Christians confess that the Bible
is the inspired word of God, meant to give direction to our lives as
we seek to be faithful followers of Christ. Yet many of us yawn while
we read it, if we read it at all, or resort to desperate measures
like opening it randomly to shake out a contemporary meaning. How
does Scripture provide guidance for living today? Isn't it full of
outdated or conflicting points of view on a variety of ethical
matters? This conference will help participants face squarely
the ethical complexity of Scripture, while introducing a narrative
framework for making sense of this difficulty, so that Scripture
might provide guidance for us in the contemporary world.
J. Richard Middleton teaches
Biblical Studies at Roberts Wesleyan College, in Rochester, NY. He
is a graduate of the joint Ph.D. program of the ICS and the Free
University of Amsterdam. Originally from Jamaica, Richard immigrated to Canada and enrolled in ICS. He started teaching worldview
courses for ICS at various universities.
He coauthored with Brian Walsh: The
Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian World View and Truth is Stranger Than It Used to Be: Biblical
Faith in a Postmodern Age.
His most recent book is The
Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1 (Brazos Press,
2005). Richard and Marcia have two sons.
Some responses to Richard Middleton's Toronto addresses:
"Outstanding. He made the complex plain. I appreciated his knowledge,
teaching style, and grace." In answer to "What did you like most?":
"Richard's fresh and thought provoking approach to scripture."
"Richard's accessibility."
A Conversation on Just War and Pacifism
Our speakers will present their approach on the Just War versus Pacifism question,
reflect on each other’s approach and interact with the audience on this issue.
Holy crusade, just war and pacifism. What sense do any of them make in a
world where officials charged with defending the nation and national
interest, revolutionaries seeking justice and men and women with radical
views of divine will, have access to weapons of mass destruction? Many
argue for an “adjusted” theory of just war and a few argue that our only
hope is radical non-violence. Are the traditional ways Christian culture
has sought to understand the Gospel and the claims of the Prince of Peace
useful? Are these ideas confined to the scrape heap of history,
outstripped by geo-political circumstance and technological innovation?
What, if anything, do they now mean for Christian citizens?
David J. Goa teaches religious studies and is Director of the Chester
Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life, Augustana
Campus, University of Alberta. He has written widely on religion, culture
and civil life and is a regular contributor to the media.
What is “just war theory”? We’ll outline the character of just war theory
as a set of principles regulating the purpose and means of war-making, as
understood by various Christian thinkers of the past. Just war theory
arises when Christians take political life, broadly understood, as
compatible with Christian ethics, and that pacifism is fundamentally an
antipolitical doctrine.
John Von Heyking, teaches political philosophy and religion and politics
at the University of Lethbridge. His articles, books and essays cover just
war, multiculturalism, friendship, empire, democracy, civil religion, and
religious freedom in Canada.
Manufactured Landscapes
Manufactured Landscapes is a
documentary film on the world and work of renowned artist Edward
Burtynsky. Burtynsky makes large-scale photographs of ‘manufactured
landscapes’ – quarries, recycling yards, factories, mines, and
dams. He photographs civilization’s materials and debris, but in a
way people describe as “stunning” or “beautiful,” and so
raises all kinds of questions about ethics and aesthetics without
trying to easily answer them. This film won Best Canadian Feature
Film at the Toronto International Film Festival and was selected for
juried prizes at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. This is the first
time a Canadian filmmaker has been eligible. 90 mins.
A reflective handout will accompany the film.
REGISTER ONLINE (VISA or MasterCard)
Conference Option
Amount
Number (8 max.)
Adult
$40.00
Student (thanks to our sponsors)
$15.00
Prices and transactions are in Canadian dollars.
Student prices are for full time students only. Bursaries are available for those who are unable to attend due to
financial reasons, thanks to an extra grant from the CRC Extension Fund.
For more information call Jenny Krabbe 403-803-4387 or email
.
Please register early so that there is enough time to contact you for confirmation
and please register before Feb. 28 to ensure lunch (included in price).
PRINTABLE BROCHURE
If you can't register online you can still send in your registration by mail.
Click here to download our printable
brochure. (PDF 1.1MB)
Note that the brochure is designed for legal paper size (8.5 x 14). It will print on letter
sized paper (8.5 x 11), but smaller. Print double-sided if possible, flipping on short edge.
J. Richard Middleton teaches
Biblical Studies at Roberts Wesleyan College, in Rochester, NY. He
is a graduate of the joint Ph.D. program of the ICS and the Free
University of Amsterdam. Originally from Jamaica, Richard immigrated to Canada and enrolled in ICS. He started teaching worldview
courses for ICS at various universities.
He coauthored with Brian Walsh: The
Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian World View and Truth is Stranger Than It Used to Be: Biblical
Faith in a Postmodern Age.
