Michael J. Ovey – författare

Discover the legacy of Michael J. Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College, through a collection of his profound writings and lectures that shaped evangelical thought.Michael J. Ovey (1958-2017) served as the greatly loved and respected Principal of Oak Hill College, London, from 2007 until his unexpected and untimely death. He joined the faculty of Oak Hill in 1998 and completed a PhD in the field of trinitarian theology. He wrote few books: it was said that his students were his writing. This volume collects articles and lectures that demonstrate the depth and breadth of his intellect and originality.For Mike Ovey, in the same way that the earth is a 'Goldilocks planet', with conditions 'just right' to sustain life, so for theology we need a 'Goldilocks zone' which is 'just right', encompassing both 'local' and 'global' theologies. This is unpacked in the first item of this collection, which consists of fifteen 'Off the Record' articles for the online journal Themelios, seven Cambridge Papers, two essays on the gospel and the atonement, and three lectures given at the Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON). There are introductory pieces by Mark Thompson and Chris Green and an afterword by Dan Strange. Peter Jensen's sermon at the thanksgiving service for Mike's life and ministry is also included.This collection shows why Mike Ovey's contribution to evangelical Christianity was so widely appreciated in the UK and around the world.

In gospel proclamation today, the critical New Testament element of repentance can be far too often ignored, minimalised or dismissed. Yet John the Baptist, Jesus himself, and those he commissioned to spread his gospel all spoke of the urgent need to repent.Michael Ovey was convinced that a gospel without repentance quickly distorts our view of God, ourselves and one another by undermining grace and ultimately leading to idolatry. Only when we grasp the need for true repentance as consisting of a real change -- a transforming work of the Spirit of God -- can we fully understand the gospel Jesus preached.With care and clarity, Ovey focuses first on the relevant biblical material in Luke-Acts, examining who repents and who does not, and the characteristics of both groups. He surveys the ‘feasts of repentance’ of Jesus with Levi, the Pharisees, and Zaccheus, and in the parable of the Lost Son. He then moves to more systematic-theological aspects of repentance, in relation to idolatry and to salvation; and finally to pastoral theology in the corporate life of the people of God today, with regard to self-righteousness, hypocrisy, humility, forgiveness and justice.