Addenda
A monthly e-mail newsletter from MARS HILL AUDIO
June 15, 2006 v Number 28
"One of the marks of genuine Spirit-work, according to John 16,
is that the Spirit will convict the world, prove the world wrong,
show up its standards as bogus, and bring it to judgment.
And the really scary thing about this is that the Spirit will do it all,
so it seems, through the work of the church."
-- N. T. Wright, "A Right Judgment in All Things,"
Sermon for the Feast of Pentecost,
Durham Cathedral, June 4, 2006
New on our desks
R. R. Reno Discusses the "Re"unification of Truth and Theology
Theologian and professor R. R. Reno, a guest on Volume 67 of the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal, follows in the footsteps of both the late Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI by encouraging a renewal of philosophically-rich theology in a book review published in the April 2006 issue of First Things. [Read more on R. R. Reno]
Notes on Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament and Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible
Two guests on previous editions of the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal have written recently about how to read scripture. Susan Wise Bauer, a guest on Volume 66, reviewed a book in the May/June 2006 issue of Books & Culture that attends to difficulties readers face when studying the Old Testament and trying to submit to its authority. [Read more on Inspiration and Incarnation]
"Islam and the West: A Conversation with Bernard Lewis"
Professor Bernard Lewis, a guest on Volume 59 of the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal and Conversation 19, "The Crisis of Islam and the Crisis of the West," spoke earlier this year at an event hosted by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. A transcript of his speech and the ensuing question and answer period is available on-line. [Read more on Islam and the West]
Mozart 101 for Mozart's 250th
There have been all sorts of events, recordings, and publications in honor of the 250th anniversary of W. A. Mozart's birth. On volume 80 of our Journal, we'll get in the proper birthday spirit with an interview with Calvin College music professor Calvin Stapert, last heard on our Journal in 2000 (volume 43), talking about his book My Only Comfort: Death, Deliverance, and Discipleship in the Music of Bach. One of the points Dr. Stapert made during our conversation was that Mozart's music sounds simpler than it is. If you're interested in learning more about the inner intricacies and patterns of meaning in Mozart's music, one of the easiest ways to be tutored is to listen to the streaming audio features concerning works by Mozart from the archives of the BBC radio program "Discovering Music," listed at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/discoveringmusic/audioarchive.shtml. We'll recommend some other resources in the listeners' guide that accompanies volume 80, but meanwhile, the hosts of this program will prove to be insightful companions.
Transition at MARS HILL AUDIO
At the end of May, MARS HILL AUDIO bid adieu to executive director Jim Heetderks, who had been in the director's chair for nearly ten years. Jim's essential contribution to helping MARS HILL AUDIO become an organized institution and not just a dream in its formative years has been absolutely crucial. Fortunately for the MHA staff, Jim is still living here in Charlottesville. (We're not giving out his new work phone number, just in case some of you still have customer service issues.) If you'd like us to pass on greetings to Jim, let us know. As an outside observer pointed out about the transition, a company doesn't replace someone who was so integral to its inner workings for so long; so we can't call our new executive director Jim's replacement, but we can say that Lawrence Adams has agreed not only to fill some of the gaps Jim's departure has left, but also to help MHA find its way forward. The following paragraphs are from one of his first letters to subscribers:
"Permit me the opportunity of this letter to introduce myself to you as the new Executive Director of Mars Hill. I am very pleased to be able to join this team after a few years on the Board of MHA, and many years of benefiting from the work of Ken Myers and others associated with this organization. I come to this position with some years of experience in campus ministry, college teaching, university administration, and Anglican parish ministry. I also had a stint in Washington, DC, serving both on Capitol Hill and with a 'think tank. '
"I have seen first hand in all these situations, especially in teaching, in the political arena, and serving as a pastor, how great are the cultural challenges faced by the Church as a whole, and by Christians in their homes, work and communities. I am committed to and enthusiastic about serving with an organization devoted to helping equip the Church – for the critique we must engage in, and for encouragement of truth, beauty and goodness where it can be found preserved in God's creation."
