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The `Jewishness of Jesus' has become a scholarly cliché but discussion of the concept has been limited outside academia, particularly in churches where related issues are raised most frequently. James Crossley has published both reconstructions of Jesus in relation to Jewish contexts, and critiques of contemporary understandings of `Jesus the Jew'. Developing the collaboration between the Department of Biblical Studies and the Bible Society (a global organisation with more than 140 international Bible Societies), Crossley has made his findings available to 19,000 clergy and Bible discussion-group leaders in a booklet designed to interact with popular perceptions of Jesus' `Jewishness', as well as public blog discussions on ideas found in the booklet. Impact has also reached international Bible Societies and an international blog readership, with feedback clearly showing positive changes in perception and re-evaluations of Jesus' `Jewishness' as a direct result.
Dr Susan Docherty's research has greatly impacted on the teaching of Religious Education and on the practice of collective worship in schools through two avenues: first, through her work in training teachers at Newman University, one of the major providers of Initial Teacher Education in the West Midlands; and second, through her contribution to the design and delivery of the biblical studies components of the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies programme (CCRS), a course taken by the majority of teachers in Roman Catholic primary schools within the Archdiocese of Birmingham (comprising the counties of West Midlands, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) as well as by teachers working in the Church of England and maintained sectors.
Dr Susan Docherty has engaged with church communities in the UK through public seminars and training events to bring the latest scholarship in the academic field of biblical studies to bear on the faith and practice of church leaders and church-goers. Her research has also impacted on wider society through her contribution to the education of the public about the reception of the bible in British culture, particularly in terms of the interpretation of biblical themes in classical paintings.
The Practical Theology group's collaboration with other researchers and churches has helped faith groups to understand how clergy and lay people engage with Scripture, leading to developments in the theory and practice of preaching. Consultancy and research by Dr Andrew Village has helped inform the Bible in the Life of the Church project of the Anglican Communion, an important attempt by a global denomination to shape its practice in relation to its sacred Scriptures. Research on Bible beliefs has informed the debate about Creationism and evolution that arose in 2009 during the celebration of Charles Darwin.
Research carried out at the University of Exeter into the ancient religious traditions reflected in biblical texts has been at the centre of two major TV documentary series. Advised and, for one series, written and presented by the main researcher, Francesca Stavrakopoulou, the documentaries contributed to the content and delivery of public broadcasting and greatly extended public understanding of the evidence concerning foundational aspects of the Jewish and Christian faiths. These documentaries, each episode of which was seen by over 1.5 million viewers, became the subject of intense public debate, generating much discussion and response in both national and international media. Stavrakopoulou, dubbed "the BBC's new face of religion" by the Telegraph, also communicated the research in numerous other broadcasts and public events.
Dr Stephen Holmes was commissioned by the Westminster think-tank Theos to write a report under the title The Politics of Christmas (2011). The report generated extensive discussion and reflection in the traditional media, online, and in church journals, in the UK and overseas, with the following impacts:
The Revd Professor Richard Burridge's work on the biographical genre of the Gospels in comparison to Graeco-Roman literature has impacted significantly on how the Gospels are used within churches and wider society, nationally and internationally. Ideas emanating from this research — specifically through Burridge's commentary on John's Gospel and subsequent writings — have provided ways for the Anglican Communion across the globe to build relationships and live together through a period of deep disagreement and potential division, especially over women's leadership in the Anglican Church and homosexuality. This was particularly evident in both the run-up to and during the Lambeth Conference of 2008, and also in the course of the subsequent `Bible in the Life of the Church' project across the Anglican Communion worldwide. Furthermore, the impact of this research on Anglican relations with the Roman Catholic church was made clear by the announcement on 21 June 2013 that Burridge had been chosen as the first non-Catholic recipient of the prestigious Ratzinger Prize, viewed by the Vatican as `the Nobel Prize for Theology'.
This case study describes contributions to the public understanding of the King James Bible in the UK and US, achieved through organisation of public exhibitions marking the 400th anniversary of publication, a mobile app, educational and cultural events. `Manifold Greatness', exhibited first at the Bodleian Library, told the story of the commissioning of the KJB and how the many translators working `by committee' achieved its famous `perfection of style'. The exhibition debunked myths about the KJB, educated school and adult audiences, and informed and energised public debate in 2011-13 about the place of the Bible in British and American culture.
Lincoln's research treats historical, literary, theological and hermeneutical issues in New Testament studies. Aiming to be accessible in its presentation, it has an impact throughout the English-speaking world on leaders in churches, teachers and sixth formers in schools and a broad audience interested in the interpretation of the Bible. In particular, it has contributed to bridging the gap between academic biblical studies and popular understanding in the church and society, as readers turn to his work on New Testament texts and issues to find ways to integrate the challenges of critical reading with an appreciation of the contemporary significance of the Bible for theological thinking and the religious imagination.