Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, discussing his book, The Purpose Driven Life. I work at the Donald Robinson Library, the centrepiece of Sydney’s Moore Theological College. Near the front doors to the Library is a glass-wrapped display case that often shows rare items from the Samuel Marsden Archives, another hidden jewel of the Anglican …
Publications and talks of Rod Benson
A list of most of my publications and public addresses as at 17 October 2024. Transcripts of my sermons are available here. Publications Books Here We Stand: NSW Baptists and Contemporary Social Issues (second edition; Glebe, NSW: Baptist Union of NSW, 2004). Book chapters “‘Extracurricular activities’: The ecumenical service of Deaconess Margaret Rodgers AM,” in Erin …
The Bible in Photography: Index, Icon, Tableau, Vision
Sheona Beaumont, The Bible in Photography: Index, Icon, Tableau, Vision (London: T&T Clark, 2024). 227pp. ISBN 9780567706539 Reviewed by Dr Rod Benson Women grinding wheat at Ramallah, Palestine, early twentieth century. Photo: public domain. In this book, British academic Sheona Beaumont explores the photographic representation of biblical narrative through the lens of twentieth-century cultural criticism. …
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Mountains of Scripture (4): Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb, is twice called “the mountain of God” in Scripture. Unlike most other mountains where significant events in salvation history occurred, we are not given any definite information about the mountain’s precise location, height above the surrounding region, or physical appearance. From the biblical references, we can say that …
Should churches enforce conformity to creeds?
I have written elsewhere on the danger of dogma. Here, I want to explore the potential weaknesses of (over)reliance on Christian creeds and confessions in the life of the church. Recently, in an unprecedented move, a group of American theologians and pastors within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) moved to amend their denomination’s confessional statement, “The …
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