My Two Favorite Theologians

Derek Thomas on John Owen.

Derek Thomas as John Owen.

More on Fasting ...

For anyone who's interested in learning more about fasting and prayer (mentioned recently in this post), and their power in the Christian life, I highly recommend reading through this material by the late Bill Bright, former President of Campus Crusade for Christ. Bright observed more than one 40-day fast during his lifetime. The teaching you'll find there is very practical and biblically based.

"Neither be idle in the means, nor make an idol of the means."

William Secker

Cate Blanchett Plays Elizabeth I Again

From the Toronto International Film Festival website:

"ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE will premiere as a Gala Presentation at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival. Reprising the roles they originated in seven-time Academy Award™-nominated ELIZABETH, Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush join returning director Shekhar Kapur for a gripping historical thriller laced with treachery and romance. Joining them in the epic is Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh, a dashing seafarer and newfound temptation for Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE finds Queen Elizabeth I (Academy Award™-winner Cate Blanchett) facing bloodlust for her throne and familial betrayal. Growing keenly aware of the changing religious and political tides of late 16th century Europe, Elizabeth finds her rule openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II (Jordi Molla) – with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada – determined to restore England to Catholicism ... "

Read the full news release.

Upcoming conference ...

Truth Under Deconstruction: Presenting Christ in a Relativistic World, featuring Dr. Norman Geisler, Dr. J. P. Moreland, Dr. Paul Vitz and Randy Newman
July 12-14, 2007
Airport Hilton, Kansas City, Missouri

Here's a list that includes most of the papers to be presented:

Truth, Knowledge and Belief Track
§ The Normative Priority of the Metaphysical Truth over the Propositional Truth, Vanneya Athithan
§ Terror, Trauma, and the Truth about God, Dr. Theresa Blakley
§ "The Worldview of Richard Dawkins – From The Selfish Gene to The God
§ Delusion," Dr. William Clark
§ What Makes The Doctrinal Statements Of Christian Faith True? Truth, Pluralism, and Hermeneutics, Dr. Eduardo Echeverria
§ Epignosis: An Incarnational Theology of Participatory Truth, The Rev. Canon Dr. Andrew Grosso
§ The First Principles of Common Sense, Dr. James Hamilton
§ The Postmodern Paradigm, Dr. Thomas Johnson
§ Discerning Insight: Is It True, Correct, or Just Accurate?, Dr. John Kok
§ Truth, Presuppositions and Worldview, Dr. J. P. Moreland
§ Christian Artistry: The Picture or the Frame?, Teresa Ong
§ The Certainty of Moral Knowledge in Thomistic Anthropology, Craig Payne
§ Redeeming Everyday Experience: Reflections on Biblical Rationality, Dr. George Pierson
§ The ‘Hourglass’ Of Truth – A Case Study In Applied Linguistics, Illustrating How Different Faith Traditions Are In Conflict, Dr. David Ross
§ Religious Doubt: Faith-Shaping Tool or Instrument of Destruction?, Drs. Patricia Schoenrade and C. Ray Owens
§ Deconstructing Derrida's Diaspora: Scattering the Savior into Silence, Dr. Harvey Solganick
§ What's Right About Foucault?, Dr. Ted Turnau
§ Revenge of the DWEMS: A Socratic Tetralog, Dr. Donald Williams
§ Stanley Fish's Hermeneutical Theory and Its Implication For the Discovery of Truth in the Biblical Text, Rev. Dr. Yoilah Yilpet

Impact of Deconstructionism on Specific Disciplines Track
§ Beyond Ethics: Restoring Human Dignity in Business, Dr. William Andrews
§ Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Jean Baudrillard and Architecture, Dr. Christian Bergum
§ Modernism and Postmodernism in the Academic Study of Public Relations, Sandra Braun
§ Postmodernism and Deconstruction in Fight Club, Dr. Margaret Cullen
§ Reclaiming Biblical Hermeneutics within the Process of Communication, Dr. Rodney Duke
§ Postmodernism and the Culture of Death: Medicine at the Precipice, Dr. B. D. Fine
§ Deconstruction and Architecture: Exposing the Uncanny, Ken Matende
§ The New Perspective on Paul: Progress or Pretense, Dr. Edward Meadors
§ God or the Gallery: On the Post-postmodern Predicament of Contemporary Art, Matthew Milliner
§ Deconstructing 19th Century Cultish Womanhood: Linda Brent's Challenges to Historic Female Suffering, Rev. C. L. Nash
§ Heidegger, Gadamer, and Derrida: Three Fathers of Postmodernism and Their Impact on Biblical Hermeneutics, Dr. Joseph Partain
§ Living in Truth: An Aspect of Professional Ethics in the University, Dr. Susan Robbins
§ The Classroom Experience as Truth Exposed: The Professor's Role in Deconstructing the Educational Process through Relationships, Dr. Laura Savage
§ Christ in the City: Showing Spiritual Truth to Deconstructed Lives, Penelope Stickney
§ Crisis in the Temple of Art: To Which "gods" Will Curators Now Pay Homage?, Dr. E. John Walford
§ Intercultural Rhetoric and Postmodernism: A Discipline Deconstructed, Dr. Deron Walker

Postmodernism and the Church Track
§ Preaching God's Truth to Postmodern Listeners, Dr. Kenneth Arndt
§ Postmodern worship: Transcendence and Truth in the days of YouTube and iPod, Drs. Kevin Gibson and Ron Witzke
§ Deconstructing Evangelicalism: Some Personal Observations, Dr. Adrian Helleman
§ Has Contemporary Apologetics Misread Postmodernism?, Chad Lakies
§ Lessons From the Emerging Church, Dr. Patrick Mays
§ The Postmodern Impact on Conservative Evangelical Hermeneutics, Paul Shockley
§ Difference and Deconstruction: Towards an Authentic Expression of the Church, Todd Trembley
§ Should Evangelicals Embrace or Reject Postmodernism?, Dr. Richard Von Dohlen
§ Jude, Pluralism and Truth, Dr. William Wilson

Christian Worldview Track
§ Science, the Bible, and the Search for Truth, Dr. Tim Corrigan
§ Reaching Muslims in a Post 9/11 World, Dr. Norman Geisler
§ Human Origins - Insights from a Genetic Simulation Program, Dr. Paul Gibson
§ Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People's Hearts the Way Jesus Did, Randy Newman
§ Overcoming Common Obstacles in Evangelism, Randy Newman
§ Intelligent Design and Darwinism - Comparing and Contrasting Perspectives of Christians in North America and in Western Europe, Dr. Frank Peters
§ Challenging Paradigms of Truth: Current Beliefs Among African-American College Students at Two Midwestern Evangelical Christian Colleges, Phyllis Smith
§ Teaching From A Christian Worldview: A Faculty Training Model, Dr. Walter Thomas
§ Exploring Insights into Atheism from Psychology, Dr. Paul Vitz
§ Truth Denied-Keeping God Out Of Public Schools: Academia's Role In How Not To Teach About Religion Within Our Teacher Education Programs, Dr. Steven Wentland
§ What Truth of Christianity Has Been Communicated to the Chinese: A Case Study of 200 Years of Evangelicalism in China, Virginia Yip

Global Impact Track
§ Tales Of Teaching In Transylvania And Lessons Learned, Scott and Christy Golden
§ The Deconstruction of African Education from a Nigerian Perspective, Dr. Rob Lillo
§ Lessons Learned Teaching Law in China, William and Deborah Wright

For more info check the conference website.