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GROVEF R O M T H E

Latest News and Reviews from St John’s College Nottingham

SUMMER 2009ISSUE 97

THISISSUE

1 :: Fresh Perspective

2 :: New Appointments

3 :: Bryony’s Blog :: Vince Cable :: DDO Day

4 :: Why me? :: New lecturers

5 :: New shape for teaching :: Book Review

6 :: Ben Fulford :: Clifton Clarke :: Student speaks

7 :: Student President :: Stephen Travis

8 :: And finally...

Engaging with a Fresh PerspectiveBiblicising the ChurchCanon Dr Christina Baxter has become one of the leading ambassadors of the Evangelical Alliance’s ‘Biblicising the Church’ initiative. Why? Because in a recent survey of churchgoers commissioned by the Bible Society and the Evangelical Alliance, only 14% of people in the pews felt ‘very confident’ and 51% ‘fairly confident’ in their Bible knowledge. Perhaps no surprise when only a third of churchgoers read the Bible daily and only two-thirds report that the Bible is regularly taught at church.

Yet the overwhelming majority recognised the value of the Bible and wanted it to be more of an influence in their lives and wider society. So how can this gap be filled?

Rather than heaping on the guilt, the Evangelical Alliance, working in partnership with 40 agencies, including St John’s, is launching an initiative to excite and intrigue people into turning back to the Bible.

Christina Baxter comments, ‘It is so important to help deepen knowledge and understanding for all who teach the Bible and encourage more Christians to read the Bible regularly. The aims of the initiative reflect

perfectly much of the training we provide at St John’s. I am passionate about making the Bible more accessible and providing creative ways for people to engage with a fresh perspective. Future leaders of the church need to be equipped to help make the Bible understood to people from all walks of life. Our passion is to make this happen.’

Other supporters include Bishop Tom Wright, Stephen Gaukroger, Terry Virgo, David Jackman and Andy Croft.

Biblefresh: take another lookBiblefresh will culminate in a year-long campaign in 2011 and will focus on four tracks, for which churches can sign up:

1. Bible Reading: Suggestions and resources to encourage more people to read the Bible regularly.

2. Bible Training: Opportunities for anyone who teaches the Bible to enrich their understanding through various festivals and via flexible courses.

3. Bible Translation: Sponsoring a new Bible translation project, as well as helping Christians regain confidence in ‘translating’ the message of the Bible into today’s culture.

4. Bible Experiences: Encouraging churches to be involved in creative experiences that will help people engage with the Bible in new ways, through a variety of media.

Training and ResourcesSome of the courses and resources St John’s offers to help Christians engage with the Bible in new ways:

Individual biblical modulesEither residential or by distance learning to study New Testament, Old Testament, New Testament Greek, Romans, Using the Bible Today.

Summer Schools13—17 July by Dr Doug Ingram on the Old Testament 20—24 July Translating the Sermon on the Mount in Greek

DVDsFour Gospels - One Jesus?Richard Burridge takes us on a guided tour through the four Gospels, highlighting their distinctive character, using the four traditional images associated with each of the gospels.

continued...

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resources.

Helen comments: ‘I have been met by a wonderfully warm welcome in this beautiful tranquil setting, though I have to say my head is abuzz with new and interesting acronyms and a whole new vocabulary to learn! It is a long time since I have been the ‘new starter’ and I am most grateful for Anne and my new colleagues’ and students’ patience and helpfulness.’

Little Peaches has a new nursery assistant working with Alison and the team. Tracey Lings, who is a qualified childcare practitioner, joined Little Peaches in March to fill the gap left by Debbie when she moved to Yorkshire.

Tracey is married to Darren and has three children to whom she devoted her time as they were growing up. Previously Tracey had worked in management but her passion was to work with children.

‘When my youngest child started full time education I knew the time was right to explore my options. After working voluntarily in a school for a year I decided to follow my heart and undertake the appropriate training to enable me to work with children. In 2008, I realised my dream and, after two years’ hard work, achieved a CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education (level 3) as well as a First Aid qualification.

