Beckwith Returns to Roman Catholic Church and Resigns from ETS

I haven't gone to many ETS (Evangelical Theological Society) meetings. The last one I attended was in 1999 in the Boston area. Generally I would run into my friends from College Press Publishing at such events. Generally, the College Press rep (in those days) was John Hunter, who now is working as Reference Librarian at OCC's Seth Wilson Library. John introduced me to a couple of evangelical guys who had written books published by College Press, namely Gary Habermas and Francis Beckwith.

Beckwith, until May 5, was the president of the Evangelical Theological Society. He resigned on May 5 because he has returned to full communion within the Roman Catholic Church. He gives his own account of this spiritual journey on a blog for which he wrote, called Right Reason. There are many comments under that post, from those who applaud his decision, and those who do not. He remains as a tenured professor at Baylor University in Waco, TX.

DGF

Christian TEch.

Ahh.. so I just finished Jewell's book... not bad. It does inspire me to work more on ministry-related technology. I mean, seriously, he was right when he said that 95% of church websites might as well just be taken down... they look terrible and have less functionality than my tonsils! When I look at sites like Islamacity, I think... c'mon Christians, we can do better than this! If Islam is using technology to spread their message efficiently and effectively, so can we! (of course it's not about the medium, it's about the message)...

anyway... hope everyone is doing well

Readers' choice for Sexiest Man Alive in Christ 2007

*Qualification uncertain

Student who chose Bible college over Yale now feels 'royally screwed'

MOORHEAD — A college freshman who stood on principle and chose a Bible college over Yale now considers himself "royally screwed," and says he may very well have ruined his career. "I'm stuck at this tiny campus in Minnesota with a room overlooking a vast, snowy plain, surrounded by people whose highest aspiration is to be an associate pastor or church accountant," Paul Denerbain says in a phone interview from his dormitory room. "They don't even have my major here. I thought I was standing up for God, but I've devastated any chance I have for success." Denerbain, a straight-A student and National Merit Scholar, made his bold decision last spring after visiting Yale and observing what he calls its "loose moral atmosphere." His church rallied around him, and his pastor called him a modern-day Martin Luther. But after moving to the North Fork Bible College campus and attending classes for a semester, Denerbain felt "overwhelming desperation to leave." He wrote to Yale and asked if they'd re-consider letting him in, but Yale is no longer interested. "He wrote us a scathing letter," says an admissions officer. "It's curious that he now wants to attend 'the crucible of Hades.' We suggest he delve into the Bible for more answers. Ha ha." •

April 5, 2007, What a Tragedy!!!!

It was a day that I would sure love to forget. I know it's a day for Fish that bells rang at the announcement. A day that left the state of Kansas in a sate of awe. Here are the famous tragic words, "Huggins Leaving K-State for West Virginia." Some of you don't understand the tragedy I've gone through, its taken me 15 days to write about this tragic event.

Next Semester

Are you guys going to be here next semester? I will be.

I am taking the following:
7:00 Timothy & Titus w/Lawson
8:00 Greek 1a w/Ragsdale
9:00 OT Intro w/Pechawer
10:00 Spanish 1 w/Fish

Messianic Prophecy Distance Learning w/Pechawer

I haven't had Lawson yet and I don't really know what to expect there. I've had Ragsdale before, but I will be taking two language courses at the same time... hope I don't get things mixed up. OT Intro should be pretty neat.

What's your teaching schedule like Mr. Fish?


Moodle is coming along well at work. We are doing some training sessions with the Distance Learning professors this coming week and for the two following, it's kind of intimidating teaching the teachers. I'm looking forward to getting Moodle up and running for all the summer DL courses, two months ahead of schedule. Anyway, the server is live now but the courses aren't really in any presentable form but you can take a look if you want.




Later...

-e

Blaspheme or Humor?

The Jesus Bobble Head is a plastic bobble-headed tribute to a remarkable man. Humbly dressed in common robes, Jesus stands 7-1/2" tall and offers a gesture of blessing with his hand. Put him on your dashboard and he just might inspire you to exercise patience and forgiveness on the highway. Comes in a window box with fascinating Jesus quotes and history.

Jesus bobble head dolls are only $8.95 each and are shipped within hours!

Also available - Jesus Action Figure

Everyone has a different take on Jesus. Muslims and Jews saw him as a prophet; Buddhists say he was enlightened; Hindus consider him an avatar (the incarnation of a deity in human form) while Christians hail him as the Son of God. But, wherever your theological compass points, you will agree that this is the coolest action figure since G.I. Joe. Each hard plastic Jesus Action Figure stands 5" tall with poseable arms to reach toward the heavens and wheels in his base for smooth gliding action. Comes in our illustrated package with biblical quotes on the back.

Jesus Action Figure Dolls are In stock and shipped within 12 hours of ordering. Only $9.95.

