Against the near-universal consensus that it was created by a pagan (non-Christian) in order to satirise Christian worship, this article contends that the Alexamenos graffito can plausibly be read as a Christian self-parody, created by the enslaved Alexamenos himself. It is the first full-length treatment of the authorial origins of the Alexamenos graffito. The article first provides an overview of the visual and scholarly histories of the image since the nineteenth century. Then it addresses evidence for and against reading the text as non-Christian or Christian in origin, focusing on the apparent sexualisation of Jesus, early Christian receptions of satirical depictions of Jesus, the graffito’s use of a titulus, the solidarity of the image with enslaved workers and the relevance of nearby Christian graffiti. Finally, it places the graffito in conversation with ancient self-parody practices from wider Greek, Roman and Christian sources. While it is impossible to argue definitively about the identity of the graffito’s creator, this article contends that scholarship cannot exclude the possibility and potential likelihood that it may be Christian in origin.

This article develops the position of Rebekah Eklund’s earlier NTS article on ἀνοία in Luke 6.11. Eklund argues that there is no basis for translating ἄνοια in Luke 6.11 as rage or fury. Instead, she shows that ἄνοια is used consistently to indicate folly that is either induced by madness or ignorance. This article offers a reading of the healing of the man with the withered hand in Luke 6.6–11 that provides a more congenial context for the conventional way of reading ἀνοία as madness-induced folly.

While faith is central to the Gospel of John, the focus of interpreters on the faith responses of John’s characters tends to regard these characters rather simplistically. This article considers Martha’s engagement with Jesus in John 11 and contends that her faith takes a journey of lament as she comes to a place of understanding Jesus’ person. Martha speaks with Jesus regarding Lazarus’ death, and Israel’s lament poems frame the depth found in the progression of their conversation, which serves a rhetorical purpose that provides dynamic depth to her character. Grounded in the work of Gail R. O’Day that traces Martha’s conversation within the lament structure, this article examines this interaction that leads to the pinnacle of Johannine confessions to the identity of Jesus made by Martha herself. The process of lament as the expression of Martha’s faith develops John’s resurrection theology, given that her faith and understanding are clarified by Jesus’ identification as the resurrection and the life. This disclosure is what leads to Martha’s paradigmatic confession in 11.27. Building on previous characterisations of Martha by scholars such as Adeline Fehribach, Colleen M. Conway, Sandra M. Schneiders and Cornelis Bennema, a fresh perspective emerges that engages Martha’s conversation and ensuing confession, and the contribution this makes to the Johannine theology of resurrection. Lament is significant in the context of faith in John’s portrayal of Martha and suggests more depth in Fourth Gospel characterisation than many interpretations have recognised.

Muslim Americans are running for and being elected to political office at record levels. Despite this trend, the literature on minority candidate emergence has yet to examine which district factors affect the likelihood of Muslim Americans running and winning their races. What district characteristics influence the emergence of Muslim American candidates, and how do voters respond when they appear on the ballot? Through examining state legislative candidates, I find that Muslim Americans are less likely to emerge in districts with a high white population share and that lean conservative. Overall, Muslim American candidates are less likely to win compared to non-Muslim Americans. However, Muslim Americans are far more likely to emerge as candidates and win in districts with a high Muslim population share. These results demonstrate that Muslim American candidates face supply-side barriers to running and electoral penalties that can be alleviated by high Muslim population shares in districts.

2025 sees the thirtieth anniversary of Revd Auntie Lenore Parker’s ‘God of Holy Dreaming’ being included in the Anglican Prayer Book for Australia. In this article, she explores and describes the dreaming process which birthed this prayer. The analysis which follows compares the value of dreams in aboriginal culture with the privileged place given to dreams and visions as altered states of consciousness in the foundational texts of emerging Christianity. This comparison raises the question of how such experiences may be valued within Christian theology and spirituality, not least because Western and Northern resistance to such phenomena in the modern period has made such visions seem suspect.

A convenience sample of 2874 clergy and lay people from the Church of England was asked about the state of their congregation in 2024, some 3 years after the end of lockdown restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perceptions were assessed by three distinct but correlated scales, one related to perceived changes in numbers, the second to the fragility of churches and the third to the general state of churches in terms of numbers, mood and finances. Scores on these scales were related to both subjective and objective factors. The main subjective predictor of pessimistic scores was emotional volatility, a measure of trait neuroticism. The main objective predictors were church tradition and congregation size. Evangelicals were generally more optimistic compared with those from Anglo-Catholic or Broad-Church traditions. Pessimism declined as congregation size increased, up to about 150, when it remained constant.