Moore College: Gospel in the groove

Con Campbell shatters the stereotype of an academic holed up in his ivory tower. But his love of jazz is rivalled by his passion for ancient Greek, finds MADELEINE COLLINS.

Con Campbell’s jazz heroes are the stuff of legend: Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, John Coltrane.

But as a young student at the Canberra School of Music, he was encouraged by his teachers to turn his heroes into idols.

“They encouraged you to make music your god,” Con says. “[We were taught that] unless music is your god, you won’t make it.”

That was when the true and living God called him to live for Christ instead.

“There was a battle there. I had to come under the spell of the Bible,” Con says. “Thankfully, God knocked jazz off the perch and out of top place. Jesus was Lord, jazz wasn’t.”

After completing ministry training at Crossroads church in Canberra and a degree at Moore College, he went back to university ministry in the ACT for three years. Now he has come back to the college that he says has borne so much fruit in his life and around the world.

Con began lecturing at Moore in New Testament and Greek at the beginning of the year. He recently completed a doctorate through Macquarie University.

“I really love the interaction with other faculty members, it’s a real highlight,” he says. “They’re stimulating and great people. It’s a real privilege to be part of the faculty and I’m grateful to God for what he’s doing here.”

Greek is many a student’s worst nightmare, but Con brings his passion for the language to life to help students gain a deeper knowledge of God’s word.

“I love Greek and we’re trying to teach it as best we can – for those who love and those who despise it.”

Aside from lecturing and being a husband to Bronwyn and father to Jasmin, three, Xanthe, two and Lukas, 11 months, Con has harnessed jazz as an evangelistic tool. Through building up word of mouth contacts, Con and his band perform at evangelistic events and weave a Christian message into the music.

So how does he strike the balance between his love for jazz and love for the Lord? “There is no balance,” Con says. “Jesus is the boss – as my daughter always reminds me. Jazz doesn’t get a look in.”

Con’s latest album Freedom in the Grove is out now.

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