Articles
Gateway 400
Welcome to Gateway 400!
This idea arose from a personal challenge. Could I write something interesting, provocative, informative, and concise – in just 400 words? That’s the idea of Gateway 400. A weekly series of thoughts and ideas on theology, Bible, or contemporary issues – one each week for the whole year. That’s 52 musings, each in 400 words (with a little grace).
These short articles are intended to be accessible to anyone, thought-provoking, a bit humorous, perhaps controversial – but easy to read and digest in under 3 minutes! For those who do a GTS course, you know there are plenty of detailed notes – but not everyone can do a course, and this is something different.
On a personal note, you have no idea how difficult this is for an academic. I love to explain, critique, speculate. The philosopher Blaise Pascal once wrote, ‘I’m sorry for such a long letter, I didn’t have time to write a short one’. Writing concisely is a gift – one I don’t normally possess. But in this day and age, attention spans are shorter, and social media has conditioned us for sound bites and immediate impact. These aren’t sound bites, real theology just doesn’t work like that! But I think it’s a good attempt.
Is it possible to be really concise, yet still penetrating, insightful, and provocative? You be the Judge!
Alongside Gateway 400, we’ll occasionally post longer articles or blogposts on relevant topics in our world today – from a theological perspective of course. Browse around and have fun!
Dan Button (GTS Director)
Theology God and the Animals
Christians sometimes assume that animals were sort of an optional extra in the biblical story of God and humanity. Maybe created for fun, or for our benefit – so we...
Read More Theology Life & Death(?) in the New Creation
Here’s a radical idea; fasten your seat belt. Will there be death in the new creation? ‘Of course not’ (we think), and our minds instantly turn to Rev 21:4, ‘there...
Read More Theology The Already… and the Not Yet
The Greek word erchomenos is a strange one. It means both ‘coming’ and ‘going’. You only know which meaning is in view by its context. Was Jesus coming to Jericho...
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The Bible in Ten 10) The Future: Where Are We Heading?
So, how does the story of the Bible end? It’s best to think back to the beginning…. In the beginning, God creates… and in the end, he’s still creating! See,...
Read More The Bible in Ten 9) Messages of Love & Truth
The story of Israel takes a dramatic turn after Jesus’ resurrection. For those who believe, their worldview shifts from centripetal (Israel at the centre) to centrifugal (spreading the message outward...
Read More The Bible in Ten 8) Christianity Spreads its Wings
In the Old Testament, we met Judges, Kings, Prophets, Priests and a Temple at the centre of Israel’s religious life. In the New Testament we suddenly encounter Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes,...
Read More The Bible in Ten 7) Good News: Hope on the Horizon
Easy question. What connects the Old and the New Testaments? Jesus of course. Where do we find Jesus? In the Gospels. So what’s the difference between the gospel and the...
Read More The Bible in Ten 6) Decline, Disaster, & Dominion: Israel in Exile
England has had 42 kings & queens since 1066 - some good, some bad, some ugly, but who’s to say? History is the judge. Not so for Israel. God was...
Read More The Bible in Ten 5) Wisdom, Longing & Despair: Israel’s Poetry
When we think of the Bible as a story – of God’s interaction with his people over many centuries – ‘wisdom literature’ doesn’t feature. It isn’t history, and it doesn’t...
Read More The Bible in Ten 4) Kings, Priests & Prophets
When we think of ancient Israel, we usually think of it as a nation – with borders, trade, a cultural heritage, and a governing authority. But Israel had none of...
Read More The Bible in Ten 3) Israel: A People, a Place, & a Purpose
People, Land, Nation, Name, Blessing. These were the five main building blocks of God’s covenant with Abraham. A covenant was a type of formal agreement between two parties in the...
Read More The Bible in Ten 2) The Pentateuch: Engine of the OT
Compare the Bible to a car. What do you value in a car? For most people, the value is in driving it. We need to get places, so we just...