I am very excited to be working at Little Peaches and am looking forward to further extending my professional development whilst I am here.’

from front page... New children’s projectOur thanks go to the Haberdashers’ Company for their recent grant towards the new Midlands Centre for Children’s Ministry project we are setting up at St John’s.

Haberdashers are one of many supporters helping to establish a new children’s ministry course so that people can train for a professional qualification to carry out work with children and families. The course will be the first of its kind in the Midlands, with a focus on reaching marginalized and disaffected children and their families.

Find out more: call Helen Taylor, Development Director 0115 968 3221 or email h.taylor@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

Ruth Taylor joined the front office of St John’s in March and brings with her many years of administration and secretarial experience. Most

of Ruth’s working life has been spent as a secretary and administrator for a large multi-national company in the area but more recently as office co-ordinator for a small local business.

As well as covering reception from 9 until 2 every day, she will also be involved in other administrative support for College Admissions and the Development Director.

Helen Wilcox has joined St John’s on a temporary basis as Academic Assistant to cover Beata Burda’s maternity leave.

Helen is assisting Anne Courtenay

Smith dealing with students’ assignment papers and teaching

Tracey Lings

Ruth Taylor

Books Their Story, Our Story, group studies in Luke and Acts by Elizabeth Fisher.

Find out more about these courses and resources – call 0115 925 1114, email college@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk or see our website www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

New appointments

Helen Wilcox

New Dean of College appointedWe are delighted to announce that our new Dean takes up his role in September 2009, successor to the Revd John Coyne who recently moved to CPAS.

The Revd Nick Ladd moves to St John’s from his post as Vicar of St Barnabas, Cambridge and his role as occasional lecturer in Pastoral Care at Ridley Hall. Nick has been in full time ministry for over

20 years in inner city, council estate and suburban parishes. For the past four years he has been the vicar of St Barnabas, Cambridge. After graduating in music from Exeter University, he studied theology at Selwyn College, Cambridge whilst at Ridley Hall. During his time at St Luke’s, Bricket Wood, he did an MA in Pastoral Theology at Anglia Ruskin University during which he developed a particular interest in the pastoral issues generated by living in a consumer culture. Nick believes that pastoral ministry belongs to the whole body of Christ and is committed to seeing churches become pastoral communities and Christians developing the gifts and confidence to nurture and disciple one another with wisdom.

Nick is married to Anne and they have two children, Emma and Nathan, who are both at secondary school. He loves playing and listening to music, reading and walking and still plays cricket when the muscles and joints allow.

In his role as Dean of College, Nick will be part of the Faculty, working closely with the Principal and Dean of Studies, with oversight of the college community, providing spiritual formation of students, and as lecturer in Practical Theology, will also contribute to the teaching programme of College up to Masters level.

On his appointment, Principal Canon Dr Christina Baxter comments: ‘Nick brings with him a wealth of experience. We are sure you will join with us to wish Nick a very warm welcome.’

Revd Nick Ladd

St John’s College, Chilwell Lane, Bramcote, Nottingham NG9 3DS

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before. My confidence has grown a bit; perhaps I can try new things and not slide into a panic. For instance I did my first school assembly before Christmas. Looking down on this bunch of eager innocent infants my knees shook so hard my book wobbled but they and I survived. It was, I have to admit with hindsight, great fun!

Today feels like a good day too, I got my first assignment back yesterday with a mark that pleased me (huge relief), handed in two assignments (even huger relief), and realised that God was keeping to his end of the bargain and helping me through this whole process (massive relief but why am I not surprised?).

So what, my friends ask, do we learn about? Last term we covered (at what felt like breakneck speed) education and preaching modules to help us learn how to communicate effectively; a module looking at Mark and John’s gospels - I had no idea there was so much to be discovered in those familiar texts; and also philosophy for theology - dealing with real life issues like suffering, how prayer works, science and faith - all that kind of thing.

On Mondays our week begins gently with an emphasis on spirituality and

Bryony’s BlogBryony Wood writes her blog for Southwell & Nottingham Diocesan C Magazine

Well, one term down, five more to go!I’ve never, in my whole life, known time go so fast. Each Monday I arrive; blink, and then it’s Friday.