MHA is pleased to have the Rev'd. Dr. Adams on board.
Citizens of Heaven, Sojourners on Earth: Civic Life in Gospel Perspective
In July, Ken Myers will speak at The Jonathan Edwards Institute's Annapolis 2006 conference at the Loews Annapolis Hotel in Maryland. The theme of the July 3 through 5 conference is "Citizens of Heaven, Sojourners on Earth: Civic Life in Gospel Perspective"; Myers's plenary address is titled "A Deeper Disestablishment: Why the Separation of Church and Culture Is Even More Important than the Separation of Church and State." In addition to the other five addresses (four of which will be given by Frank Young, Keith Pavlischek, Ron Sider, and Os Guinness), three seminar groups are scheduled, two of which Myers will lead.
Registration is required for the conference. Tuition price includes six plenary sessions, three seminars, and breakfast on July 4 and 5. Pre-registration rates apply through June 15. For more information, or to register, call The Jonathan Edwards Institute at 1.888.JEI.0797.
Neuroethics: The New Frontier
The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity presents its 13th Annual Conference on Bioethics July 13 through 19, 2006, at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. "Neuroethics: The New Frontier" is described as a "major international conference on the ethical implications of neuroscience." Speakers, presenters, and session leaders include John F. Kilner, J. P. Moreland, Susan Haack, and Edmund Pellegrino.
For further information see the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity website (www.cbhd.org) or call 1.888.317.8101.
Conference on Christianity and the Environment
The MacLaurin Institute at the University of Minnesota is sponsoring a conference on Christianity and the environment September 22-23, 2006. The conference will explore what it means for people to demonstrate a Christian perspective as they live their lives at the interfaces of three "worlds" (natural, engineered, and human). It will also study how Christian virtues ought to influence public and private policies regarding the interaction of these worlds. Plenary speakers are the Rev. Dr. Rolf Bouma, University of Michigan; Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger, Hope College; Dr. Cal DeWitt, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Dr. Susan Emmerich, founder and CEO of Emmerich Environmental Consulting. For information about registration and submitting papers, please visit www.christianenvironmentconference.net.
The Church and Pop Culture
In October, Ken Myers will speak at the annual Ministerial Conference of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. The conference, titled "The Church and Pop Culture," runs Monday, October 23, through Wednesday, October 25, 2006, at the University Inn/Best Western Convention Center in Moscow. Christ Church invites pastors, elders, deacons (or those aspiring to these positions), their wives, and their teenage sons (14 and up) to attend the conference. The speakers this year include Douglas M. Jones, Peter Leithart, Douglas Wilson, and Nathan Wilson. For information about conference fees, lodging, and registration, call 202.882.2034 or see the conference website at www.christkirk.com.
N. T. Wright Quote
The sermon containing the quote from N. T. Wright which serves as this month's epigraph is available on-line. It can be read at www.ntwrightpage.com/sermons/Sermon_Pentecost06.htm.
Subscriber Update
Volume 80 (May/June 2006) of the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal is in production; it should appear in mailboxes mid- to late-July (please excuse the extra delay this time around; operations here for the moment are running a bit like maple syrup in January because of the above mentioned transition). This issue's guestlist comprises: Stephen A. McKnight discussing Francis Bacon; Tim Morris and Don Petcher on science and Christology; Vigen Guroian on fragrance as an integral part of gardening and on Orthodox thinker Nicholars Berdyaev; Paul Valliere on Orthodox theology and law; and Calvin Stapert on creation and the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
After Evangelism Conference Lectures
In February, Ken Myers gave four lectures at Christ Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Georgia, under the heading "After Evangelism: The Cultural Lives of Christians and their Neighbors." Those lectures are now available on audio CDs through Christ Presbyterian Church. Information is available at the conference website, where one may also listen to a 38-minute portion from the first lecture (MP3).
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Copyright 2006 MARS HILL AUDIO, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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