Read More The Bible in Ten 1) Story, Myth, History
The Bible begins with a story – but what does that tell us? There are stories, and there are stories! If your grandmother begins, ‘once upon a time, there lived…’...
Read More Bible It’s all Greek to me!
I wonder how you feel when a preacher says, ‘Of course, in the original Greek this word really means blah blah blah’. You might think, ‘Ooh that makes a lot...
Read More Bible Summer Joys, and a Good Book
Here comes the British summer, the season when many bags are packed with shorts, hats, macs, suncream and… books. Topics are many and varied: possibly connected with the holiday destination...
Read More Bible The Feasts of the Lord
Who doesn’t love a good feast? We might think of Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, perhaps a wedding or a graduation feast with friends and family. Personally, the image from ‘The Grinch’...
Read More Bible The Meaning of Hannukah
We all know that Christmas is celebrated differently around the world – and sometimes we mistakenly think that the Jewish celebration of Hannukah is simply their variation of Christmas; it...
Read More Theology Kings & Kingdoms
As my plane descended into Gatwick on the morning of the Queen’s funeral, the lyrics of an old song kept playing in my head: ‘Kings and kingdoms will all pass...
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Faith & Life Make Seeing Eyes Blind – Tribute to Brother Andrew
Brother Andrew A truly inspirational figure passed away in September this year, age 94 – the man known to Christians around the world simply as ‘Brother Andrew’. His real name,...
Read More Faith & Life Thanksgiving – and Giving Thanks
This picture is an honest to goodness wild male turkey (or tom) that wandered from the nearby woods into my parents’ back garden last Autumn. He had at least 2...
Read More Theology God Doesn’t Work Alone
Warning: this topic is pure speculation, but here we go… Humans are uniquely philosophical creatures: ‘Why am I here? What’s the purpose of life? Not to be flippant – but...
Read More Theology The Problem with Miracles
How shocking would it be if I said I don’t believe in miracles? We’re conditioned as Christians to believe in miracles – so much so that if we don’t, it’s...
Read More Theology Science & Faith – a Match Made in Heaven?
You could be excused for thinking this title is a bit facetious. Everyone knows there’s conflict between science and religion, right? A recent survey asked the British public that very...
Read More Faith & Life The Independence Illusion
As I write, Americans are gearing up this week to celebrate their ‘Independence Day’. The fireworks, celebrations (and food consumption) will be tremendous, as will the undeniable sense of historic...
Read More Bible Apocalyptic, Apocalypse, and the Apocrypha
These three similar sounding words are notoriously confusing. You may recognise ‘the Apocrypha’ as the collection of books founds in Roman Catholic Bibles but not in Protestant Bibles (e.g. Judith,...
Read More Faith & Life Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Forgiveness lies at the very core of Christian faith. Without it, where would we be? Christians uniquely understand forgiveness as deriving and emanating from the very heart of God, enabling...
Read More Theology It’s about time, II
Yes, the title is a pun. Time puns are inevitable. I nearly called this, ‘a second’s time around’. The previous article ‘God & Time’ pondered the question, ‘what is time?’,...
Read More Bible The Queen’s Jubilee – and God’s Jubilee
As I write this, the whole of the UK (even including, I suspect, staunch anti-royalists), are out celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – along with Commonwealth Nations, and indeed much...
Read More Faith & Life A Tribute to Marv Rosenthal
Marv who, I hear you ask? Marv Rosenthal was one of the greatest Bible teachers I’ve ever known. He passed away earlier this year at age 86 (graduating this life...
Read More Theology God & Time
What is time? We’ve probably all pondered that baffling question at one ‘time’ or another. The best answer ever? ‘Time… is what keeps everything from happening all at once.’ So...
Read More Bible Context is King
Whenever a question of biblical interpretation comes up, the first and foremost consideration must be context. In my days at theological college, the absolute importance of context was drilled into...
