In the religious world and beyond, a mobilisation is underway for the 2025 Jubilee called by Pope Francis with the bull Spes non confundit (‘Hope does not disappoint’). Millions of people plan to make some kind of “pilgrimage” to Rome or the designated places, whether secular or religious. Indulgences are promised; holy doors are opened; medieval practices will be promoted. Most people know that the word ‘jubilee’ comes from somewhere in the Bible. The Book of Leviticus, chapter 25, says that every 50 years a year was established to restore liveable conditions for all. The three basic provisi ..read more

The tradition of the Church tells us that the Gospel according to Mark is based on the memories and preaching of the apostle Peter. During my studies, my historical-critical teachers taught me systematic distrust of the church fathers, but the fathers were not always wrong and the historical critics were often wrong. We cannot prove Peter’s influence on Mark, but it is likely, because Peter appears remarkably often in the stories. Moreover, he is mentioned for the first time in 1:16 and for the last time in 16:7. An inclusio. Ancient writers used such signals to indicate their sources. Peter ..read more

My wife Hetty is preparing a paper for the FEET conference on Evangelical Identity in Prague this August. One of the sources she is consulting is the new book by professor Hans Burger, Jesus Christ, Hermeneutics, and Scripture. Hetty received her copy of this book several weeks before Hans received his own copies. ? Hetty and I have booked our train journey and we are looking forward to this FEET conference with great anticipation! From time to time we talk about what she is going to say and occasionally I make a suggestion. This week our discussion reminded me of a book which I read and revi ..read more

The present issue is a themed issue about the study of revivalist Protestantism. Some of its articles are based on papers read at the conference of the European Academy of Religion on Religion from the inside in 2023. The opening editorial by Christoph Stenschke introduces the topic of the issue from a biblical-theological perspective, viz. Luke the historian. Church historian Andreas Heiser discusses two perspectives on historiography, the ‘emic’ and the ‘etic’ aka as ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ perspective. Heiser recalls that the distinction between emic and etic perspectives originated with ..read more

I was born in 1967 in the small Palatinate town of Kusel in Germany. The first years of my life were characterised by constant moves – from Düsseldorf to the greater Frankfurt area and a stay near London until in 1972 our family left for Sumatra in Indonesia, where my father taught at a Bible school and where I spent the next four years of my life. After our family had to return to Germany at the end of 1976 for both educational and health reasons, we moved to the northern part of Germany, where my parents set up the regional work of a missionary organisation. It was also during this time tha ..read more

After John has introduced his letter to the seven churches in Revelation 1:1-8, you expect some action. But before that happens, John first tells us about his call. This calling gives him legitimacy as a prophet and therefore he can present his book as a prophetic book (v. 3). Yet unlike most prophets of the old covenant and unlike the prophets in the New Testament church (1 Corinthians 14), John is not called to speak God’s word. That wouldn’t make much sense because he actually is on the Island of Patmos. John’s task, according to Revelation 1:11 and 19, is a command to write down what he i ..read more

Press release - EVANGELICAL IDENTITY IN EUROPE TODAY: UNITY IN DIVERSITY Photos taken by Gert F. Hain ..read more

In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his followers that, empowered by the Holy Spirit, they will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Acts shows this being fulfilled, although the task remains incomplete even today. I was recently in Albania – not a place mentioned in Acts, but in Romans 15:19, Paul says that he has proclaimed the good news of Jesus “all the way around to Illyricum” – an area including much of today’s Albania. According to tradition, Paul visited Durrës, which lies on both the coast and the Via Egnatia. I first saw Albania in the 1980s when I viewed it from a Greek island. Back the ..read more

In 2 Kings 18 we read about Sennacherib’s military campaign to Judah in 701 B.C. Having conquered the fortified city of Lachish, a siege that was depicted in reliefs discovered at Sennacherib’s palace at Nineveh and now displayed at the British Museum, he sent an army to Jerusalem with a message to King Hezekiah. In his message, the Assyrian king warns the people of Jerusalem to trust in the Lord, for who are they to withstand the great Assyrian gods? Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of hi ..read more

‘Unity in diversity’ is the subtitle that follows the main description of the theme of our upcoming FEET conference, which will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, on 23-27 August 2024. The conference has been prepared in close cooperation with the European Evangelical Alliance. Its main theme is: Evangelical Identity in Europa Today. Diversity is an outstanding feature of the Christian church, ever since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. On that day, three thousand Jews and proselytes joined the ranks of Jesus’s disciples. They were from every nation under heaven, born and raise ..read more