Author: Jonathan Dodson

“The to-and-fro in early Christian theology and poetry between creation and new creation, so underplayed in contemporary theology until very recently, offers in fact the matrix of understanding within which this freshly integrated vision of the task of a university and college can be understood. When, as has so often been the case, redemption has been understood in terms of escape from the world of creation, then of course Christian faith understands itself, and is understood by outsiders, in terms of a hiding away from the realities of the world. Faith and public life, religion and politics, private devotion and academic study, are then seen as antithetical. But where the fully biblical vision of God’s action in Jesus Christ is freshly understood in terms of God’s dealing with evil and corruption within the created order in order that the new creation may be born from the womb of the old – when, in other words, we embrace the vision of Colossians 1, built on the rocky foundation of the death and resurrection of Jesus in the way that this glorious Cathedral is built on the solid rock beneath us – then it becomes clear that those who claim that death and resurrection as the centre of their life, those who love Jesus and seek to follow and serve him, are called to be agents of new creation, and that this involves exploring, understanding and celebrating the old creation and discovering its inner dynamic in order the better to pioneer the new world in which the old is to find its glorious fulfilment.”

Taken from N. T. Wright’s sermon at the Inauguration of Dr David Wilkinson as Principal of St John’s College, Durham, Durham Cathedral, 17 October 2006

N. T. Wright’s new book (seems to publish one every quarter!), Evil and the Justice of God is a good introduction to the “new” problem of evil in the 21st century. While it is not a highly technical discussion of the nature of evil, Wright cuts to the chase by considering the role of the cross in solving the problems of evil. The first chapter lays out contemporary events and historical solutions to the problem of evil in an engaging way (I read the first 45 pgs in about 30 minutes). Wright reveals the problems of postmodernism (evil exists, no one is responsible) and modernism (man can over come evil) and sets the course for a supernatural solution to the supernatural evils of our world. If you pick it up, let me know what you think.

Now that I am working for Bowling.com, I have into all things bowling that I might have fun. Check out this video.

The next couple of days I will be at the Acts 29 Churchplanting Bootcamp in New York. Audio for previous camps are available at Acts 29’s website. Here is a listing of the main sessions for our bootcamp:

#1 Why Plant a Church? (Scott Thomas)

#2 Jesus-Centered Reformed Theology (Daniel Montgomery)

#3 Leading the Mission (Ed Marcelle)

#4 Preaching the Mission of Jesus (Darrin Patrick)

#5 Elders, Deacons, & Members (Darrin Patrick)

#6 Biblical Missiology (Ed Stetzer)

#7 Breaking the Missional Code (Ed Stetzer)