But college life is good. Very good. I’ve never worked so hard, or laughed so much.

If anyone thinks training to be a vicar is a soft option to a ‘real job’, or an intellectually woolly course to study let me reassure you that here in Nottingham, vicars are trained and formed very thoroughly.

They keep reminding us it’s about ‘character formation’, not just academic knowledge and I’m beginning to see how that works now.

I do feel different, even after only one term. My brain has been stretched, my thinking expanded to consider all sorts of ideas it’s never pondered

space for prayer and reflection. It’s good to know that not only are our brains being trained but our spirits are too. But as you’d expect, the spiritual aspects at a Bible college are so much wider. We have prayer triplets, fellowship groups, family services, daily chapel, and all the time finding creative ways to worship and develop our spirituality with ideas to take into parish life.

So after the honeymoon period’s worn off what could I whinge about? And that’s where I get stuck, because not a lot really. I’m drinking too much coffee, not getting enough exercise but that’s my fault. I could play football (!) or keep fit session... The workload is heavy but there’s a lot to get through. I suppose it’s taken some time to adjust to being a student, and not have the same social and work / life balance I did before, but that’s more about adjusting to change and we had a lecture on that early on.

It was really good to get back to college for the start of this term, to come in knowing I’m now part of this place - it felt like coming home. It’s reassuring to know that this process is following a journey, one which I can’t fully understand, but one I’m so privileged to be on.

DDO day at St John’sWe held a DDO day in May, led by David Runcorn, with a focus on the challenges of spiritual formation in training. The Road to Growth less Travelled reflected on leadership and ministry for disorientated times. David has many years’ experience in parish ministry, in theological education and in diocese training and development.

There is huge investment in growing ministers as leaders in the church at present. But there is no one way of being a leader or priest. The context shapes the task and in the present church the contexts are very varied, highly transitional places in which to minister. Discussions provided an opportunity to reflect on our shared task of nurturing and developing the vocation to Christian leadership in a missionary church.

DDOs who attended the day also heard about some significant developments in training here and met many current students.

Next DDO Day 21 October 2009

‘It’s busy working for the most popular politician in the country,’ said the Press Officer as I went into Vince Cable’s office. I was interviewing Vince Cable MP for Third Way magazine. Often called the

best leader the Liberal Democrats never had, Vince Cable comes across as a man of real integrity. A good communicator, he has a sharp wit, commenting at Prime Minister’s Questions, ‘the house has noticed the Prime Minister’s remarkable transformation in the past few weeks from Stalin to Mr Bean, creating chaos out of order rather than order out of chaos.’

He talks real sense about the global financial crisis which is not a surprise as he was chief economist at Shell.

A romantic at heart, he married his Kenyan Asian wife Olympia to the opposition of both families and they lived happily together for 33 years until her tragic death from breast cancer. At that time he spent a lot of time in churches praying and would now call himself a Christian commenting, ‘but of what kind I’m not sure’.

His transparency and directness is a breath of fresh air. Addicted to ballroom dancing, the fact that he has just started skiing at the age of 64 is a challenge to most of us!

For the full interview, see Third Way magazine June issue.

Roy McCloughry interviews Vince Cable

Dr Vince Cable MP

Roy McCloughry

enquiries@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk 0115 925 1114 www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

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COMING UP...2009/10 Dates

In Service Study Weeks28 September – 2 October 20099 - 13 November 20091 - 5 February 201022 - 26 March 1024 - 28 May 2010

Four Week UnitsTuesday mornings

5 October – 6 November 2009*16 November – 11 December 20094 January – 29 January 201022 February – 19 March 201026 April – 21 May 2010

*Excludes Reading week 26-30 OctFor 2009/10 cost and availability contact Academic Administratoracademic@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk0115 968 3216 Booking form enclosed.

Sermon on the Mount20 - 24 July 2009

Greek Summer School led byDr Mark Bredin

The ‘sermon’ is so familiar that we miss the treasures that are contained in it because we tend to have certain translations fixed in our mind. The aim of this school is very practical: to help students progress in establishing their own personal translations with the help of a good library and experienced teachers. Open to anyone who has studied a little Greek!

