Teaching in the United Faculty of Theology

• Introduction to the Gospels: Mark
• Pauline Studies
• Ethics in the New Testament
• Advanced New Testament Greek

Other Responsibilities

• Editor, Pacifica: Australasian Theological Studies
• Member, Academic Board of the Melbourne College of Divinity
• Chair, Academic Board of the United Faculty of Theology
• Member, Research Committee of the Centre for Theology and Ministry

Forthcoming and Recent Speaking Engagements

• October - December 2010: 'A Challenging Gospel: Matthew's Gospel Today', 3 talks on the Matthew's Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7); Community Discourse (Matthew 18) and Great Commission (Matthew 28.16-20) given in Geelong, Ivanhoe and at the CTM
• October 2010: The UCA Vic-Tas Lay Preachers' Conference: 'So What Else is There to Preach About?: Preaching from the non-Pauline epistles'
• September 2010: The Peter Barcham Memorial Lecture at Gisborne Uniting Church entitled 'A Third Race?: Paul and the Creation of Christian Identity'
• August 2010: School of Ministry for North East Victoria Presbytery, 5 talks on 'Shaped by the Story: Using the Bible in Church and Ministry'
• May 2010: The J. Spencer Nall Lecture at Wesley Uniting Church, Geelong entitled 'The Word in the World: Revisiting Bonhoeffer on Religionless Christianity and Interpretation'
• May 2010: 5 Bible Studies at the UCA Vic-Tas Synod Meetings entitled 'The Ingredients of Transformation: A Day in the Life of Jesus'

Forthcoming and Recent Academic Presentations

July 2011: Paper for the Bible and its Impact: History and Influence section of the International Society of Biblical Literature Meeting. Details below:

The Reception History of the Pauline Epistles: Beyond the Commentary Tradition

The study of the reception history of Paul’s letters is a difficult task. For understandable reasons (notably the paucity of obviously relevant works of art, literature, music and film that bear explicit hallmarks of Pauline influence) those who approach the letters through the interpretative lens of reception history are drawn to the significant and fascinating explicit history represented by commentaries, homilies and exegetical discussions from the patristic, medieval and Reformation and early modern periods. In this paper, I argue that, while valuable, this narrower focus on what Luz describes as the text’s ‘history of interpretation’ (Auslegungsgeschichte) is insufficiently broad and that reception history work on the Pauline letters should pay greater attention to two further sources that provide insights into their history of influence (Wirkungsgeschichte). First, greater attention should be paid to the homiletical reception of the Pauline texts in sermons from all eras of Christian history (and not just those of the patristic and Reformation eras). Second, the effective history of the epistles in relation ‘the church’s activity and suffering’ (Luz) should be accorded a greater degree of interpretative significance. Examples from the reception history of 2 Corinthians relating to both of these concerns will be given as a part of the paper.

November 2011: 2 papers at the 2 Corinthians and Pauline Epistles sections of the Society of Biblical Literature Meetings in San Francisco. Details below:

Who and What are ‘Ambassadors for Christ’?: The Identity and Role of Paul’s Audience in 2 Corinthians 5.16–21

In this paper I argue that Paul’s use of the 1^st person plural in 2 Corinthians 5.16–21 is inclusive and, when understood in relation to the surrounding material in 5.11–15 and 6.1–13, is intended to locate the Corinthian audience within the ambit of Paul’s apostolic ministry. A survey of the likely conceptual resources that shape Paul’s description of the ‘ministry of reconciliation’ leads us to conclude that the Corinthians, along with Paul, must view themselves in Isaianic terms as ‘servants of the Servant’, thus extending the insights of Mark Gignilliat’s treatment of this topic. The exegesis of 5.16-21 shows that the majority interpretation ­ which relates each component of the argument primarily to Paul and his co-workers ­ suffers from major problems. Crucially, 2 Corinthians 5.20 has suffered in translation from the insertion of an additional pronoun which serves to identify the Corinthians as the object of Paul’s ‘entreaty’ for reconciliation. By contrast, the background to and context for this verse supports the view that the Corinthians are, with Paul, the subject of the implied actions of 5.20. In short, the Corinthians are to understand themselves as ‘ambassadors for Christ’.

