The Big Picture on Evangelicalism

Several articles from the latest issue of The Big Picture, a magazine produced by the Kirby Laing Centre, have recently been made available via Substack.

According to the blurb:

‘Our seventeenth issue of The Big Picture broaches the topic of evangelicalism. Without sweeping aside the problems and weaknesses of the movement over its history, it has had an important role in revitalising world Christianity, and our world needs a healthy evangelicalism now more than ever. Our contributors look at what has characterised the movement since its earliest days, what might be missing and what might have gone wrong. Several articles explore the role of evangelicalism in politics, others in intellectual pursuits such as education or research, and still others in ethics and mission. We hope that our issue offers some avenues for its renewal.’

The articles are available from here.

The Big Picture Magazine 11 (2024) on Politics

The latest issue of The Big Picture, a magazine produced by the Kirby Laing Centre, has recently been made available.

According to the blurb:

‘Politics is a contentious and divisive topic, but it is integral to public life and public theology. With so many significant elections happening in 2024, we invited our community to think together about this topic… The articles we have chosen represent a wide range of perspectives, not all of which are compatible with one another. It was not our goal to find and promote one Christian political position but rather to provoke fruitful thought and conversation.’

More information is available here, and the issue can be downloaded as a pdf here.

The Big Picture Magazine 10 (2024) on Economics

The latest issue of The Big Picture, a magazine produced by the Kirby Laing Centre, has recently been made available.

According to the blurb:

‘The Bible has plenty to say about money and business. Money represents both a key conduit of blessing and the chief object of idolatrous worship. In this issue, our community offers advice and examples for business leaders, inspiring stories of Christ-centred businesses, and important challenges for all Christians to integrate our faith into our work lives.’

More information is available here, and the issue can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Online versions of the previous issues of the magazine are available from here.

Craig Bartholomew on Old Testament Wisdom and Politics

Most of the recent issues of Ethics in Conversation from the Kirby Laing Centre have been book reviews, and I haven’t bothered posting them here. But the latest is a piece by Craig Bartholomew on ‘Old Testament Wisdom and Politics’, which unpacks the following main points:

1. Faith and wisdom embrace and include in their remit politics and government

2. Faith and wisdom recognise that politics can go horribly wrong.

3. Wise politics prioritises the afflicted, the poor, the needy and those without a voice

4. OT Israel was never a democracy, but OT wisdom orients us in important ways

It’s available as a pdf here.

The Big Picture Magazine 8 (2023) on Craft

The eighth issue of The Big Picture, a magazine produced by the Kirby Laing Centre, has recently been made available.

According to the blurb:

‘This latest edition explores the theme of Craft, and in it you will find, among others, articles on why art matters today; the ethics of craft; the beauty and power of photography; how paying attention and being handy can be transformative; on doing well whatever your hand finds to do; on the importance of resisting the global consumer machine and making things by hand; on traditional Japanese boat building; on books as sacred sites; on the biblical foundations of journalism; on crafting human hearts; on the craft of translation; on pursuing obscurity; and much more.’

More information is available here, and the issue can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Online versions of the previous issues of the magazine are available from here.

The Big Picture Magazine 7 (2023) on Food and Place

The seventh issue of The Big Picture, a magazine produced by the Kirby Laing Centre, has recently been made available.

Among other items, this issue devotes several articles to the theme of food and place.

More information is available here, and the issue can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Online versions of the previous issues of the magazine are available from here.

The Big Picture Magazine 6 (2023) on the Nurture of Nature

The sixth issue of The Big Picture, a magazine produced by the Kirby Laing Centre, has recently been made available.

Among other items, this issue devotes several articles to the theme of ‘the nurture of nature’.

More information is available here, and the issue can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Online versions of the previous issues of the magazine are available from here.

Ethics in Conversation on Augustine, the Trinity, and the Church

The latest Ethics in Conversation from the Kirby Laing Centre is a review by Matthew Wiley of Adam Ployd, Augustine, the Trinity, and the Church: A Reading of the Anti-Donatist Sermons (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015). It’s available as a pdf here.

Ethics in Conversation on Reformed Public Theology

The latest Ethics in Conversation (formerly Ethics in Brief), from the Kirby Laing Centre is a review by James Rusthoven of Matthew Kaemingk (ed.), Reformed Public Theology: A Global Vision of Life in the World (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2021). It’s available as a pdf here.

The Big Picture 3 (March 2022)

Issue 3 of The Big Picture, published by the Kirby Laing Centre is now available, with several articles celebrating the legacy of Hans Rookmaaker.

The issue is available to read from here, with a double-spread pdf available for download here, and a single scroll pdf here.

The Kirby Laing Centre on Søren Kierkegaard and Spirituality

The inaugural volume of Nuances from the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology has just been made available, this one devoted to ‘Søren Kierkegaard and Spirituality: A Dialogue with C. Stephen Evans’.

It began as an event organised by the Centre, and all four presentations are available to watch from here, from where also a print copy of the journal can be ordered. Alternatively, a downloadable pdf of the collection of essays is available here.

Ethics in Conversation on Work and Worship

The latest Ethics in Conversation (formerly Ethics in Brief), from the Kirby Laing Centre is a review by Jon Hyde and David McIlroy of the significant work of Matthew Kaemingk and Cory B Wilson, Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020). It’s available as a pdf here.