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Skip to content Menu * Preaching * Sexuality * Gender * Biblical Studies * Revelation * Life & Ministry * Book Reviews * Archives Psephizo scholarship. serving. ministry. Menu * Home * About * Support * Commendations * Publications * Speaking * Contact WELCOME—AND THANKS FOR VISITING! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My most recent publications are: * ‘The reimagining of theological time: Revelation’s use of the Old Testament’ in The Scriptures in the Book of Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature. * ‘The genre of Revelation’ (including two new proposals!) in The Apocalypse of John amongst its Critics. * The New Testament’s Vision of Mission Grove booklet, exploring key themes from the teaching and practice of Jesus. * The Practice of Evangelical Spirituality Grove booklet, looking at the seven dimensions of biblical discipleship. * Exploring the New Testament, Volume Two: Letters and Revelation third edition, fully updated, revised and expanded. * Revelation: Faithfulness in Testing Times, a series of six studies for individuals or groups. * Revelation, the Tyndale New Testament Commentary from IVP. (If you order from an online store, make sure you choose mine, not the previous edition by Leon Morris!) My other recent publications include: * How to Interpret the Bible: four essential questions (Grove, 2017) * Being Messy, Being Church (Bible Reading Fellowship, 2017) * Kingdom, Hope and the End of the World (Grove, 2016) * The Book of Revelation: currents in British research (Mohr Siebeck, WUNT, 2015) * Evangelical Leadership: Challenges and Opportunities (Grove, 2016) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WAS JESUS ACTUALLY BORN INTO A ‘POOR’ FAMILY? Ian Paul | December 21, 2023 | Biblical Studies | 51 Comments One of the repeated themes of short Christmas expositions is that, in the nativity story, we see God coming to the ‘poor’, and as a result the main message of Christmas is that we should pay particular attention to the ‘poor’. I put the term in inverted commas, because in both these contexts the term ‘poor’ has a specific meaning: the distinctively materially poor. Here is a good example: This Christmas why not ask the gift to love the poor more deeply, with an abiding and deep affection? For poverty and neediness are an intrinsic aspect of the Infancy narratives. The first Christmas was anything but charming or sentimental. It is charged with homelessness, hardship, a lack of decent resources, disregard for human life (by Herod), and the flight of the Holy Family as refugees and aliens in a foreign land… Yes, Joseph and Mary are swept away from their resources, their family, extended family, and Joseph from his livelihood. They are swept downstream some 70 miles to the town of Bethlehem at a critical time for their family, the 9th month of Mary’s pregnancy. Could you walk 70 miles? And what if you were pregnant? Homelessness awaited them…Off to the stinking stable, the dank cave. Poverty does stink, and leads to deep and dank places. We may sentimentalize the birth of Jesus among animals, but there was nothing cute about it…Yes, the wondrous mystery is that God so esteems poverty. But the disgrace of this remains at our door…So poverty is an overarching theme in the infancy narrative. There are some basic errors of fact in this reflection, and lots of unwarranted suppositions, but they are very common in popular commentary. It is more like 100 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and it would be about five or six days walk. But if you lived in a culture where walking was the norm, this would not seem remarkable; it is only a challenge to a sofa-bound culture like ours. Observant Jews from the region would have made this journey at least three times a year for the pilgrim festivals and there is every likelihood that Joseph and Mary would have combined the two purposes in their trip. The journey was, read in context, comparatively unremarkable. As far as I can see, there is nothing in the gospel accounts that suggests that Mary was on the verge of giving birth when they made the trip. And Luke specifically tells us that Joseph was returning to his ancestral home, so he was mostly likely returning to extended family, not leaving it. And, of course, Jesus wasn’t born in a stinking stable. Continue Reading THE POPE, SAME-SEX UNIONS, AND THE BLESSING OF FORNICATING BOXERS Ian Paul | December 20, 2023December 21, 2023 | Sexuality | 107 Comments Joshua Penduck writes: ‘Pope says Roman Catholic priests can bless same-sex couples’ declared the BBC News website. It was not alone in this. Anglo-American newspapers, news outlets, and websites emblazoned… Continue Reading THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE Ian Paul | December 19, 2023December 20, 2023 | Biblical Studies | 1 Comment The lectionary gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Advent is Luke 