John Goldingay
Isaiah for everyone - A Politician’s One Fatal Mistake
Isaiah for everyone - A Politician’s One Fatal Mistake
by SPCK - John Goldingay
A Politician’s One Fatal Mistake When I was the principal of a seminary, I would get lots of mail. Usually my assistant would open it, but on Saturday I would do so, and thus would get first sight of the tricky pieces of correspondence, ones that raised worrying issues or asked q…
Isaiah for everyone - Putting Down Edom, Giving the Mute Their Voice
Isaiah for everyone - Putting Down Edom, Giving the Mute Their Voice
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Putting Down Edom, Giving the Mute Their Voice As a result of multiple sclerosis, my first wife, Ann, indeed had collapsing knees, as well as weak hands. When we were relocating to the United States, as we arrived at Heathrow, I was helping her transfer into her wheelchair by usi…
Isaiah for everyone - The Outrageous Hope into Which the City of God Is Invited
Isaiah for everyone - The Outrageous Hope into Which the City of God Is Invited
by SPCK - John Goldingay
The Outrageous Hope into Which the City of God Is Invited This past Sunday we prayed for the peace of the world, for a spirit of respect and forbearance to grow among its peoples, for people in positions of public trust to serve justice and promote the dignity and freedom of ever…
Isaiah for everyone - I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.
Isaiah for everyone - I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.
by SPCK - John Goldingay
I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. One of my favorite bands is called I See Hawks in L.A., which is also the title of one of their early songs. In the song the hawks hover over the city as if they sense it’s about to be destroyed and there will be plenty of provender for them to enjoy. “What if…
Isaiah for everyone - Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying, Planning, and Dreaming (2)
Isaiah for everyone - Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying, Planning, and Dreaming (2)
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying, Planning, and Dreaming (2) When I was about eight, we went for a family holiday to stay with some friends. One morning as breakfast was about to begin I went back to our bedroom to get a sweater or something (it was an English summer) …
Isaiah for everyone - God Is Our Refuge and Strength, Really?
Isaiah for everyone - God Is Our Refuge and Strength, Really?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
God Is Our Refuge and Strength, Really? I have just read a message from an Indian Christian couple who expect tomorrow to go to another village for a day of teaching for which they expect Christians to gather from many villages in the area. They’re thirsty to hear the Word of God…
Isaiah for everyone - Worship That Issues from Human Instinct
Isaiah for everyone - Worship That Issues from Human Instinct
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Worship That Issues from Human Instinct The most disappointing and frustrating church service I have attended in California took place one Mother’s Day, when I played hooky from our church because I wanted to avoid a service preoccupied by the topic of mothers and went to another…
Isaiah for everyone - God’s Strange Work
Isaiah for everyone - God’s Strange Work
by SPCK - John Goldingay
God’s Strange Work The other Sunday we were singing the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and I was reflecting wryly that it’s a shame nobody realizes where its basic ideas come from, as is the case with the related chorus “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” They come …
Isaiah for everyone - Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying, Planning, and Dreaming
Isaiah for everyone - Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying, Planning, and Dreaming
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying, Planning, and Dreaming On Thursday I took part in interviewing a prospective new faculty member and on Friday my wife and I took part in a student retreat, and I now see a feature these events had in common. The interviewee referred to…
Isaiah for Everyone - Grief Brought To An End
Isaiah for Everyone - Grief Brought To An End
by SPCK - John Goldingay
GRIEF BROUGHT TO AN END In a movie called Grace Is Gone, Grace is a sergeant in the army on active service. Her husband, Stan, looks after a supply store back home. One morning the feared and terrifying visit comes from army representatives with the task of telling Stan that Grac…
Isaiah for Everyone - What to do With a Whore's Fee?
Isaiah for Everyone - What to do With a Whore's Fee?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
What to Do with a Whore’s Fee Education and health have been realms where Christians get involved both to benefit people in other cultures and to draw people to Christ. I recently heard about an Indian with the same vision for his soft ware company…
Isaiah for Everyone - Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem
Isaiah for Everyone - Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Meanwhile, Back in Jerusalem I have just come off the phone from a conversation with a former student in England who was in tears about failing a degree program. She doesn’t claim that her exam performance was brilliant; she sees herself as a poor examinee. But she doesn’t think …
Isaiah for Everyone - Prophet as Crazy Man
Isaiah for Everyone - Prophet as Crazy Man
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Prophet as Crazy Man The installing of a professor in his or her “chair” is an occasion for making fun of the person as well as for making seriously congratulatory speeches. I was not surprised that when I was installed one of the people who had been asked to speak made fun of my…
Isaiah for Everyone - Egypt My People
Isaiah for Everyone - Egypt My People
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Egypt My People Yesterday I had dinner with two people home from working in the Middle East, one in a Christian university to the north of Israel, the other in a seminary to the south. In both countries the Christian community is a minority in a tough context where increasing num…
Isaiah for Everyone - Who Would Want to be a Superpower?
Isaiah for Everyone - Who Would Want to be a Superpower?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Who Would Want to Be a Superpower? Two days ago the news reported that for every soldier who dies on the battlefield in Afghanistan, twenty-five veterans commit suicide at home. It’s such an unbelievable statistic I have just checked it again. Yesterday the news reported that the…
Isaiah for Everyone - Compassion and Openness to Learning
Isaiah for Everyone - Compassion and Openness to Learning
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Compassion and Openness to Learning I have mentioned that my wife’s daughter and son-in-law give their lives to seeking to make known the plight and needs of the hundreds of thousands of Darfuri refugees who fled from genocide in Sudan ten years ago and have been living since the…
Isaiah for Everyone - So You Have Fallen from the Heavens!