Who are you and what’s this all about?

crossRhodes is a weekly reflection exploring the intersections between Scripture and our world. These reflections draw on two of the greatest privileges of my life: 1) the privilege of living, working, and worshipping in culturally diverse, economically marginalized communities in Nairobi, South Memphis, and, currently, South Auckland; and 2) the privilege of getting paid to study Scripture in my role as Lecturer in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College.

I didn’t expect to be a professional Bible teacher. But my experiences in Nairobi and Memphis sent me back to Scripture and eventually graduate school with questions about justice, poverty, politics, culture, and the church. As a result, my academic career has been driven by the desire to create a dialogue between Scripture and the contexts to which God has called our family. For instance, I’ve written books trying to work out what discipleship looks like in relation to economics (Practicing the King’s Economy), justice (Just Discipleship), and meals (Formative Feasting). I helped edit a book about the Christian case for reparations (Reparations and the Theological Disciplines). And I’m currently working on a book that explores what Scripture says about political discipleship, and editing a book with Brent Strawn on how contextualized psalm-inspired songs and prayers might shape the worship and witness of God’s people around the world.

I’ve got the best job in the world. By God’s grace and the generosity of God’s church, I get paid to spend time wrestling with Scripture for the sake of God’s people and our participation in God’s mission. CrossRhodes is my attempt to create a space where I can share what I’m reading, reflecting on, wrestling with, writing, and thinking about in case any of that is helpful for you. I used to do that primarily on Facebook and Twitter, but I’m increasingly concerned that the algorithms make the kind of conversations worth having increasingly unlikely.

So that’s what crossRhodes is all about. I hope you’ll subscribe and join the dialogue that happens here at the intersection of Scripture and the world around us.

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