
Come and See
The Call and Challenge of Cultural Witness
SCM Press
Will be published approx. on 31. July 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-334-06690-3 (ISBN)
Description
Western cultures are experiencing a new wave of interest in faith. Many people, both young and old, are exploring Christianity for the first time with little or no preconception about traditional forms of religion. How should the Church respond? What does witness look like in this cultural context?
Come and See brings together essays by theologians, artists, ethicists and musicians, working both within and outside the Church, exploring different facets of what it means to be a witness to Jesus Christ in today's world. The conversation encompasses explorations in Old and New Testament theology, Christian doctrine, liturgical studies, arts and aesthetics, Continental philosophy and Christian ethics. The book challenges the Church to see Christian witness as a life's vocation. Such a vocation demands a whole life, lived for our neighbours and ourselves. It is the challenge of the Woman at the Well who invited people to 'come and see', and of John the Baptist who points the way to Christ. This witness does not merely communicate words, but communicates life. Contributors to this volume include Carmody Grey, Belle Tindall-Riley, Hannah Steele and Andrew Davison, with a foreword by N. T. Wright.
Come and See brings together essays by theologians, artists, ethicists and musicians, working both within and outside the Church, exploring different facets of what it means to be a witness to Jesus Christ in today's world. The conversation encompasses explorations in Old and New Testament theology, Christian doctrine, liturgical studies, arts and aesthetics, Continental philosophy and Christian ethics. The book challenges the Church to see Christian witness as a life's vocation. Such a vocation demands a whole life, lived for our neighbours and ourselves. It is the challenge of the Woman at the Well who invited people to 'come and see', and of John the Baptist who points the way to Christ. This witness does not merely communicate words, but communicates life. Contributors to this volume include Carmody Grey, Belle Tindall-Riley, Hannah Steele and Andrew Davison, with a foreword by N. T. Wright.
Reviews / Votes
Come and See is a refreshing and compelling invitation to recover the Church's true calling: not to shout, but to witness. With clarity and depth, this book reminds us that Christian faith begins in attention - to Christ, to culture, and to the people before us. It calls us back to the simple, demanding task of learning to see, and to help others see. In a distracted age, this is a wise and timely guide. -- Saju MuthalalyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-334-06690-3 (9780334066903)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Oliver Wright holds a Junior Research Fellowship at Pembroke College, Oxford.
Graham Tomlin is Editor-in-chief of SeenandUnseen.com, President of St Mellitus College and a former Bishop of Kensington.
N. T. Wright is the Chair in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and is a prolific author and noted New Testament scholar. His books include Scripture and the Authority of God, Surprised by Hope, Simply Christian, and Evil and the Justice of God.
Graham Tomlin is Editor-in-chief of SeenandUnseen.com, President of St Mellitus College and a former Bishop of Kensington.
N. T. Wright is the Chair in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and is a prolific author and noted New Testament scholar. His books include Scripture and the Authority of God, Surprised by Hope, Simply Christian, and Evil and the Justice of God.
Content
Foreword - NT Wright
Introduction (+Graham Tomlin and Oliver Wright)
+Graham Tomlin - A Theology of Witness for a Secular Age
Esau McCaulley - Witnessing While Black
Andrew Davison - Participating in Cultural Witness
Luke Bretherton - Witnessing as Citizens
Carmody Grey & Oliver Duerr - Witness and the Idea of the Human
Simeon Zahl - Witnessing the Seen and the Unseen
Benjamin Schliesser - Cultural Witness in the Early Jesus Movement
Sara Schumacher - Witness in Art
Simon Duerr - Witness in Rome and Philippi
Oliver Wright - Witness as Performance: recent trends in philosophical-theology
James Mumford - Witness and Politics
Belle Tindall - The Witness of a Samaritan Woman
Christine Schliesser - Witness and Public Theology
Matt Williams - Music as Witness
Miroslav Volf and Drew Collins - Witness and Flourishing life
Hannah Steele - Witness and Evangelism
Introduction (+Graham Tomlin and Oliver Wright)
+Graham Tomlin - A Theology of Witness for a Secular Age
Esau McCaulley - Witnessing While Black
Andrew Davison - Participating in Cultural Witness
Luke Bretherton - Witnessing as Citizens
Carmody Grey & Oliver Duerr - Witness and the Idea of the Human
Simeon Zahl - Witnessing the Seen and the Unseen
Benjamin Schliesser - Cultural Witness in the Early Jesus Movement
Sara Schumacher - Witness in Art
Simon Duerr - Witness in Rome and Philippi
Oliver Wright - Witness as Performance: recent trends in philosophical-theology
James Mumford - Witness and Politics
Belle Tindall - The Witness of a Samaritan Woman
Christine Schliesser - Witness and Public Theology
Matt Williams - Music as Witness
Miroslav Volf and Drew Collins - Witness and Flourishing life
Hannah Steele - Witness and Evangelism