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Leading Scholars and Practitioners on NRMs |
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Written by John W. Morehead
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Saturday, 13 September 2008 |
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From October 16 to 19 Trinity International University served as the site for a post-Christendom spiritualities consultation co-sponsored by Trinity, the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization’s issue group on postmodern spiritualities and new religions, and the Western Institute for Intercultural Studies. The consultation brought together leading evangelicals scholars and practitioners from around the world representing countries including Australia, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, as well as various locations from around the United States. This combination of geographical locations, coupled with differing areas of specialty and emphasis in approach, provided a refreshing depth and diversity to a consideration of new religions.  The format for the consultation consisted of ten plenary sessions and a number of parallel sessions. The four day event began with putting the consultation in the context of the Christian study of new religions by Dr. Michael Cooper. Following his presentation, a plenary session with Dr. Stephen Kennedy of Trinity Graduate School addressed an important and neglected topic in evangelical circles; that of the rights of indigenous people to sacred sites. Dr. Kennedy discussed the legal, ethical and religious aspects of this topic, especially with reference to the struggles of Native American peoples, which provided the consultation with an empathetic perspective with which to begin the consultation.
The following day Dr. Cooper of Trinity Graduate School discussed the continuing evolution of the Western religious landscape from ancient paganism to contemporary Neo-Paganism. This was connected to the increasingly eclectic spiritual questing of Westerners and the place of Neo-Paganism in this spiritual milieu. He argued that the emphasis on personal religious experience legitimized the cognitive bargaining of Western religious people. The late morning saw Dr. Gordon Melton of the Institute for the Study of American Religion present on changes in the “New Age” or New Spiritualities, and specifically on the significance of Western esotericism as a major religious tradition that needs to be taken seriously be evangelicals and addressed in more positive fashion, particularly in the area of engagement. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 22 October 2008 )
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Written by Michael T. Cooper
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Thursday, 11 September 2008 |
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There are many causes around the world that merit our attention and our finances. Some of these causes hold out hope of making an actual impact in a short period of time; such a cause is the United Nations Millennium Development Goal to eradicate malaria in Africa. There are more than 500 million cases of malaria reported each year and over one million deaths, most of them children. In fact, every 30 seconds a child becomes a fatality of the disease. And sadly enough, malaria is one disease that is completely preventable. This is why my family and countless others here and around the globe are teaming up with humanitarian aid organizations and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation to help fulfill one of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals by providing bed nets for malaria affected areas of the continent of Africa. This simple provision will have a tremendous impact on the eradication of that disease. A nominal single donation of $10 USD will provide education as well as an insecticide treated bed net that will protect an entire household. I hope you will consider joining with us as we see the potential for the eradication of malaria. To Donate |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 September 2008 )
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Written by Craig Blomberg
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Tuesday, 19 August 2008 |
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 Numerous volumes have appeared in recent years co-authored by writers from very different religious perspectives, interacting with each other. Most common have been intra-Christian dialogues, but Jewish and Christian writers have frequently conversed as well, and participation by representatives of other world religions also occurs from time to time. But I am unaware of any previous book-length work in which an Evangelical Christian (Australian Johnson) and a self-identified Pagan (in the technical sense of the term; in this case, a Gardnerian Wiccan priest-American diZerega) have dialogued, much less done so with the clear courtesy and respect represented here. The editor is thus to be greatly applauded for bringing these writers together and for seeing the project through to its completed form.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 September 2008 )
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