Call 0115 925 1117 to book or emailext.studies@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

Why Me?Ordination student Dom Jones writes about life at St John’s.

Why me? Is a phrase I’m sure we’re all familiar with; why me, I’m too busy? Why me, I don’t deserve this? For me it went something like this;

Why me? I’m 19 years old, how can I be ordained? I have life left to enjoy and a career still to choose! But to cut a long story short I did come round to the idea of being a vicar and I’m now finishing my first year at St John’s. But what made me choose St John’s Nottingham?

There were many factors to consider when choosing where to study but when I walked into St John’s 18 months ago I knew I had come home. I was struck by the prayerfulness of the college and the community life that I witnessed got me hooked! The students seemed just like “normal”

people, they weren’t walking around with halos and the lecturers—well I’ll leave you to make your own decisions! Since that day in October 2007 my life has turned upside down and I now find myself showing others around the College and hoping that they too feel as welcome as I did.

One of my biggest fears, as for a lot of people coming to study, is the work and essays and it is only by the grace of God that somehow I seem to be producing essays at the end of modules, writing notes, leading worship and trying to read Greek! The lectures have really challenged me to look at what I believe and what others believe and although I certainly don’t consider myself to be an academic I have enjoyed grappling with some of the topics this year. And when the going gets tough I always know there is someone to turn to here at St John’s. The community life has been

a real blessing, a community that you can truly rejoice with when things are going great and a community that will hold you tight when things don’t turn out the way you planned! I have made many friendships which I know will continue into ministry and when we get the chance to ‘let our hair down’ as a community there have been some times to remember; from dressing as my Principal for a sketch or visiting the local cheese cake shop with my fellowship group! And as to what the future holds—only God knows that one but ministry within the Anglican Church can be so varied and exciting that I’m sure God will have a use for me somehow!

New associate lecturersIn order to broaden our expertise and range of teaching at the college, we are working with new Associate Lecturers who are contributing module teaching this year.

Dr Mark Bonnington is teaching the ‘Romans’ part of the second year

module on Romans and James and the stage 3 (MA and BA3) module on Charismatic Theology.

Mark Bonnington studied Maths and Theology before

writing a doctoral thesis on Galatians

whilst in Nottingham. He taught NT for twelve years at St John’s College Durham where he is now Handley Moule Fellow in NT Studies. In Durham he teaches MA courses on Acts and on Charismatic Theology. Since 2001 he has been Senior Leader of King’s Church Durham, a missional community Church which is part of the Ichthus Link network. He is married to Ruth, a GP in Gateshead, and they have three teenage kids who are working hard on bringing up their parents. He loves DIY projects, chess and swimming and has inherited his grandfather’s passion for Manchester United.

Revd Mark Earey is teaching the second year module on Sacramental Theology.

Mark is Co-director of the Centre for Ministerial Formation at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, where he teaches Liturgy and Worship. He was previously Team Rector of Morley in West Yorkshire, and for five years was National Education Officer for Praxis,

a Church of England organisation for liturgical renewal and education. He has written widely on liturgical matters, and has been a member of GROW, the Group for Renewal of

Worship (the people behind the Grove booklets on Worship) for 18 years.

See our website for College Lecture details or call Reception 0115 925 1114

Dr Mark Bonnington

Revd Mark Earey

MA in Mission & MinistryInvolved in ministry and mission and want to deepen your theological understanding and reflection on practice? St John’s MA aims to enable you to engage critically with contemporary challenges within a deeply-sourced biblical and theological framework and in relation to the practice of mission and ministry. It is open to clergy and lay people of any tradition or denomination. Validated by University of Nottingham. Course Tutor: Dr Ben Fulford.Places available starting September 2009. Call 0115 968 3203 or email admissions@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

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New shape for teaching Christian theologyImagine someone who has recently moved jobs and moved house, leaving behind familiar territory, friends, rhythms and resources.

Just at the point where she needs to begin the process of making new friends and finding a new pattern of living, under the pressure and stress she suffers a serious loss of long-term memory. She doesn’t recognise old friends; she cannot understand her motivations, feelings and judgements. She doesn’t know why she values what she values. In the fullest sense of the phrase, she doesn’t know where she’s from, and it’s making life difficult.

