John William Drane is a Scottish theologian who is probably best known for his two best-selling books on the Bible, Introducing the Old Testament and Introducing the New Testament (both published by Lion in the UK and Fortress Press in the US). He studied in the University of Aberdeen where he was a student of I. Howard Marshall, and he holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, where his mentor was F. F. Bruce. His doctoral research focused on Gnosticism in relation to early Christian thought and practice. This interest in esoteric spirituality later became a bridge between his study of the Bible and his concern for Christian mission, with particular reference to cultural change and the emergence of what he now calls 'New Spirituality' (and which some others call 'new age').
John Drane began an academic career as one of the founders of the Religious Studies program at the University of Stirling, Scotland, in partnership with Stewart Sutherland and the late Glyn Richards. At the beginning of this century he was appointed to teach Practical Theology in the Divinity School at the University of Aberdeen, though by the end of 2004 he had resigned from that post and is currently a self-employed consultant working with churches of many different denominations throughout the United Kingdom as well as internationally. He is also an adjunct professor in New Testament and Practical theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, California as well as being a Visiting Scholar at Spurgeon's College in London and a Visiting Fellow of St John's College, Durham. A course on theology and culture which was originally offered in Aberdeen is now part of the curriculum at International Christian College in Glasgow, and he also teaches occasional courses at Cranmer Hall, an Anglican theological college in the University of Durham.
John Drane's interests have never been merely intellectual and academic. He is an ordained minister, and has an established track record as a Christian leader, serving on many key national bodies in the UK. From 1984 to 1990 he was convener of the Mission Committee of the Scottish Churches Council, which at the time was the official ecumenical body of all the Scottish churches. It was in that context that some of his most distinctive missional thinking was first conceived, and one of the highlights of that period was an event celebrating the Christian festival of Pentecost at Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988, which attracted a record crowd of more than 48,000 people and for which he received an award from the UK government which is preserved in the archives of Scottish Churches House in Dunblane, Scotland. He is currently co-chair of the Mission Theology Advisory Group, which is a joint enterprise of the Church of England's Archbishops' Council and the Global Mission Network (a part of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland). His acceptance in so many different parts of the civic and ecclesiastical establishment means that it is difficult to categorize his thinking by reference to any of the conventional theological divisions of conservative, liberal, evangelical, and so on. He has been a guest of HM Queen Elizabeth II at her Scottish home, Balmoral Castle, while also being regarded as an important theological resource person for the emerging church in the UK (he is a member of the board of mission shaped ministry, which is part of the Fresh Expressions initiative of the Church of England).
He is married to Olive Fleming Drane, with whom he has three children. She also holds a postgraduate degree in theology and is a Visiting Fellow of St John's College, Durham, as well as being an adjunct professor of Fuller Theological Seminary, California. They regularly work together in both church and academic settings.
The World of the Bible, Oxford: Lion, 2009. ISBN 978-0-8254-7913-7 ISBN 978-0-7459-5250-5
After McDonaldization: Mission, Ministry and Christian Discipleship in an Age of Uncertainty, London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2008. ISBN 0-232-52654-0 ISBN 978-0-232-52654-7
"What does maturity in the emerging church look like?", in Steven Croft (ed), Mission-shaped Questions: defining issues for today’s church (London: Church House Publishing 2008), pp. 90—101.
co-authored with O M Fleming Drane, "Worship and Preaching", in Janet Wootton (ed), This is our Story: Free Church Women’s Ministry (Peterborough: Epworth Press 2007), pp. 50—67.
"Alpha and Evangelism in Modern and Post-Modern Settings," in The Alpha Phenomenon, Andrew Brookes ed., London: CTBI, 2007, pp. 370—384. ISBN 978 0 85169 331 6
"From Creeds to Burgers: religious control, spiritual search, and the future of the world", in James R Beckford & John Walliss, Theorising Religion (London: Ashgate 2006), pp. 120—131. Also in abbreviated form in George Ritzer, McDonaldization: the Reader 2nd edition (Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2006), pp. 197—202.
"Post-modernity, Truth, and the rise of the Documentary", in Theology Notes and News 52/2 (2005), pp. 16—21.
Do Christians Know How to be Spiritual? The Rise of New Spirituality and the Mission of the Church, London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2005. ISBN 0 232 52632 X
Introducing the Bible: with CD-ROM, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005. ISBN 0800636724
co-authored with O M Fleming Drane, Family Fortunes: Faith-full Caring for Today’s Families (London: Darton Longman and Todd 2004).
"Contemporary culture and the reinvention of sacramental spirituality", in Geoffrey Rowell & Christine Hall (eds), The Gestures of God: explorations in sacramentality (London: Continuum 2004), pp. 37—55.
"Community, mystery, and the future of the church", in Simon Holt & Gordon Preece (eds), The Bible and the Business of Life: essays in honour of Robert J Banks’s 65th birthday (Adelaide: ATF Press 2004), pp. 87—100.
co-authored with Ross Clifford & Philip S. Johnson, Beyond Prediction: The Tarot and Your Spirituality, Oxford: Lion Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0 7459 5035 3
Introducing the New Testament, rev. ed., Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001. ISBN 0800632729
Introducing the Old Testament, rev. ed., Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001. ISBN 0800634322
Cultural Change and Biblical Faith: The Future of the Church. Biblical and Missiological Essays for the New Century. Carlise: Paternoster Press, 2000. ISBN 0-85364-979-0.
The McDonaldization of the Church: Spirituality, Creativity, and the Future of the Church, London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2000. ISBN 0-232-52259-6
What is the New Age Still Saying to the Church? London: HarperCollins, 1999. ISBN 0 551 03194 8
