As is often the way, a re-entry is helped by suggestive posts and snippets from elsewhere. Here are a few from the last couple of days, plus one from a while ago that I couldn't resist passing on (for those who haven't yet seen it).
Ian McEwan on contemporary apocalypticism and its historical / theological antecedents: from the Guardian in two part. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Here is the conclusion to the piece:
Have we really reached a stage in public affairs when it really is no longer too obvious to say that all the evidence of the past and all the promptings of our precious rationality suggest that our future is not fixed? We have no reason to believe that there are dates inscribed in heaven or hell. We may yet destroy ourselves; we might scrape through. Confronting that uncertainty is the obligation of our maturity and our only spur to wise action. The believers should know in their hearts by now that, even if they are right and there actually is a benign and watchful personal God, he is, as all the daily tragedies, all the dead children attest, a reluctant intervener. The rest of us, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, know that it is highly improbable that there is anyone up there at all. Either way, in this case it hardly matters who is wrong - there will be no one to save us but ourselves.
Baptist Global Peace Conference 2009: this looks like being an important event, having the distinct advantage of being held in Italy. Conference website is here, but you might also want to consider checking out Michael Westmoreland-White's helpful summary of hat will be happening and who, hopefully might be there. You might also consider helping towards scholarships for those from the non-western world.
Baptist History and Thought: Andy has set up a new blog entitled Baptist History and Thought which will be updated with detailed information about recent writing by Baptists in the areas of Baptist history and theology.
Theological Hermeneutics: is the focus of the latest issue of the Princeton Theological Review. It is available for download here and contains articles by Daniel Treier, Murray Rae and Angus Paddison, among others, with a number of studies devoted to the contribution of Brevard Childs.
And Finally...: the best piece of polemical writing I have come across in blogland for a long, long time. Here is Halden's eviscerating treatment of Mark Driscoll (of whom I was only vaguely aware and who I think has yet to have much impact in the UK). A definite must-read.
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