2-6 July
Holiness and Community in Paul (Postgraduate and Audit Students)
The question of how God’s new holy people are to live is the concern of this course. Paul’s conviction is that God’s holy people would often find themselves living in a counter-cultural fashion. But how does this work out in practice? Far from being an addendum to his theology, this question is a central concern in all of Paul’s epistles. Paul’s theology is all encompassing. His ethics is always theological ethics; his theology is always practical theology. Thus, sanctification and justification are not separated in Paul’s thought as if a right relationship with God could fail to issue in holy living. The thorny questions remain. What are the implications of their identity as citizens of heaven while they live as people in the matrix of human life? How are they to display their identity? Paul rejects any suggestion that the people ought be isolated from the surrounding culture. Rather, Paul challenges the holy people to live prophetic lives in their societies. Their holiness is to be contagious in a context where sin is also contagious, but one in which the tension of the already but not yet of the life of holiness is never forgotten.
Careful study of Hebrews offers great rewards. Hebrews has a rich contribution to make to biblical theology. Its doctrine of the incarnation is profound; its warning passages challenging, its understanding of perfection vital. Interspersed with this are intriguing reflections on Scripture using exegetical tools that are less familiar to current readers of texts, Topics such as ‘the rest’ of the people of God, the perseverance of the saints, the once for all atoning sacrifice, the exemplars of faith and the mysterious Melchizedek all call for investigation.
Dr. Kent Brower has taught and guest lectured at colleges, universities, and seminaries around the world for more than 30 years. He hearned degrees from Canadian Nazarene College, Eastern Nazarene College, and a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester under the supervision of Professor F.F. Bruce. Dr. Brower currently serves as Vice-Principal, Senior Research fellow and Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, England, where he lives with his wife, Francine. Recent Publications include Living God’s Holy People: Holiness and Community in Paul and Holiness and Ecclesiology in the New Testament.
n to quality teaching, you will also have the opportunity to participate in one of a range of volunteer placements including local or overseas missions. We can even tailor a volunteer experience to suit your personal needs, including partnering with your own church or denomination. The opportunities are almost limitless, showing that the fields are still white to harvest.
