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Faith & Culture Update January 2012 |
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"Seeing with Other Eyes": The Place of Imaginative Literature in the Christian Life Michael Travers Professor of English Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary  Most Americans who have attended college likely took a literature survey class, perhaps two—American or British Literature Survey; the literature survey class is a standard course in the general education component of an undergraduate degree. The question is why should students be required to read secular literature at all? The question is exacerbated when the student is a Christian, for Christians are responsible for the wise stewardship of their time. Is time spent reading imaginative literature or watching a movie wasted? If fiction is false in every way, it would seem to be a waste of time. Is there any sense in which there is truth in literature? The truth or error to be found in literature should interest every Christian, for we are a people of the truth as revealed in the Bible and in Jesus Christ. In this brief essay, we can only begin to think about the question of the place of literature (and, of course movies) in the Christian life. If we do not answer these questions, we will live an attenuated Christian experience and be less effective in our witness for Christ....continue reading this article on our website.___________________________________________________ Book Recommendations Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2002 ISBN # 0-8028-3981-9, 150 pp., paperback, $16.00. In this book, Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. gives university students a theological framework with which they can think about their studies, their future vocations, and their leisure. Plantinga’s framework is an exposition of the biblical narrative in three plot moves—Creation, The Fall, and Redemption. The Reason for God Timothy Keller, New York, Dutton, 2008 ISBN # 978-0-525-95049-3, 293 pp., hardback, $24.95. In this book, Tim Keller provides the readers with a 21st century version of C. S. Lewis’ classic Mere Christianity. In the first part, he addresses such skeptical questions as: can there really be just one true religion? How could a good God allow suffering? Hasn’t science disproved Christianity? In the second part, he builds a constructive argument for the truth of Christianity. ___________________________________________________ Book Review Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision David F. Wells, Grand Rapids, MI. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998 ISBN # 978-0802846723, 228 pp., paperback, $24.00.  In this book David Wells (distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary), explores the “face-off between Christian faith and our morally degenerating culture.” It is his purpose to demonstrate that that the enculturation that has taken place among evangelical Christians has been far more profound than many suspect. Not only is the culture shaping the moral vision of the church such that we are “losing our virtue,” but because of this we are also losing our voice in the culture. But not only is this book a cultural critique, Wells also seeks to suggest ways that evangelicals can regain their voice in order to have a transformative impact on culture....continue reading this book review on our website.___________________________________________________ Website Recommendations FrancisSchaefferStudies.org francisschaefferstudies.org A great introduction to the life and works of Francis & Edith Schaeffer making their thought more accessible for general inquiry. This site is especially helpful to those who have only recently become aware of the extraordinary work of Francis and Edith Schaeffer. bethinking.org bethinking.org This website brings together some of the best apologetic recourses. It is something like a one-stop shop for those interested in apologetics. One will find audio and video recordings of some of the great apologists of the last 20 years. The Marion E. Wade Center of Wheaton College wheaton.edu/wadecenter The Marion E. Wade Center of Wheaton College hosts this brilliant website. Here one will find a wonderful collection of materials from great scholars such as G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, and a several others. Although designed for the serious-minded scholar, any person interested in some of the great literary minds within the Christian community will find this site most enjoyable as well as informative. |
In This Issue
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Upcoming Events
at the Center 
100 Days of Schaeffer,
Online Commemoration of Francis A. Schaeffer's 100th Birthday, Life and Legacy  Reflections on American Evangelicalism with Greg Pritchard, Director, European Leadership Forum  Remembering the Influence of the KJV with Leland Ryken, Professor of English, Wheaton College  Apologetics and Public Witness with Stuart McAllister, Vice-President for Training and Special Projects, RZIM  Falls Lake Christian Stewardship Symposium Co-sponsored event with the George Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability ______________________ News and Announcements from the Center The Center is now on Facebook!  Find us on Facebook! "Like us" to receive the latest news at the Center and current faith and culture updates! |
| The L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture seeks to engage culture as salt and light, presenting and defending the Christian faith and demonstrating its implications for all areas of human existence. | |
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