Grenville Kent
Encyclopedia
Grenville J. R. Kent is an Australia
n academic, film producer
, author
, and Christian
communicator. He is the producer of Big Questions, a forthcoming documentary series examining faith, and the "10 Questions for God" series of booklets. He has earned a PhD
from the University of Manchester
, England
, and teaches Cultural Apologetics (Arts/Theology) and Old Testament
at the Wesley Institute
in Sydney
.
and the Airbus A380
. It includes interviews with two Oxford University
professors: atheist
Peter Atkins
and John Lennox
, a Christian. It was shot in New Zealand, Hungary, England, France and Australia. Kent is co-presenter alongside his seven-year-old son Marcus. Future episodes intend to discuss suffering, space and the stars, and whether God genuinely spoke through the Bible.
Kent has taught Old Testament and Cultural Apologetics (Arts/Theology) at the Wesley Institute in since 2003. His PhD from the University of Manchester is in Old Testament literature, and examines the Witch of En-Dor
narrative using film theory
. His MA
(Theol
) from Morling College
studied the Song of Solomon
, a piece of Biblical
erotica
. His MA (Film) was from the University of Technology, Sydney
. He also earned a Grad. Cert. Commerce (Marketing), BA
(Theol), and a BA (Media).
Kent's memberships include the Society of Biblical Literature
and the Evangelical Theological Society
in the United States, and the Tyndale Fellowship in the United Kingdom. He has guest-lectured in the Philippines and Trinidad. He has presented papers at the annual Society of Biblical Literature meetings.
He has presented on Christian apologetics
(the rational explanation of Christianity) for the Cambridge Scholars Network, European Leadership Forum (Hungary) and Campus Life, and travels internationally as a youth outreach speaker across several Christian denominations. He is a frequent presenter on Christian TV programs. He was an interviewee in the documentary "Can You Believe the Bible?" produced by evangelist John Carter
, which argues from history and archaeology
for the reliability
of Old Testament history as well as Old Testament messianic predictions.
Kent started "Church With No Ties" as a youth pastor and university chaplain in the Seventh-day Adventist Church
, where he was ordained a minister of the gospel.
A popular presenter, Kent's speaking appointments have included men's conferences, theology congresses camp meetings, and many others.
s (graphic novels), books, and book chapters.
(See also below).
Book chapters:
Additionally, Kent has many stories published in the "Australian Stories" series of books, which are published from Sydney by Strand:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n academic, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
communicator. He is the producer of Big Questions, a forthcoming documentary series examining faith, and the "10 Questions for God" series of booklets. He has earned a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and teaches Cultural Apologetics (Arts/Theology) and Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
at the Wesley Institute
Wesley Institute
Wesley Institute is a tertiary education provider in Sydney, Australia offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in counselling, creative arts , education and theology.-History:...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Biography
Grenville Kent is producer of Big Questions, a forthcoming documentary series. The pilot episode, "Does God Exist? Part 1" examines flight and compares design features of the albatrossAlbatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
and the Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
. It includes interviews with two Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
professors: atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
Peter Atkins
Peter Atkins
Peter William Atkins is a British chemist and former Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Lincoln College. He is a prolific writer of popular chemistry textbooks, including Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and Molecular Quantum Mechanics...
and John Lennox
John Lennox
John Carson Lennox is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, Fellow in Mathematics, Philosophy of Science and Pastoral Advisor at Green Templeton College of Oxford University...
, a Christian. It was shot in New Zealand, Hungary, England, France and Australia. Kent is co-presenter alongside his seven-year-old son Marcus. Future episodes intend to discuss suffering, space and the stars, and whether God genuinely spoke through the Bible.
Kent has taught Old Testament and Cultural Apologetics (Arts/Theology) at the Wesley Institute in since 2003. His PhD from the University of Manchester is in Old Testament literature, and examines the Witch of En-Dor
Witch of Endor
The Witch of Endor, sometimes called the Medium of Endor, was a woman who called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of the Kingdom of Israel in the First Book of Samuel, chapter...
narrative using film theory
Film theory
Film theory is an academic discipline that aims to explore the essence of the cinema and provides conceptual frameworks for understanding film's relationship to reality, the other arts, individual viewers, and society at large...
