Mark Keown

Currently I am working on a book project in which I discuss the ancient patterns of power based on military might and then explore Mark’s Gospel from that perspective. The ancient world was premised on warrior rulers who dominated by the spear and sword, a world of swirling empires. Israel was a part of this with its expectations of a military intervention of God directly or his agent (e.g. Messiah, Prophet, Son of Man, Elect One, etc). They dreamed that God would come and establish his global “Empire” in Jerusalem and the world would be subjugated to him. They had no notion of this without force even though their Scriptures, albeit cryptically and hidden amidst visions of carnage, foretold one who would come as a Servant who would die on behalf of the world (Ps 22; Isa 53). Israel’s actual experience was one of being buffeted by a series of contending powerful dynastic empires whether Egypt, the Philistines, Assyria, Babylon, the Medo-Persians, the Greeks, and at the time of Christ,...

I am very interested in the global interest in the new singing sensation from Italy’s version of The Voice . For those who haven’t seen it, she turned up on stage, all dressed in her nun’s outfit, and turned out to be brilliant, cool, and hip. In the Voice , the judges all hear the singers “blind” and all turned wanting her in their teams. They were all shocked to see it was a nun with this “voice of an angel.” You can see for yourself here ( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2589848/The-Voice-angel-Singing-nun-fastest-growing-internet-hit-performing-Italian-version-hit-TV-talent-show.html ). The thing is, why are we surprised? Just because a person is a Nun, doesn’t mean they can’t sing. The same reaction came with Susan Boyle when she turned up on “Britain’s Got Talent” and sang the house down. Susan doesn’t fit the image bill at all either.   What gets me is why people are surprised. There seems to be an underlying presupposition in our society’s mythical...