Forget the Channel

Forget the Channel: lionelwindsor.net

  • The two covenants with Abraham – Part 1 (Genesis 12)

    This post, and the next few posts, will examine the way that the word “covenant” (בְּרִית) features in Genesis 12–22, which one of the key foundational texts for Galatians 3. (This post is part of a series. See here for an introduction to the series.) It is common to speak of “the Abrahamic covenant”. However,…

  • What’s the precise meaning of the word ‘covenant’ in the Old Testament?

    The word “covenant” in the Old Testament has a precise and consistent meaning. It doesn’t just mean ‘relationship’, as is commonly assumed today. Rather, “covenant” refers to a very specific type of relationship. The best definition of the word, which accounts for all of its uses in the Bible, is as follows: Covenant = an…

  • Some important features of Paul’s use of the word ‘covenant’

    We’ve seen a couple of approaches to the task of detecting ‘covenant’ ideas in Paul. These approaches are, in the end, hopelessly subjective, because they start with an assumed definition of ‘covenant’ which is then read into Paul’s texts. A much better approach is to begin with Paul’s actual use of the word ‘covenant’ and…

  • How should you look for ‘covenantal’ ideas in Paul?

    How do you look for ‘covenantal’ ideas in Paul when he only rarely uses the word ‘covenant’? (This post is part of a series. See here for an introduction to the series.) Of course, we must admit that “covenantal” concepts may be present in a Pauline passage without the word διαθήκη appearing. Porter, for example,…

  • What Saint Paul Rarely Said

    Being a Christian is about being in a relationship with God. Few people would deny this statement. But what, exactly, does this statement mean? What does a relationship with God look like? How does it operate? What is the nature of a Christian’s relationship with God? The word “covenant” has often been used as an…

  • Bibliography for the series on acovenantalism

    (An introduction to this series) Bibliography of Primary Sources Cited Aristophanes. Translated by Jeffrey Henderson. 4 vols. Loeb Classical Library 178, 488, 179, 180. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press, 1998–2002. “The Epistle of Barnabas”. Pages 1–83 in Volume 2 of The Apostolic Fathers. Edited and Translated by Bart D. Ehrman. 2 vols. Loeb Classical Library…

  • Acovenantalism: the series

    A few years back I investigated the use of the word ‘covenant’ in the Old Testament and in Paul’s letters, as a project for my final year at Moore College. The whole thesis is available in PDF here, but I thought it would be a good idea to break it down into bite-sized pieces, massaging…

  • More heavy snowfall in Durham – images

  • Quick visual overview of the Bible

    I’ve used this quick, visual overview of the Bible to help students see how some of the key elements of the Bible’s overall story are related to one another. Click on the picture to download a PowerPoint presentation – it just takes a couple of minutes to scroll through the presentation.

  • So you think you can serve?

    From the Sola Panel: I’ve just read through the Apostle Paul’s letters and noted all the words he uses to describe his ministry. It’s a fascinating and humbling list. Paul calls himself: apostle, servant, minister, preacher, master builder, from the tribe of Benjamin, prisoner, teacher, Hebrew, aroma, Jew, Israelite, temple servant, from the circumcision, manager,…

  • The language of Chalcedon

    A few years back, I put together this visual summary of the terminology the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) used to express the biblical doctrines of the Trinity and the two natures of Christ. This is one of the most important councils of Christian history, because it clearly confirmed the reality of God revealed in…

  • The most authentic – and heartwrenching – Christmas message I’ve heard this year

    From BBC news: Hannah Saaf, 28, of St Michael’s Hill in Kingsdown, Bristol, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Bristol Crown Court in September. Sam Riddall was killed in May as he walked with friends in Westbury-on-Trym on his way home from a church. The Bristol University law graduate had been travelling…

  • Pictures of snow in Durham

    In Durham over the last day or so we’ve had a few snow showers. It’s quite a novelty for an Aussie family. Here’s some pictures of Durham in the snow! Click on any of the photos for a high resolution image. At night, at our front door, during the first snow shower: I went for…

  • Jesus and Cancer

    A talk given by Lionel Windsor at a Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea on 31 May, 2007, at the home of Keith and Pam Gregory, of St Michael’s Anglican Cathedral, Wollongong. Acknowledgements I count it such a privilege to be able to take part in this morning tea. It is so impressive, this enormous effort…

  • A step-by-step guide to teaching the Bible

    I’ve often used this short guide as a basis for training Bible Study leaders and those preparing to give Bible talks to children and youth. It’s available to download as a PDF here. Preparing to Teach the Bible—Step by Step Part 1—Understanding the passage Pray Read the passage several times Context What has just come…

  • Heavy metal for kids on iTunes – Ben Pakula

    Our whole family (aged 35, 31, 7, 5 and 2) has loved listening to Ben Pakula’s heavy metal album for kids, A Very Special Tent. The Album is now available on iTunes. Just type “Ben Pakula” into the iTunes Store search box (if you don’t have iTunes, you need to download and install the program…

  • Silence about the Spirit

    From the Sola Panel: I’ve been enjoying Paul’s series on lousy arguments. At the risk of stealing Paul’s thunder, I’ve got another argument to add to the mix: the Argument from Silence. The Argument from Silence is rather simple, often wrong, but sometimes spot-on. The Argument from Silence happens when you listen to a speaker,…

  • Replacing the Spirit with the sacraments

    I’ve been listening recently to an online lecture series called Space, Time, [Matter] and Sacraments. The speaker (an influential Church of England Bishop called N. T. Wright) posed some very important questions. For example: How is the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection made “real” to us in our own lives now? How is…

  • Jesus, the Son of Man, as presented in the Gospel of John

    Lionel Windsor (2003) Synopsis The essay begins with the proposal by Barnabas Lindars that ‘The central aim of the Johannine christology is to expound the intimate relationship of Jesus and God. For this purpose John takes over the idea of the Son of Man, [. . .]’. Lindars’ case has some merit, but has isolated…

  • Thomas Cranmer the Protestant reformer during the reign of King Henry VIII

    Lionel Windsor (2004) Introduction: A Protestant Reformer? For a comfortable theoretician to assess the actions of a man caught up in the cut and thrust of national and international politics is a precarious business, as Martin Bucer warned when, in 1537, the humanist Grynaeus lamented Thomas Cranmer’s slowness to bring about reform in England.1 To…

  • What is this thing we call the local church?

    Lionel Windsor (2005) I’m thinking of asking a dangerous question. It’s a question that I need to ask, but the very act of asking it threatens to lead me astray. The question is this: ‘What is St. Blogg’s?’ This may seem like a strange question, but let me explain why I need to ask it,…

  • Admitting our sins

    On the Sola Panel: I’d like to admit something to you. My admission isn’t particularly juicy or scandalous, but it’s an admission, nonetheless. The admission is this: I’m not honest enough with people when it comes to my sins. I don’t admit my sins to others often enough. The reason I don’t do it is…

  • The Development and Significance of the Remnant in the Old Testament Prophets

    By Lionel Windsor (2003) Synopsis There are two concerns fundamental to the prophetic writings. The first is the relationship between the judgment and blessing by God of his covenant people. The second is the meaning of ‘the people of God’. The idea of ‘remnant’ is a key to the exploration and transformation of these ideas…

  • Republishing older articles

    Many of the older articles on this site are PDFs or static HTML pages. Over the next few months, in order to update my site, I’ll be publishing these older articles as blog posts, at a frequency of one post every few days.

  • The Syrophoenician woman

    From the Sola Panel: One of Jesus’ most jarring statements occurs in the story of the Syrophoenician woman, Mark 7:24-27: And from there [Jesus] arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately…

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