Pastor/Teacher

The "parson" in the "olden days" was so called because he was likely the only "parson" in the village or town who had an education, at least beyond the rudiments. He was looked to as the resident scholar and by default, if no other reason, was the one the other residents could count on for a learned opinion. The parson had an obligation to make his education available to the other villagers.

When good folk have an opportunity to think and grow theologically, they make meaning of what their own call to discipleship is all about. They have the tools to reflect thoughtfully about God's claim on their lives, about what their baptism means, about the vagaries and difficulties that life dishes out, about their future and the kind of legacy they want to leave their family and community. As we seek to build a sensitive and strong discipleship system within the church so that we can fulfill God's call to help make disciples, one of the gifts and strengths we have is the benefit of the pastor's shared theological education.

So why do so few pastors take an active role in the educational life of the congregation? On Sunday morning, one obvious constraint is time and scheduling. For most local pastors, they are obligated to be in worship when the Sunday school groups were meeting, either because the one church had multiple worship services or because they are splitting their morning between churches, each one having worship when the other had Sunday school. Solo pastors may have little choice in such a situation, but the creative use of lay speakers and liturgists can certainly free up some of the clergy staff. And that still leaves most of the rest of the week.

I find teaching to be a lot of fun because it also happens to be among what I consider to be my gifts. Perhaps teaching is not your gift. That's okay. There is still the opportunity for advocacy; for lifting up the importance of Christian education and formation; for celebrating the calling of others to an educational ministry; for working to find high quality, dedicated teachers and small-group leaders for the various classes and groups. Pastors, I encourage you to consider your role as "parson" and to build up the system of discipleship in your congregation by taking seriously the gifts and abilities you bring to the ministry of Christian education and formation. You are in a unique position to advocate for and to champion the teachers and leaders of your church and to help them learn and grow in spirit and in knowledge. When they are well equipped, their influence is felt over the entire life of the congregation. How exciting to take up that mantle!

Until next time...

Fabulous Indeed

Some tidbits that probably won't interest you, but I certainly enjoy.

There is a hole in the Earth's crust

AMD's new Torrenzo platform will user in a new era of personal computing with specialized processors

And in Ed. Tech related news, have you guys heard about the famous $100 laptop for children in under-developed nations? It's a really cool idea that will probably actually happen. It could really turn some kids' lives upside down and eventually work towards ending poverty through education.

Link


I really hope everyone has a fun and safe week of E.

P.S. what are you guys thinking about for the video project? let me know, ericmalone (at) gmail.com

Fabulous Technology

Apparently, there will be no more questionable, though "well-intentioned," gifts of household machines for women in the family... Link

It is interesting to search through the inventions to promote laziness. I actually found a coffee cup with a motor to stir in you cream and sugar. Are we really that tired in the mornings? If so, maybe there is something that can sleep for us.

What is the craziest 'lazy invention' you guys know of?

Stress!!

Papers, Readings Course, Part-time job, Ministry... AHH!! I long for the day when Ryan and I are out of school with one job in the same state as we live. Surely all of you are feeling the semester stress as well by now. I guess this entry (which is my first blog entry ever!... sad story) would be a reminder of the very reason we labor at this college: acquiring the armor of God for battle.
Ephesians 6:14-18 says this, "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Keep up the good work, my friends! It will be worth it...

First Post, Yay!

Just thought I'd post a few informative articles that I came across having to do with technology. I'm glad I live here in the US where we can blog freely Yipee! :)

Egyptian blogger sent to prison Link

Turkey bans youtube Link

What do you guys think about Censorship and a related topic...Net Neutrality?

Border War

Today is a big day between the two states next to each other, Kansas & Missouri. It's a very interesting rivalry that has been around for years! It's interesting that Brother Fish is a Missouri fan and myself a Kansas fan. The rivalry between us makes our class even a little bit more interesting GO KU! Of course my prediction is that KU will win the game by 10+! Unfortunatley, I know that Brother Fish has a different and wrong prediction. Hopefully, at some time Brother Fish will see the light! I don't see that happening anytime soon...

Initial Post

Well, here we go! It's February 9, and we had our first meeting of CE 318 at Ozark Christian College. It is in this place that my illustrious students will post, and respond to colleagues' posts over the next couple months. Who are the students, you ask? Allow me to introduce them:

Here is what will happen. Each student should make at least two original posts within the next month (February 9-March 9), and the other students will respond/react/reflect about the posts. At least one of the posts should have something to do with the subject at hand--the use of technology in Christian Education/Church Ministry. The other post can be at the posters' discretion (notice that I did not misspell the word as "disgression").

Students may take a hiatus from posting during the Week of Evangelism/Spring Break, but must resume another month of posting (March 19-April 20), where the same rules apply. I encourage you to think out your posts and replies. Feel free to add art work, photos--be creative.

Just in case you're wondering where the title of this blog originated, CE 318 is Seminar in Educational Technology.

Until later,


God's best to you!