. His MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(Theol
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
) from Morling College
Morling College
Morling College is a Baptist theological college in Macquarie Park, New South Wales. It is an approved teaching institution of the Australian College of Theology and is a member of the South Pacific Association of Bible Colleges. It was established in 1916, and moved to its present location in 1961...
studied the Song of Solomon
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
, a piece of Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
erotica
Erotica
Erotica are works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing descriptions...
. His MA (Film) was from the University of Technology, Sydney
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. UTS is notable for its central location as the only university with its main campuses within the Sydney CBD...
. He also earned a Grad. Cert. Commerce (Marketing), BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(Theol), and a BA (Media).
Kent's memberships include the Society of Biblical Literature
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880, is a constituent society of the American Council of Learned Societies , with the stated mission to "Foster Biblical Scholarship"...
and the Evangelical Theological Society
Evangelical Theological Society
The Evangelical Theological Society is a professional society of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students with the stated purpose of serving Jesus and his church by advancing evangelical scholarship. It was established in 1949 in Cincinnati. The number of members in 2005 was over 4,200...
in the United States, and the Tyndale Fellowship in the United Kingdom. He has guest-lectured in the Philippines and Trinidad. He has presented papers at the annual Society of Biblical Literature meetings.
He has presented on Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
(the rational explanation of Christianity) for the Cambridge Scholars Network, European Leadership Forum (Hungary) and Campus Life, and travels internationally as a youth outreach speaker across several Christian denominations. He is a frequent presenter on Christian TV programs. He was an interviewee in the documentary "Can You Believe the Bible?" produced by evangelist John Carter
John Carter (evangelist)
John Carter is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian evangelist known especially for his work in Russia. His presentation is known as the "Carter Report", and he is a leading figure within the Adventist church. He is married to Beverley L. Carter....
, which argues from history and archaeology
Biblical archaeology
For the movement associated with William F. Albright and also known as biblical archaeology, see Biblical archaeology school. For the interpretation of biblical archaeology in relation to biblical historicity, see The Bible and history....
for the reliability
The Bible and history
The Bible from a historical perspective, includes numerous fields of study, ranging from archeology and astronomy to linguistics and methods of comparative literature. The Bible may provide insight into pursuits, including but not limited to; our understanding of ancient and modern culture,...
of Old Testament history as well as Old Testament messianic predictions.
Kent started "Church With No Ties" as a youth pastor and university chaplain in the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
, where he was ordained a minister of the gospel.
A popular presenter, Kent's speaking appointments have included men's conferences, theology congresses camp meetings, and many others.
Personal life
He is married to Carla; they have five children: Zoe, Marcus and Ethan, Thomas, and Jeremy.Publications
Kent has authored dozens of articles, the popular "10 Questions for God" Bible study series, films, comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s (graphic novels), books, and book chapters.
Books
- Say It Again, Sam: A Literary and Filmic Study of Narrative Repetition in 1 Samuel 28 [the witch of EndorWitch of EndorThe Witch of Endor, sometimes called the Medium of Endor, was a woman who called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of the Kingdom of Israel in the First Book of Samuel, chapter...
]. Pickwick, 2011 - Grenville Kent, forthcoming commentary on Song of Songs
- Grenville Kent and Philip Rodionoff, The Da Vinci Decode (VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
: SignsSigns Publishing CompanySigns Publishing Company is a Seventh-day Adventist publishing house in Warburton, Victoria, Australia.-History:Three Adventist preachers, Stephen Haskell, John Corliss and Mendel Israel, a printer, Henry Scott, and an experienced door-to-door literature salesperson, William Arnold, travelled from...
, 2006); ISBN 1-876010-90-8; book website; a critique of Dan BrownDan BrownDan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
's 2003 novel The Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...