PossessionsAmongst her treasured possessions is a large collage, a meticulously assembled montage of her life: a picture of her identity and understanding of the world. Once it served as an aid to recollect herself in new circumstances. Now its intelligibility has unravelled. The scraps, fragments and reminders no longer bear the remembered meanings and their juxtapositions seem random. She looks for something simpler, more immediate and more certain.

TraumaSomething like this trauma has befallen the churches, to different degrees, in the transition through modernity. The challenge that faces those who teach future ministers for this church is the challenge to help them recover the church’s memory so as to face present and future challenges in a changed landscape. It involves helping them critically appreciate how the Bible has been read as Scripture and re-member, re-interpret and re-assess the complex weave of doctrines, histories, practices and insights in which that reading has been explicated and embodied, in order to shape and inform creative thinking for the present. Approached in this way, the past can help us to read Scripture and to think and live out Christian truth faithfully, freshly and imaginatively.

ChangingTo meet that task, we’re changing the way we teach Christian theology at St John’s. In place of some of our thematic modules (on the person and work of Christ, for example), there will be new modules through which students can engage critically and creatively with the story of Christian

Missionary Imperialists?John Darch’s PhD thesis has recently been published by Paternoster Press. It is in the Paternoster ‘Studies in Christian History and Thought’ series entitled Missionary Imperialists? - Missionaries, Government and the Growth of the British Empire in the Tropics, 1860 - 1885.

John writes:The doyen of mission historians, K. S. Latourette, described the nineteenth century as ‘the great century’ of world missions. Others regard that century as the ‘age of imperialism’ when European nations extended their control over vast swathes of non-European territory.

Many historians see these two movements as interconnected and the popular Marxist critique sees missions as active agents of European imperialism. But is this an accurate assessment or just a simplistic caricature? Missionary

theology and mission and their relationship to changing contexts and culture. In this way they will be able to explore the way different areas of theology and mission interrelate and inter-react in relation to contemporary challenges and contexts in the past, and how they resonate with our own context and concerns.

IntegrationThis integration of theological and missional themes in history will also help us enhance our teaching of biblical hermeneutics and pneumatology, without separating them from the subjects they intrinsically relate to, like Trinity, creation, salvation and Christology. This kind of looking back in order to look forward is an increasingly significant part of theological and missional thinking in our postmodern context.

Future hopeOur hope is that it will be equally significant in forming the minds and imaginations of those who train at St John’s.

Imperialists? seeks to investigate this alleged connection by means of six case-studies taken from Africa and the Pacific.

Its central narrative is the role played by missionaries in imperial development and a continuous thread is the interaction between the missions and those in government, both London and in the colonies. The crucial importance of influential missionary supporters in Britain is examined as is missionary co-operation with other humanitarian groups.

Imperialism?The book argues that where missionaries did aid imperial development it was largely incidental, an ‘imperialism of result’ rather than an ‘imperialism of intent’ to use the categories of Cain and Hopkins. Missionaries were primarily messengers of the Christian gospel but by their very presence on the frontiers

of empire they also transmitted other European values, moral, commercial, social and political. Nevertheless where their presence aided imperial advancement it was always incidental to that primary purpose of extending the kingdom of God. The problem for indigenous peoples was how to distinguish the gospel from the European cultural wrapping in which it was presented. Readers will be able to reflect on contemporary mission, both in the UK and overseas, and draw their own conclusions as to how far it has progressed in this respect over the last 150 years.

John Darch was lecturer in Church History at St John’s, 1999-2006

Dr Ben Fulford

Revd Dr John Darch

enquiries@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk 0115 925 1114 www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

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distinct quite wrong. On the other hand, in light of the way that Gregory understands the unity and distinction of the persons to be bound up in the particular ordering of their relations and to transcend anything like unity and distinction in human community, accounts of the social Trinity which appeal to Gregory (e.g. Boff) seem both unfounded and theologically and ethically problematic. But this doesn’t exhaust the significance of Gregory’s doctrine of the Trinity for thinking about social relations…’

As for availability: you can buy it online from the Journal Home Page at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com

Recent PublicationDr Ben Fulford, Tutor in Theology and Course Leader for MA in Mission and Ministry has recently published “One Commixture of Light”: Rethinking some Modern uses and Critiques of Gregory of Nazianzus on the Unity and Equality of the Divine Persons, International Journal of Systematic Theology 11:2 (April 09), pp. 172-189.

