Andrew Ollerton: 'Let the Word move in power'

Dr Andrew Ollerton is a theologian, pastor, author and presenter who likes to “make complex ideas simple and relevant”. He lives in Wales and regularly speaks at conferences, festivals and churches, and films video content on locations around the world. He recently developed a new edition of The Bible Course with Bible Society. Here, he is interviewed by en reviews editor John Woods.

en: When was the first time that you began to find Christianity compelling?
AO: I was brought up by parents who made it compelling. In my family life, faith was not just a Sunday experience or a creed but was lived out. I credit my parents for that. I did have moments in my teenage and adult years when I had a crisis of faith. When I went to university to study geography I bumped into issues around the reconciling of science and faith which troubled me. What made Christianity compelling at that time included books I read, but also people I met. One professor had a PhD in science and in theology. The fact that he brought those two horizons together and embodied them was compelling.

en: You are making a habit of writing well- received books for the general reader – what led you to adopt this format?
AO: I am by nature someone who likes to see the big picture. The Bible Course that ranges over the whole of Scripture – Genesis to Revelation – and The Romans Course that ranges over a letter as big and complex as Romans, suit my style. I have had time in the academy and as a pastor, and I wanted to bring those two spheres together. I have always wanted to be a human bridge with a foot in the academy and a foot in the church so that good things can travel in both directions. I remember going to visit Ephesus, where you can see the ancient ruins and reading about Paul in the Hall of Tyrannus, where he taught the word of God daily and people came to him. I love that picture of ordinary people coming to hear God’s word unpacked.