Read More Faith & Life Beware the Slippery Slope
We’ve all heard of the argument called ‘the slippery slope’. Put one foot on the slope and it slips down further, try to correct it and it slips further again,...
Read More Theology In the Beginning…
Everything that exists must have a beginning, right? Hmmm… It’s not as straightforward an assumption as we often think. Does a river have a beginning? Numerous explorers lost their lives...
Read More Theology Created In God’s Image
What does it mean to be ‘created in God’s image’? It’s a question theologians, scholars and ordinary Christians have pondered for centuries. Lots of ideas, no consensus. Everyone recognises that...
Read More Bible Reading the Bible & Driving a Car
I often use the analogy that learning to read the Bible is like learning to drive a car. Driving a car is surprisingly easy – in an open field or...
Read More Faith & Life AI, Transhumanism, and Me
Will machines become more human, or will humans become more like machines? The answer is both are happening at a rapid pace. It’s no longer, ‘the robots are coming!’ The...
Read More Theology Theology of the Easter Egg
Who knew that the humble Easter egg actually has a long and noble theological history? Going way back to the early church, the practice developed of teaching new converts the...
Read More Theology Wars and Rumours of Wars
The devastating pictures of the war in Ukraine bring to mind for some Christians Jesus’ description of ‘wars and rumours of wars’ as a sign of the end (Mat 24:6). ...
Read More Theology The Context of Creation
‘In the Beginning, God created…’ Certainly this ranks among the most recognisable opening phrases of any literature known to mankind, yet what does it really mean? Do we ever stop...
Read More Faith & Life Why Bother with Lent?
‘What are you giving up for Lent’? I first remember being asked by a friend at school, and I hadn’t the faintest idea what she was talking about. My parents...
Read More Faith & Life Artificial Intelligence & the Image of God
Robots used to bring to mind rather clunky metal creations appearing or sounding vaguely human. The terrifying Daleks who kindled nightmares in the Dr Who generation of the 1960s had...
Read More Bible The Bible and the End of the World
What does the Bible say about the end of the world? Absolutely nothing. That phrase is never found in Scripture. So where does the idea come from, and why do...
Read More Faith & Life Globalization and Gospel
If you’re of a certain age, you may recall a time when the word ‘globalization’ didn’t exist. It’s a modern invention – only entered the dictionary in 1951. Legend traces...
Read More Faith & Life A Dynamic Interrelationship
Have you ever wondered about the relationship between theology, life, and the Bible? ‘Not really’, I hear you thinking. Well, perhaps not consciously, but that’s the point. As Christians we...
Read More Bible Language, Meaning, Genre
Language is a strange thing. My nose runs and my feet smell – or does my nose smell and my feet run? Who doesn’t love a bit of wordplay? What...
Read More Bible But do you take it literally?
We’ve probably all been asked at one time or another, ‘Do you take the Bible literally’? My advice? Never, ever, ever answer that question. Why not? Because the questioner is...
Read More Theology A Faultline in the Christian Worldview
A key aspect of a Christian worldview is the idea that God created the world (although how is another question). Not everyone believes this of course. Some don’t believe in...
Read More Theology What is Theology?
Gateway is a theology school, so what exactly is theology? Good question – one that academics and church leaders have pondered for generations – centuries even – and still not...
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Articles God’s Justice and Climate Injustice (COP27)
If COP27 passed you by unnoticed, you’re not alone. Last year one could hardly escape the tremendous build-up and media noise around COP26 in Glasgow, while this year’s COP27 in...
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Articles Wrapping Up the first 5 Years
Exactly two weeks ago at this moment, I was scrambling to get the final touches ready for the GTS 5-Year Anniversary Celebration. If you were there – what a wonderful...
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Articles COP26 A Theologian’s Perspective
I was privileged to spend a week in Glasgow as part of the COP26 conference, a rather unforgettable experience. I shared a series of reflections on Facebook, and thought I’d...
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