Dr Fulford comments: ‘Several modern theologians use Gregory of Nazianzus’ trinitarian theology as a source for their own doctrines of the Trinity in some respects and distance themselves from him in others. In this article, I look again at some of these readings of Gregory and argue that their criticisms have his account of how the persons are united yet

MCYM Student speaks at Church in Wales Governing BodyWhen Ben Lines, a Midlands Centre for Youth Ministry first year student, was asked to speak at the annual Governing Body in Llandudno, the Under 25’s Officer at the Diocese of St

Asaph, Tim Feak had nothing but praise for his performance! The governing body is similar to the Church of England’s ‘General Synod’. It is where a lot of the important decisions that shape the Church in Wales are debated and decided. In attendance was every Bishop from

Ben Lines

Tim Feak

all Dioceses across Wales and the Archbishop.

Ben was invited to speak about his placement and his studies at MCYM. He spoke clearly, passionately and put together a very intelligent and well structured talk. Tim, who trained for youth work at St John’s Nottingham, comments: “I think Ben’s presentation was highly impressive when you bear in mind the context that he was speaking in. The talk was pitched at the right level and impressed many. Ben is an asset to the Diocesan team of youth workers and has done much to help raise the profile of professional Christian youth work within the Diocese.”

During his presentation Ben described his work as seeking to build up relationships with young

people. “They have something to say—if we are prepared to listen to them.” Youth work is becoming more professional; however we need reflective p ra c t i t i o n e rs— everything the Church does in youth work needs to be grounded in theology.

See Governing Body highlights on the Church in Wales website www.churchinwales.org.uk

Interested in youth work or training to work with children & families? Contact Gill Benson at MCYM 0115 968 3222 email mcym@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk or see website: www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

New Shape Theology - but Hard Work!

The Professional Certificate in Ministry is the latest St John’s/Open University course launched by Extension Studies.

Designed as a ‘fast track’ for prospective Church of Ireland ordinands who are already graduates in another discipline, it comprises three distance learning modules, one each at level C, I and H. As part of their exploration of vocation, participants also attend short workshops in Dublin and are prepared to study at masters level during ordination training. A ‘first’ not only for St John’s but for the Open University itself, we suspect that many other groups will find this form of ministry training useful.

Former student now Missiology professor

I attended St John’s College between the years 1989—1992 and look back fondly at my time there as it was instrumental in my spiritual and ministry formation today. As a young black urban Pentecostal Christian and prospective Minister I was unsure, at the time, whether attending an Anglican – albeit evangelical – College was the best thing for me. Looking back it was the best thing I’ve ever done outside of becoming a Christian.

Currently I serve as the Professor of Global Missions and World Christianity

at Regent University in Virginia Beach USA. Prior to this I served for ten years as a Mission Partner with the Church Mission Society (CMS) based in Ghana teaching pastors and leaders from African indigenous churches across West Africa. I am also an Ordained Bishop in the Church of God (Cleveland TN).

My love for theology (culminating in a PhD in theology from Birmingham University in 2002) and global missions (leading to my current position as Professor of Missiology here at Regent University) was cultivated and nurtured under the careful spiritual and godly leadership of St John’s College lecturers. It was

at St John’s where I wrote my first theological essay and attended my first overseas missions placement in Kenya. I truly cherish my time there and would recommend it to anyone as being a first class Christian theological institution.

Clifton Clarke came to St John’s as an independent student in the late 1980s, and is now Professor of Missiology at Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Clifton Clarke

St John’s College, Chilwell Lane, Bramcote, Nottingham NG9 3DS

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Christ and the Judgement of God - new from Stephen Travis‘Christ and the judgement of God’ – not a very appealing topic for a book? The whole idea of divine judgement has rarely been popular, except perhaps among those who are convinced that judgement will not fall on them.

