René Breuel came up with the Wondering Fair idea during a long, rainy drive across the Brazilian countryside … and became so excited that he almost crashed the car. Besides editing Wondering Fair, he leads a new church in Rome, Italy, studies Creative Writing at Oxford University, and is the author of The Paradox of Happiness. He loves spur of the moment jokes, the smell of books fresh from the press, and Italian gelato. He’s married to Sarah and is father of Pietro and Matteo.

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Advisory Editor

Prof. John Stackhouse was raised in Canada and England, with graduate training and teaching experience in the USA, and answers Wondering Fair’s Q & A section, Ask John. He is a historian of Christianity and a theologian who also dabbles in philosophy and sociology of religion, and has authored Can God Be Trusted? and Humble Apologetics, among other books. He holds the Sangwoo Youtong Chee Chair of Theology and Culture at Regent College, Vancouver, and is also a jazz musician, alpine skier, and motorcyclist–although not very good at any of those activities.

Contributors

Ben Edsall currently lives in Oxford, UK as a postgraduate at its eponymous university where he is studying the New Testament in the Theology Faculty.  He has been graciously accompanied in this journey by his wife Deanna and daughter Nora, who consistently remind him that the most important things in life happen outside the library…unless of course you happen to go to a library where it is okay to give birth or color on the floor with chalk.
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Dave Benson lives in Brisvegas (aka Brisbane, Australia), with his wife Nikki.  Together they enjoy long walks in the mountains, shorter runs on the roads, caramel lattes as an ill-advised recovery drink, and the perpetual pursuit of a balanced life in a culture short on rhythm. Dave works as pastor (kbc.org.au) trying to bridge the chasm between church and culture, and spends most days trying to reconcile how to be holy while still having fun on his motorbike.
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Hélder Favarin lives in Granada, Spain with his wife Ana Paula. He was born in Brazil but has also lived in Mexico, Scotland and England, where he received a master’s degree from the London School of Theology. He works with OC International and leads a new youth movement called 180°. He enjoys playing soccer, guitar and saxophone (though not at the same time!).

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Jeremy Kidwell was born in Seattle and is currently working on his PhD in Theological Ethics at the University of Edinburgh in “bonny” Scotland. He is particularly interested in a recovery of the theological sense of all things domestic – food, work, life… etc., not just because he and his wife Katy enjoy cooking gourmet meals together! When he is not writing you’ll find Jeremy watching football (or either variety), watching independent films, hiking, exploring the city, or hanging out at a coffee shop (that knows how to make a ristretto shot).

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Jessica Ann Hughes is a visiting assistant professor of English at Wheaton College. She loves teaching, researching, and generally talking about long forms of fiction (like novels and TV), with a particular interest in the religious stakes of narrative form. Her current book project is looking at how Jesus transforms from a religious figure into a literary character during the nineteenth century and what that transformation tells us about characterization in the novel (learn more at JessicaAnnHughes.com). When not reading an ever-growing stack of books, Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband, dog and kids, running, gardening, binging on TV, and watching Notre Dame football (Go Irish!).

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Michael Keller lives in New York City with his wife and daughter. He is currently working on his PhD at the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University while also being the director of RUF City Campus, an undergraduate university ministry in Manhattan. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister who loves cities, ideas, and soccer. He never learned to play an instrument so he passes the time singing off-key.

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Matthew James Gray is the Church history lecturer at Tabor College, Adelaide in Australia. He is also currently doing a PhD at Adelaide University, on English Puritan views of gender, ecumenism and the state. He is married to Leanne, has a daughter, and another child on the way. He also loves the Australian rules team, the St Kilda Saints (he’s just telling you that to engender pity…).

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Madi Simpson is married to James and has two daughters and a son. They share a community house in London, England. Aside from her role as non-stipendiary domestic goddess, she is an active member of St Paul’s Hammersmith, where she serves as a preacher and church warden. She has a Masters in Applied Theology from Regent College. One of these days she’d like to get ordained. In the meantime, when not preparing talks, doing the laundry or preventing health and safety crises, Madi enjoys film, cooking, and long walks in any of London’s fine parks.

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Paul Chatfield is a Brit living in Italy.  The fact that he likes neither beer nor tea means he’s no longer welcome in his homeland.  When he was there, he worked as a statistician (which, by the way, is a great job title if you want to bore people and kill conversation…) however, having moved to Italy, he now works copastoring a church in Turin and loves interacting on faith and reason.

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Paul McClure was born and raised in Memphis, TN–home of Elvis Presley, BBQ, and the Memphis Grizzlies (formerly of Vancouver). After a rainy but enjoyable stint at Regent College, Paul is now working towards  a PhD in sociology of religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Tennis, storytelling, and thrift shops have also played a major part of his life.

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Ryan Dueck lives in southern Alberta, Canada with his wife Naomi and twins Claire and Nicholas.  He blogs at Rumblings, and is currently helping to lead a small Mennonite church that seeks to embody the peace, simplicity, and hope of the gospel of Christ in a noisy and conflicted culture.  As all good Canadians must, he loves ice hockey, as well as soccer, good books, good coffee, motorcycles, and mountains.

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