Last Sunday in the Brookside Institute "Walking Wisely: An Introduction to Biblical Ethics" class, we turned the corner away from laying foundations for thinking ethically, to looking more closely at specific issues that deserve some ethical consideration.
And the first thing we looked at are what I like to call "ethical blindspots." We all know what a blindspot is in our cars, right? They're those spots we can't see using the side or rear-view mirrors. If we're not careful, there can be a car in our blindspot that we're not even aware of. And if we try to move into that space, accidents happen! In the same way, I think there can be ethical blindspots in our lives - issues that deserve moral reflection that we're not even aware of - perhaps because of all the good that goes along with the issue, because the issues are new, or because of the cultural "water" we swim in.
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Thus far in the Brookside Institute class, "Walking Wisely: An Introduction to Christian Ethics," we've spent a lot of time (4 out of 10 sessions!) laying foundations for the rest of the class - for the upcoming sessions when we get into thinking ethically about technology, the sanctity of life, God's design for marriage and sexuality, and more.
What are the areas that we need to factor in, if we want to lay strong foundations in this field (and practice) of Christian Ethics? Why are these so important? I'm glad you asked! Let's look at both of these questions together.
This upcoming weekend I'm teaching on Christianity and culture in the Brookside Institute "Walking Wisely" class on Christian Ethics. I found this video (length: 14:22) and think it has some worthwhile stuff to say on this topic. Listen especially to how what's said relates to issues of culture, Christian identity, and hope.
Heaven (and hell) are again a topic of interest to many, due to the significant popularity of books and movies like Heaven is for Real, 23 Minutes in Hell, and 90 Minutes in Heaven. As Christians, how should we think about these popular accounts that narrate experiences of the afterlife?
I was recently asked a question like this via email, and have included my (only slightly edited) response below. I'm sure there's more to be said (that's what the comments are for!), but here's the "shoot from the hip" response I offered: As I prepare for and teach through the Brookside Institute "Walking Wisely" class on Christian Ethics, I'm dipping into a number of books. Here are eight books closely related to Christian Ethics that I'd recommend for your consideration. In super-technical fashion, I've listed under the categories of "Longer Books on Christian Ethics" and "Shorter Books on Christian Ethics." (I know many will gravitate towards the shorter books which are indeed helpful, but don't let size scare you away from the others. They have worthwhile stuff to consider!)
Click on either the pictures or titles below to be taken to an Amazon.com site where you can learn a bit more about any of these books. By way of FYI, the "textbook" we are using for the Walking Wisely class is Robert McQuilken and Paul Copan's An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom, 3rd ed. IVP Academic, 2014. I recently wrote on some (potential) opportunities and dangers that go along with Bible apps. What's good about having easy access to God's Word in a mobile device format? What might be some dangers to be aware of? As I've continued to think about this, my simplified bottom line is this: Read God's Word. ENGAGE God's Word. Easy access to the Bible can certainly facilitate that, but not necessarily.
With this post still fresh in my mind, I was interested to read what Relevant magazine would have to say about "Moving Beyond Tweetable Bible Reading" by Chandler Vannoy. I'm grateful for how this post fleshes out how the value of engaging God's Word. I've included the four major points of the post below, with a bit of my own brief commentary underneath each.
God is on mission to do something in this world He's created. As part of that, God's mission has a church. I appreciate how J.D. Greear brings out what this "mission of God" or missio Dei means for the church in this SHORT (less than four minutes) video. J.D. Greear is lead pastor of The Summit Church in North Carolina and author of the recently-released Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that Send.
Specifically, listen for what he has to say about how "winning a church to God's mission" involves (1) an understanding of the "sending" nature of the gospel, (2) an understanding of the mission-empowering work of the Holy Spirit, and (3) celebrating what God is doing through the church on mission. In just a few weeks, Fall 2015 Institute classes will begin. (Woo hoo!)
The start of a semester always gives me lots of great opportunities to (re)introduce people to the Brookside Institute - what the Brookside Institute is, values that guide us, etc. As part of that, once or twice a year I compile a handful (or two) of links - most of them blog posts - that relate to these sorts of questions and topics. Consider it "speed dating" the Institute - learning a lot about what we do and what we're about in a short amount of time! Happy reading! Let's face it: We officially live in a digital age. Anyone in America born after 1980 has been "born digital" - growing up in a world with access to the developing technologies of home computers, the internet, social media, mobile devices, and more. And just so we're clear from the outset, I'm a fan of these technologies. I'm grateful for the laptop computer on which I work, my iPhone and iPad - these offer me features and capabilities that would have been unbelievable 60 years ago.
As a pastor and teacher, one of the evident ways these digital technologies touch my world is through the "Bible app." Bible apps and their kin - whether it's the YouVersion Bible, BibleGateway, the ESV Study Bible, or any other of MANY options - offer tremendous opportunity to get God's Word into the hands of lots of people. But there are also dangers that can accompany "mobile device Bibles." My goal in this post is to highlight both two available strengths and two potential pitfalls of mobile device Bibles, so we can leverage the strengths and avoid the perils. |
Tim WiebeChristian. Husband. Father. Pastor. Learner. Contributor. Reader. Categories
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