ABOUT THE AUTHORS (of The Unfaithful Bride & The Faithful Groom)

Rudi Schwartz was born in South Africa. He graduated from the University of Pretoria in 1975, majoring in languages (Afrikaans and Hebrew). He enrolled at the same university for theological studies and completed the B.D. in 1978. In 1979 he wrote a dissertation on South African church history (Post Grad. Dipl. in Theol.).

At the end of 1979, he was licensed as Minister of Word and Sacraments within the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa. Being part of compulsory National Service, he was appointed as Army chaplain to the Army HQ in Pretoria. His duties also took him several times to the operational area in Ovambo Land and the Caprivi Strip in the northern parts South West Africa (now Namibia). He was ordained in 1981 and took a call to his first congregation in Arcadia, Pretoria.

Rudi and Heila married in 1977 and have four married children and thirteen grandchildren.

In 1994 Rudi received a call to the Presbyterian Church of Australia to serve in the charge of Warren, NSW, Australia. During his time in Warren, he also served as patrol padre of the Presbyterian inland Mission, serving an outback ‘congregation’ in an area of about 270,000 sq. kms.

He retired from congregational ministry in the beginning of 2020 and settled in Bathurst, NSW. He still does pulpit supply in vacant congregations.

Heila and Rudi love the outdoors. Following retirement, they undertook a caravan tour halfway around Australia, a trip of about 24,000km. Rudi enjoys classical music and appreciates a good red wine.

Rudi authored “This is the Day – let us be glad in it; Christ and the Sabbath.”. This book answers the question, Does the Fourth Commandment apply to the Church of the New Testament? The publication is available at Amazon.

Neil McKinlay was born in Canada. He was educated in Scotland and started his working life in a Scottish shipyard in Glasgow as an apprentice Marine Plumber. His plumbing career includes City & Guilds Plumbing Certificate (1976), Ontario Plumbing Licence (1978), and an Australian Plumber and Drainers Licence (1991).

He was converted by the grace of God in Winnipeg in 1988 while working for the Canadian National Railway as a pipefitter, and in 1991 he began private studies at Queensland Theological College, (the Presbyterian college was known as “the Hall” back then). He was granted a bursary (stipend) in 1992 to study for four years to become a minister in the Presbyterian Church of Australia. He graduated with an Adv.Dip. in Theol. in 1996.

As a Licentiate he spent 1997 serving the Springsure Presbyterian Church in central Queensland. (Springsure is the setting for his fictional novel A Stick in Time – see Amazon). He answered a call to North Pine Presbyterian Church (north of Brisbane) where he was ordained in 1998. From there he was called to Rokeby Presbyterian Church (just outside Hobart, Tasmania) in 2002 where he served till 2007, before returning the Queensland.

He became a Chaplain in the Australian Defence Force in 2008, retiring from full time army chaplaincy in 2020 and then from part time chaplaincy in 2021. His main passion is writing and Neil has been published by Nordskog Publishing Inc. (USA); From Mason To Minister (2011) and Jefferson’s Tears (2017). His The Gospel: Simple yet Profound (2021) was published by Tulip Publishing (Australia). Neil is a prolific writer and has numerous self-publications – see Amazon.

Neil and Dorothy married in 1981 and have three daughters and four grandchildren. He loves his morning walks with Dorothy and enjoys Celtic music (Irish/Scottish), coffee, Guinness and single-malt whisky.

(Purchase paperback or eBook at): The Unfaithful Bride and the Faithful Groom: The Biblical Story of Covenant Making, Breaking and Renewal: McKinlay, Neil Cullan, Schwartz, D. Rudi: 9798375129211