Newport, Kenneth G.C.

PERSONAL:

Education: Oxford University, B.A., M.A., M.St., D.Phil. Religion: Church of England.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Liverpool, England. Office—Alexander Jones Bldg., Liverpool Hope University, Hope Park, Liverpool, Merseyside L16 9JD, England. E-mail—knewport@hope.ac.uk.

CAREER:

Anglican priest and educator. Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, England, assistant vice-chancellor of research and academic development, professor of Christian thought; has also taught at University of Manchester, Manchester, England, St. Andrew's University, Edinburgh, Scotland, and in Hong Kong.

MEMBER:

Charles Wesley Society (board member).

WRITINGS:

The Sources and Sitz im Leben of Matthew 23, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 1988.

Apocalypse and Millennium: Studies in Biblical Eisegesis, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2000.

(Editor) The Sermons of Charles Wesley: A Critical Edition, with Introduction and Notes, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2001.

The Branch Davidians of Waco: The History and Beliefs of an Apocalyptic Sect, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2006.

(Editor, with Crawford Gribben, and contributor) Expecting the End: Millennialism in Social and Historical Context, Baylor University Press (Waco, TX), 2006.

(Editor, with S.T. Kimbrough, Jr.) The Manuscript Journal of the Rev. Charles Wesley, M.A., two volumes, Kingswood Books (Nashville, TN), 2007.

Contributor to Christian Millennialism, edited by Stephen Hunt, Indiana University Press, 2001. Contributor to journals, including Epworth Review, Methodist History, Spectrum, Wesleyan Theological Journal, and the Baptist Quarterly.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kenneth G.C. Newport is an ordained Anglican priest who has also taught at a number of other universities. His areas of research interest include the early history of the Methodist denomination, with a particular focus on the life and theological contributions of Charles Wesley, and millennialism. He is an author and editor of several books on these and related topics.

In Apocalypse and Millennium: Studies in Biblical Eisegesis, Newport addresses the major apocalyptic prophecies in the book of Revelations and the ways in which they can be misinterpreted in today's society to lead to disasters such as the Branch Davidian massacre in Waco, Texas. He points specifically to the incorrect application of the prophecies to current events in such a way that the individual is actually manipulating the situation for selfish reasons, rather than attempting to interpret actual religious portents. Newport uses examples both from history and from more modern situations to support his theories. Edwin Reynolds remarked un the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies Web site that "Newport presents a fair summary of the teachings of the different interpreters and groups which he studies. Aside from his main thesis that eisegesis can be deleterious if not dangerous, this is perhaps his greatest strength." Utopian Studies contributor Derek Visser pointed out that "it is well to keep in mind that apocalypticism or millennialism, stressing the imminent coming of the end, was more typical of writers on the margins … than of the various established churches."

The Branch Davidians of Waco: The History and Beliefs of an Apocalyptic Sect serves as a companion to Newport's Apocalypse and Millennium. In this volume, Newport delves more deeply into the sect, discussing the tragedy in Waco that centered on David Koresh, and also shedding light on those followers who continue today in the belief that the world will end in March 2012. He also stresses that it is important to understand the theological concepts behind the sect in order to truly understand what occurred during the Waco massacre. Richard J. Mouw, in a review for Books & Culture, concluded that "Newport acknowledges that many readers will think that he has gone into far too much detail in telling the story that led up to the tragedy at Waco. I am not one of those readers. The matters that he chronicles in this important book are well worth the effort required to understand them."

Newport served as editor for The Sermons of Charles Wesley: A Critical Edition, with Introduction and Notes, mining his long-standing background in studying Wesley and his works. In it, he attempts to clarify Wesley's role in the development of Methodism, particularly in relation to that of his brother, who left far more documentation regarding his theology in the form of an extensive journal. Journal of Ecclesiastical History writer Henry D. Rack praised Newport's effort, stating that "although fuller reassessment of Charles's career and significance must await further work on the sources, this edition of the sermons and accompanying commentary is a significant step forward."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Books & Culture, March 1, 2007, Richard J. Mouw, "Waco Revisited," review of The Branch Davidians of Waco: The History and Beliefs of an Apocalyptic Sect, p. 29.

Journal of Ecclesiastical History, October 1, 2001, Christopher Burdon, review of Apocalypse and Millennium: Studies in Biblical Eisegesis, p. 757; October 1, 2002, Henry D. Rack, review of The Sermons of Charles Wesley: A Critical Edition, with Introduction and Notes, p. 815.

New Statesman, June 26, 2006, Alex Rayner, "Cult Following," p. 67.

Utopian Studies, January 1, 2001, Derek Visser, review of Apocalypse and Millennium, p. 227.

ONLINE

Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies Web site,http://www.aiias.edu/ (August 29, 2007), Edwin Reynolds, review of Apocalypse and Millennium.

Liverpool Hope University Web site,http://www.hope.ac.uk/ (August 29), faculty biography on Kenneth G.C. Newport.