Fwd: RE: [asa] Eschatology WAS Ecological and Environmental Ethics Conference CFP

On this topic, I have concluded that the Church has a poor record of
trying to figure out the details of our Lord's return but has a good
record of applying the Gospel in improving societies. I thus seek to
focus on the latter. Concerning the Gospel, I recently came across an
interesting essay. Yesterday, I sent the following excerpts to my
adult children.

>
>Following is from an essay by Scot McKnight who teaches at North
>Park. He contrasts the "little gospel" with the "robust gospel". The
>essay is being discussed in a Sunday School class at Rochester
>Christian Reformed Church.
>
>"The little gospel creates individuals who volunteer to attend
>church on the basis of their preferences in worship, friendships,
>sermons, and programs."
>
>"The church is not an institution that provides benefits for
>individual Christians so they can carry on their personal
>relationship with God until that church can no longer provide what
>they need. Instead, the church is the focus of God's redemptive work
>on earth in the present age."
>
>"My physician tells me that the way I live during this decade will
>shape the way I live in the next decade. Likewise, the way we preach
>the gospel in this decade will shape the church of the next. A more
>robust gospel now will mean a more robust church for the next
>generation."

>
>Bernie,
>
>Thanks for the link and the excuse to discuss this because I have
>been dying to and agree it is worth struggling with. BTW the article
>starts at
>https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1999/october25/9tc082.html?start=1.
>
>I personally reject this spiritualized Christian "manifest destiny"
>that says man is going to be around forever. I think there is an end
>to the prophetic timetable and it doesn't take a prophecy teacher to
>see that we are getting close. I know there have been many in
>previous generations that said the same but they served a purpose
>and I believe God worked it out so that each generation would get a
>glimpse of this and that kept the faith alive and passed down to the
>next generation. Obviously also as we see from the article's author
>too much of an obession on this can be counterproductive but it is
>just as foolish to dismiss it out of hand as well.
>
>A friend of mine who is now a missionary in Tanzania got saved from
>reading Hal Lindsay's book and I remember my dad reading it as well
>when I was a kid and I saw it around the house and years later
>eventually ended up reading it myself, and it left a profound
>spiritual impact on me also just like the author.
>
>But why is this generation any different? I think if you take
>Revelation and filter out all the symbolism of the vials and bowls
>and angels and stars and scorpions etc and distill it down to only
>one reasonably testable and objective statement "that no man might
>buy or sell, save he that had the mark", then it should be obvious
>that we are now close to this being able to be fulfilled and that we
>never were before.
>
>For you skeptics let me ask a simple question, why do devices such
>as this even exist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VeriChip ? Why
>would the man of mind even come up with this idea if it was not in
>relation to the fulfillment of this prophecy? Closer to home I was
>at an Arby's fast food restaurant the other day and at the cash
>register I noticed a "fast pass" type scanner that would allow me to
>pay for my meal by just scanning my debit bob if I had one. Why do I
>need that? Is my cashless debit card not
>good enough? Why do I need a cashless proximity reader as well? And
>then once we are conditioned to that, then we will hear that we need
>to have it embedded so we won't lose it or to finally eliminate
>identity theft etc.
>
>Finally, by working backwards from what I consider to be the final
>and climactic point of all creation, the cosmic spiritual battle
>between good and evil in the form of God and Satan, what is more
>consistent than Satan trying to achieve his ultimate goal of his
>rebellion by trying to extort worship from God's created humanity
>through financial control? I think it is the obvious teaching of
>Revelation and consistent with the teaching of the rest of scripture
>and also correlated with what we see in current events as well.
>
>To me all this is just way too coincidental. I won't say it is
>tomorrow or next year or even next generation but I do think we are
>seeing an undeniable fulfillment of this non-symbolic tidbit if
>revelation that reliably allows us to date where we are on the