In popular thought it suffers from distorted images of God, for example when people think of God as the stern Victorian headmaster always eager to exercise violence on his pupils. Or at the opposite extreme God is seen as the indulgent grandparent who will never condemn a child’s outrageous behaviour.

And yet the belief that God will judge us protects something very important to our humanity. If God holds us responsible for how we live our lives, it means that he takes our actions seriously. What kind of people we are, and how we live, matters to him. If there is no judgement, then ultimately nothing matters, and our significance as human beings is diminished.

But if God’s judgement is somehow important, the big question then is: How do we understand it? Judgement has often been understood in terms of retribution that is the language

of ‘paying back’, ‘an eye for an eye’, ‘being given our just deserts’. In tracing the theme of judgement through the Bible I find in my book that, while an element of retribution remains in the New Testament, the writers mainly see God’s judgement working in terms of our relationship to God or to Christ. It isn’t about God hitting us back for the wrongs we’ve done, so much as God allowing us to experience the consequences of the choices we have made whether to live in trust and openness to him, or not.

The book engages with the teaching on judgement in the gospels, in Paul’s letters and in the book of Revelation. Anyone who sees Revelation as a totally doom-laden book will be surprised by what I find here. And in the section on Paul there’s a chapter on how our understanding of judgement relates to his teaching on the atonement. This theme has been the topic of some acrimonious debate in recent years, with theologians who take different views lobbing grenades at each other from their bunkers. I try to take a more conciliatory approach. I hope you’ll find plenty of food for thought here.

Stephen Travis offers a gracious

scholarly contribution to the contemporary debate on the nature of the atonement in this major updating and revision of his book on judgement, in which he argues that retribution (in the sense of causing offenders to suffer what they have caused others to suffer in order to compensate for their action) is marginal in biblical teaching to the concept of God in his wrath causing sinners to bring the consequences of their own evildoing upon themselves and so to shut themselves out from a salvific relationship with him. There is no dumbing down of divine judgement here or failure to express the way in which Christ bears the judgement of God upon human sin. This is a thesis that deserves careful attention for its insights into how a substitutionary and representative understanding of the death of Jesus can be safeguarded from some of the misunderstandings that abound at the present time.

Christ and the Judgement of God – Howard Marshall C o m m e n d a t i o n , September 2008

Dr Stephen Travis

David’s DeliberationsNew things‘Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?’ (A Song of New Creation – Isaiah 43.18)

Newness of lifeIt was wonderful to pray these words in Morning Prayer at the beginning of term as the college community reconvened after the Easter vacation and celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection. One of the benefits of the daily rhythm of worship we enjoy at St John’s is the opportunity to explore more fully the different facets of each season of the Christian calendar. And, we have certainly done this over past months as we have focused on the vitality and diversity of creation as it flourishes at this time of year and have praised God, in many different ways, for the newness of life in Christ.

TransitionHowever, these words of Isaiah also speak to the college community at this time of transition. Some students will be leaving in June, either to be ordained or to serve God in other ways. God is very obviously ‘doing a new thing’ in their lives and those who leave with them, but there is also an invitation to see the ‘new thing’ that is about to ‘spring forth’ amongst those to whom they will minister. I want to wish those leaving God’s blessing and to say “thank you” (again!) for being wonderful friends and for giving yourselves to the college community.

Ongoing formationFor those who remain on the merry-go-round that is college-life, the ‘new thing’ looks slightly different. There are the highs and lows of ongoing formation coupled with an enhanced responsibility to care for one another. As the first-years begin the contextual theology programme, an undertaking that could involve a trip to Jerusalem or a trip to Ye Ole Trip to Jerusalem (let the reader

understand!), the prophets’ words point to an opportunity to look upon a particular context with the mind of Christ and see the possibilities of God; to prayerfully re-imagine the fallen nature of the world and to collaborate with God in its beautiful redemption.