. Also published in PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and CzechCzech languageCzech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
. - Christina Hawkins, Warwick Bagg, and Grenville Kent; Health (Berkeley Vale, New South Wales: Sanitarium Health Food CompanySanitarium Health Food CompanyThe Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company is the trading name of two sister food companies . Both are wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church....
, 1999) (Kent was one editor for a series of 12 booklets) - Grenville Kent, Millennium (Sydney: Religious Education Media Australia, 1996); ISBN 0646278657
- Grenville Kent, The Siege (Sydney: self-published, 1994); ISBN 0646211730
- Grenville Kent, What Future? The Forgotten Dream (Sydney: self-published, 1994); ISBN 0646171852
Book chapters and scholarly articles
Scholarly articles:- Book review of Theology and Film: Challenging the Sacred/Secular Divide by Christopher Deacy and Gaye Williams Ortiz. European Journal of Theology 18:1 (2009), p80–81
(See also below).
Book chapters:
- Grenville J. R. Kent, Paul J. Jissling, and Laurence A. Turner, eds., Reclaiming the Old Testament for Christian Preaching (Inter-Varsity PressInter-Varsity PressInterVarsity Press is a publisher of evangelical Christian books. IVP is linked to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and is headquartered in Westmont, Illinois.-History:...
, 2010), publisher's page. Kent also wrote the chapter, "Preaching the Song of Songs". The book won the annual Preaching Today award for the "Enhancing the Preacher's Skill" category. An alternative title is He Began with Moses: Preaching the Old Testament today (Inter-Varsity Press, 2010), publisher's page. - "Pop Culture: My Angel Goes to Movies" in Andy Nash, ed., Unleash the Dream: A New Generation Challenges the Church They Love (Hagerstown, MD: Review and HeraldReview and Herald Publishing AssociationThe Review and Herald Publishing Association is one of two major Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses in North America and is the oldest institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The organization publishes books, magazines, study guides, CDs, videos and games for Adventist churches,...
, 1999), p52–62; publisher's page
Additionally, Kent has many stories published in the "Australian Stories" series of books, which are published from Sydney by Strand:
- Australian Stories of Life ed. David and Rachel Dixon (2005) chapters "Hardly Davidson", "Bowled Over", and "Oink!"
- Inspirational Australian Stories ed. David and Rachel Dixon (2004) chapters "Common Scents", "Going Off", "The Game They Play in Heaven", and "When Is an Atheist Not an Atheist?"
- Australian Stories for the Spirit (2003), one chapter
- Australian Stories for the Heart (2002) chapters "I'm Rich!", "Meeting the Godfather", and "Hedonists Don't Get No Satisfaction"
Films and documentaries
Kent has produced the following films:- Big Questions documentary series
- The Cross, a 2000 short filmShort subjectA short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
written and directed by Kent - What is a Seventh-Day Adventist?, a 2000 documentary written, produced, and co-directed by Kent
- Cushy Job: Rwanda Volunteer, a 1995 short film written and directed by Kent
- What Future? A 1994 short film co-written and co-directed by Kent
- Alcheringa, a 1993 short film written by Kent
External links
- "10 Questions for God" study series, authored by Kent
- Grenville Kent at the Screen AustraliaScreen AustraliaScreen Australia is the Federal Government’s key funding body for the Australian screen production industry. Its functions are to support and promote the development of a highly creative, innovative and commercially sustainable industry....
website - Kent, "The Church Judas Built". SpectrumSpectrum (magazine)Spectrum is the official publication of Adventist Forums, published four times a year. It was established "to encourage Seventh-day Adventist participation in the discussion of contemporary issues from a Christian viewpoint, to look without prejudice at all sides of a subject, to evaluate the...
blog, a commentary on the 1–7 March 2008, Sabbath SchoolSabbath SchoolSabbath School is a function of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh Day Baptist and some other sabbatarian denominations.-Program Context:...
lesson "Discipleship Under Pressure" - Kent, "Miles High on Marriage". Adventist Review 187 (8 April 2010), p18–21; cover story, with inset "One Day... (for People Who Aren’t Married)"
- Articles by Kent and about Kent as catalogued in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index (SDAPI)