David Shaw

David Shaw, BA, MTh, PhD

Vice Principal, Lecturer in New Testament, Greek, and Biblical Theology

About
Resources
Contact

When I ask former students what most affected them at Oak Hill it’s hardly ever one lecture or course they took, but the slow and cumulative growth over time in new habits and ways of thinking and serving. It’s such an encouragement to see that happening in the College community year after year."

David was a student at Oak Hill in 2007-11, and became convinced of the value of theological training that equips students to be carefully attentive to God’s word and to apply it in faithful and adaptable ways to the life of the church and the world.

After three years in Cambridge working on a PhD in New Testament studies, David returned to Oak Hill part time, teaching Greek and New Testament. He also worked part time as the Theological Adviser of the FIEC (the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches).

David now teaches full time at Oak Hill. He is the editor of Primer which is co-published by Oak Hill and FIEC.

He is an elder at Spicer Street Church, St Albans, and has published articles on a wide range of issues including Pauline theology, the doctrine of justification, and the evaluation of children's Bibles.

David is married to Jo and they have four children and three cats.

Please find examples of David's work linked below:

Primer

David is the editor of Primer, a resource co-published by Oak Hill and FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches) designed to equip and sustain church leaders in theological reflection. Every issue provides an 80-page overview of one topic, covering contemporary debates, historical perspectives and pastoral implications.

The Doctrine on Which the Church Stands or Falls

David contributes a chapter to this book.

Many factors contributed to the Protestant Reformation, but one of the most significant was the debate over the doctrine of justification by faith alone. In fact, Martin Luther argued that justification is the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. This comprehensive volume of 26 essays from a host of scholars explores the doctrine of justification from the lenses of history, the Bible, theology, and pastoral practice—revealing the enduring significance of this pillar of Protestant theology.

Paul and the Apocalyptic Imagination

David contributes a section to this book.

Paul and the Apocalyptic Imagination brings together eminent Pauline scholars from diverse perspectives, along with experts of Second Temple Judaism, Hellenistic philosophy, patristics, and modern theology, to explore the contours of the current debate. Contributors discuss the history of what apocalypticism, and an ""apocalyptic Paul,"" have meant at different times and for different interpreters; examine different aspects of Pauls thought and practice to test the usefulness of the category; and show how different implicit understandings of apocalypticism shape different contemporary presentations of Paul's significance.

School of Theology 2020

David spoke about 'The Image of God in Scripture and Theology' at this event.

SOT 2020 was the third and final in a series of three study days on the doctrine of humanity.

In July 2020 the annual Oak Hill School of Theology was hosted live online. The theme of the event was 'Image bearers', looking at the questions: How do we exercise power in ways that honour the image of God in others? How should the church uphold the most vulnerable in our society? What should we make of attempts to “upgrade” humanity with new technologies and the rise of artificial intelligence?