THE NEWSLETTER OF IBTM
with Douglas Jacoby
10 September 2025
Good morning from Bare (Lancashire, UK)! In case you missed it, last week there was no newsletter—Vicki and I were celebrating our 40th anniversary. We took off a whole week!
Today: an article by British NT scholar Andrew Boakye (Manchester University), a new book by NT scholar David deSilva, Ashland Theological Seminary), a Saturday evidences program with physics teacher and Christian author David Hutchings (York, England), and a second short talk on Nicaea. In addition, we’re still seeking website sponsorship for Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).
JOURNEYING WITH TEXTS OF TERROR: RAPE CULTURE AND THE REDEMPTIVE POWER OF SCRIPTURE
by Andrew Boakye PhD
TRIGGER WARNING: This reflection contains profuse reference to extreme sexual violence, sexual assault and violent graphic murder. Please proceed with the requisite caution and do not read if the sensitive nature of the issues is likely to cause harm or distress.
On April 1st 2024, 19-year-old Sade Robinson from Milwaukee, Wisconsin went to meet her blind date, someone she had met through a dating app. The young Miss Robinson was then reported missing. Over the course of the next several days, different parts of her body were found scattered across Milwaukee. Her blind date, 34-year-old Maxwell Anderson, was found with disturbing pictures of Miss Robinson on his phone, including images of him groping her and pulling her clothes off as she laid face down on the couch unconscious. According to police, Anderson had a makeshift “sex dungeon” in his basement. After a two-week trial, it took a jury just 45 minutes to find Anderson guilty on all counts including first degree intentional homicide. It was later discovered that Anderson had planned the gruesome murder and dismemberment some three months in advance.
KEEP READING
SUPPORT REQUEST (EAST AFRICA)
We currently seek sponsorship for website subscriptions (free access to all 11,000 pages of articles, audio, and video) for Christians in the African nations of Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Full sponsorship: $547 for Ethiopia and $365 for Tanzania. Received so far: $165 for Tanzania, $0 for Ethiopia.
Click HERE to donate. Scroll down. Indicate “materials” on the drop-down menu. (To select one country or the other, please email me.) Thank you!
CONSTANTINE & THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA (PART II)
In June I spoke at the Nicaea Conference in Turkey. I share my thoughts with you in four short talks. While the conference was immensely enjoyable, I found myself more commemorating the Council of 325 more than celebrating it. Why?
In my opinion, no event changed the nature of Christianity more than the Council of Nicaea—not the rise of the clergy, nor the monastic movement, nor even the Reformation. There were numerous changes enacted or enabled by this council and subsequent councils—not necessarily immediate. My perspective may seem unnecessarily strong or unfair, despite my attempt be evenhanded. But please hear me out. The subject matter also speaks to our present political (and church political) climate.
To hear the first two talks, CLICK HERE. After the final installment, I’ll share my PowerPoint with you, too.
ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE MINISTRY OF PAUL
by David deSilva
Adapted from Amazon
A fundamental principle of biblical interpretation is the importance of context—historical, literary, and canonical. But an often-neglected source of context for understanding Scripture is the field of archaeology. The physical and cultural world we inhabit affects us deeply, and that was no less true for the original writers and readers of Scripture. Archaeology provides insights into important questions like, What did these believers see day to day? What messages did they receive from their environment? What social practices influenced them?
In this first of three planned volumes, New Testament scholar David deSilva uses archaeological findings to explore places where the apostle Paul ministered and his audiences lived. This visually compelling and beautifully designed book contains more than 250 full-color photographs of sites and artifacts. The author focuses on the fruits of archaeology in regard to the sites associated with Paul's ministry in Acts and in Paul's own writings. This book helps readers understand the real-life situations Paul addressed.
This volume will be an important supplemental textbook for courses on the New Testament and for anyone who wants to better understand the lived context of Paul and his readers. I enjoyed it immensely and believe you will, too. ORDER HERE.
David Hutchings is a physics teacher, author, and Fellow of the Institute of Physics, his books include Of Popes and Unicorns (Oxford 2022), God, Stephen Hawking and the Multiverse (SPCK 2020) and Let There Be Science (Lion Hudson 2017). David is an Honorary Research Fellow at Durham University, and speaks and writes regularly on the relationship between science, Christianity, philosophy, and history. He lives in York with his wife and two young daughters.
I (Douglas) am a member of Christians in Science (UK), BioLogos, and the American Scientific Affiliation. David and I met a CiS conference last year, and again in York this year.
On Saturday we will teach two classes, then dialogue based on audience questions. Please tell your friends about this free and faith-building event!
Come to London, or scan the QR code to join online. Photos tweaked by AI, but approximately accurate ;-).
Thank you for receiving and reading our 638th bulletin (but who’s counting?). We appreciate your prayers: for this weekend’s London event (see above), for physical and spiritual stamina, and for our international ministry. We need you and appreciate you.
- For all bulletins 2004-2025 (100s of pages of biblical material), click here.
- To access the website, click here. There is new material every week—typically, every day!
- To become a website member ($3/month, annually), click here. Your membership is a tremendous boost to this ministry.
- To donate to the ministry, click here. Specific targets: Tanzania and Ethiopia.