>prophetic calendar and I think it is getting pretty close.
>
>Thanks
>
>John
>--- On Wed, 1/21/09, Dehler, Bernie <bernie.dehler@intel.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Dehler, Bernie <bernie.dehler@intel.com>
>> Subject: RE: [asa] Ecological and Environmental Ethics Conference CFP
>> To: "asa@calvin.edu" <asa@calvin.edu>
>> Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 2:13 PM
>> "future prospects and/or eschatological outlooks"
>> I think that's a big one, because I think the
>> evangelical Christian community at large thinks the
>> end-of-the-world is coming very soon, contrasted with
>> scientists who think we could live on Earth for a few
>> million years if we take care of this place. This is a
>> massive divergence in future outlook. Does planning for the
>> long-term future- a few million years in advance-
>> demonstrate that one doesn't take the teachings of the
>> Bible seriously? That is a good issue to struggle with, I
>> think. Try explaining the possibility that humans may be
>> around for a million years to Christians like Hal Lindsey,
>> his followers, and other Christian leaders with the same
>> idea (like all the preachers on TBN for one group?). RE:
>> article about end-time preachers and their effect:
>> https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1999/october25/9tc082.html?start=5
>> .
>> ...Bernie
>> ________________________________
>> From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu
>> [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On Behalf Of Nancy
>> Halliday
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 9:28 AM
>> To: asa@calvin.edu
>> Subject: [asa] Ecological and Environmental Ethics
>> Conference CFP
>>
>>
>> Ecological and Environmental Ethics Conference
>>
>> Keynotes include Dr. Larry Rasmussen and Dr. J. Matthew
>> Sleeth. See http://ossf.snu.edu for more information on the
>> conference.
>>
>> Call for Papers (CFP)
>>
>> Science has determined that modern human civilization is
>> detrimentally affecting local environments and the global
>> climate. Scientists seek solutions to solve the pressing
>> problems. In addition, society must make ethical decisions
>> in discerning a proper course of action in caring for the
>> environment and maintaining sustainable ecosystems for
>> future generations. Numerous issues may inform ecological
>> and environmental ethical decision-making within religious
>> communities, including those with a Judeo-Christian
>> perspective. Ethical decisions may incorporate: global
>> stewardship; practical paradigms in making ethical
>> decisions; community models and organizational paradigms
>> that reflect environmentally ethical decisions; lessons from
>> earth's ancient past; future prospects and/or
>> eschatological outlooks; the role of humans in the
>> biosphere; and social and ecological justice. These
>> dimensions are not exhaustive and additional perspectives
>> are solicited to inform ecological and environmental ethical
>> decision-making.
>>
>> Please direct questions to Mark Winslow at
>> mwinslow@snu.edu. Send abstracts of 250-500 words to
>> mwinslow@snu.edu (Mark Winslow) by February 16, 2009.
>> Abstracts received will be evaluated in a double-blind peer
>> review process. Presenters whose papers are selected will be
>> eligible for a nominal travel stipend to be announced before
>> March 2, 2009.
>>
>> Undergraduates: OSSF also encourages and welcomes
>> presentations from undergraduate students. The conference
>> will include an undergraduate breakout session in which
>> presentations and papers will be judged. While a travel
>> stipend is not available for undergraduates, first, second,
>> and third place will receive cash awards of $300, $200 and
>> $100 respectively. Each presenter will also receive a
>> certificate. Please follow the guidelines in the CFP above
>> (abstracts are due February 16, 2009 and students selected
>> for presentation will be notified by March 2, 2009).
>>
>>
>> Talent is a gift - Excellence is a choice.
>>
> > Nancy Halliday, Ph.D.
>> Professor of Biology
>> Chair, Division of Science & Math
>> Chair, Pre-Health Advisory Committee
>> Southern Nazarene University
>> 6729 NW 39th Expressway
>> Bethany, OK 73008
>>
>> Phone: 405-491-6657
>> Fax: 405-491-6689
>>
>> Matthew 22:37
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Lynn Braband
NYS Community IPM Program at Cornell University
249 Highland Avenue
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FAX (585) 442-7577
The value of democracy is that we keep an eye on each other.
		Attributed to C. S. Lewis
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