That’s all folks! Great inaugural conference. I am excited for next year already!

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5:38p, CST: The church’s interaction w. creation is as informed by modernity as the “Christian script.”

5:35p, CST: The Bible presents an in-between space for humans using and Sabbathing creation.

5:33p, CST: We must engage in “ethical improvisation” in the cosmic drama when faced by things like climate change.

5:31p, CST: “It is finished…,” in the tomb Jesus is Sabbath.

5:29 p, CST: In Christ, creation and divine are brought together.

5:26p, CST: Sabbath = a time for restful re-creation.

5:22p, CST: Creation became a source for exploitation in modernity.

5:20p, CST: Christians want more than sustainability; Christians want flourishing.

5:18p, CST: Humans are priest who bring together the created world with the uncreated God.

5:17p, CST: Longbons discussing the imago Dei.

5:13p, CST: Longbons presenting “temple cosmology,” i.e. creation as temple (think Walton, Beale, Barker).

5:12p, CST: Longbons presenting:

5:10p, CST: Begins w. Genesis. (1) God is before all things and things are ordained w. a purpose.

5:08p, CST: The Bible when read as a whole makes more ecological sense.

5:07p, CST: “Creation” is a bit more nuance, emphasizing dependence on a divine being.

5:06p, CST: Ecology is more all encompassing being that it includes humans.

5:05p, CST: Environment is used to discuss surroundings.

5:04p, CST: Nature and Creation don’t mean the same thing, necessarily. Nature =  non-human, without divine grace.

4:52p, CST: My presentation went well. It was a fun experience. I missed the last hour, but now I will be watching Jarrod Longbons presentation on “The Church as a Community of Creation: Ecological Ethics in Scripture and Theology”.

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To see my notes from my talk go here.

I’m presenting during this next hour, so I won’t be blogging, obviously (though that would be neat)!

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1:34p, CST: Hauerwas connects this discussing with current findings in neuroscience.

1:26p, CST: Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is not virtue.

1:25p, CST: Habit is connected to acts that make the actor good.

1:24p, CST: To do the right thing rightly you must have the right passions.

1:18p, CST: Reason and will are form together through habituation (from Aquinas).

1:15p, CST: Vices are also habits.

1:14p, CST: Hauerwas discussing Aquinas’ development of Aristotle’s thoughts on habit/virtue.

1:13p, CST: Habits are not different from who we are.

1:12p, CST: Habit begins by imitating those who are virtuous.

1:10p, CST: Thus far, this talk reminds me a bit of N.T. Wright’s After You Believe (US)/Virtue Reborn (UK).

1:09p, CST: Through habit complex activities begin to look effortless.

1:08p, CST: It not a question of whether we will develop habits and virtues, but what habits and virtues.

1:04p, CST: Hauerwas presenting:

12:59p, CST: Stanley Hauerwas, “Habit Matters”, next.

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12:53p, CST: One of the best Q&A sessions thus far!

12:34p, CST: Paul is not at odds with disciple making, but it probably wasn’t his paradigm. Rather, he used slave-master.

12:22p, CST: Slaves are property in the ancient world. This tells us a lot about Paul’s relational dynamic.

12:21p, CST: Paul refers to Jesus as Lord, not Teacher.

12:19p, CST: On the road to Damascus Paul is not called to be a disciple, but confronted by the risen Jesus. He sees himself as slave to master more than student to teacher.

12:18p, CST: What does this mean for Paul? Well, the concept is there, but he uses different language.

12:17p, CST: The use of “disciple” reminds us of the complexity of the Gospels as regards history and theology. The early church probably did not use the word “disciple” for the first few decades after the resurrection. The Evangelist blur the lines a bit between “the disciples” and later Christians to help make them models.

12:14p, CST: Does this mean we should use the word “disciple?” Well, the Gospels are written after Paul, so there must have been a purpose. Gupta suggest that “the disciples” became examples for later disciples.

12:13p, CST: Jesus as “Lord” seemed to be more relevant than Jesus as “Teacher” post-resurrection.

12:12p, CST: If Jesus broadened this invitation for disciples to make disciples why isn’t this word used by Paul, James, et al.? Maybe (1) it was to respect “the Twelve,” i.e., the word became another way of referring to Jesus’ original inner circle. (2) Maybe it had a “teacher-student” association, which seem unnatural after the resurrection.

