The latest event in the Bishop’s Chaplaincy Lecture Series proved to be a thought-provoking evening with the Revd Dr Israel Olofinjana, exploring the subject of Decolonising the Church - an Intercultural Approach.
An audience of people from around the diocese attended the evening, which was held at the University of Leicester earlier this month.
Israel is an Honorary Research Fellow at Queens Foundation for Theological Ecumenical Education, as well as a Baptist pastor, author of several books, and sits on the Christian Aid Working Group of Black Majority Church leaders exploring the intersection of climate justice and racial justice.
The lecture was based around an article he'd recently written, titled: Why did Jesus speak Aramaic? A Biblical Theology for a Decolonised Mission, in which Israel proposes five marks of mission decolonised, that is, a suggestion of five critical things that Jesus embodied to interrogate power.
Following the lecture, Bishop Martyn said: “Israel’s lecture was a tour de force of church history as well as New Testament studies. An understanding of colonisation is so important for our reading of the Bible as well as our understanding of all that is happening in the world today.
“For those unable to attend the lecture, I highly recommend the paper on which the lecture was based. Do read it and discuss it with others in your church.”
Why did Jesus speak Aramaic? A Biblical Theology for a Decolonised Mission by Revd Dr Israel Olofinjana.
Read it here
The next event in the Bishop’s Chaplaincy Lecture Series is on 30 October 2025, in which Lord Tarassenko will give a talk on the subject of AI.
Everyone is welcome to attend. Mark it in your diary, with further details to follow in the coming weeks.