Dr Paul Allen

Ever had a lightbulb moment? Well, I keep coming across a “sticky” misconception that God (specifically, Jesus) changed the name of an important figure we now typically refer to as “Saint Paul.” In a recent sermon, I heard: “Just like Saul, the persecutor can become Paul, the apostle, God is gracious to us.” On an exam, one of my brightest students wrote: “It is Saul, who is re-named as Paul, who is the primary messenger of the gospel.” A church member asked me, “Wait, you mean Jesus didn’t change Saul’s name to Paul on the Damascus Road?” The problem is that such a view, however common, isn’t accurate. I hate to ruin the fun. Popular But Unbiblical I’m unclear on the origins of this idea—though some industrious person has no doubt studied it—but it seems this Saul-renamed-Paul notion is a clever re-reading of an Old Testament storyline onto that of the great apostle. As is well known, God prominently changed the names of two Old Testament patriarchs: Abram to Abraham (Gen. 17:5) and J...

People, in general—love celebrities. That much is not in doubt. Whether they be athletes, actors, or successful CEOs, we are fascinated with people who are rich, powerful, and at the top of their game. Indeed, we’ve been taught that the way you make an organization successful is by finding an exceptional person to lead it—a franchise player—who can put it on the map. All organisations need a superstar, whether it’s Lebron James or Jeff Bezos. Unfortunately, the church has sometimes adopted this same approach to leadership. If our churches are going to “succeed,” we figure we need our own franchise player to lead us—someone who is strong, dynamic, and inspiring. Welcome to the era of the “celebrity pastor.” Of course, anyone paying attention over the last decade will recognize the era of the celebrity pastor has not, as a whole, been a healthy one for the church. Sure, some churches are as big as they’ve ever been. But church scandals are also as big as they’ve ever been. So, perhaps it...