12:10p, CST: 

12:09p, CST: Jesus does appear to have extended the offer for a larger community.

12:07p, CST: Jesus reshaped the word disciple (“learner”) to have to do with following Jesus, obeying his teachings, engaging extraordinary costs, called into this particular community. This is true of the twelve.

12:06p, CST: What did “disciple” mean? What did Jesus mean? Why does the word fall out of use?

12:05p, CST: Some frame it as if Jesus called for us to make disciples, but Paul made “sinners into saints.”

12:04p, CST: The word “disciple” is not used in the rest of the NT.

12:03p, CST: Discipleship comes from the four Gospels and Acts alone.

Last week I split the day into two entries, but since I am one the afternoon presenters, and since Michael Barber’s presentation at 3p, CST, has been canceled, I will do one post today.

11:46a, CST: Next up: Nijay Gupta, “Did St. Paul Take Up the Great Commission? Discipleship Transposed into a Pauline Key”.

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11:29a, CST: Helig presenting:

11:22a, CST: This is not an “evolution” of the Jewish idea of the resurrection. Origen maintains the need for future bodily resurrection.

11:20a, CST: First resurrection = pondering heavenly things w. Christ; Second resurrection = the general resurrection.

11:18a, CST: To walk in newness of life means to be a new person (though walking indicates continued process).

11:16a, CST: Eph. 2:6 = already raised w. Jesus; Rom. 6:8 = maintains future component; Col. 3:22 = things above ties future and present resurrection

11:15a, CST: Jesus’ resurrection was not only a model of future resurrection, but it had cosmic consequences.

11:09a, CST: For Origen resurrection had to include the body for death to be truly destroyed.

11:06a, CST: 1 Cor 15:41 glory connected to resurrection. Eternal life is the resurrection of the body in glory.

11:04a, CST: Helig notes that N.T. Wright (in The Resurrection of the Son of God) argues that (1) can be found in Origen’s writings, but not (2). Helig says that we do find (2) in Origen’s comments on Romans.

11:02a, CST: Resurrection as both an event and as a metaphor inform our ethics.

10:50a, CST: Several interesting sessions scheduled for this hour. I am going to listen to Christopher Helig (Postgraduate student at the University of St. Andrews), “Resurrection as ‘Metaphor’ in Origen’s Commentary on Romans”.

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10:43a, CST: Hollinger understands Sabbath as (1) something practiced by Jesus and the early church, though the church observed it on Sundays; (2) an eschatological foreshadow.

10:39a, CST: #5: A rhythm of life that protects humans (exemplified by Sabbath).

10:34a, CST: Hollinger presenting:

10:31a, CST: #4: We were created for relationship.

10:30a, CST: Hollinger discusses work on a large, creation wide scale and a smaller, more personal scale (to glorify God and promote the common God).

10:27a, CST: The language of Rev. 21-22 shows there is plenty of continuation w. this creation.

10:22a, CST: #3: Work = a divine vocation

10:21a, CST: “While the image of God is marred, it is not destroyed.”

10:18a, CST: We have an ethical obligation to care for creation.

10:16a, CST: Humans are relational. Humans are stewards over creation. Humans are moral and spiritual beings. Humans are co-Creators with God. (understandings of the imago Dei)

10:15a, CST: #2: The unique creation of humans in God’s image.

10:12a, CST: Creation is the place of God’s calling.

10:09a, CST: Creation, Incarnation, Resurrection = affirmation of materiality.

10:08a, CST: #1: The world is good (Gen 1.).

10:07a, CST: The work of the Kingdom is the restoration of Creation, re-Creation.

10:04a, CST: God the Creator and God the Redeemer are one. We cannot separate God’s role as Creator from that of redeemer.

10:03a, CST: If our God is one then our ethics should be one. We cannot divide Father, Son, and Spirit.

9:55a, CST: Next up: Dennis Hollinger (Ph.D., Drew University; President at GCTS) on “Creation: The Starting Point of Ecclesial Ethics”.

