Will communications technology render relationships superficial or change the dynamic?
Would a luddite philosophy help or hinder a personal / pastoral ministry today?
When approaching theology, there is a distinct difference between contemporising your message and contextualising it. The concern of a theologian is how to maintain balance in presenting the message of Christianity from scripture amidst (and often against) the constant flux of culture and technology whilst avoiding obsolescence (i.e. contemporising) and compromise.
Previously mostly only known to scientists, laminin is an important cellular protein that provides for the molecular binding of our cells. Ok, ho hum… At present though, due to the increasingly popularity of Louie Giglio’s ‘How Great is Our God’ presentation and DVD, laminin has become somewhat of a fad amongst evangelicals. If you’re not entirely sure why, do a web image search for laminin and you’ll soon see. Diagrammatically the four strands or arms of the protein are often shown in the shape of a cross. This alone is enough to prompt many evangelicals jump up and down. However when you come to understand the nature and function of laminin there may well be more (genuine) cause for excitement. For a very basic explanation we turn to Wikipedia and read:
Laminin is vital to making sure that your overall body structures hold together. If laminin isn’t produced correctly, your muscles may form improperly, giving you a form of muscular dystrophy.
As Louie correctly notes in his talk, this is a brilliant illustration of the nature of Christ as described in Colossians 1:17 - “… in him all things hold together.”
That the protein is usually depicted in the cross shape is merely coincidental and more than likely just an easy way to draw a cross section of the 4 strands that make up the protein. What laminin does demonstrate is though, is, in the same way that our cells cannot be properly held together without laminin, by extrapolation, our entire life and existence becomes impossible without Christ. And seeing how Colossians 1:16 tells us “all things were created through him and for him” then this applies as equally to laminin as it does to you and I.
Erickson proposes a thesis though that enables belief concerning God and the bible to be both reasonably established and scrutinised. Both God and his self-revelation are presupposed together as a single presupposition. There is no single antecedent. He quotes Bernard Ramm:
“There exists one Triune God, loving, all-powerful, holy, all-knowing, who has revealed himself in nature, history, and human personality, and in those acts and words which are now preserved in the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.”
From this a theology is formulated which in turn reflects in an adherents’ worldview and can be tested for veracity. On the basis of this thesis the Christian Presuppositionalist can stand with confidence as having a reasonable basis to present the reality of God as presented in the bible and account for man’s responsibility towards God.
This is the catch-cry of the post-modern superior being 
As noted in a discussion by Phil Johnson:
So long as an individual sets themselves as the ultimate authority you cannot have a reasoned discussion or debate with them. Check the meta on the previous post for an example.
A recent study in the New Testament book of ‘Hebrews’ has given rise to consideration of why anyone should accept Christ as superior to other religious leaders and their teachings and beliefs.
I have been sceptical of the fad of climate change, however, we decided that there was no harm last year in switching off our lights for “Earth Hour”. The funny thing was, when we did we walked outside and could not identify another single participant in our suburb. One journalist suggests that the impact of turning your lights off for an hour is an indistinguishable drop in energy use?
Another article from the perspective of an Anglican congregation that has adopted a environmentally friendly policy suggests that the concept of stewardship of the Earth is a new concept only developed in the last 3- 5 years! Doh! What? See Leviticus 25:1-6. Nothing new here.
I think the wisdom proffered in Proverbs 12:10-11 is applicable. The righteous will always be considerate towards their livestock and will be conscientious in the management of their land and resources. Turning off lights might be a fun way to celebrate this effort but it won’t save the planet or the inhabitants, that’s Christ’s job (Romans 8:19-23)
‘The Golden Compass’ is based on Phillip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy “His Dark Materials”.
If you rely on the hype from the ‘Book-Burning-Crowd’ the film is the World’s greatest threat to the future of Christianity! - this is a typical response from mainstream evangelicalism.
A sensible analysis of the film and Pullman’s books has been posted recently by Al Mohler.
Most who attend an evangelical church are familiar with the practice of the church hosting multiple services each Sunday.
The church I attend only has one Sunday service at the moment.
However there are some who desire to step out of the box. They wish to introduce an additional service held in the evening. How disappointing, and on some level, mildly amusing, that there are those in membership of the church that oppose the idea.
It seems the producers and directors of ‘Big Brother’ decided to dumb down to their audience again last night by running James Cameron’s latest piece of trash.
I commented on the so called “Lost Tomb” back in February.
A&O also has a wealth of well referenced material for those willing to research further.
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