In the individualistic West, it is commonly assumed the Bible is about me and my relationship with God when, as many now agree, it is addressed primarily to the believing community. Written for the non-academic reader, in this updated version of his earlier book, Contours of Pauline Theology, Tom Holland makes a compelling case that in losing this emphasis, critical aspects of the community's central role in God's plan for humanity were inadvertently pushed into the background. This has caused us to not only misread key texts, but also to experience far less than what scripture promises regarding our life as a Spirit-filled people.
Holland shows how recovering the communal, Hebraic mindset of the New Testament writers and the Passover-New Exodus storyline on which they relied can help us see scripture, our life together in Christ, and our identity as individuals in an amazing new light!
Tom Holland trained as an engineer but, following a strong sense of God's call to Christian service, he left this field of specialisation to study theology. After graduating from London University, he accepted an invitation to establish a church 25 miles south of Cambridge. The church grew rapidly and he served as its pastor. During this time, he became aware that there was far more of the Old Testament in the New Testament than was recognised. Believing that this insight was the key to a better understanding of the New Testament, he gave himself to researching this topic. The following 18 years caused his understanding to make huge adjustments as he came to value the vital link between the content of the two testaments. He retired from the church after 19 years of service in Letchworth and planted a second church in a nearby town, which has grown to be a thriving congregation. While serving this church he was invited to become New Testament lecturer at what is now Union School of Theology. He lectured at the school for 25 years, and during this time he gained his PhD from the University of Wales. Dr Holland became the Director of Biblical Research at the School, supervising over 20 students as they worked for their own doctoral degrees and teaching at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. During this time he continued to share the leadership of the church he'd planted, engaging in his own biblical research while writing books that have received warm endorsements from world leaders of New Testament research. In his retirement, Tom continues his writing and wider teaching as the Senior Research Fellow of Union School of Theology. He is married to Barbara and has 3 daughters and six grandchildren.