1.26–38; though this year’s gospel is Mark, there is (of course) no annunciation in Mark, so we plunder… Continue Reading THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY IN LUKE 1 VIDEO DISCUSSION Ian Paul | December 18, 2023December 19, 2023 | Biblical Studies | 6 Comments The lectionary gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Advent is Luke 1.26–38; though this year’s gospel is Mark, there is (of course) no annunciation in Mark, so we plunder… Continue Reading ARE ALL SINS THE SAME? Ian Paul | December 15, 2023December 19, 2023 | Biblical Studies, Sexuality | 282 Comments When particular issues come up for debate, or are the focus of dispute amongst Christians, a question that is commonly lurking in the background—and might make its presence felt explicitly—is… Continue Reading WHY DO MATTHEW AND LUKE OFFER US DIFFERENT NATIVITY STORIES? Ian Paul | December 13, 2023December 19, 2023 | Biblical Studies | 16 Comments James Bejon offers this fascinating exploration of the differences between Matthew and Luke. For a discussion of the historical issues in Luke’s nativity narrative, see this article. As Christians, most… Continue Reading JOHN THE BAPTIST’S TESTIMONY IN JOHN 1 Ian Paul | December 12, 2023December 13, 2023 | Biblical Studies | 2 Comments The lectionary gospel reading for Advent 3 is John 1.6–8 and 19–28, which picks out parts of John the Baptist’s testimony from the first chapter of the Fourth Gospel. Despite… Continue Reading COMMENDING PRAYERS OF LOVE AND FAITH—MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS Ian Paul | December 11, 2023December 13, 2023 | Sexuality | 92 Comments Andrew Goddard writes: Following General Synod, the House of Bishops has to decide (perhaps this Tuesday, 12th December) on two key matters relating to Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF): whether… Continue Reading THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IN JOHN 1 VIDEO DISCUSSION Ian Paul | December 11, 2023December 13, 2023 | Biblical Studies | 3 Comments The lectionary gospel reading for Advent 3 is John 1.6–8 and 19–28, which picks out parts of John the Baptist’s testimony from the first chapter of the Fourth Gospel. Despite… Continue Reading PRAYERS OF LOVE AND FAITH: A DIVIDED VOTE—A DIVIDED CHURCH? Ian Paul | December 8, 2023December 11, 2023 | Sexuality | 231 Comments Andrew Goddard writes: After the February General Synod I presented quite a lengthy voting analysis. This offers a shorter reflection on what we can see from the now published voting… Continue Reading HOW DOES THE BIBLE DEPICT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN? Ian Paul | December 6, 2023December 8, 2023 | Book Reviews, Gender | 164 Comments Andrew Bartlett has written the outstanding study Men and Women in Christ: fresh light from the biblical texts which I think should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in this question…. Continue Reading * * Ian Paul: theologian, author, speaker, academic consultant. Adjunct Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary; Associate Minister, St Nic's, Nottingham; Managing Editor, Grove Books; member of General Synod. Mac user; chocoholic. Tweets at @psephizo More About Ian... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPPORT ME To make a one-off or repeat donation to support the blog, use PayPal with the button below: You can also visit my Patreon page. For other ways to support this ministry, visit my Support page. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEARCH Search -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EMAIL UPDATES Don't miss out! Subscribe To Newsletter We promise not to spam you. Unsubscribe at any time. Invalid email address Thanks for subscribing! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONNECT * Facebook * Twitter * RSS Feed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECENT POSTS * Was Jesus actually born into a ‘poor’ family?December 21, 2023 * The Pope, same-sex unions, and the blessing of fornicating boxersDecember 20, 2023 * The annunciation to Mary in the Gospel of LukeDecember 19, 2023 * The annunciation to Mary in Luke 1 video discussionDecember 18, 2023 * Are all sins the same?December 15, 2023 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MY RECENT PUBLICATIONS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER PUBLICATIONS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TAGS Andrew Goddard Bible biblical interpretation Biblical literacy biblical theology Christmas Church of England culture discipleship discussion doctrine eschatology ethics evangelism gay Grove guest Hermeneutics History hope interpretation James Blandford Baker Jesus John's gospel judgement Justin Welby leadership lectionary Luke Luke's gospel Matthew ministry mission New Testament Old Testament Paul politics preaching Revelation same sex unions sexuality theology video Year A Year C ©2023 Psephizo. 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