Kenneth Harrod served as an ordained minister for 19 years before joining the staff of Release International. He is also a former journalist.
He is a popular speaker and Bible teacher on the subject of persecution, and is Release International’s Head of Content and Theology. He has also travelled to Africa and Asia for Release International, where he has heard many first hand testimonies of Christians suffering for Christ and the gospel.
He has spoken at conferences overseas to help church leaders respond biblically to persecution.
Kenneth is passionate about biblical theology as a discipline that helps ordinary Christians understand the flow of the Bible – and therefore how to apply the various parts of the Bible to our lives today. Australian theologian and writer Graeme Goldsworthy was an early influence on Kenneth’s thinking in this field. He cites T Desmond Alexander, O Palmer Robertson and James Hamilton Jr as among his favourite writers on the subject of biblical theology today.
Promise and Persecution adopts a biblical theology approach to understanding persecution, by tracing the theme of God’s promise through the various stages of the Bible’s story, and observing the world’s opposition to those promises at each stage. It concludes with some key principles for shaping a Christian response to persecution – something each of us needs to know about and to live out.
Promise and Persecution is Kenneth’s second book for Release. His first book, Jars of Clay, examined five key areas where the Church in the West can learn lessons of discipleship from persecuted Christians: mission, the gospel, grace, the Church, and hope.
Kenneth enjoys reading (especially history), walking, and is an avid sports fan!