Perhaps rather unconventionally, in Isaiah 43.18 the school of prophets exhort Israel to stop reminiscing about the deliverance of days gone by and to wait for a new kind of exodus; to, as H.C. Leupold puts it, ‘let the grand past be over-topped by the more glorious future’. In a similar way, God is longing to surpass the present and to work out his purposes patterned in Christ’s death and resurrection, and to transform communities that seek to follow his call today from ‘glory into glory’ (1 Corinthians 3.18).

David KichensideStudent President

enquiries@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk 0115 925 1114 www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

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Profit from the sale of Advent Books 2008 is enabling us to replace showers in student flats, build an outdoor labyrinth for prayer and help upgrade the Chapel PA system. Students continue to benefit

as part of the surplus goes into the student hardship fund. Thank you for contributing to our work!

Watch out for the next publication—details later in the year. To reserve your copy now contact us on 0115 925 1114 or email h.taylor@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

We need £5000 to complete the PA system upgrade, so please keep your donations coming! Call Helen in Development Office on 0115 968 3221 or email h.taylor@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk or donate online www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

Keep in touchIf you’ve moved or changed your email address, please send your new details to Helen Taylor ath.taylor@stjohns-nottm.ac.ukTel: 0115 968 3221

This one-day-a-week course is a great way to gain a qualification in theology at undergraduate or graduate level, especially for those who have other commitments in their lives.

It is particularly appropriate for those with leadership responsibility who need to be theologically equipped for their ministry.

To find out more, call Louise Williams on 0115 968 3203admissions@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

www.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

STUDY THEOLOGY PART-TIME WITH ST JOHN’S

Christmas coming already?!

Electronic mailing to members

Company documents such as Annual Accounts normally sent to Association members can now be emailed or posted on the members section of our website. Using this method will speed up decision-making and make significant savings on postage and printing costs. If you are happy to receive files in electronic format, please email your contact details to the Chief Operating Officer at paul .stutt le@st johns-nottm.ac.uk quoting ‘electronic mailing to association members’.

Christians in the WorkplaceSummer School

27—31 JulyWork isn’t just something to be endured so that you can serve God at the w e e k e n d s ! This Summer School will help you explore the re l a t i o n s h i p between our Christian faith and our ‘day jobs’. For everybody, not only those with large salaries and responsibilities! Much of the material is relevant to the world of voluntary work and homemaking and all of us support someone who goes out to work! Led by Alison Maddocks, workplace chaplain in Nottingham city centre. Use the enclosed flyer to book in.

A few places left at our other Extension Studies summer schools:• 13–17 July: The Quirkier Side of

the Old Testament• 17–19 July: Myers Briggs

weekend• 20–24 July: Translating the

Sermon on the Mount (for those with some Greek)

Tel: 0115 925 1117 or emailext.studies@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

Get with thelatest fashion!

A selection of hoodies and T-shirts in a variety of colours are available featuring the St John’s logo.

Hoodies: £20, T-shirts: £12 plus P&P. Orders are processed once the minimum order quantity of 10 is received. Cheques payable to St John’s College Nottingham. Samples available at summer schools.

To order email college@stjohns-nottm.ac.uk or call 0115 925 1114 or order onlinewww.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk/news

Improvements Summer 2009

A recent donation has enabled us to start planned refurbishment of some of our lecture rooms, the Library and the dining room. The upgrades, including new carpeting and lighting in lecture rooms, new flooring in the dining room and new desks to the reception and IT areas in the Library, will be completed in August in time for the start of 2009/10 year.

To complete this phase of refurbishment we still need around £7000, so please keep your donations coming!

Call Helen in Development Office on 0115 968 3221 or email h.taylor@stjohns-nottm.ac.ukor donate online atwww.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

Study Counselling Part-TimePostgraduate Diploma in

Pastoral CounsellingA part-time course, integrating pro-fessional counselling training with theological understanding of human process and development. Validated by the University of Nottingham.

A few places still available starting September 2009.

Contact St John’s Extension Studies0115 925 1117ext.studies@stjohns-nottm.ac.ukwww.stjohns-nottm.ac.uk

Please Keep Collecting!Thanks to everyone who sent in supermarket and Times vouchers for Little Peaches. Please keep them coming!

St John’s College, Chilwell Lane, Bramcote, Nottingham NG9 3DS