I have ... Read more

I read this passage by Jewish philosopher-theologian  Michael Wyschogrod years ago and recently bumped into it again. You can find it in his essay on “Judaism and the Land” in the book Abraham’s Promise. His conclusion is eloquent in both its caution and confident faith: In our time, the people of Israel has returned to its land. Was it justified in doing so? Does this return signal the beginning of the redemption promised by God or is it a human... Read more

I got in the mail The New Testament for Everyone by Tom Wright (SPCK) also published as The Kingdom Version (HarperOne). It is basically the translation of the entire NT derived from Tom Wright’s “New Testament for Everyone” series. In the preface, Wright claims that he’s provided a translation, not a paraphrase, and he notes the problems of translating the Greek NT into readable English. He thinks there is great profit in doing new translations, whilst taking into account those... Read more