The Significance of ‘The Same’: Reassessing Paul’s Ethical Exhortations in 1 Corinthians and Philippians

On several occasions in his letters Paul exhorts his audience to think (phronein: see Philippians 2.2; 4.2; 2 Corinthians 13.11; Romans 12.16; 15.5) or speak (lego: see 1 Corinthians 1.10) ‘the same thing’ (to auto). The majority of exegetes understand the phrases used in 1 Corinthians and Philippians as a response to problems of disunity within these Pauline congregations that thereby constitute an exhortation to agreement within and among members of the community. In this paper I survey the usage of this exhortatory formula in the Pauline epistles and identify the distinctive nature of the phrases in Philippians and 1 Corinthians, letters that are often understood as responses to churches scarred by internal dissension. I then challenge the standard reading and argue that the unqualified phrase is best read as signifying a call for agreement with Paul. I argue that the ambiguity inherent within the to auto phrases requires the exegete to draw on the wider epistolary context in order to understand its specific force. In the case of 1 Corinthians and Philippians the evidence for church disunity is less persuasive than many believe, and the rhetorical focus of these letters seems clearly to be directed towards the relationship between apostle and congregation. It is within this contextual framework that the expression must be understood.  Paul’s language of ‘the same’, in these instances, is an alternative rendering of his call for apostolic imitation.

• Paper for the Melbourne College of Divinity Centenary Conference entitled 'The Word in the World: Biblical Interpretation in a World Come of Age'
• July 2010: Paper for the ANZATS Annual Conference entitled 'Ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5.20): Ministry in the New Creation in 2 Corinthians 5'
• May 2010: Paper to the 'Paul: Then and Now' Conference held at the CTM entitled 'Paul and Apocalyptic - What is at Stake?: Considering the Implications of Douglas Campbell's The Deliverance of God

Research Projects and Interests

• Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: I am currently engaged in a substantial revision of my DPhil thesis on the purpose of Philippians, which will also generate several additional articles.
• Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians: exploring the interaction between Paul’s core theological convictions and the rhetorical argument of the letter. Exegetical studies of aspects of 2 Corinthians 1, 3 and 5 are planned for various publications in 2010. I am also interested in the reception history of the letter.
• Theological Hermeneutics and Interpretative Diversity: ongoing research exploring the theological location and understanding of the work of biblical interpretation, the phenomenon of interpretative diversity and the shape and scope of reception history in relation to theological interpretation.

Forthcoming and Recent Publications

• 'Paul's "Grace" Language in 2 Corinthians" in Christiaan Mostert, Gerald O'Collins and Sean Winter (eds), Immense, Unfathomed Unconfined: The Grace of God in Creation, Church and Community (Melbourne: Uniting Academic Press, forthcoming 2011).
• '"A Daring Synagogue Sermon?": Paul's Preaching in 2 Corinthians 3.7–18', in William J. Lyons and Isabella Sandwell (eds.), Delivering the Word: Preaching and Exegesis in the Western Christian Tradition (London: Equinox, forthcoming 2011).
• 'Reading with Friends: Persuasive Testimony in Baptist Interpretative Communities', in Simon P. Woodman and Helen Dare (eds.), The 'Plainly Revealed' Word of God: Baptist Hermeneutics in Theory and Practice (Macon GA: Mercer University Press, forthcoming 2011).
• '''Ambassadors for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5.20): Ministry in the New Creation', in Anthony R. Cross and Ruth Gouldbourne (eds.), Questions of Identity: Studies in Honour of Brian Haymes (Centre for Baptist History and Heritage Studies 6; Oxford: Regent's Park College, 2011), 34–49.
• with Brian Hamyes, 'Find Fellow Travellers: Friendship' in Stuart Murray Williams and James Krabill (eds.), It All Fits Together - Forming Habits for Post-Christendom: The Legacy of Alan and Eleanor Kreider (Scottsdale PA: Herald, forthcoming 2011)
• 'The Rhetorical Function of John's Portrayal of the Jewish Law', in Peter Oakes and Michael Tait (eds.), Torah in the New Testament: Papers Delivered at the Manchester-Lausanne Seminar of June 2008 (Library of New Testament Studies 401; London: T & T Clark International, 2009), 82-95.
• 'Ambiguous Genitives, Pauline Baptism and Roman Insulae: Resources from Romans to Support Pushing the Boundaries of Unity', in Anthony R. Cross and Philip E. Thompson (eds.), Baptist Sacramentalism 2 (Studies in Baptist History and Thought; Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2008), 77-91.
• 'More Light and Truth?': Biblical Interpretation in Covenantal Perspective (The Whitley Lecture 2007; Oxford: Whitley Publications, 2007)
  
   
• “The Integration of Theology and Ministry in Theological Education: Some Reflections”, Conversations 3/2 (2009): available at http://ctm.uca.edu.au/main.php?pg=download&id=252445
• “Bible Study: Romans 10:14-21”, Conversations 3/3 (2009): available at http://ctm.uca.edu.au/main.php?pg=download&id=253380

Sean also blogs at http://seanthebaptist.typepad.com