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9:39a, CST: “It should break our hearts that one of the most segregated times is 11 o’clock on Sunday morning.” – quoting MLK

9:37a, CST: Claiborne presenting:

9:35a, CST: ”We do not consider ourselves church planters, but neighborhood planters joining the church.”

9:33a, CST: “Our faith spreads best not through force, but through fascination.”

9:30a, CST: Peace doesn’t begin with the nations. It begins with the people of God who beat their own swords in the farm tools, who refuse to kill.

9:34a, CST: “We do not consider ourselves church planters, but neighborhood planters joining the church.”

9:29a, CST: Being a Christian = being a holy troublemaker (against injustice).

9:22a, CST: Interesting stories from Claiborne about the fight against city laws banning the feeding of those who are homeless and poor. They argued in court that it is a sacrament, and that we are commanded to feed them as if we fed Jesus, therefore, the law is against religious freedom.

9:18a, CST: One thing to observe is unjust laws, especially toward those who are homeless. “Any unjust law is no law at all.” – attributed to Augustine

9:16a, CST: We need to exegete Scripture and exegete our neighborhoods. We need to observe the obstacles to the Kingdom of God being realized in our neighborhoods.

9:14a, CST: Resurrection isn’t just something that happened two thousand years ago. It is something we participate in every day.

9:11a, CST: “The inner city is our new desert where we come to practice resurrection.” – Claiborne quoting a nun he knows who references inner city work as being similar to the work of the Desert Fathers and Mothers

9:03a, CST: “We can’t use our faith as a ticket into heaven while ignoring the hells all around us.”

8:46a, CST: Next up: Shane Claiborne

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8:43a, CST: Some questions I have after this presentation: What can pastors and other elders do to create an atmosphere in the church where people, especially those who feel marginalized, do not use online attacks as a first resort? Also, how does the size of a congregation impact this matter?

8:38a, CST: Online communication allows us to become disengaged from reality. James’ reminder that controlling our tongue is part of being a whole person is applicable to how we “speak” online. A complete person, a whole person, controls his speech. Even if invisible to others we remain visible to God.

8:29a, CST: James uses metaphors of small objects doing greater deeds. Though the tongue is presented as evil, if used correctly, it can help create a whole person.

8:22a, CST: If a person can control their tongue they will be a whole person (3:2). If our speech is controlled we can control the rest of our body.

8:20a, CST: We are reliant upon God to become complete, and there is an eschatological aspect that we begin to engage now. We will be completely complete someday, but we must live as complete as possible by being completely devoted to God now.

8:18a, CST: The “wholeness of person” (telos) is central to James’ epistle. We must be a whole person, completely dedicated to God.

8:17a, CST: The Epistle to James addresses how we use our tongue. Our speech is judged by our Creator, even if anonymous, even if online, even if invisible to those we attack. In other words, others may not see use, but God does see us.

8:16a, CST: Christians must recognize that we are the same person online as we are in person. Our actions may be different, and this reveals our real person. We cannot escape from how our online persona reflects our real person.

8:15a, CST: Brian Renshaw presenting:

8:13a, CST: Another danger: invisibility. The online attacker knows who they attack, but the person being attacked doesn’t know their attacker.

8:12a, CST: Renshaw discusses how online anonymity can wreak havoc, especially in a church context.

8:11a, CST: Our social restraints dissipate when we use online communication. Many people remove their “in person” inhibitions.

8:10a, CST: Online communication has resulted in much criticism of one another, and often our use of words is different than the speech we use in person.

8:08a, CST: Our online personality can sometimes become a second personality. This dualism has raised many ethical questions. Can we differentiate our real self from our online self? How should we use new technology, especially for communication?

8:06a, CST: The Epistle of James addresses what it means to be a whole person, a complete person (telos).

8:03a, CST: Renshaw begins with a discussion of how social media, blogs, etc., have changed how we communicate, and has democratized our ability to speak and report.

8:01a, CST: First presenter: Brian Renshaw (M.Div student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), “The Dividing Nature of Online Communication: James’ Speech Ethics for Today”.

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Last week I blogged during the Ecclesia and Ethics Online Conference sharing my notes and observations. To read those posts use one of the following links: Part 1 ; Part 2. Today I will be doing the same thing, except the session where I am presenting (2p, CST).