His journey has been an eclectic one. Starting out as a singer-songwriter for 90s rock band ‘In the Silence’, he now works as a writer, speaker, local church minister, historian, and media presenter. He is a public advocate of the Christian Faith.
With a first-class honours degree in Theology from Moore Theological College, Sydney, and a PhD in ancient history from Macquarie University, John has been a Fellow of the Department of Ancient History at Macquarie University from 2004, and he teaches a course titled ‘Historical Jesus to Written Gospels’ at the University of Sydney (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies). During 2017-18 he is a Visiting Academic in the Faculty of Classics at Oxford University in the UK. He is committed to delivering creative, engaging content grounded in careful thought.
John’s first book appeared in 1993, and he has since produced over fifteen titles, including the award-winning Simply Christianity: Beyond Religion, and A Spectator’s Guide to World Religions, as well as various academic books and articles.
Two of his books have become historical documentaries airing nationally on Channel 7 (www.thechristfiles.com.au and www.lifeofjesus.tv). He is currently completing the third volume in his Doubter’s Guide series for sceptics of the Christian Faith.In 2007 John founded the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX), an independent research and media company promoting the public understanding of the Christian Faith, described by the Prime Minister of Australia as “a welcome development in the spiritual and intellectual life of Australia.”
A busy public speaker, John delivers over a hundred talks a year in a range of contexts, including conferences, churches, schools, not-for-profits, corporations, and universities.
John is fascinated by the paradoxical connection between high-level achievement and the historical virtues of compassion, charity, and humility, themes explored in his lecture series and book of the same name, Humilitas: a Lost Key to Life, Love and Leadership. His forthcoming Rhetorika: Persuasion from Aristotle to Apple examines the intellectual and ethical keys to a good argument, from ancient times to today.
John lost his father in a commercial air disaster when he was a young boy, an event he freely admits shaped his interest in life’s ultimate questions. He values his family role above all others and lives in Sydney with his wife and their three children.
Cameron’s Roles
Chief Inspector Gary Raymond APM has just retired after being a member of the NSW Police for 33 years. Prior to his retirement in December 2005, Gary was performing duty at the Blacktown Police Station as a Duty Officer specialising in Emergency Management and Crime Scene Management.
